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Submitted by Fred Patten, Furry’s favorite historian and reviewer.

The Fox of Richmond Park, by Kate Dreyer
London, Unbound, July 2017, trade paperback, £11.99 (287 pages), Kindle $1.99.

“If the Animals of Farthing Wood had lived in London and hated each other a little bit more, their story may have been a lot like this one.

‘Get out of the way or get an antler up the arse, yeah? I’m sick of these glorified donkeys.’” (blurb)

Almost all the (British) reviewers have compared this British novel to Colin Dann’s 1979 classic The Animals of Farthing Wood. In it, the woodland community of Farthing Wood is paved over by human developers. The wildlife inhabitants, led by Fox, undertake a dangerous trek to the safety of a distant nature reserve.

The Animals of Farthing Wood is a Young Adult novel. All the animals act together in brotherhood. No one eats anybody.

The Fox of Richmond Park is an Adult novel. Richmond Park is a large wildlife park in London that Wikipedia says is known for its deer. In this talking-animal novel, the deer are the arrogant elite class of the Park’s fauna. When the deer decide they want the lakeside area where several foxes have had their dens for generations, they just tell the foxes to move out. Most accept the order without protest. Vince does not.

“‘Why I should leave,’ Vince snarled as he prowled back and forth in the semi-circle of bare earth that marked the entrance to his den, black ears flat to his head, ‘just because some over-entitled deer want to be near the lake?’

‘It’s not like that. And you can dig a new, bigger den in a day or two. I don/t see what the problem is. Other animals have moved without a fuss.’ Edward tilted his antlers towards the small skulk of foxes several leaps away, who had gathered at the edge of the woodland to wait for the sun to set. ‘And your friends are being very cooperative.’

‘That’s because you’ve told them a load of scat about how great the cemetery is.’ Vince said, the copper fur on his back bristling. He’d had every intention of talking this through civilly with the stag, but his temper had other ideas. Just like last time.” (p. 1)

The other foxes privately agree with Vince, but why bring on an animal war? It’s easier to move. Vince goes on arguing until he says he’d rather leave the park altogether than move to an inferior neighborhood, just because the deer order it.

“‘But I’m not your enemy, Vince [Edward says]. This park is a wonderful place where we can all live together in safety, where humans respect us and take care of us. But there are rules. Just follow the rules like everyone else and you can stay. The last thing we want is to drive anyone away. Be serious, Vince. Do you really want to leave this place and live among humans? Dodging their cars, being kept awake by their incessant noise, eating their leftovers out of bins? Especially after what happened to your father.’” (p. 3)

Vince won’t back down. Besides, he’d always wondered where his grandparents had lived before they came to Richmond Park. Now he’s free to find out.

He’s not alone, either. Rita the magpie wants to join him.

“‘Why do you want to come? I don’t even know where I’m going.’

‘I want to travel with you. See London. Have an adventure!’

‘I’m not going on an adventure.   I’m just looking for my grandparents’ old home.’

‘Sounds like an adventure to me. Come on, I’ve spent too many seasons in this place. There’s nothing for me here and I’m getting old… I want to see the city! Fly to new places and taste new food and hear new birds!’” (p. 13)

So Vince and Rita venture from Richmond Park, where they have always led a sheltered, protected life, into the London metropolis. They have to dodge cars, learn how to cross streets with traffic lights, discover the difference between human pedestrians with cell phone cameras who just want to take their pictures and animal welfare officers who want to trap Vince, and more. A running joke is Vince’s frustration to find out what a poodle is.

Their search for Vince’s grandparents’ den takes them from Richmond Park to Hyde Park, Regent’s Park where the London Zoo is, and further afield. They meet many animals like Sid the badger, Oswald the swan, Frank and Roger the geese, Socks the cat (“Official Feline Administrator of the Hammersmith area”), G, Jonny, and Ra-Ra, the rat gourmets of Soho, Arthur the hedgehog, and more. Some are helpful. Some are murderous. There is comedy, suspense, violence, and tragedy. Vince and Rita are gradually joined by others.

There are hints of romantic complications. Vince has left a vixen, Sophie, back in Richmond Park. Sophie has recently mated with another tod, Jake, but she and Vince still have feelings for each other. Vince and Rita meet another vixen, Laurie, an urban fox, on their travels. Will Vince mate with Laurie, or return to Richmond Park for Sophie? How far will Jake go to ensure that Vince does not return to Richmond Park?

There is also the constant plot to kill Vince before he can find his grandparents’ home.

“‘Why bother? [asks Kara the owl] He’s already gone.’

‘His death will be a warning to everyone here [answers Edward]. They need to be reminded that the city is dangerous and that Richmond Park is the best home they’ll ever have. I have little doubt that Vince will fail on his own, but I’m not risking it. I can’t have him sending messages back, encouraging others to flout the rules or leave or … worse. Park Watch would fall apart. I’ve spent seasons making this park what it is and I won’t have that flea-ridden creature ruin it for me.’” (p. 30)

Dreyer refers at one point to Watership Down, but it’s obvious before then that she is familiar with it. However, The Fox of Richmond Park (cover by Mecob) is completely original. It is a top-quality addition to any library of talking-realistic-animal fantasies. No furry fan should miss it.

– Fred Patten

• Buy on Amazon
• Learn more on publisher’s page

Like the article? It takes a lot of effort to share these. Please consider supporting Dogpatch Press on Patreon.  You can access exclusive stuff for just $1, or get Con*Tact Caffeine Soap as a reward.  They’re a popular furry business seen in dealer dens. Be an extra-perky patron – or just order direct from Con*Tact.

BIRD!
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Mark Lungo, thanks for chatting. What’s your game about?

Crimestrikers, an RPG supplement set on the futuristic furry word of Creaturia, will be published in November by Spectrum Games as part of their Cartoon Action Hour series. Soon you can enter a new world of fun and adventure, as a colorful team of heroic agents protects Creaturia from the crime syndicate Outrage and other supervillains. Crimestrikers is created and written by Mark Lungo, with game stats by the Spectrum staff and illustrations by various artists (including Cindy Ramey of Ringtail Cafe Press, Derek Van Deusen, Jon Kemerer, Alishka Jolitz, and Rick Yurko). Stay tuned to http://www.spectrum-games.com/ for further announcements.

(Spectrum Games:) “Do you remember those magical days of the 1980s, when Saturday morning and weekday afternoon cartoons offered kids heaping doses of excitement, action, and fun? There were huge sentient robots, paramilitary forces, science fantasy barbarians, and everything in between! Well, guess what? Those days have returned! With Cartoon Action Hour, you can re-live it all… but this time, you’re the star!”

I found your FA, and it looks like you have been into furry for a while. Can we get a little bio?

I’ve been a furry ever since my childhood in the late 60s. The first movie I saw was The Jungle Book, and the first comic I read (a Disney digest) included a Jungle Book story and Carl Barks’ Uncle Scrooge classic The Prize of Pizarro. When I was nine, The Houndcats came to Saturday morning TV; although most have forgotten this short-lived cartoon, it hooked me on furry action-adventure for life. Since then, my pop culture diet has included Disney and Warner toons, SWAT Kats, Biker Mice from Mars, Captain Simian, and indie comics like Furrlough and Albedo, among others.

Are you into RPG’s in general, or furry RPG’s specifically? Can you tell me about that – your favorites, what style you like, the kind of game mechanics you prefer, etc?

I’ve never been a gamer, although I own a few sourcebooks because I enjoy the characters and stories. So why is Crimestrikers an RPG? I showed the idea to my friend Cynthia Celeste Miller of Spectrum Games, who I knew from her company’s Cartoon Action Hour franchise (a series of original games inspired by toy-based 80s cartoons like He-Man and Transformers). I just wanted Cynthia’s opinion, but to my surprise and delight, she liked Crimestrikers so much that she wanted to publish it! I’m leaving the game stats and mechanics to the Spectrum team – they’re the experts.

Do you know much about the history of furry RPG’s? Some of them played a part in making furry fandom a thing. Are you into that, or just more of a general gamer who happens to be a furry?

See above. However, Crimestrikers includes a few suggestions I wrote for fans playing the game. For example, one of the episode seeds is “10 Minutes to Showtime!”, in which the heroes must find a bomb that’s set to destroy a drive-in theater in ten minutes. I wrote that players can create the proper atmosphere by serving snacks and soda while playing the kinds of ads that drive-ins run during intermissions, while the bomb can be simulated by a hidden timer that the players have to find before it goes off.

Diana Mastron by Jerberjer. See much more in the Crimestrikers tag on Deviantart.

What led you to make your own, and what’s the process been like?

I’ve been having ideas for shows and characters for a long time; also, whenever I watched or read something, even if I liked it, I’d always think “If I had written it, I’d change this and this and this.” However, Crimestrikers is the first of my concepts that really came together. I basically took everything I like (furries, action/adventure, sci-fi, even a dash of rock & roll) and put it all in one series. The process has been a lot of fun, although I overwrote so much that I had to edit some items to avoid exceeding Spectrum’s word count, including the deletion of some character bios. If anyone wants to see this material (and some new ideas I’ve come up with since completing the manuscript), be sure to buy Crimestrikers so maybe there can be a Volume 2!

Any comments about the publisher?

Spectrum has been very good to work with. Cynthia and her team have been very supportive, and aside from the word count thing they haven’t asked me to make any major changes. They also let their authors retain ownership of the properties they create, which anyone who has an idea that fits in with their product lines should consider.

Any hopes for the game?

I hope it’s successful, of course. I also think Crimestrikers has the potential to become a multimedia franchise that could include animated series, video games, comic books, action figures, you name it. Sure, it’s a long shot, but getting it published was a long shot, too. People who have seen Crimestrikers enjoy it, and one of my friends is already writing fanfic for it–seriously! I think it has a lot of potential.

Thanks Mark! It would be great to hear comments from any reader who is into furry RPG’s.

Like the article? It takes a lot of effort to share these. Please consider supporting Dogpatch Press on Patreon.  You can access exclusive stuff for just $1, or get Con*Tact Caffeine Soap as a reward.  They’re a popular furry business seen in dealer dens. Be an extra-perky patron – or just order direct from Con*Tact.

So, The Concentrics Show (Apparently a geek themed culture show) a few years ago did a short piece on Furry Weekend Atlanta that apparently aired on Comcast / Xfinity. Trigger Warning: "Who Let The Dogs Out."
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I must again apologies for a very short breathed post this month, but I’m still in a cast and my one good arm is tired. Prep your butt for another quick and dirty list.

For any videos, click on the little ‘K’…

… Right here… to go to the campaign page.

v

v

GAMES

MINIATURES

 

COMICS

 

Please note that some of these kickstarter projects may be NSFW

OTHER

 

Like the article? It takes a lot of effort to share these. Please consider supporting Dogpatch Press on Patreon. You can access exclusive stuff for just $1, or get Con*Tact Caffeine Soap as a reward. They’re a popular furry business seen in dealer dens. Be an extra-perky patron – or just order direct from Con*Tact.

Submitted by Fred Patten, Furry’s favorite historian and reviewer.

Magnificats: Return of the Demon Wind, by Gwyn Dolyn. Illustrated, map by the author.
La Jolla, CA, Plowshare Media, January 2017, trade paperback, $15.95 ([11 +] 239 [+ 9] pages), Kindle $3.95.

Magnificats is an unusual mixture of Young Adult fantasy and several specialized ethnic vocabularies, beginning with both faerie mythology and commonplace Irishisms; not to mention Big Words that aren’t in most Young Adult novels. 13-year-old redhaired Aoife “Apple” Standish, taunted as Red Apple Stand by her classmates in today’s Dublin, is blown by a sheegee wind to where a Magnificat is watching.

“Meanwhile, just down the street and past the cheese shop where her brother worked, Tak, the lanky old cat who lived under the ancient parish church on Apple’s route to school, sensed something awry in the autumn air. This sheegee was a concern. Sniffing, he tickled the air with his whiskers, then remarked, ‘Hmm. Interesting autumn wind; deliberate, with a stench of malice.’

While Tak was indeed a cat, he was not your everyday, meowing, rodent-chasing, scratching-up-the-furniture sort of cat. He was the leader (to be exact, Littern) of a clandestine order of numinous nine-life cats, known far and wide in creature kingdoms as Magnificats – keepers of sacred knowledge and masters of the winds.” (pgs. 1-2)

Dolyn peppers her novel with obscure words, Irish at first and later Egyptian, then others. “The strange sight of a girl caught in a whirlwind caused car screeching, men’s caubeens flying, and children diving for cover under their mums’ waving skirts.” (p. 4) Wikipedia defines a caubeen as an Irish peasant beret. “Gwyllion” is another Celtic magical word used a lot in just the first chapter – strangely, Wikipedia says it’s from Welsh mythology, not Irish. (It’s all Celtic.) Some other Irishisms in Chapter 1 that aren’t mythology-based are hooligan, shamrock, shenanigan, Finn-McCool, and gobsmacked. But when Apple goes to Egypt with other students on an archaeological dig, the vocabulary switches to Egyptian. “‘Hey App,’ Dan’s voice echoed across the flat sand, ‘we’re going to wrap this up. The winds are getting bad; looks like a haboob coming.’” (p. 29) You’ll learn more about cultures, winds, and mythologies (especially Irish) than you wanted to know:

“She [Apple] crumpled up the joyce her mum got at the airport exchange so she could have spending money for the layover in London, since the Brits did not accept the Euro.” (p. 17) [The Irish Republic today has adopted the Euro as currency, while the U.K. has kept the pound sterling.]

Tak is an ancient Magnificat, a world traveler on his ninth and last life:

“She [Miw, Tak’s mother] named Tak after the six-winged Ethiopean saint, Takle Haymanot, not China’s Taklimakan Desert, as was often speculated. His well-traveled nine lives made that assumption logical. Miw secretly hoped that the name might bring him wings, as his littermates sported. It did not. Yet a wingless Magnificat earning Littern status was a testament to Tak’s prowess.” (p. 9)

Tak hopes to relax and take his final life easy, under an old church in Dublin. He is disconcerted to see some obvious malicious magic being used against an apparently-normal 13-year-old girl. He dispels the sheegee wind (which has grown into a gwyllion tornado), but he can’t help wondering who the girl is that it was used against. Meanwhile, his magic cancellation of the wind has given Apple a glimpse “beyond the veil”:

“Sandwiched right between where she dipped one knee and looked up at the crucifix, Apple spotted a translucent gold cat atop the courtyard wall. Her glance rested on a sparkling cross that dangled from his jeweled collar. It was an Egyptian ankh, reflecting brightly in the afternoon sun. Apple and Tak locked eyes and a chill ran through both of them, from head to toe. ‘Why on earth would a transparent cat be wearin’ a key o’ life?’ Apple wondered under her breath.” (p. 6)

To give away a major spoiler right now, the main villain turns out to be Ephippas, the Arabian wind demon. Yes, Ephippas is genuine; I Googled him and he’s in the Bible, the Old Testament. What is an Arabian pre-Islamic wind demon doing in Ireland? Read Magnificats to find out.

Besides specialized words, Dolyn is adept with accents. There is Apple’s and others’ Irish accents:

“‘Oi’ll be t’ankin’ Spitface for her swinging-flap invention for a month o’ Sundies,’ Thom gloried.” (p. 6) [Spitface was Sir Isaac Newton’s pet cat. He invented the pet door for her. It’s on the Internet.]

There are incidental characters from Jamaica and Canada:

“Rasta’s face lit up as he tossed his head back in a gruff laugh, causing his white teeth to sparkle like pearls against his coffee-toned skin in the bright morning light. ‘This book tells about dah romance of all romances, Queen Saba and the wisest king in all dah land, Solomon. His great-great-and-fifty-greats-more was dah last emperor of Ethiopia. It is because of him that ol’ Rasta joined this expedition. That wise king hid his treasure with Queen Saba, a golden chest covered in angels, and I aim to find it.’” (pgs. 23-24)

“She [Apple] was petrified that the young woman would notice what it was, but instead, Rhonda politely handed the partially unwrapped stone back to her, and said, ‘Here you go. You’d better keep that pack zipped-up around here, eh?’” (p. 30)

Another character, Ms. Coleman in Phoenix, Arizona, is clearly a Southern African-American:

“‘Since I had no chil’ins of my own, Kryssy, I aim to teach you all I know about cat med’cin’. Danged if I am gonna let my Bibi’s secrets leave this world with me.’” (p. 77)

Cats are not the only animals anthropomorphized:

“Trailing Magnificats snagged the fractured aurora’s medicinal light particles to take to Magnificat Stubbs in Alaxsxaq, where the feline mayor was recovering from a vicious dog attack. Polaris’ wind brought early winter to a swaggering wolf pack, treading single file across the rocky tundra below, and they howled in protest. ‘We have not prepared our dens yet.’ The sudden frost over the steep hillsides angered bears for the same reason. Polaris [the polar bear wind of the north] was unmoved. His cold wind pressed southward over Turtle Island’s elk-filled, brown grass prairies, to the red-earthed Land of the Sun, where condors with eleven-foot wingspans made passage over the aqua waters of the regal Grand Canyon. Finally, Polaris settled at the top of the aspen and pine covered San Francisco Peaks, the seat of Moosa [a Maine Coon cat Magnificat], Clouder over the 56 nations of the Americas. The sudden wind caused the white underside of the aspen leaves to dance like butterflies.” (pgs. 63-64) [“Alaxsxaq” is the Aleut word from which the English “Alaska” is derived.]

“‘Your tail is still pretty quick for an old blue whale,’ Polaris joked tiredly as he eased into his turn.

Blue [the blue whale wind of the south] did a double midair flip to show him she still had that (and more) in her, accidentally sending a surging sea wave towards Oceania. ‘Oops’’ she giggled, in hopes the icebergs she sent rolling would go unnoticed. In the past, Blue had swept away entire populations of animals and [humans] with her ‘innocent’ wakes.” (p. 86)

But Magnificats keeps returning to Dublin, and either Apple or Tak:

“There was some evidence that she [Apple] was not dreaming at all. Like the time several huge cats with pheasant wings flew in and out of her room through a window sealed shut with paint from previous tenants. The next morning, Apple found the window wide open and in good working order. Another time, she swam in a blue lake with a bright orange cat wearing goggles, flippers, and a rubber swim cap, and awoke soaking wet with a fish in her bed. The most outlandish dream, by far, involved seven cats sitting at the foot of her bed, building a campfire, and fanning it with raven’s wings. ‘Apple, there’s a fire! We are getting out!’ her mom yelled. She had smelled the smoke and called Fire Services. Apple decided not to tell her about the dream, especially after the neighbors had to stand in the cold in their pajamas for three hours while firefighters cleared the flats.” (p. 41)

This review barely mentions a major character, Krystal Kay Kenner.

Magnificats (cover by the author) eventually brings into the adventure the winds of the other directions such as Thunderbird of the west, and more Magnificats besides Tak (“‘Good Lord and all, how many of you are there?’ April asked, exasperated to see yet another talking Magnificat.” [p. 198]; and they have Politics). Tak turns out to be a shapeshifter who can morph into a Bastet half-human form (he loses his fur, though). There is more than enough in the novel to make it a worthwhile, exotic adventure for furry fans.

It’s educational, too.

“Of Pogeyan lineage, originally from the Indian tribal regions, Alkina was a Mystifier – able to engender a mist-like covering through his skin, allowing his fur to change like a chameleon. He could project images out on his fur, like a television screen, to trick the eye. This skill ingratiated him to the Jawoyn [human] tribe of the north, who divided into groups by 10 different skin types. They placed high importance on markings. He could disappear in the shadow of a golden wattle flower as easily as he could blend in with the blue sky.” (p. 87) [Guess which ethnic group is referred to in this paragraph.]

– Fred Patten

• Buy on Amazon
• Blog: About the book
• More on publisher’s page

Like the article? It takes a lot of effort to share these. Please consider supporting Dogpatch Press on Patreon.  You can access exclusive stuff for just $1, or get Con*Tact Caffeine Soap as a reward.  They’re a popular furry business seen in dealer dens. Be an extra-perky patron – or just order direct from Con*Tact.

Hello Everyone!

We open this week's episode with a discussion on stoicism. On the show we've often discussed the tenants of stoicism in a general sense, however we recently found an article that we thought would be a great introduction for people who want to learn more about this school of thought. We talk about our lives and how we've grown from being more stoic in our approach to the hardships of life.

Our main topic is on porn and masturbation. One of the common pitfalls that relationships can encounter is the usage of porn or of self-stimulation without your mate(s) being around or being aware. We talk about when to discuss porn usage, how to discuss it, and why porn and masturbation may not, in itself, be the villain it is often made out to be.

We close out the show with a question on finding romantic love. Our questioner wants a relationship but he can't find one using the apps he has. Is he looking for love in all the wrong places, or is he perhaps wrong in how he is approaching it. 

For more information, including a list of topics, see our Show Notes for this episode.

Thanks and, as always, be well!

FA 092 Porn and Self-pleasure in a Relationship - Is stoicism being a Vulcan? Is porn destructive to a relationship? Can you find love on Grindr? All this, and more, on this week's Feral Attraction!

The cast is back and have plenty to talk about! Episode 14 - Sharkaclysm

The cast get together again for another night of discussion and laughs Episode 13 - Shark loves you

Join the cast tonight for another episode of UnFurled! Episode 12 - Shark is a disaster!

Hey Guys, This is Kaar's segment that was recorded but the episode didn't get recorded that week. So enjoy! Please send any email for Kaar to us@unfurled.net Kaar Segment - Solo 01 - Hey Guys, This is Kaar's segment that was recorded but the episode didn't get recorded that week. So enjoy! Please send any email for Kaar to us@unfurled.net

… or so it would seem. More strangeness we found at the L.A. Comic Con. This time in the form of Reacharound Books. These folks specialize in cute illustrated picture books for kids… that are not. How so?  Well two of the books from their first set (called “Season One”) should be of special note to furry fans: Brenda’s Beaver Needs a Barber and Spank the Monkey Lends a Hand. See where this is going? The funny thing is all of their books are perfectly innocent on the surface — not a single dirty word or picture in any of them. Welcome to the world of double entendre! The books are written by “Bimisi Tayanita” and illustrated by “Sumguyen Bangladesh” — names may have been changed to protect the not-so-innocent. So check out their web page, buy the books, and let your children wonder what the heck you’re laughing your head off about.

Image c. 2017 Reacharound Books

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I'm about this distracted at work these days. This reminded me of a story: A student told his meditation teacher: "I can't meditate! I'm distracted and I keep falling asleep!" "Don't worry, It'll pass," said the teacher. The next week the student came back and said, "You're right! My meditation was amazing! I was really aware and peaceful!" "Don't worry, It'll pass," said the teacher.
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Welcome to guest poster Summercat – a great friend to Dogpatch Press, with a cool interest in Furry Comics and Zines History.

Publisher Dealer Table. Photo provided by Rabbit Valley

When I first joined the Furry Fandom, there weren’t many fandom publishers, and most printed works were vanity press or self-publishing. These days, it seems that the world of Furry Publishing has exploded in size, with many relatively new companies plowing ahead and looking strong.

However, there aren’t too many resources available for those looking to get their works published on whom to go with, and sites like Wikifur confusingly list long-dormant and dissolved companies under active publishers. So I went ahead and compiled a list of currently active fandom publishers looking at submissions, either regularly or periodically. I do not pretend this to be exhaustive, so these listed may not be the only options available.

A word of warning: What these publishers accept may change without notice. Some only publish through submissions to anthologies, while others may open or close their submissions for certain types of media. Many of these publishers are selective in what they publish under their imprint, and are often flooded with submissions and proposals. Always do your research before sending a submission in!

When discussing a contract with a publisher, keep special care to know what rights are being sold. While most publishers only require a period of exclusivity, some may be intending to purchase complete rights to the work. Make certain that you and the publisher are both clear on what is expected from either of you!

When it comes to publishing and compensation, there are four general approaches:

1. Flat payment. An up-front flat payment upon accepting your submission, sometimes per entry, sometimes per-word or per-page. There is no further compensation after this payment.
2. Royalties. A royalty is a percentage of the sales of your book – the more copies your book sells, the more money you make.
3. Product. Instead of cash, you receive a copy of the work, either for personal use or for you to sell yourself.
4. Vanity. Instead of being paid to have your work published, you instead pay the publisher to print your book or comic for you. You pay the full cost of printing and take the entire stock. Publishers may have a clause letting them purchase copies from you at a discount of the cover price.

And finally, if you know of a Furry Publisher that is not included on this list and is currently active, please feel free to drop a tip!

Rabbit Valley – Comics, Novels, Anthology Submissions, Vanity Publishing

The oldest active publisher on this list, Rabbit Valley is also a distributor for other publishers, having a table presence at conventions all around the world. Rabbit Valley offers vanity press printing for Comics and Novels, and is accepting submissions to publish Comics.

InkedFur – Color Comics

Inkedfur makes its money selling art prints on behalf of other artists, having tables at several conventions. Their offered printing services include full color comics, prints, wallscrolls, dakis, pillow cases, beach towels, and mousepads. InkedFur is currently accepting submissions for full color comics. Disclosure: I am friends with the owner of InkedFur.

Furplanet – Comics, Novels, ‘Zines, Anthologies, Artbooks

Furplanet was founded in 2004 as an online store for Furnation, and as an independent company in 2008. It publishes a variety of novels, comics, anthologies, and more under it’s own imprint as well as the Bad Dog Books label. Furplanet is currently accepting submissions for comics, novels, ‘zines, anthologies, and artbooks.

Jarlidium Press – APA, Comics, Novels, Anthology Submissions

Jarlidium Press is a publisher of various anthologies, comics, and periodical ‘zines. Current regular titles include the APA North American Furs, Xformations (adult transformation art/comics/stories), and Squeak! (adult M/F or F/F comics and pinups). Jarlidium also offers the short-run “ArtZone” and “WebcomicArchive” lines, as well as their Royalty option for comics and novels.

Antarctic Press – Accepting Portfolio submissions

Antarctic Press is a comic publisher that originated many Furry titles over the years. A more traditional comic publisher than others, they take submissions of portfolios rather than works to be published.

Sofawolf Press – Novels, Graphic Novels

Another well-known Furry publisher, Sofawolf Press publishes many authors and artists, as well as the Heat periodical. They are currently closed for Novel and Graphic Novel submissions, but periodically open for anthology submissions.

Goal Publications – Novels, Novellas, Single-Author Collections

Another newer publisher, Goal Publications focuses on the written word, seeking novels and novellas in the 20,000 to 140,000 word range, and single-author collections.

United Publications – Novels, Comics

A UK-based publisher and distributor, United Publications has published many Furry titles in the past. They are currently accepting submissions of completed novels or comic-style books.

Thurston Howl Publications – Novels, Anthologies

Thurston Howl is another publisher that handles anthologies and novels. Their editors get involved with editing and preparing your novel for publication. In addition, Thurston Howl also offers marketing, distribution, and web design services.

Sanguine Games – Roleplaying Games

An oddball in the list, Sanguine is the publisher of the Ironclaw and Myriad Song tabletop RPGs. While mostly an in-house publisher, Sanguine sometimes considers outside submissions.

Weasel Press – Novels, Novellas, Poetry

A “Beat” publisher, Weasel Press say they specialize in the weird and the oddball. They specialize in the written word but say they would consider graphic novels or artbooks. Weasel Press publishes erotica under the Red Ferret Press imprint.

Armored Fox Press – Anthology Submissions

A publisher of anthologies, Armored Fox Press looks primarily for work relevant to the anthologies being worked on. They pay a half-penny a word for accepted submissions.

Furry Writers’ Guild

While not a publisher, the Furry Writers’ Guild is worth mentioning due to its collection of resources for authors, including a “Market” listing of publications or publishers currently accepting written submissions.

Radio Comix – Comics, Comic Anthologies

Once a powerhouse of the Furry Comic world, RadioComix has been dormant in recent years. However, the publisher is planning to come back into action late 2017, starting with a kickstarter for issue 194 of Furrlough, one of the longest running North American comic anthology titles and arguably THE longest running Furry comic title. RadioComix plans to have an updated submission guideline posted around that time for future issues.

– Summercat

For more like this, see also Fred Patten’s articles about furry publishing.

Like the article? It takes a lot of effort to share these. Please consider supporting Dogpatch Press on Patreon.  You can access exclusive stuff for just $1, or get Con*Tact Caffeine Soap as a reward.  They’re a popular furry business seen in dealer dens. Be an extra-perky patron – or just order direct from Con*Tact.

More news we picked up at Stan Lee’s L.A. Comic Con. According to Screen Daily: “Stan Lee’s POW Entertainment has licensed its animated alien characters, The Unknowns, to be used in animated feature Panda vs. Aliens, which is currently in production at Canada’s Arcana Studios. Co-produced by China’s Yisang Media and Los Angeles Beijing Studios (LABS), the film is about aliens landing on an animal planet and seeking the power of a panda that they’ve seen through satellite broadcasts of a TV show. Gill Champion and Stan Lee will executive produce the film, which is directed by Arcana Studios founder Sean O’Reilly and is being lined up for release over Chinese New Year 2018.” You heard it here. Sean O’Reilly previously produced and directed Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom (which we’ve talked about before) and its sequel.

image c. 2017 Arcana

The Growth of a SubcultureOne of the marks of maturity is a growing capacity for self-reflection. When we are children, we act without thinking, completely in the moment. We just exist. It’s only as we get older that we start to question what it means to be who we are and why we do what we do. This trajectory of growth holds as true for societies as it does for individuals. Thus, I take it as an encouraging sign that books like Furries Among Us 2 are out there.This current title is the second in what I hope will be a series of non-fiction essay collections about the furry fandom. The first volume appeared in 2015 and contained an eclectic mix of essays by authors, artists, and social scientists. The 2017 volume contains a similar mix of authors, but seems much more focused on questions relating to the furry subculture and identity. The essays by non-scholars (with perhaps one exception) all maintain a high tone, while the essays by scholars are quite readable rather than being jargon-heavy.Here’s a brief rundown of the contents:Televassi writes a fascinating essay based on the theories of Michel Foucault in his “The Importance of Being Seen.” He posits a theory that furry fandom creates a space in which furries can be seen for who they are in a safe environment. This opening essay finds echoes throughout the collection, as it raises questions of concealing and revealing identities. While furries may seem to hide behind their fursonas, within the furry subculture they find a place where they feel most truly themselves.Patch’s essay on “The Furclub Movement” traces the history of regular furry dances in several communities. He relates his personal experiences with furclubs, and goes on to note how these regular events are safe places for furries and how the venues are often connected with the gay club scene. His thoughts on why furclubs are thriving connect back to the questions of identity at the heart of the collection.More tongue-in-cheek is the in-fursona interview with Facebook furry celebrities Jesus Fox and Satan Fox. The first part of the interview gives one example of how furry fandom interrelates with social media, while the second half, when the fursonas are dropped, returns to issues relating to furry fandom and individual acceptance.Makyo’s essay “Gender: Furry” looks at how self-exploration of gender and involvement in furry fandom can intersect, especially as seen through the author’s own experiences. Furry fandom provides a safe environment in which questions of gender and sexual orientation can first be articulated.Mary Lowd’s “Am I Furry?: Fandom Vs. Genre” in some ways is a plug for furry fiction as a genre, but perhaps that’s to be expected from one of the premier writers of furry fiction. Yet it does again touch on the main theme of furry identity inasmuch as it looks at the question of how writing furry fiction and belonging to the furry subculture may or may not intersect.Phil Geusz, another prolific furry fiction author, writes “Furries and Science Fiction, Or...From the Very Beginning, We Were There.” This essay reads mostly as advice to furry writers on grounding their works in credible speculation. Yet by calling authors to examine and determine why there should be furries in a story at all still touches the meaning of furry identity, here in the world of a specific story.Bill Kieffer’s “TF=Transformation” is simultaneously an examination of transformation as a genre and its relation to the furry fandom as well as a moment of self-reflection on the part of the author. This essay has one of the greatest lines in the entire book: “Sure, sometimes TF is just thinly disguised torture porn...but then there are days when I can say the same thing about real life.”That grayest of graymuzzles, the venerable Fred Patten continues his essay from the first volume of Furries Among Us with his “History of Furry Publishing II.” This reflection on the current state of furry publishing seems the furthest from the theme of identity. But because furry fandom is so strongly connected to the creation and consumption of furry art and stories, examining the state of publishing is a way of reflecting on the state of the subculture.The last four essays in the book are all contributed by members of the International Anthropomorphic Research Project, a group of social scientists studying furry fandom. Many (if not all) of the researchers are themselves furries, yet they work within the restrictions of their individual disciplines, giving these essays a unique insider/outsider perspective on the furry subculture. While each essay lists a primary author, in the tradition of scientific papers, footnotes also list contributing co-authors. These notes highlight the interrelations between the research of all members of the IARP.“‘It Just Clicked’: Discovering Furry Identity and Motivations to Participate in the Fandom” by Dr. Stephen Reysen in some ways is a justification for using social science to examine furry fandom. His research on why furries became furries is fascinating, showing again the strong overlap between the furry subculture and journeys of self-discovery. For many furries, their exposure to the fandom simply gives them a name to what they were all along.Dr. Sharon Roberts examines the so-called “post-con depression” among furries in her essay “The Highs, The Lows, and Post-Con Depression.” Her research into positive emotions during furry conventions certainly touches on issues of identity and belonging that lie at the heart of the collection as a whole.Dr. Courtney Plante’s “Say It Ain’t So: Addressing and Dispelling Misconceptions About Furries” is perhaps the only essay in this collection written for those outside the furry subculture. In dispelling five common misconceptions, Dr. Plante delves more deeply into who exactly furries are and why they do what they do. The section of misconceptions within the furry fandom itself is also welcome reading.Drs. Kathleen Gerbasi and Elizabeth Fein round out the essay collection with their introduction to the “furry-adjacent” subcultures of Therians and Otherkin with their study “Furries, Therians and Otherkin, Oh My! What Do All Those Words Mean, Anyway?” One of the things the study shows is how members of these differently defined subcultures discovered their own identity within the furry fandom.As a writer of stories that sometimes are furry who has only recently self-identified in public as a furry, I found Furries Among Us 2 to be a fascinating read. I think furries will take it as an invitation to reflect on their own identity as it relates to the fandom. But anyone interested in questions of how subcultures relate to self-identity and self-actualization will find these essays an interesting read.

I'm sure most of you have seen this by now but damn it is on topic for today and cute and furry. BOO!
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Ilya / EpicRive The Best of FWIW: Halloween 2016 - In lieu of an episode for 2017, we are rolling our 2016 Halloween episode! We hope you enjoy this blast from the past and have the spoopiest Halloween! - NOW LISTEN! - Want to see the original show notes? Click this line

Welcome to Bessie, of Marfedblog, a comics review and criticism site. There’s furry stuff there, and much more, with the devoted curation of a fan doing exactly what they love. It’s my favorite kind of writing – thoroughly researched, thoughtfully presented, in magazine style long form. I suspect it may be underexposed considering the high quality, so if you like this, give a follow. And expect syndicated content reposted here too.  (- Patch)

“Don’t be scared! He doesn’t bite. That’d be gauche”

Scot Zellman’s Buster Wilde first appeared on-line around the mid-nineties back in the prehistoric days of the internet. Following the exploits of our eponymous hero, lover and maybe most importantly, gay lycanthrope as we quickly discover the he twist in the familiar folk tale and pop culture staple. Sinewy, flamboyant party animal by night at sunrise Buster switches back to his beleaguered alter ego, Bernard. Stressed, uptight and again most importantly, straight. As Buster humorously and enthusiastically throws himself into his new life, navigating the gay club scene with its drama and clichés, Bernard struggles with a double life he doesn’t remember and more often than not waking up in other guys beds. It was among one of the first web comics I discovered when I finally got on-line and I quickly made my way through every strip on the now broken and mostly forgotten geocities site. You heard that right, Geocities. It’s been around fourteen years since the final strip was posted and it’s a testament to both the quality of the strips and Zellman’s considerable skills as a writer and gifted cartoonist that those who saw it at the time still hold it in such high regard over a decade later. Apart from one of two references that date them (Buffy, who Buster declares is a bitch because of her treatment of fellow werewolf Oz) the Buster Wilde strips have a timeless quick paced humour to them that’s still as funny today as when they were first conceived.

They continued sporadically for four years and fifty two strips until one day they just, stopped. One last strip with the energetic Buster switching the word ‘fetch’ with ‘felch’ and then, nothing. The site was never updated again and still remains, albeit a little bit more broken. If anything it reminds me how easy it was in the early days before social media and constantly online presences for people to simply disappear from the surface of the digital world. Details are still frustratingly few. Beyond a few mentions on forums here and there, the odd broken link, I feel confident in saying this post will be the most ever written about it. In the last few years web comics have really come into their own as something unique and separate from other comics, gaining a lot more attention and exposure in the process. It’s a real shame that in being an early example of the medium that it’s fallen through the cracks when it comes to wider recognition and it feels bizarre to be the first one writing about so many moons later.

My understanding from what I could gleam from a question here and there on twitter is that Zellman simply moved onto other projects, before eventually retiring from comics completely. It was a pleasant surprise a few years ago to find that a print version of the Buster strips existed, released by Furplanet who now helpfully host copies of the originals online. Alex Vance, writer of the Heathen Cities series and also a fan had reached out to Zellman with the offer to touch up the original artwork and release them on paper and ink “There was a new generation in the furry community and when I was still in publishing I reached out to him and developed scans of his originals into a book,” says Vance on giving Buster a second chance in the spotlight  “They represented a significant work. Drawn and lettered entirely by hand, a vanishing art”. The volume collects all of the original comics, promotional artwork, a fascinating artists sketchbook giving a glimpse into the creative process of the comic. Most tantalisingly it features two partly inked, mostly  unfinished strips both in a larger format with more experimental layouts. One of these featuring Busters strange toilet habits is now among my favourites and gives a fleeting glimpse of what could have been. I inquired if it might be possible for him to reach out to the man responsible for the strips Scot Zellman in the hope that he might answer a few lingering questions I had about his creation. He graciously obliged and I honestly didn’t expect a reply, it has been over a decade after all. A few days later however Scot shot me back a message and took time out his schedule to indulge me with rather a long interview. I’d like to thank him again for taking the time to answer me and give a wonderful insight into what went into the making of a comics classic all those years ago.

Bessie: The first boring, obvious question a lot of people must have asked. Why did the Buster Wilde strips stop, was it simply a desire to move onto other projects, lack of time and interest in it or something else?

Scot Zellman: I think I lost interest mostly due to frustration. I’d hoped the strip would reach a wider gay audience, especially through the gay-interest newsweeklies I was sending copies to in the hopes they would run it, but I quickly found the strip and Buster character made a much bigger impression on a gay furry community. That was an education because at the time I had no idea there was such a thing as “furries” gay or straight.

My education in furry fandom was hard and fast and while the specific trappings were never of personal interest I certainly appreciated the enthusiastic response even if I did have to turn down a large number of requests for commissioned pieces featuring a much less G-rated version of Buster.

I saw the strip as a slapsticky, funny animal, Warner Bros.-style cartoon antidote to the gay strips I was seeing at the time, most of which looked and sounded the same and featured no talking animals, something mainstream comic strips were full of. It was pretty easy, actually, to end the strip. I needed to focus on my “real” job and I wasn’t really interested in being a niche cartoonist with a small audience. After a couple years I thought “OK, playtime’s over. Time to move on.”

B: It’s unusual you made the comic and it caught on with furs, an audience you didn’t even know was out there, did it lead you to look into what other anthro comics were popular with them or artists who considered themselves furs?

SZ: I did look around a bit, especially when I’d get fan mail from other artists or from folks who’d recommend other artist/cartoonist sites.  The only anthro comic/character I really eventually found interesting and still follow these days is the Blacksad series. And that’s mostly because I love hard-boiled detective stories and film noir. Plus, the artwork is beautiful.

B: Why do you think the gay weeklies and such were so reluctant to run the comics? The comic itself or partly the attitude towards LGBT at the time?

SZ: Most gay weeklies weren’t really reluctant to run the strip, they were reluctant to pay meto run the strip.  I think the ones that were reluctant to run it for non-financial reasons wanted something a little less slapsticky and a little more mature and thoughtful (Dykes To Watch Out For, Curbside, and The Mostly Unfabulous Life of Ethan Green were big back then.) Or whoever was in charge of picking the comics to run just didn’t think it was funny. That happens, too.

B: The comic debuted around 1997, was it difficult working with the limitations of the internet back then in terms of storage and bandwith?

SZ: I know nothing of computer tech and wouldn’t know where to begin in setting up my own website, especially in 1997. I had a tech-savvy friend do all that for me. I had been a cartoonist for my college daily newspaper, so I was well-versed in the process of keeping artwork looking good when it’s reproduced/reduced for the printed page.  As for the original website, I supplied my webmaster with good-sized, pristine copies and let him do his best with the internet limitations of the time. 

B: What attracted you to the idea of showcasing Buster Wilde online as a webcomic? What was the reaction of other artist or those around you to adopting such a new medium in terms of comics?

SZ: I never really heard from others about the novelty of being online. Mostly people sent me emails telling me how much they liked Buster and the strip. I actually forget sometimes that the strip is still online these days. I usually just think of it as a book.

B:What was the audience and there reaction like at the comics peak? Was it difficult to find an audience in a time when comics online were not as recognised

The reaction was uniformly positive. In fact, I can’t remember getting any negative email at all.  As for my expectations, I had none.  I assumed people were seeing it and the ones who really loved it were the folks sending me the fan mail.

B: Buster Wilde now seems like a snapshot of, albeit a humorous exaggerated one, gay club culture at the time. Is that how you saw it and how do you think the strips might differ if they were coming out now? Would any characters differ or just settings and such?

I haven’t been out clubbing in ages, but I don’t imagine things have changed too much. Going out will always be about the same things:  fun, excitement, adventure, and the giddy hope you’ll meet someone thrilled to meet you no matter how sceptical or clumsy or overexcited or over it all you may be.

B: The printed book shows a few iterations of Buster before the one you settled on. What was the original idea and how did that develop into what you eventually drew? What was the eureka moment when it all fit together?

SZ: I was trying to come up with a gay-themed “funny animal” comic strip for my local gay paper and at one point I thought that a straight man who turned into a gay werewolf would be funny and allow for a lot of opportunities to poke fun at both gay and straight people. The eureka moment came when, after some time trying to come up with a name for the character, the name “Buster Wilde” popped into my head after Oscar Wilde, of course. Once I had “Buster Wilde” the rest just poured out of me.

B: How do you feel about webcomics becoming a lot more established since Buster Wilde and do you ever follow any at the moment? Do you think you would have an easier time building an audience now?

It’s a logical technological progression, so I’m not surprised and it certainly makes it easier to get your work “out there.” I still worry that books will be marginalised to the point being hard to find or disappeared entirely. That said, I do have the book versions of my favourite online strips. I follow Bob the Angry Flower, Poorly Drawn Lines, Scenes from a Multiverse, and Doonesbury regularly. That’s about it.

I don’t know. Probably, but I’m still pretty disconnected from what’s going on online.

B: Are there comics that inspired the humour and structure in the Buster Wilde strips? Are any of the events (obviously not the lycanthropy) inspired by real events or people?

I’d say the primary inspiration were the old Warner Bros. cartoons, especially the Chuck Jones Bugs Bunny, Wile E. Coyote and Daffy Duck cartoons. Plus, I’ve always just loved slapstick and pratfalls.

The personal inspiration was just my years going out, my friends, and my love of good-natured, accepting straight people who are easily unnerved and exasperated by gay people.

B: The Unfinished strips included in the print version have a more experimental panel layout than the other strips, would this have been something we would have seen more of if the strips had continued? Did you ever find the regular format limiting in any way?

SZ: That was an experiment in longer-form  storytelling told in a comic book page format that, because I’m a comic book reader, thought I’d try just for fun.  The regular format I’d already been working with didn’t feel limiting in any way since I felt like I could do whatever the gag called for.  That said, I do like the inherent restrictions of the “Sunday comics” format.

B: Did you have an overarching story or a direction the strips were going in?

SZ: Sort of, but not really. The goal was to cram as much humour into each “episode” as I could without overloading it to the point of incomprehensibility. As for the overarching story, I just knew that the character’s stories would continue to unfold and more characters and adventures would be introduced as time went by.

B: Are you surprised that people like myself, still talk about and hold it in such high regard after all this time and Do you have a favourite strip out of the bunch?

SZ: Not really. Once people find something they love it usually sticks with them. I’m the same way with older comic strips, TV shows, movies, comic books. The ear-piercing strip. The bare minimum amount of dialogue, the right amount of slapstick, and a funny the turnaround/topper.  The strip still makes me LOL as they say.

B: Overall what do you think the appeal of Buster is?

SZ: The exact same appeal of the friendliest, sweetest Golden Retriever you’ve ever met. He’s just happy all the time and you’re his best friend

B: Raspberry Flan. Are there any other suitable bathroom foods?

SZ: Baked Alaska Flambe.

Buster Wilde can be read in it’s entirety here. The printed version can also be purchased here or from amazon.

Originally posted on marfedblog, where Bessie reviews and spotlights Furry and mainstream comics.

This is about how my day was.
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