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

Solo. T.2, Le Coeur et le Sang, by Oscar Martin.
Paris, Delcourt, January 2016, hardcover €16,95 (109 [+ 1] pages).

Oops. This volume 2, The Heart and the Blood, almost got away from Lex Nakashima & me. Volume 3 is out already. Expect a review of it soon.

I said of volume 1, “The setting: a bleak, war-destroyed future Earth. Think MGM’s/Hugh Harman’s 1939 animated Peace on Earth, where the last humans on Earth kill each other and leave the world to the peaceful funny animals; or the similar sequence in Alexander Korda’s 1936 live-action feature Things to Come, where England (and presumably the whole human race) has been bombed and shot up back to the Stone Age. It’s Mad Max with furries.”

That’s still true of vol. 2. Quoting from my review of volume 1 again, I said, “Solo is a brawny teenaged rat-equivalent of the young Conan the Barbarian, but a lot smarter. In the first few pages, he and his warrior father are shown fighting giant, mutated monsters in a freezing winter landscape for food for their family, and killing rival mustelid warriors ready to eat them. Solo and his father win, but it is obvious to all that Solo’s family is slowly starving. Solo, a huge teenager, decides to leave so his parents and siblings won’t have to share their food with him.”

Solo spends most of volume 1 as an almost brain-dead gladiatorial warrior in a human-run arena. It’s clear that he could escape whenever he wants, but is there anyplace else in the world worth escaping to? He finally finds such a place; a new home and a wife. He finds that life is worth living again.

Of course, this now gives him responsibilities – to his wife and to his community.

The Heart and the Blood is divided into two sections; the story of 73 pages, and a mixture of “technical notes” (some of the other intelligent species of Solo’s “cannibal world”) and short independent stories.

The main story begins with a winter hunting party that includes Solo and his wife Lyra. The survivor of a two-hunter group reports that they were ambushed by a military squad of monkeys, led by a human commander, before a mutant monster killed them all. That is ominous, but more troubling for Solo is when a new party of refugees join their rat community, including Grand, an old friend of Lyra’s from her original home. Although Lyra and Grand are more of a big-brother and little-sister, Solo becomes overly jealous of him. Matters degenerate until Solo leaves on a one-rat hunting trip to get away from Lyra and Grand.

This story is intercut with that of the human and monkey soldiers’ city. They are from a new (to Solo’s village) militaristic community. Their governor says that their hunting parties have been suffering increasing casualties. He proposes to attack the nearest rat community, kill most of the males, and bring the females and children back to breed them for food. “The males, controlled by drugs, can impregnate the females. The intensive rat reproduction on our farms will guarantee us constant food without any risk.”

Solo survives alone for weeks. He’s used to being alone; he prefers it. He meets his father and his brother Bravo, and learns that the rest of his family has been killed. Solo returns home to find that his village has been wiped out by the humans and monkeys, but Grand has helped Lyra to escape with him. Solo knows that he should be grateful to Grand, but he can’t help continuing being jealous. Grand, who has his own more-than-brotherly feelings toward Lyra, nobly defuses the situation by leaving, so that Solo and Lyra can begin a new tribe.

The Heart and the Blood has a happy ending, but the “coming soon” announcement of vol. 3 means it can’t last.

Oscar Martin is a Spanish comics artist in Barcelona. According to the Internet, he and an animator friend recently tried to raise €12,000 on Indiegogo to animate Solo. They didn’t get it. Does anyone want to help them?

– Fred Patten

• Buy on Amazon.Fr
• On Indiegogo

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If you’ve ever read horror comics from the 1970’s, then you know about Marvel Comics’ Werewolf By Night. Now they’re bringing the story together. “Jack Russell stars in tales to make you howl, as Marvel’s very own Werewolf! Learn how Jack became one of the grooviest ghoulies of the seventies in this classic collection of his earliest adventures! Afflicted with his family’s curse, Jack’s sets out in search for answers. Could they lie in the terrible tome known as the Darkhold? But Jack’s quest is fraught with danger – from mad monks to big-game hunters to a traveling freak show! Then there’s the terror of Tatterdemalion, the horror of Hangman and the torment of Taboo! But few encounters can compare with Krogg, the lurker from beyond – except, maybe, a Marvel Team-Up with Spider-Man – and a supernatural showdown with Dracula himself!” Werewolf By Night: The Complete Collection Volume 1 comes to stores this October.

image c. 2017 Marvel Comics

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Bonus video! A new TMNT film set in a human-less mutant world that is very reminiscent of the supplement to the 80s Palladium RPG "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness" called "After the Bomb". While After the Bomb started out as a TMNT thing it was re-written when they lost the rights to TMNT. Nice to see some borrowing back I suppose. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_the_Bomb_(game) [1] Even Peter Laird did the illustration for the first edition: [2] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_the_Bomb_(game) [2] https://furry.today/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/After_The_Bomb_first_edition_1986.jpg
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So Sony is making a more modern and with a bit more attitude version of Peter Rabbit. Still, I do overall like the character designs for that classic "Rabbits in Waistcoats" sort of thing. But to quote Sylys Sable: [1] [1] https://furry.today/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/SonyLogo.jpg
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Culturally F’d has had foxes on the brain as of late! This week we look at foxes in general for a foxy fifty fifth episode!

[The opening alliteration, captured in one take. Alliteration is always awesome.]

Fortunate for us that this fiery furred friend, furiously flounces his feast. This fuzzy fauna frolics forever in flowery fields, foliage of forests and foggy fjords. Featuring fundamental features, flaunting flawless fur. A Fabulous and fair fiery facade, feral or frocked. For from fables of our forbearers and forefathers fabricate a fabulous family fable for future friends. Famous familiar facsimiles frequented for furries.

Furry Fans foresee facts on facilitating fox fornication. Forsake that fodder for a Freudian farce forthwith. The firmament of fame fizzles for a formidable fuss. Forsooth fasten your facetious flabbergasting and facilitate a more fantastical fiasco featuring a frenetic frenzy for fiendish fantasy fey. Unfurling foreshadowing, fluent in frisky flailing. Don’t fret on this frivolous filibuster. Fantastic fluffy feisty ferocious furry foxes are Culturally F’d.

Malwave of Griffcast was our patreon sponsor in the thumbnail, which is how a griffon made it into an episode on Foxes. We’re offering YCH slots on all future thumbnails, and have already featured several patrons.

This episode was on the “to-do” list for a long time. Kitsune have such a rich mythology and there’s so much still left unexplored! It was also lot’s of fun learning about the European Reynard the Fox cycle and how foxes have changed language around the world.

Here’s that chart I made dissecting the theories on the etymology of the word “Ki Tsu Ne” based on this list of different scholars’ theories.

Ki (Yellow) Tsune (Always) Tsu (Possessive) Ne (As in “Neko” for “Cat”) Ki (Stench) Ne (As in “Inu” for “Dog) Ki (Came) Tsu (Perfective Aspect) Ne (Bedroom) (Based on Legend) Kitsu (Onomatopoeia: fox bark) Ne (Honorific for Inari Shrine Servants) Ne (Affectionate Mood)

 

But before the Fox Episode, we talked Star Fox Fanon with guest writer Tempe O’Kun and Underbite demanded to host this episode on one of our favourite Nintendo franchises:

So the metal leg theory is bust just like Krystal isn’t very Busty. But we can confirm that Wolf O’Donnel is in fact a leather daddy, so we can at least have that.

The episode talks a lot about fan remix culture, how we take our favourite elements or rumours and build on them to make our own cannon. Building on this, Underbite spent a lot of time carefully crafting the amazing Star Wars/Star Fox mashup poster so we decided to finish it and sell prints of it. Check out our official web store www.culturallyfd.com to get some posters or some shirts.

A clash of classic space operas in this epic fighter pilot adventure mash-up. Pilot the R-Wing into the Deathstar to stop Darth Andross from blowing up Cornerialderan!

 

“Fox Wars” merch at www.culturallyfd.com now on sale!

A post shared by Culturally F’d (@culturallyfd) on Sep 18, 2017 at 10:38am PDT

Ok, that’s enough blatant self-promotion. I just hope you like the videos. Don’t forget to Subscribe to Culturally F’d on YouTube. We’re almost at 10,000 subscribers which is very exciting. YouTube has a bunch of perks that are unlocked at that tier and we can’t wait to start using them. Culturally F’d has a lot more coming up, so stay tuned.

Thanks for watching,

Arrkay.

It’s a given that everyone does an “Art of…” book for their new animated features these days. Sometimes there are even retrospective “Art of…” books for various studios. Aardman Animation, however, had not jumped on that bandwagon — until now! The Art of Aardman is a new hardcover (available now from Simon & Schuster) that celebrates 40 years (!) of the house that brought us Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run, Shaun the Sheep and so much more. Featuring a forward by founders Peter Lord and David Sproxton, it takes a behind-the-scenes look at Aardman through the sketchbooks of such famous directors as Nick Park, Richard Starzak, and others.

image c. 2017 Simon & Schuster

A Wes Anderson stop motion animated furry move? Welp! I'm sold.
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Submitted by Fred Patten, Furry’s favorite historian and reviewer.

Borne, by Jeff VanderMeer
NYC, MCD Farrar, Straus and Giroux, April 2017, hardcover $26.00 (323 [+ 2] pages), Kindle $12.99.

Borne is a science-fiction novel, not a furry novel. That’s Borne on the cover. No furry author has ever featured an animal quite like him – if he is an animal.

“WHAT I FOUND AND HOW I FOUND IT

I found Borne on a sunny gunmetal day when the giant bear Mord came roving near our home. To me, Borne was just salvage at first. I didn’t know what Borne would mean to us. I couldn’t know that he would change everything.

Borne was not much to look at that first time: dark purple and about the size of my fist, clinging to Mord’s fur like a half-closed stranded sea anemone. I found him only because, beacon-like, he strobed emerald green across the purple every half minute or so.

Come close, I could smell the brine, rising in a wave, and for a moment there was no ruined city around me, no search for food and water, no roving gangs and escaped, altered creatures of unknown origin or intent. No mutilated, burned bodies dangling from broken streetlamps.” (p. 3)

Mord, the giant, floating, ever-hungry bear, is almost as fascinating.

“No one, not even Wick, knew why the Company hadn’t seen the day coming when Mord would transform from their watchdog to their doom – why they hadn’t tried to destroy Mord while they still held that power. Now it was too late, for not only had Mord become a behemoth, but, by some magic of engineering extorted from the Company, he had learned to levitate, to fly.

By the time I had reached Mord’s resting place, he shuddered in earthquake-like belches of uneasy sleep, his nearest haunch rising high above me. Even on his side, Mord rose three stories. He was drowsy from sated bloodlust; his thoughtless sprawl had leveled a building, and pieces of soft-brick rubble had mashed out to the sides, repurposed as Mord’s bed in slumber.” (pgs. 4-5)

But Mord is not anthropomorphic. He is just a giant, floating, ever-hungry bear, dripping with unknown things. Including Borne.

“I knew nothing about Borne and treated him like a plant at first. It seemed logical from my initial observations. The first time Borne felt comfortable enough to relax and open up, I was sitting down to a quiet dinner of old Company food packets I’d found buried in a half-collapsed basement. He was sitting on the table in front of me, as enigmatic as ever. Then, mid-chew, I heard a whining noise and a distinctly wet pucker. As I set down the packet, the aperture on top of Borne widened, releasing a scent like roses and tapioca. The sides of Borne peeled back in segments to reveal delicate dark-green tendrils that even in their writhing protected the still-hidden core.

Without thinking, I said, ‘Borne, you’re not a sea anemone at all – you’re a plant!’” (pgs. 17-18)

But Borne is not a plant. And he doesn’t stay rooted or small for long.

“Borne was also growing. Yes, growing. I hadn’t wanted to admit it at first, because the idea of growth carried with it the idea of a more radical change, the thought of a child becoming an adult. In how many species did the transformation become radical, the parent so different from the juvenile? So yes, by the end of the first month, although the process had been gradual, I could no longer deny that Borne had tripled in size.” (p. 24)

The narrator (eventually identified as Rachel) is not the only person in the ruined city. There is Wick, her partner. There is the Magician, their enemy. There are other scavengers. Some used to be human.

“Other than Mord, the poison rains, and the odd discarded biotech that could cause death or discomfort, the young were often the most terrible force in the city. Nothing in their gaze could tell you the were human. They had no memories of the old world to anchor them or humble them or inspire them. Their parents were probably dead or worse, and the most terrible and transformative violence had been visited upon them from the earliest of ages.

There were five of them, and four had traded their eyes for green-gold wasps that curled into their sockets and compounded their vision. Claws graced their hands like sharp commas. Scales at their throats burned red when they breathed. One wing sighed bellows-like out of the naked back of the shortest, the one who still had slate-gray human eyes. After a while, I wished he’d had wasps instead.” (p. 30)

The children sadistically torture Rachel and leave her apartment, taking Borne. Wick discovers and helps her. They find Borne alone outside Rachel’s apartment. There is no sign of the children.

“Borne stood at least half a foot taller than that afternoon, his base thicker and more robust. On the chair, he came up to my shoulders. I couldn’t see that any harm had come to him – he still had that perfect symmetry. He was beautiful in that darkness. He was powerful.

‘It’s just me,’ Borne said.

I screamed. I stumbled back, looking for a weapon – a stick, a knife, anything. His voice sounded just like the rasp of the boy with the gray eyes.

‘Just me,’ Borne said. ‘Borne.’

Just me. (pgs. 35-36)

This review could be filled with excerpts showing Borne growing up. What Borne becomes, what his relationship to Rachel is, what the city and the Company were and what happened to them, what happened to the other people in the city – what happens, present tense — read Borne to find out.

“Then Borne changed shape into something huge and tremulous, but also something long and low and streamlined and snakelike. He sped off at such a frightening pace that he was just a thick black line zigzagging across the roof and then gone, over the side.” (p. 224)

Borne (cover by Tyler Comrie and Rodrigo Corral) is a fascinating and eerie novel. It’s not a furry novel, but it does have a talking – animal?

“‘What are those doing there, Borne?’ They did loll, they did sag, the faces looking down at the floor. Those were three dead bodies on the wall, three skeleton corpses.

‘Oh, the dead astronauts? The fox said I needed to jazz up the place. I needed to give it some pizzazz, some oomph.’

I was rendered speechless by so many parts of what he’d said. Foxes. Dead astronauts. Least of all, jazz, pizazz, oomph – three words he never should have used outside of the books he found them in. But that wasn’t the point.

‘They’re not dead astronauts. The fox told you what?’

‘Never mind,’ Borne said. ‘It was a joke. I was joking. Now, what did you come over for? How can I help you.’

How can I help you?

‘Those are three dead skeletons on the wall, Borne.’

‘Yes, Rachel. I took them from the crossroads. I thought they would look nice in here.’” (p. 142)

Even discounting Borne himself, the novel is filled with vivid imagery.

“The seventh night, I slept in Wick’s quarters, and Mord, far above, slept over us, sprawled across the sea of loam and debris that covered the Balcony Cliffs. We experienced his breathing as a haunted depth charge that tumbled down through the layers, the beams, and the drywall, the supporting columns and the cracking archways. The sound of it permeated the atoms of a dozen ceilings, vibrated through our bodies. We felt it in our flesh after we heard it in our ears, and it lingered longer under the skin.” (p. 47)

Jeff VanderMeer is a major new s-f author, and Borne has been reviewed in many major magazines and newspapers. The New Yorker says in its review, “VanderMeer belongs to a loose group of literary writers, the New Weird, […]” Borne is certainly weird. Wired titled its review, “Jeff VanderMeer’s New Novel Makes Dystopia Seem Almost Fun”. Borne is almost certain to be a 2017 Hugo nominee. Paramount Pictures has optioned Borne for an upcoming feature film.

– Fred Patten

• Book on Author’s site
• New Yorker review
• Wired review
• “‘Borne’ Is a Beautiful, Bizarre Sci-Fi Novel with a Gigantic, Flying Bear” – Vice

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Adoom, Kaar and Tal are together this week to discuss the latest phone releases and drama on the web. Episode 10 - Using the shark word

Vox, Tal, Roland and Adoom are back this week for more UnFurled good times. Episode 9 - YouTube can suck my shark

Okay, now here’s something very much different: Dead of Winter, a new full-color miniseries from Oni Press. According to Geek.com, it’s like this: “In the pantheon of heroes, none are more lovable and loyal than everyone’s beloved good ol’ dog, Sparky. Surviving in the wintery apocalypse of the undead, this former TV star turned zombie killing machine just wants to make friends and be a good boy. As his fellow survivors scavenge for supplies in the frigid wasteland, will Sparky be able to protect his companions from threats both undead and not yet undead? Oni Press brings us a new kind of zombie apocalypse with Dead of Winter #1, a comic adapted from the table top game, Dead of Winter: A Crossroads Game, designed by Isaac Vega and Jon Gilmour for Plaid Hat Games.” You heard it here. The comic is written by Kyle Starks and illustrated by Gabriel “Gabo” Bautista. Look for it now — before they get you!

image c. 2017 Oni Press

OMG! Ponies. The movie comes out October 6, 2017.
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Hello Everyone!

We open this week's show with a discussion on the faulty science currently being used on US College Campuses to investigate and adjudicate sexual assault. While well purposed, the science cited by several leaders in the newer movements to protect college students from sexual assault is in several cases outdated, under researched, or incorrect in application. The impact of this ranges from sexual abusers finding loopholes to avoid legal prosecution to innocent bystanders getting caught up and forced to change their entire lives as a result. We take a look at part two of a three part series published on The Atlantic concerning this issue and the ramifications it has for college aged students and their sex lives.  

Our main topic for the week dovetails from the top of the show and discusses sex regret. Oftentimes we as consenting, sexually active individuals have sexual encounters that, the morning after, we find ourselves feeling less than enthused that it happened. We talk about why this is, whether it is normal, and ways you can shake it off.

We close out this weeks show with some feedback from last week's fictiophilia question and a new question: what do you do when you find out your boyfriend has not just another secret boyfriend, but multiple secret boyfriends?

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

Thanks and, as always, be well!

FA 086 Regret Sex - Campus sexual assault. Discussions of how rape has impacted our lives. A conversation about regretting sex with partners and if it is normal. A serious episode, and more, on this week's Feral Attraction!

And yet more stuff from France for young readers, this time imported by Lerner Publishing Group. “Enjoy lively, colorful, fairy-tale-style fun with the Whiskers Sisters! Maya has antlers. Mia’s a cat. And May can’t quite talk yet. But they’re all family! They live in the woods with their grandfather, the Guardian of the Forest – and they get into all kinds of adventures with the chatty animals that live nearby. A letter from Mrs. Owl, the Whiskers Sisters’ mail carrier, prompts Mia and Maya to plan a celebration. But their little sister, May, has been swept up in Mrs. Owl’s mailbag! Soon May is in the woods having a wild afternoon. But will she make it home in time for the party?” Written and illustrated by Miss Paty, The Whiskers Sisters Volume 1: May’s Wild Walk is coming just after Christmas. Check out this new paperback over at Previews.

image c. 2017 Lerner Publishing

Just like the three-legged races I remember back in the day.
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Humanoids (the publisher!) have imported a new hardcover graphic novel series for young readers called Gregory and the Gargoyles. We got this from Previews: “Young Gregory is unhappy and restless when his family moves to a new neighborhood, opposite a cathedral. Bullied by other kids, and left to his own devices at home, he discovers a strange medallion with a drawing of the church on it, and sets out explore the great building and the giant stone statues that rest on top. Before he knows it, Gregory is hurled back to 17th-century France, smack-dab in the middle of gargoyles, dragons, and sorcerers locked in an ongoing battle against dark forces. A hilarious, magical tale from master storyteller Denis-Pierre Filippi (Muse, Marshals) and artists J. Etienne (Brussli: Way of the Dragon Boy) and Silvio Camboni.” It’s in stores now.

image c. 2017 Humanoids

Little things can have a huge impact ... so cute. "Little Thing is an award winning Short film, about music, loneliness and the search for connection. its unique story and visuals created by one guy, and his computer. a story about a tiny creature searching through an empty city. watch it."
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Welcome back, my shopping friends. Let me tell you a story! I almost missed this first entry because I don’t usually sift through the music section of KickStarter for projects to share. Imagine the egg on my face had I not found it. People don’t tell me these things! I have to find out on my own! I’m here to tell YOU about these things!! So these things, here they are!

MUSIC

Muh. A Pepper Coyote Album

I shouldn’t need to introduce Pepper Coyote. This is for his new album, along with Fox Amoore, Runtt and Koro. You can also get it on Vinyl!

COMICS

Scurry: The Drowned Forest – a post-apocalyptic mouse tale

This is Book 2 of an amazing looking graphic novel. You can also get Book 1 if you’re new to the series.

(A preview for Scurry) >>>

The Oswald Chronicles, Passing Queens #4, 5, 6

Another comic I am new to and it being it’s next set of issues. Again you can get caught up with the whole series if this one interests you. You can also get Text-less covers if you like the cover art.

Rescue Cats (Number One)

This is a 35 page digital only PDF comic of cats with super powers. The KS says it is already done and you’ll get the PDF as soon as the campaign ends.  It’s only live for 3 more days and the only pledge is for $5.

47 Furious Tails: Issue One (Samurai Comic Book)

This is a retelling of an old Samurai legend, but with Furries! Based on historical events, this comic is in color and is 28 pages long. Only 1 issue.

GAMES

Werebeasts

An interesting new take on the Social Deduction genre. Players auction for Were-creatures to collect the ones they want, and others they don’t, so as to throw off the other players who can knock you out if they correctly guess which beast you’re going for.  You can also get, as an add-on, this group’s last game, also Were-related Social Deduction game, but which is that of a Word Game; Were-Words.

Wander: “The Cult of Barnacle Bay”

I’ll let the graphic for this one do the talking for me.

Griff the Winged Lion – Retro-inspired 3D Platformer

This is the 2nd time I’ve seen Griff come to KickStarter, the first time it failed, and this time it’s not doing too well either. It wants to be a modern classic like that of Spyro from the PSX Era.

Vasty Wilds: The Card-Based Board Game

The last board game this week is full of garden critters and cards. It is a game of exploring and collecting objectives on a changing, modular board.

Claws of Furry

Claws is a side-scrolling character action beat em up with skills to unlock and level up.  This one is also not doing too well with less than 2 weeks remaining and less than 20% funding.

ARTS & CRAFTS:

Halloween Cat Enamel Pins

Finally we have one set of Pins this week. Not a half dozen! Just 1. Of Cats. For Halloween. Halloween Cats. 3 days remain!

Like the article? It takes a lot of effort to share these. Please consider supporting Dogpatch Press on Patreon, where you can access exclusive stuff for just $1.