Flow is about a black cat who lives alone, and then one day, it doesn't anymore. Because one day water came, too much water, and all the land was flooded. The cat ran away from the water, but it couldn't run forever, so it went to live on a boat with a friendly capybara. Together, the cat and the capybara followed the water, which flowed towards a giant pillar in the sky. It seemed like this would be the last dry land in all the world. Along the way, the capybara and the cat met a lemur, a dog and a secretary bird. Did they become friends? Probably.

There is no dialogue in this movie. Nobody explains anything to each other, for the convenience of the audience, because all the characters are animals, and they only say cat things like "meow" and dog things like "woof woof" and capybara things. If man could talk the animals, perhaps they would only find out that these animals don't really know what's happening either. Where did the water come from? Where did all the humans go? This is a world that has passed on.

Look, sometimes we can’t explain things, we can only tell you that things exist. Things like the Acid Chimp vs. Business Dog one-shot from Ahoy Comics. “Business Dog controls the wealth of nations! Acid Chimp has been abducted by crooks who want him to kill the canine trillionaire with corrosive acid! And why wouldn’t he? Splashing acid is the only thing that Acid Chimp enjoys!” Okay, we’ll try to fill you in about what’s going on here… Business Dog is a character from a popular indie comic called Billionaire Island, while Acid Chimp is from a popular indie comic called My Bad. The creators of each met up and decided it would be fun to set their two weird characters against each other. And so writers Mark Russell and Bryce Ingman enlisted the help of artists Peter Krause and Steve Pugh, and here’s what we get. Major Spoilers has a review that helps it all make more sense… maybe. We can’t make promises.

image c. 2024 Ahoy Comics

We’ve covered Good Boy from Source Point Press before… but how about one of Good Boy Flint’s most dangerous adversaries? Well it turns out last year Source Point gave that very feline her own moment to shine with the Bad Girl Premium Ash Can. “From the pages of Good Boy, Bad Girl follows an excommunicated mercenary who is pulled back into service for one reason: Kill Flint Sparx.” It’s still available, written by Garrett Gunn and illustrated by Kit Wallis.

image c. 2024 Source Point Press

Utterly out-of-nowhere department. Thanks to friends we stumbled upon Nightbitch, an upcoming horror-comedy starring Amy Adams (Enchanted, Arrival), based on a 2021 novel by Rachel Yoder. Adams stars as a suburban mom not only struggling with raising her young son, but also wrestling with resentment over having to give up her previous life as an artist. Oh, and at night, she’s turning into a domestic dog. Yes. The film is directed by Marielle Heller, and it’s coming to theaters on December 6th. Check out the first trailer — but be warned, it does have some naughty words!

image c. 2024 Searchlight Pictures

From Magnetic Press comes My Friend Toby, a wordless graphic novel written and illustrated by Gregory Panaccione. “Toby lives in a small seaside village with his artist friend Marcel. Toby was once a stray, but Marcel took him in, and they’ve been best friends ever since. Only now, Marcel is going through a rough patch. Broken-hearted and unable to pay the bills, their future is uncertain. It is all beyond Toby’s comprehension, but he’s not worried. As long as there are scraps in his bowl and new neighborhood territories to claim, everything will be fine. What more could a carefree dog want out of life? Told largely from Toby’s canine perspective, readers will be treated to a peek between the ears of Man’s Best Friend, dealing with such critical topics as: a) strange cats, b) new neighbors, c) car rides, d) territory disputes, e) thunderstorms, f) being left alone, g) puppy memories, and oh, so much more.” It’s available now in hardcover.

image c. 2024 Magnetic Press

Steve Lafler is a renowned underground cartoonist who has made appearances here before. Now thanks to Cat-Head Comics we have a chance to see where he started with Dog Boy: Choice Cuts & Happy Endings. From Previews: “The 328-page oversize volume collects the best of Lafler’s pioneering 1980’s alternative comics title Dog Boy, known for its undulating psychedelic twists, coupled with low-brow tropes that border on slapstick. The date is 1982, the early dawn in the alternative comics movement. Steve Lafler, bohemian cartoonist, taps into his unconscious mind and finds his inner Dog Boy: An unruly man-child equipped with a Golden Retriever head!” It’s available now in trade paperback.

image c. 2024 Cat-Head Comics

Somehow we overlooked this one when it was a comic — but now it’s been collected together as a single graphic novel! It’s Star Trek: Deep Space Nine — The Dog of War, written by Mike Chen and illustrated by Angel Hernandez. “An extremely rare purebred corgi from Earth makes its way aboard Deep Space 9 when Quark cuts a deal to procure it for a high buyer. After all, a Ferengi without profit is no Ferengi at all! But Latinum the corgi comes with unexpected cargo that shakes Captain Benjamin Sisko to the core: A Borg component discovered by a crew sent to uncover Cardassian technology after the station’s reoccupation.” Check it out over at Penguin Random House.

image c. 2024 IDW

This one has been sitting on our to-write-about list for a while — ’bout time we got around to it! The Dog Knight is a graphic novel written by Jeremy Whitley (well-known for their involvement with various My Little Pony comics) and illustrated by Bre Indigo.  “Frankie knows who they are. They’re a drummer, they’re nonbinary, and they’re… the Dog Knight? One day Frankie is a relatively normal middle schooler, with relatively normal challenges, like finding the perfect outfit to wear during their drum solo during the upcoming band concert. The next, they save a friendly golden retriever from bullies and suddenly find themselves in a giant magical doghouse, with a funny looking helmet, talking to a group of dog superheroes called the Pawtheon about a job offer. If Frankie can prove that they possess the six dog virtues of loyalty, kindness, honesty, justice, stubbornness, and smell, they will be named the Dog Knight and be given the power to fight alongside the Pawtheon and save the world from the forces of chaos. Maybe there is more to Frankie than they thought?” Look for it now from the Feiwel & Friends imprint at MacMillan Publishers.

image c. 2024 MacMillan Publishers

And speaking of web-based comics coming to book form… Cat & Cat Adventures is a series written and illustrated by Susie Yi from Orange County, California. (Hi neighbor!) “Cat & Cat comics is a cozy, funny, and relatable comic series about more than just cats. Set in a world where pets and humans co-exist in a symbiotic relationship (much like the world we live in today!), Suzy is a human that can understand the mysterious language of cat-speak! Cat & Cat comics dives into the every day interactions between Suzy and her cats, but also the mysterious and magical scenarios that the cats encounter as well. From pancakes growing fluffier upon command to dogs being summoned out of a magical book, these comics are sure to surprise and pull you in for a sweet treat!” Find it on line, and look for the graphic novel series as well.

image c. 2024 by Susie Yi

Robot Dreams (trailer) is a 102-minute animated film released in December 2023, made by Arcadia, Lokiz and other studios. Based on a 2007 graphic novel (Amazon US - UK - Spanish edition) by Sara Varon, this Spanish-French production was written and directed by Pablo Berger, who had never worked in animation before, so he collaborated closely with art director José Luis Ágreda and storyboard artist Maca Gil for a year and a half to plan the project. It worked out really well!

Two neat things: it's a 2D film in an overbearingly 3D market, and there's no dialog. It takes place in a slightly alternative version of New York City in 1984, a funny-animal one. The main character, "Dog", lives in a Manhattan apartment. He's extremely lonely. One day he sees a TV ad for robot friends, so he orders one; after putting it together - he's not lonely anymore! Aside from this modern leap in artificial intelligence and robotics, the film is as early-80s as it gets: boomboxes, cassettes, VCRs, and Walkmen.

We spent last weekend at our first Furry Weekend Atlanta, and had a great time meeting new artists seeing new creations. Such as… Wildlife Fuel is a full-color comic written and illustrated by Kelly Latham. It’s been an ongoing web-comic for a while, but now there’s the first issue out on paper! “During the summer between high school and college, Cent the Skunk works at Wildlife Fuel, a gas station that has crazy fun times, but even crazier customers. While trying to survive hectic and humorous retail situations, she must also navigate major life choices during this transitional time in her life.” Visit Kelly’s web site to find out more about this and other comics she’s created.

image c. 2024 by Kelly Latham

At the L.A. Times Festival of Books we learned about Mythwalker at their big, impressive booth. Maybe it was the smiling corgi in armor that attracted our attention… Mythwalker is a geolocation fantasy RPG created by Nant Games for your cell phone. In it you can play one of three species: Human, Annu (a bird-like humanoid species), and Wulven (a canine species — from which the aforementioned corgi hails). Here is the lore: “Mytherra is a fantastical, parallel planet to Earth ─ a world where throughout history its people and mystical creatures have infiltrated the dreams of humans. Over time, these visions have formed the basis of Earth’s many myths and legends. After a prolonged period of peace, Mytherra is now under attack, which poses a direct threat to Earth as well. A powerful being, known only as The Child, has reached out through the Veil into our world seeking help. She recruits you – the Mythwalker – to uncover the truth about the attackers, explore the connection between the two worlds, and lead Mytherra’s heroes in the defense of their home.” And here is the idea: “MythWalker is a geolocation fantasy RPG adventure mobile game that brings The Child and Mytherra to life through an overworld traversal system, using real locations to tell the stories of Earth’s myths and legends.

People have long wished to talk to animals and this desire is reflected in cultural objects such as Arthur C. Clarke's novel Dolphin Island. One well-known example of an animal "learning" human language was the horse Clever Hans, who was later shown to be responding to cues from his handler rather than actually understanding. Cases of poorly-controlled claims, like Clever Hans, and speciest notions of human uniqueness have hindered development of the field. However, the wish to communicate through language has remained and many animals have been claimed to use or understand human languages, including dogs.

The things you can make into a manga… Shibanban Super Cute Doggies is written and illustrated by Yasuteru Ogoshi. “A full-color book for the popular Shiba Inu characters appearing in LINE stickers and stationery! Meet Aka, Kuro, Cha, Shiro, the Roly-Poly Pups, and the rest of this colorful cast of adorable Shiba Inu dogs! Whether they’re venturing out into stormy weather in a raincoat, lazing at the beach, napping in a cozy dog bed, or eagerly eyeing dinner someone left out on the table, their fun (and sometimes mischievous) antics are sure to put a smile on your face.” Available now from Seven Seas.

image c. 2024 Seven Seas Entertainment

Three foreign animated film reviews! Behold the trailers for:

All of these films successfully blend 3D and 2D animation in their own different styles.

White Fang is the most 3D, applying a brush-like texture to characters to create a 2D, painted look. Angel's main characters are 2D, with 3D designs used for the settings. Bears uses 3D for almost everything, then alters its visuals to look as 2D as possible.