Dogpatch Press

Fluff Pieces Every Week

Tag: fred patten

December 17, 2014

Dinoverse series by Scott Ciencin – Fred Patten’s book review.

by Patch O'Furr

Here’s one for the scalies! Submitted by Fred Patten, Furry’s favorite historian and reviewer.  This was originally written for Quentin Long’s Anthro Magazine.

9780375805448Dinoverse, by Scott Ciencin. Illustrated by Mike Fredericks.
NYC, Random House, March 1999, hardcover 0-679-88842-X $18.00 (282 [+ 8] pages).

Dinoverse: I Was a Teenage T. Rex, by Scott Ciencin. Illustrated by Mike Fredericks.
NYC, Random House, March 2000, paperback 0-679-88843-8 $4.99 (177 [+ 8] pages).

Dinoverse: The Teens Time Forgot, by Scott Ciencin. Illustrated by Mike Fredericks.
NYC, Random House, March 2000, paperback 0-679-88844-6 $4.99 (179 [+ 3] pages).

Dinoverse: Raptor Without a Cause, by Scott Ciencin. Illustrated by Mike Fredericks.
NYC, Random House, May 2000, paperback 0-679-88845-4 $4.99 (180 [+ 12] pages).

Dinoverse: Please Don’t Eat the Teacher!, by Scott Ciencin. Illustrated by Mike Fredericks.
NYC, Random House, July 2000, paperback 0-679-88846-2 $4.99 (194 [+ 12] pages).

Dinoverse: Beverly Hills Brontosaurus, by Scott Ciencin. Illustrated by Mike Fredericks.
NYC, Random House, September 2000, paperback 0-375-80595-8 $4.99 (173 [+ 11] pages).

Dinoverse: Dinosaurs Ate My Homework, by Scott Ciencin. Illustrated by Mike Fredericks.
NYC, Random House, November 2000, paperback 0-375-80596-6 $4.99 (192 [+ 8] pages).

If there is an expert in writing s-f Young Adult novels featuring dinosaurs, it is Scott Ciencin. He has written seven authorized Dinotopia novels, four authorized Godzilla novels, and four authorized Jurassic Park novels. (Not to mention a slew of Batman, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, The Elven Ways, Forgotten Realms, Kim Possible, Star Trek, Transformers, Zorro, and other authorized Young Adult series novels.) But there is one series that is all his own creation: Dinoverse. Read the rest of this entry »

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December 16, 2014

Five 2015 Furry Features – by Fred Patten.

by Patch O'Furr

Fred Patten, “Furry’s favorite historian”, submits:

Screen Shot 2014-12-11 at 4.27.40 AM27 theatrical animated features are coming in 2015, and most of them are furry, or at least anthropomorphic. Cartoon Brew covers them in an article by C. Edwards: “27 Animated Features To Look For In 2015”. My thanks to Edwards for telling us what to look for.

Of course, not all 27 feature anthropomorphic characters. Yet the majority of them do, from the definite animals (well, birds) of Animex Producciones’ El Americano: The Movie to the “are they furry or not?” alien Boovs of DreamWorks Animation’s Home. Some contain all-furry casts, like DreamWorks Animations’ Kung Fu Panda 3, while others contain only one anthro character amidst lots of humans, like Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur.

Are these all the animated features coming out during 2015? Probably not. But these are what have been announced so far. Also, some of these are foreign theatrical films that will probably not be released in North America. You may have to look for them on DVD in 2016 or 2017.

Here are five from the Cartoon Brew’s list of 27 that look definitely furry, and definitely worth looking at.

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December 5, 2014

De Cape et De Crocs is back! French anthro comic announcement, by Fred Patten.

by Patch O'Furr

1590_couvFor those not exposed to Euro media… “Bande Dessinee” is a format of richly illustrated, full color comic stories in large album hardcovers.  They make a tradition that’s a cherished national art in France and Belgium.  Think – TinTin, Asterix, and The Smurfs.  I HIGHLY recommend a visit to the Belgian Comic Strip Center in Brussels.  Get lost for hours with original inked pages displayed in a lavish Art Nouveau venue.

Story sent in by Fred Patten:

“Here is my new story for Dogpatch Press, about the surprise continuation of the French De Cape et De Crocs series.  I wrote about the publication of Volume 10, (what I thought was the end of the series) for Flayrah two years ago.  I’m including links to the series site which has graphics of other albums; and the French site that shows the cover and first dozen pages of the new album.”

De Cape et De Crocs, volume 11: “Twenty Months Before”.

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December 4, 2014

Animation from India: a critical look for furry fans – by Fred Patten.

by Patch O'Furr

Sent in by Fred:

“Dear Patch- Are you interested in samples of recent Indian anthropomorphic TV commercials?  Most are in Hindi or a combination of Hindi & English.”

“Hi Fred- I suspect that this work doesn’t get much traction in the USA, and there are few furry fans caring about animation specific to India.  Besides, I think that you can run into a common bias:  people are unhappy with the glut of generic CGI style animation and they like seeing traditional drawn art.  That’s a bias from young people in art school, North American fans with strong nostalgia for older cartoons… and cheap overseas work making it harder to produce.   I just wanted to put it out, that bias is there.  I’m sure some good work may be missed because of it, but I haven’t seen a lot from India, even at film festivals that actively curate obscure stuff.  I DO like focus on animation – the stuff I post is very creator-centric.  But if you include such material in a broad topic, that’s a way to share it. – Patch”

romeoReaders: is this story missing good work by not giving it a chance?  There are a few furry fans for the Bollywood animated movie Roadside Romeo.  One blog calls it the ultimate furry movie, highlighting “how unapologetically sexy it was for a talking animal movie” (A good or bad thing? Up to you.)  One furry on a “foreign animated animal movies” topic calls the movie “actually REALLY good”:

romeo2
 
 
 

What’s Wrong With Indian Animation?– by Fred Patten

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December 3, 2014

Zoo City, by Lauren Beukes: Fred Patten’s review of Arthur C. Clarke Award winning SF book.

by Patch O'Furr

zcZoo City, by Lauren Beukes

Johannesburg, Jacana Media, June 2010, trade paperback R150,00 (344 pages).

Okay, I have a thing for listing books by their original editions, but I can’t really expect anyone (except Rakuen Grolithe) to order this from South Africa. The international edition (383 pages) was published by Osprey Publishing/Angry Robot in Botley, Oxford, UK, in July 2011, and distributed in the U.S. by Random House; U.S. prices hardcover now o.p., trade paperback $15.00, and Kindle $5.99.

“Zinzi has a Sloth on her back”. Literally. Zinzi December is required by both law and magic to go about with a live sloth clinging to her back, or hanging out of her handbag or backpack, for her involvement in her brother’s death. If she tries to get rid of or kill it, or gets too far from it, she will be almost instantly reduced to a cloud of ash.

She is not the only “animalled” character in this winner of the 2011 Arthur C. Clarke Award (for the best science-fiction novel first published in the U.K. during the previous year). In this alternate-world novel (that almost every reviewer has said should be classed as “urban fantasy” or “magic realism” rather than as s-f), the “Zoo Plague” has been in force worldwide since the 1990s. Everyone guilty of murder, or of being responsible for someone’s death, is “assigned” a domestic or wild animal familiar known as a “shavi” for the rest of his or her life. The shavi is linked to the human’s lifespan, so an animal that’s outside of its natural habitat, or would normally die of old age, will live as long as its human does.

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November 25, 2014

Recommendations for the 2014 Ursa Major Awards for excellence in the furry arts

by Patch O'Furr

UMAweb1_2aCollege Humor’s “Furry Force” cracked up watchers with a grossout Furries parody that struck Youtube gold in April.  “Yiff mode activate!” probably won’t be heard in a big time superhero movie soon, but the two animated shorts were popular enough to get 3.5 million views up to now.  Even many targets couldn’t hate it, because it’s not outsider derision.  It’s laugh-with-you comedy from personal experience, according to my interview with the writer, Adam.

I sent Furry Force to the Ursa Majors Recommended Anthropomorphics list, for best “Anthropomorphic Dramatic Short Work” of 2014.  In April, I asked Adam how he’d like one.  He said:

I’d be incredibly honored to be nominated for an Ursa Major award! The furry community knows what they want and what they like, so I’d consider that a real honor as a writer.

Speaking of that list… a little blog like Dogpatch Press, which only reaches a handful of highly attractive readers, couldn’t compare to publications with real audiences.  But if you feel like it, I can’t stop you from sending it to recommended@ursamajorawards.org for “Recommended Anthropomorphic Magazine”.  (They don’t want “detrimental” material, so ask if they take bribes to allow scurrilous gossip anyways.)

Fred Patten, Furry’s favorite historian fan, submits this:

“There are less than two months left to recommend titles for the ALAA’s 2014 Recommended Anthropomorphics List.  See the Ursa Major Awards website for the current 2014 Recommended List.  The next update will be on November 30.  If you have read, seen, or played anything furry that was first published or released during 2014, and it is not already on the Recommended List, please recommend it yourself before the end of the year.

Nominations for the 2014 Ursa Major Awards will open on January 15, 2015 (the first day of Further Confusion 2015), and will remain open until February 28, 2015.  Fans often use the Recommended Anthropomorphics List as a guide to what is worth nominating.  If there is anything that you consider worth recommending, don’t wait for someone else to do it.  Speak up!”  – Fred Patten

Address again: recommended@ursamajorawards.org – I have hugs for anyone who sends anything, because furries are cool and sharing their stuff is cool.

Readers may value this tip that Fred posted at Flayrah:

I have not seen any mention of next year’s Ursa Major Awards presentations anywhere. This was announced at this year’s presentations at CaliFur X, but it has not been publicized anywhere.

The presentation of the 2014 Awards will be at Morphicon 2015, in May 2015.

The presentation of the 2015 Awards will be at What The Fur 2016, in May 2016.

 

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November 14, 2014

Animated features that qualify for the 2014 Oscar: thoughts from Fred Patten

by Patch O'Furr

Oscar-related movie news: 2014 brought a wonderful new level of recognition for furries.  Finsterworld was short listed for German nominee for best foreign picture.  This smart, outrageous and thoughtful art-house drama was developed by consulting furries, who worked with the director to put fursuiters in the film.  It may be a somewhat obscure title to North American audiences, but it makes up with quality. The movie is excellent, not just because it’s furry… it’s worth a watch for anyone who’s into smart movies.

Fred Patten, historian and mega-respected elder fan, sent in the below piece.

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Twenty Animated Features Qualify for the 2014 Oscar – But How Many Are Anthropomorphic?

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November 10, 2014

Fred Patten and Furries in FLAUNT fashion magazine

by Patch O'Furr

Historian and “elder statesman” of Furry fandom, Fred Patten, was recently asked to contribute to a high-end magazine: FLAUNT.  They’re “an international award-winning arts and culture publication based in Los Angeles.”  The editor’s request was for “a feature on cat people/cat culture for our upcoming NINE LIVES Issue.”

Fred sent me the below piece, adding a personal note –

I had hoped that it would contain more material about furry fandom, considering all of the material that I sent them.  But considering that FLAUNT is primarily a fashion magazine, it’s probably lucky that we got as much attention as we did.

COVER-785x1024If you got it, FLAUNT it!
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October 8, 2014

Historian and editor, Fred Patten, invites writers for “Furry Future” anthology.

by Patch O'Furr

Writers: check out this announcement from Fred Patten.  He’s “one of the main founders of the furry fandom”.  Between his fiction book editing, column writing for Cartoon Research, and Flayrah submissions, he took a minute to pass me a much appreciated note.  

Dear Patch;

The Furry Future is an original-fiction anthology that I am editing for FurPlanet Productions.  Here’s the open invitation for submissions that I sent out:

FurPlanet Publications has just opened The Furry Future, edited by Fred Patten, its forthcoming original-short story anthology for Further Confusion 2015.   This will go on sale on January 15, 2015, so our deadline to accept proposed submissions is November 1, 2014, with the deadline for finished stories of December 1. Our goal is a book of 120,000 to 150,000 words, with from ten to fourteen stories by different authors.

We would like to invite all FWG members to submit a story to this anthology.   Since both our What Happens Next and Five Fortunes have featured sequels to their authors’ previous stories, we would like this book to present original scenarios.   No sequels.   Show us what ideas you have for something new, with a strong furry theme.

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