anthro books | St. Gallen's Scribblings

The Legend of Whomper: A Thousand Men

The Legend of Whomper, Book 2: A Thousand Men by Chris Farrington
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The second entry of Chris Farrington’s Whomper graphical novel series, mostly a collection of previous comics sharing an overarching story, opens with the eponymous pudgy fox protagonist training with his new master, the Edgemaster. Meanwhile, his partner and dragoness love interest Kayla is at magic school, given the advice to purge her “logical side.” Furthermore, the armies of the hostile nation of Menevo are on the march, with Whomper yearning to confront them and their enigmatic leader, Emperor Nocturn. However, the Edgemaster warns him not to rush into combat, with the Emperor’s three generals having conquered many nations.

After reuniting, Whomper and Skyla fly to Valgus, battling a pig captain and his unit of earth elementals. Following this conflict, they receive information about Emperor Nocturn’s generals, which include the black female science-loving unicorn Limerick, the male “undefeated” tiger Haiku, and the vague and possibly two-headed Couplet. After battling a few more unit captains, they fly to Fox City, with Whomper reuniting with his father, with the vulpine warrior running away from his family when he was seven. The novel further reveals Whomper’s backstory, encompassing his training with Gryzak and Lyktor.

The imperial army invades Fox City, with Whomper and Skyla flying to Emperor Nocturn’s airborne fortress, where they battle his generals (whose backstories come to light) and confront the imperial leader himself, with the graphic novel exposing secrets that include his appearance and species. After the conflict, more of Whomper’s backstory is revealed, including what became of his mother and what motivated him to become a warrior. The graphic novel concludes with Whomper confronting a priest worshipping Xilinx in a Raccoon City graveyard, followed by an anecdote with Dextrose and his wild cat, Taffy.

Overall, I enjoyed the second installment of Farrington’s graphic novel series, having enjoyed its predecessor. While the animal character designs are beyond cute, there is some mature content, like occasional cannibalism and blood, exemplifying the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” The action is easy to follow, the continuity between it and the first book is clear, humor abounds, the character backstories are intricate, and the battle scenes are astounding. However, issues exist like the often-unreadable font and maybe some name inconsistencies. Regardless, those who liked its precursor will enjoy the sequel, and I will continue reading the series.

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Prequel Novel Milestone

Posted on March 18 by Remy St. Gallen

I have now filled three hundred-page composition notebooks and a two-hundred-page composition notebook with what I had originally intended to be a rewritten prologue to my original furry fantasy novel. I had bought another two-hundred-page comp notebook in anticipation of this, and I’ll begin the next leg of my story tomorrow.

The Legend of Whomper

Posted on March 11 by Remy St. Gallen

The Legend of Whomper, Book 1 by Chris Farrington
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There have been times when I’ve often gotten burned out on traditional textual literature without illustrations, so I figured I would alternate between reading them and graphical novels like this by Chris Farrington, whom I highly respect as an artist in the furry fandom and had commissioned a few times in the past. The titular fox hero, Vulpie Whomper (who doesn’t look vulpine but is cute nonetheless), has trained for years to master the war hammer and embarks upon quests to prove his worth. Each chapter (one divided into two parts) follows his various trials.

Whomper’s first trial opens with his initiation into the Brotherhood of the Hammer, after which he must visit several secret cities and prove the supremacy of his order’s weapon. A thief curses him with kleptomania, and when he gets the curse lifted, he chases after the culprit following a visible knife symbol (though this is unclear) to deal justice.

His second trial opens with guards of the Bridge to the Sky initially denying him entry, after which he must defeat a monster.

The third has him join Dextrose, a furred warrior whose specific species is unclear and seems somewhere between horse and kangaroo, as they battle slugs tormenting a town.

The fox’s fourth quest sees him seeking a town’s serial killer but ends without the said murderer subdued, Whomper needing to find another way to apprehend him.

In his fifth, he encounters a weasel thief ostracized by his fellow purloiners.

The two-part sixth quest sees him battling the slave-collecting Warmachine, piloted by two members of the vengeful Komodo Clan.

The seventh has him partner with a dragoness named Skyla Thornweaver, who remains with him for the rest of his adventures as they battle a new enemy, Gryzor.

Whomper’s eighth quest sees him and Skyla entering Brotherhood of the Arrow territory and battling pig-men bandits.

His ninth has Skyla kidnapped by a rodent princess, Grisella, whom he must rescue.

The tenth has Whomper going to a raccoon-populated city with a zombie problem, where he confronts Gryzor and the necromancer who created him.

The final chapter concludes the graphic novel with Whomper meeting a goat sage called the Edgemaster, under whom he begins apprenticeship after battling an ancient evil known as Xilix while having a final confrontation with Gryzor.

Overall, I found this a cute and enjoyable graphic novel, with my instincts about giving it a read well justified. While the animal characters are incredibly adorable (even if some of their species are vague, given the artist’s style), it isn’t one hundred percent family-friendly, given some occasional blood, albeit not excessive. Some plot points like that in the first trial seem to come out of nowhere, and the typical grammar and punctuation errors associated with standard comics abound. However, I highly recommend this graphic novel to those in the furry fandom seeking a fun and quick read.

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Extremist

Posted on December 4 by Remy St. Gallen

Extremist by Craig Martelle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The third installment of Craig Martelle and Brad R. Torgersen’s science-fiction Zenophobia series, which they describe as a cross between H.G. Wells’ The Island of Doctor Moreau and Indiana Jones in Outer Space, opens with the main antagonists, headed by the female Tigroid Arbai, yearning to stop Sankar, another Tigroid declared as a heretic for seeking the true origins of his kind and other space roaming animal races, from accomplishing his goal. The main chapters begin with Sankar conferring with his companions, the Ursoids Breon and Akoni, the Wolfoid Bayane, Gwarzo the Goroid, and fellow Tigroid Junak, all visiting an unknown planet and civilization.

On the said planet, a soldier named Evaria acts as Defense Minister of the Golongal Peoples Revolution, recalling her past, with her and her people’s exact species and appearances deliberately left initially undescribed due to twists later in the story. Another soldier of the same race, Coak, receives significant attention during the chapters occurring on the planet. Sankar eventually takes the Four-Claw from the larger vessel Bilkinmore and lands on the world, noticing combat among these less-advanced aliens. On first contact, Sankar attempts communication with Evaria. Meanwhile, Arbai’s vessel, the Direwolf sets down elsewhere on the planet.

Sankar traverses the planet and ultimately meets a mystic called the Abbot, who reveals their race’s backstory and that of the zenos, with the Four-Claw and Arbai’s Blood Moon engaging during their departure. The story concludes with the Abbot beginning to relay his knowledge to a war college of zenos. Overall, while it has some of the same issues as its precursors, such as the difficulty at times of keeping track of the species of the various characters (although reading its predecessors somewhat cemented their races in my mind), the third book does have some good revelations and action, and I will continue reading the series.

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Messenger

Posted on November 13 by Remy St. Gallen

Messenger by Craig Martelle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The second entry of author Craig Martelle and Brad R. Torgerson’s Zenophobia saga opens with a young Tigroid merchantman killed by a female Tigroid named Arbai, who, with fellow Tigroid Yangis, has the eponymous “heretic” of the preceding novel, the Tigroid Sankar, in her sights. The main chapters begin with Sankar and an elderly Tigroid named Ajerra on a Fasting Hunt, during which they encounter a menace in the dark. Ajerra is injured, with Sankar’s fellow Tigroid ally Junak rescuing them. Another Tigroid named Ocklar helps Sankar in his evasion of authorities.

Meanwhile, Sankar’s other companions, the Wolfoid Bayane, the Goroid Gwarzo, and the Ursoids Akoni and Breon (the latter a newcomer to the representatives of the Veracity Corporation) ponder their next move aboard the spacefaring vessel Bilkinmore. Goroids led by a female named Tico pursue Sankar and Ocklar, with the former affirming his belief that all races across the universe came from nothing, one reason his priestly father had declared him a heretic in the first book. Tico receives injuries in her pursuit, and once she recovers in Sankar’s captivity, the Tigroid abandons her.

Arbai ultimately captures Bayane and Akoni, taking them to an asteroid colony in the Angelos system for general enslavement, during which they meet an aging Wolford called Silverface, with Sankar planning their rescue. Afterward, he wants to retrieve genetic samples from an Angelos lab, with the second entry ending with the revelation of a crucial star map. Overall, I found the second entry of the Zenophobia omnibus to be an improvement over the first and more enjoyable, with plenty of good action and animal characters; however, some of the character name choices are lazy, such as Agosta’s brother Gosta.

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Heretic

Posted on October 25 by Remy St. Gallen

Heretic by Craig Martelle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The first installment of the Zenophobia series by Craig Martelle and Brad R. Torgerson opens with the mention that two extraterrestrial races, Tigroids and Ursoids, the former being tiger-like and the latter being bear-like, have been conducting underground war despite open relations on the surface. Sankar, a Tigroid, battles an Ursoid fighter in space, then returns to his parents, the High Priest Zeon, and his wife, Actiosa. Zeon declares his son to be a Heretic, to be freely hunted, after which Sankar travels the Ursoid planet of Medvedgrad. His companions include the Ursoid Akoni, whose brother Koni runs a junkyard where Sankar seeks repairs for his fighter, the Four-Claw.

However, Sankar learns that he and his companions must steal the parts for repair. Thus, he, fellow Tigroid Junak, Akoni, the gorilla-like Goroid Gwarzo, and the wolflike Bayane embark on a mission to do so. They also steal lab animals, using some such as cattle for food, while trying to outfly the authorities that would otherwise arraign them. Other characters include Maglor, an enigmatic businessman who crosses paths with Sankar and company. Akoni also revisits his brother and goes tomb-raiding with the others, stealing a mummy that they analyze aboard the Bilkinmore, the mothership of the Four-Claw.

Overall, while I usually like stories starring anthropomorphic characters, Heretic somehow disappointed me, with the difficulty at times of keeping track of the races to which the characters belong, and Sankar’s branding as the eponymous heretic seeming not to play a significant role throughout the events. Some of the action is good, and I could visualize many of the various settings, although the ending feels abrupt. Furthermore, whichever planets are home to which species depends on the reader’s knowledge of animal names in other languages (for instance, Medvedgrad, an Ursoid planet), but I will still read onward.

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Beastars, Volume 22

Posted on August 26 by Remy St. Gallen

BEASTARS, Vol. 22 by Paru Itagaki
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As with its predecessors, the final installment of Paru Itagaki’s Beastars manga opens with a synopsis of preceding entries and a visual depiction of the dramatis personae. The main action begins with the media questioning a gazelle who claims to be the father of the half-gazelle, half-leopard villain Melon, and proves to be the key to stopping the riots that have ensued around the black market. The gray wolf Legoshi continues to battle Melon, who invites his lupine adversary to kill him. Gosha, the Komodo dragon, recalls his interspecies relationship with his wolf wife, Toki, which included obsessive disinfection given his poison.

The citizens get a good view of the black market, with Louis, the red deer, wanting the carnivores and herbivores to glimpse the truth. However, their reaction is surprising as Legoshi and Melon continue their battle, with the underground district changing in recent years. Louis wants to involve himself in his friend’s battle, with Melon doubting that carnivores and herbivores will never be at peace. After the black market turf war, Legoshi prepares to bid farewell to his spotted seal apartment neighbor, Sagwan, who yearns to return to the seas. Meanwhile, Louis must choose between his deer fiance, Azuki, and his school girlfriend, Juno, the wolf.

Legoshi’s relationship with his girlfriend, the Netherland dwarf rabbit Haru, receives resolution, as do many of the other notable characters of the Beastars universe. After the main chapters, Itagaki reflects upon creating her magnum opus, including a deleted scene where Legoshi interacts with Gosha, the giant panda psychiatrist who worked in the black market. Overall, the twenty-second volume nicely resolves the Beastars manga, with the carnivore/herbivore relations reflecting racial tensions in human society. However, the biggest issue remains the absence of any mention of omnivorism, which exists beyond the human world.

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The Rogue Crew

Posted on August 22 by Remy St. Gallen

The Rogue Crew by Brian Jacques
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In the final Redwall book by Brian Jacques, published posthumously, and which he dedicated to his brother Jimmy, the warlord Razzid Wearat, said to be a mix of a weasel and a rat, and his minions, seek to seize Redwall Abbey. However, Abbot Thibb and the monastery’s residents protect their home with the assistance of the hares from the Long Patrol and the titular Rogue Crew of sea otters. Before the main text, divided into three books, is a poem relating to dreams, with plenty of enjoyable poetry throughout the story.

Razzid dwells on the Isle of Irgash in the warm southern seas and commands a ship with wheels to traverse sea and land known as the Greenshroud, razing villages on both sides of Mossflower Country in the aptly-named Winter of Slaughter. However, the Warchief Skor and his Rogue Crew oppose him, with the Redwallers ultimately tasked with defending their Abbey against the vermin. The Long Patrol and the Rogue Crew slowly travel to Redwall, the former dealing with sand lizards and pygmy shrews during their journey, the hedgehog Uggo Wiltud having his share of misadventures.

Overall, the concluding Redwall book is not the best swan song for the series, yet enjoyable in its own right, with plenty of endearing animal characters and action on the part of both sides of its various conflicts. However, those who have read previous entries of the series will undoubtedly be able to predict the conclusion. While the book effectively stands alone, and readers need not experience its predecessors before reading, it does rehash elements of the series, such as certain animals being naturally good or bad. How the franchise would have continued had Jacques lived longer remains a mystery.

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Beastars, Volume 21

Posted on August 20 by Remy St. Gallen

BEASTARS, Vol. 21 by Paru Itagaki
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The penultimate entry of mangaka Paru Itagaki’s Beastars series opens with a synopsis of recent events and visual depictions of the dramatis personae. Protagonist Legoshi, the gray wolf, wins the trust of the Doku-gumi populated by Komodo dragons, becoming an official turf war contender, the leonine Shishi-gumi keeping watch on him while facing the Madara-gumi composed of jaguars. The lupine’s next opponents are the vixens of the Inari-gumi; however, Legoshi struggles due to his reluctance to battle females, ultimately settling on dressing in drag to battle on equal terms, which he finds difficult.

During the war, rain begins to precipitate despite no prior indicators of cloudy weather, a so-called “sun shower” that extinguishes all torches in the black market. The main antagonist Melon, the offspring of a male gazelle and female jaguar, has flashbacks of when his mother wanted to take baths with him, which involves a childhood trauma of seeing the backprints on her fur resembling swarming insects. Meanwhile, Louis continues his press conference as the new president of his adoptive father’s business, the Horns Conglomerate, where he openly speaks about the black market and accuses members of the press of having been to it alongside other carnivores in the city.

Consequentially, the madness transpiring in the black market begins in the city streets, with a battle for supremacy between carnivores and herbivores. The rain causes a blackout that gives the former group an advantage, with the current Beastar, Yahya, the horse, walking between them as a gesture to the carnivores. The power does return, with Legoshi continuing his battle with Melon; the Shishi-gumi also use Legoshi’s rabbit trainer, Kyu, as bait, in which case she attempts to escape. Louis is eventually forced from his address for inciting riots, although the Shishi-gumi come to his rescue, the police giving chase as well.

The twenty-first volume ends with Legoshi and Melon’s battle undecided, with Itagaki afterward including story panels where she ponders the conclusion of her manga, along with brief bios of the Inari-gami and Madara-gami. Following these is a Japanese word chain game and a list of the background music the mangaka listened to while producing her series. In summation, this entry of the Beastars series is enjoyable as its precursors, with endearing characters, action, and twists. However, as before, Itagaki ignores the gray area between carnivores and herbivores since omnivores do appear outside the human race in the animal kingdom.

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The Sable Quean

Posted on August 18 by Remy St. Gallen

The Sable Quean by Brian Jacques
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The penultimate Redwall book, which the late Brian Jacques dedicated to his friend Billy Maker, opens with a rhyming ode to friendship, with plenty of other enjoyable poetry throughout the text. The first chapter introduces the main antagonists, the vermin Ravagers. Zwilt the Shade is a sable overseen by the titular Sable Quean (not a misspelling, referring to an ill-mannered or ill-behaved woman). Heroes are also introduced early, among them the Badger Lord of Salamandastron, Brang, and his trusty lapine companion, General Flackbuth, who believes that one of the main hares, Buckler, is a worthy warrior.

Meanwhile, the mouse Marjoram is the Mother Abbess of Redwall, and Ruark Boldstream the Skipper of Otters. In the chapter they are introduced in, a contest for the Bard of Redwall is organized, with several prominent Redwallers participating. Buckler and Diggs the hares make their way to Redwall, bringing a gift of two bellropes. The Ravagers capture several of the Abbey younglings; other minor characters that include the hedgehog Oakheart Witherspyk, his family, and his fellow traveling performers, not to mention Jango, the current Log-a-Log of the Guerilla Union of Shrews in Mossflower, seek to rescue them.

Unlike its predecessors, Jacques divided The Sable Quean into four parts rather than three, with fans of the series sure to know what to expect in terms of a Redwall book, given the conflicts between the “good” creatures such as mice, otters, shrews, moles, and whatnot, and the “bad” animals such as foxes, weasels, stoats, and rats. Regardless, the penultimate entry is on par with its predecessors and serves well as a standalone story, with those who haven’t experienced the franchise before not really missing out on much by reading its precursors.

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