Superstar doesn’t even come close to encapsulate the guest creator for this episode. Since his last appearance in the tiger den, Tony Fleecs has been nothing short of a force of nature within the cultural spectrum and now he’s back! And we’re all better for it.

Coming off the massively successful “Stray Dogs” from Image Comics, Tony is hitting the shelves with two beautifully-wild creator owned series: “Uncanny Valley” from Boom Studios and “Feral” from Image Comics.

In a familiar vein to its predecessor, Stray Dogs, “Feral” softens your guard with that Don Bluth styling before sucking you down into the darkness of mystery and horror. It brings a bit of zest into a genre that sometimes becomes a bit structurally predictable within the comic medium. This time around the emphasis is cats. As a trio of indoor felines get stuck in the wilds of the outdoors . Already underprepared and overwhelmed things only escalate due to a rabies outbreak. American Tale meets Walking dead? Count BTR in!

One of the beloved elements of the series is the continuation of variant covers paying homage to cult classic horror film posters and VHS covers. Not only proven to be a marketing success, but has quickly become a fan-favorite tradition with Fleecs’ pet-thrillers at Image.

Tony’s other creator own project that is taking to the shelves alongside “Feral” is “Uncanny Valley.” And what a perfect name for such a unique and bold concept. If unfamiliar with the 70’s hypothesis; “Uncanny Valley” is a proposed phenomenon theorizing the relation between the human likeness of an object and a viewer’s affinity toward it.

Imagine you’re a kid… a kid that just doesn’t quite fit in. Constantly haunted by the sensation, even visions, that you are different. It’s a feeling that most of us, as people, experienced at some point in our youth. Then one day an unintroduced family member shows up; say it’s your grandpa. Only he’s a 2d cartoon character resembling Yosemite Sam and yeah, you are apart of something greater than you could of ever thought.

The concept is bold and it works seamlessly. With variations in art styling, the reader is very quickly immersed into this very real world with very real people. So even when the cartoon surreal is interjected it’s not only shocking and intriguing the high stakes still remain. It’s brilliant in concept and execution. I can only imagine a film/tv deal is in the near future for “Uncanny Valley.”

On top of the this Tony has other projects that are sharing space on the shelves; the on going series “Local Man” from Image Comics and a new Army of Darkness series “Forever” from Dynamite.

It’s the summer of FLEECS, so get to your local comic shop and celebrate his creative power!

-T

A note: The “NOW” is the resurgence of the independent creator through crowd sourcing and self-publishing availability. As the veil gets pulled back ever further and the predatory practices of corporate models get revealed, it is more and more important to support those who actually create the stories and art that we as consumers enjoy. So SUPPORT INDIE PROJECTS and their CREATORS. Help make the indies the mainstream. Even the smallest of gestures can be of the biggest help.

Have you experienced the elusive and majestic energy of the Blue Tiger? Had a sighting in the wilderness of the eternal forest? Drank the blue milk of it’s revenge? Then let the people know it exists!

And check out “TAIGA”, Tadd’s latest graphic novel with new pages weekly. Exclusively at patreon.com/gnarpig