Tales of the Xombie

By: Brian Thomas
Date: Monday, December 11, 2006

I’ve never been a particular fan of Garfield the Cat, whether it be in the comics, in TV cartoons, movies or refrigerator magnets. He just never grabbed me. However, I admire the strip’s longevity and give it credit for being able to maintain a certain style. It can’t be easy to keep a comic strip going for so many years with one basic set: a counter. This ingenious device, which makes the strip seem like a puppet show at times, keeps the faces of Garfield and Jon in medium close-up in the same frame without resorting to odd angles or techniques. I hear the first idea was to have the cat on Jon’s knee all the time like a ventriloquist act, but Garfield is definitely not a lap cat. Last week we listed Garfield & Friends: Behind the Scenes in Anime Avalanche. This week, we’re proud to announce that in our Prize Closet we not only have four copies of the DVD to give away, but one of the winners will also receive a special Grand Prize!

No, it’s not one of Garfield’s hairballs, but a collectible almost as valuable. The Grand Prize winner will receive a special original animation cel, personally drawn and autographed by Garfield’s creator and “master” Jim Davis!

To enter this special giveaway, just send an email to Anime Avalanche which includes your name and address, and in the subject line put the name of Garfield’s rubber chicken.

SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK

At one time, the natural outlet for a young cartoonist to launch a concept was to publish it as a comic-book or pitch a syndicate for a newspaper comic-strip. Now, the web can provide you with a forum for your own animated series.

(O) XOMBIE (http://www.xombified.com/) In a world overrun by the living dead, a sentient ghoul without a past named Dirge goes on a quest to reunite a little girl with an enclave of the living. Fans of zombies and Samurai Jack should not miss it. James Farr has been building his horror action fantasy epic online via Flash since 2003 (Episode 8 is now available), and his illustrated novelization of the saga goes on sale next month (pre-order now). No doubt there’ll be a DVD, movie and TV series as soon as the first series is finished next year – at least I hope so.

NEW DVD RELEASES

Here’s a rundown of the constant stream of anime comin’ at ya on DVD from around the world:

(O) BARNYARD (Paramount) Otis the Male Cow (Kevin James) finds his life of carefree pranks coming to an end when he’s forced to take on some responsibility in this CGanime theatrical feature from Steve Oedekirk (Kung Pow). Widescreen and “fullscreen” editions include commentrak, featurettes, deleted footage, music video and more.
(O) ELEMENTAL GALADE Volume 4 (Geneon) Cou and Ren have separate adventures. Includes limited edition metallic pencil board.

(O) THE FOX AND THE HOUND 2 (Buena Vista) Belated direct-to-DVD sequel presents further adventures of Copper and Tod when they were young, only this time it’s a country western musical. Includes Making-Of featurettes, music video, bonus short and more.
(O) GUNSWORD Volume 4: Fallen Knights (Geneon) Ray Lundgren exacts his revenge on The Claw. Includes mini pencil board.
(O) HELLO KITTY: STUMP VILLAGE Volume 1: A Place of Fun (Geneon)
(O) KIRAMEKI PROJECT Volume 2: Metal Hearts (Media Blasters) Kana battles the mysterious Giant Robot.
(O) KODOCHA Volume 10: Birthdays, Kisses and Misses – Oh My! (Funimation)
(O) LUPIN THE 3^rd Volume 15: Thievin’ Ain’t Easy (Geneon) Lupin sets his sights on the jewelry collection of a millionaire playboy whose brides don't seem to be able to survive the wedding, rescues a political leader from a nation torn by civil war, battles Goemon over a huge stolen emerald, tries making a robot that can manufacture diamonds and fights off a hypnotized mob.

(O) SAIYUKI RELOAD Complete Box Set (Geneon) All 7 volumes, plus 24 bonus episodes.
(O) SAIYUKI RELOAD GUNLOCK Volume 4 (Geneon) The Sanzo group is attacked by a crowd of yellow-eyed villagers
(O) SAMURAI CHAMPLOO Complete Box Set (Geneon) Complete adventures of Fuu, Mugen and Jin on seven discs.

(O) VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE Collection 2 (Media Blasters) 15 more episodes on three discs, plus interviews, music video and more.
(O) WONDER SHOWZEN Gift Set (Paramount) Seasons 1 & 2 in a special lunchbox.
(O) WORLD OF MAGIC KNIGHTS RAYEARTH Seasons 1 & 2 (Media Blasters) Three girls become heroes in an alternate universe. 12 discs.
(O) ZIPANG Volume 3: A Time for War (Geneon) The crew of Mirai is forced to relinquish their stance of cautious neutrality and take action that would both compromise their loyalty to their country and alter the course of history.

HD-DVD CORNER

(O) HULK (Universal) To date, the most believably real creation of a CGanime character on film. With commentrak and featurettes.

And be sure to check back next week—and every week—for Mania’s Anime Avalanche! And check in every Tuesday for the latest DVD Shopping List!

Questions? Comments? Let us know what you think at Anime Avalanche.