Karina Farek, 4th year animation major at SVA, has just posted her thesis film Dirty Paws, and it’s too charming and sweet not to share. (more…)
Tag: LGBTQ
Werewolves & witches combine in Peter Saenz’s “Coven of Wolves 2”
If you ask me, werewolves are like coffee. You don’t need to mash the core concept up with anything else to improve the experience, and if you try you’ll just create a weird mess that doesn’t satisfy anyone. But when I heard about Peter Saenz‘s Coven of Wolves books, I considered a werewolf/witch hybrid and started feeling pretty good about the idea. (more…)
The Wolf At His Door: Book 1 of The Runes Trilogy
My thanks to Adrian Lilly for sponsoring Werewolf News this week with The Wolf At His Door, the first book in his trilogy of werewolf novels. Adrian and I have similar tastes in werewolves, and he was kind enough to answer a few questions about building a werewolf mythology, the power of literature, and practical jokes. (more…)
Help Kickstart Epic Lesbian Werewolf Revenge Quest comic “Anathema”
Okay, now that I’ve caught your attention with a sensational headline that appeals to your baser instincts, here’s a chance to redeem yourself by exercising your philanthropy and love of werewolves at the same time (philycanthropy?). Anathema is a horror comic project by writer Rachel Deering, artist Alan Quah Chris Mooneyham and colourist Jorge Maese.
The story focuses on a huntress named Mercy Barlowe, who falls in love with the daughter of a local reverend. When the romantic nature of their relationship is discovered, the reverend cries heresy and vows to see both women tried as witches. Mercy escapes, but the reverend’s daughter is sentenced to burn. The agony and torment of the burning lures wicked creatures from the darkness, who attack the village and steal the souls of the dying women. Mercy vows to track the evil beings to the ends of the earth and vanquish them to reclaim her lover’s soul, even if it means taking on dark powers of her own.
What sort of dark powers might Mercy take on, do you think? Hmmmmmmm. What web site are you on right now?
They are looking to raise $6,000 through Kickstarter by Friday September 2nd, which will pay for the first issue’s art and printing costs. That sounds pretty reasonable to me! As with all Kickstarter projects, the more you contribute the more sweet stuff you get in return. You were pretty quick to follow the link here, so you must be totally jazzed to help out, right?
“Jack and Diane” Back on Track (again) with New Star Juno Temple
According to this Hollywood Reporter article, Bradley Rust Gray’s lesbian werewolf romance movie “Jack and Diane” has gained a new lead: “Year One” and “Greenberg” actress Juno Temple. When last we heard about Jack & Diane, the role of Diane was being filled by Alison Pill and the official web site was chock full of backstory and crazy skinned-polar-bear werewolf visuals. Now the backstory content has been replaced by a message that the film is “in production” and there’s no mention of Pill. Hopefully this casting change will be the final twist before the story of Jack and Diane leaves development hell and actually starts shooting.
Posts about this movie always yield interesting Google traffic.
Lesbian Werewolf Love Story “Jack and Diane” Recast, Set to Resume Production
In June 2008 the production of lesbian werewolf horror/romance film “Jack and Diane” was left in limbo when Ellen Page decided to ditch her starring role as Diane because “there’s just too much focus on her and her career for her to be able to go off and do some super-experimental flick.” Now, over a year later, the film is back on track with Alison Pill as Diane, and a new web site that reveals more of the film’s story and visuals. In a statement on the web site, director Bradley Gray explains why Diane’s infatuation with Jack results in a lycanthropic transformaton:
When Diane first discovers love she is desperate to find out if her feelings are being returned. Only, she can’t find the words to explain how she feels. Her head gets fuzzy, she gets scared, she panics, and she transforms into a horrifically violent creature. This creature, though grotesque, becomes Diane’s way of saying, “I love you so much I want to eat you and put you inside me forever.”
An unconventional metaphor for a feeling many of us have experienced (it’s okay, you can admit it). Gabe Bartalos‘s werewolf’s design is also rather unconventional as well. Wishing to evoke Diane’s sexual frustration through a unique creature design, Bartalos is basing the werewolf’s design on a skinned polar bear (!). The film will also include animated sequences by the Brothers Quay that reveal the interior of Diane’s body: “a world of blood, hair and teeth.”
Unconventional indeed! The filmmakers have a clear vision for this movie. Here’s hoping that vision makes it to the screen effectively.
“Queer Wolf” Available In Paperback
“Queer Wolf“, an anthology of werewolf stories that would undoubtedly make Carrie Prejean frown in prim distaste, is now available from Amazon as a 300-page trade paperback. Sink your fabulously painted claws into this description:
The debut anthology from James EM Rasmussen’s QueeredFiction is an entertaining and varied collection, boasting such talents as Charlie Cochrane and Ginn Hale. Lovers of the lycan will find much to slaver over here: from the werewolf wanabee to the lovers-through-time, to waifs and strays. From the carnal to the violent to the passionate, this anthology will wag your tail, I guarantee it.
Thanks to James for giving Werewolf News the heads-up!
Holiday Recap
Hey, everyone. Hope you all had a great holiday. I know December was kind of a spotty month at Werewolf News, with fairly sporadic posts, but as the new year approaches it’s time to get things back on track. I have a couple of new features planned for the site, which I aim to have set up by mid-January (real-life work permitting), so check back in the next two weeks for a Werewolf Event Calendar and… well, let me get things working first and then you can check ’em out.
Here are some recent news tidbits that I haven’t had a chance to write up.
- Fox is moving ahead with the Michael Dougherty drama/comedy “Bitches”, about four female werewolves living in New York City.
- A third poster for Underworld: Rise of the Lycans has been released, this one featuring Lucian… in human form, alas.
- Image’s new comic imprint Man of Action is launching Bad Dog, a title about a hard-drinking Texas bounty hunter who’s also a werewolf who refuses to return to human form. 2009 is looking like a good year for werewolf comics!
- You know Proposition 8, that unfortunate law that robbed same-sex couples in California of certain basic rights? According to The Onion, there was a typographical error in the paperwork that actually means Proposition 8 is good news for same-sex werewolf couples. Hooray for gay (werewolf) rights!
That’s it for now!
Once In A Pink Moon…
If you’re a fan of werewolves and a writer of gay fiction, you might want to dig up those old manuscripts. QueeredFiction is a start up small press publisher that focuses on the Gay, Lesbian, & Bisexual ‘Genred’ market, and in early 2009 they’ll be publishing Queer Wolf – Once In A Pink Moon…, an anthology of gay werewolf tales. Right now they have an open call for submissions:
We’re looking for contemporary, urban fantasy set within a fictional city (unnamed and not location specific) centering on a community of queer werewolves. Your submission should be a short story between 4,000 and 10,000 words. We are seeking sensual fiction with positive images of gay/lesbian characters. We are not looking for clichés.
They are accepting submission until November 30th, and payment “will be through a royalty split between contributors”. For more information on what they’re looking for and how to submit your work, visit the Queer Wolf page of the QueeredFiction site.
Ellen Page No Longer Involved in Teen Lesbian Werewolf Film
It’s a shame that I have to introduce this movie to the site by posting bad news about it. According to its IMDB page, Jack and Diane, which was to star Juno‘s Ellen Page, is about two teen lesbians who…
…meet in New York City and spend the night kissing ferociously. Diane’s charming innocence quickly begins to open Jack’s tough skinned heart. But, when Jack discovers that Diane is leaving the country in a week she tries to push her away. Diane must struggle to keep their love alive while hiding the secret that her newly awakened sexual desire is giving her werewolf-like visions.
Sounds interesting, right? Unfortunately, due to lack of funding and Ellen Page’s desire to protect her career’s rising star from colliding with controversy, Jack and Diane has run into trouble.