The Fuzzy Princess (Issue 1 NOW OUT)

[Mr. Big]

I thought I share this. Inspired by an advice I got in Baltimore Comic Con, I decided to give "all ages" graphic novels a shot. And thus I've been working on a new series about a cat princess.

Yes, I'm doing another cat comic. 

This is different from "Koko" in that I want to give an overarching theme to the story, with continuities and stuff. Plus serious attempts at world building (abet not to the point that I handcuff myself). That said, it'll also be full of gags and slapstick, since I still want this to be a cartoon.

Another big change is that I'm planning this to be in color, after years of doing mostly black-and-white work. So that's something to look forward to.

Details hidden because of big.

Spoiler

PRINCESS KAT
(aka "Fuzzy Princess", "Princess Katrina")

Target Audience: Kids, 7-9
Format: Graphic Novel/Comic Book

Katrina (or 'Kat'), a Princess of an animal kingdom named St. Paws, wants to go explore other areas, having gotten bored with her current lifestyle, feeling that her status as a Princess is holding her back in terms of interacting with society. Her dad, King Tom, agrees to let her go, but only if she brings a couple of their royal staff to keep an eye on her: Chiro, an uptight female bat, and Kuma, a strong and silent, but philosophical, bear. They travel on a flying cardboard box and end up in a human world, where Kat befriends a boy named Jackson, who lives in the city with his older sister Jordan. They agree to let them stay for the time being.

The flying box is bigger on the inside than the outside (think Snoopy's doghouse, or TARDIS), and is also filled with all sorts of magical devices from Kat's kingdom, which becomes an aid to the boy and the sister whenever they need something. From time to time, an animal from Kat's kingdom comes for a visit because they need her assistance.

----
CHARACTERS

Princess Kat
Katrina, or Kat for short, is a  rambunctious, stubborn princess who is eager to try new things. Being a cat, she has a tendency to being distracted by sudden movements and round balls. Also like a cat, however, she's good at figuring things out easily, which helps her and everyone else easily whenever they're in trouble.

Being a magical princess, Kat has a few powers. She has a detachable tail, which she can use as a lasso or a whip (my homage to the old "Felix the Cat" cartoons where he would use his tail for things). She also has claws that can rival a sword, being able to cut through almost anything, including wood, steel, and even stone on occasion.

Katrina is generally nice, but she can also be intimidating whenever she wants to do things her way, even resorting to "I'm royalty" if she really wants things done her way. She believes in justice and will do anything to help people out, even if that will put her in danger.

Katrina always felt that bring a Princess has drawbacks. While she's fine with her royal status, and doesn't hide the fact, she also found that it's hard to make real friends because others tend to find her intimidating because of her royal status. As a result, she wanted to travel to other locations, where she doesn't have to worry about her status getting in the way. She ends up befriending a human named Jackson, which overjoyed her as he is her first true friend.

Chiro
A female bat, she's the responsible, somewhat uptight member of the trio. She has no qualms criticizing Kat's plans if she thinks they're not good, although if she thinks the Princess is on to something, she would throw herself behind it and try to make it work. She's a bit high strung, and find others annoying, but that's because she's committed to whatever goals she agrees to take part in.

Being a bat, Chiro has sonar powers that enables her to "see" in the dark. Of course, she can also fly, and would transport Kat whenever she doesn't have a flying box nearby.

Kuma
A slow-talking, strong and somewhat overweight bear. Kuma seems somewhat dim, but he also has an aware, philosophical side (think Mongo in "Blazing Saddles" saying  "Mongo only pawn in game of life.")

Despite being slow, he's also extremely strong. He's artistic, and enjoys drawing and writing haiku. He's
the most "zen" of the main cast.

Jackson
A 9-year old boy that Kat befriends after they land on the human world. Jackson is trying to find his purpose his life, so when he ran into talking animals, he sees them as front of wisdom even though they're just as big of a dingus as everyone else.

Jackson enjoys playing with yo-yos and thinks he can be a yo-yo champion someday, even though his sister insists that this is something that's never gonna happen. He's obsessed with hats, and from time to time he would wear a different hat just because.

Jordan
Jackson's 20-year old sister. She works as a graphic designer and illustrator for a living and looks after her younger brother. She wants to move on working for bigger clients, but is stuck with the low-level work in the meantime.

[close]

Here are some character designs. I'm pretty much recycling the designs from Koko for the humans, because I enjoy drawing them. Think of it as my own "star system" ala Osamu Tezuka.

Spoiler

[close]

Finally, here's the outline introductory chapter, where I introduce all the characters.

Spoiler

PRINCESS KAT
Introductory Story
2nd Draft – 10-7-2015

It's a cloudy, windy day. Somehow, a box appears to be flying through the sky. Inside it is a cat and a bear, with a bat flying next to it. The animals talk, with the cat piloting the box, saying that she feels great being on her own. The bear, a rather slow, deadpan fellow, just waxes philosophically, saying that he's just a player in the cat's ride. The bat, a rather uptight lady, reminds the cat that it was her dad who sent the bat and the bear to keep an eye on her so that she could be safe. The cat insists that she'll be fine, and invites the bat to fly inside the box, which she refuses ("With the way you drive? I'd rather be on my own, your highness"). However, the wind becomes strong, and lightning strikes nearby, causing the box to shake. The box tips and the bear falls out. The bat flies down and manages to save the bear, but the flying box (with the cat) inside is nowhere to be seen.

Below the sky, a boy named Jackson is running for his dear life, trying to avoid a group of bullies, Bloated Whale (the leader), Alex, and Max. Bloated Whale is mad at the boy because he called him by his real name (Jackson: "Well, I still think it's weird that you prefer to be called Bloated Whale over your real name!"). Jackson hides behind a nearby tree, confusing the bullies for a while. Before they could find him, however, the flying box falls on Bloated Whale's head, which knocked him out. The box bounces next to Jackson behind the tree, and noticing that Alex and Max is tending Bloated Whale, he grabs the box and makes a run for it to his apartment.

In the apartment, Jackson's sister, Jordan, sees him enter with the box. Thinking it's a package she's expecting, she grabs the box before he could explain where it came from. She opens it and is shocked to see a cat inside, apparently knocked off from the harsh landing earlier. The cat wakes up, however, overhearing Jordan tell her younger brother that the apartment charges extra for pets. The cat, offended, tells her that she's no one's pet.

Hearing the cat talk, the two panic, with Jackson saying "Holy mackerel, sis! We're being invaded!" The cat, however, laughs that off:

"I am Katrina, or Kat for short. I am a Princess of St. Paws, which I remind you is a peaceful kingdom that doesn't invade anyone! And let me tell ya', buddy, that even if I were to invade another land, I would've just sent my own army from the comfort of my palace, or at least wear a crash helmet."

The humans calm down a bit after hearing that. Taking cues from it, they introduce themselves as well. Jackson introduces himself as the "Prince of Yo-Yos", even showing his certificate from a Yo-Yo contest to the Princess, which is obviously a generic kids awards, with Jackson's name written on the blank line.

Jordan introduces herself as the "Queen of the Apartment", although Jackson quips that she's more of a "Nerd Queen", to which Jordan replies that Jackson is such as big of a nerd as she is. Seeing the two siblings banter, Princess Kat quips that it's "just like home". Jackson asks Princess if she has royal escorts. She says yes, saying that a bat named Chiro and a bear named Kuma was accomplying her, only to get lost on the way over.

While the Princess wonders where those two have gone, we see what happened to them. They are safe, having landed at the woods nearby, but have no clue where the Princess is. Chiro is panicking, fearing that she will be executed if word gets out that she lost the Princess in a land they know nothing about. Kuma, however, is calm, simply examining the environment surrounding them, even making up a Haiku about rocks, much to Chiro's annoyance. Chiro tries to user her sonar powers to locate the Princess, but there's still too much noise outside the city, since its daytime. She wishes that it's nighttime, since there would be fewer noise interference. Kuma calmly suggests that they wait until night then, which Chiro finds to be a crazy suggestion, wondering what they'll do in the meantime then. Kuma responds by thinking up a Haiku about a piece of leaf he picked up on the ground, which only serves to drive Chiro crazy.

Meanwhile, back at the apartment, Princess Kat is exploring the items found there, impressed by them. "So you hairless ape creatures..." "We're humans" "...are more advanced than I thought. I mean, a motorized can opener? If I brought some royal medals, I'd give one to the inventor right now". Jackson decides to play a joke by grabbing a laser pointer and turning it on. The Princess sees it and, acting on her instincts, starts chasing it, something the two human siblings found hilarious. After turning it off, the Princess wonders where the pest has escaped to, to which Jackson replies not to worry.

Impressed at what she sees inside the house, Princess wants to check out outside, but the humans start to worry, fearing how other people will react upon seeing her, and suggests that it might be best if she stays inside. The Princess, being stubborn and impulsive, yells that she's royalty, and defying royal orders is punishable.

Realizing that it's best to do what she says, Jackson agrees to show her around a little bit. While giving a tour of their location, however, the bullies from earlier shows up again, still angry over earlier. Bloated Whale (visibly bandaged) is even carrying a baseball, intending to hit Jackson with it. Jackson tries to plead the three not to hurt them, but Bloated Whale laughs it off, and throws the baseball at him. However, almost immediately it gets thrown back at him in the face. We cut to Princess Kat holding a baseball bat, with her tail noticeably missing. It's revealed that the bat is actually her detachable tail, which she used to morph into a bat. She puts the tail back on her rear.

This just makes Bloated Whale angrier, and tries to attack her, but the Kat jumps on to his head. Bloated Whale asks Alex to get the cat, but before he hits her, Kat jumps out of his head, leading to Alex bonking on Bloated Whale's head instead. Kat has, instead, landed on Max's head. Bloated Whale tries to get her, but like before, he just ends up hitting Max's head instead, with Kat having jumped on Alex's head. The cycle continues, with the three bullies constantly hitting on each other's heads, not noticing that Kat is actually on the side. Eventually the three notices, and they all charge at the princess, but Kat simply swipes at the three, with her claws extracted. After holding for a bit, the clothes all fall down from the three bullies, having been shredded to pieces by the Princess's super sharp claws (as if they were her katanas).

Humiliated and defeated, the bullies all run away from the freaky cat. Jackson is overjoyed and starts hugging the princess, nearly squeezing her. ("Oof! Okay, Jackson, you can stop! I'm pretty sure squeezing the princess is treason! Don't you know what treason is?")

Back at the apartment, as Jackson's room, he offers Kat a nicer bed for her to sleep on, but the Princess insists that she sleeps inside her flying box. Jackson jokingly quips that, even cat princesses love small boxes. Just then, they hear a tapping through the window. It's Chiro, having finally tracked the Princess down. Kat asks where Kuma is, and Chiro says he smelt food nearby, so he's grabbing a bite to eat. Just then, they hear Jordan screaming through the kitchen. They rush there, and see that Kuma has come in, raiding the fridge, complimenting Jordan for her selection of food, completely oblivious to the fact that she's screaming in terror.

[close]

For the second chapter, I'm hoping to explain Princess Kat's world a bit, including her magic flying box.

[LumRanmaYasha]

I always love your work Mr. Big, and this looks like it'll be another really great comic! I'm looking forward to seeing and hearing more about your progress on the book as you continue making it.

[Mr. Big]

Finished writing the script for the first chapter! Next stage is penciling it. Hoping to get it done by or before December. Also gonna plan to start on chapter 2 in the meantime.

Here's a color ref:

[Mr. Big]

Some quick-and-dirty ink drawing of the main characters:



Decided to title it "The Fuzzy Princess", which I think is a funny, silly-sounding name. Also, I was worried that calling it "Princess Kat" would make people think it's something ultra-saccharine, even though it's anything but.

The "pilot" comic is all penciled, of which 2/3 are inked. I'm also planning on the 2nd story now, which directly follows on the first story. I want to introduce more on-going continuity to the story, so there's that as well.

[Mr. Big]

Man, it's been months since I posted about it. So here's an update.

The first issue is completely drawn, lettered, colored, proofread, and laid out. I sent it out to printers for a proof run. I'm hoping to debut it in April at a convention, if all goes to plan.

That said, you can read it early if you're my Patreon backer. For as little as $1 a month, even! *cough*



The second issue is already inked; just need to color. I'm writing the 3rd issue, and I have an outline done for the 4th. I'm pretty excited about it. The first four issues is basically a serial, where, if read together, it forms one long story.

[Micki!]

I ant to make myself a patreon account sometime soon, once i do, you can count on some support from me as well ..!

I realize you don't really need an account to do so, but i feel it would seem like an appropriate thing to do once i get around to it 

[Mr. Big]

Any support I can get is appreciated, so thanks!

I'll also eventually sell the comic on my storenvy page as well.

[Micki!]

Is that site for physical copies..? i like having things lying here with me 

[Mr. Big]

Is that site for physical copies..? i like having things lying here with me 

Yep!

[Mr. Big]

A first look at the Fuzzy Princess comic book, coming this April. Full color, 36 pages.

[Mr. Big]

The first five pages of The Fuzzy Princess. I drew these pages back in late October-early November, but I will release it this April at the FLUKE convention.

Here, we are introduced to Princess Kat, Chiro, and Kuma.

Princess Kat
Katrina, or Kat for short, is a  rambunctious, stubborn princess who is eager to try new things. Being a cat, she has a tendency to being distracted by sudden movements and round balls. Also like a cat, however, she's good at figuring things out easily, which helps her and everyone else easily whenever they're in trouble.

Being a magical princess, Kat has a few powers. She has a detachable tail, which she can use as a lasso or a whip (my homage to the old "Felix the Cat" cartoons where he would use his tail for things). She also has claws that can rival a sword, being able to cut through almost anything, including wood, steel, and even stone on occasion.

Katrina is generally nice, but she can also be intimidating whenever she wants to do things her way, even resorting to "I'm royalty" if she really wants things done her way. She believes in justice and will do anything to help people out, even if that will put her in danger.

Katrina always felt that bring a Princess has drawbacks.  While she's fine with her royal status, and doesn't hide the fact, she also found that it's hard to make real friends because others tend to find her intimidating because of her royal status. As a result, she wanted to travel to other locations, where she doesn't have to worry about her status getting in the way. She ends up befriending a human named Jackson, which overjoyed her as he is her first true friend.

Chiro
A female bat, she's the responsible, somewhat uptight member of the trio. She has no qualms criticizing Kat's plans if she thinks they're not good, although if she thinks the Princess is on to something, she would throw herself behind it and try to make it work. She's a bit high strung, and find others annoying, but that's because she's committed to whatever goals she agrees to take part in.

Being a bat, Chiro has sonar powers that enables her to "see" in the dark. Of course, she can also fly, and would transport Kat whenever she doesn't have a flying box nearby.

Kuma
A slow-talking, strong and somewhat overweight bear. Kuma seems somewhat dim, but he also has an aware, philosophical side (think Mongo in "Blazing Saddles" saying  "Mongo only pawn in game of life.")

Despite being slow, he's also extremely strong. He's artistic, and enjoys drawing and writing haiku. He's the most "zen" of the main cast.

Jackson
A 9-year old boy that Kat befriends after they land on the human world. Jackson is trying to find his purpose his life, so when he ran into talking animals, he sees them as front of wisdom even though they're just as big of a dingus as everyone else.

Jackson enjoys playing with yo-yos and thinks he can be a yo-yo champion someday, even though his sister insists that this is something that's never gonna happen. He's obsessed with hats, and from time to time he would wear a different hat just because.

Jordan
Jackson's 20-year old sister. She works as a graphic designer and illustrator for a living and looks after her younger brother. She wants to move on working for bigger clients, but is stuck with the low-level work in the meantime.

Unlike "Koko", I'm taking my time on this, carefully working out the stories, rather than rushing them through the pipeline. These are slower-paced than my normal work, so I'm hoping that won't backfire on me. I'm already working on the third issue, with the fourth in outline stage.

[Mr. Big]

Heads up: "The Fuzzy Princess" comic book will debut in late April at FLUKE convention in Athens, GA

I'm working on more comics right now:




Some sketches I did on MS Paint.

http://i.imgur.com/sZztRuP.png
http://i.imgur.com/9ioEUYX.png
http://i.imgur.com/EL0UAsp.png
http://i.imgur.com/1UEtwnH.png
http://i.imgur.com/VjaWyWm.png

[Mr. Big]

Over at my store, you can pre-order my new comic book, "The Fuzzy Princess", shipping in April. Order here!

[Mr. Big]

Just letting you know that The Fuzzy Princess No. 1 is now available! Get it here

[Mr. Big]

More sketches for ASK A CAT and THE FUZZY PRINCESS. Some were drawn on paper, others are digital.




I've been working on more pages. Here are some shots:









A rough for an early page. It's not as sketchy nowadays, but for a while, it typically looked like this.



You can still get it here, if you'd like!