Archive for the ‘furry heroes’ category

Lion-Hearted Dog

December 12, 2008

d-boy–In Oklahoma, a gunman burst through the front door of a woman’s house, and ordered her to the ground.  Her pit bull, D-Boy,  then rushed in from another room, attacked the intruder, and was shot three times by the home invader–twice in the head, being hit initially before he could even reach the gunman! Despite his injuries, the dog continued to press his attack,  at which point the gunman fled from the house.

As of this posting, the dog with the spirit of a Klingon warrior has survived the attack…

Exit Opus the Penguin…

October 15, 2008

–On November 2nd, Opus the Penguin with again be leaving us, this time supposedly forever.  Written by Berkeley Breathed, Bloom County was the first comic in which Opus appeared, initially as a short-term character.  Opus soon became the heart and soul of this 1980’s strip, and was a real break-away character.  Aptly described as an existential penguin, Opus was a sweet and innocent little guy whose ventures into contemporary culture nonetheless exposed the absurdities of modern life. Bloom County also introduced us to lawyer Steve Dallas and the unforgettable Bill the Cat…ack!

When Bloom County wound down after a long and successful run, Opus came back in another strip, Outland, and finally in the current solo effort, Opus. He was often depicted as wearing a red bow tie or a traditional tie, and was even at times shown wearing tidy whities underwear.  I will deeply miss this very special anthropomorphic penguin… <sighs>

Awesome Furry Artist!

September 8, 2008

–Artists who have worked with animal themes are not all contemporary.  One of the best was Franz Marc (1880-1916), whose work The Fox (1913) is shown here.  He was one of the principal painters of the German Expressionist movement, and his work was influenced by futurism and cubism.  Franz Marc also had a strong affinity for the work of Vincent van Gogh.  Most of his mature work portrays animals, usually in natural settings.  His work is characterized by bright primary color, an almost cubist portrayal of animals, stark simplicity, and a profound sense of emotion.  Regretably, Franz Marc was killed in 1916 in World War I.

That Franz Marc was a furry spirit is illustrated in this quote:“I found people ugly very early on; animals seemed to me more beautiful.”

–Two paws up for Franz Marc, and they couldn’t be higher! 😀