Beasts Of The 5th Sun

Check out the exclusive preview clip of the Secret Saturdays console game, "Beasts Of The 5th Sun" over at kidzworld! Looks awesome! From the site: "... players will take control of multiple characters that include the entire Saturday family... and some select Cryptids to fly, swing, pole vault and battle enemies. Players will adventure through 10 action packed levels in amazing environments from dangerous jungles to lost undersea cities to collect and interact with more than 50 never-before-seen Cryptids. Along the way, players will record the details of each find in their very own Cryptipedia. Fun puzzle elements allow players to locate hidden Cryptids and discover new paths as they fight recognizable enemies from the show including Van Rook, Piecemeal, Munya and the evil V.V. Argost.

New Episodes

The new 10 episodes of the Secret Saturdays are shaping up very nicely. You'll have to wait until the Fall to see what I mean, but here's a little teaser image of just a few of the many cryptids that will be making an appearance. That's the Lake Van Monster, Xing-Xing, Arabhar, Vltava River Sprite, and a new Naga...

TCAF 2009

I'll be lurking around TCAF all weekend, in case you're wondering. All I gotta say is, Yoshihiro Tatsumi is in the hood! Hope to see you there.

Crypto Library

The Secret Saturdays Film Manga books aren't the only serialized publications by Del Rey/Random House to launch this summer. We're also going to get cool little chapter books, like the one shown above (Vol. 3, The Call Of Kur), featuring art by the likes of series director Scott Jeralds and the ever-wicked Ethan Beavers. The first two in the series will be adaptations of the Hibagon and Kumari Kandam episodes. Add the Field Guide into the mix, and you've got yourself quite a Secret Saturdays Library!

Mummy Art

While I'm still thinking about Tutenstein, here's a link to the online porfolio of character designer extraordinaire, Thomas Perkins. Check out his Tutenstein stuff!

TutenToys?

I'm not at all sure what this news item might mean for the future of my undead creation, Tutenstein, but it sounds pretty good! Hasbro and Discovery Kids have combined into a new entertainment concern, and Tut is now in the same boat as the likes of G.I. Joe and My Little Pony. Who'd a thunk it?

Secret Saturdays 'Graphic Novels'

While this news item is super-exciting, it's a little misleading. These books aren't 'graphic novels' in the conventional sense, but are instead graphic novelizations of episodes of the animated series, using screen shots from the episodes themselves. Still pretty cool. From the press release: “With its rich characters and intriguing stories, The Secret Saturdays is the latest Cartoon Network series to achieve widespread international popularity,” says Mutsumi Miyazaki, director of licensing and acquisitions for Del Rey Manga. “We believe that this new film-comic will bring new fans to The Secret Saturdays, and we look forward to building further success for the franchise while expanding our strong partnership with Cartoon Network.”

Alternate Saturdays

Issue #39 of Cartoon Network Action Pack is out in July with a new Saturdays story and cover. Now would be a good time to mention that the stories in the comics have kind of drifted away from what we do in the show. This was mostly out of necessity, due to the tight plotline running through the first 26 episodes. But I thought it was time to point out that the comics are not considered official cannon.

Squid Lid

Saw my pal James play with his electronic circus outfit Squid Lid Friday night, and it was an awesome display. Several changes of glowing masks, and an onslaught of danceable tunes with samples from the likes of Tod Brownings Freaks. Check them out if you dare.

Field Guide

Coming soon to a booksellers near you, The Secret Saturdays Official Cryptid Field Guide, loaded to the gills with art and info! I gotta tell you, I'm flattered as all heck to be referred to as a 'cryptozoologist' in the credits. Hope it doesn't tick off any of my honest-to-gosh Cryptozoologist pals.

Bosco dei Mostri

The town of Bomarzo in central Italy is another place I need to visit someday. Famous for it's so-called "Bosco dei Mostri" ("Monsters' Grove"), named after the large scale stone sculptures built into the landscape, it's got quite the creepy appeal. Prince Pier Francesco Orsini commissioned Pirro Ligorio to build this "Villa of Wonders" in homage to his deceased wife in 1552. Why it's full of monsters, I guess only the Prince knows.

Saturdays Are Back!

The Secret Saturdays return to Cartoon Network with new episodes beginning this Friday, April 10th at 8:00 PM. Because of where CN decided to break the season up, we come back with two irregular episodes, neither of which feature a cryptid of further the Kur Stone plotline. They are both pretty cool stand-alone stories, though! Because what would've been the next episode, "Eterno", is so particularly unusual, we decided to air it the following week, so this Friday will premiere "Black Monday" instead. They will revert back to the original sequence for future rebroadcasts and DVD collections. Can't wait to see what you all think of the rest of the original run!

Little Monster Factory

Check out this wonderful Art Journal of Sruti and Abhishek Akula, two very creative kids. Abhishek has a penchant for weird monsters, and you'll find lots of exciting, inventive creatures by scrolling down the page.

Monster Rain

Man! Is it ever coming down in my neck of the woods! I think I'd better start collecting up two of each cryptid. (Nice umbrella from Kinderkaboodle, huh?) The CBC is calling the never-ending rain a "Soaker Storm", whatever that is. This is the kind of weather that brings out the Kasa-Obake, or Japanese umbrella Yokai. The gorgeous fiberglass sculpture below is by Colin Christian

Secret Saturdays DVD

Volume One of the Secret Saturdays DVD collection is coming this summer, featuring the first 5 episodes, and tons of bonus features, including early development artwork and rough animatics.

Ancient Evil

Another year older today. Happy Birthday to me. Unfortunately I'm ill with fever and cough, which just heightens the effect of creakier bones and general weakness.

Heads Will Roll

My kind of wheels, from JH Design. James tells me a Creature From The Black Lagoon board is next on the list. Amen.

Eyes On Monster Watch

Here's a nice antidote to the heavy (and hopefully fun!) dose of fantasy The Secret Saturdays injects into the realm of cryptozoology. Monster Watch promises to keep the public updated on monster news, "from microscopic space bacteria to giant woolly mammoths", but only working off of hard, scientific facts. If you ever doubted the world is filled with real monsters, click the link and be amazed. And while on the subject of 'real' monsters, the always awesome Pink Tentacle has posted a stunning piece on mummified demons! Click through and read for yourself... many photos are of obvious taxidermy 'gaffs', but what to make of this demon head (above) from Zengyōji temple? From the site, "Nobody knows where the demon head came from, nor how or why it ended up in storage. Legend has it that a resident priest discovered the mummy in a temple storage chamber in the early 18th century. Imagine his surprise." Oh, and did I mention it has a third face on the back of the head? Eeeek!

Secret Update

Blogging from LAX on the way home from 10 days of Secret Saturdays work. First, some good news... CN will finally start airing the rest of the first 26 episodes next month. A Saturdays marathon of the first 10 is set for April 5th, with the first new one premiering April 10th. From that point on, a new Saturdays episode will air every week until the big finale at #26. I really think the stories get bigger and better as we progress, so I'm hoping you'll dig what you see. And wait'll you get a peek at the new 10! Lots of surprises to come. It was great to see the cast and crew again. The actors were in fine form with the new material and easily slipped back into character (and into cracking everyone up with off-mic hilarity). We had a blast, as usual. On a related note, I don't think there's anything more flattering than finding out you've made a good first impression on a total stranger. Thanks Joel, and all the best in New Zealand!

Toyfair Pics

More pics of Secret Saturdays toys (from Toyfair) by the wonderful folks over at Cryptid Saturdays...