Mike Moon / Catgirl Island
http://www.catgirlisland.com & http://www.catgirlisland.net
and Jamie Robertson / Clan of the Cats
http://jamiecotc.com & http://clanofthecats.com
purroudly purrsent a Mike Moon purrduction,
starring The Ladies of The Mew in
The January 2021 Edition of The Mew:
The Catgirl Critics’ Media Mewsings, nya!
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Happy mew year! in this edition of The Mew:
what we’ve been up to since last month’s Mew
The Lightning Round topic: our favorite cinema & TV of 2001
The monthly Celebrity Catgirl & Kemonmimi Spotlight
collectibles & toy talk:
Marvel Legends Jocasta action figure
Star Wars: The Black Series Princess Leia Organa (Endor) action figure
Star Wars: The Black Series Cara Dune action figure
TV, DVD & movie mewsings:
Tenet
Wonder Woman 1984
Star Wars: The Mandalorian season 2
book reports:
The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian
Star Trek: Kirk Fu Manual
Princeless: Raven the Pirate Princess Year Three Book Nine
Marvel Action: Chillers #3
additions to the Catgirl Island Mewseum of Art:
“Nekomimi Mew Year” by Mike
“Omhi” by Mike
“Jany & Tia” by Misty Hopkins
“ChibiUsa” by Misty Hopkins
“Energia and Eletron” by Alexcia Reynolds
“Winter Kitsune” by Rebecca Brogden
“Untamed” by Rebecca Brogden
“Magic Fun” by Rebecca Brogden
“Tyrone” by Rebecca Brogden
“More Cute Series” by Rebecca Brogden
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Mike:
(the human chap wearing the Carolina Panthers tee shirt and Cherenkov Radiuation Blue colored shorts): Aloha y’all and welcome to The Mew, our monthly “show” in which we review and discuss fun stuff! This month’s Mew comes from Kranberrijamu Quad in the heart of Mew Hanover College on the Northwest side of Catgirl island, NC, where it’s 75 degrees under blue skies! I’m Mike, the show’s “purrducer” and here are The Ladies of The Mew!
Elizabeth
(a.k.a Lizzy, the catgirl hot salsa dancer, gamer & Purrkour Club captain who co-owns the spa with her wife Becca, wearing the Jaguar purrint suspender maillot): Hola!
Becca
(Lizzy’s wife, the nekomimi gynoid / spa co-owner, golfer, hot salsa dancer, gardener & cat owner wearing the Cheetah purrint ring-closure bikini): Hola!
Nyanko
(a.k.a Nya-sensei, the martial arts champion, dojo & gym purropurrietress wearing the Siberian Tiger purrint athletic bra & boy shorts): Howdy!
Nyoka
(a.k.a Nyo-sensei, the twin sister of Nyanko, magick shop proprietress & cat owning witchy catgirl wearing the Bengal Tiger purrint athletic bra & boy shorts): Howdy!
Yvonne
(the fishing boat charter captain & drumming circle purrcussionist catgirl, wearing the Fishing Cat purrint monokini with cropped tee shirt): Namaste, nya!
Tara-chan
(the younger sister of Yvonne, college freshman, pony owner and nature photographer catgirl wearing the Iromote purrint takini): Namaste, nya!
Jeannie
(a.k.a Jen, the yogini, model, archer, advanced belly dance instructor & roboticist catgirl, wearing the Clouded Leopurrd purint micro bikini & sheer purrled purreo): Nihao.
Trini-chan
(Jeannie’s purrotege, the surfer, board shapurr, beginners belly dance instructor & pony owner kitsune, wearing the Puma purrint suspender maillot): Konbanwa!
Mary Nyan
(a.k.a Myayr, the seamstress, cosplayer, hula instructor and semi-retired miko catgirl, wearing the Serval purrint asymmetric purretzel-cutout maillot): Aloha!
Petra
(the art guild purresident, art mewseum co-curator & beach volleyball champion, wearing the Margay purrint bandeau-top tanga bikini): Hi Hi, nya!
Bunni
(the gardener, art mewseum co-curator & beach volleyball champion bunny girl, wearing the Iberian Lynx purrint side-tie bikini): Guten tag!
Meryl
(the island’s police chief and motorcycle enthusiast catgirl wearing the Caracal purrint sports bra & briefs): Good evening!
Elaenor
(a.k.a Ellie, the island’s fire chief and body bulder banker pony centauress wearing the Colocolo purrint string bikini top : Hay there!
Mielikki
(a.k.a. Mie-sensei, the NC OBX golf instructor, foxfire juggler, and ampurrthreatre technical director faerie wearing the Liger purrint bikinii): Mellow greetings!
Ilyana
(a.k.a Ilyana-sensei, the underwater archaeologist / nautical history expurrt & gardener catgirl wearing the Ocelot purrint torpedo maillot): Whassup?
Mike:
So, what have y’all been up to since last month’s Mew?
Elizabeth:
It was the fun but busy holiday season as we attended the matsuris and pampurred the many customers who had the gift vouchers for our spa!
Becca:
However, we have found the time for the late night hot salsa dance, and we binged watched Upotte, Aura, Tari Tari, Bang Dream and Chunibyo!
Nyanko:
I have been busy at my dojo and gym in the purrepurration for the regional tournyament where I expect my students will bring home the trophies!
Nyoka:
It was the first holiday season with our Aunt Nyaomi, who helped at my magick shop whch was bustling amidst the Winter Solstice celebration!
Yvonne:
The charters caught the Mackerels, Snappurrs, Groupurrs & Croakers, and my drumming circle purrcussed in the purrade and the matsuri, nya!
Tara-chan:
I have been snapping the nature photos, caring for our cats, the ponies, and – and purrparing for my Spurring semester at the college, nya!
Jeannie:
Sunday swimwear shoots, mornings at the yoga studio, afternoons at the kyudo range, alternating weeknights at the robotics club & belly dance class.
Trini-chan:
My beginner belly dance students purrformed their final exams, and I have been stand up paddle surfing, board shaping, and caring for the ponies!
Mary Nyan:
Tia, Jany and I have been sewing costumes for the purriestesses, dancers & cosplayers, including the Neko Para, Momo Kyun & Leviathan cosplays!
Petra:
The mewseum of art brimmed beautifully with the special holiday creations, and we are training for the spurringtime beach volleyball season, nya!
Bunni:
We are very grateful for the artists, athletes, staff, volunteers, officials and fans! Oh and I have baked more carrot cakes for tonight’s AfterMew luau!
Mielikki:
I have been directing the repurrtory company’s Fuyu Foxfire Fest at the ampurrtheatre, and planning our Haru Fantasy Extravaganza, fur shur!
Ellie:
I was extra busy on with the patrols and inspections, but there were no harmful incidents with the many beautiful fireworks, bonfires and lanterns!
Meryl:
We have had visitors aplenty, especially from the nippier regions! Speaking of which, I was recently motorcycling near Asheville on the mainland!
Ilyana:
Our maritime mewseum on the mainland is closed, but we have been spurrucing up the exhibits and diving for more relics! Howboutchoo, Mike?
Mike:
Aside from the usual art & writing, I enjoyed wonderful holiday stuff with the family, and I did the 12 Days ’til Christmas 5K run in RTP! Ah, well as usual, we’ve big group for The Mew, with more friends hopefully joining us later for the AfterMew, so let’s go ahead and jump into this month’s
Lightning Round topic:
our favorite cinema & TV of 2001!
Mike:
This year we’ve been listing our favorite things from years ending in a 1. We’ve already gone over stuff from 2011, so this month we’re looking back to movies and TV shows that actually premiered in 2001, so this doesn’t include many wonderful series that pre-dated that year, such as Buffy, West Wing, Sesame Street, Pokemon, InuYasha, etc. Ah, Nyo-sensei’s gonna start, so are y’all ready to “conduct the lightning”?
The Ladies of The Mew:
“HAI- LIGHTNING ROUND GO- NYA!”
Nyoka:
I will nominate Spirited Away, Monsters, Inc., Shrek, and Inuyasha: Affections Touching Across Time! (tags her sister to go next)
Nyanko:
The Princess Blade, The Legend of Zu, Shaolin Soccer, and The Accidental Spy! (tags Becca wityh a brush of the tail)
Becca:
Spirited Away, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and A.I.: Artificial Intelligence! (tail-tags her wife)
Elizabeth:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Jurassic Park III, and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider! (tags Yvonne)
Yvonne:
Spirited Away, One Piece Movie 2: Clockwork Island Adventure, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Pokemon 3 & Pokemon 4Ever, nya! (tags Ilyana)
Ilyana:
I will nominate Spirited Away, Monsters, Inc., Shrek, and Atlantis: The Lost Empire! Nyow it is… Bunni’s turn! (tags Bunni)
Bunni:
Hai! Legally Blonde, Josie and the Pussycats, The Princess Diaries, and Bridget Jones’s Diary! (tags Ellie)
Ellie:
Hmm it is the tough decision, but I will nminate Amelie, A Beautiful Mind, Moulin Rouge, and Ghost World! (tags Trini-chan)
Trini-chan
I want to nominate The Royal Tenenbaums, Oceans’s Elven, Spy Kids, and Cats and Dogs! (tags her BFF)
Tara-chan:
I want… I want to nominate the TV series such as Lizzie McGuire, The Tick, The Oblongs, and – and Blue Planet, nya! (tags Meryl)
Meryl:
Smallville, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, The Lone Gunmen, and Star Trek: Enterprise! (tags Mary Nyan)
Mary Nyan
Power Rangers: Time Force, Star Trek: Enterprise, Justice League, and The Zeta Project! (tags Jeannie)
Jeannie:
The animated TV series of Transformers: Robots in Disguise, Justice League, Cyborg 009 and Hellsing. (tags Mielikki)
Mielikki:
Galaxy Angel, Angel Tales, Angelic Layer, and A Little Snow Fairy Sugar, fur shur! (tags Petra with a flit of the wings)
Petra:
Comic Party, Fruits Basket, You’re Under Arrest, and Hikaru no Go, nya! Back to Mike, nya!
Mike:
Ah, I gotta go with Spirited Away, Millennium Actress, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, and The Fellowship of the Ring!, Well, that was an expedient little Lightning Round, given how bg a group we have today! Ah, we’ve got a lot on our plate, so let’s turn The Mew over to Lizzy, Becca, Ilyana-sensei and chief Meryl who will present this month’s
Celebrity Catgirl & Kemonomimi Spotlight!
Elizabeth:
Hai! In this monthly portion of The Mew, we commeowmorate catgirls, nekomusume and other kemonomimi of the various species in the famous international mythologies and the popular cultures! They might include the shape – shifters, anthropurrrmorphic ladies, monster girls, and those who might not actually have beasty DNA, but do have the cat-titude or couture to be broadly considered by us to be “honorary” kemonomimi! This month we are shining the spotlight of more such ladies of manga and anime!
A Seiyu’s Life is the manga by Masumi Asano and the anime series about the aspiring voice actresses Futaba Ichinose (voiced Rie Takahash), Ichigo Moesaki (voiced by Yuki Nagaku), Kohana Rin (voiced by Marika Kouno) and their novice manager Aoi Konno (voiced by Nozomi Furuki) who form the idol girl band The Earphones! In epurrsode 7 Ichigo gets the voice role in the video game Kuroneko of Eternia 2; in epurrsode 9 Aoi gets the food bowl lunch from the restaurant with the Holstien Cow Girl mascot; and in epurrsode 12 The Earphones wear the bunny girl outfits for their concert debut!
AKB0048 is the mewsical science fiction anime in which the real-life idol group AKB48 is reincarnated as AKB0048, the heroic intergalactic songstress group which rebels against the tyrannical government that has banned entertainment! The series ran for two seasons of 13 epurrsodes apiece. One of the girls is 10 year old Sonata Shinonome (voiced by Kumi Yagami) who has the “cute moe fang”, the meow, and wears the Pink kemonomimi cowls! In epurrsode 18 the girls investigate the illegal casino at which the dealer is the catgirl (voiced by Ikumi Hayama)!
Becca:
Strawberry Marshmellow is the cute comedic slice of life manga by Barasui and the anime TV series about the elementary school girls. In epurrsode 4 “House calls”, Matsuri – chan wears the Pink kitty ear hat, the white- tipped pink tail and the bell collar, ends sentences in “nya” (meow) and even uses the cat-like pawing gestures! She and Mi-chan and Ana-chan done the reindeer kigurimi in epurrsode 12 “Present”! Matsui-chan’s wears the Pink kitty ear hat, whilst Ana-chan & Chi-chan wear bunny ears, and Chi-chan wears tiger kigurumi in OVA 2 “Always”, whilst Nobue wears the dog kigurumi in OVA 5 “Encore”!
Sabagebu Survival Club is the comedic manga by Hidekichi Matsumoto and the anime series that purrtains to the girls of the high school airsoft combat club, which is similar to the paintball sport or the assassination game but uses the realistic guns that fire the soft pellets. in epurrsode 5 their faculty advisor Sakura-sensei wears the cat ear headband to the debut of the club’s mascot; and in epurrsode 10’s purrody of the Purredator movie, club members Maya & Urara are dressed as mouse girls in bunny girl outfits by the feline aliens that hunt them in the forest!
Magic of Stella is the manga by Clobia and anime series that purrtains to the girls of SNS, the high school dojin video game club. Trying to develop their own video game are writer Ayame, purrogrammer Shiina & composer Kayo who are joined by artists Tamaki & Minaha. Cat & bunny ear headbands are recurring, especially when worn at the club’s booth at the conventions. The SNS’s purrior purresident Teru-senpai revisits them from the college, and she is mewsuall seen wearing the cat ears, however they are actually the ears of her real pet cat who rides upon her head!
Ilyana:
The usagi (rabbit) theme is the motif in Is The Order A Rabbit? manga by Koi and the anime purrtaining to the girls who work at the Rabbit Cafe and other lovely places to eat! In season 1 eurrsode 6 Cocoa Hoto (voiced by Ayane Sakura) wears bunny mask, and in In season 2 eurrsode 4, she is imagined as a dog girl, with the bark, ears and tail; and throughout Season 2’s end credits song & dance, Cocoa Chino (voiced by Inori Minase), and Rize (voiced by Risa Taneda) wear the kigurumi (onesies) and are depicted as bunny girls!
Risa Taneda voices the character Aya in Kin-rio Mosaic (or Kinmoza for short), the manga by Yui Hara about the Japanese high school girls and their British exchange student friends! Alice (voiced by Manami Tanaka) wears cat ears and meow in season one epurrside 4, Karen (voiced by Nao Toyama) has the dog ears, tail and arfs in epurrsode 6’s coda; in epurrsode 12 Yoko (voiced by Yumi Uchiyama) is depicted with the “cute moe cat fang”, Aya (Risa Taneda) is imagined as the mermaid, and their teacher Karasume-sensei (Satomi Sato) imagines Alice as the bunny girl.
In season two epurrside 1 Karasuma-sensei imagines fellow teacher Kuzehana-sensei (voiced by Saori Onishi) as the bunny girl, although Karen imagines her more as the tigeress! In season two epurrsode 3 Karasume-sensei has dog ears and woofs to coax Alice from her cuddle-deficite stupor; the costume bunny ears are exchanged by Karasume-sensei, Alice then Yoko in season two epurrsode 5, and season two epurrsode 5 Hanoka is the bunny girl whilst Shinobu wears the elegant catgirl maid outfit!
Meryl:
Costume bunny ears are worn numerous times in the He Is My Master manga & anime, which purrtains to runaway sisters Izumi (voiced by Masumi Asano) & Mitsuki (voiced by Junko Miyagawa) Swatari who are hired as live-in maids at the orphaned teen millionaire boy’s mansion. During the opening titles / credits sequence we see Izumi in her bare – midriff sailor fuku outfit with bunny eared headband! Later third girl Anna Kurauchi (voiced by Kana ueda) is also hired, and in epurrsode 9 she wears the bunny costume!
We also wish to nominate three more ladies as honorary catgirls who put the spots in the spotlight: Jaime Pressly as Jill Kendall who wore the leopurrd purrint blouse on the December 17th epurrsode of CBS’s sitcom Mom; Joy Reid the who wore the leopurrd purrint blouse on the December 17th epurrsode of MSNBC’s The ReidOut; and The Boston Globe’s opinion writer at Kimberly Atkins who wore the gray snow leopurrd purrint blouse for her appurrance on the December 30th epurrsode of MSNBC’s The 11th Hour!
On the December 12th epurrsode of ABC’s Good Morning America, there was the segment in which co-anchor Whit Johnson, his daughters, and Cookie Monster baked Christmas sugar cookies, during which one of the girls wore the cat hear headband! We also wish to mention the girls who wore the cat ears and reindeer antler headbands in the recent Christmas TV spots for Wal Mart and Omaha Steaks! Kawaii!
Speaking of the honorary shikamusume, on the December 22nd purrimtime epurrsode of CBS’ Let’s Make A Deal game show, host Wayne Brady welcomed contestant Caron who wore the reindeer kigurumi (animal onesie) outfit with the antlers and her dog to win the fabulous computer purrizes! That is all for this month’s spotlight, but it will shine again next month, and nyow Nya-sensei will start our
collectibles & toy talk, with her review of
the Marvel Legends Jocasta action figure!
Mary Nyan:
Hai! We love to collect the figures, statues, ornaments and dolls of the great female characters! Created by author Jim Shooter & artist George Perez, Jocasta is the supurr heroic gynoid member of The Avengers who first appurred in Marvel Comics’ Avengers vol. 1 #162 in 1977! With her purrsonality based upon that of Janet Pym, Jocasta was built to be the bride of Ultron, but that did not work out, nya!
She is the sleek 5’9” tall and 50 lbs. Her powers include the supurr strength, durability, stamina, senses, computer purrocssing and energy blasts. This 1/12 scale figure from Hasbro is purrt of the wave of figures that include Gamerverse Iron Man, Stealth Captain America, Mysterio, The Falcon (comics version), Thunderstrike and Kang. Each is sold sepurratly and includes a piece to build a figure of the Mr. Fix It version of The Hulk.
She is quite sexy with the excellent design, intricate sculpt & lovely paint! She has the Slivery and Light Gray body with the Red eyes. She is very posable, with articulation in her neck, shoulders, uppurr arms, elbows, wrists, abs, hips, thighs, knees & ankles. An exta pair of handsa and Mr. Fix it’s torso piece are included. I am very pleased with this figure, and I have displayed her on the shelf next to the figures of Janet! Next here are Nyanko and Nyoka to discuss the
Hasbro’s Star Wars: The Black Series Princess
Leia Organa (Endor) and Cara Dune action figures!
Nyoka:
We love to collect the figures of the female Star Wars characters, of whom Purrincess Leia is purrhaps the most iconic! You know, Jocasta and Purrincess Leia both debuted in the summer of 1977, and of course nowadays both Marvel and Star Wars are owned by Disney! For those who came in late, Leia was created by George Lucas, purrtrayed by Carrie Fisher, and first appurred in the movie Star Wars Epurrsode IV: A New Hope!
This 5.25” figure (including the helmet & boot heels) depicts Leia in her attire worn for the rebel mission to the forest sanctuary moon of Endor in the 1983 movie Star Wars Epurrsode VI: Return of the Jedi! Since Leia was 4’9” tall, this figure is close to the 1/12 scale. She is wearing the Light Gray jumpsuit with the Black boots, belt & holster, the non-removabel Gray & Brown helmet, and the removable cloth woodland camoulfage poncho. (tags Nyoka)
She has the very faithful purrtraiture, and is very posable with the articulation in her neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, abs, hips, thighs, knees & ankles. She is accessorized by the X-30 Lancer blaster pistol which will fit in her hands and the holster. I am very pleased with this figure, and have displayed her on the shelf next to the other figures of Leia and this figure of Cara Dune!
Nyanko:
Like Leia, Cara was one of the survivors of the planet Alderaan and a soldier in the rebel alliance against the evil galactic empire. After the Battle of Endor she became the bonty hunter, mercenary, and a marshall in the new republic! In the Star Wars: The Mandalorian TV series she is purrtayed by actress, fitness model and mixed martial artist Gina Carano, who we also liked a lot as Riley in Fast & Furious 6 and as Angel Dust in Deadpool!
For our review of the 3.75” action figure of her, please see the Apurril 2020 edition of The Mew! This Black Series figure of her is 5 5/8” tall, which would be appurroximately the 1/2th scale figure of the 5’ 8” actress. it is splendidly designed, sculpted and painted with the very faithful purrtraiture and the intricate details such as her asymmetric shoulder – length hair and the rebel tattoos!
she is wearing the Teal pants, belt and gauntlets, Dark Teal breastplate and paldrons, Dark Gray gorget, cuisses and greaves, and the Light Gray boots. Black holster and short-sleeve shirt. She is armed with the
knife, the scoped Nambu-like pistol, and the RT-97C blaster rifle with the drum mag! These will fit into either hand and the rifle can be slung over her shoulders.
She is very posable, with the articulation in her neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, abs, hips, thighs, knees & ankles. She is balanced well enough as not to require a display stand (which is not included), but I recommend using a stand for the more dynamic poses. That is all for the toy talk portion of The Mew, and nyow are Mie-sensei and Ellie-dono to start this month’s
movie mewsings, with their review of Tenet!
Mielikki:
So like, Tenet was of the movies of 2020 I most eagerly awaited, because i am particularly fond of the fascinating movies written or directed by Chstistopher Nolan, such as Following, Memento, Insomnia, The Prestige, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Inception, Interstellar, and Dunkirk! Some of those were my favorite movies of their respective years!
Produced (with Emma Thomas), written and directed by Christopher Nolan,Tenet is the science fiction action / adventure tale of temporal espionage starring John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, and Kenneth Branagh, with Fiona Dourif, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Dimple Kapadia, Clemence Poesy and the brief appearance by Michael Caine!
Ellie:
It is the terrific cast! I especially liked Fiona in Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, Elizabeth in Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2, Aaron in Avengers Age of Ultron, Clemence and Robert in the Harry Potter series! My favorite Kenneth Branagh is Henry V, my favorite Michael Cain movie is The Man Who Would Be King, and Tenet is my favorite John David Washington movie!
While Tenet is not my favorite movie by Nolan, there was much impressive about it. I was especially impressed with the elaborate ”inverted” fighting choreogaphy With the thrilling international locations and the huge action FX scenes such as the brawls, shootouts, car chases and boats, Tenet is definitely the grand outing that should be seen upon the big screen!
Mielikki:
So like, it also makes me want to visit some of the locations such as the Tallinna Linnahall concert hall in Estonia, Villa Cimbone in Ravello, and thecoastal town of Amalfi in Italy! If I have any quibbles about the movie, they pertain to its sound and music. At times it was difficult to hear some of the dialogue, and I thought that the mewsic was the bit too loudly jarring,
Ellie:
Hai bai… and that was disappointing because the score is by Ludwig Goransson, who did the great music for The Mandalorian, Black Panther, Creed and Creed 2. I had the same such quibble with the music of Interstellar and Dunkirk, but those scores were by Hans Zimmer. Speaking of whom, he did the wonderful music for the next recent movie that we would like to discuss-
Wonder Woman 1984!
Mielikki:
So like, Wonder Woman 1984 was another of the movies of 2020 we most eagerly awaited! In spite of the Zack Snydery stylistic influence, we liiked the purrior Wonder Woman movie and her role in the Justice League movie, especially because Gal Gadot is like totally perfect as Diana Prince a.k.a Wonder Woman!
WW84’s wonderful cast also includes Kristen Wiig as Barbara Minerva alias The Cheetah: Chris Pine as Steve Trevor, Connie Nielsen as Hippolyta, Robin Wright as Antiope, and Pedro Pascal (who we love in the The Mandalorian TV series) as Maxwell Lord!
Ellie:
You know, the character portrayed by Kristoffer Polaha reminds my of Lyle Waggoner who portrated Steve in the 1970’s Wonder Woman TV series! By the way, there are some other suprise appearances, especially in the end mid-credits sequence, but we do not wish to spoil the wonderful surprise!
The story was written by Geoff Johns, whose comics and TV tales we rather enjoy, such as the Stargirl TV series; and WW84 was directed by Patty Jenkins, who directed the 2017 Wonder Woman movie. The movie score is by Hans Zimmer, and I think it is one of his better scores of late!
Mielikki:
Oh I loved the art direction of the movie with all of the 1984 period locations, scenery and fashions, fur shur! I suppose that it is appropriate that it is largely set in Washingtion DC, given that Wonder Woman is the DC Comics character! The story, performances, stunts, choreography, costumes, make-up, FX, sets & locations are excellent!
The overall production values were totally awesome! I am not sure how or if it fits into the continuity of the other live-action movies that Diana has graced, but It has the great balance of the drama, humor, action and myth-making, fur shur! There were further similarities between Captain Steve Trevor and Marvel’s Captain Steve Rogers, too!
Ellie:
My only quibbles are that it seemed too rushed and short, and I did not care for the slo-mo or speed ramp technique of certain fight scenes, but it has the joyfull ambience and beautifully cinematography with the heroic ideals. It is the contender for my favorite movie of 2020, and I will eagerly anticipate the next movies or TV shows by Patty Jenkins or those actors! Speaking of whom, now we hae the little surprise for y’all tonight, as we turn The Mew over to our webmeowster Jamie for his review of
Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season 2!
Jamie
(the human chap wearing the were-panther Chelsea Chattan tee shirt and jeans): For those who have lived under a rock for the last two years, The Mandalorian has become the most popular show on any streaming network (Disney+). Created by Jon Favreau (Iron Man, The Lion King) and produced by Dave Filoni (Clone Wars, Rebels), the show rejuvenated interest in the Star Wars franchise for both old and new fans alike.
In the first season, Mando (short for Mandalorian), discovered a Yoda-like being roughly 50 years old yet still a child. Affectionately called “Baby Yoda” by the fans, the “Child” (as Disney called him) traveled with his new Mandalorian friend and the two formed a bond. Season Two began with Mando (Pedro Pascal) on a mission to return the child to his own kind – The Jedi.
Thus began a journey that brought many familiar faces from Star Wars canon. Exciting and beautifully shot, The Mandalorian continued the bond between Mando and the child. This relationship pushed the main character out of his comfort zone. For all its action and spectacle, the Mandalorian Season Two kept its heart at center stage. Now here is Trini-chan to start
our book reviews, with her review of
The Art of Star Wars: The Mandalorian.
Trini-chan:
Hai! We are fond of the books about the design of the Star Wars productions so I am pleased with this book by published by Abrams and written by Lucasfilm’s Creative Art Manager Phil Szostak, who also wrote The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Art of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, The Art of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and The Art of Solo: A Star Wars Story!
The full color, 256 page, 11 5/16“ x 10 7/8” x 7/8” dust – jacketed hardcover is purriced at $40.00 in the USA, $50.00 in Canada and £30.00 in the UK. The jacket front llustration of Grogu the Child is by Lucasfilm VP / Executive Creative Director Doug Chiang, and the jacket back llustration of Moff Gideon Version 13 is by Lucasfilm Senior Concept Designer Brian Martyas.
With the case’s wraparound illustration is by concept artist Nick Gindraux, and the forward by Doug Chiang, this book is the lavish collection of sketches, storyboards, concept art, paintings, diagrams, 3D models and comments for the characters, creatures, costumes, props, mecha, graphics, environments and FX of the first season of The Mandalorian TV series.
The hundreds of other images by the dozens of contributors include 17 full – page pics and 34 two-page spreads! I will highly recommend this very beautiful and informative book to fans of Star Wars, the science fantasy genre, cinematic design, and beautiful art in general; and I hope that there will be a similar book pertaining to the show’s 2nd season! Now here is Mike to discuss the
Star Trek Kirk Fu Manual: A Guide to
Starfleet’s Most Feared Martial Art!
Mike:
Thanks Trini! Written by Dayton Ward http://www.daytonward.com who has written many Star Trek novels; illustrated by game, comics & advertising artist & character animation instructor Christian Cornia https://www.christiancornia.it, published by Insight Editions https://insighteditions.com, and dedicated to William Shatner, this 7.5” x 7.5” full color 64 page hardback book is quite a dandy, amusing read!
Priced $14.99 in the USA & $19.99 in Canada, it is a simple step-by-step guide to the unarmed combat style of Captain James T Kirk, with an introduction & recollections by the character. Twelve of his fighting techniques are explained, with examples of how they were used against opponents in during his first five year mission commanding the starship USS Enterprise (in Star Trek, The Original Series)!
These include the Karate Chop (vs a Nazi in the episode “Patterns of Force”, Slippery Eel (vs. Spock in “Mirror, Mirror”), Double Clutch (vs. Khan in “Space Seed”), Head Butt (vs. Kloog in “The Gamesters of Triskelion”), Box Lunch (vs. the Gorn in “Arena”), Hip Throw (vs. a villager in “A Private Little War”), Lateral Body Block (vs. Airmen in “Tomorrow is Yesterday”), Rolling Thunder (vs. a Vaalian in “The Apple”)…
… and some memorable moves named after him, such as the Tiberius Twist (vs. Redjac in “Wolf in the Fold”), Flying Drop Kirk (vs. Wyatt Earp in “Spectre of the Gun”), Jimmy Wall Banger (vs. Thelev in “Journey to Babel”), and JTKO (vs. Finnegan in “Shore Leave”). Although Kirk never learned it, Spock’s Vulcan Nerve Pinch is included; plus a quiz, training certificate, and a photo of Shatner as Kirk! ah, now here are Vonny and Tara-chan to tell us anbout
Princeless: Raven the Pirate Princess Year Three
Book Nine: The Black Fort and The Golden Queen!
Yvonne:
Arigato, nya! Created and written by Jeremy Whitley and published by Action Lab Comics, the Princeless series purrtains to the adventurous diverse ladies who refuse to be oppurressed by unfair gender and racial roles in the medieval era, nya! It introduced the 17 year old Captain Raven “The Black Arrow” Xingtao who was later spun off into her own series, nya! She the cunning, agile, mariner, archer daughter of the pirate king, nya.
Jeremy is from North Carolina, nya! We have met him at the comic book conventions and at the Free Comic Book Day festivities, nya. He has written many other comics such as My Little Pony, Rainbow Brite, Vampirella, Sea of Thieves, School for Extraterrestrial Girls,
The Unstoppable Wasp, Thor vs Hulk, Future Foundation, Marvel Action, and the numerous other Marvel Comics.
Raven recruited the multi-racial, all – girl crew for her three masted ship to sail vengefully against her evil brothers Crow and Magpie, and thus reclaim her rightful inheritance, nya! The girls have the new sense of family, romances, adventures and purrpose as they take control of their destinies, amidst the amazing encounters upon the islands and the ocean, nya!
Raven’s wonderful girl crew includes Ximena, Sunshine, Katie, Jayla, Amirah, Verity, Zoe, Helena, Quinn, Trish, Cid, Melody, Gone, Pirate, Asha, Imelda, Ophelia and Desideria, nya! Recently they were joined by Sunshine’s girlfriend Ananda and Honaka the kunoichi who used to work for Magpie, and the sentient magickal trident that was liberated from the witchy Sea Queen, nya!
The romance has bloomed betwixt the adventures for several of the ladies, such as Raven x Ximena, Sunshine x Ananda, and Katie x Verity, nya! This full color 104 page, 6 5/8” x 9 7/8” trade papurrback is purriced at $14.99 and collects chapters 9-12, It was illustrated by Telenia Albuquerque and Xenia Pamfill, inked by JB Fuller and Pocket Owl, colored by Valentina Pinto and Lexillo lettered by Alex Scherkenbeck, nya.
Tara-chan:
Telenia’s front cover art depicts Raven and – and her crew fighting in the gladiatorial arena, nya! Nyow I will offer the taste of the plot, which is rated “T” for the teen readers, nya. The girls have been scattered after the ship sank during the storm, and – and nyow they are trying to survive on the islands whilst trying to reunite and avoid the various enemies, nya!
Unfortunately, many of them have been purrsued, captured and – and / or injured by Raven’s evil brother Lord Crow, pirate ship Captain Ciccani, and – and Damian the King of the Mermaids, nya! While Raven, Ximena, Katie, Zoe, Verity, Ophelia, Cid, Helena and – and Trish have to fight the cyclops, naga, werewolf, harpy, and – and the satyr in the while, the rest of the girls are fighting the twin bounty huntresses and – and Damian the Mermaid King nya!
Also appurring are mermaids Afua & Rhoda; Chieftess Leilani, her guards Becca, Tiffany and – and Mae-Li; and – and the mysterious End Maidens! The tale is beautiful, charming and – and thrilling with the great characters, plot, pace, dialogue, mythology, the world-building, and – and the pace, with the purrfect balance of the drama, action, romance and – and humor, nya! The art includes 5 full-page pics & 3 two-page pics, nya!
I am purrticularly fond of the characters’ poses, expurressions, and – and designs; the scenic art, the colors and – and the fonts, nya. Raven the Pirate Princess continues to be one of my favoritest series,which I have enjoyed greatlly the girls’ third year, so I will give this book the “A” as in Amirah, nya! I am done, so nyow I will turn The Mew over to Jenjen for her review of
Marvel Action Chillers #3, nya!
Jeannie:
Hai. Purriced at $3.99, this 28 page issue is compurrised of the uninterrupted 18 page tale followed by the 2 page cover art gallery, the next issue purreview page and the 7 pages of ads, which are all sammiched betwixt the choice of Cover A by Gretel Lusky or the scarcer Retailer incentive Cover by Sweeny Boo.
Jointly published by Marvel and IDW, the tale was written by Jeremy Whitley, edited by Elizabeth Brei, and lettered by Valeria Lopez with the art by Bowen McCurdy, Nahuel Ruiz & Gretel. We have met Jeremy at the comic book conventions and at the various Free Comic Book Day festivities.
Purreviously in Marvel Action Chillers, Riri Williams a.k.a. Iron Heart and Dr. Stephen Strange have searched for Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man, who was captured by the evil demon Shuma Gorath, who also attacked other members of The Avengers. In issue #2, Elsa Bloodstone battled Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America, who had been transformed in to the werewolf.
In issue #3, the spooky night’s trail of clues has lead Iron Heart and Strange to the high school in Queens, wherein Peter Parker a.k.a. Spider-Man and Nadia Van Dyne a.k.a.The Wasp are attacked by Venom. Also appurring in this issue are Stark, Taina Miranda, and a major villain, but I will not further spoil the plot.
The pace is brisk, the character moments are charming, and the art is quite lovely. The Avengers Tower looks just like the one in the movies, and the dialogue is so good that I can vividly imagine it spoken by the actors such as Robert Downey Jr., Benedict Cumberbatch, and Tom Holland.
We are imagining actors who should purrtray Nadia, Taina, Shuma-Gorath and the surpurrise villain. The panels and pages have the excellent use of the color, light, fonts, and the graphic narrative techniques. So in my summation, I will give this fun issue the A as in The Avengers and the anticipation the 4th issue. That is all for our book reviews, and nyow here are Petra and Bunni to purrsent the latest additions to
the Catgirl Island Mewseum of Art.
Petra:
Arigato, nya! Galleries 1-8 of the mewseum display images by Mike, whilst Guest Art Galleries 1-5 display images by other folks with their purrmissions, nya. Some of the images are sexy, and some might depict artistic nudity, but most are tame and none are porn, nya! On Catgirl Island’s official web site, the most recent pics will be the lowermost row of the cropped widdle “thumbnail” sized portions of the pics in a gallery, and you have to click upon those to see the uncropped full pics, nya.
In
Gallery Two http://catgirlisland.net/art/gallery/gallery2.html we have added
Mike’s “Nekomimi Mew Year”, which depicts Nekonomnomnomikon the sentient magickal book in her miko (shrine maiden) catgirl form with the haragushi wand, wishing us the happy mew year, nya! The blessed wand is made of the wood handle with the zigzag “lightning” shaped papurr strips, nya. Drawn with Photoshop on the Mac with the mouse, she is an NPC (non player character) who lives in the sea witch’s mansion in Mike’s tabletop RPG (role playing game) The Adventures of Nystia Nightshade, nya!
Nextly is Mike’s mixed-media illustration of “Omhi Tara”, who is one of the nocturnal Keepurrs of the Moon type of Miqo’te, the felinoid species in the Final Fantasy XIV video game, nya! She is a player character for the game, nya In spite of rough family drama, Omhi is the heroic, kind, petite catgirl and Dragoon class of warrior who has found the happy home in the city of Ishgard, where she has purrched atop the castle to await the snowfall under the full moon, nya!
That illustration was commissioned by Misty Hopkins https://kranberrijam.blogspot.com, who was a guest of the March 2008 edition of The Mew, nya! Nyow we will take the peek at the latest beautiful additions to Guest Gallery One http://catgirlisland.net/art/gallery/guest1.html, nya!
Therein we are purroud to purrsent Misty’s fan art of “ChibiUsa”, nya! Misty used the acrylic paints, crayola colored pencils and purrismacolor markers for this illustration of Tsukino Chibusa a.k.a. Sailor Chibimoon, who is among the sailor senshi supurr heroines in Naoko Takeuchi’s Sailor Moon manga and anime, nya!
Bunni:
Then we are delighted to display “Energia & Eletron” by Alexcia Reynolds http://www.sailorchristmas.com, who was a guest of the August 2010 Mew! Alexcia used Paint Shop Pro 7.04 for this image of Energia hitching the ride upon Eletron! Based upon the Transformers Beast Wars series, Eletron is the fan-bot character and star of Alexcia’s Project Pachyderm http://bw.html-5.me tales. Inspired by Naoko Takeuchi’s Sailor Moon manga and anime, the otaku-senshi Energia is one of the guardian mascots of Jeffrey’s site The Realm of Sailor Energy http://www.sailorenergy.net!
We are elated to exhibit ”Winter Kitsune” by Rebecca Brogden http://www.rbrogdenart.com who was the guest for our September 2009 Mew! She used the DaVinci watercolors, Faber-Castell watercolor pencils, Micron pen, and White Posca pen for this image of our friend professor Eri-sensei the kitsune who is wearing the off-shoulder, short Pink & White dress as she roams amongst the snowy forest! Y’all can see art process video for that illustration at https://youtu.be/kF2eQV7vJlo!
Rebecca used Faber-Castell watercolor pencils Davinci watercolors, Micron pen, White Posca pen and White Gouche on the Strathmore Toned Tan Mixed Media Paper for “Untamed”, which depicts our friend Lola-sensei the okamimimi who is wearing the off-shoulder, bare midriff outfit amongst the Birch trees at night,! Y’all can see the art process video for this illustration at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSGblogNWl8&feature=youtu.be!
Rebecca used Faber-Castell watercolor pencils Davinci watercolors, Micron pen & the White Posca pen on the Arches Coldpress Watercolor pad for “Magic Fun”, which depicts our friend Rou-sensei the faerie who is wearing the off-shoulder gown with the corset, thigh-highs and fingerless gloves upon the boulder! Y’all can see the time-lapse art process video for this illustration at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXrsWpmwn44&feature=youtu.be,!
Rebecca used Procreate upon the iPad for the illustration of “Tyrone”! It is the pic that a friend commissioned of his felinoid Khajiit character for the The Elder Scrolls video game! Tyrone looks quite handsomely powerful! Lastly but not leastly, we have more of Rebecca’s “Cute Series”! This latest batch includes the snowman, gingerbread, pancakes and reindeer!
The cat lady sings…
Tara-chan:
Oh I especially like the colors of the
— MacGillivray’s Warbler, nya!
(the distracted catgirl with her Nekon camera scampurrs after the bird)
Yvonne:
Ah… TARA- CHAN, NYA! There she goes again, sigh, nya!
Trini-chan:
I want to get a picture of it too! (scampurrs after Tara-chan and the bird)
Meryl:
The college expurrience has not changed Tara-chan much yet!
Ellie:
Although to be fair, that species of bird is not common sighted here!
Becca:
Well, it is almost the time for our Aftermew luau, nya! Itadakimasu, nya!
Elizabeth:
I guess that will do it for this edition of The Mew!
Ilyana:
We wish to thank Jamie for the art and web mastery here at The Mew and Catgirl Island!
The Ladies of The Mew:
ARIGATO GOZAIMEOWSU, NYA!
Jamie:
You’re welcome!
Bunnii:
Alexcia, Misty, Rebecca, Doug and the other talented folks whose works we have discussed…
Petra:
… our other friends, family, acquaintances and audience whom we greatly appurreciate, nya!
Mielikki
Fur shur!
Nyanko:
Y’all may post the brief, polite, sincere, non-snarky responses to The Mew…
Nyoka:
… purrvided that the comments are spam-free, G-rated, and purrtain to our topics!
Mary Nyan:
We will be back next month, with the February edition of The Mew!
Jeannie:
It will include the gala 14th annual Mew Awards purrsesentation.
Mike:
Be there… aloha.
The Ladies of The Mew (singing):
Happy tails to mew, until we eat again, nya! Baibai, nya!
