Albedo Anthropomorphics

Last updated

Albedo Anthropomorphics
Albedo 08.jpg
Cover of Albedo Anthropomorphics featuring the magazine's feature character, Erma Felna.
Publication information
Publisher Thoughts & Images, Antarctic Press, Shanda Fantasy Arts
ScheduleErratic
Format Ongoing series
Genre
Publication date1983–2005
Creative team
Written bySteve Gallacci and others
Artist(s)Steve Gallacci and others

Albedo Anthropomorphics, or Albedo for short, is a furry comic book anthology series which was credited with starting the furry comic book subgenre that featured sophisticated stories with talking animals primarily intended for an adult audience. [1] The first issue of Albedo was published in 1983; [2] the most recent issue was published in 2005. [3]

Contents

Albedo was started by Steve Gallacci (pronounced /ɡʌˈlɑt͡ʃi/), who produced its main feature, Erma Felna: EDF—a sophisticated science fiction military series set in a sector of space populated by sapient and predominantly humanoid versions of mammal and avian species. The focus of the series is Erma Felna, a young feline officer who eventually plays a central role in the complex political conflicts that consume her universe. [4]

Gallacci was a technical illustrator for the United States Air Force, and one feature of Albedo is its well thought-out and illustrated vehicles. His experience also shows in the realistic treatment of military life and operations.

The series was used as inspiration for the Albedo role-playing game, which has had three editions and multiple supplements.

Features

Erma Felna: EDF

Erma Felna: EDF was set in a futuristic period in a sector of civilized outer space populated by sapient and predominantly humanoid versions of over 150 various mammalian and avian species. Although the civilization has advanced technical skills and political structure, the residents of this region have realized that they have no knowledge of their origins or past, nor any culture or arts to speak of beyond the structures necessary to maintain operational systems.

The title character is Erma Felna, a young cat who is an officer of the Extraplanetary Defense Force (EDF), the main military of the Interstellar Confederacy or ConFed for short. [5] The series follows her adventures in part as she fulfills a career that would make her a revered name as "The Protector of the Rim", in the region's history despite sexist opposition.

The ConFed is challenged by a rival and ruthless enemy called the Independent Lapine Republic (ILR) which is populated by a species of supremacist rabbits who favor taking colonies and settled areas by force. To defeat their militarily stronger enemy, the ILR is engaging in socio-political warfare intended to undermine the ConFed citizenry's confidence in their government's stability and ability to protect them.

This strategy is made evident in the opening battle of the series when the ILR invades the ConFed planet of Derzon. Once the Republic seizes the planet, they deliberately deploy their troops in such a manner that defeating them requires the EDF inflict the maximum unavoidable amount of collateral damage and civilian casualties, intending to increase ConFed civilian resentment of their own government's actions.

In addition, there are internal and growing ConFed corruption and attacks by nihilistic terrorists who commit acts of violence for their own sake to shake societal complacency. A derelict ship that contains a body of a human is eventually discovered which reveals vital clues about the civilization.

Reception

The series drew considerable attention for its unique use of talking animals which featured characters engaged in sophisticated stories with a highly political nature, like novels such as A Very British Coup . For instance, after an action scene, the characters would often discuss the socio-political ramifications of the events in question and struggle to decide what to do in response.

Characters

  • Erma Felna: The main character of Albedo. Female officer in the EDF, born SD 171–01–22 (30 years old), Annianport, Annah (Dornthant II). Fur color is a light gold-brown, slightly paler in the front, scalp hair is dark red-brown, and eyes green gold. She shares her family's rare female genetic trait of vaguely humanlike head hair. Erma joined the EDF mainly because her father, Kanoc, was seriously tortured by the ILR.
  • Toki: a Danetti (from the planet Danet) mouse femme is a friend and confidant to Erma Felna. She is a staff officer for the Extra-Planetary Defense forces (EDF). Toki has large soft ears, very expressive eyes, a well-rounded figure, and is very outgoing and free with her attentions.

Online version

In 2016 Gallacci began posting the original Erma Felna: EDF comic pages online as a webcomic, alongside other works. [6]

Others

Other features in the series have included:

History

The title was originally self-published by Gallacci through his own company called Thoughts & Images. When the company folded, Antarctic Press resumed the title for several years, both in a black-and-white series and a short-lived color one. The series moved to Shanda Fantasy Arts [3] [7] in 2004, which produced two issues of the continuing series before it went on indefinite hiatus in 2005.

An RPG by the same name, based on the Erma Felna storyline, was produced by Chessex in 1989 and 1993. The concept was re-engineered in 2003 by Sanguine Productions. [4] [8]

There was also an associated short-lived fan magazine, Refractions, which carried original artwork, stories, and discussions of the cultures shown in the Erma Felna, EDF universe. Steve Gallacci contributed new material and cover art for each, but most material came from other sources. Published by R'ykandar Korra'ti/Low Orbit Publications in the 1990s, the series ran only three issues; a fourth was tentatively announced, but cancelled for lack of original material after the end of the color Albedo run. [9] [ citation needed ]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fandom</span> Subculture composed of fans sharing a common interest

A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant portion of their time and energy involved with their interest, often as a part of a social network with particular practices, differentiating fandom-affiliated people from those with only a casual interest.

<i>The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers</i> American comic book

The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers is an underground comic about a fictional trio of stoner characters, created by the American artist Gilbert Shelton. The Freak Brothers first appeared in The Rag, an underground newspaper published in Austin, Texas, beginning in May 1968, and were regularly reprinted in underground papers around the United States and in other parts of the world. Later their adventures were published in a series of comic books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbarella (character)</span> French science fiction comic book series

Barbarella is a fictional heroine in a French science fiction comic book created by Jean-Claude Forest.

<i>Albedo</i> (role-playing game)

Albedo is a role-playing game based on Steve Gallacci's Erma Felna: EDF and Birthright storylines from the comic anthologies Albedo Anthropomorphics and Critters.

Donna Barr is an American comic book author and cartoonist. She is best known for The Desert Peach and Stinz.

Endor (<i>Star Wars</i>) Fictional moon in Star Wars

Endor is a fictional moon in the Star Wars universe, known for its endless forests, savannahs, grasslands, mountain ranges, and a few oceans. The moon was the site of a pivotal battle depicted in Return of the Jedi. It is the homeworld of the sentient Dulok, Ewok, and Yuzzum species, as well as the semi-sentient Gorax and Wistie species. The Endor solar cycle was 402 GSC days orbital, with a breathable earth-like atmosphere conducive for humans, 85% Standard Gravity and 8% surface water. It is where Darth Vader's funeral was held.

<i>Critters</i> (comics) Comic book

Critters was an anthropomorphic animal anthology comic book published by Fantagraphics Books from 1985 to 1990 under the editorship of Kim Thompson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Koosh ball</span> Toy ball made of rubber filaments on a soft rubber core

The Koosh ball is a toy ball made of rubber filaments (strands) radiating from a steel-bound core, patented in 1987 by Scott H. Stillinger. The company later expanded their product line to include 50 other Koosh-related products, including keyrings, baseball sets, and yo-yos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antarctic Press</span> American publishing company

Antarctic Press is a San Antonio-based comic book publishing company which publishes "Amerimanga" style comic books. The company also produces "how-to" and "you can" comics, instructing on areas of comic book creation and craft.

<i>Fission Chicken</i> Comic character

Fission Chicken is a comic book and webcomic character created by John Patrick (J.P.) Morgan (1957–2010). Fission Chicken is a short-tempered superhero chicken with the ability to fly, possesses supernatural strength, bulletproof durability, and can project power bolts from his hands.

<i>Erma</i> (webtoon) Webcomic by Brandon J. Santiago

Erma is a fantasy-dark comedy slice of life webtoon created by Mexican artist Brandon J. Santiago. It follows the adventures and misadventures of the titular eight-year-old Erma Williams' experiences as a half-human, half-yōkai/half-ghost, tending to use her haunting abilities for everyday antics, whether for better or for worse, focusing on themes such as friendship and acceptance. Santiago initially published the webcomic on DeviantArt and Tumblr in May 2014, but has since released it on various services from January 2016, such as Tapas and WEBTOON. It is available in two languages, English and Spanish. In January 2020, Comics Beat reported that with 64.5 million views and 74.9 thousand subscribers, Erma was the most-viewed webcomic on the Tapas syndicate in 2019.

Power Lords – The Extra-Terrestrial Warriors is a science fiction-themed action figure line produced by Revell in 1983. Revell hired Wayne Barlowe to design the toys.

<i>Arcadia of My Youth: Endless Orbit SSX</i> 1982-1983 anime series by Leiji Matsumoto

Arcadia of My Youth: Endless Orbit SSX is an animated television series created by Leiji Matsumoto. It is the sequel to the 1982 animated film Arcadia of My Youth. However, like many of the stories set in the Leijiverse, the continuity of the series does not necessarily agree with other Harlock series or films.

normalman Comics character

normalman is a limited series of American comic books created by Jim Valentino. It began in November 1983 as a four-page story in Cerebus #56 before being launched as a full-color 12-issue series which was published by Aardvark-Vanaheim before moving to Renegade Press. There was also a crossover with Journey. The story of normalman concluded in normalman 3D Annual #1.

Mike Curtis is an American writer who scripts the Dick Tracy comic strip, with Joe Staton as artist. He has been working professionally in comic books as a writer since the mid-1980s. He has also been a newspaper editor, deputy sheriff, comic book publisher, movie theater manager, TV horror movie host, Santa Claus for 39 years in the family tradition, and is a Baptist minister.

<i>Fuzzy Ergo Sum</i> 2011 novel by Wolfgang Diehr

Fuzzy Ergo Sum is a 2011 science fiction novel by Wolfgang Diehr as a sequel to H. Beam Piper's Fuzzy trilogy: Little Fuzzy, Fuzzy Sapiens, and Fuzzies and Other People. The trilogy concerns the discovery of a primitive species of small, childlike but sapient furry creatures on Zarathustra, a frontier planet with valuable mineral deposits, and the subsequent conflicts this generates between the Fuzzies, the humans who befriend them, and those who would exploit the Fuzzies and their land. Fuzzy Ergo Sum begins shortly after the conclusion of the trilogy, involving characters from those books in further adventures and conflicts. The story ends in a cliffhanger, and is concluded in Diehr's Caveat Fuzzy.

<i>Star Trek/Planet of the Apes: The Primate Directive</i> Comic book series

Star Trek/Planet of the Apes: The Primate Directive is a five-issue crossover comic book series produced in partnership by IDW Comics and Boom! Studios and released between December 2014 and April 2015. The series was written by brothers Scott and David Tipton, with artwork by Rachael Stott, her debut work. The Primate Directive combine elements and characters from the original Star Trek series and the original Planet of the Apes film series. It features Captain James T. Kirk seeking to prevent the Klingons from installing a puppet gorilla government on the planet, which requires them working with various Apes characters such as George Taylor, Cornelius and Zira.

References

  1. Patten, Fred (15 July 2012). "Retrospective: An Illustrated Chronology of Furry Fandom, 1966–1996". Flayrah. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
  2. Greb, John; "Albedo 1983 series", The Grand Comics Database Project. Retrieved 12 April 2007
  3. 1 2 "Albedo" Archived 2 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine , ShandaFantasyArts.org. Retrieved 12 April 2007
  4. 1 2 "Frequently Asked Questions about Albedo", Sanguine Productions. Retrieved 12 April 2007.
  5. Rovin, Jeff (1991). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cartoon Animals. Prentice Hall Press. p. 86. ISBN   0-13-275561-0 . Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  6. "Albedo". stevegallacci.com.
  7. MileHighComics.com, Albedo Catalogue Listing. Retrieved 12 April 2007
  8. Albedo: The Role-Playing Game, WikiFur. Retrieved 12 April 2007
  9. Korra'ti, R'ykandar; conversation with the publisher, Low Orbit Publications, April 2007