News: Two New Cassie Anderson Titles from Dark Horse

We’re starting the week with some breaking news: Dark Horse will publish two new graphic novels, both featuring art by Portland creator Cassie Anderson.

First up is a print edition of Extraordinary: The Story of an Ordinary Princess, Anderson’s webcomic adapting M.M. Kaye’s novel Journey with Princess Basil. The all-ages adventure story is set in a fairytale-inspired fantasy world, in which Princess Basil seeks out the fairy godmother who gave her the gift of being ordinary in a world where everyone else is extraordinary. The book is scheduled for a June, 2019, release.

The second announcement is a second volume of the middle-grade sci-fi graphic novel Lifeformed, by Anderson and writer Matt Mair Lowery. In the first volume, Lifeformed: Cleo Makes Contact, Cleo lost her dad in an alien invasion and was rescued by a shape-shifting alien who posed as her father. (We previewed it here.) The second volume, Lifeformed Volume 2: Hearts and Minds, picks up the story as Cleo and her protector go to war against the invaders. The book is due out in September 2019.

Here are the full press releases:

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE TRULY EXTRAORDINARY? MEET THE PRINCESS WHO KNOWS

Webcomic “Ordinary Princess” printed for the first time set to release Summer 2019

MILWAUKIE, Ore., (February 18, 2019)—In an extraordinary land full of extraordinary people, what does it really mean to be ordinary? That’s what we discover in Extraordinary: The Story of an Ordinary Princess, inspired by M. M. Kaye’s beloved novel Journey with Princess Basil, a princess whose gift is simply to be ordinary. Portland comics artist and writer Cassie Anderson (Lifeformed) takes her webcomic out of the digital world for the first time in this tale of magical adventure, full of soul and humor for readers of all ages.

In her quest to be more than just ordinary, Basil tracks down the fairy godmother who “blessed” her, and learns the answer to her ordinariness might more challenging than it appears. Follow along on her expedition as she escapes unusual kidnappings, gnomes, snarky foxes, and a badger or two, and along the way learns just what it takes to be extraordinary.

The exquisite Extraordinary: The Story of an Ordinary Princess comes to your local comic shop July 24, 2019, and is available for pre-order on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and at your local comic shop.

GROWING UP CAN BE TOUGH, ESPECIALLY WITH A SHAPESHIFTING ALIEN DAD

Cleo and Her Rebel Alien ‘Dad’ Return in “Lifeformed Volume 2: Hearts and Minds”

MILWAUKIE, Ore., (February 18, 2019)— Writer Matt Mair Lowery and artist Cassie Anderson team up once again to bring you Lifeformed Volume 2: Hearts and Minds TPB, the continuation of Lifeformed: Cleo Makes Contact.

Cleo, orphaned in the wake of an alien invasion, left behind the life she knew to fight for the future of Earth. Now she and the shapeshifting rebel alien posing as her father make a fearsome team in a guerrilla war against the invaders. However, Cleo cannot escape her past and an adversary she thought she’d seen the last of is out for revenge, determined to ruin Cleo’s life.

Equal parts thrilling, humorous, and endearing, writer Matt Mair Lowery (Lifeformed: Cleo Makes Contact) and artist Cassie Anderson (Extraordinary: The Story of an Ordinary Princess, Lifeformed: Cleo Makes Contact) have crafted the perfect 200-page middle grade sci-fi adventure in Lifeformed Volume 2: Hearts and Minds.

Lifeformed Volume 2: Hearts and Minds arrives in comic shops near you on September 4, 2019 and is available to pre-order for $12.99 onAmazon, Barnes & Noble, and at your local comic shop.

Praise for Lifeformed: Cleo Makes Contact

“Anderson’s clean drawing style is easy on the eyes, but also depicts the characters’ emotions in a varied manner that gives the characters’ personalities depth.”—Comic Book Bin

“Buy It! Lifeformed will appeal to readers of any age who enjoy a well-written alien encounter tale.”—Rogues Portal

“Cleo is smart, smart-mouthed, and willing to learn how to survive. Her new friend, despite his appearance, is not her father; yet, they form a bond that irrevocably changes our hero-in-the-making. Yes, there are aliens looking to take over the world, but that is only one speck of a star in the night sky compared to the larger, amazingly wonderful universe of a story being told… Lifeformed is an intense, engaging story that readers will want to finish in one sitting.”—Fanbase Press

“Lifeformed: Cleo Makes Contact is everything marvelous about the comic book medium. This graphic novel proves that comics are sophisticated, whimsical, and vivacious all in one fell swoop. Not only do we have spectacular character development and art, we have a story here.” –The Daily Fandom

Filed under: All Ages