Lily Williams works in illustration and visual development for animation — and she has a particular af-FIN-ity for sharks. So much so that she created her own animated mini-documentary called FIN-conceivable. It tells us several interesting facts about sharks and makes a plea for their preservation in the wild oceans. Meanwhile she’s also found time to work on various cartoon projects at Sony Animation. Take a look at her web site, and follow the links to check out FIN-conceivable at Video Press.

image c. 2014 by Lily Williams

Shelley Wolf is a creator of magic tricks for kids. Her husband Chance Wolf is a well-known comic book illustrator for titles like Spawn. When the two of them noticed how their son was getting really into shark lore, they decided to use that as an inspiration for a new series of books for kids. And so the Surf Sharks were born. The idea is simple: Three beach kids and three talking sharks hook up to ride the waves, have adventures, and learn more about our oceans. Surf Sharks: The First Ride just came out in hardcover from Surf Sharks Inc, and it’s available on Amazon. The creators also have a Surf Sharks web site with the books and other collectible shark stuff available.

image c. 2014 Surf Sharks Inc

The Hollywood Reporter recently ran an article about Triggerfish — the animation studio which some refer to as the Pixar of South Africa. Following the international success of Zambezia (about a city of birds) and Khumba (about a young zebra missing half of his stripes), Triggerfish have secured funding which will allow them to begin work on two new films out of a planned slate of five. The company’s stated goal is to release one film a year starting in 2016. First out of the gate is Here Be Monsters, about a young human boy who interacts with a scary sea monster. It’s written by Raffaella Delle Donne, who worked on both the studio’s previous films. Soon after that comes Seal Team, described as “an action-comedy that pits a group of seals against the great white sharks of South Africa.” Khumba is currently screening in Africa, with plans to roll it out to the rest of the world going into 2014.

image c. 2013 Triggerfish

The British power-metal band known as Ascension have started up a side project: A cartoon band dedicated to making some rockin’ tunes for little listeners. Yes, in the tradition of Hevisaurus (look it up!) it’s time for Sharky Sharky, the undersea band! Their stated purpose: “”Kids don’t have much to listen to today, no real live bands to look up to. They have One Direction, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus…all artists who glorify love, fashion and popularity – all things kids shouldn’t have to worry about right now, especially when enjoying music!” You can check out Sharky Sharky’s first four songs on Sound Cloud, or on their Facebook page.

image c. 2013 Sharky Sharky

One of the admittedly stranger TV series of the 1990′s was DIC’s Street Sharks, which ran from 1994 to 1995. Created by David Siegel and Joe Galliani of Mr. Joe’s Really Big Productions, the series followed the adventures of four teenage brothers who were transformed into human-shark mutants by an evil scientist’s genetic manipulations. Yes, yes, the show was riding on the coat-tails of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles — in fact, it directly spoofed Turtles on more than one occasion. Previously, only a handful of Street Sharks episodes have been available on tape or DVD. But now Mill Creek Entertainment have announced that they are releasing all 40 episodes of the original series in a 4-DVD set at a reduced price. The set is available now at Amazon and other dealers.

image c. 2013 Mill Creek Entertainment

This issue, we take a look at the best-selling comic book about ponies ever, catch up on IDW’s other funny animal comic book series, and end with a brand new Marvel mutant with the ability to turn into a shark — because superheroes do believable stuff like that now!

Kickball, a student film by Dana Terrace at the School of Visual Arts, April 2012.

Talk about having icewater for blood -- here's the account of an Icelandic ship captain who saved his crewmates from death by battling it out with a shark.

And to think, in school they told me all the Vikings were dead.

A female shark has been without male shark lovin' for some time, but can still lay viable eggs, which hatch 15 days later.

Now regulatory bodies can tell if endangered sharks are on the menu. Dried shark fins look puzzlingly similar, and even experts can't always tell if one has come from a protected species. Now the Wildlife Conservation Society and Nova Southeastern University
have developed a special test to identify 10 threated types of sharks by the DNA left in the fin. Cursory tests in a Hong Kong fish market showed a fifth of the fins tested were mislabled. This will ultimatly make it simpler to prove the impact of fisheries on endagered species.

According to this article at CNN, a popular Hawaiian snorkeling location has been posted with signs to warn swimmers of potential danger from sharks. It seems the locals have long been aware of it, but tourists aren't.

Read the article here.

Ten resolutely celibate sharks at the National
Sea Life Center are getting a blast of Barry
White in hopes they'll get in the mood for
love.

Some interesting stuff from Scientific American today... apparently great white sharks like their wives to stay home while they wander. And more disturbing, an article about the decline of the sea turtle because of poaching. This one contains a couple of disturbing and graphic pictures of turtles being cut up in restaurants, so don't read this one over lunch. There are prettier pictures, too, though.