* - Speaking of science fiction creatures, Topless Robot did a tribute to Barlowe's Guide to Extraterrestrials.
* - There are a lot of takeoffs on "Pokemon" her in the vast sea of the Internet, but one of the most adorable is Becky Dreistadt's Capture Creatures. These characters eventually have to appear in a real game because I want Tumblehop in my team NOW!!!
* - Everything is Terrible has recently reminded us that, long before there was "Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark", there was the fever-dream-esque 70's "Superman" musical.
* - Awful Library Books just dug up an unsettling little tome for kids that I guess is supposed to teach children about appropriate behavior in class but...?
* - These trailers for the upcoming "How to Train Your Dragon" series make me wonder if the series is going to feel a little like the first season of "Pokemon", showcasing a new creature every episode.
* - /Film also shared an excerpt from the very interesting-looking upcoming book, Tales From Development Hell. Darren Aronofsky's take on the film that eventually became "Batman Begins" would have been... different.
* - Remember Life Before the Dinosaurs, the blog founded by an eight-year-old with a love of Paleozoic critters? Well, he's currently in the middle of a long trip report about his visit to the Field Museum. I'll admit a twinge of jealousy.
* - A while back, toy designer Jason Geyer shared some concept art for "Star Wars" merchandise that never made it past the drawing board. Well, now he's sharing more. Check out their interpretations of certain characters before anyone knew what they looked like (oh wow, JarJar's dreadlocks... Speaking of, all the while you are reading this feature, keep in mind that this fantastically ill-conceived JarJar Binks lollipop did make it past the drawing board.)
* - And finally, Andreas Deja shared a wonderful piece of animation history: a recruitment brochure for Disney Animation, circa the late 1970's. The coolest part of it is all the early concept art I've never seen before. (And yet another tragic case of What Could Have Been for "The Black Cauldron": Caw could have been in the movie. I'll be over here, sobbing quietly.)
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Sketch of the Day! As it happens, inspired by one of the above links:
