Welcome back to The Rundown, our daily breakdown on comic news stories we missed from the previous day. Have a link to share? Email our team at rundown@multiversitycomics.com.
– Current “Popeye” cartoonist Randy Milholland has launched a daily Mickey Mouse comic strip, titled “Mousetrapped.” Taking advantage of Mickey’s debut, Steamboat Willie, entering the public domain at the start of the year, the comic follows the film’s versions of Mickey and Minnie after Pete fires the mouse from his job. Milholland describes the project as fulfilling his dream of doing a Disney comic, stating, “I am not interested in a hardcore, gritty, dark version of the characters – although I stand by my belief there was a dark tone to most early cartoons.” Eight installments, which follow Mickey as he searches for a new job and apartment, are available to read now.
– Dark Horse announced “Usagi Yojimbo 40th Anniversary Reader,” a collection of eight fan favorite stories, handpicked by creator Stan Sakai, and presented in color for the first time. The $14.99 trade paperback will be released on June 18, 2024, and will feature new cover art by Sakai. The stories consist of ‘Chanoyu,’ ‘A Mother’s Love,’ ‘Blade of the Gods,’ ‘The Way of the Samurai,’ ‘Cut the Plum,’ ‘The Artist,’ ‘Buntori,’ and ‘Adachi,’ and were colored by Emi Fujii, Tom Luth, and Ronda Pattison.
– Via The Beat, the Boston Comics Art Foundation are launching Picture + Panel, a monthly series of talks with graphic novel creators, which will be held on the first Monday of every month. The first edition will be held at (co-sponsor) Aeronaut Brewery in Somerville, MA, on February 5, and feature Rosemary Mosco (“A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching”) and Dan Nott (“Hidden Systems”) in a discussion of ‘Hidden Worlds.’ You can get tickets here.
– Lucasfilm revealed that The Mandalorian will head to theaters in a movie, The Mandalorian & Grogu, directed by Jon Favreau. No release date was given, but it was said the film will begin production this year, and that it “will lead Lucasfilm’s ongoing feature-development slate,” suggesting a 2026 release. (May 22, 2026 was the earliest date for a new Star Wars movie previously claimed by Disney.) It was also confirmed Dave Filoni is developing a second season of Ahsoka, which will further lead into the film he is directing alongside The Mandalorian & Grogu.
– Warner Bros. will release the first season of Wednesday on DVD and Blu-ray on March 26. The Addams Family spin-off, produced by Alfred Gough & Miles Millar with Tim Burton, and starring Jenna Ortega, became a smash hit when it debuted on Netflix in 2022; Ortega herself became the second youngest nominee for the Emmy for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series ever. A second season is in pre-production, and another spin-off, starring Fred Armisen as Uncle Fester, is being developed. It will be one of the few Netflix series to receive a physical release, although this is partly because it is produced by MGM Television instead of the streamer.
– American Born Chinese received two nominations at the 76th annual Directors Guild of America Awards, in the category for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Children’s Programs. Destin Daniel Cretton was nominated for the first episode, “What Guy Are You,” while Dinh Thai was nominated for the second, “A Monkey on a Quest.” The news comes shortly after Disney+ confirmed they had canceled the series, and that production company 20th Television would be shopping it around to other platforms. The winners will be announced on Saturday, February 10.
– Finally, Mexican American actor Adan Canto died on January 8, following a private battle with appendiceal cancer. He was 42. Originally a singer, Canto was best known for his lead roles on Designated Survivor and The Cleaning Lady, and for playing Sunspot in X-Men: Days of Future Past. He and co-star Halle Berry would later reunite on her directorial debut, 2020’s Bruised. Other projects included Narcos, The Following, Mixology, Blood & Oil, Second Chance, and two short films that he directed. He is survived by his wife and two children.
