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.
In case you missed it, AfterShock announced “The Ocean Will Take Us,” and we have an interview with cartoonist Thom Zahler on his webcomics.
– Cartoonist Geof Darrow is returning to “Shaolin Cowboy,” with the seven-part story “Cruel to be Kin,” releasing through Dark Horse later this year. Darrow, who is most famous for his concept work on all four Matrix films and his limited series “Hard Boiled” with Frank Miller, will be collaborating with colorist Dave Stewart on the project. The series follows a nameless monk as he journeys across a harsh, absurdist Earth as a cowboy. The three previous chapters, “Shemp Buffett,” “Who’ll Stop The Reign?,” and “Start Trek,” were reprinted at Dark Horse last year. The new miniseries has no set release as of yet, but is finished in its entirety and reportedly clocks in at 205 pages.
– Marvel have announced that John Romita Jr. will return to “The Amazing Spider-Man” this April. John Romita Jr. has been one of the most prolific Spider-Man artists of the last forty years, with seven previous runs on the title alongside related titles like “Peter Parker: Spider-Man” and “Spectacular Spider-Man.” He is most well remembered for his run on the character with J. Michael Straczynski in 2001. Romita Jr. made his return to Marvel in July of last year with a story in “Fanastic Four.” He will be returning shortly after Marvel’s ‘Beyond’ era of “The Amazing Spider-Man,” leaving plot details largely unknown and no writer confirmed for the project. This issue also comes out in the lead-up to “Amazing Spider-Man” #900 and the 60th anniversary of Spider-Man’s first appearance in “Amazing Fantasy” #15.
– “Action” and “Battle,” two of the most controversial UK comic series of the 1970s, are being revived at 2000 AD by Garth Ennis and a host of artists in the 96-page OGN anthology “Battle Action Special.” The anthology releases in June, and will feature eight stories with art by Kevin O’Neill, John Higgins, Keith Burns, Mike Dorey, Patrick Goddard and PJ Holden. “Action” and “Battle” were originally pulled from shelves in the ’70s due to their graphic violence and the absolutist ideologies depicted. This will be O’Neill’s first work since completing “The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.” “Battle Action Special” releases in hardcover with a cover by Andy Clarke and Dylan Teague.
– Marge Dean, the previous head of Crunchyroll and Emmy Award-winning manager of Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, is the new studio head for Skybound Animation, overseeing production on the creative catalogue of Skybound properties, namely seasons 2 and 3 of Invincible, which she will executive produce. Dean is best known for her work on Robot Chicken, and has a resume spanning Columbia-TriStar TV, Warner Bros. Animation and Mattel’s Playground Production. “I’ve always admired Skybound’s creator-driven spirit, and it’s a company rich with content,” said Dean. “I’m excited to join the company during this phase of growth and evolution, and look forward to working closely with Skybound leadership and creative teams on these amazing properties.” There is no set release window for Invincible season 2 as of yet, or any other animated Skybound projects.
– Carlos Saldanha’s film adaptation of Harold and the Purple Crayon is growing its cast with Lil Rey Howery starring alongside Zachary Levi. The film adapts Crockett Johnson’s 1955 picture book about a 4-year old who can create whole worlds with his magic crayon, beginning a series of seminal stories. The film is being distributed by Sony Pictures.
– Lincoln Peirce’s comic strip “Big Nate” is also being adapted into a TV show on Paramount+, with the first eight episodes releasing on February 17. The series follows a sixth grader trying to navigate school and prove himself to other students. The show features Ben Giroux, Dove Cameron and Rob Delaney in its regular cast, with Jack Black and Daniel Jacobs guest starring in the first episode. The Big Nate book series began in 1991, and a special preview of the animated series will air January 16 at the NFL Wild Card Game on Nickelodeon.
– Cartoonist and BuzzFeed columnist Adam Ellis is having his viral Twitter story ‘Dear David’ adapted to film by Lionsgate and BuzzFeed, with Ellis himself being played by Augustus Prew. The film adapts Ellis’s online documentation of his house being haunted by the ghost of a child called Dear David, which was chronicled on Twitter through descriptions, illustrations, photos and sound files. It will go on to look at his own online following as he releases the story to the world. Dear David is set for an Autumn 2022 release and will be directed by John McPhail from a script by Mike Van Waes. The film also features Justin Long as the head of BuzzFeed, and Andrea Bang (Kim’s Convenience) in an unspecified supporting role.
– Finally, Marvel’s untitled Werewolf Halloween special, starring Gael García Bernal, has announced that Laura Donnelly has joined the cast in an unspecified role. Donnelly is known for her roles in Tolkien and the HBO TV series The Nevers. No story details for the special have been announced as of yet, but it’s likely to adapt the classic series “Werewolf by Night,” possibly placing Donnelly as the villainous counterpart Vampire by Night. No release window has been given for the project but it has yet to begin production, so would likely not be ready until October of 2023.
