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, Mignolaversity took a look at July’s “Hellboy” collections, and interviewed Rob Williams about “The Sword of Hyperborea.” We also had exclusive previews of “We Only Kill Each Other” #5 and “Eternals” #9.
Scott Hanna & Marcio Menyz
– Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr. are taking over “Amazing Spider-Man.” The duo will pick up the series with a new #1 issue that finds Spidey on the outs with all his allies, teasing the question: “What Did Spider-Man Do?.” Without the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, or even Aunt May in his corner, Spider-Man is faced with two of his classic and most dangerous villains: Doctor Octopus and Tombstone. “I’ve waited my entire career to work with John Romita Jr.,” Wells says. “To team up with him on ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ for the character’s 60th anniversary is so exciting words can’t describe it. We’re gonna have a blast!” Filling out the art team are inker Scott Hanna, and colorist Marcio Menyz. “Amazing Spider-Man” #1 swings for the stands in April.
– Archie Comics has provided AIPT with a first look at the upcoming one-shot “The Fox: Family Values.” The book features a pair of new stories about the superheroic Patton family, a trio of “‘freak magnets’ who can’t help but do what they can to save the day… whether they like it or not.” The first story from writer and artist Dean Haspiel features the differing points of view of the antiheroes The Fox, She-Fox, and their son Ghost Fox. In the second story, writer Vito Delsante and artist Richard Ortiz will flashback to the wedding day of The Fox and She-Fox, as they battle a mad supervillain who is delaying them from their trip to the altar. The one-shot closes with a reprint of a classic Fox story by writer and artist Alex Toth. “The Fox: Family Values” #1 hits shelves on May 18.
– IDW has announced that they will be publishing an English translation of the acclaimed Spanish anthology “Voices That Count,” a graphic novel that dissects “what it means to be a woman in today’s hyper-masculine world.” The anthology, which was translated by Diego Jourdan Pereira, features nine stories by female authors and illustrators that explore topics of gender imbalance in the workplace, toxic beauty standards, and other ongoing struggles faced by women in today’s society. “In a world where the fight for equality is ongoing,” said IDW editor Megan Brown, “it’s unflinching, heartfelt stories like those in ‘Voices That Count’ that help us understand different hardships and perspectives, and ultimately show that we are not alone.” “Voices That Count” will be available on June 14.
– DC has revealed that the current run of “Wonder Girl” from Joelle Jones, Adriana Melo, Leila Del Duca, Clayton Cowles and Pat Brosseau will conclude with this month’s “Wonder Girl” #7. Comic shop owner Ryan Higgins shared the tidbit on Twitter from DC’s weekly retailer email, which informed shops that the previously solicited “Wonder Girl” #8 had been cancelled. Yara Flor’s next adventures will be in a tie-in to the ‘Trial of the Amazons’ event, with the two-issue “Trial of the Amazons: Wonder Girl” kicking off in March.
– Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Melissa Etheridge is the latest musician to team with Z2 Comics for an original graphic novel. Via Newsarama, “Melissa Etheridge’s Heartstrings” will focus on her immense guitar collection, tracking the special relationship Etheridge has with each of her instruments and using the stories behind them to contextualize her long career. The book will be penned by comic book writer Frank Marrafino and music journalist Steve Hochman, with artist Manuela Pertega and colorist Fred Stresing. The deluxe edition is also accompanied by a set of exclusive prints by artists Colleen Doran and Angela Rizza. “Melissa Etheridge’s Heartstrings” sings its story this June.
– Via The Hollywood Reporter, the Writers Guild of America has announced its first batch of nominees for this year’s WGA Awards. While the film nominees will be announced later this month, the guild has revealed the television, new media and news nominees, including a few nominations for comics adaptations on Disney+. Loki picked up two nods for Drama Series and New Series, while the miniseries WandaVision received a nod in the Adapted Long Form category. The R.L. Stein comic adaptation Just Beyond also scored a nomination in the Children’s Episodic, Long Form and Specials category. The film nominees will be announced on January 27, and the winners will be announced on March 20.
Continued below– What If? composer Laura Karpman has boarded the upcoming Captain Marvel sequel The Marvels. Via Variety, the announcement makes Karpman the second female composer to score a Marvel film following Pinar Toprak’s work on Captain Marvel. The upcoming film comes from director Nia DaCosta (Candyman, Little Woods) with a script by WandaVision staff writer Megan McDonnell. It features Brie Larson reprising her role as Captain Marvel, alongside Teyonah Parris (WandaVision’s Monica Rambeau), and Iman Vellani (star of the upcoming Ms. Marvel). The Marvels soars to theaters on February 18, 2023.
– More cast members have been revealed for HBO Max’s upcoming Batgirl film as its production continues. Via The Hollywood Reporter, Rebecca Front (Avenue 5, The Aeronauts), Corey Johnson (The Mauritanian), and Ethan Kai (Killing Eve) have joined the cast. Plot details, including the roles for the new casting additions, are currently under wraps. They join a cast that includes In the Heights star Leslie Grace as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, with J.K. Simmons reprising his role as Commissioner Gordon from Justice League, and Michael Keaton again donning the cowl as Batman. Brendan Fraser will also appear as supervillain Firefly. Christina Hodson (Birds of Prey) wrote the script, which will be directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Bad Boys for Life, Ms. Marvel). No release date for Batgirl has been announced.
– Finally, David Ramsey is attached to reprise his role as John Diggle from The CW’s Arrow on the planned drama series Justice U. Via Variety, the new series would find Diggle recruiting five young metahumans to go undercover as freshmen at a prestigious university, training them to “become the heroes of tomorrow.” Ramsey is also attached to direct the pilot of the potential series as part of an overall directing deal he signed with Berlanti Productions, that will allow him to direct episodes of several other DC superhero shows. Michael Narducci and Zoanne Clack are attached to write and executive produce Justice U should the show go to series.
