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.
– Skybound announced their second Universal Monsters comic will be “Universal Monsters: Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives!” Written by Dan Watters and Ram V, with art by Matthew Roberts (“Manifest Destiny”), the four-part series will pick up in the present day, 70 years after the 1954 classic, and follow a journalist who encounters the Gill-man while on the trail of a serial killer in the Amazon. The original film spawned two sequels in the ’50s (plus the spiritual remake The Shape of Water), and a couple of prior comic book adaptations from Dell and Dark Horse, the latter of which was created by Steve Moncuse and Art Adams. Issue #1 will be released on April 24.
– IDW Publishing revealed the main “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” series will come to an end with issue #150 on April 10. It had been previously confirmed the issue would mark the end of Sophie Campbell’s tenure as writer on the comic, which began with the penmanship of franchise co-creator Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz in 2011, and became the longest-running TMNT comic of all time in 2017. IDW, which renewed the license for the comics from Paramount last week, states fans can expect the series to relaunch with multiple titles later this year.
– DC announced their latest 80-page anthology special, “DC’s Spring Breakout!” Due out on April 30, the $9.99 release will consist of eight spring break-themed stories, starring Harley Quinn and King Shark, Superman and Lex Luthor, Batman and Mr. Freeze, Katana, the Teen Titans, and more. Contributors will include Meghan Fitzmartin, Mike Barr, Paul Pelletier, and Kenya Danino, while John Timms and Dan Mora will respectively provide the main cover and variant artwork.
– Dark Horse and Yoe Books will publish “Space Western Comics: Cowboys vs. Aliens, Commies, Dinosaurs, and Nazis!,” a new edition of the cult sci-fi series from the 1950s. Written by Walter Gibson with art by John Belfi, Stan Campbell, and Lou Morales, “Space Western Comics” followed the adventures of Spurs Jackson and his Space Vigilantes, as they defended Arizona from, well, aliens, commies, dinosaurs and Nazis. The 208-page paperback will include a lost story, and an illustrated introduction by Craig Yoe. It will retail for $24.99 on September 17, 2024.
– The late Christopher Reeve is the subject of a new documentary, Super/Man, premiering at the Sundance Film Festival on Sunday, January 21. Directed by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui (McQueen, Rising Phoenix), the film contrasts Reeve’s life before and after the 1995 accident that left him paralyzed, and dependent on a ventilator to breathe. Made in collaboration with Reeve’s children, it features never-before-seen home movies, and other new material from his personal archives, providing a candid insight into his later life. Assuming it’s picked up by a distributor, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story will be released to coincide with the 20th anniversary of his death in 2004, aged only 52.
– Laurence Fishburne has been cast in The Witcher season four as Regis, a barber-surgeon with a mysterious past, who will join Geralt, Jaskier, and Milva on their journey to find Ciri. Regis originally debuted in the third novel, Baptism of Fire, which the series began covering at the close of season three, and goes onto become a major character in the books. He was previously voiced by Mark Noble in the games. The Witcher season four, which will see Liam Hemsworth take over from Henry Cavill as Geralt, will begin filming later this year, for a release on Netflix sometime in 2025.
– A double dose of “Sand Land” news now. Firstly, Bandai Namco announced the video game version of Akira Toriyama’s post-apocalyptic manga will be released on April 26, 2024. It will be available on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 4 and 5. Secondly, the company released a trailer for Sand Land: The Series, an expansion of the anime film that was released in Japan last year. It will feature brand new scenes, and then continue where the comic/film left off in a new story created by Toriyama. It will be released on Hulu and Disney+ (internationally) sometime later this year.
– Finally, at the Critics Choice Awards, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse won Best Animated Feature, while Scott Pilgrim Takes Off won Best Animated Series. The latter marks the first award for the quasi-reboot of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s iconic comic and its film adaptation, which was released on Netflix late last year. Harrison Ford was also honored with a lifetime Career Achievement Award. Hit the link for the full list of nominees and winners, including Oppenheimer (which dominated with eight wins for Best Picture, Best Visual Effects, and more) and Barbie (which won six, including Best Original Screenplay and Best Song.)
