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, we have an exclusive preview of next week’s “X-Force” #48.
– Webtoon is expanding its partnership with Aethon Books, and will adapt 14 of their fantasy webnovels and LitRPG series into webcomics. These new series include TheFirstDefier’s “Defiance of the Fall,” Matt Dinniman’s “Dungeon Crawler Carl,” and SunriseCV’s “System Universe.” While no launch dates have been announced as of yet, these titles will join Zogarth’s “The Primal Hunter” and FortySixtyFour’s “Re:Trailer Trash,” both of which debuted last year on the platform. “We have been so excited to see our partnership with Webtoon grow, and their support on all of these titles has been invaluable,” Aethon Books CEO Rhett Bruno says of the partnership. “We believe this slate of webcomics will bring a new level of attention to Western IPs in the space, and can’t wait for readers to get their hands on them.”
– Bingo Wilkin will return in a new horror one-shot from Archie, “The Cult of That Wilkin Boy: Initiation.” Writer Cullen Bunn and artist Dan Schoening (with colorist Matt Herms and letterer Jack Morelli) return for the sequel, which sees Bingo working as a music manager, gathering souls looking to make it in the industry. (Although he has his eye on superstardom himself.) The book is due out April 24.
– Jody Houser is returning to the world of Critical Role with Volume IV of “Vox Machina Origins.” The six-issue miniseries will find the heroes of Exandria investigating the disappearance of Sir Fince, only to discover a dark secret in his basement. Noah Hayes takes over art duties, with Diana Sousa and Ariana Maher on board for colors and letters respectively. Matt Mercer and the rest of the Critical Role cast will again serve as consultants. “Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins lV” #1 (of 6) will be available from Dark Horse on March 24, 2024.
– We got our first glimpse of how Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will play when it hits Xbox Series X/S and PC later this year. Developed by the Wolfenstein team at MachineGames in partnership with Lucasfilm Games, and produced by Bethesda’s Todd Howard, the game takes place during the classic trilogy era, and follows Indy as he travels everywhere from Sukhothai to the Vatican on . Players will get to experience the adventure from a first-person perspective, while veteran voice actor Troy Baker will play Indy in the title. You can watch the gameplay and behind-the-scenes footage here.
– Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom will soon be available for home release. The James Wan-helmed DC sequel will be available on digital markets this Tuesday, January 23, and released on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD on March 12. Premium digital ownership will come with the “Aquaman Through Fire and Water” motion comic. Physical releases will include multiple behind-the-scenes documentaries, including Oh TOPO!, focused on the expanded role of the fan favorite, drum-jamming octopus.
– Finally, Lucasfilm’s chief creative officer Dave Filoni, and the brain behind series such as The Clone Wars and The Mandalorian, will be honored at the 51st Saturn Awards. He will be presented with the George Pal Memorial Award (named for the legendary producer and animator) for his work in animation when the awards are presented February 4, 2024. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has also previously won the award. The awards are presented by Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films.
