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, Marvel Comics revealed Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness’s ‘Heroes Reborn’ event, and we spoke with Christopher Golden, Bridgit Connell, and Peter Bergting about the new line of ‘Outerverse’ books.
– Via The Hollywood Reporter, AWA have announced “Fight Girls” by Frank Cho with Sabine Rich will debut this summer. “Fight Girls” will be Frank Cho’s first comic since 2018, and tells the story of 10 women from different parts of the Empire, gathered to compete in an ancient and deadly competition for the vacant throne of the Queen, but with a “wicked” twist at the end. Cho described the series as “Gladiator meets Hunger Games.” AWA chief creative officer Axel Alonso said “‘Fight Girls’ is a neo-pulp sci-fi masterpiece that explores all the themes that obsess Frank.” “Fight Girls” #1 will be available digitally and in comic book stores July.
– Kotaku reported Yukiru Sugisaki’s manga “D.N.Angel” will draw to a close in the March issue of Monthly Asuka. “D.N.Angel” follows a schoolboy who transforms into a phantom thief whenever he has romantic feelings about his crush. “D.N.Angel” first debuted in November 1997 and was adapted into an anime and a video game for PlayStation 2. Sugisaki released the cover art for the latest issue of Monthly Asuka, and thanked fans for their years of support in a tweet.
– Via Twitter, Joey Weiser announced his follow-up graphic novel to “Ghost Hog,” called “Dragon Racer.” In the all-ages book, Truff, Claude, and Stanley are joined by a new friend Vern, as he gears up for the big race back home. When another racer falls ill, Vern must face his greatest challenge yet and prove that he’s got what it takes behind the wheel to save the day. “Dragon Racer” will debut from Oni Press on June 16, 2021.
– Publishers Weekly announced a couple of graphic novel rights deals. First up, HarperAlley has acquired, in a preempt, “Sunhead,” a YA graphic novel written and illustrated by Israeli creator Alex Assan, in which the somewhat odd and outspoken Rotem finds an unlikely friend in her shy classmate, when the two bond over their shared love of a vampire book in 2008 Tel Aviv. Publication of the first book is planned for 2023. Next up, Tundra Books have acquired, in an exclusive submission, world rights to “Pluto Rocket” by Paul Gilligan. The series follows Joe Pidge, a boastful city pigeon who thinks he knows it all, and Pluto, a pink creature who arrives from outer space and needs help fitting in. The first two books in the series are set to be published in 2023.
– Al Jazeera reports Egyptian cartoonist Ashraf Hamdi was arrested shortly after posting online a video tribute to the country’s 2011 uprising, which overthrew longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak. In a statement released on Monday, Gamal Eid, the Director of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, called for Hamdi’s immediate release. Media watchdog Reporters without Borders (RSF) on Monday condemned the “cynicism” of Egyptian authorities following the arrest of Hamdi on the 10th anniversary of the revolution. According to RSF’s tally, more than 100 journalists have been subjected to arbitrary arrest or imprisonment since January 2014.
– Via Deadline, Apple TV+ unveiled the trailer and premiere date for its upcoming series, The Snoopy Show. The new series will consist of three, seven-minute cartoons based on the iconic comic series, and sees Snoopy and Woodstock take on a number of new adventures. The Snoopy Show will stream alongside other Apple Originals hailing from Peanuts and WildBrain, including Daytime Emmy Award-winner, Peanuts in Space: Secrets of Apollo 10, and the Daytime Emmy Award-nominated Snoopy in Space. The Snoopy Show debuts on February 5, 2021.
– Finally, Variety reports that Jodie Turner-Smith (Queen & Slim) has been cast in a lead role in Netflix’s prequel series The Witcher: Blood Origin. The six-episode limited series will take place 1200 years before the events of The Witcher, starring Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, and show the backstory of the Elven civilization before its fall. Turner-Smith will play a warrior named Éile, who left her clan and role as the queen’s guardian to become a nomadic musician — until a grand reckoning on the continent forces her on a quest of vengeance and redemption. Declan de Barra, a writer on season one of The Witcher, will act as executive producer and showrunner. Andrzej Sapkowski, who wrote the original Witcher book series, will serve as creative consultant on the prequel series.
