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.
– Kicking off today, Marvel announced the newest “Star Wars” crossover-event following last year’s “Vader Down.” “Star Wars: The Screaming Citadel” will begin in May with a one-shot from Kieron Gillen, writer of “Doctor Aphra,” and art from Marco Checchetto before spinning off into the respective main “Star Wars” title from Jason Aaron and Salvador Larroca, and “Doctor Aphra” from Gillen and Andrea Broccardo. A full interview with Gillen and Aaron can be found here. Disney also announced that Star Wars Land at Disney World in Orlando will open in 2019. Quite a lot happened in a galaxy far, far away today.
– A theory about the DCU’s character Cyborg was confirmed today. Cyborg’s origin, mimicking his New 52 one, was glimpsed in Batman v Superman, as Cyborg’s father used the Apokoliptian Mother Box to save his son. Apparently, though, the Mother Box became Vic’s new body. Furthermore, the Mother Boxes have been likened to the MCU’s Infinity Stones, and it has been revealed there are three on earth, one with the Atlanteans, one with the Amazons, and one that is now Cyborg. Look for this mystery to be furthered in Justice League in November.
– The first trailer in the newest DCAU installment, Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, debuted today. The animated movie, adapting the popular “New Teen Titans” storyline from 1984 is set to premiere sometime later this year and will star the voice acting talent of Christina Ricci, Miguel Ferrer, Taissa Farmiga, and Jake T. Austin, among others.
– Humble Bundle a website that offers digital content, games and such that also donates much of its proceeds to charity, has teamed with Valiant Comics to offer almost $250 of digital comics for a fraction of the price. There are different levels one can pay from $1 to $25 which offer varying levels of content, culminating in a signed variant cover copy of March’s “X-O Manowar” #1 debut by cover artist Lewis LaRosa.
– The CW released the video of the first original song from Riverdale‘s Josie and the Pussycats ahead of Wednesday night’s episode. So far the band has only performed covers in the first two episodes of the show. In the third episode series star Ashleigh Murray and guest stars Asha Bromfield as Melody and Hayley Law as Valerie will perform “All For Me.” Executive producer, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, promises more original songs are on their way.
– As Black Panther is filming away in Atlanta, photographs of actor Andy Serkis on the set have surfaced. Serkis, most famous for his motion capture work, appeared in Avengers: Age of Ultron as smuggler and arms dealer Ulysses Klaue, a role he appears to be reprising. Ulysses Klaw, in the comics, is a villain innately tied to Black Panther and the kingdom of Wakanda.
– Kevin Sorbo, in an interview, gave a lot of detail on the characters himself, and actress Terri Hatcher, will be playing in upcoming episodes of Supergirl. Sorbo described his and Hatcher’s characters as married, and aliens on a planet that was arch rivals with Krypton. Sorbo’s description matches that of the planet Daxam, home to Supergirl’s newest love interest Mon-El, which was made a wasteland when Krypton exploded, and which Sorbo described as destroyed.
– Kelly Sue DeConnick, writer of series like “Bitch Planet” and “Pretty Deadly” is making a name for herself in the television world. Following drafting the NBC miniseries Emerald City, DeConnick is set to produce a new series Redliners with NBC from a pilot her and Shaun Cassidy wrote. Redliners centers on a pair of former operatives that get pulled back into the field and forced into a larger scheme taking place around them all while trying to remain undercover and is based on short stories by Charlaine Harris.
– The Eisner Award winning series “Lumberjanes” is taking the plunge into the prose world with an original novel series aimed at fifth graders. The novel is to be penned by current “Hulk” and Supergirl: Being Super” writer Mariko Tamaki while Brooke Allen provides illustrations. Look for the adventures of Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s Camp for Hardcore Lady Types to reach shelves in October.
– And finally, having nothing to do with comics, but everything to do with being awesome, Netflix announced today both a new Castlevania animated series, and that Kate McKinnon of SNL fame will voice crazy, adventurous teacher Ms. Frizzle in the upcoming revival Magic School Bus Rides Again. Look forward to one of the hallmark characters of the 90s to be brought to life by the greatest impersonator of Hillary Clinton to ever live.
