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.
– BOOM! Studios has delayed the release of the Keanu Reeves-penned “BRZRKR” #1 until March 3, “due to high demand, and to ensure that the printer is able to maintain BOOM!’s high level of quality.” Co-written by Matt Kindt (“Mind MGMT”) with art by Ron Garney (“Uncanny X-Force”), the series has already sold 600,000 copies entirely on preorders. This makes it the highest-grossing single issue of the 2020s so far, and the best-selling direct market comic since 2015’s “Star Wars” #1 from Marvel. “BRZRKR” hits shelves after a remarkable Kickstarter showing, where it earned $1,447,212 against a $50,000 goal.
– Marvel has announced the final chapter in “Curse of the Man-Thing.” This May’s “X-Men: Curse of the Man Thing” will be the third and final part of the saga that begins with next month’s “Avengers: Curse of Man-Thing,” and April’s “Spider-Man: Curse of Man-Thing.” All three books will be written by Steve Orlando. “Star Wars: Doctor Alpha” artist Andrea Broccardo will join him for finale, which sees Marvel’s swamp monster join forces with Magik’s Dark Riders.
– Anime publisher Aniplex and game developer CyberConnect2 officially confirmed Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Hinokami Keppuutan, a video game adaptation of the wildly successful manga franchise “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba,” for next generation consoles, PC, and Xbox One. Originally announced solely for the PS4, the game will feature a Solo Play Mode following the plot of the anime, and a two-on-two Versus Mode playable either locally or online. The game is scheduled for release later this year. Screenshots can be viewed on Gematsu. More information can be found on the game’s website and Twitter.
– Universal has delayed the release of Marry Me from May 14, 2021 to February 11, 2022. Based on the webcomic by writer Bobby Crosby and artist Remy “Eisu” Mokhtar, the film stars Jennifer Lopez as pop star Kat Valdez, who opts to marry a fan (Owen Wilson) after a high-profile wedding gone wrong.
– Peter Dinklage will provide the voice of “a mysterious and charismatic bear” in This Was Our Pact, the animated film adaptation of Ryan Andrews’s graphic novel of the same name. Dinklage’s bear will be one of many colorful characters met by Ben and his friends, who are sent on a fantastical journey by a wish made during the Autumn Equinox Festival. No release date has been announced as of yet.
– TNT will air a special encore presentation of The CW’s Superman & Lois on February 27. This is part of cross promotional effort by WarnerMedia and ViacomCBS that will also see TBS extreme talent competition series Go-Big airing on The CW. The rebroadcast will be followed by the Legacy of Hope special, and preceded by a “Superman marathon” of recent DC films.
– In other BOOM! Studios news, the publisher announced the creatives for their adaptation of Jim Henson’s The Storyteller. Inspired by the classic TV show from 1988, “Jim Henson’s the Storyteller: Tricksters” will be a four-issue miniseries exploring tricker legends from all over the world. Writers such as Jonathan Rivera and Hugo-winner Amal El-Mohtar, along with artists like Peach Momoko and A.L. Kaplan, will each weave tales starring characters such as Loki and Reynard the Fox. All four issues will feature a different creative team, with the first focusing on Anansi, the mischievous spider from West African folklore. “Jim Henson’s the Storyteller: Tricksters” #1 hits shelves on March 17.
– Finally, a new biography casts a critical eye towards “X-Men” and “Avengers” co-creator Stan Lee, challenging his role in the creation of the Marvel Universe. While discussing Abraham Riesman’s new book True Believer, The New Yorker’s Stephanie Burt asks “Who really created the Marvel Universe?” Burt writes “What [True Believer] does best is unfurl a Künstlerroman, a story about the growth of an art form and an artist who was also a director and a leading man, unable to admit that the show could go on without him.” True Believer will be available on February 16.
