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 unveiled Oni Press’s “Lamentation,” and ran a preview of “Castle Full of Blackbirds” #4. DC also announced “Batman: White Knight Presents: Generation Joker,” as well as details on May’s “Brave and the Bold” relaunch.
– Dark Horse announced “The Lonesome Hunters: The Wolf Child,” the second volume of writer/artist Tyler Crook’s fantasy series. It will see monster hunters Howard and Lupe become stranded in a town terrorized by a magical wolf, and a child in a wolf mask. “While waiting for car repairs, Lupe befriends the child and she and Howard are drawn into a war between the townspeople and the deadly beasts.” Issue #1 (of 4) will be released on May 31; until then, stay tuned for our interview with Crook about the series later this week.
– ComiXology will release “Trick Pony,” an original graphic novel by writer Greg Lockard (“Liebestrasse”), artist Anna David, letterer Lucas Gattoni and editor Will Dennis, on Tuesday, February 28. The book follows Jimmy Thomas, a gay, washed up rodeo star who learns his father is in the hospital, and decides to return home with his horse Emmylou. “While on the road he must confront the mistakes of his past, the monsters of his present, and come to terms with his life and future.”
– Titan Comics announced “Noir Burlesque,” a crime graphic novel by Enrico Marini (“Batman: The Dark Prince Charming”) set in 1950s New York. The synopsis reads, “A heist gone wrong forces Slick to do a job for his employer, Rex, to repay the debt he owes. But Slick is in love with Caprice, Rex’s ex-call girl wife-turned-burlesque legend, and Rex also has the only way for Slick to avenge his murdered father.” The 228-page book features black-and-white artwork, where the only colors are shades of red. It will retail for $29.99 on September 6.
– Via Space.com, IDW revealed a 40-page “Star Trek Annual” for May, penned by current ongoing series writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, with art by Rachael Stott. The book will see the crew of the Theseus, captained by Sisko, finding themselves on a “fully activated holodeck recreating the bridge of the original U.S.S. Enterprise — complete with a ‘discovery’ of some ‘strange new’ guest stars!” Stott’s main cover for the $5.99 issue tells us to expect characters from every incarnation of Star Trek, including Pike, Picard, Janeway, Georgiou, and Chris Pine’s version of Kirk.
– IDW also revealed an original animated kids’ series, titled Team Spirit. A 11-minute horror comedy, the show follows “a half-werewolf, half-hyena girl and her dancing demon best friend,” who “join the cheerleading squad at school.” A tie-in graphic novel by Raffaella Delle Donne (Flesh & Blood), Marc Dey (Ninja Princess) and Tshepo Moche (Kiya & the Kimoja Heroes) is set for release in 2024.
– Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Deadpool co-creator Fabian Nicieza reunited with his creation for a new “Love Unlimited” arc, ‘Deadpool Loves the Marvel Universe,’ a six-part story featuring art by Salva Espin, and colors by Israel Silva. The comic sees Wade discover a magic belt, which inspires him to play Cupid. “Love Unlimited” #37, the first weekly chapter, is available now to all Marvel Unlimited subscribers.
– In more Wade Wilson news, Ryan Reynolds announced British actor Emma Corrin (The Crown, Lady Chatterley’s Lover) will co-star in Deadpool 3. He did not say who Corrin would be playing, although Deadline claims their role will be that of the villain. Corrin, 27, will be the first non-binary lead actor in a Marvel movie. Deadpool 3 will be released on November 8, 2024, and as confirmed by Kevin Feige, will mark Marvel Studios’ first R-rated movie.
– Ablaze Publishing will release four works by Osamu Tezuka, the “godfather of manga,” in English for the first time. They are: “One Hundred Tales,” a Faustian samurai tale from 1971; “Shakespeare Manga Theater,” collecting his takes on the Bard’s works; “Tomorrow the Birds” (formerly “Birdman Anthology“), a sci-fi series about birds succeeding humanity as the dominant species; and “Neo Faust,” a modern take, which went unfinished after his death in 1989. “One Hundred Tales” will be released first on August 29, with the others following in 2023 and 2024.
– Speaking of Tezuka, Netflix unveiled Pluto, an anime series based on Naoki Urasawa and Takashi Nagasaki’s “Astro Boy”-inspired manga. The show, which will premiere later this year, is a murder mystery set in a future where humans and robots co-exist, in which a Europol robot detective must solve a series of human and robot murders. You can watch a four-minute sneak peek here.
– Finally, TV production company Fremantle has bought a minority stake in AWA Studios, and announced their first project together will be an adaptation of Benjamin Percy and Brent Schoonover’s “Devil’s Highway.” The comic, which began in 2020, follows a young woman pursuing her family’s killer, “only to discover he is just one piece of a national network of evil that snakes across the country and hides in plain sight” – namely, the long-haul trucking industry. No creative team was announced for the TV show.
