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, Jonathan Hickman and Bryan Hitch are returning to the Ultimate Marvel universe for “Ultimate Invasion.”
– Mad Cave Studios have acquired the graphic novel rights to Winx Club, the Italian magical girl series that aired on Nickelodeon. They will publish young adult and middle-grade books respectively through their Maverick and Papercutz imprints. Created by Iginio Straffi, Winx Club follows a group of girls studying at the Alfea College for Fairies on the planet Magix, who turn into fairies to battle witches and other villains. Eight seasons, three films, and two spin-off shows were produced from 2004 to 2019, along with the older-skewing live-action Netflix series Fate: The Winx Saga, which ran from 2021 to 2022. Viz Media previously translated 72 issues of an Italian comics magazine, which were released over nine volumes (pictured) from 2012 to 2013.
– Variety reports actors Damon Wayans Jr. and Andrew Bachelor (aka King Bach) will write the graphic novel “Shogun Run,” due out from First Second Books in 2025. No artist was announced for the project, although film producers David Uslan and Gary Glushon will serve as creative consultants. Plot details were scant too, with the book being simply described as a cross between Big Trouble in Little China and Attack the Block, set in South Central Los Angeles during the ’90s.
– Bloody Disgusting shares the horror comedy series “Where Wolf” will receive a standalone, graphic novel release courtesy of Encyclopocalypse Publications on July 7. The comic, created by Rob Saucedo, Debora Lancianese, and Jack Morelli, was originally serialized by Fangoria magazine last year, and follows reporter Larry Chaney, as he hunts a possible werewolf by going undercover at a small Texas town’s furry convention. Head to the link for details on Saucedo’s signing events, which will include screenings of classic werewolf films, starting March 31.
– Oni Press continues to staff up, with Michael Torma joining the company as Senior Sales Manager, and editor Desiree Rodriguez being promoted to Digital Marketing Manager. Torma was the General Manager of Third Eye Comics’ flagship store in Annapolis, Maryland, and will work directly with Oni’s distributors Diamond, Lunar, and Simon & Schuster, while Rodriguez will work closely with creatives and editors to market their titles. The news comes shortly after Sierra Hahn was named the publisher’s new editor-in-chief on Tuesday.
– The nominations for the third annual Critics’ Choice Super Awards were announced, with The Batman earning the most with six, including Best Superhero Movie, and nods for all four lead actors (including two for Paul Dano.) Black Panther: Wakanda Forever earned five, including Best Actor and Best Movie Villain for Tenoch Huerta, while The Boys tied with several other shows with four nominations, including Best Actor and Best TV Villain for Antony Starr. Check out the full list here; the winners will be announced on March 16.
– Deadline reports Stella Meghie (The Photograph) will direct several episodes of Marvel’s upcoming Disney+ series Wonder Man. The show, starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as actor/superhero Simon Williams, is also being directed by executive producer Daniel Destin Cretton. It does not have a firm release date at the time of writing. Meghie’s previous credits also include The Weekend, and executive producing another upcoming Disney+ show, The Princess and the Frog continuation Tiana.
– Speaking of Marvel, Vulture ran a report on Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania‘s post-production, alleging visual effects artists worked as many as 80 hours a week trying to get the film to meet its release date, and that many of the most skilled VFX house employees working on the film were pulled away to complete Wakanda Forever instead. The story was published five days after Marvel, perhaps tellingly, decided to delay The Marvels on the day of Quantumania‘s release, from late July to November.
