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, First Second will publish Hayao Miyazaki’s “Shuna’s Journey” for the first time in English this fall.
– Via AIPT, Benjamin Percy and Brent Schoonover’s AWA series “Devil’s Highway” will return with a second volume, beginning on May 4. The four-issue arc will continue the story of Sharon Harrow and Quentin Skinner, as they investigate the discovery of a truck filled with bodies on the US/Canadian border. Soon, “our heroes are on the run — hunted by law enforcement and the trucking community — framed for crimes they didn’t commit.”
– Via The Beat, Max Bemis is writing a Robert E. Howard-inspired series for Ablaze Publishing. Featuring art by Rodney Buchemi, “Belit & Valeria: Swords vs. Sorcery” will see the two heroines “on a mission to find out how Belit lives once again that will lead them straight into danger… from the gods themselves!” Issue #1 will also be released on May 4.
– In an interview with Jewish American newspaper The Forward, former “Moon Knight” writer Alan Zelenetz commented he is keeping an open mind about rumors that the Disney+ version of the character will not be Jewish. Zelenetz, who revealed Marc Spector was Jewish in 1984, joked “all of a sudden the Jews need to be represented,” before adding, “So he [Oscar Isaac]’s not Jewish and he won’t be Jewish. And Arthur Harrow [Ethan Hawke’s character] won’t be the character I created. So what? If he’s not Jewish because there’s a good artistic reason he’s not Jewish, that’s perfectly OK. I don’t care.” Moon Knight premieres on Disney+ on March 30.
– In more MCU Disney+ news, MobileSyrup shares the Netflix Marvel series will be added to the streaming service on March 16 (in Canada at least.) The shows — Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders, and The Punisher — are leaving Netflix on March 1, and will likely be added to Hulu in the United States, as well as Disney+ Star in other territories.
– Sony Pictures announced Spider-Man: No Way Home will be released digitally on March 22, and on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray on April 12. The home release will include 80 minutes of new and behind-the-scenes content, including a promised 20 additional minutes of Peter 2 and Peter 3. Sony also shared a set photo of Tom Holland, Andrew Garfield, and Tobey Maguire recreating the Pointing Spider-Man meme.
– Google users who look up Bruce Wayne, Gotham City, or the Bat-Signal will discover a Bat-Signal icon, that when clicked will play a gif of a stormy night sky illuminated by the beacon, which Batman swings by. Per Variety, the Easter egg was not paid promotion by Warner Bros. for next week’s The Batman, and is intended to remain on the site for a year.
– The Los Angeles Times announced the finalists for the 2022 edition of the annual L.A. Times Book Prizes. The Graphic Novel/Comics nominees consist of “Heaven No Hell” by Michael DeForge; “The Waiting” by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim and translator Janet Hong; “Shadow Life” by writer Hiromi Goto and artist Ann Xu; “No One Else” by R. Kikuo Johnson; and “Stone Fruit” by Lee Lai. The winners will be announced on April 22, at 7pm Pacific Time.
– Per The Beat, former Newsarama senior editor Chris Arrant has been appointed editor-in-chief of ReedPop, the company that organizes New York Comic Con, C2E2, Star Wars Celebration, and other major pop culture gatherings. The company stated Arrant “will take the lead on editorial projects across the ReedPop portfolio of events to create content and new digital experiences for fans at home. He is also leading the charge to establish their online presence as a global authority in pop culture and at ReedPop events.” Arrant said, “I’m thrilled to join the team and help evolve their brand to meet its full potential as the ultimate pop culture news destination. ReedPop has a hugely passionate fanbase and I look forward to leading the team in offering Con-goers an unparalleled level of digital content through our editorial channels.”
– The Hollywood Reporter shared last week’s Star Trek 4 announcement was as much of a surprise to the cast as the fans. The paper’s sources state “most, if not all, teams for the franchise’s primary players — who include Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldaña and John Cho — were not aware that an announcement for another film was coming, much less that their clients would be touted as a part of the deal, and certainly not that their clients would be shooting a movie by year’s end. Insiders say that Pine, who plays Captain Kirk, is the first to enter into early negotiations as he is the linchpin to the project.” Star Trek 4, directed by Matt Shakman (WandaVision), is currently penciled for a December 22, 2023 release date.
– Finally, comics writer and podcaster Jay Edidin shared some ways people can help fight against the most severe transphobic measure introduced in the state of Texas yet, which has declared affirmation of trans children to be “child abuse.” The thread links local charities Equality Texas and the Transgender Education Network, as well as the larger support systems the Trevor Project and Trans Lifeline. Edidin, who is trans, said, “Cis friends: Don’t let your outrage over this die down. Keep your eyes on Texas; keep making noise. Turn out for trans kids; because you have more resources than we have, and people who will not listen to us will listen to you.”
