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, Zdarsky, Jiménez and Morey are the new creative team for “Batman,” “Miles Morales and Moon Girl” will be the first of a series of Marvel team-ups, and comiXology announced the miniseries “Red Tag.” We also had an exclusive preview of “Devil’s Reign: X-Men” #2.
– A long-lost Ninja Turtle is set to resurface for the first time in 25 years in IDW’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” ongoing. Via io9, the comic’s current arc by writer Sophie Campbell, artist Pablo Tunica, colorist Ronda Pattinson and letterer Shawn Lee will see the return of Venus, the female member of the team introduced in the short-lived 1997 series Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation. A live-action follow-up to the ’90s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films, Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation only lasted a single season. Venus (named for Venus de Milo), a main cast member for the series, was a fifth turtle who was separated from the others after being exposed to the mutagen, leading to her being raised as a shinobi in Chinatown. She’ll be the second female turtle to join the recent series, after the introduction of current team member Jennika back in 2019. Venus will make her return in “TMNT” #127 on March 16.
– In addition to the news of a new “Batman” creative team, DC Comics has announced a number of upcoming projects at the digital retailers conference ComicsPRO:
- Collin Kelley & Jackson Lanzig, Vasco Georgiev, and Rain Beredo are taking on a three-issue miniseries that finds two unlikely partners teaming up to save the planet. “Aquaman & The Flash: Voidsong” finds the titular duo facing off against a dark and terrible force from beyond our reality that emits a single note that freezes all motion. When they strike while the Flash is in the Speed Force, and Aquaman is in a deep ravine beneath the ocean floor, the two must partner up to save the world and the people they love. “Aquaman & The Flash: Voidsong” launches on June 21.
- Kenny Porter and Baldemar Rivas are the creative team taking on “DC Mech,” a mecha anime spin on the DC Universe. The series takes place in a world where Parademons from Apokolips ravaged the world after World War II, leading the world to stockpile colossal battle suits piloted by elite warriors. “DC Mech” #1 (of 6) goes on sale July 26.
- Finally, Shannon and Dean Hale and Victoria Ying are following up their hit middle-grade book “Diana, Princess of the Amazons” with a new tale featuring Diana and Nubia. “Diana and Nubia: Princesses of the Amazons” finds a lonely Princess Nubia waking up in her room one morning to find an interloping Diana insisting that this is her room. When their parents insist that the two girls have always shared a room, it kicks off a story that explores the trials and joys of siblings. “Diana and Nubia: Princesses of the Amazons” is due out November 8.
– Marvel has announced a new book that shines a light on the ancient, elite guards of Wakanda. Protectors of Wakanda: A History and Training Manual for the Dora Milaje comes from writer Karama Horne (The Blerd Girl) and digs into what makes the all-female guards into one of the most formidable fighting forces in the world. “It dawned on me that the Dora Milaje don’t really have a history in the comics,” Horne explained to The Root. “We see them come in and out, they’re these beautiful bald women who are warriors, but I was like where do they come from, how do they get picked? We know they come from all over Wakanda, but what does that look like? And that’s what I decided to explore in this book.” The book takes the form of an in-world text that describes the traditions, training methods, and strategies of the unit, featuring entries by Okoye, Princess Shuri, Queen Mother Ramonda and more. Protectors of Wakanda: A History and Training Manual for the Dora Milaje is available September 13.
Continued below– Writers Tee Franklin and Stephanie Williams will each co-write a one-shot set in the “Tales of Asunda” series with Stranger Comics president Sebastian A. Jones. Via Nerdist, the pair of one-shots focus on characters connected to Niobe, the hero of the “Tales of Asunda” series. “Tales of Asunda: Black & Silver” from Jones and Franklin features Ilenia and Lani, two women who are connected to Niobe’s guardian; “Tales of Asunda: Mother’s Hands” by Jones and Williams tells the story of Nadami, Niobe’s mother. No artist was announced for either book. The two one-shots will release this fall.
– The DC limited series “The Human Target” will be going on hiatus after its sixth issue next month. The 12-issue series will take a break at the halfway point, leaving Christopher Chance with only six days (and issues) to solve his own murder. “The Human Target” #6 from Tom King and Greg Smallwood shoots to shelves on March 22, with #7 returning to the investigation on September 20.
– ComiXology posted a thread on Twitter responding to criticism of the rollout of their new app and web platform. The thread detailed several promised fixes to the app, noting in particular that they are prioritizing improvements to the widely criticized desktop reader. The thread also noted that they would be rolling out updates to their New Releases filter, among other bug fixes. The company did not address the problems being experienced by international users, or the most of the criticisms of the shopping experience.
– IDW has launched a new webstore that will sell limited production online exclusives. Items featured on the website will be capped at 1000 copies and will include variants, prints, and books that can only be found on the site. Three of the first five comics available at the launch of the site have sold out, but you could still grab special online exclusive variants of “Transformers: War’s End” #1 and “Star Trek: The Mirror War” #3.
– Marvel has released a new sponsored comic featuring a pair of lightning wielders teaming up to bring their power to the Skrulls. Thor and Storm share the spotlight in “The Power of Light,” sponsored by Citizen with a script by Erica Schultz, art by Ruairí Coleman, colors by Chris Sotomayor, and lettering by Cardinal Rae. The story finds the duo teaming up to assist a group of time travelling Skrull refugees in safely setting up a colony away from their wartorn homeworld. The comic is available to read for free now.
– A new legal network has come together to protect the rights of cartoonists who are attacked or detained for their work. Via Voice of America, the nonprofit advocacy organization Cartoonists Rights Network International (CRNI) has established a legal advisory network thanks to a UNESCO grant. The network consists of a team of lawyers and academics that specialize in human and media rights, digital freedom, and security issues. The network comes following a rise in cases affecting cartoonists worldwide, including the imprisonment and torture of Bangladeshi cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore, and the detainment of Tanzanian cartoonist Opptertus John Fwema last year.
– Ahoy Comics is now accepting submissions for short fiction and social commentary. Per their website, the publisher is looking for submissions for their magazine of “smart, weird, funny articles or stories” between 500-1,500 words. You can check out their website for their full submission guidelines.
