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 sat down with “Finger Guns” writer, Justin Richards, to discuss the series and its themes.
Through the Moon'
– Wonderstorm and Scholastic have teamed up to release three new books in the world of The Dragon Prince. The first book is titled Callum’s Spellbook, written by Tracy West and set to release on March 3, 2020. The second book is The Dragon Prince: Book 1: Moon, which is the first installment of a series of season-by-season novelizations. Moon is written by Aaron Ehasz and Melanie McGanney Ehasz, and releases on June 2, 2020. The third book is a graphic novel titled “Through the Moon (The Dragon Prince Graphic Novel #1),” written by Peter Wartman with art by Xanthe Bouma. The graphic novel releases on September 15, 2020, and is based on a story by series creators Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond that is set between seasons three and four of the show.
– A new graphic novel, titled “Ghost River: The Fall and Rise of the Conestoga,” tells the story of a brutal, forgotten event in American History. Written and illustrated by Native American artists Lee Francis IV and Weshoyot Alvitre, “Ghost River” tells the story of the Conestoga Massacre, an act that killed a whole community of Native people and erased their voices from history, until now. The graphic novel envisions the events of the massacre through the eyes of the Native community and hopes to give their voice back. “Ghost River” is available to read online, and an art exhibit featuring the book’s illustrations is being held at the Library Company of Philadelphia until April.
– A new manga, “Paidon,” has been plotted and designed by artificial intelligence, and will be released today in the weekly comic magazine “Morning.” “Paidon” was created by an AI which analyzed 65 different works from “Astro Boy” creator, Osamu Tezuka, including “Phoenix” and “Black Jack.” The AI generated character designs and basic story outlines, which professional creators then added clothing and dialogue to. The new manga follows a homeless philosopher who tries to solve criminal cases in Tokyo in 2030, with the help of a robotic bird named Apollo.
– Paramount Animation and WWE released the trailer for Rumble, an animated film set in a world where humans coach monsters to become wrestlers. Rumble follows a young girl named Winnie, who aspires to coach monsters just like her dad. The film was originally an adaptation of Rob Harrell’s graphic novel “Monster on the Hill.” It includes Will Arnett, Terry Crews, Ben Schwartz, and several other actors and WWE Superstars. Rumble is set to release on January 29, 2021.
– Steven Spielberg has stepped down as director on Indiana Jones 5 but will remain as a hands-on producer for the film. James Mangold (Ford v. Ferrari, Logan) is in negotiations to take over the role. Although Disney has declined to comment, the release of the film could possibly be pushed back from its 2021 release due to a new director coming on board.
– Five new series regulars on Pennyworth have been announced as the second season begins production. James Purefoy (The Following, Sex Education), Edward Hogg (Taboo, Harlots), Jessye Romeo (Curfew, In the Long Run), Ramon Tikaram (Brassic, The Victim), and Harriet Slater (Faunutland and the Lost Magic) are now set as series regulars for the upcoming season of the Epix series. Purefoy, Hogg, and Romeo are new cast members, while Tikaram and Slater have been promoted to series regulars after recurring in the first season. The second season is set to have 10 episodes and will most likely air in the summer of 2020 on Epix.
– IDW Games have revealed a new card game titled Locke & Key: Shadow of Doubt, based on the best-selling graphic novels by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez. In the card game, players get to explore the mysteries of Keyhouse and go on adventures using the magical keys. However, one of the players may be hiding their identity as a demon. The game is meant for fans of the comic and TV series and is for three-to-six players. Locke & Key: Shadow of Doubt plays in 45 minutes, will retail for $19.99, and will release July 2020.
– GameStop has confirmed that it will no longer sell comic books in its stores. Back in June 2018, the company said it would begin selling comics in certain store locations as a trial run to see how this form of entertainment would perform with gaming customers. GameStop has stated that selling comics in stores was not a “good proposition” for the company.
– Finally, DC has canceled its “Meet the Publishers” panel at C2E2 following the recent exit of co-publisher Dan DiDio. The panel was to take place tomorrow, February 28, but has since been removed from C2E2’s schedule. Jim Lee, DC’s only acting publisher, is still set to attend his spotlight panel, scheduled for Saturday, February 29.
