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 have an exclusive preview of next week’s “Star Wars: Bounty Hunters” #32.
– Marvel revealed its upcoming ‘Contest of Chaos’ event will unfold across multiple annuals this summer, and is being overseen by writer Stephanie Phillips. It will kick off with “Scarlet Witch Annual” #1, penned by regular “Scarlet Witch” series writer Steve Orlando, with art from Carlos Nieto, and see a rejuvenated Agatha Harkness pursue former student Wanda Maximoff, who recently absorbed Chthon. The prelude will also set up Harkness as the principal villain of the event, which sees her pit the heroes of the Marvel Universe against each other in a Chaos Magic-infused tournament. “Scarlet Witch Annual” #1 is due out June 21 and features a cover from Russell Dauterman.
– Great British Baking Show season nine finalist Kim-Joy has written a graphic novel titled “Turtle Bread: A Graphic Novel About Baking, Fitting In, and the Power of Friendship.” The book follows a young woman named Yan, as she overcomes her struggles with social anxiety with the help of her baking club. Alti Firmansyah will draw the book. The story is influenced by Kim-Joy’s personal struggles with mental health and love of baking, and the writer has confirmed the book will contain a recipe for the title baked good. “Turtle Bread” will be available on comiXology this May, with a print release from Dark Horse in the fall.
– Mad Cave will publish “Mariko Between Worlds,” a 128-page graphic novel following two lovers at the end of their relationship, spending one last night together in the “Mall of Portals, an inter-dimensional consumerist heaven full of unending vice.” Matthew Erman writes the book, with art from Liana Kangas. Rebecca Nalty and Micah Myers handle colors and letters. It’s due out September 2023.
– Jack Kesy (The Strain, The Outpost) has been cast as Hellboy in the upcoming reboot The Crooked Man. Directed by Brian Taylor (Crank), with a script from Christopher Golden and “Hellboy” creator Mike Mignola, the film follows Hellboy as he encounters a community of witches in 1950s Appalachia, led by a devil with ties to the titular fiend (much like the 2008 miniseries of the same name). “X-Men” fans will recognize Kesy as Black Tom Cassidy from Deadpool 2.
– Not only has the fifth season of Star Trek: Discovery been pushed back from this year to early 2024, but Paramount has announced it will be the final season of the series. Filming is mostly complete, and Paramount are planning to host events in the build-up to the season premiere. The news comes as Picard has begun airing its third and final season.
– The Comic Book Workers Union ratified their contract with Image Comics, making Image the first US single-market publisher to unionize. Image staff first voted to be represented by the CBWU last year, with Seven Seas Entertainment and game retailer Noble Knight following suit.
– Tillie Walden will be recognized on the floor of the Vermont Statehouse as the state’s fifth Cartoonist Laureate. A resident of Norwich, Walden joins the ranks of Burlington’s James Kolchalka, Brookfield’s Ed Koren, Bolton’s Alison Bechdel, and West Townshend’s Rick Veitch, who have each held the title for the full three-year term. US Representative Becca Balint congratulated Walden, praising her “richly imagined worlds that transport readers on emotional and fantastical journeys and reminds us all of the importance of having a deep sense of self.” Walden is an Eisner-winner, winning in 2018 for Best Reality-Based Work for the graphic novel memoir “Spinning” at the age of 22, making her the youngest recipient of the award ever. She has served as a professor at the Center for Cartoon Studies (CCS) since 2021. She will be officially recognized on Thursday, April 13, 2023. Vermont is the only state to have a Cartoonist Laureate.
– Finally, Lakes International Comic Art Festival and VIP Brands Ltd. have created a new award celebrating late Europe Comics co-founder and ambassador for bandes dessinées Sophie Castille. The Sophie Castille Awards for Comics in Translation honors the best translation of a non-English comic into English. “Awards for excellence in comic translation are more than overdue,” Castille’s partner Dirk Rehm said of the awards. “And it is only logical that these awards are named after Sophie Castille who loved comics – and even more, the idea of the exchange of cultures.” The prize will be awarded on Lakes International Festival in Bowness-on -Windermere in October 2023, with the cut off for submissions being June 1.
