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, Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard are teaming up at Image on the alternate superhuman history series “The Power Fantasy.”
– Via Popverse, Rob Liefeld has been self-publishing “Last Blood,” a new, four-issue series via Whatnot. The first issue was released in a limited run in February, with plans for a wider release (presumably from Image) later this year. Little is known about the plot, which Liefeld has asked readers not to spoil, but it features various creations he owns, including Prophet, Bloodstrike, Battlestone, the Berserkers, and the archer Bo (from “EKO-92”). It was created with colorists Jay David Ramos & Juan Rodríguez, inker Ed Tadeo, and letterer Rus Wooton.
– DC have delayed “Teen Titans: Starfire” until November 5, 2024, several months after its originally announced July release date. A reason was not provided for the change. The delay means DC have canceled all pre-orders for the book, meaning those who did will have to order it again later. The book, which marks the latest installment of Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo’s young adult Teen Titans graphic novel series, is an origin story for the pair’s version of Kori Anders, whom we’ll meet working a summer job at a Santa Monica beach club, while befriending Victor Stone, aka Cyborg. For a preview, head to DC.com.
– IDW announced “Godzilla Rivals: Mothra Vs. Hedorah,” a one-shot comic pitting the kaiju goddess against the smog monster from the 1971 Godzilla film. Written by Josh Trujillo with art by Josh Cornillon, the 52-page book follows Astrid and Aurora, twins from a remote Icelandic village that worships Mothra, who are mourning their late grandmother. When a strange meteor crashes near their home, it draws the attention of a dying billionaire, who believes it holds the secrets of eternal life. “But what is waiting to seep out into the village, and who could defend it?” It will retail for $7.99 on June 25.
– The American Library Association revealed their lists of 2023’s Best Graphic Novels. The Graphic Novels & Comics Round Table decided the lists of Best Graphic Novels for Adults, and Children, while the Young Adult Library Services Association picked the Great Graphic Novels for Teens list. Fantagraphics and DC got two entries each on the Adult Top 10 with “Anaïs Nin: A Sea of Lies,” “The Human Target,” “The Nice House on the Lake,” and “Okinawa,” while First Second had three entries on the Teen list, and two on the Children’s one. For the full lists, head to the links.
– At Emerald City Comic Con, Knoxville, Tennessee’s Nirvana Comics was named the inaugural winner of the Image Select Retailer Award. Grant and Jasmine Mitchell, co-owners of the store, responded, “Thank you Image Comics for all you’ve done to help the comic shop industry. Thank you to all our customers who nominated us. Your support and friendship is why we do this everyday. The best is yet to come!” The quarterly prize was started by Image earlier this year to encourage fans to nominate comic book store retailers who “are going above and beyond to serve their customers, expand readership, and grow a healthier marketplace.” The next prize, and online voting period, will be announced soon.
– Wendell Pierce (The Wire, Suits) has been cast as Perry White in James Gunn’s Superman film (formerly known as Superman: Legacy.) He is the latest African American actor to play the Daily Planet‘s editor-in-chief, following the DCEU’s Laurence Fishburne, the DC Animated Movie Universe’s Rocky Carroll, and My Adventures with Superman‘s Darrell Brown – the character was also intended to be Black in Superman: The Animated Series, until execs overruled the creative team, wanting more synergy with Lois & Clark (where Perry was portrayed by Lane Smith.) Superman, also featuring David Corenswet as Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, releases July 11, 2025.
Continued below– At the 8th annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards, Jujutsu Kaisen season two won 11 awards, including Anime of the Year. Chainsaw Man won six, including Best New Series, and Demon Slayer won three, namely Best Animation, Best Art Direction, and Best Fantasy. Attack on Titan, One Piece, and Spy × Family won two each, while Suzume triumphed over various movies based on manga to win Best Film. For the full list of this year’s winners and nominees, and to watch the ceremony — presented by Megan Thee Stallion, Iman Vellani, Phil Lord & Chris Miller, and many more — head to the official website.
– In more manga/anime news, manga creators Takehiko Inoue (“Slam Dunk”) and Yumi Tamura (“7SEEDS”) have been named recipients of this year’s Fine Arts Recommendation Awards from the Japanese government’s Agency for Cultural Affairs; Sand Land: The Series will premiere on Hulu & Disney+ Star on March 20; and the live-action Golden Kamuy film will receive a follow-up TV series (featuring the same cast and director) this fall. The movie, based on Satoru Noda’s historical manga, was released in Japan on January 19.
– The retail version of the board game Harrow County: The Game of Gothic Conflict will be finally released on Wednesday, March 6. The wide release version of the crowdfunded game was originally set to drop in November. Based on the horror comic by Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook, the game allows players to fight for control of Harrow County as the Protectors, the Family, or Emmy’s sister Kammi; a third player can also join in as the witch Hester. You can read more about the game in an interview we ran with its designers, Jay Cormier and Shad Miller, as well as Bunn and Crook, from 2022.
– Finally, veteran voice actor Mark Dodson died following a heart attack in his sleep on Saturday, March 2. He was 64 years old. Dodson worked on numerous films, TV shows, video games, radio projects, and commercials, but was best known for voicing Jabba’s Kowakian monkey-lizard Salacious B. Crumb in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (where he went uncredited), and various Mogwai/Gremlins in Gremlins & Gremlins 2. Further credits included George A. Romero’s Day of the Dead, The Force Awakens, Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, Darkwing Dark, Bonkers, Star Trek Online, Lucius I-III, and Ghostrunner. A regular presence at conventions, Dodson passed away after checking into a hotel for Indiana’s Horror Con. He is survived by his daughter and his grandchildren.
