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, beleaguered publisher Scout Comics announced they will relaunch this summer under a new partnership with Element Media Group.
– Marvel unveiled June’s “X-Men” #35, which will also mark the 700th issue of “The Uncanny X-Men,” and the final chapter of the Krakoan Age. The oversized issue will feature contributions from writers Gerry Duggan, Kieron Gillen, Al Ewing, Chris Claremont & Gail Simone, and artists Phil Noto, Joshua Cassara, Lucas Werneck, Jerome Opeña, Stefano Caselli, Walt Simonson, and Leinil Francis Yu, as well as a wraparound cover by Pepe Larraz. It will be released on June 5, in-between the end of the other current X-Men titles in May, and the line’s relaunch in July.
– Pre-orders are now open for Superman: Ghosts of Krypton, a new McFarlane Toys Page Punchers line featuring four original action figures and pack-in comics. The premise sees Clark Kent and Val-Zod don Kryptonian armor suits to venture into the Phantom Zone after a vision of a ghostly General Zod, and discover Brainiac has infested the realm. It was not stated who created the comics, although their surnames are visible on the covers. The figures are set to ship in May.
– Dark Horse announced two omnibuses for the fall. Firstly, “Black Hammer Omnibus Volume 3” will collect all 12 issues of “Black Hammer: Reborn” in oversized paperback on October 8, for $29.99. The second revealed book, “Cyberpunk 2077 Omnibus Volume 1,” will collect the 2020-22 miniseries “Trauma Team,” “You Have My Word,” and “Blackout.” It will be released on October 15, and also retail in paperback for $29.99. Both collections were previously published as hardcover Library Editions late last year.
– Netflix have renewed the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender series for a second and third season, which will cover the last two “Books” (Earth and Fire) of the original series. It was not stated when to expect the next two seasons, or if they will be shot back-to-back (something Netflix employed on Sweet Tooth and A Series of Unfortunate Events to avoid the child actors ageing too quickly.) The first season of the remake was released last month to mixed reviews; you can read our reviews of the show thus far here.
– Apple released Midnight, a 19-minute short film based on the 1986 manga of the same name by Osamu Tezuka. Directed by maverick Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike, the film follows a mysterious taxi driver, as he protects a young girl being hunted by assassins. It was shot entirely using an iPhone 15 Pro, something you can check out in a behind-the-scenes video. Both the film and making-of feature are in Japanese with English subtitles, but do please bear in mind the captions are very small.
– La Casa, a Spanish film based on the graphic novel by Paco Roca, premiered at the Málaga Film Festival this week. Directed by Álex Montoya, the drama follows a group of estranged siblings who reunite after their father’s death, as they clear out his vacation home with the help of their own families. “La Casa,” the comic, was published by Fantagraphics in English as “The House” in 2019, and won the subsequent year’s Eisner for Best U.S. Edition of International Material. Distribution rights to the movie are currently being sold by agency Latido Films.
– Outright Games revealed the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem video game is titled TMNT: Mutants Unleashed, and that it will be released on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC at the end of the year. Announced last year, the action game picks up after the movie, as the turtles deal with a new group of evil mutants invading New York. The game will also offer two-player local co-op, meaning you can play together by connecting your own controller to the console/PC, as opposed to online co-op.
– Finally, the trailer for Batman parody film The People’s Joker has been released. Directed by and starring trans comedian Vera Drew, The People’s Joker offers up the origin story of a trans woman version of the Joker. The film, which also features Scott Aukerman, Tim Heidecker, Maria Bamford, and Bob Odenkirk, premiered to positive reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2022, but was pulled after apparently running into copyright issues with DC. It will now receive a limited theatrical release, starting April 5; you can check out a list of screenings here. The People’s Joker will arrive several months ahead of Todd Phillips’s own Joker sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux, due out October 4.
