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, Akira Toriyama, the legendary creator of “Dragon Ball,” “Dr. Slump,” and many more, died on March 1, aged 68.
– DC announced “Zatanna: Bring Down the House,” a Black Label series starring the Mistress of Magic, by writer Mariko Tamaki, and artist Javier Rodríguez. The series sees Zatanna, now performing fake magic in Las Vegas, being forced to take up her real abilities again “when an interdimensional vortex cracks open the very stage she performs on, releasing a terrifying demon bent on killing her. And if Zatanna hopes to escape with her life, she’ll have to face the even more terrifying consequences of her past.” Issue #1 will be released on June 25, with covers by Rodríguez, Jorge Jiménez, Alvaro Martinez Bueno, Artgerm, and Mikel Janín.
– DC also launched a collaboration with Bazooka Bubble Gum, titled “The Bazookaverse.” The eight-part series of comic strips, by an uncredited creative team, sees company mascot Bazooka Joe and his Gang encounter various heroes of the DC Universe. The first strip, appropriately released on International Women’s Day, sees Joe clean the bubble gum he accidentally got stuck to Wonder Woman’s invisible jet. Bazooka Joe and friends were created by cartoonist Wesley Morse in 1954, and have appeared in comics printed on Bazooka Bubble Gum wrapping ever since. The subsequent strips will be released monthly over the course of Joe’s 70th anniversary.
– The Boy and the Heron won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, becoming the second Hayao Miyazaki and anime film (after Spirited Away) to win the Oscar. (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse writer/producer Christopher Miller responded, “Well, if you’re gonna lose, might as well lose to the GOAT.”) It actually marks Miyazaki’s third Oscar, following a lifetime achievement Honorary Award in 2014. He did not attend the ceremony, a decision in-line with other occasions Ghibli films have been nominated for the award. You can check out the full list of this year’s winners, which at long last includes Christopher Nolan and Robert Downey Jr., at the official website, or a news outlet of your choosing.
– The nominees for this year’s BAFTA Games Awards were announced, with Spider-Man 2 picking up 10 nominations (only one less than the number received by Baldur’s Gate 3), including Best Game, and recognition for Nadji Jeter, Yuri Lowenthal, and Tony Todd’s performances as Miles Morales, Peter Parker, and Venom. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor also picked up six, for Best Narrative, Cameron Monaghan’s portrayal of Cal Kestis, and Debra Wilson’s of Cere Junda, among others. The winners will be announced on Thursday, April 11; you can check out the full list here, and vote for the EE Players’ Choice Award winner here.
– James Gunn has confirmed Peacemaker season two will begin filming later this year, after the conclusion of principal photography on Superman, and that it now will arrive ahead of the Waller series (which was supposed to be released between both seasons until the WGA & SAG-AFTRA strikes.) Gunn also replied to various questions about the news on Threads, explaining season one is no longer canon to the new DC film & TV universe, but many “strands” will be maintained in season two and Waller, and that both projects will take place after Superman (Waller in particular will take place after Peacemaker season two, meaning the new DCU is more or less unfolding in chronological order.)
– Finally, Mighty Koi Studio announced Thorgal, a video game based on the Franco-Belgian comic by writer Jean Van Hamme and artist Grzegorz Rosiński. Created in 1977, “Thorgal” tells the story of an alien raised by Vikings after he crash-landed on Earth as a baby. The game will be an action RPG, where Thorgal battles humans and Norse gods pursuing him and his family; it will be released on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S when (in Mighty Koi’s words) it’s ready. Check out the trailer and concept art here in the meantime. The game was one of two announced by Mighty Koi, a Polish studio formed in 2022; the other was The Night Wanderer, an adaptation of Jarosław Grzędowicz’s sci-fi/fantasy novel series Lord of the Ice Garden. It will mark Thorgal’s second game, following the 2002 point-and-click adventure Curse of Atlantis.
