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.
– Via Substack, Image imprint Syzygy announced “Self Help,” a comedy crime series by writers Owen King & Jesse Kellerman, and artist Marianna Ignazzi. The miniseries follows Jerry Hauser, a down-on-his-luck ex-con, who steals the identity of self-help guru (and lookalike) Darren Hart after “an unfortunate turn of the wheel,” only to find himself contending with enemies from both their lives, including European gangsters and white supremacists. King and Kellerman are both novelists, and newcomers to comics, although King co-wrote the 2015 graphic novel “Intro to Alien Invasion.” Ignazzi is best known for her work on BOOM!’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer titles, and “An Unkindness of Ravens.” Issue #1 will be released in June.
– Marvel will publish the one-shot “Deadpool Role-Plays the Marvel Universe,” a tie-in into the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game on July 17. Written by Cullen Bunn with art by Michael Shelfer, the comic offers a lead-in story, a fully compatible mini-campaign for the game, and character profiles. Bunn is no stranger to Wade Wilson, having written the bestselling “Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe,” among various other Deadpool titles, while Shelfer penciled Gail Simone’s story in 2021’s anniversary special “Deadpool: Nerdy 30.” It will arrive just in time for Deadpool & Wolverine‘s theatrical release on July 26.
– Titan announced “High on Life,” a comic based on the sci-fi comedy shooter of the same name, beginning June 12. Written by cartoonist and game developer Alec Robbins, with art by Kit Wallis (“Quested,” “Hellicious”), the book finds the Bounty Hunter dealing with a new threat to humanity. “Armed with plucky & determined Harper – and the rest of the Gatlian gang – the series will take them on an explosive, twisting adventure across the cosmos.” Issue #1 releases on June 12. It should be noted High on Life was developed by Squanch Games, co-founded by Justin Roiland, who also created and starred in the game; however, Roiland resigned from the studio after his arrest for domestic violence became public knowledge, and his dismissal from his TV projects this time last year.
– Pegamoose Press, the imprint formed by husband-and-wife Troy Little (“Rick & Morty,” “Chiaroscuro”) and Brenda Hickey (“My Little Pony,” “Aggretsuko”), are opening their doors to other creators. The first outside project will be “Orchard of the Tame,” a graphic novel by Emmy Award-winning animator Nick Cross (Over the Garden Wall), and his wife, caricaturist and model Marlo Meekins. The book, which marks Cross’s comic book debut, is a black-and-white spin on fairy tales like “Rapunzel,” that follows a young girl who escapes the creature that’s been keeping her captive. It was originally self-published digitally last year, and is now crowdfunding a print edition on Kickstarter until March 31.
– AIPT and Tubi are teaming up to bring you weekly interviews with comics creators. The interviews will be conducted by Victoria Cheri Bennett as part of her show Beverages with Bevin, and will be released as “bite-size” videos on AIPT’s website every Friday, although the first interview, featuring writer Collin Kelly, can be watched now. The site describes the series as “pair[ing] its guests with their drink of choice, inspiring more of a casual fireside chat than a red-carpet interview. Think Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee meets The Graham Norton Show.” At the time of writing, only Chris Claremont has been confirmed for the next episode.
– Finally, on the eve of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace‘s 25th anniversary, Scripps News ran an interview with Lisa Lloyd, the mother of Jake Lloyd, who portrayed Anakin Skywalker in the film. Jake, 35, who quit acting shortly after the film’s release, was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2008, and has been struggling with his illness ever since; he is currently spending 18 months at a rehabilitation facility following a breakdown in March 2023, and has been showing a “remarkable” improvement with regard to his mental health.
Among many other subjects, Lisa stressed that the negative reception to Jake’s performance in the film did not have a significant impact on his mental health, as he was largely shielded from it, and that his family has a history of schizophrenia. She notes he is still a Star Wars fan, even though his illness has not always made watching media easy; for his birthday last week, he even received an action figure of Rosario Dawson’s version of Ahsoka Tano from his mother. “He loves all the new Star Wars stuff,” she said. “People think Jake hates Star Wars. He loves it.”
