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 “Excalibur” #9, Marvel have a new “Shang-Chi” series, Valiant announced “Savage,” and Dark Horse revealed “Barbalien: Red Planet,” a “Black Hammer” spin-off.
– Alex de Campi (“Messiah Complex,” “Archie vs. Predator”) and Erica Henderson (“The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl,” “Assassin Nation”) are creating the new Image Comics graphic novel “Dracula, Motherf**ker.” The pulp horror novel is split between 19th century Vienna and 1970s LA. In Vienna we see the downfall of Dracula, as his three wives nail him to the bottom of the ocean, and in LA we follow detective Quincy Harker (a play on Jonathan Harker from the original text) as he investigates the Count’s resurrection. “Dracula Motherf**ker” releases this October from Image Comics. For a seven-page preview, check out CBR.
– Dan DiDio and Shane Davis’s “Metal Men” issues #6 and #7 have been delayed. #6, originally scheduled for March 18, will now be releasing April 8, and #7, solicited for April 15, was pushed back until April 29. “Metal Men” #8 is still set for its May 20 release date. This news comes three weeks after the announcement that Dan DiDio was stepping down as Co-Publisher of DC. Artist Shane David previously reassured readers on Twitter that the shake-up wouldn’t delay the series. The series will still be completing its twelve-issue run.
– WonderCon has been delayed indefinitely following the news of COVID-19’s pandemic status. The con, originally scheduled for April 10-12, “will begin processing refunds in the coming days” after being postponed in accordance with the California Department of Public Health’s recommendation. CCI, who organize WonderCon, are also responsible for San Diego Comic Con, the world’s biggest comic convention. SDCC is still set for July 23-26, without any word on postponement or cancellation by CCI.
– IDW will be responsible for publishing the previously announced anthology “Be Gay, Do Comics,” edited by Pulitzer Prize finalist and The Nib founder Matt Bors. The 256-page graphic novel will include cartoons by Hazel Newlevant, Joey Alison Sayers, Maia Kobabe, Matt Lubchansky, Breena Nuñez, Sasha Velour, Shing Yin Khor, Levi Hastings, Mady G, Josh Trujillo, Bianca Xunise, Kazimir Lee and more. “There are really great history comics in here about things too few people know about,” said Bors. “There’s one on Baron Von Steuben, the gay general in the Revolutionary War, by Josh Trujillo and Levi Hastings, and ‘Queer Uprisings Before Stonewall’ by Hazel Newlevant. This stuff should be taught in schools!”
– Ablaze Publishing have announced a new line of manga and have revealed the first title, “Cagaster” by Kachou Hashimoto, the basis of the anime Cagaster of an Insect Cage. The six volume series follows Kidou in the apocalyptic year of 2155 after a virus has transformed much of the human populace into giant, aggressive insects. The manga is said to evoke Mad Max and “Attack on Titan.” The first volume releases this June.
– PaperChase Films and Fandom are collaborating on the podcast Superman Vs. The Ku Klux Klan. The podcast adapts Rick Bowers’s 2012 novel of the same name, and will tell the story of how Stetson Kennedy infiltrated and exposed the KKK’s malignant and racist practices using the 1946 Superman radio show. The ten-episode podcast will be produced in a style evocative of the original radio show. “This story is an incredible mix of undercover journalism, brand activism, and the power of pop culture to change the world,” said executive producer Roth Cornet. “We live in an era where fans identify themselves by the things they love, so there is incredible power in harnessing this passion to make an impact.” There’s a Superman Vs. The Ku Klux Klan film currently in pre-production as well.
– The long-awaited Josh Boone film New Mutants has been delayed once again. The movie was set to release on April 3, but has been delayed indefinitely alongside Mulan and Guillermo Del Toro’s Antlers. New Mutants was originally supposed to release on April 13, 2018, with 20th Century Fox planning to release three X-Men films that year, however it was delayed continuously for various reasons to its most recent April 3, 2020, release date. Now due to fears over COVID-19 the film has been pulled from the Disney release calendar, with no new specified release date.
Continued below– Elliot Fletcher (Shameless, Runaways) has joined the cast of FX’s Y. The trans actor will be portraying Sam Jordan, a friend of Yorick Brown’s sister Hero. The series is based off of the comic “Y: The Last Man” by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra, which follows Yorick (played by Ben Schnetzer) and his monkey Ampersand after the simultaneous death of every cisgender man on Earth, excluding him. The series will also feature the talent of Diane Lane, Imogen Poots, Amber Tamblyn, Marin Ireland, Lashana Lynch and Juliana Canfield.
– Riverdale season 4 has halted filming due to concerns over COVID-19. The show is currently airing, but was caught in the middle of its production for later episodes when a member of the crew tested possible for the virus and went into self-isolation. “The team member is currently receiving medical evaluation,” said Warner Bros. “The health and safety of our employees, casts and crews is always our top priority. We have and will continue to take precautions to protect everyone who works on our productions around the world.” Riverdale season 4 is set to return on April 4.
– Marvel’s Spider-Man: Maximum Venom will debut on April 19, with six hour-long weekly episodes making up its run. The series will feature guest appearances by Captain Marvel, Groot, Doctor Strange, Star-Lord and Ironheart (voiced by Sofia Wylie) as they go up against Venom (Ben Pronsky), a new threat from Klyntar, and the symbiotic sisters Scream (Meg Donnelly), Scorn (Kylee Russell) and Mania (Carla Jeffery). The series will also feature the debut of Felicia Day as Mary Jane Watson. The season sees the return of Robbie Daymond as Spider-Man, Nadji Jeter as Miles Morales, Melanie Minichino, Laura Bailey as Ghost-Spider, Max Mittelman as Harry Osborn, Yuri Lowenthal as Curt Connors, and Nancy Linari as Aunt May.
