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, First Second Books announced a new line of civic-minded books called World Citizen Comics, while DC and Dark Horse are teaming up for “Black Hammer/Justice League: Hammer of Justice!” We also talked to “Infinite Dark” writer Ryan Cady to mark the series’ release in trade paperback.
– “Hellboy” writer Mike Mignola and artist Duncan Fegredo are reuniting for “Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: The Beast Of Vargu,” a new one-shot due for release on June 19. The comic, which sees Hellboy investigating a Romanian castle in 1962, marks Fegredo’s first comics work in four years, having worked as a storyboard artist on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and at Pixar. The one-shot will also have a variant cover by Mignola.
– Dark Horse also announced “Dissident X,” a remastered, fully colored edition of the Pander Brothers’ 1994 graphic novel “Triple X.” The 416-page book, which will be released on September 4, takes place in 2033 and follows Hans Nobel, a journalist who flees from New York to Amsterdam after the city falls under martial law – however, he finds he’s still not safe, “and must choose between the pen or the sword to expose the truth and ignite a revolution.” The new version will also come with a new introductory prequel and finale, and redrawn artwork.
– Legendary Comics have acquired the rights to writer James F. Wright and artist Liana Buszka’s previously self-published series “Lupina.” Set in the world of the fictional Addalian Empire, “Lupina” tells the story of an orphaned girl raised by a she-wolf, who raises her to avenge her murdered family. Legendary will publish the comic in two new volumes in early 2020.
– “Man-Eaters” artist Elise McCall will take over as the series’ main interior artist from issue #9. “Man-Eaters,” written by Chelsea Cain, was launched last year with Cain’s “Mockingbird” collaborator Kate Niemczyk on art. Image will celebrate the new collaboration with a series of limited edition posters created by McCall, only available at Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle (which starts today). “Man-Eaters” #9, which kicks off the comic’s third story arc, will be released on June 5.
– Destin Daniel Cretton, the director of Short Term 12 and The Glass Castle, is set to helm Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi. Shang-Chi will be the first Marvel film with an Asian lead, and Cretton is the second Asian-American hired by Marvel to direct a film, after Eternals director Chloé Zhao. Cretton’s next film, a Bryan Stevenson biopic titled Just Mercy, will be released early next year.
– Esai Morales will portray Deathstroke on Titans season 2. Morales, 56, is best known for his roles on NYPD Blue, Caprica, and Ozark, and is one of a number of actors to have played the deadly mercenary in recent years, including Manu Bennett on Arrow, and Joe Manganiello in Justice League. However, Deathstroke was introduced as the Teen Titans’ main enemy in Marv Wolfman and George Pérez’s “New Teen Titans” #2 (December 1980), and this will mark the character’s first live-action clash with his original foes. Titans season 2 is now in production.
– Fandango VIP members will have the opportunity to see Shazam! early on March 23, as tickets for exclusive screenings at 1200 theaters across the US went on sale yesterday. Fandango President Paul Yanover said, “We’re thrilled to work with Warner Bros. on our early access screening program, helping eventize movies and generate buzz before opening weekend. Shazam! is a film that appeals to the whole family, and we’re delighted that Fandango VIP fans will be among the first to see the film two weeks before it officially hits theaters.” Tickets are also now available for Shazam!‘s wide release on April 5.
– Meanwhile in Japan, the government has declined to submit a bill enacting stronger anti-piracy laws banning the downloading of various copyrighted materials, after academics, manga artist groups and others expressed concern they could hinder legitimate activities like fan art and research. Last month, Keiko Takemiya, head of the Japan Society for Studies in Cartoons and Comics, warned the National Diet that the bill would have a negative impact on the fan fiction community. “We don’t want the close relationship between artists and fans to collapse,” he said. For more, head on over to The Japan Times.
– Completing our reprint reports, “Astro Boy” creator Osamu Tezuka’s sexual education manga “Yakeppachi’s Maria” will be republished by Fukkan next month in an extremely limited edition run. The comic, serialized in 1970, combined the story of a boy and a ghost who inhabits his father’s sex doll, with mini-lessons on anatomy, hormones, and other topics. The reprint will feature full color pages, along with content not printed in the original run. At the time of writing, only 57 copies remain available for sale.
