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.
– DC have announced a slew of comic releases celebrating the LGBTQ+ community, beginning with “DC Pride 2024” #1. The annual anthology will feature stories by Phil Jimenez and Giulio Macaione, Nicole Maines and Jordan Gibson, Gretchen Felker-Martin and Claire Roe, Jarrett Williams and D.J. Kirkland, Jamila Rowser and ONeill Jones, Ngozi Ukazu, Calvin Kasulke and Len Gogou, and finally a story by Al Ewing. This 104-page prestige comic features a main cover by Kevin Wada with variants by David Talaski and Babs Tarr, and will hit shelves on May 28.
DC will also put out “DC Pride: A Celebration of Rachel Pollack” on June 6. The book will reprint the first appearance of Coagula, DC’s first transgender superhero, from “Doom Patrol” #70, as well as two additional stories by the late writer. Additionally, DC have announced “DC Pride: Uncovered” #1, featuring variant covers for some previous years’ editions. “DC Pride: Uncovered” #1 features a main cover by Jen Bartel, and will be released on June 11. In the same blog post, DC also revealed Melissa Marr and Jenn St-Onge’s previously announced YA OGN “The Strange Case of Harleen and Harley” will debut on September 3, 2024.
– Via ICv2, Kodansha Comics have revealed the cover for the first volume of “Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow,” which will be published in English for the first time. Created by Asao Takamori and Tetsuya Chiba, “Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow” follows a young man who learns to fight in prison and eventually becomes a professional boxer. The original series was published from 1968-1973 and spans 20 volumes. The English edition will be published across eight 500-page hardcover volumes, featuring new covers designed by Matt Akuginow. The first English volume of “Ashita no Joe: Fighting for Tomorrow” will be available in December 2024. You can see the new cover here.
– Via The Bookseller, Penguin Random House imprint Hamish Hamilton have acquired the rights to a graphic novel retelling of the Epic of Gilgamesh. The project will bring together writer Robert Macfarlane, actor-musician Johnny Flynn, and artist Dave McKean. Macfarlane and Flynn collaborated previously on the 2022 album Lost in the Cedar Wood, which was also inspired by the Epic of Gilgamesh. Of the project, Macfarlane said “Johnny, Dave and I are hugely excited now to be working together to find a fresh form for this millennia-old epic, which has been both compass, map and warning for Johnny and me for years now.”
– In a tweet, First Second have announced the release date for “Plain Jane and the Mermaid,” a graphic novel by Vera Brosgol. The book had been previously announced in 2018 and follows Jane, a 13-year old who lives in a fictional 18th century village with her parents, who blame her for the death of her brother who was lost at sea. When Jane’s crush is kidnapped by a beautiful mermaid, Jane must “dive in” and rescue him. “Plain Jane and the Mermaid” will hit shelves May 7, 2024.
– The inaugural Libby Book Award winners have been revealed, showcasing the best books selected by public librarians across 17 different categories from 2023. The books were nominated by an expert librarian panel, and voted on by over 1,700 librarians. The 2024 winner of the Libby Book Award for Comic/Graphic Novel is “The Talk” by Darin Bell. “The Talk” examines a conversation Bell’s mother had with him about why he could not have a realistic looking water gun as a six-year old.
The official synopsis reads, “Drawing attention to the brutal murders of African Americans and showcasing revealing insights and cartoons along the way, he brings us up to the moment of reckoning when people took to the streets protesting the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. And now Bell must decide whether he and his own six-year-old son are ready to have ‘the talk.'” You can read the full list of winners here. “The Talk” is available now.
– Finally, Deadline reports that British actor Michael Culver has died. He was 85. Culver portrayed Captain Needa in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, who’s famously Force-choked after failing to capture the Millennium Falcon. Born in 1938, the actor began his career in 1961 appearing in roles across film and TV, although none as notable here as Star Wars. According to IMDB, his last role was in the 2016 film Servants Quarter. Culver is survived by his second wife, Amanda Ward, his sons Roderic and Justin from his first marriage, a daughter from a different relationship, Susan, and four grandchildren.
