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, Black Adam is receiving an ongoing series by Christopher Priest and Rafa Sandoval, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Thunderbolt Ross, William Hurt, passed away this weekend.
– Dark Horse Comics announced “The Ward,” a supernatural medical drama by writer Cavan Scott (“Star Wars: The High Republic”) and artist Andres Ponce (“Call of Duty: Zombies”). The book takes place at St. Lilith’s, a secret hospital for creatures like minotaurs and giants, where the staff are overworked and underfunded. “It’s a place, and a life, Dr. Nat Reeves thought she left behind,” says the synopsis, “until a wounded woman with a tail appears on her doorstep.” “The Ward” #1 (of 4) releases in comic book stores on June 8.
– Furthermore, Dark Horse announced Embracer Group’s acquisition of the company was completed. The publisher’s founder and CEO, Mike Richardson, “will continue to lead the company while keeping existing management in place.” The deal with the Swedish video game holding company — which owns nine other companies, including THQ Nordic, Gearbox Software, and Asmodee — was announced on December 21, 2021. Richardson said, “This is an exciting new step for our company and promises a great future for our employees, the creators we work with, and our many business partners. I am very impressed with Embracer CEO and founder, Lars Wingefors, and the business he has built. The Embracer Group is an amazing collection of companies and the synergies with Dark Horse seem endless.”
– Irish comics creators Declan Shalvey, Nick Roche, and Chris O’Halloran have joined forces for a Banshee-centric issue of “X-Men Unlimited,” just in time for St. Patrick’s Day (which falls this year on Thursday, March 17.) The comic, which sees Banshee return to his ancestral Cassidy Keep, and contend with Black Tom, is available to read on the Marvel Unlimited app right now.
– Scottish cartoonist Gordon Shaw is the subject of a new documentary film, Long Live My Happy Head, releasing in the UK this week. Shaw, 41, is an artist who was diagnosed with a brain tumor in his early 30s, and the film explores the impact this has had on his work and life, as well as what it’s been like having a long-distance relationship during the COVID-19 pandemic. The film will be released in UK cinemas this Friday, and you can watch the trailer here.
– Harley Quinn‘s Kite Man (voiced by Matt Oberg) is getting a spin-off: per /Film, series co-creator Patrick Schumacker announced a new animated series, Noonan’s, is in development for HBO Max at SXSW. The premise involves Kite Man buying Noonan’s Bar, a popular hangout spot for the criminals of Gotham, and other supervillains. “It will be kind of like Cheers for supervillains,” Schumacker said. The show will presumably follow Harley Quinn season 3, which ought to arrive sometime this year.
– Deadline disclosed Anjali Bhimani will have a recurring role on the Ms. Marvel TV series, although details on her character were not provided. It won’t be the first Marvel role for the veteran TV and video game actress, as she previously portrayed Mita Nansari on the third season of Runaways. Ms. Marvel season one, starring Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan and featuring Mohan Kapur & Zenobia Shroff as her parents, will premiere sometime on Disney+ this summer.
– Finally, here’s a recent Hollywood award round-up: Spider-Man: No Way Home, The Witcher and Loki each received an award from the Visual Effects Society last week, while What If…? won Best Animated Series at this weekend’s Critics’ Choice Awards, and Best Editing at the Annie Awards for the episode “What If… Ultron Won?” Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings also picked up an Annie for Best Character Animation – Live Action, as well as Best Stunts and a Game Changer Award for Simu Liu from the Hollywood Critics Association last month.
