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.
– BOOM! Studios will publish “Profane,” a new thriller by writer Peter Milligan and artist Raül Fernandez (“Detective Comics”), starting June 5, 2024. Set in Los Angeles, the series follows Will Profane, a private detective, who discovers something strange about the murder he is currently investigating: “every clue leads him back to a world famous crime novelist lying at the center of this mystery – and dangerous truths about Profane’s own life.” It is further described as “mind-bending murder mystery, that treads the precarious razor’s edge between reality and fiction.”
– Brian Posehn will team up with co-writer and Fall Out Boy member Joe Trohman (“The Holy Roller”), as well as artist Chris Johnson (“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”), on “Rifters,” an ongoing time-travel comedy. The series follows Fenton and Geller, two time cops assigned to dull vice crimes, until they find themselves “at the center of an inter-time serial homicide mystery — and in the crosshairs of potentially lethal consequences.” Issue #1 will be released by Image on June 12.
– Marvel revealed “Venomverse Reborn,” a four-part anthology kicking off on June 19. The first issue will feature an Avengers murder mystery by Benjamin Percy and Brian Level, and an Insomniac Games spin-off by Christos Gage, pitting their version of the symbiote against Knull, while the second will have a Viking variant by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and John McCrea, and a revisit of “Venom: The End” by Adam Warren and Chris Cross. Each issue will feature a framing device by Al Ewing and Danilo S. Beyruth, setting up the next major Venom crossover.
– Dark Horse announced a new Cyberpunk 2077 series, “Cyberpunk 2077: Kickdown.” Penned by lead Phantom Liberty DLC writer Thomasz Marchewka, with art by Jake Elphick (“Backtrack”), the four-issue series follows the daughter of an infamous carjacker, as she enters the world of street racing “to fix the past.” It will feature new car designs not seen in the game, designed specifically by CD Projekt Red for the book. Issue #1 will be released on July 3, 2024.
– Dark Horse also revealed they are shutting down their Android reading app on Monday, March 25; they stated, “After careful consideration, we have determined that focusing our development resources on our webstore and iOS app is the best path forward for Dark Horse Digital.” Users who keep the app will still be able to read any comics downloaded before then, or continue to read them on the website and its Apple counterpart.
– Archie will release “The Wicked Trinity,” a one-shot by writer Sam Maggs and artist Lisa Sterle, on June 12. The book follows Sabrina Spellman’s nemesis, Amber Nightstone, and her sidekicks, Jade Kazane and Sapphire Gill, as they battle dissent within their own witches coven. Amber was created by Dan Parent and first appeared in 2022’s “Sabrina Anniversary Spectacular,” while Jade and Sapphire were introduced in last year’s “Sabrina the Teenage Witch Annual Spectacular,” by writer Jamie L. Rotante and artist Holly G!
– Abrams ComicArts released their Fall 2024 catalog. Titles include “Drafted,” a 240-page Vietnam War memoir by cartoonist Rick Parker; “The Road: A Graphic Novel Adaptation,” an authorized retelling of the late Cormac McCarthy’s post-apocalyptic novel by French artist Manu Larcenet; and “Capital & Ideology: A Graphic Novel Adaptation,” a family saga inspired by French economist Thomas Piketty’s non-fiction book, written by Claire Alet with art by Benjamin Adam. All three books will be published sometime this September.
– Skydance debuted a story trailer for their upcoming Captain America and Black Panther video game at Epic Games’ State of Unreal (Engine) event, revealing it is titled Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra. The cast and composer was also announced, with Khary Payton playing Azzuri, T’Challa’s grandfather; Drew Moerlein (Horizon Forbidden West) as Steve Rogers; Megalyn Echikunwoke (Vixen) as Wakandan spy Nanali; Marque Richardson (Dear White People) as Gabe Jones; Lyne Renée (Gossip Girl) as French Resistance member Julie; and Joel Johnstone (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) as Howard Stark. Stephen Barton (Star Wars Jedi: Survivor) will score the game, now on course to release sometime next year.
– In Netflix news, the streamer revealed Dead Boy Detectives will be released on Thursday, April 25. The eight-episode supernatural comedy, originally intended for (HBO) Max, stars George Rexstrew and Jayden Revri as Charles Rowland and Edwin Paine, the ghostly duo introduced by Neil Gaiman and Matt Wagner in “The Sandman.” They also announced Heartstopper season three will premiere in October, and released the trailer for Parasyte: The Grey, the Korean horror series based on Hitoshi Iwaaki’s manga, dropping April 5.
– Finally, Sony released the trailer for Harold and the Purple Crayon, the live-action/animated film inspired by cartoonist Crockett Johnson’s classic picture books, directed by Carlos Saldanha (Rio) and starring Zachary Levi, Lil Rel Howery, Benjamin Bottani, Jemaine Clement, Tanya Reynolds, Alfred Molina, and Zooey Deschanel. The film follows a now adult Harold (Levi) after he and his friends accidentally enter the real world, where his magic crayon winds up falling into the wrong hands. It marks the first film version of the books, which were previously adapted into a HBO Family series and several earlier animated short films; previous attempts included a Spike Jonze project also combining live-action with animation, and an entirely CG film from Sony Pictures Animation produced by Will Smith. It will be released in theaters on August 2, 2024.
