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, veteran “2000 AD” and “Miracleman” artist Garry Leach passed away, aged 67. We also talked to Brian Schirmer about his upcoming Vault series, “Quests Aside.”
– Gene Luen Yang’s “Shang-Chi” series is getting another relaunch in July, with the previously solicited “Shang-Chi” #13 being renamed and renumbered “Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings” #1. Picking up from May’s “Shang-Chi” #12, the book will see how the martial arts hero deals with the unwanted attention of becoming the new master of the Ten Rings, the weapons introduced in his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut. It marks the third #1 for Yang’s run, after the initial 2020 miniseries with artist Dike Ruan, and the subsequent ongoing last year. Marcus To will continue to provide art on the series, which begins anew on July 20.
– DC announced a second annual Round Robin contest, asking fans to decide which of 16 different pitches will become a digital-first miniseries this fall. The contest will last until May 17, and the first round of voting ends Sunday, April 3. You can read the description of the titles in contention here, and vote for your favorites on Twitter, Instagram, or DC Universe Infinite. Last year’s Round Robin incidentally led to Tim Seeley and Baldemar Rivas’s “Robins” series, which will conclude with issue #6 next month.
– Webtoon announced a contest of their own, Call to Action, which will allow cartoonists to submit action-centric artwork for a chance to become Webtoon Original creators, as well as additional prizes, this summer. Submissions will be open from June 1 to July 31, and the winners will be announced on September 30. You can check out the full details on the contest here.
– Via Screen Rant, Dark Horse announced “Organisms From an Ancient Cosmos,” an original graphic novel by writer/artist S. Craig Zahler (the director of several films, including Bone Tomahawk). A supernatural sci-fi thriller, “Ancient Cosmos” sees a large alien spacecraft appear over the Pacific Ocean, causing the nations of the world to attack. The book marks Zahler’s second graphic novel, following 2021’s “Forbidden Surgeries of the Hideous Dr. Divinus.” It will be released on October 18.
– Dark Horse also announced they will team up with the It’s Alive imprint to rerelease “The Lonely War of Capt. Willy Schultz,” the WWII comic by writer Will Franz and artist Sam Glanzman. The comic, first printed in Charlton Comics’ “Fightin’ Army” from 1967 to 1970, told the story of an American soldier who joins the Germans after being falsely accused of murdering his commanding officer. The comic will receive a new final chapter drawn by Wayne Vansant, and will be released in hardcover for $49.99 at comics stores on October 19, and in bookstores on November 1, 2022.
– The Wrap reports Sharon Stone has joined the Blue Beetle movie as the villain, Victoria Kord. It is unknown what familial connection Victoria, an original character created for the movie, will have with Jaime Reyes’s predecessor in the comics, Ted Kord. The role marks Stone’s second turn as the villain of a DC Comics movie, following 2004’s Catwoman. Additionally, Raoul Max Trujillo (Mayans M.C.) will play armored supervillain Carapax the Indestructible Man (created by Len Wein and Paris Cullins for 1986’s “Blue Beetle” #1.) Blue Beetle, directed by Angel Manuel Soto, and starring Xolo Maridueña as Jaime Reyes, will be released in theaters on August 18, 2023.
– The Umbrella Academy star Elliot Page tweeted a photo of himself in the third season, captioned “Meet Viktor Hargreeves.” Variety confirmed that this is not a variant of Page’s character from the Sparrow Academy universe, and that Hargreeves will, like his portrayer, come out as a transgender man. The Umbrella Academy season three will be released on Netflix on June 22, 2022.
– Square Enix’s Guardians of the Galaxy game earned several nominations from the 20th annual G.A.N.G. Awards, which honor the best music, sound design, and audio in video games. Its nominations included Best Physical Soundtrack Release, Music of the Year, Sound Design of the Year, Best Ensemble Cast Performance, and Best Voice Performance for Jon McClaren (Star-Lord), and Excellence in Audio Accessibility. The winners will be announced by the Game Audio Network Guild via Twitch on May 25, and you can view the full list of nominees here. And in further Marvel awards news, Loki composer Natalie Holt was nominated for Best Original Music at the British Academy Television Craft Awards, being held on April 24.
– Manga creator Kenya Suzuki (“Please Tell Me! Galko-chan”) was given a suspended sentence of one year and two months in prison, after being arrested for possession of child pornography in December. The 40-year-old will not be sent to prison if he remains on good behavior for the next three years. Police arrested Suzuki for trying to acquire child pornography from Germany, and have allegedly confiscated 46 books of predatory material from his home. His crimes continue an alarming trend in the Japanese comics industry, with other known sex offenders including Nobuhiro Watsuki, Tatsuya Matsuki, and Mitsutoshi Shimabukuro.
– Finally, the DCEU’s Flash actor, Ezra Miller, was escorted by police off a couple’s residence in Hawaii, after reportedly threatening them on Monday morning. The incident occurred just hours after Miller had been arrested and released on bail, for allegedly causing a disturbance at a karaoke bar. Police said Miller has been the subject of ten calls on the Big Island since March 7, all over incidents like filming people at a gas station, refusing to leave the sidewalk of a restaurant, and arguing with people. Miller’s arrest came nearly two years after an incident in Iceland, when they were filmed choking a fan and throwing her to the ground. Miller, their representatives, and Warner Bros. have yet to comment on any of this behavior.
