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, Mike Mignola is launching his Curious Objects imprint, and we have an exclusive preview of next week’s “Star Wars: Darth Vader” #45.
– Early next year, BenBella Publishing will release Robservations, a memoir from “X-Force” artist and Image Comics co-founder Rob Liefeld. The book will detail the creator’s 38-year career, from his childhood in Orange County, California, his success at Marvel in the ’90s, and of course, the rise of Image. “BenBella is thrilled to partner with legendary comic artist Rob Liefeld on the release of his memoir,” publisher CEO Glenn Yeffeth says of the project. “Rob offers a glimpse into the hurdles and triumphs of his 38-year career, the origin stories of many beloved characters, and what’s next for the [co-]creator of Deadpool and Cable. We’re excited to help Rob share his story with fans who love comic books as much as he does.”
– In more Liefeld news, Olivia Wilde and Margot Robbie, along with X-Men producer Simon Kinberg, are currently developing a film based on the Deadpool co-creator’s “Avengelyne.” Robbie’s production company LuckyChap, which was behind last year’s smash hit Barbie, will produce, while Wilde is set to direct. There currently is no studio attached to the film, though they hope to begin attempts to sell the film next week. No casting decisions have been announced. “Avengelyne” was a 1995 comic following an angel who battles monsters and demons. This will be the third attempt to bring her to the screen, after a Gina Carano-led adaptation in 2016, and an attempt by Paramount with director Akiva Goldman.
– Dark Horse has announced “The Complete Harrow County,” a hardcover volume that collects all 32 issues of the series. The horror series was written by Cullen Bunn, with art and letters from Tyler Crook, who provides cover art for this collected edition. The hardcover also features a ribbon bookmark and slipcase. Carla Speed McNeil and Hannah Lavender provide additional art, with Jenn Manley Lee supplying additional colors. It follows Emmy, who just before she turns eighteen, realizes she has a deep connection to the woods around her home, and the creatures that reside in it. The book will be available in bookstores on October 28, and comics shops the following day, and retail for $149.99.
– Tula Lotay, Sean Gordon Murphy, Terry Dodson, Lee Bermejo, Olivier Coipel and John Romita Jr. are set to appear on Lake Como Comic Art Festival’s podcast series. The podcast will drop new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday in April. It is produced alongside Comic Book Pros and hosted by IDW special projects editor Scott Dunbier (who is retiring from the publisher today.) It goes until the con opens on May 17 in Lake Como, Italy, with the first guest being Spanish illustrator Juanjo Guarnido.
– Three new hires/promotions have been announced at Oni Press. Former Vault Comics director of community engagement and events Daniel Crary has been hired on as director of marketing and communications. Former Dark Horse editor and director of digital art & prepress Matt Dryer has accepted an editorial position, and Oni’s former director of marketing Katie Sainz will serve as director of sales, book market.
– In a surprise key art and trailer drop, we got our first glimpse at Star Wars: Tales of the Empire, a six-part animated anthology debuting on Disney+ this Star Wars Day (May 4). The miniseries will be in the same style as Tales of the Jedi, and will also focus on unexplored events from the lives of previously featured characters. Much like how Jedi focused on Ahsoka Tano and Count Dooku, Empire will have Nightsister Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) and former Jedi Barriss Offee (Meredith Salenger) as point-of-view characters. The unveiled art also features Admiral Thrawn, General Grievous, Darth Vader, and the Grand Inquisitor. Dave Filoni is the creator and supervising director, who also executive produces alongside Athena Yvette Portillo and Carrie Beck. You can view the trailer here.
Continued below– The winners of the 4th annual Critics Choice Super Awards were announced. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse won Best Superhero Movie, while Michael Fassbender was named Best Actor in an Action Movie for The Killer, and Iman Vellani won Best Actress in a Superhero Movie for The Marvels. The Last of Us season one took home most of this year’s awards with seven, while Godzilla Minus One, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Poor Things, and Talk to Me won two each in the film categories. Head to the link for the full list of this year’s winners.
– Netflix’s live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender is getting new showrunners. Executive producers Christine Boylan and Jabbar Raisani will take over from Albert Kim, who himself took over from original series creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. According to sources, Kim always planned to lay the foundation for the reboot, and to step out given the long production turnaround of the series. Boylan is a producer and playwright recently nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for her work on Peacock’s Poker Face. She has also written for Marvel and DC. Raisani directed episodes three and four, while also serving as a VFX supervisor.
– Futurama season 12 has a premiere date. The sci-fi comedy will return to Hulu on Monday, July 29, for a new ten-episode run. The series was also renewed for 13th and 14th seasons last November. According to the official synopsis, the 12th season will feature “mind-bending adventures involving birthday party games to the death, the secrets of Bender’s ancestral robot village, A.I. friends (and enemies), impossibly cute beanbags, and the true 5-million-year-old story behind the consciousness-altering substance known as coffee.” It also said to expect the “next chapter in Fry and Leela’s fateful, time-twisted romance.”
– Fans of Amazon Prime Video’s Invincible will be able to purchase The Art of Invincible Season Two in hardcover in February 2025. The book is available from original “Invincible” publishers Skybound and Image, and features “exclusive character art, background, and vehicle designs along with key art and more.” The season two finale of Invincible is available now on Prime Video, while The Art of Invincible Season One is available from all good retailers.
– Finally, hip hop icon Snoop Dog and country superstar Keith Urban have collaborated on ”Let it Roll,” the lead single off The Garfield Movie soundtrack. The track is set to drop on April 12, just ahead of the original motion picture soundtrack, available on May 17 from ASG Records and Republic Records: Kids & Family. The album will also feature original compositions from Jon Batiste and John Debney, as well as classics like Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On” and “That’s Amore” by Dean Martin. The Garfield Movie hits theaters May 24, 2024.
