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, writer Jed MacKay and artist Alessandro Cappuccio will launch a new Moon Knight series this July.
– Ben Templesmith unveiled “Urnakk Black Blood” on his Twitter, a free comic to be released in four-page increments every Monday on his Instagram. “’Urnakk Black Blood’ will be me having fun with Conan, just without Conan,” Templesmith says of the new series. “Because while Conan is technically public domain, there’s still lots of grubby money men that like to make life hard doing him.” Much of the story is already available on his Patreon, including exclusive process work.
– Bridgerton actor Regé-Jean Page responded to allegations that former Warner Bros. executive Geoff Johns rejected Page for the role of Sag-El on Syfy’s Krypton, due to the actor’s race. Sag-El was the father of Jor-El on the series, and grandfather of Kal-El/Superman. Johns allegedly did not believe an actor of color could portray the character, due to preconceived notions about Superman’s ethnicity. “Hearing about these conversations hurts no less now than it did back then,” Page said of the news. “The clarifications almost hurt more [to be honest]. Still just doing my thing. Still we do the work. We still fly.”
– Issue #3 of “Friday” is now available from Panel Syndicate, the pay-what-you-can digital outlet announced on Twitter. With a creative team that includes Ed Brubaker, Marcos Martin, and Muntsa Vicente, issue #3 ends the first arc of the occult mystery series, which sees the title character (with her childhood friend Lance) navigate the worst snowstorm to hit their New England hometown in years. All three issues can be purchased on Panel Syndicate’s website.
– Neftlfix has released the first trailer for the Mark Millar/Frank Quitely adaptation Jupiter’s Legacy. The trailer gives us our first look at 1930s hero The Utopian (Josh Duhamel), and his relationship with his superpowered children Brandon (Andrew Horton) and Chloe (Elena Kampouris). The eight-episode first season will premiere exclusively on Netflix on May 7.
– Season 2 of Batwoman will premiere in the UK on Sunday, April 18 on E4. Season 2 debuts Javicia Leslie as Ryan Wilder, who takes over as the title hero when Kate Kane (Ruby Rose) mysteriously vanishes. Rose, the original series lead, left the show after the first season, and the role was recast with Wallis Day.
– John Allison announced several pieces of “Steeple” news, the first being the two-part story ‘Author Unknown,’ a crossover featuring “Bad Machinery” protagonist Charlotte Grote, starting this Monday. The story will be serialized over the course of 14 weeks on the “Steeple” website, though subscribers to his Patreon can read the first issue in full. This will be followed by a four-part “Season Three” going into 2022. In addition to this announcement, Allison also revealed that last year’s stories ‘The Silvery Moon’ and ‘Secret Sentai’ will be collected as “Steeple Volume Two,” and given a physical release from Dark Horse. The collected volume will feature new pages, a sketchbook section, and a new cover from Max Sarin (“Giant Days”). “Volume Two” will be available in comic shops on August 4, and bookstores on August 17.
– Arizona State University’s School of Transborder Studies has welcomed award-winning political cartoonist Lalo Alcaraz as their new artist in residency. “[Alcaraz’s] background and years of advocacy for Latino and immigrant communities are a testament to his cross-border connections,” director and professor Irasema Coronado said of the new residency. Alcaraz is the first virtual artist to be offered a residency at the school, and has already announced several projects he will be taking part in. These include addressing ways to end COVID-19 misinformation in the Latino community (with assistant professor Gilberto Lopez), and a lecture titled “Cartoons that Cross the Line” addressing immigration.
– “Empyre,” “Lords of Empyre: Emperor Hulkling,” and “Empyre: Aftermath Avengers” have been honored by the GLAAD Media Awards. The three series, and their creators, were honored with the Outstanding Comic Book award, beating out such titles as “Juliet Takes a Breath” and “Wynd.” Writers Al Ewing, Anthony Oliveira, and Dan Slott accepted the award via Zoom. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power also tied with Australian series First Day for Outstanding Kids & Family Programming: you can watch Noelle Stevenson’s acceptance speech here. The full ceremony will air tonight on the organization’s YouTube channel at 8pm ET.
– Finally, Inventing Anna and Red Oaks star James Cusati-Moyer has been added to the cast of DC/New Line Cinema’s Black Adam. Moyer’s role has not been confirmed, though the announcement comes as the star was nominated for a Tony Award for his role in Jeremy O. Harris’s Slave Play. Black Adam hits theaters on July 29, 2022.
