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, Mignolaversity looked back on “Panya: The Mummy’s Curse” with writer Chris Roberson.
– Mad Cave have announced “The Mushroom Knight” Vol. 2, the second installment of the fantasy graphic novel series by Oliver Bly. According to the official synopsis, “The Mushroom Knight” Vol. 2 “follows the adventures of Gowlitrot the Gardener, a sentient bipedal fungus created by a race of woodland gnomes called Gödels, as he investigates and unearths a deadly conspiracy that reveals the true nature of himself and the devastation humans have wrought upon the global biosystem that he has sworn to protect.” You can check out some preview pages here. “The Mushroom Knight” Vol. 2 will be released on November 5, 2024, while the first volume is available now.
– Last week’s Publishers Weekly children’s rights report included three graphic novel deals. First Second have attained world rights to “Tripping Over You,” written by Owen White and illustrated by Suzana Harcum. Adapted from the webcomic of the same name, the graphic novel follows the secret romance between energetic Milo and his withdrawn classmate Liam. The first of three volumes will be published in 2025.
First Second have also acquired “The Crow Princess,” a middle-grade graphic novel by Vivian Zhou. Described as a modern day fairy tale, the story follows a young girl who rescues an injured crow, who is actually the daughter of the crow god. The book is slated to be published in 2027.
Finally, Tundra has bought “Fantastic Frog and the Amazing Tad Lad,” a middle-grade graphic novel series from writer/illustrator Brandon Reese. The book follows two genetically engineered amphibians who must protect their polluted swamp. “Fantastic Frog and the Amazing Tad Lad” is set for publication in Summer 2025, with a second book set to follow in Spring 2026.
– The Believer has published an autobiographical comic entitled “I Was a Teenage Letterhack!,” written by comics journalist George Gene Gustines, with art by Tony Wolf, and colors by Christian Meesey. The story details how Gustines got into writing about comics, explaining that he wrote 40+ letters to comics letter columns between 1987-2019. Gustines also explains how through letter columns, he was able to become comfortable with his sexuality, coming out to readers before coming out to his parents. You can read the comic here.
– Via The Bookseller, Penguin’s British imprint Puffin have unveiled the logo for their new comics imprint Puffin Graphics, which is aimed at readers aged 6+. Editorial director Naomi Colthurst will lead the imprint. Additionally, Puffin Graphics have already secured rights to three titles: “Unfairies” by Huw Aaron, “Into The Void” by Meggie Johnson, and “The Far-Out Five” by Olaf Falafel. “Unfairies” will be published first in 2025. You can check out Puffin Graphics’s logo here.
– Via Marketing Dive, Marvel have announced a collaboration with Coca-Cola, called Coca-Cola x Marvel: The Heroes. The campaign will feature a line of exclusive cans and bottles of Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar products, that feature more than 30 characters in red, white and black tones. Furthermore, each can comes with a scannable code that will recreate each character in an AR experience. The cans will be available in 50 countries, and feature prizes ranging from movie tickets and memorabilia, to Disney+ subscriptions and Disney Cruise experiences. You can check out a promo here.
