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, MAD Magazine cartoonist Al Jaffee died on Monday, April 10, at the age of 102. Plus, Marvel Studios have released the first trailer for The Marvels.
– Via The Outer Haven, Oni Press have announced “UTown,” a graphic novel from cartoonist CAB. Touted as the “defenitive edition” of the popular webcomic, the book is set in pre-gentrification Montreal and follows Sam, a struggling artist in his late 20s. Sam is torn between the inequality he sees around the city he loves, and the cultural apathy of the ’90s. When the gentrification begins, Sam decides to step it up so he can finally be taken seriously as an artist. “UTown” will be available July 5, 2023.
– DC have announced “Harley Quinn: Black + White + Redder!” A sequel to the 2020 anthology “Harley Quinn: Black + White + Red,” it will feature stories by Chip Zdarsky and Kevin Maguire, Leah Williams and Natacha Bustos, and Paul Scheer, Nick Giovannetti, and Tom Reilly. The debut issue of the six-issue limited series will feature a main cover by Bruno Redondo, and variants by Stanley “Artgerm” Lau, Guillem March, Tom Reilly, and Kevin Maguire. “Harley Quinn: Black + White + Redder!” #1 will be available in July.
– Image and Skybound have announced the return of Robert Kirkman and Chris Samnee’s “Fire Power.” The duo, joined by colorist Matthew Wilson and letterer Rus Wooton, will kick off a fifth arc with issue #25 after being on hiatus since October. In a special oversized issue, Owen Johnson is still reeling from the events of issue #24, unable to let go of the past after finding out who killed his parents. “Fire Power” #25 will be available on July 26, 2023.
– The official Doctor Who Twitter account announced a new release date, and released new cover art for Dan Slott, Chrisopher Jones and Matthew Dow Smith’s “Doctor Who: Once Upon a Time Lord.” Previously announced as “Doctor Who: Special” from Titan Comics, the 64-page comic book was first delayed until Summer 2023, and has been pushed back once again until the fall. The story sees Martha Jones get captured by the Pyromeths, and it’s up to the Tenth Doctor to save her. “Doctor Who: Once Upon a Time Lord” will be available October 10, 2023.
– Via ICv2, Fantographics announced two new graphic novels. First, Simon Hanselmann teams up with Josh Pettinger for “Werewolf Jones & Sons Deluxe Summer Fun Annual,” a parody of hardcover annuals that were a staple of British comics. It will be available July 18, 2023. Also announced was Bill Griffith’s “The Buildings Are Barking: Diane Noomin In Memoriam,” a tribute to Griffith’s late wife who died last year. The couple met during the 1970s in the underground comix scene, and were married for 49 years. The comic will be available on July 19, 2023.
– ICv2 also revealed Candlewick Press’s Fall 2023 graphic novel releases. These include “How to Love: A Guide to Feelings & Relationships for Everyone” by Alex Norris, the creator of “Webcomic Name,” a 224-page book of advice aimed at readers aged 14 and up. It will be released on November 14. Also announced was “Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass,” an adaptation of Meg Medina’s bestseller drawn by Mel Valentine Vargas, out September 5, and “One in a Million,” a memoir by Claire Lordon about her battle in high school with symptoms of what turned out to be a brain tumor, out October 10.
– Via Space.com, Titan Books and Penguin Random House have announced Annihilation: Conquest, a novel based on the Marvel crossover event of the same name, written and overseen by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. The novel is written by Brendan Deneen and follows the Guardians of the Galaxy as they form alliances throughout Marvel’s cosmic side to face the Phalanx, now led by Ultron. Annihilation: Conquest will be released on June 27, 2023.
– Finally, Substack is reportedly in financial trouble after Twitter heavily restricted access to links on user account pages. In a statement, the company stated “We’re disappointed that Twitter has chosen to restrict writers’ ability to share their work. Writers deserve the freedom to share links to Substack or anywhere else.” CEO Chris Best also made the dispute public after Elon Musk made disparaging remarks regarding the recently released “Twitter Files.” Substack makes money from a 10% cut on user subscriptions and has cumulatively paid out $300 million to writers, with only $9 million in revenue. As such, the company’s valuation has decreased by 10%. Stay tuned for more on this developing story.
