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, AfterShock announced the historical thriller “The Brother of All Men,” while Mignolaversity took a look at June’s releases.
– DC have posted the results of the second round of the Round Robin contest to determine which series will receive a full run from the publisher. Reaching the semi-finals are “Constantine & The Demon: Vacation from Hell” (written by Frank Allen with art by Nik Virella), “Suicide Squad: Dark” (by Zac Thompson with art by Garry Brown), “Green Lantern: Light at the End of Forever” (by Si Spurrier and Marco Santucci), and “Superboy: The Man of Tomorrow” (Kenny Porter and Jahony Lindsay). These results were recently corrected, as it was discovered that several bot accounts were created for the purpose of influencing the vote. Voting in round three will begin on Tuesday, April 19, at 12:00pm ET.
– Meanwhile, orders for writer Kenny Porter and artist Ricardo López Ortiz’s “The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive” have been cancelled by DC. The book was due out on the 26th of this month, and is set in the cinematic DCEU, specifically between the events of Justice League and the upcoming Flash feature film. Juan Ferreyra, who draws the second issue, states that book was simply delayed “so there won’t be such a gap between the comic and the movie.” The film itself had been delayed from November 4 of this year to June 23, 2023, a decision made well actor Ezra Miller’s recent arrest.
– Manga publishers Shueisha and Shogakukan have opened vertical manga editorial departments, officially entering into the webtoon market. Shueisha have had their offices open since March, with Shogakukan planning to launch this summer with ten planned titles. Kadokawa also has their eyes on the digital market, with plans to release 160 titles this year.
– In other Shueisha-related news, the publisher recently pulled “A Home Life With God ~ We Children Born Into Religion” offline due to “offending a particular religion or group of believers.” While the exact religious group was not mentioned by Shueisha, fringe religious group researcher Yoshirō Fujikura believes it to be notorious “spiritual vaccine” proponents Happy Science, and their political offshoot the Happiness Realization Party. While creator Mariko Kikuchi says she’s grateful for the attempts to protect her, she’s frustrated by the group’s response to the religious themes of the manga, stating, “If it has become so impermissible to depict religion as a theme, then freedom of expression has already eroded to such a degree that it only exists in name.”
– Valiant Entertainment has partnered with Blackstone Publishing to produce novels starring the characters of the Valiant Universe. Shadowman, Eternal Warrior, and Livewire are among the characters set to receive novelizations. “This is a great chance to bring in new readers to the Valiant Universe,” Blackstone’s Director of Media, TV, and Film Brendan Deneen said of the partnership, “while also staying true to what makes these characters so iconic in the first place.”
– The Cartoon Museum and British Cartoonists’ Association revealed the winners of the Young Cartoonist of the Year competition this Tuesday. Of the over 150 submissions, 13-year-old Rohan Rooney from Trim in County Meath, Ireland took the under-18s category for this illustration, while 22-year-old Cara Grainger from Stoke-on-Trent took the under-30s category for her strip satirizing cuts to art funding. Nine-year-old Bianca Hsu from London took the Woodcock prize for her drawing of a cat leaping for sausage. The winners will be presented with a certificate and cash prize at the Cartoon Museum in London this May. Their work, along with the runners up, will be exhibited there as well.
– Young Star Wars fans can learn to care for young Wookiees and Gungans in a new animated micro series. Star Wars Galactic Pals follows Galactic Society of Creature Enthusiasts member M1-RE (“Miree”), as she cares for younglings from the various planets in the Star Wars galaxy. The first two episodes are available now on StarWarsKids.com, and you can watch the official trailer here.
– Finally, comedian Gilbert Gottfried passed away suddenly at the age of 67. Per his friend and publicist Glenn Schwartz, Gottfried died from myotonic dystrophy type II, a rare genetic muscle disease that can cause an abnormal heartbeat. Known for his trademark voice, Superman: The Animated Series fans will recognize him best as the voice of the fifth dimensional imp Mr. Mxyzptlk. He is survived by his wife and two children.
