This article has been updated since its publication.
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, Marvel Comics unveiled the ‘Reign of X’ “X-Men” relaunch, and “Aspara Engine” won the Los Angeles Times Graphic Novel/Comics Book Prize.
– A new “Mouse Guard” one-shot, called “The Owlhen Caregiver,” from series creator David Petersen was announced via The Beat by BOOM! Studios. The one-shot will contain three stories: ‘The Owlhen Caregiver,’ ‘Piper the Listener,’ and ‘The Wild Wolf.’ The first will see a young mouse learn the virtues of compassion and kindness; the second will chronicle a mouse called Piper on an adventure to learn about the tongues of other beasts; and the final will see an experienced wolf sharing a lesson about overreaching. “Mouse Guard: The Owlhen Caregiver” is scheduled to be published via BOOM!’s Archaia imprint in July.
– Writer Terry Blas announced that he will be reuniting with “Hotel Dark” artist Claudia Aguirre at Abrams Books for a YA graphic novel called “Lifetime Passes.” The dark comedy will follow sixteen-year-old Jackie Chavez, after she finds out that her Tía Gina, who she works alongside at Valley Care Living seniors’ home, can no longer afford a season pass for Kingdom Adventure, their local amusement park. This news comes shortly after Jackie’s parents have been deported back to Mexico. Together with three of her friends, Jackie will set out to bring one of the seniors to the park, in an attempt to take advantage of the park’s policy that if someone dies in the park, their party gets lifetime passes. “Lifetime Passes” is set for release on October 5.
– Marvel Comics revealed, via press release, that writer Mohale Mashigo and artist Natacha Bustos will introduce the Captain America of Harrisburg in “The United States of Captain America” #2. The individual under the suit in Harrisburg will be Nichelle Wright, a Black woman, who Mashigo described as “working day and night to bring change into a world where she feels defeated,” only to then be framed as the thief who has stolen the shield. Mashigo and Bustos’s story will support Christopher Cantwell and Dale Eaglesham’s main arc in the five-part miniseries, and follows in the wake of the introduction of Aaron Fischer, the first openly gay individual to hold the Captain America moniker, by Josh Trujillo and Jan Bazaldua in #1. “The United States of Captain America” #2 is set for release in July.
– A non-profit publishing venture by artist and publisher Luke Kruger-Howard called GOES BOOKS has launched with the release of Kruger-Howard’s “GOES,” which is themed around “touch.” On the venture’s website, GOES BOOKS is described as an “experiment” to create “a relationship between artist and reader” without money becoming a factor; as a result, GOES will be giving away their books for free, with any money received being used to provide other readers with copies of their releases. Any further money will be donated to charity, starting with RAICES, the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services. You can order a copy of “GOES” for free, or pay to send a copy to a friend now.
– Dark Horse announced they will be reprinting the “Halo Graphic Novel” in August. Marvel Comics first published the graphic novel in 2006 as part of a deal with the video game’s developer, Bungie, but the publishing rights have been with Dark Horse since 2013, after they partnered with the video game series’ current developers, 343 Industries. The collection includes four stories: ‘The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor’ by Simon Bisley and Lee Hammock; ‘Breaking Quarantine’ by Tsutomu Nihei; ‘Armor Testing’ from the creative team of Ed Lee, Andrew Robinson, and Jay Faerber; and Brett Lewis and Moebius’s ‘Second Sunrise Over New Mombasa.’ The new edition of the “Halo Graphic Novel” is scheduled for August 11.
– Heather Antos revealed she is leaving her position of Senior Editor at Valiant Comics to work at IDW Publishing, where she will edit their Star Wars and Marvel lines. (Antos previously worked at Marvel, editing books like “Star Wars: Thrawn.”) Along with the announcement, Antos praised her “amazing team,” the talent she got to work with for series such as “Shadowman,” “Livewire,” and “X-O Manowar,” and the fans. Antos’s final day for Valiant was April 16, with her starting date for IDW not known.
Continued below– Publishers Weekly reported on the news that Disney Publishing will be releasing adult books through their new imprint, Hyperion Avenue. Buried in the article comes word of a Disney Hyperion series called ‘Disney Remix,’ which will adapt live-action Disney films into graphic novels. The first of these will be “Operation Parent Trap” by Victoria Jamieson (“When Stars Are Scattered”), a release date for which has not been announced. You can see the full number of acquisitions here.
In further Disney-related publishing news, a cover for the upcoming “Disney Cruella: The Manga: Black, White and Red” by Hachi Ishie at VIZ Media was revealed. The manga will adapt the upcoming live-action origin story film, Cruella, which will see Emma Stone portray the journey of Cruella de Vil from an aspiring fashion designer, to a Dalmatian fur-obsessed criminal. Cruella is set to debut in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access on May 28, with the manga adaptation set to follow on September 2. To see the cover, head over to VIZ’s Twitter.
– Netflix’s adaptation of the “Hilda” comic book series by Luke Pearson, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and two Star Wars series won at the 48th Annual Annie Awards. Overall, Hilda won three awards, for Best Character Animation – TV/Media, Best TV/Media – Children, and Best Editorial – TV/Media for “Chapter Nine: The Deerfox.” The Mandalorian won Best Character Animation – Live Action, while Star Wars: The Clone Wars won Best Music – TV/Media for its season seven finale, “Victory and Death.” Finally, Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales won in the Best Character Animation – Video Game category. The full list of winners is available here.
– Finally, director Ryan Coogler explained his decision to keep the production of Black Panther II in Atlanta, Georgia, despite the state passing SB202. The bill, which makes many changes to the state’s election laws, has prompted many filmmakers to move production and boycott the state, but Coogler described that many of the “local vendors and businesses” that will be employed and involved with Black Panther II will be the same individuals who will “will bear the brunt of SB202.” For this reason, he has taken the decision not to boycott the state, and will instead be “using [his] voice to emphasize the effects of SB202, its shameful roots in Jim Crow, and doing all [he] can to support organizations fighting voter suppression… in the state.” Black Panther II is scheduled to begin filming in July, with the film scheduled for release on July 8, 2022. You can read Coogler’s full statement here.
