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 Comics announced “Campisi: The Dragon Incident” by James Patrick and Marco Locati. We also interviewed “Batman/Superman” artist Ivan Reis, and have an exclusive preview of today’s “Witchblood” #2.
– Oni-Lion Forge and IDW have announced a new hardcover edition with “Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons Deluxe Edition.” The collection contains “Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons,” and “Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons II.” Both books were written by Jim Zub with art by Troy Little, and the collections feature additional work by Patrick Rothfuss, Leonardo Ito, Robbie Robins, and CRANK! Also included will be a new story by Zub and Little starring Mr. Meeseeks. In addition to the standard edition of the book, there will be a limited edition available with an alternate cover by Max Dunbar, which will be signed by both Jim Zub and Patrick Rothfuss. Both hardcovers will be available August 4, roughly three years after the initial crossover between “Rick and Morty” and “Dungeons & Dragons.”
– DC Super Hero Girls and Teen Titans GO! will be teaming up in a special crossover episode on May 31. The hour-long episode, titled “Space House,” will air on Cartoon Network, and feature the first extensive team-up between the two franchises. Fans of Teen Titans GO! might remember that the DC Super Hero Girls had a cameo on a previous episode, “Superhero Feud.” This new special will follow both sets of heroes after they get transported to the titular Space House, and have to find a way home. This episode will also set up the new season of DC Super Hero Girls, which starts on June 6.
– Variety reports that the Ironheart series at Disney+ has found its head writer. Chinaka Hodge, known for her work on the Apple series Amazing Stories and TNT’s Snowpiercer, will be working on the show. The series is set to star Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams AKA Ironheart, a brilliant teenage hero who creates an advanced superhero armor in the same style as Iron Man. In addition to her background in television, Hodge is a known poet and has published two collections, For Girls with Hips: Collected Poems and Writings and Dated Emcees. She has also worked as a playwright.
– A historic edition of the original “Star Wars” #1 will be put up for auction this week. The book has been rated as a 9.6 by the CGC Signature Series, and features the signatures of stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels, and Kenny Baker. The book has an opening bid of $15,000 and is a sure to go for much higher by the time it finishes. Similar CGC signed editions of “Star Wars” #1 are listed for upwards of $20,000 on eBay as of the time of this writing. The auction will begin on April 29 and is being held by Nate D. Sanders Auctions.
– Heavy Metal Magazine has partnered with Range Media Partners in an effort to bring the famed magazine’s library of character to television and film. The partnership will involve Heavy Metal’s newly appointed President and Head of Studio, Tommy Coriale, who will spearhead the launch of the company’s film and television divisions. Heavy Metal famously produced their own self-funded movie in 1981, Heavy Metal, which went on to gain cult classic status, and helped inform the work of many sci-fi and fantasy writers. At the head of Heavy Metal’s catalogue of characters is Taarna, who recently received a new comic book series.
– TKO Presents has announced a trio of YA graphic novels available for fans and stores to pre-order off of their website. The first book is an all-new original graphic novel titled “Djeliya,” from French-Senegalese creator Juni Ba. It follows Prince Mansour and his royal storyteller Awa, as they go off on a journey to find a frightening power with the power to destroy the world. The second and third books are “Scales and Scoundrels” Volumes 1 & 2 by Sebastian Girner and Galaad. The series was previously published by Image Comics, but these new editions are exclusive to TKO, and feature reworked art and over 250+ additional original pages of story.
Continued below– Netflix will be bringing the two-part anime film Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal: The Movie to their service on June 3. The film is based on the “Sailor Moon” manga and adapts the ‘Dream’ arc, showcasing the blossoming love between Chibiusa and Helios. The film was previously released in Japan across January and February, but this will be the first time that the features are available to a global audience. This is the latest in the eternally popular “Sailor Moon” franchise, which has stood as one of the most popular manga series of all time since its creation in 1991.
– Viz Media has announced that they are making the first volume of “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” available for free across various digital platforms. Interested fans can take this opportunity to read the series on either comiXology, Google Play, iBooks, Kindle, or Nook. This promotion ties into the release of the anime film Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Mugen Train, which recently broke the record for the most successful anime film of all time, beating out Spirited Away.
– Random House Graphic has picked up the rights to public the YA horror graphic novel “Controlled Burn.” The book is written and drawn by Marie Enger, and follows Sparrow, who knows that something is wrong with their town, their brother, and themselves. The book will be coming out in 2024.
– The debut middle-grade graphic novel of S.J. Sindu and Nabi H. Ali has been picked up by HarperAlley. The book, titled “Shakti,” follows an Indian American girl who unleashes the power of the Hindu goddess Kali Ma on a coven of mean girl witches. It is set to come out in the summer of 2023.
