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, My Chemical Romance’s Mikey Way announced the new comic “Electric Century” with Shaun Simon and Toby Cypress.
– Scholastic’s Graphix imprint is launching a graphic novel series for the Italian children’s series Geronimo Stilton. Via ICv2, the series will kick off with “The Sewer Rat Stink,” an adaptation of a Geronimo Stilton story by writer Elisabetta Dami that has never been published in the US. Artist Tom Angleberger will be taking on art duties for the project, bringing a new, cartoony look to the character. “The Sewer Rat Stink” follows Geronimo and his detective friend Hercule as they go underground, exploring the sewers of Mouse Island, to ferret out the source of an objectionable odor that has been discomfiting the residents of New Mouse City. “The Sewer Rat Stink” will hit shelves on May 6.
– Actor and comedian Paul Scheer is teaming up with Marvel to host a new digital book club. Via Marvel.com, Marvel Presents: The World’s Greatest Book Club with Paul Scheer will see Scheer joined by an all-star list of guests, including his frequent collaborator Jason Mantzoukas, as well as other celebrities like Damon Lindelof, Gillian Jacobs, W. Kamau Bell, Phil Lord, and Yassir Lester. In addition to highlighting his guests’ favorite titles, storylines, and characters, Scheer’s show will also shine a light on local comic shops, identifying their favorite places to buy comics, and tracing how each of them came to join the comic book community. “These small businesses have been there for us all these years, so we all thought it’s important that we be there for them,” Scheer said. New episodes will be available every Thursday on YouTube and Marvel.com, and the first episode is available now.
– The digital media service Hoopla is introducing a new Graphic Novel Book Club. The service, which is available for free in the US and Canada to those with a library card, revealed that the first Spotlight Selection for the club will be Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona’s “Runaways Vol. 1: Pride and Joy.” Readers can follow along with the book club using the hashtag #hooplaGNBC, and you can find four additional recommendations for both teenage and adult readers here.
– Artist Mike Perkins (“Lois Lane”) has announced on Facebook that he has signed a new, three-year exclusive contract with DC Comics. Via Newsarama, the deal marks a renewal of his previous two-year contract. “I’ve already started on my next book and it’s something I’ve been hoping for from before I ever became a professional,” Perkins teased in his post.
– The animated film Superman: Man of Tomorrow has announced its voice cast. Via Entertainment Weekly, actor Darren Criss will voice the titular hero in the film, which will see a young Clark Kent interning at the Daily Planet, and figuring out how to be a hero. The cast will also feature Zachary Quinto as Lex Luthor, Alexandra Daddario as Lois Lane, Ryan Hurst as Lobo, Brett Dalton as Parasite, Ike Amadi as Martian Manhunter, and Neil Flynn and Bellamy Young as Jonathan and Martha Kent. Superman: Man of Tomorrow is set for release on digital platforms and physical media sometime this summer.
– From The Hollywood Reporter, the Indonesian superhero film Gundala will be receiving a US release courtesy of distributor Well Go USA. The film, which saw its international premiere during Midnight Madness at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019, is based on the popular Indonesian comics series of the same name. Written and directed by Joko Anwar, the film follows Sancaka, a young orphan boy growing up in Jakarta, who gains supernatural powers after being struck by lightning. As an adult, Gundala uses his powers to battle Pengkor, a ruthless disfigured mob boss who controls an army of orphan assassins. The film is set for release on July 28.
– Disney and Marvel have announced they will begin selling reusable cloth masks during the coronavirus crisis. All profits from US sales of the masks — which will feature characters from Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and more — will be donated to MedShare, a nonprofit that distributes medical supplies to those in need. Disney also pledged to donate 1 million of the masks to MedShare for distribution. The masks are currently available to order at ShopDisney.com.
– Via ICv2, new comics displays will be going up in Walmart locations starting next week. The displays are the result of a partnership between Walmart and new comic publisher Allegiance Arts and Entertainment. Four middle grade titles will be placed on displays at the end of the aisles in 3,384 Walmart stores — nearly 70% of the chain’s locations. “The bet is that there’s a large, underserved market of fans that would be readers of comic books but they just don’t typically have access to them, or at least convenient access to them,” said Mitch Breitweiser, comics artist and co-founder of Allegiance. The four titles — “Norah’s Saga,” “The Futurists,” “Bass Reeves,” and “Red Rooster: Golden Age” — were all crowdfunded through Indiegogo, although “Red Rooster,” which was funded in 2018, has not yet been distributed to backers. The displays are set to go up in stores beginning Tuesday, May 5.
– From Newsarama, the Comic Book Certification Service (CBCS) has announced a new “Graded Comic Book Census Report.” The report aims to provide more accurate information that will allow collectors to see how their graded comics rank among other comics of the same title and issue. “The information in the CBCS graded population report is critical for those collectors who want to know if the book they have or want to buy is among the best in those graded by CBCS,” the organization said in their announcement. Registered CBCS members can view the new report at www.cbcscomics.com.
