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, we have an exclusive preview of next week’s “Star Wars: Darth Vader” #46.
– Dark Horse will release “The Legend of Luther Arkwright” in hardcover. From creator Bryan Talbot, the series follows the title psychic and multiversal traveler as he is pursued by a “far superior adversary” across various alternate realities. The character first appeared in “Brainstorm Comix” in 1978, and his series has been praised by writers like Grant Morrison, Alan Moore and Garth Ennis as “the great watershed in British comics history,” ambitious in its complexity and scope, and as “one of the all-time great epics of the medium.” The new book was originally supposed to be released in February of last year, and got a UK release in 2022. It will now be available in comics shops on November 12, 2024, and bookstores the following day.
– “Bad Machinery” and “Giant Days” creator John Allison has received a cease-and-desist from Conan Properties International regarding “Conan: The Blood Egg,” a webcomic starring the iconic barbarian and the cast of “Bad Machinery.” While Conan is pubic domain in the UK, where Allison is based, the online nature of the strip means it’s subject to copyright laws wherever it is read, and Conan will not be public domain in the United States until 2028. Similarly, “Warrior Nun Areala” creator Ben Dunn received a C&D from Red Sonja LLC of Encinitas California regarding his adult sword-and-sorcery parody “Blue Sonja.” Dunn has since renamed the character “Kendra: Sell Sword,” and altered her design.
– Scholastic Canada will be adapting four of its classic middle-grade Haunted Canada books into a graphic novel anthology. “Haunted Canada: The Graphic Novel, Vol 1” will adapt Rotting In a Cage, Mandy Lives, Isle of Demons, and Don’t Get Caught. Each one will be rendered in a unique art style by Canadian artists Hannah Barrett, David Bishop, Matt Salisbury, and Jenn Woodall, and they will be scripted by current series writer Joel A. Sutherland. “Haunted Canada: The Graphic Novel, Vol 1” hits shelves September 3, 2024.
– In honor of both Mother’s Day and Star Wars, a new Disney+ short film, The Simpsons: May the 12th Be With You, will see Marge Simpson team up with Chewbacca. It debuts on the streamer on May 10. According to the official announcement, the short will be “an epic galactic adventure filled with heroes, villains, and a surprising old friend.” This will be the third Star Wars-themed Simpsons short, following 2023’s Rogue Not Quite One, and 2021’s The Force Awakens From Its Nap.
– Paul Walter Hauser has been cast in an unannounced role in Marvel Studios’s The Fantastic Four. This continues a spate of roles recently landed by Hauser, who in the past week was cast in the upcoming Naked Gun reboot, and as comedy legend Chris Farley in an authorized biopic from New Line Cinema and director Josh Gad. He has recently claimed Emmy, Critics Choice, and Golden Globe wins for his portrayal of Larry Hall in the Apple crime drama Black Bird. Marvel’s The Fantastic Four starts shooting this summer, for a projected July 25, 2025 release date.
– After the success of licensed properties Baldur’s Gate 3 and Monopoly Go, Hasbro is investing in game development internally. According Dan Ayoub, digital product development head for Hasbro subsidiary Wizard of the Coast, the company is investing $1 billion across four companies. Raleigh, North Carolina’s Atomic Arcade has been developing a G.I. Joe/Snake Eyes game since last year; Montreal-based Invoke Studios is developing a new Dungeons & Dragons game; Skeleton Key, based out of Austin, Texas, is working on (according to Ayoub) “something spooky;” and Archetype, also based out of Austin, is working on a project titled Exodus, with Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic lead designer James Ohlen.
– Finally, Gold House have released their annual A100 list, honoring the Asian and Pacific Island people who had the most impact on the world in the past year. Included on this year’s list are Avatar: The Last Airbender showrunner Albert Kim and stars Gordon Cormier & Dallas Liu; One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda, executive producer Steven Maeda, and actor Mackenyu; Hayao Miyazaki; Keanu Reeves; and SAG-AFTRA and the WGA. Ahsoka‘s Natasha Liu Bordizzo received a New Gold Honor, recognizing “rising leaders who will redefine canon for the Asian Pacific community,” while Lucy Liu was named a Gold Legend, and Jason Momoa and James Wan were inducted into the Gold House Hall of Fame. To check out all of this year’s honorees, head to the link.
