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 said goodbye to “Earth X” and “Static” artist John Paul Leon, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 49.
– The Hollywood Reporter released an exclusive preview of Jeff Parker and Javier Pulido’s relaunch of “Ninjak.” Originally announced last year, the first story arc will see the secrets of the title hero Colin King exposed, and international crime syndicates on his trail. “Colin King’s new challenge takes him all over the world and I think we’re all ready to experience that,” Parker says of the project. “If not while fighting legendary hitmen and enhanced combatants.” The first issue will be released on July 1.
– “Watchmen” and “V for Vendetta” scribe Alan Moore has signed a publishing deal with UK publisher Bloomsbury to produce a five-volume fantasy novel series, and one collection of short fiction. Illuminations, the collection of short fiction, will be available in 2022. The quintet of fantasy novels will be titled Long London, and according to the official synopsis, will tell “the story of the timeless shadow city full of magic and memory somewhere beyond the ‘real London.’” The first book in the series will hit shelves in 2024.
– Netflix series Tuca & Bertie has found a new home on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim block. “We’re so excited to be on Adult Swim!” creator Lisa Hanawalt said of the series. “I can’t wait for the world to see our girls Tuca and Bertie — and our main man Speckle — getting into some fresh nonsense this season.” The ten-part second season premieres on June 13. While the first season will remain on Netflix, this new season will be exclusive to Adult Swim.
– TKO Studios has posted two teasers on Twitter, with promises of “more info soon.” The first is for a horror project from writer/artist Kelly Williams, while the other is for a book by writer Alex Paknadel and artist Ian MacEwan. As of this writing, neither have confirmed titles, or plot details outside of the tweeted teaser images.
– The CW has renewed both Stargirl and Kung Fu, granting them a third and second season respectively. The Kung Fu announcement comes only a month after the ’70s reboot premiered on the network. “We are beyond proud to continue to share the stories of Nicky Shen and Courtney Whitmore,” CW chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz said of the renewals. “Two strong, powerful young women at the center of this new generation of hit shows for The CW in Kung Fu and DC’s Stargirl.”
– The Annecy Festival revealed the works in progress that will be screened during its annual Work in Progress sessions, showing “the very depths of their creative process of the most inspiring future animated work.” The full list of presentations includes Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles, the animated adaptation of Stan Sakai’s legendary series “Usagi Yojimbo.”
– Marvel Studios revealed the names and release dates of several upcoming films in a mega-trailer titled Marvel Studios Celebrates The Movies. The trailer opens with narration from the late Stan Lee over highlights from the various MCU installments, before cutting to scenes from the upcoming Black Widow (releasing July 9, 2021) and the first footage from Eternals (November 5, 2021). Official titles and dates were announced for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (July 8, 2022), The Marvels (previously Captain Marvel 2, November 11, 2022) and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (Feb 17, 2023). The trailer ends with Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3‘s release date (May 5, 2023), and the previously revealed Fantastic Four logo.
– Demon Slayer – Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train hit #1 at the North American box office last weekend, earning US$6,412,933 and edging Mortal Kombat out of the top spot. Demon Slayer is the first anime to top the box office since Pokémon: The First Movie more than two decades ago, making it only the second Japanese film to top the American box office. Last year, Demon Slayer became the highest grossing film of all time in Japan, beating Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away.
– Pennyworth may be coming to HBO Max. Rumors suggest that the spy thriller’s first two seasons, which originally aired on the Epix network, will be hosted on the streaming service. The same rumors suggest that the series’s third season will air on HBO Max first, with Epix getting second window rights. Neither Epix or HBO have commented.
– Lastly, in honor of May the 4th, Disney+ has premiered a new series, a new Simpsons short, and two Star Wars “cinematic experiences.” The series is long awaited Clone Wars spin-off The Bad Batch, which follows Clone Force 99 during the rise of the Galactic Empire. It goes up alongside Star Wars Biomes and Star Wars Vehicle Flythroughs, respectively exploring both the planets and vehicles of the franchise. Completing the quartet of new additions to the streaming service is Maggie Simpson in The Force Awakens From Its Nap, in which the youngest Simpson goes on an epic quest to find her lost pacifier, meeting “young Padawans, Sith Lords, familiar droids, and Rebel scum” along the way. All are available on Disney+ as of today.
