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, check out our exclusive preview of ”Extreme Venomverse” #1.
– Titan Comics will release “Disenchantment: Untold Tales Volume 1” on September 19 of this year. Based on the animated Netflix fantasy series created by Matt Groening, the book will be the first of three collecting over 500 pages of never-before-seen content, including 17 unreleased issues of the comics series, and 2019’s San Diego Comic-Con exclusives. The comics were originally meant to be released by Groening’s publishing company Bapper Comics, a successor to Bongo Comics that has also become defunct. You can read our original coverage of the comic here.
– Dark Horse and T-Pub unveiled “The Many Deaths of Barnaby James,” the first original graphic novel in their newly formed partnership. The book follows a young gravedigger who’s forced into a bizarre circus, where all the performers were brought back from the dead, and his attempts to resurrect his lost love. It was written by Brian Nathanson and Neil Gibson, with Piotr Kowalski providing art and Brad Simpson on colors. Saida Temofonte contributes letters and design work. Gale Anne Hurd’s Valhalla Entertainment is also involved with the project, with company president Phillip Kobylanski assisting in development of the book. The companies are working on producing a screen adaptation of the story as well. “The Many Deaths of Barnaby James” is due in bookstores on December 12, and will hit comics shops the following day.
– ReedPop Vice President Mike Armstrong has stepped down from the company after 15 years. During his tenure in the company, Armstrong served as Event Director for multiple ReedPop conventions (such as New York Comic Con, C2E2, and Emerald City Comic Con), and help found comic news outlet The Popverse. He was promoted to the VP position in 2018, and oversaw partnered events such as Star Wars Celebration, Star Trek Missions, and Magic Con. “The thing I’ll miss the most is the Sunday 6:30PM post-show hugs, high-fives, and beers that signaled the end of another successful show,” Armstrong wrote on Facebook. “There’s no better feeling.”
– At this year’s Star Wars Celebration, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy confirmed three new films are in the works. As for when the films plan to release, a newly released Empire interview reveals Kennedy is citing the James Bond films as a reference. “That’s every three or four years and there wasn’t this pressure to feel like you had to have a movie every year,” she says. “I feel that was very important to Star Wars. We have to eventise this.” As for the projects is development, Logan director James Mangold is on board for a film about the first Jedi and the discovery of the Force 25,000 years before the original film, while Dave Filoni is attached to a Mandalorian-related feature, and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is set to direct a film following Rey Skywalker (a returning Daisy Ridley) 15 years after Rise of Skywalker, as she sets out to build a new Jedi Order. The soonest these films are expected is 2025. According to Kennedy, “We’re going to make these movies when they’re ready to be made, and release them when they’re ready to be released.”
– Marvel Unlimited subscribers can check out the first part of a four-issue Infinity Comic story. “Guardians of the Galaxy: The Jewel of Death” follows the ragtag space heroes as they must steal the title gem for the Kree Empire, and steal it from Ego the Living Planet. The comic was written by Christos Gage with Gang Hyuk Lim providing art, and was originally published in Korean during the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 in 2017.
– In a move reminiscent of ‘Batman: A Death in the Family,’ readers will be able to vote on the fate of Radiant Black. The final page of “Radiant Back” #24 features a QR code, directing fans to an online poll, allowing them to vote on whether Nathan or Marshall will take on the title mantle. Polling will remain open until June 2. The decision comes just before the ‘Cataclysm War’ arc kicks off with issue #25. Issue #24, from creators Kyle Higgins, Marcelo Costa, Igor Monti, and Becca Carey, is in stores now.
– Vault Comics announced plans for their second annual Pride Charity Auction. The publisher will again partner with Gatecrashers, with all proceeds going to Trans Lifeline. Patton Oswalt, Jordan Blum, Tim Seeley, and Sally Cantirino are among creators who have donated items to be auctioned. Any other creators who wish to donate to the auction have been asked to contact Vault’s Daniel Crary via his email (daniel.crary[at]vaultcomics.com). The event will air on June 28 at 5pm EST/2pm PST, and can be streamed via WhatNot.
