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 a preview of “Bronze Age Boogie” #2, out today from AHOY Comics.
– Dark Horse announced two new Frozen graphic novels. The first of the two is “Disney Frozen Adventures: Flurries of Fun,” which collects previously released Frozen stories from creators including Alessandro Ferrari (“Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: Shortcuts”), Tea Orsi (“Toy Story”) and Emilio Urbano (“Ducktales”). The second graphic novel is “Disney Frozen YA Retelling,” which sees author Cecil Castellucci (“Soupy Leaves Home”) retell the story of the 2013 film from the first-person perspective of Anna and Elsa. “Disney Frozen Adventures: Flurries of Fun” is scheduled for release on September 3, while “Disney Frozen YA Retelling” is set for release on October 1, shortly before Frozen 2‘s release on November 22, 2019.
– In a press release, DC announced that there are five DC Showcase animation shorts currently in production under their partnership with Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment: Sgt. Rock, Adam Strange, Death, The Phantom Stranger and Batman: Death In The Family.
- Sgt. Rock will see the titular character leading a company of legendary monsters against a platoon of Nazi zombies. Karl Urban (Star Trek) will be providing the voice of Sgt. Rock. The short will be executive produced and directed by Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series), and have a script by comic book writers Louise Simonson & Walter Simonson, and Tim Sheridan (Reign of the Supermen).
- Adam Strange will depict the title character’s origin story, as he struggles to save a town of miners who have opened a fissure into the home of a deadly alien horde. Charlie Weber (How to Get Away With Murder) will be providing the voice for Adam Strange. The story was conceived by the short’s producer and director, Butch Lukic (Batman Unlimited) and will be written by J.M. DeMatteis (Constantine: City of Demons)
- Death is inspired by Neil Gaiman’s “The Sandman” and will see Vincent, an artist struggling with his inner demons, meet a mysterious girl who helps him to come to terms with his creative legacy and eventual death. Leonardo Nam (Westworld) will be providing the voice of Vincent, with Jamie Chung (The Gifted) voicing Death. The short will be produced and directed by Sam Liu (Justice League vs. The Fatal Five) and be written by J.M. DeMatteis.
- The Phantom Stranger will tell the story of Jess and her friends as they go to a dilapidated mansion for a party hosted by the mysterious Seth. After a series of odd events occur at the party, the Phantom Stranger intervenes to save Jess from her fate. Bruce Timm will be the executive producer and director of the short, with Ernie Altbacker (Teen Titans: The Judas Contract) writing. Peter Serafinowicz (The Tick) will be voicing the Phantom Stranger, with Michael Rosenbaum (Smallville), Natalie Lander (The Middle), Grey Griffin (Batman: Arkham City) and Roger Craig Smith (Batman: Arkham Origins) all included in the cast.
- The final short, Batman: Death In The Family is being kept under wraps for now, with more information set to be released next year. All that is known at the moment is that it will be the anchor for another set of shorts set for release in late 2020.
All five of the shorts will credit Jim Kreig as co-producer, Amy McKenna as producer and Sam Register as executive producer. Sgt. Rock, Adam Strange, Death, The Phantom Stranger will all be included on upcoming DC Universe Movies releases.
– Steve Orlando (“Martian Manhunter”) and Will Conrad (“Cyborg”) had their all-new Superman story released in issue 11 of “DC’s 100-Page Comic Giant: Superman.” The 100-Page Giant comics were launched in July 2018, and contain brand new stories as well as reprints of issues from existing continuity. They are exclusively available at Walmart superstores, though in February, Dan Didio revealed that would cease to be the case. Issue #11 is available now.
– Disney have announced changes for their release date schedule through up until 2027. These changes include three release dates for new Star Wars films: Dec. 16, 2022; Dec. 20, 2024; and Dec. 18, 2026. It’s unclear what the films released on these dates will entail, with two trilogies currently announced: the first with Rian Johnson at the helm, the second with Game of Thrones writers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss writing and producing. Fox’s New Mutants has been given a new release date and is now scheduled for April 3, 2020, instead of August 2, 2019. The adaptation of Noelle Stevenson’s “Nimona” is set to be released on March 5, 2021, instead of February 14, 2020. Finally, Gambit, which was scheduled for release on March 13, 2020, has been removed from the schedule entirely. You can view the full list of changes here.
– Production has started on The Owners, a film based on one of Belgian creators Hermann and Yves H.’s comics. The film will tell the story of a a young girl who is left stuck in an isolated house with the homeowners after a burglary goes wrong. Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones) leads the cast, joined by Sylvester McCoy (Doctor Who), Rita Tushingham (The Knack… And How to Get It), Ian Kenny (Solo: A Star Wars Story), Jake Curran (Spotless), Andrew Ellis (This Is England), and Stacha Hicks (The Children Act). It will be directed by Julius Berg (The Forest) with a screenplay written by Berg and Mathieu Gompel (The Dream Kids). The Hermann and Yves H. comic that bears the most resemblance to the film is “Une nuit de pleine lune” (translated as “A full moon night”) which, for the time being, has not been translated into English. The Owners does not currently have a release date.
– Finally, the CW have ordered the Ruby Rose Batwoman pilot and Riverdale spin-off Katy Keene (starring Lucy Hale) to series. Both shows are expected to premiere during the 2019-2020 broadcast season.
