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, Garth Ennis and Russ Braun are continuing their James Bond spoof with “Jimmy’s Little Bastards,” and we spoke to Zack Kaplan and John J. Pearson about their upcoming Vault series “Mindset.”
– Marvel announced a new, five-issue “Edge of Spider-Verse” series, which will feature all-new Spider-Variants in stories by Dan Slott, Mark Bagley, and more, as well as fan favorites like Araña, Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Gwen, and Spider-Man: India. The first three issues will be released biweekly in August, beginning with issue #1 on August 3. Additionally, Marvel revealed the book will lead into a final crossover this year: “The End of Spider-Verse.” For more on the new series, head to Polygon. The books will be released ahead of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, following its delay to June 2, 2023.
– Oni Press will publish “Issunboshi,” a 200-page graphic novel by freelance visual development/concept artist Ryan Lang (whose credits include various Disney and Marvel films). Inspired by a Japanese folktale, the book follows a samurai who is only a few inches tall, as he battles a demon who wants to take over the world. The book, which was originally crowdfunded on Kickstarter, will be released for $34.99 on October 26. You can check out some of Lang’s designs here in the meantime.
– Dark Horse will release “Tephlon Funk!,” Stephane Metayer’s previously self-published comic, in stores this winter. The comic, featuring art by David Tako and Nicolas Safe, is a coming-of-age story inspired by ’90s New York street culture, anime, and hip hop, that follows a 14-year-old orphan named Inez Jozlyn, who finds herself in the middle of a drug conflict. Along with her classmate Gabriel, a young female cop, and a sword-wielding bartender, Inez must stop a new drug from spreading throughout New York. The collected edition will retail for $19.99, and hits comic book stores on November 16, 2022, as well as bookstores November 29.
– IDW Publishing announced “TRVE KVLT,” one of the nine titles unveiled as part of their upcoming slate of originals, will begin in August. A five-part horror comedy by writer Scott Bryan Wilson, artist Liana Kangas, colorist Gab Contreras, and letterer DC Hopkins, “TRVE KVLT” follows two fast food workers who wind up in the crosshairs of a satanic death cult. The series was originally crowdfunded through Kickstarter. Kangas comments, “While I can’t say that ‘TRVE KVLT’ is exactly like any movie you’ve seen, if you love the Coen Brothers, Pulp Fiction, and maybe a little bit of Ryan Reynolds or Good Burger humor, this is the book for you.”
– Cartoonist Steenz and editor Camilla Zhang have launched the Standard Comics Script (SCS), a free how-to guide for comics writers. The guide, which is intended to help end miscommunication between the different creatives on a comic, was developed in association with other professionals like David F. Walker, Whitney Leopard, and Ngozi Ukazu. You can learn more about the SCS at The Beat, and download it from Steenz or Zhang’s websites here and here.
– Warner Bros. Games have canceled the previous generation console releases of Gotham Knights, meaning the video game will only be released on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. The publisher also released a new demo, showcasing Nightwing and Red Hood’s gameplay, including their unusual traversal methods, the Belfry headquarters, and the outfits that can be crafted for them. Gotham Knights is now available to pre-order for an October 25 release.
– Meanwhile, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment announced Krypto the Superdog: The Complete Series will be released on DVD on Tuesday, August 2. Previously, only a handful of episodes from the 2005-06 animated series, starring Sam Vincent as the voice of Superman’s dog, had been released on DVD. The release will follow DC League of Super-Pets (starring Dwayne Johnson as Krypto)’s theatrical bow on July 29.
– The untitled Boys spin-off has drafted in actress London Thor (Shameless) for a lead role previously vacated by Reina Hardesty, and Chance Perdomo (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) in a part originally intended for Shane Paul McGhie. Derek Luh (Shining Vale), newcomer Asa Germann, and Shelley Conn (Bridgerton) have also joined the cast. Production on the spin-off, which is set at a Vought International college for supers, is now underway.
– Variety reports actress Stephanie Hsu (aka Shu Shu from Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens) will appear in Disney+’s American Born Chinese series. She will play Shiji Niangniang, the goddess of stones, who will be depicted here as working in a jewelry shop with her pet magic dog. The project, based on Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel, will reunite her with director Destin Daniel Cretton (who cast her as Soo in Shang-Chi), and her Everything Everywhere All at Once co-stars Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan.
– Finally, Archie announced a print edition of the Webtoon comic “Big Ethel Energy” will start releasing this August; San Diego Comic-Con will be enforcing mask and vaccination rules this summer; and DC have opened voting for the final round of this year’s Round Robin contest to DC Universe Infinite members. Fans can vote for either “Suicide Squad Dark” or “Superboy: The Man of Tomorrow” to become a digital-first miniseries this fall, and can read a preview of both titles on the site right now.
