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, AfterShock Comics have announced “God of Tremors,” and August’s Mignolaverse titles have been revealed.
– DC Comics have announced “Batman Secret Files: Clownhunter” #1, written by Ed Brisson, with art by Rosi Kämpe. The third in “Secret Files” series, the comic sees Clownhunter walk into an ambush set by Punchline while tracking a “boss-level clown.” In a horrific parallel to his days at Gotham Academy, Clownhunter finds himself overwhelmed and outgunned. This 40-page comic features a main cover by Mico Suayan for $3.99, and a $5.99 card stock variant cover by Kofi Ofosu. “Batman Secret Files: Clownhunter” #1 will be available on Tuesday, August 17, 2021.
– Via ComicBook.com, “Attack on Titan” may have ended, but creator Hajime Isayama announced there are eight additional pages that will be added to Volume 34. In an interview, Isayama explained Bessatsu Shônen magazine only allowed him a maximum of 51 pages for the final chapter, so the additional eight pages had to be cut from April’s issue. The final volume is expected to debut in Japan shortly, and will likely be released by Kodansha in the US before the end of 2021.
– Via ICv2, Penguin Press will release All of the Marvels: A Journey to the Ends of the Biggest Story Ever Told, by Douglas Wolk, on October 5. Wolk’s book was written after reading all 27,000 comics ever published by the company, and will “guide readers through this massive narrative, noting cultural aspirations, storytelling modes, progressive visions, painful stereotypes, woeful hackwork, and luminous creativity.” The book will sell for $28.00, and become available on October 5, 2021.
– Publishers Weekly has released its weekly rights report, which includes two graphic novel deals. First up, Scholastic/Graphix has acquired, at auction, “Kicks,” the first middle-grade graphic novel by Danny Lore and Seth Smith. “Kicks” is described as a contemporary quest story with themes of family, friendship, and queer romance that features a pair of Black siblings and their best friend, who must travel and battle their way through the five boroughs of NYC to recover items stolen from their family’s magical tailor shop. Publication is planned for 2024.
Scholastic/Graphix has also acquired at auction “The Tryout” and its sequel, “The Squad,” by two-time Newbery Honoree Christina Soontornvat, and artist Joanna Cacao. A middle-grade graphic novel memoir, the book is about the the only Asian American kid in her small Texas town to try out for the cheerleading squad. Publication is slated for 2022.
– Via Newsarama, the South Korean internet giant Kakao has acquired the webcomics company Tapas Media in an all-cash transaction of $510 million. Kakao is acquiring Tapas through its media subsidiary, Kakao Entertainment. While Tapas will now be developing Kakao’s content, the webcomics company will continue its current strategy with webcomics and prose writing, just on a larger scale.
– Dark Horse announced they’ve teamed up with Nickelodeon to bring fans a special live reading event from the most recent Avatar: The Last Airbender graphic novel, “Toph Beifong’s Metalbending Academy.” On Wednesday, May 19, 2021 at 1 pm Pacific time, voice actors Michaela Jill Murphy (Toph), Jennie Kwan (Suki), and Jack De Sena (Sokka) will read a selection from the graphic novel. They will be joined by comics creators Faith Erin Hicks and Peter Wartman. The live stream will be broadcast on both Dark Horse Comics and Nickelodeon’s Twitch and YouTube channels.
– In a press release, the #DisneyMustPay task force has announced that Alan Dean Foster, James Kahn, and Donald F. Glut, the authors for the novelizations of the original Star Wars trilogy, have resolved their royalty issues and will be paid by Disney. Now the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers (IAMTW), the International Thriller Writers, and Mystery Writers of America have joined the Task Force, with Lee Goldberg, writer and founder of IAMTW, joining Neil Gaiman, Tess Gerritsen, Mary Robinette Kowal, and Chuck Wendig. The task force says that more writers continue to come forward.
– Finally, via Deadline, Legendary has closed a deal for Regina King to direct and produce the feature adaptation of “Bitter Root,” the acclaimed Image Comics series created by David F. Walker, Sanford Greene and Chuck Brown. The story is set during the vibrant Harlem Renaissance of 1924, when a fractured family of once-great monster hunters faces an unimaginable evil that descends upon New York City. For generations, the Sangeryes have hunted and cured those infected by a supernatural force that feeds off the prejudice of the era, transforming human beings into hideous monsters. With most of the family dead, and the surviving Sangeryes at odds between saving or killing the creatures, they must overcome the wounds of the past in the hopes of thwarting an invasion. King will also produce with Reina King via their Royal Ties banner, alongside Ryan Coogler, Zinzi Coogler and Sev Ohanian of Proximity Media. Walker, Greene, Brown and Drapetomedia’s Sean Owolo will executive produce. Bryan Edward Hill is currently rewriting the script.
