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, AWA Studios announced a sci-fi satire series called “Not All Robots” by Mark Russell and Mike Deodato Jr. We also have an exclusive preview of Marvel’s “The Trials of Ultraman” #3, out next week.
– Marvel has announced that the next installment of their “Voices” series will come out this summer. “Marvel Voices: Identity” #1 will be available on August 11, and focuses on elevating characters and creators of Asian/Pacific American heritage. The one-shot features work from Gene Luen Yang, Marcus To, Christina Strain, Jason Loo, Greg Pak, Crees Lee, Lynne Yoshii, Maurene Goo, and Mashal Ahmed. It will showcase characters such as Shang-Chi, Jubilee of the X-Men, Silk, Jimmy Woo, and Ms. Marvel in uplifting and inspiring stories that reflect “the world outside your window.”
– Speaking of Shang-Chi, Disney has confirmed that his Marvel Cinematic Universe debut will have a very narrow theatrical window. On a conference call with their investors, Disney stated that Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (September 3), as well as Free Guy (August 13), will be available exclusively in theaters for the first 45 days of their release. After that point, the movies will be available on Disney+. This signals a slow return to normal for Disney, who will be releasing their upcoming films Cruella (May 28), Black Widow (July 9), and Jungle Cruise (July 30) simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+.
– Via Previews World, the final three chapters of Marvel’s upcoming ‘Infinite Destinies’ storyline have been revealed. ‘Infinite Destinies’ is a storyline that will be unfolding across eight different Marvel Annuals starting in June. The recently revealed final chapters include “Miles Morales: Spider Man Annual” #1 by Saladin Ahmed and Jed McKay with art by Luca Maresca; “Guardians of the Galaxy Annual” #1 by Al Ewing and Jed McKay with art by Flaviano and Juan Ferrreyra; and “Avengers Annual” #1 by Jed McKay with art by Travel Foreman. ‘Infinite Destinies’ follows the heroes of the Marvel Universe as they chase down and try to recover the missing Infinity Stones. In addition to the main feature, each annual will have an ‘Infinite Fury’ back-up story by Jed McKay and artist Juan Ferreyra, focusing on Nick Fury as he chases the stone-bearers.
– The Taiwanese series “Oldman” is being published in English as a multi-volume graphic novel manga series. This new series of collections will be distributed by eigoMANGA. The award-winning series was originally written and drawn by Chang Sheng, and will be available on November 8 from retailers such as Barnes and Noble. In “Oldman,” a beautiful queen rules her country with an iron fist and adopts orphans in an effort to show that anybody can prove to be a worthy king. However, when the orphans begin to go missing, questions emerge about the queen, and a court magician known as Oldman decides to take revenge against her for her heinous crimes against the kingdom.
– The Cartoon Museum in London will be reopening next week, and when they do, they will feature two exciting new exhibitions. The first of these exhibits is titled “V for Vendetta”: Behind the Mask, and will run from May 18 through October 31. It focuses on the original work by Alan Moore and David Lloyd, as well as the film adaptation and the continued presence of the iconography of the series in pop culture, including the Guy Fawkes mask. The second exhibit focuses on British-Indian cartoonist Natasha Natarajan, and the eclectic work she has made based on her life experiences.
– Entertainment Weekly has released the first look at the upcoming Masters of the Universe: Revelation animated series. The cartoon has Kevin Smith on board as showrunner as well as Frederic Soulie, Adam Bonnett, Christopher Keenan, and Rob David as producers. In these first images from the show, fans can see the modern reimagining of He-Man, Skeletor, Sorceress, Prince Adam, and Teela, as well as many more heroes and villains from the franchise. The show, which has been split into two parts, will premiere its first five episodes on Netflix on July 23.
Continued below– Netflix will be partnering with Tsuburaya Productions on an upcoming CG-animated film based on the popular Ultraman series. Ultraman is a tokusatsu series that has run for more than 55 years through various productions, focusing on the legacy of the titular Ultraman superhero. This new film will be separate from the current Ultraman animated series that is available on Netflix, and focuses on Ken Sato, a superstar baseball player who becomes the latest hero known as Ultraman. The film will be directed by Shannon Tindle, known for his work on Coraline and Kubo and the Two Strings. It is based on a script by Tindle and Marc Haimes, and will also feature John Aoshima of DuckTales fame as co-director.
– New details have emerged concerning how Disney and Marvel Studios produces their Disney+ content. Variety reports that Marvel Studios has adapted an approach that highlights a head writer rather than showrunner for their projects. This means that though the overall production answers to Kevin Feige and other Disney executives, there isn’t a single person directly responsible for any given series. This distinction is important because it essentially means that while the studio can be great for uplifting the voices of emerging writers, experienced writers and showrunners who are used to a certain level of creative control over a series may not be interested in working with Disney. This model falls in line with the way that Marvel produces their complex slate of films, and has proven to be successful, if the previous 23 Marvel Studios movies are any indication.
– Marvel’s Avengers will be rolling out its latest update, titled Red Room Takeover, from May 20 through May 31. This new event tests players’ skills as they fight through multiple hacked HARM rooms. The event focuses on Black Widow and rewards players with an exclusive animated nameplate, XP, and more. This comes hot on the heels of the Rooskaya Protocols, another event for Marvel’s Avengers, which featured multiple new skins for the game, including matching Red Room-themed costumes for all of the playable characters, as well as a white costume for Black Widow that is based on her design in the upcoming Black Widow film. However, it is important to note that players must pay to unlock those new costumes.
– Finally, cartoonist Alison Bechdel has revealed that she is working on a TV adaptation of her comic strip “Dykes to Watch Out For.” “Dykes to Watch Out For” was a comic strip produced by Bechdel from 1983 until 2003, that was known for its sense of humor and diversity while talking about marriage, polygamy, death, and politics — it is perhaps best known for introducing the idea of the Bechdel test. The adaptation is set to take place in the early ’90s, though there were talks at one point to update the strip for the modern era. Beckdel is also the creator of “Fun Home,” a graphic memoir that was adapted for Broadway, where it won multiple Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
