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.
– Magma Comix have announced “The Pedestrian,” written by Joey Esposito (“Batman: Urban Legends”) with art by Sean Von Gorman (“Pawn Shop”). Described as Super meets Twin Peaks, “The Pedestrian” is set in Summer City, which is visited by a strange speedwalker who silently changes the lives of the town’s residents. “But not all is quiet in this sleepy, small town — an ancient conflict linked to the secret history of street signs is brewing!” Esposito says “This is the most excited I’ve ever been about a book, perhaps because it’s been the most collaborative.” The book will feature variant covers by Dean Haspiel as well as Mike Allred. “The Pedestrian” #1 will hit comics shelves on August 7, 2024.
– Reality TV star and co-founder of Asian Lead Love Stories Productions, Kevin Kreider, has announced his debut webcomic: “Taejin: Legend of the Yang Metal.” The Webtoon series will be written by Nina Gee with art by Razz, and present a modern take on superheroes inspired by Chinese astrology and folklore. According to the official description of the series, the comic “follows rebellious teenager Taejin Choi after he pawns a mysterious family heirloom talisman, setting off a chain of events that awaken latent Yang Metal powers and lead him to fulfill his cosmic destiny, as he protects Philadelphia from evil.” “Taejin: Legend of the Yang Metal” will launch its first three episodes on May 23, 2024, with new episodes debuting on Fridays. The series will run for 50 episodes.
– Via Popverse, Mad Cave Studios imprint Papercutz have announced “Miraculous Chibi: Pizza Pursuit and Other Cat Tales,” a new graphic novel based on Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir. Written by Josh Trujillo and Carrie Harris, and illustrated by Lex Hobson and Ryan Jampole, this marks the first graphic novel under a new publishing partnership between Papercutz and Miraculous rights holder, ZAG. The book’s official description reads, “What happens when Ladybug and Cat Noir share a pizza – and Cat Noir runs off with it?!” “Miraculous Chibi: Pizza Pursuit and Other Cat Tales” is due out on October 14, 2024.
– At the British Book Awards, Jamie Smart won Illustrator of the Year, and Children’s Illustrated Book of the Year for “Bunny vs Monkey: Multiverse Mix-up!” The book, originally published in The Phoenix magazine before being released in paperback by Scholastic last year, was the second in Smart’s series, and saw the title characters and their friends “meet different versions of themselves,” including “a whole universe” of Bunnies, Evil Pig, Baby Bunny and Monkey. For the full list of this year’s winners, head here.
– In a press release, Crystal Lake Entertainment have announced Walt and Louise Simonson will be characters in a trilogy of horror novels entitled Draw You In. Written by Jasper Bark, the novels are set within the comics industry, where comics creator Linda Corrigan’s editor has recently disappeared without a trace. The book’s description reads, “Linda and comics historian Richard Ford unearth a chilling link to the forgotten comic artist R.L. Carver, whose work might just hold the key to a series of mysterious disappearances.” Not only are the Simonsons characters in the novels, they wrote their own dialogue. Draw You In, Vol 1 – Collector’s Item, featuring Walt Simonson, will be released on June 7, 2024. Draw You In, Vol 2 – Secret Origins, featuring Louise Simonson, will be released on June 21, 2024, and Draw You In, Vol 3 – Behind The Mask will be released on July 5, 2024. You can preorder the books here.
– Deadline reports that Sony are in negotiations with Jane Goldman and Honey Ross to pen a new Barbarella film starring Sydney Sweeney, and with Edgar Wright to direct. Not much is known about the film, but the 1968 version, starring Jane Fonda, followed an astronaut from the 41st century who sets out to find and stop the nefarious scientist Durand Durand before his Positronic Ray could usher evil back into the galaxy. It was based on an erotic French sci-fi comics series, created by the late Jean-Claude Forest in 1962.
– Viva Pictures have announced ahead of the Cannes Film Festival that they have acquired the new animated film Scarygirl, based on the graphic novel by Nathan Jurevicius. The film is set on an isolated island where Arkie, a tech savvy girl with a tentacle arm, is raised in secret by her father, Blister, a giant life-regenerating octopus. The film is directed by Ricard Cussó and Tania Vincent, and is scheduled for a wide theatrical release on October 11, 2024.
– Paramount+ have unveiled the first trailer for Transformers: EarthSpark season two. Set a year after the defeat of Mandroid, the heroes will set off to find and restore the shattered Emberstone before Starscream and the Decepticons get to it first. This new season will feature several guest stars, including Weird Al Yankovic, who will voice the Autobot Cosmos, and Zelda Williams as the new Chaos Terran Spitfire. The first nine episodes of season two will debut on June 7, 2024 exclusively on Paramount+. You can check out the trailer here.