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, Wes Craig interviewed Fiona Staples on the site for the start of his Shop Talk series.
– Scout Comics has announced “Forever Forward,” an adventure comic featuring a team of time travellers hurtling perpetually further into the future, from writer Zack Kaplan, artist Arjuna Susini, and colorist Brad Simpson. The series follows Dr. Lewis Moody after his attempt to show off a quantum time machine to four of his best friends fails catastrophically, sending them into the future and making it clear that the only way home is by pushing onward. “’Forever Forward’ is a epic sci-fi adventure with action and thrills that takes us into a cascade of future eras,” said Kaplan. “From a Russian invasion of America to fascist robots to post-apocalyptic steampunk wars, as times go from bad to worse, and ultimately remind us of the importance of cherishing the present and those we love.” “Forever Forward” #1 releases August 24 with a cover by Jacob Philips, and variants from Stefano Simeone, Jahnoy Lindsay, and Ivan Tao. Head to AIPT for a three-page preview.
– Dan DiDio spoke to IGN about the upcoming Frank Miller Presents, and its publications continuing acclaimed series “Sin City” and “Ronin.” “Ronin: Book Two” will begin on November 23, featuring writing and layouts from Miller with art by Philip Tan, with each prestige issue featuring 48 pages for US$7.99. “Frank’s intimately involved in everything going on. The reason why we’re doing ‘Ronin’ is because it’s never been exploited before,” said DiDio. “We feel that there’s a lot of areas that Frank has story for. And actually, he’s had this story in mind for ‘Ronin: Book Two’ since the end of the original series 40 years ago.” Miller will be fully cartooning his “Sin City” follow-up, the prequel series “Sin City: 1858,” with a one-shot arriving beforehand, featuring art from Milo Manara. The one-shot, “Sin City in Color,” will be the first departure from the series’s black-and-white roots.
Additionally, DiDio and Danilo Beyruth will co-create the original series, “Ancient Enemies,” also a prestige bi-monthly series. It charts the progress of an interspecies alien war, where its arrival on Earth catalyzses the birth of superhumans. Miller has also provided character designs for the book. DiDio hinted at the series connecting to the upcoming title “Pandora,” from Anthony Maranville, Chris Silvestri and Emma Kubert, teasing the advent of a more interconnected suite of titles. The article also emphasized the integration of NFTs in the publication process, a divisive digital art technology that has been criticized for its overeliance on blockchain technologies with a high environmental toll, as well as the largely unregulated capacity for plagiarism and artistic exploitation.
– 2000 AD’s “A Very British Affair” will collect the history of British romance comics in January, reprinting 224 pages of the most influential romance comics of the era, many for the first time. The hardcover is curated by artist/historian David Roach, who is seeking to portray the rise in popularity, and fall into obscurity, of romance comics from the 1950s, collecting stories from “Mirabelle,” “Valentine,” “Marilyn,” “Serenade” and more. “As well as charting the evolution of this fascinating genre through the decades, it will showcase art from a number of great British talents,” said Roach. “Including Shirley Bellwood, Mike Hubbard and Gerry Haylock, as well as work from some of the greatest artists from around the world. It has been a privilege to give these forgotten comics a little much-needed love.” The cover features an adapted version of Ángel Badia Camps’s cover art for “Serenade.” The collection releases January 31, 2023 for US$55.
– Disney is officially opening another Avengers Campus attraction at Disneyland Paris, with one of the new rides featuring material from Brie Larson as Captain Marvel. Avengers Assemble: Flight Force will feature Iron Man and Captain Marvel flying alongside visitors to the park on an important mission, while Spider-Man W.E.B. Adventure will have tourists work alongside the Webslinger to bring his rogue Spider-Bots under control. Flight Force will repurpose the old Aerosmith Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, and fans will also be able to enjoy a range of food trucks and the Doctor Strange: Journey into the Mystic Arts experience. Throughout the Campus will be various Avengers to interact with, including Wakandan Warriors led by Okoye, with Tony Stark’s A.I. F.R.I.D.A.Y providing announcements across the park. Avengers Campus Paris opens July 20, 2022.
Continued below– In more news from Scout Comics, Tom Lintern’s absurdist comic series “Mullet Cop” is being adapted by screenwriter James Butler for release as an animated comedy series. The comic follows a mall cop whose near-death experience leads him to change course, going undercover in the organization of crimeboss Robogrannie. “Tom’s comic is original, funny and totally irreverent,” Butler said. “It’s filled with nostalgia while also being topical in its portrayal of an insatiable capitalistic society. But what’s really important is that the main character is an undercover cop who has a wicked mullet, fights robot-grandmas, and gets his mission information from a super-computer microwave.” Also attached to the project are showrunner Kevin Biggins and director Adriel Garcia. Butler has previously worked on Animaniacs and the upcoming reboot of Pinky and the Brain. Lintern published the 2015 book “Girrion” at Scout Comics prior to “Mullet Cop” in 2021.
– Sony’s Madame Web movie has found its third core cast member, as Celeste O’Connor joins the feature in an unspecified role. O’Connor will star alongside Dakota Johnson’s titular Madame Web, a clairvoyant superhuman with connections to Spider-Man, and Sydney Sweeney’s unrevealed antagonist. O’Connor is known for their roles in Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Freaky, and will be working under writers Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, and director S.J. Clarkson. Madame Web is set for release on July 7, 2023 and will reportedly investigate the mystical aspect of Sony’s Universe of Marvel characters.
– Lastly, Samuel L. Jackson has joined the cast of Alcon Entertainment’s animated adaptation of Jim Davis’ “Garfield,” starring alongside Chris Pratt’s Garfield in the newly created role of Vic, Garfield’s father. The adaptation by director Mark Dindal follows Garfield, Jon and Odie in a new story from screenwriter David Reynolds. The film has no set release date as of yet.
