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, we announced our 2022 Summer Comics and TV Binges, starting today.
– Cartoonist Randy Milholland took over the ongoing “Popeye” strip’s Sunday entries at King Features Syndicate. Milholland took over the role from the retired Hy Eisman, who had worked on the strip for 28 years; the weekday strips will continue to be Bud Sagendorf reprints. Speaking to The Washington Post, Editorial Director Tea Fougner stated that under Milholland’s direction, the strip will bring long-time absentees from the title, such as Olive’s sister-in-law, Cylinda Oyl, whilst “reminding readers that in addition to the tough guy and defender of underdogs they know and love, Popeye is also sentimental and kind — the type of guy we all want on our side.” Milholland described himself as “an obsessive,” and stated that he will “try not to break the toys.” The first strip of Milholland’s tenure is available to read here.
– Dark Horse Comics announced a new series called “The Roadie” by writer Tim Seeley, artist Fran Galan, and colorist El Torres. The series will follow Joe D., a former heavy metal roadie and exorcist, who has to face up to his past on the American backroads in order to save his daughter. Seeley described the series as being rooted in his desire to tell a story of “the roadies [in “the ’80s Satanic Panic era”] who supported all those metal bands, not only by tuning their guitars, but by casting out the horrific demons they accidentally summoned with backwards lyrics and screaming riffs.” “The Roadie” #1 is set for release in comic shops on September 28.
– Abrams ComicArts revealed their full Fall 2022 releases, which include “The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Omnibus Omnibus, Vol. 1,” the first in a new series of hardcovers reprinting the show’s spooky tie-in comics. The 416-page book will be released in August with a recommended $39.99 retail price. Also included in the line-up were a hardcover release of Stephan Franck’s previously self-published comic “Silver,” due out in October with a $24.99 RRP, and “The Keeper,” by writers Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes, and artist Marco Finnegan. A gothic horror story releasing under the Megascope imprint, “The Keeper” follows a girl who is protected by a dark spirit that sustains itself by stealing the life force of others. The 176-page book, which has already been optioned by Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions, will be published in September with a RRP of $24.99. You can check out the full list here.
– There were four graphic novel deals reported by Publisher’s Weekly this week, including IDW Publishing’s acquisition of “We Are Pan” by writer Andre Frattino and artist Yasmín Flores Montañez, which will be aimed at a young adult audience; set during the Cold War, “We Are Pan” is a fictionalized account of children who were airlifted out of Cuba and taken into the US after Fidel Castro came to power. Also included in the roundup were Little, Brown’s acquiring of Samuel Sattin’s graphic novel adaptations of The Song of the Sea and The Secret of Kells, the remaining two entries in Cartoon Saloon’s animated Irish Folklore film trilogy; Sattin previously adapted Wolfwalkers at the publisher. “The Song of the Sea” novelization is scheduled to debut in 2023, with “The Secret of Kells” and “We Are Pan” following in 2024. You can check out the rest of the deals here.
– DC Comics announced their full 2022 Pride Month plans, which include partnering with a host of LGBTQIA+ organizations around the world, such as PFLAG National, who they will be working with to deliver 10,000 copies of “DC Pride: 2022” #1 to libraries across the US. The publisher also launched a DC Pride hub on DC Universe Infinite to centralize all of the Pride events and activities; released a range of Pride-themed t-shirts with artwork from creators like Jen Bartel; and revealed they will be making a selection of first issues featuring LGBTQIA+ characters free on DC Universe Infinite. You can check out the full details of the publisher’s plans, including a look at the T-shirts in the range, and the list of free-to-read titles here.
Continued below– Vault Comics unveiled their ‘Unbanned’ initiative for Pride Month, intended to push back against the “unprecedented uptick in new bans [of comics] across the [US],” by allowing the free digital purchase of a selected LGBTQIA+ themed title by LGBTQIA+ creators on their store. (Users can redeem the chosen comic by entering the code ‘UNBANNED’ at the checkout.) The initiative launched with the first volume of “Heathen” by Natasha Alterici, Ashley A. Woods, Rachel Deering, and Tim Daniel. The initiative will continue with a new title being made available every Monday through June. Head over to Vault Comics to see the full list of titles included in the initiative, and their availability dates.
– Deadline reported that Tahar Rahim is the latest addition to the cast of Sony’s upcoming Madame Web film, starring Dakota Johnson. Details about the film remain elusive, including Rahim’s role in it, although insiders report Sony sees the character of Madame Web as their parallel to Doctor Strange, due to her psychic abilities. S.J. Clarkson will direct the film, which will have a screenplay by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless that Kerem Sanga drafted initially. Madame Web is currently scheduled for release on July 7, 2023.
– Disney+ announced that I Am Groot is set to premiere August 10, and that Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 2 will premiere on September 28. The release pattern of I Am Groot, which is a series of short films, has not been confirmed at this time, but The Bad Batch will presumably continue to release each episode weekly. The series follows a group of clones after the Clone Wars; Dee Bradley Baker will return to voice the Bad Batch, while Michelle Ang will also return as the voice of Omega.
– Finally, the 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards were held last night. Spider-Man: No Way Home won Best Movie and Best Performance in a Movie for Tom Holland, while Scarlett Johansson was voted Best Hero for Black Widow. Sophia Di Martino won Breakthrough Performance for Loki, as well as Best Team for her role in the show with Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson. Jennifer Lopez, who received the lifetime Generation Award, won Best Song for “On My Way (Marry Me),” while Heartstopper‘s use of “Dance With Me” by beabadoobee earned it Best Musical Moment. You can read the full list of winners and nominees here.
