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, Warner Bros. dropped the first trailer for Black Adam.
– Writer Tini Howard offered Wonder Woman fans a sneak peak at her “Worlds Without a Justice League” redesign via Substack. The new costume, designed by Leila Del Duca (who will also provide art for the tie-in one shot), is evocative of Diana’s golden “Kingdom Come” armor with a few design tweaks. “Worlds Without a Justice League: Wonder Woman” will also feature a back-up story from writer Dan Watters and artist Brandon Peterson starring the Martian Manhunter in a noir-inspired tale. It’s due to hit shelves September 13.
– Yesterday marked Ghostbusters Day (which is the anniversary of the original film’s release on June 8, 1984), and Sony made several announcements, including word that the comic book license has transferred to Dark Horse Comics. (IDW Publishing previously held the rights from 2008 to 2021.) It was also revealed an animated feature film, directed by Jennifer Kluska (Hotel Transylvania: Transformania) and Chris Prynoski (The Legend of Vox Machina), is in the works, as is an animated Netflix series. Lastly, Ghostbusters: Afterlife director and writer Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan confirmed they are working on a sequel, currently codenamed “Firehouse.” You can read more from Reitman and Kenan on all the projects they’re overseeing at The Hollywood Reporter.
– Continuing on a tradition begun in its Moon Knight series, Disney+’s Ms. Marvel also features a QR code for a free comic. The first episode features a hidden code for “Ms. Marvel” #1, the issue featuring Kamala Khan’s debut, with other surprise issues planned for further episodes.
– In more Marvel publishing news, the company is expanding its distribution deal with Penguin Random House Publisher Services. Starting in April 2023, Penguin Random House will distribute the publisher’s books to bookstores, in addition to comics shops. The new distributor has handled comic shop distribution since last year, and is set to take over bookstore distribution from Hachette Book Group, who’ve had an exclusive contract with Marvel for the past twelve years.
– The Ad Council, in conjunction with AMC, are partnering to teach children about STEM with the help of The Walking Dead. This new “She Can STEM” campaign will focus on highlighting the practical applications of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, particularly for young girls and trans/non-binary youths. All with the help of AMC’s smash hit. The PSAs will feature teenage scientist/inventor/activist Gitanjali Rao interviewing crew members (including director Aisha Tyler, costume designer Vera Chow, and art director Jasmine Garnet) about how a STEM education can help you survive the zombie apocalypse. The ads will be shared over AMC’s network broadcast and digital outlets starting June 8. They’ll also appear on TikTok, Instagram, and all official Walking Dead social media.
– Longtime Batman voice actor Kevin Conroy thanked fans for their support following his story in the “DC Pride 2022” anthology. The story follows Conroy’s struggles as a gay man working in Hollywood, detailing the abuse he faced. “Whenever you share something that personal,” Conroy said on Twitter, “you risk. And you all made that risk so worthwhile.”
– LibraryPass will be adding dozens of early reader comics to their Comics Plus app. The tites would be from publishers ABDO, Capstone, Cherry Lake, and Lerner Publishing Group. They include titles such as “Ana & Andrew,” “Hello, Everglades!,” and books featuring the DC Super Pets. These titles would be “available to libraries and schools with unlimited simultaneous access for online and offline reading.” You can request a demo of the app from its website.
– Finally, yesterday was the third day of Netflix’s Geeked Week, focused on upcoming animated properties. Among the announcements, manga horror icon Junji Ito revealed a Junji Ito’s Maniac, a new manga series adapting twenty of his stories. Kevin Smith also announced Masters of the Universe: Revolution, the follow-up to Revelation. But the star attraction of the day was Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, an original anime series set in the world of Cyberpunk 2077; that series is due out this September.
