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, DC announced a new mini-series titled “Aqualad: The Becoming” and Reimena Yee launched “Alexander, the Servant, & the Water.” We also have an exclusive preview of next week’s “Mighty Valkyries” #3, and a behind-the-scenes look at comiXology’s “Adora and the Distance.”
– DC announced the return of the popular “Fables” series, alongside a miniseries and a special. First, original writer Bill Willingham teams with Brian Level, Jay Leisten, and Lee Loughridge for “Batman vs. Bigby! A Wolf in Gotham.” This six-issue mini-series will begin in September, and see the popular character of Bigby Wolf face off against the Dark Knight in a crossover detective story. Then, “Fables” returns in May with the original creative team of Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Loughridge, and Todd Klein. “Fables” #151 will coincide with the 20th anniversary of “Fables” #1’s release, and start a new 12-issue storyline that serves as a jumping-on point for new readers. Both titles will be released under DC’s Black Label imprint. The company also announced Willingham will pen “Cursemas,” a 48-page standalone holiday special featuring the Justice League.
– Peach Momoko will be continuing her “Demon Days” saga this September with the release of “Demon Days: Cursed Web” #1. This comic is the third chapter in the “Demon Days” series, written and illustrated by Momoko, which reimagines Marvel characters in a mythical Japanese setting. In “Demon Days: Cursed Web” #1, Mariko Yashida will venture into a dark forest and encounter Sabretooth, Mystique, and Ghost-Spider (Gwen Stacy). “Demon Days: X-Men” #1, the first chapter of the series, came out in March, and “Demon Days: Mariko” #1, the second chapter, is set to be released on June 16.
— Writer Larry Hama will be the next historic X-Men writer to return to the franchise in the pages of “X-Men Legends.” Hama will be writing a new storyline beginning in “X-Men Legends” #7 that picks up from his fan-favorite run on “Wolverine,” which originally ran from 1990-1997. In this new adventure, Logan will team-up with Jubilee to take on Lady Deathstrike and the Hand. Joining Hama for this storyline will be artist Billy Tan, who has previously drawn “Uncanny X-Men,” “Uncanny X-Force,” “X-23,” and “Wolverine.” “X-Men Legends” #7 will be available in September.
– Actor Forest Whitaker will be reprising his role as Saw Gerrera on Andor, the upcoming live-action Star Wars series coming to Disney+. The character of Saw Gerrera has been featured in multiple Star Wars projects, having originally debuted in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Whitaker previously played Saw Gerrera in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars Rebels and the video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Whitaker will be joining Diego Luna, who is reprising his role as Cassian Andor for the series, as well as Genevieve O’Reilly, Adria Arjona, Stellan Skarsgard, and Denise Gough.
– Jameela Jamil has reportedly joined the cast of the upcoming She-Hulk series for Disney+. Jamil is set to play Titania, a supervillain who frequently comes into conflict with She-Hulk in the comics. Jamil joins star Tatiana Maslany, who plays Jennifer Walters AKA She-Hulk. Additional actors in the cast include Renee Elise Goldsberry, Ginger Gonzaga, and Tim Roth. Mark Ruffalo is also set to reprise his role as Bruce Banner AKA the Incredible Hulk. There is currently no release date for the She-Hulk series.
– Marvel Studios is holding a casting call for women to be featured in an upcoming unscripted documentary series on Disney+. The series is set to focus on the mighty women of Marvel, and the women who bring them to life behind the scenes and in front of the camera. It will feature creators who have worked on past MCU projects, as well as selected women who consider themselves “super fans” of the MCU. All applicants for the series must be at least 18 years of age.
– “Sam and Twitch”, the story of two detectives set in the world of “Spawn,” is being developed as a new television series with creator Todd McFarlane attached. The series will have McFarlane as an executive producer alongside Paul Lee and Mark Roybal, who recently worked on the Mare of Easttown miniseries for HBO with their production company, wiip. While there are no further details at this time, the announcement shouldn’t be too surprising for longtime “Spawn” fans, as McFarlane has spoken at length in the past about his desire to adapt “Sam and Twitch,” with names such as Kevin Smith attached to previous incarnations of the project. The pair of detectives also headlined a 26-issue “Sam and Twitch” comic book series in 1999.
Continued below– The 2021 Cannes Film Festival has added the animated film Where is Anne Frank? to their selected slate of movies. The film is based on “Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation,” which was written by Ari Folman with art by David Polonsky. Folman, who previously directed the Academy Award-nominated animated film Waltz with Bashir, is also the director for Where is Anne Frank? Despite debuting at the festival, Where is Anne Frank? will not be a part of the event’s competition.
– Artists, Writers and Artisans has launched a new division of their company aimed at taking the publisher’s properties to Hollywood. The division, titled AWA Studios, will be headed by Zach Studlin, an executive with years of experience at Lionsgate, John Wells Productions, and Lava Bear Films. His role will be to help develop AWA’s rapidly-expanding IP library for film and television. AWA was founded in 2018 by Axel Alonso, Bill Jemas, and Jon Miller, and has published books by many of the biggest names in comics, including J. Michael Straczynski, Benjamin Percy, Mike Deodato Jr., Frank Cho, and Peter Milligan.
– Finally, Aquaman director James Wan revealed the sequel will be titled Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. The title presumably refers to the unnamed seventh kingdom of Atlantis, which was said to have collapsed alongside the Kingdom of the Deserters, and was the only one not seen in the first film. The sequel, due out December 16, 2022, will see the return of Jason Momoa as Arthur Curry, Amber Heard as Mera, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta, as well as the addition of Pilou Asbaek as a new villain.
