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 spoke to Joshua Williamson about “Dark Crisis,” while AfterShock announced the conspiracy series “The 06 Protocol.”
– BOOM! Studios announced “Briar,” a post-apocalyptic reimagining of Sleeping Beauty by writer Christopher Cantwell, artist Germán García, and colorist Matheus Lopes. The four-issue series will imagine a world where Briar Rose was never rescued by her prince charming, and is forced to take up a sword to defend herself. The four-issue series will begin in September, and feature covers by García, Yanick Paquette, and Jenny Frison.
– DC announced the “Harley Quinn 30th Anniversary Special,” a 96-page one-shot that will mark three decades since the character’s first appearance in the Batman: The Animated Series episode “Joker’s Favor” (broadcast September 11, 1992.) Co-creator Paul Dini will return to pen a story, while other contributors will include Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, Stephanie Phillips, Riley Rossmo, Kami Garcia, Mico Suayan, Stjepan Šejić, Rob Williams, Terry and Rachel Dodson, Guillem March, Erica Henderson, John Timms, Dan Hipp, and Rafael Albuquerque. There will also be a line of Harley 30th anniversary variant covers. The comic goes on sale September 13.
– In more DC news, it was revealed Phillip Kennedy Johnson and co.’s ‘Warworld Saga’ will conclude with the 56-page special “Superman: Warworld Apocalypse” (written by Johnson with art by Brandon Peterson & Will Conrad) on August 30. Clark Kent will then return to Earth in the six-part crossover ‘Kal-El Returns,’ running in the pages of “Action Comics” #1047-1049, and “Superman: Son of Kal-El” #16-18. The story will see Clark and Steel battle Lex Luthor and Metallo for the future of Metropolis, while dealing with the consequences of the fall of Warworld; it will kick off in “Action” #1047 on September 27.
– Marvel revealed they will be engaging fans via the Captain America Twitter account to solve a mystery in Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, and Carmen Carnero’s new series “Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty.” The publisher posted the cover for the fourth issue, which “eagle-eyed readers of the series might just be able to uncover information” from about the new evil organization, the Outer Circle, before Steve Rogers does. Issue #1 of “Sentinel of Liberty” is out now.
– Skybound are sponsoring a Kickstarter for The Extra Fabulous Experience, “a multifaceted celebration” of Zach M. Stafford’s humor webcomic. The project consists of Boo-ty Call: A Game of Deduction and Seduction, a party card game where the objective is to hook up with ghosts; and “Good Comics for Bad People: An Extra Fabulous Collection,” the first print edition of Stafford’s cartoons, also featuring comics by Mr. Lovenstein, Cyanide & Happiness, The Oatmeal, and Safely Endangered. The crowdfunder has already exceeded its intended goal within the first day, with $190,000 raised over a $21,000 target.
– It’s Alive! and Dark Horse will publish a collection of Justin Madson’s 2011 maxiseries “Breathers.” The dystopian comic follows several survivors in a world where the air has become fatal to breathe, including a detective, a mother and daughter, and a breathing mask salesman. The paperback will be released in comic book stores on February 22, 2023, as well as bookstores on March 7, 2023, and will retail for $29.99.
– Living the Line Books and Diamond Comics announced the first comic book generated entirely by a computer, “The Abolition of Man.” Created by painter-turned-cartoonist Carson Grubaugh with the AI image program MidJourney AI, the four-issue series features images formed from text in C.S. Lewis’s 1943 book The Abolition of Man, creating “striking compositions that elevate and amplify Lewis’ thesis: that human’s ability to control nature will lead to a purposeless and diminished form of humanity.” Issue #1 will be released in October 2022.
– Crunchyroll announced the new movie Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero will be released in theaters in the United States, Canada, UK and Ireland on August 19. Featuring a screenplay by Akira Toriyama, Super: Super Hero will see Piccolo and Gohan come under attack from Gamma 1 and Gamma 2, two Android “Super Heroes” created by the New Red Ribbon Army. Most of the series’ regular English dub cast will return for the film; you can hear them in the newly released trailer here.
Continued below– Film director Chris Miller (Puss in Boots, Shrek the Third) will helm an untitled, musical Smurfs movie for Paramount and Nickelodeon Animation, releasing December 20, 2024. The film will be written by Pam Brady, co-writer of South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, Team America: World Police, and The Bubble. The project was announced at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, and is intended to be the first of several new movies made in partnership between Paramount and Smurfs licensors IMPS-Lafig Belgium.
– CBS have put into development a multi-camera comedy show based on Robb Armstrong’s comic strip “JumpStart.” Created in 1989, “JumpStart” follows an African American family in Philadelphia, including Joe, a cop, and his wife Marcy, a nurse. Wayne Conley (The Best Man) will write the series, and executive produce it with Armstrong, Kapital Entertainment, and Andrews McMeel Entertainment (the film/TV division of Andrews McMeel, which syndicates the comic.) This marks the second time a “JumpStart” TV series has been put in development; the series was previously planned as a single-camera comedy with a different writer at Fox in 2014.
– Finally, Webtoon have apologized for a controversial subway advertisement, that referred to comics as “literature’s fun side-hustle.” In a statement, the publisher said, “To every creator in our community today: we apologize. We want the world to know that comics are for everyone. That everyone who loves great stories in any format will also love your comics. But our ad copy missed the mark. We live and breathe comics every day. They aren’t a side hustle, a second choice, or an afterthought. They are what we live for.” They promised they will check back after they “review all feedback” regarding the campaign, which has also drawn criticism for implying comics are just fodder for TV shows with the tagline “your favorite streaming platforms love us.”
