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, Jeff Lemire will be cartooning the new miniseries “Mazebook” at Dark Horse, plus we have an exclusive preview of Vault’s “The Blue Flame” #2, out tomorrow.
– IDW Publishing announced the “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” series is coming to a close, as well as the miniseries “My Little Pony: Generations,” releasing this October. The “Friendship is Magic” comic began in 2012 and ran for over 100 issues. The five-issue “My Little Pony: Generations” will be written by Casey Gilly with art by Michela Cacciatore, and bring together the protagonists of Friendship is Magic with the original My Little Pony cast of the 1980s. “Friendship is Magic” will conclude in September with issue #102. IDW editor Megan Brown promises that after “Generations” the publisher still has “many more adventures in store.”
– Diamond Comic Distributors has announced further promotions as a part of Free Comic Book Day’s 20th anniversary, including a Coca-Cola sponsorship that will be included as a part of any branded material on display. PULLBOX, the new digital comic manager, will also be a sponsor. Previously revealed parts of this promotion include the new FCBD logo designed by Skottie Young and the #FindYourStory social media campaign.
– Comic Republic, an independent Nigerian comics publisher, has announced a deal with Emagine Content and JackieBoy Entertainment to adapt their characters to film and TV. “It’s a great time to be alive. We are in a world where diversity has taken center stage,” said Comic Republic CEO Jide Martin. “We are thrilled to be working with Emagine Content and Jackie Boy to bring our heroes and stories to the big screen but mostly because we get the chance to be a part of Black history.” The publisher is popular for characters like the mystical Aje, the superhero team of The Vanguards, and superpowered student Ireti, the last of who will be the first character brought to the big screen by the partnership. Comic Republic is also currently working with JackieBoy, a Maryland-based media group.
– Netflix will be continuing to air the Sailor Moon saga, with Sailor Moon Crystal coming to the streaming site on July 1. The site previously made the Sailor Moon Eternal movies available for streaming on June 3. Sailor Moon Crystal, originally premiered in July 2014 and ran for three seasons, with Sailor Moon Eternal serving as a continuation. The series was a reboot of the 1990s’ anime, intended to be much closer to the original story of Naoko Takeuchi’s manga.
– Shazam! Fury of the Gods director David F. Sandberg has given fans a first look at the Shazam family costumes in the upcoming sequel. The costumes bear major similarities to those of the original films, albeit with a more desaturated palette and a metallic scaled texture than the fabrics of the original film. The image also reveals that Grace Fulton will be portraying both the regular Mary Bromfield, and the adult superhero version of herself, taking over the alter-ego from actress Michelle Borth. Shazam! Fury of the Gods is set to release June 2, 2023.
– The Kate Kane/Batwoman suit for Batwoman season 2’s finale has been revealed, with actress Wallis Day, who has taken up the role of Kate Kane from Ruby Rose, posting a section of the outfit on Twitter. The main departure from the season 1 costume is a slash across the bat-logo, indictating her further shift towards a Red Hood/Batwoman amalgam. Across the season it has been revealed that Kate Kane, who was assumed dead after a plane crash, was kidnapped by Black Mask, and had her features and identity warped by her captor. The arc resembles that of Jason Todd under the Joker, possibly positioning Day’s Kate Kane as an adversary or anti-hero accomplice to Javicia Leslie’s Ryan Wilder. The Batwoman season 2 finale “Power” airs June 27 in the US.
– A full trailer for Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins has been released. The trailer features the life of Snake Eyes, played by Henry Golding, prior to his entry into G.I. Joe, and his training under the Arashikage ninja clan. The trailer features Snake Eyes unmasked and speaking, something relatively unknown for the character, but also gives a first look at the character’s iconic costume. It also showcases Andrew Koji as Storm Shadow, Samara Weaving as Scarlett, and Úrsula Corberó as the Baroness. Snake Eyes releases in theaters July 23.
– Finally, actress Joanne Linville, who played the female Romulan commander in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode “The Enterprise Incident,” has died at the age of 93. Linville, who was born on January 15, 1928, also appeared in The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Gunsmoke, Hawaii Five-0, Columbo, Kojak, Charlie’s Angels, CHiPs, Dynasty, and L.A. Law. She and Irene Gilbert also founded the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in Los Angeles. She is survived by her ex-husband, director Mark Rydell, as well as their two children, Amy and Christopher Rydell.
