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 revealed the contributors to Mad Cave Studios’ Ukraine charity anthology “Lower Your Sights,” and took a look at September’s Mignolaverse books. Image Comics also announced the miniseries “Flawed.”
– Fresh off of this week’s debut of the “Walking Dead” spinoff graphic novel “Clementine Book One” from Eisner Award-winning creator Tillie Walden, Skybound imprint Skybound Comet has revealed the details for its follow-up. ComicBook.com has the exclusive first look at “Clementine Book Two,” which picks up the tale of Clementine and her new friends, as they are taken in by an island community led by an enigmatic doctor. The graphic novel series follows the central character of Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead video games for a story about coming-of-age during dark times. “After the games ended, we thought Clementine’s story was over. And now she’s been through so much more after book one, but it is all really just the beginning,” said Tillie Walden. “Clementine has much further to go, more obstacles to face, and much more growing up to do.” “Clementine Book Two” goes on sale October 2023.
– Marvel Comics will release a special giant-sized one-shot with an all-star roster of writers and artists to herald a new era of Miracleman comics. “Miracleman” #0 will feature classic Miracleman creators Neil Gaiman and Mark Buckingham reuniting for a new story that will “deliver an exciting prelude to their upcoming new chapter of Miracleman.” Joining the pair with stories of their own are Jason Aaron, Mike Carey, Ty Templeton, and Ryan Stegman, with more creators to be announced. “Miracleman” #0 features a cover by Alan Davis, and will blast onto shelves this October.
– Issue #15 of the Image Comics series “Radiant Black” featured an Easter egg for fans – a hidden QR code that leads to a fully animated short film called Versus. Via IGN, the film was directed by “Radiant Black” co-creator Kyle Higgins and animated by Tiger Animation, with a lead performance by Will Friedle as the voice of Radiant Black. The short film (and issue #15) sees Radiant Black facing off with Blaze (Reginald James), a “hero from an earlier era” and a member of the organization C.O.W.L. The story offers a crossover with the 2014 Image series “C.O.W.L.” from Higgins, co-writer Alec Siegel, and artist Rod Reis. Versus was co-written by Higgins and Siegel, and is available to watch here.
– Following the recent viral criticism of the Marvel Comics issue “What If…? Miles Morales” #4, writer Yehudi Mercado has posted an apology for the comic’s “inauthenticity.” Mercado posted the apology to his Twitter account, promising to donate his pay from the issue to the New York City child literacy organization Brooklyn Book Bodega. “While I’ve lived a different experience through my own Jewish and Mexican background, I still know inauthenticity hurts, and I’m sorry this failed on that front,” Mercado wrote. “I’ve appreciated hearing and learning from my Black and Puerto Rican comics peers and hope to use this moment to help promote better authenticity.” “What If…? Miles Morales” features alternate reality stories with Miles in the role of various iconic Marvel heroes. Several pages of issue #4 went viral last week after Twitter users noted the issue featured “gross stereotypes & caricatures” of a Black community, including panels featuring tennis shoes dangling from a telephone line and a graffiti-colored Mjolnir.
– The Spotify podcast Batman Unburied will be getting a second season. Via CBR, Spotify, Warner Bros. and DC made the announcement during a panel at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Created and executive produced by David S. Goyer, the first season of the series features Winston Duke as Bruce Wayne working as a forensic pathologist at Gotham Hospital. Although Thomas and Martha Wayne appear to be alive during the podcast’s initial episodes, as the series unfolds it becomes clear that not everything is as it seems. The first season also features the voices of Gina Rodriguez, Jason Isaacs, Hasan Minhaj, Lance Reddick, Ashly Burch and John Rhys-Davies. The second season does not currently have an announced synopsis or release date.
Continued below– Writer and director Elle Callahan (Head Count) will next helm a feature film adaptation of AWA Studios’s graphic novel “Hotell,” by writer John Lees and artist Dalibor Talajic. Via Deadline, Callahan will co-write the script with Anthony Ruff. “Hotell” tells the story of the Pierrot Courts Hotel, “a mysterious roadside hotel where lost souls make their last stand with the demons that haunt them.” “Hotell” is the latest AWA graphic novel to be slated for adaptation, following “Old Haunts” and “Chariot.”
– The anime adaptation of Shinichi Ishizuka’s manga “Blue Giant” has set its release date and announced several members of the film’s crew. Via Anime News Network, Yuzuru Tachikawa (Mob Psycho 100) will direct the film for the animation studio NUT. The writer known as NUMBER 8 (who also edited the “Blue Giant” manga) is writing the screenplay for Blue Giant, which will be distributed by TOHO Animation. “Blue Giant” follows Miyamoto Dai, a student basketball player who discovers a passion for the saxophone the first time he sees a live jazz performance. Blue Giant is scheduled to open in Japan on February 17, 2023.
– Marvel has shared the sad news that longtime employee Mike Pasciullo has passed away. Born in 1972, Pasciullo worked at Marvel for 25 years, most recently serving as Senior Vice President of Marvel Television & Entertainment, Marketing & Publicity. “Mike was truly a lifelong Marvelite,” said Marvel Entertainment President Dan Buckley in a statement. “His marketing savvy, commitment, creativity, humor and kindness were on display every day for friends and fans alike… Mike was a close friend to us and so many others, and I will miss him every day. I count myself lucky to have called him a friend.”
