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, Richard Donner, the director of Superman: The Movie, and co-director of Superman II, passed away yesterday at the age of 91.
– Per Broken Frontier, Scottish publisher BHP Comics have acquired the digital rights to the post-apocalyptic graphic novel series “BOAT.” Written by David Lumsden, and based on his short film of the same name, the books follow Charlie, who lives on a boat in a flooded near future version of Edinburgh. The first volume was drawn by Mark Weallans, while the subsequent four were illustrated by Marc Olivent. All of BHP’s books will be released initially on digital storefronts over the next 12 months, with the publisher exploring a new North American relationship for print comics beginning in spring 2022.
– Koyoharu Gotouge’s “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” is receiving a chibi spin-off, titled “Kimetsu Gakuen!” The comic, which depicts the characters in a modern school setting, will be drawn by Natsuki Hokami (“Hell Warden Higuma”), and debut in the September issue of Shueisha’s Saikyō Jump magazine on August 4. Prior to this, four “Kimetsu Gakuen” shorts were released to mark Valentine’s Day on February 14, 2021.
– In other manga news, The Japan Times reports the 201st volume of “Golgo 13” went on sale in the country yesterday, surpassing the previously recognized Guinness World Record for the largest number of manga volumes held by “Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen-mae Hashutsujo.” Created by Takao Saito, “Golgo 13” follows the adventures of the titular professional assassin, and has been running in Shogakukan’s Big Comic magazine since 1968. Saito said, “Before I knew it, I’d published 201 volumes, and I’m just grateful to all the readers.”
– Variety reported on a boom in Chilean animation, with five projects being pitched to distributors at Cannes. As well as the previously announced Winnipeg, Seeds of Hope, the report lists Underground Stories (Historias Clandestinas), based on a black-and-white graphic novel by Ariel and Sol Rojas Lizana. The film follows Ariel Rojas Lizana as he develops a graphic memoir to become closer to his teenage son Franco, sharing the story of how his own parents sheltered enemies of Augusto Pinochet’s junta. Production is already underway on the film, which is intended for release in 2023.
In further Cannes news, it was announced the upcoming animated French film The Summit of the Gods will be screened at the festival this month. Based on the manga by Jiro Taniguchi (which was in turn based on the novel by Baku Yumemakura), Summit of the Gods tells the story of a photographer who discovers a camera that belonged to George Mallory, a mountaineer who went missing on Mount Everest. Along with a friend, he decides to uncover what happened to Mallory. The comic was previously adapted into a live-action film, Everest: Kamigami no Itadaki, in 2016.
– Finally, Netflix released a trailer for Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy – Kingdom, the third and final season of the CG animated series based on the prequel toyline of the same name. The season will depict Optimus Prime and Megatron’s arrival on prehistoric Earth, and crossing paths with the Beast Wars characters. Kingdom will be released on the streaming service on July 29.
