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 said goodbye to “Yu-Gi-Oh!” creator Kazuki Takahashi.
– “Knights of X” #5 will be the last issue of the series, writer Tini Howard confirmed on her Substack, although she did promise more adventures for Betsy Braddock in the future. “Captain Britain isn’t going away,” Howard writes. “And I’m not done telling stories with her, and thankfully… Betsy and I seem to be permitted to still do so.” In the same post, Howard praised Chip Zdarsky’s “Batman” #125, hinting that there may be some crossover between his book and her “Catwoman” series.
– “Strange Tales: Thor & Jane Foster” is the next ”Strange Tales” Infinity Comics one-shot, available exclusively on Marvel Unlimited. Writer Tim Seely and artist Ramon F. Bachs handle creative duties on the digital exclusive, which sees Jane Foster/Valkyrie and Odinson battle Mr. Hyde. Java Tartaglia provides colors while Jordan White edits.
– Israeli cartoonist Asaf Hanuka fears his recent collaboration with journalist Roberto Saviano may cost him his life. “I’m Still Alive,” which will be available in English from Archaia in October, details the past sixteen years of Saviano’s life, which have been spent under heavy security due to his coverage of organized crime in Italy. Growing up in Naples, where he witnessed multiple Mafia executions as a child, Saviano would write 2006’s Gomorrah, detailing the brutal rule of the mob. The resounding success of the book and its film & TV adaptations drew the ire of Italian crime lords, forcing him to live under the constant threat of violence. Saviano reached out to Hanuka after being impressed with his Eisner-winning graphic novel “The Realist.”
– Smallville stars Tom Welling (Clark Kent) and Michael Rosebaum (Lex Luthor) have reunited for a new podcast revisiting the series episode-by-episode. Talk-Ville will be available on all major podcast platforms starting July 13, with new episodes dropping every Wednesday.
– Daredevil stars Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio have joined the cast of the upcoming Disney+ series Echo. Since the series’s cancellation in 2018 (along with the rest of Marvel’s at the time Netflix-exclusive lineup), both Cox and D’Onofrio have reprised their roles in MCU projects. Cox appeared as Matt Murdock in Spider-Man: No Way Home, while D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk was the surprise antagonist in Hawkeye, which introduced us to Alaqua Cox’s Maya Lopez, aka Echo. The Weekly Planet podcast claims that the pair won’t be the only Netflix alum joining the series, stating that Krysten Ritter’s Jessica Jones will also make an appearance. Echo is slated for a 2023 release.
– The Hollywood Critics Association has released their nominees for the 2nd Annual HCA TV Awards in streaming. Disney+’s Loki and Moon Knight picked up several nominations (six and three respectively). Hailee Steinfeld and Florence Pugh picked up nods for their work on Hawkeye, with HBO Max’s Peacemaker earning two, one for star John Cena, and another for writer James Gunn. Amazon Prime Video’s The Boys Presents: Diabolical got the nod for Best Animated Short Form Series. The network and cable awards will be presented at the Beverly Hilton on Saturday, August 13, 2022, with the streaming awards following the next day.
– HBO Max will bring the characters of Mauricio de Sousa’s work to live-action TV with Franklin and Milena in Search of Science. The show will be based on Sousa’s “Monica’s Gang” comics from 1959, and is being produced by Cartoon Network, the Brazil-and based Biônica Filmes and Mauricio de Sousa Produções. The Serrapilheira Institute will offer technical and scientific advising on scripts.
– Finally, Warner Bros. has announced a deluxe edition of the two-part animated feature Batman: The Long Halloween. Adapting the acclaimed series from writer Jeph Loeb and the late artist Tim Sale, the films follow Batman’s battle against supervillains and the mob while on the trail of the Holiday Killer. The R-rated new edition, which combines both films, will be released on September 20, 2022 for Blu-ray, 4K, and digital download.
