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, writer Michael Conrad and artist Noah Bailey will be reuniting for a new comiXology Original graphic novel titled “Double Walker,” and writer Jeph Loeb and artist Tim Sale will be returning to DC for “Batman: The Long Halloween Special,” a 48-page one-shot celebrating the 25th anniversary of the original “Long Halloween” series. We also have an exclusive preview of next week’s “Champions” #8, and an excerpt from “The Philosophy of Venom.”
– Marvel has announced that they are moving up the debut of their upcoming “Venom” series by Al Ewing, Ram V, and artist Bryan Hitch. The series, which was originally announced for November, is now set to hit comic book shops and digital marketplaces on October 13. This announcement also included the first look at the cover for “Venom” #1 by Hitch, which shows Eddie Brock lunging towards readers with his tongue flailing in the wind. Details for the series are still scarce, but readers can get their first glimpse at what this new era of Venom will look like on August 14, when “Free Comic Book Day: Spider-Man/Venom” #1 comes out as part of the annual FCBD festivities, featuring a story by Ewing, V, and Hitch.
– Marvel Studios has released the first trailer for their upcoming animated series What If…? The series, which uses the same premise as the long-running comic of the same name, features alternate realities in which the events of the Marvel Cinematic Universe played out differently. The trailer opens with Tony Stark being attacked by a Stark Industries missile in a scene that mirrors the original Iron Man, and then diverges to show Killmonger stepping in to save Tony’s life. From there, a multitude of alternate realities are shown, such as Peggy Carter becoming Captain Carter, Loki leading the armies of Asgard, the Avengers becoming zombies, and Black Panther taking Star-Lord’s place in the Guardians of the Galaxy. What If…? is set to debut on Disney+ on August 11 and stars a rotating cast of voice actors, including the late Chadwick Boseman, Chris Hemsworth, Hayley Atwell, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jeffrey Wright as the mysterious Uatu the Watcher.
– Skybound has announced the creation of a new series titled “C.O.D.E.,” that will debut with a short story in “Skybound X” #5. “C.O.D.E.” will be written by Robert Kirkman and drawn by Jason Howard, who previously worked together on “The Astounding Wolf-Man” and “Super Dinosaur.” The series takes place in the far future, where humanity survives using the help of Combat Orb Defense Engines, or C.O.D.E., which just might be the key to helping mankind overcome the technological menace that threatens to overtake the Earth! Speaking on the series, Jason Howard said “creating new characters is where my heart is at and I hope that ‘C.O.D.E.’ will have characters as memorable to future fans as those created in Skybound’s past.” Kirkman added, “There’s no better way to end this celebration of Skybound’s first ten years than to bring you something entirely new for the very first time.”
– Spinning out of Star Wars: Visions, Penguin Random House will be releasing Star Wars: Ronin: A Visions Novel. The book is being written by Emma Mieko Candon, and will be released on October 12. The story spins out of “The Duel,” an episode of Star Wars: Visions that is being directed by Takanobu Mizuno, and focuses on a lone Sith who lives on the Outer Rim. In this novel, the nameless Sith is accompanied only by a droid and the ghosts of his past, but finds himself drawn into the galaxy’s endless cycle of violence when a bandit claiming to be a Sith strikes. Now the tired Sith will have to confront the demons of his former life or die trying. Star Wars: Visions will begin airing on Disney+ on September 22.
– Production company GKIDS Films has announced that they have acquired the North American distribution rights to iconic filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki’s anime series Future Boy Conan. The series, which was originally broadcast in Japan in 1978, was the directorial debut of Miyazaki. The family of Alexander Key, who wrote the original novel that inspired the series, was reportedly disappointed in the original anime and refused to let it be distributed in North America for decades. As such, the upcoming release will be the first time the Future Boy Conan is available in North America. The series has been digitally restored in 4K, and will feature a new English-language dub when it comes out in late 2021.
Continued below– Hiromu Arakawa, the creator of the “Fullmetal Alchemist” manga series, will be returning to “Shonen Gangan” magazine with a new series. Details on the project are limited to a preview image by Arakawa, with only the words “Coming Soon,” but more information is expected to arrive with the publication of the new issue of “Shonen Gangan” on July 12. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the “Fullmetal Alchemist” manga, which went on to spawn multiple anime adaptations and feature films. Since the conclusion of the original “Fullmetal Alchemist,” Arakawa has also worked on “Silver Spoon” and “The Heroic Legend of Arslan.”
– Japanese animation studio MAPPA has released a statement in response to allegations that they underpay and overwork their animators. The studio, which currently produces Attack on Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen, and a number of other anime series, was recently named by animator Ippei Ichii as part of a larger industry issue in which animation studios are given limited budgets for their projects, which in turn forces animators to be undervalued by their employers. Speaking on the matter, MAPPA said that they offer “a fair rate relative to the budget of the project,” while also stressing that they have never forced their staff to work on any projects that they don’t want to. MAPPA recently announced that they will be opening a new studio building designed “to improve the workplace environment” for their employees.
– Writer Scott Snyder will be teaching a one-hour class about writing comics on July 21 from 1:00 PM-2:15 PM EST, live via Zoom. The class is being organized via the Women in Comics Collective International, an organization dedicated to “Diversifying the Comic Book World one Panel at a Time.” Tickets are available now on the Women in Comics Collective International website, and cost $15 for existing members of the site, or $25 for non-members. Snyder, who is known for his legendary runs on “Batman,” “Justice League,” and “Dark Knights: Metal,” also has years of experience as a teacher: he previously taught at New York University, Columbia, and Sarah Lawrence College in New York.
– Netflix has found a new star for their upcoming series The Witcher: Blood Origin. The new show is a prequel to The Witcher, and will star Sophia Brown in the role of Éile, a warrior who leaves behind her position as a Queen’s guard in order to pursue a life as a musician. Brown replaces the previously announced Jodie Turner-Smith, who stepped away from the project due to scheduling conflicts. The series will also star Michelle Yeoh and Laurence O’Faurain, who will be playing a sword-elf and a warrior, respectively. The Witcher: Blood Origin is set 1200 years before The Witcher, and follows the creation of the first Witcher.
– Finally, the Hollywood Critics Association have come forward with the nominees for the first ever HCA TV Awards. The HCA is a film critic organization based out of California that is dedicated to supporting diverse and underrepresented voices. Nominees for the inaugural HCA TV awards include Harley Quinn and Invincible for Best Animated Series or Animated Television Movie, WandaVision for Best Streaming Limited Series, Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen for Best Actor and Actress in a Limited Series respectively, Resident Alien for Best Comedy Cable series, Alan Tudyk for Best Actor in a Comedy Cable Series, The Boys for Best Drama Streaming Series, and Karl Urban and Aya Cash for Best Actor and Actress in a Drama Streaming Series, respectively. The Mandalorian and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier were also nominated in numerous categories. The HCA TV Awards will be held on August 22.
