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.
– Dark Horse announced “Four Gathered on Christmas Eve,” an anthology in the vein of Victorian Christmas ghost stories ala A Christmas Carol, featuring four stories written and drawn by Eric Powell, Mike Mignola, Becky Cloonan, and James Harren. The 72-page book will see “the creators themselves become part of the story,” as they “spin tales of the bizarre and terrifying [together] to keep readers company on a cold Yule night.” Powell and Dave Stewart will color the stories, while Richard Starkings will provide lettering. It will be released in hardcover in bookstores on December 12, and comic book stores the following day.
– Publishers Weekly reports First Second will publish “Henna for the Jinn,” a graphic novel by Safiya Zerrougui (“Freddie Mercury: Shadows Illuminated”). The YA book, due out in 2026, follows an Algerian girl who starts working as a henna painter in a mysterious Turkish noble’s home, while investigating the disappearance of her brother. You can check out artwork from the book, which Zerrougui describes as a queer, gothic romance, on her Twitter page.
Meanwhile, HarperCollins imprint Katherine Tegen Books will publish “Almost Sunset,” the debut graphic novel of storyboard artist Wahab Algarmi. The middle-grade book will follow Hassan, a Muslim American boy during Ramadan, as he deals with “a hectic month of middle school deadlines and an upcoming soccer championship,” while learning about “his own family’s history and their faith as he fasts every day for the holy month.” The book’s title refers to how Muslims are allowed to stop fasting after sunset during Ramadan. It was not stated when it will released.
– The nominees of this year’s Hugo Awards were announced last week, with the nominations for Best Graphic Story or Comic consisting of “Cyberpunk 2077: Big City Dreams,” “Dune: The Official Movie Graphic Novel,” “Monstress,” “Once & Future,” “Saga,” and “Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.” Andor was nominated twice for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form, alongside She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and Stranger Things, while Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was the sole comic book movie nominated for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form. The winners will be announced at the 81st Worldcon in Chengdu in October.
– The Hollywood Reporter revealed Jennifer Garner will reprise the role of Elektra in Deadpool 3. Garner, 51, portrayed the character in 2003’s Daredevil movie, and its 2005 spin-off. She previously worked with Ryan Reynolds and director Shawn Levy on The Adam Project, where she portrayed the title character’s mother. The news will likely fuel rumors that the film will act as something of a farewell tour for the Marvel movies produced by Fox, especially with Hugh Jackman also returning to play Wolverine. Deadpool 3 will be released on May 3, 2024.
– In further Marvel movie news, Simu Liu gave an update on the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings sequel during a Q&A on Meta’s new platform, Threads. “Was told it would follow Avengers but that keeps pushing back due to circumstances beyond my control,” he said. “Hope to have more concrete news to share soon.” Assuming Liu means Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, which is being helmed by Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton, the earliest a sequel would arrive would be after May 1, 2026. Cretton is also busy overseeing a Wonder Man series for Disney+, and a possible second season of American Born Chinese.
– Adult Swim have made the first episode of My Adventures With Superman available internationally on YouTube. The first two episodes of the new, anime-inspired cartoon (which comprise a two-parter, “Adventures of a Normal Man”) premiered on the Cartoon Network block last week at midnight on July 7. New episodes will continue premiering every Thursday/Friday midnight on Cartoon Network, and be made immediately available afterwards on (HBO) Max. Despite the show’s time slot, it is rated TV-PG, with repeats airing during Toonami.
– Finally, The Wheel of Time producers iwot productions have announced an animated prequel film, titled The White Tower. Featuring an original story written by Zack Stentz (Thor, X-Men: First Class, Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous), the film will follow a young, gifted girl, who goes to the tower to seek the Aes Sedai’s help after “evil visits her remote mountain village.” It will be animated by Québécois company Squeeze Studio, whose projects include What If…?, Clash of Clans, and motion capture for various Ubisoft games. The Wheel of Time season two will premiere in the meantime on Prime Video on September 1.
