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, Geoff Johns and Gary Frank announced a “Geiger” spin-off series called “Junkyard Joe,” and Christopher Cantwell and Pasqual Ferry are set to bring a post-apocalyptic take to “Namor the Sub-Mariner.”
– “Once and Future” by Kieron Gillen, Dan Mora, Tamra Bonvillain, and Ed Dukeshire, is set to conclude with its 30th issue this October, BOOM! Studios revealed. The publisher’s description for the mythological series’s finale was kept to a minimum, only detailing that “The War of Crowns is at an end, and Bridgette and Duncan must face the future of Britain together,” with the fate of the lead characters being left in the balance. The series debuted in August 2019 and has since gone on to garner critical acclaim, culminating in the form of Eisner and Hugo Award nominations. The finale will be released with a Dan Mora cover as well as an Inhyuk Lee variant, with the latter viewable here.
– Via Daily Dead, Dark Horse Comics announced a new four-part miniseries called “Dead Mall” by writer Adam Cesare, artist David Stoll, and letterer Justin Birch. The series will follow five teenagers venturing into the long-closed Penn Mills Galleria before it is demolished, only to find themselves up against the “sprawling, transformative horror” within. Cesare described the miniseries as “supernatural, monster-filled, [and] body-horror-tinged,” and also detailed that “the mall itself is narrating the story.” Stoll stated that “no one is going to be disappointed by what we’ve done” in working together to “pull all of the worst dark, toothy, slimy things we could conjure together onto the page.” “Dead Mall” #1 will be available in comic shops and on digital platforms on October 26.
– Writer/artist David Messina is set to launch an urban fantasy series called “3Keys” at Image Comics, it was revealed. “3Keys” will see “an impetuous young comic-store clerk and her sardonic, furry and surprisingly violent mentor” become the last line of defense against the inter-dimensional Great Old Ones, who have previously invaded other worlds, creating refugees seeking to escape to our world. The series was described as “an action-horror story about a friendship greater than the apocalypse,” and “a declaration of love toward pop culture” by Messina. “3Keys” #1 (of 5) will be released on October 5. You can check out the primary cover by Messina, as well as the Werther Dell’Edera and ‘Action Figure’ variant covers at Image’s website.
– Former “Daredevil” writer Ann Nocenti and artist John Romita Jr. will return for the upcoming landmark 650th issue (#2 of the current iteration of the title). Nocenti will team with current writer Chip Zdarsky, who will take on the role of artist for Nocenti’s story, that “spotlight[s] Daredevil’s complex relationship with the inhabitants of Hell’s Kitchen and the dire changes on the horizon.” Romita Jr. will be drawing a section of the issue’s primary story featuring Typhoid Mary. A preview page from each story has been released and can be found at Marvel.com.
– Amazon Prime Video revealed that the upcoming college-set spin-off from The Boys will be called Gen V. The series is set to follow a group of young adult superheroes during their time at Vought International’s exclusive college for superpowered individuals. The series’s description summarizes the show as “part college show, part Hunger Games — with all the heart, satire, and raunch of The Boys.” Details about the Supes in the college have remained under wraps, although the ensemble cast will include Jaz Sinclair, Chance Perdomo, and Patrick Schwarzenegger. Michele Fazekas and Tara Butter will be the showrunners, with many of the individuals behind The Boys, including creator Eric Kripke, also serving as executive producers. The Boys is based on the comic series of the same by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. Gen V does not currently have an airdate but in the meantime, you can check out the cast’s title reveal video here.
– Adam Scott became the latest addition to Sony’s Madame Web film, though his role is not yet known. Despite the cast continuing to grow, with Dakota Johnson in the lead role, and actresses such as Sydney Sweeney and Celeste O’Connor also known to be involved, details about the film’s plot remain under wraps. In the comics, Madame Web is an elderly woman with psychic abilities and sources have described the character as Sony’s Doctor Strange equivalent, although Deadline’s sources have now added that due to Web’s inactive role in fighting villains, “it’s possible the project could turn into something else.” Madame Web is currently scheduled for release on July 7, 2023.
– In further casting news, the upcoming second season of Loki gained Rafael Casal (Blindspotting) in an as-yet-unknown major role. The second season is currently in production, with Casal reportedly being spotted on set. The titular anti-hero and Mobius are set to be played by the returning duo of Tom Hiddleston and Owen Wilson, respectively. The first season’s showrunner and writer, Michael Waldron, is also returning for the second season, though only as an executive producer, with Eric Martin writing Loki’s second solo venture instead. A premiere date for Loki season two has not been revealed.
– Finally, writer Rachel Pollack, best known in the comics industry for her runs on DC titles “Doom Patrol” and “New Gods,” is due to begin “chemo” treatment soon; it was revealed by writer Michael Conrad, with him inviting fans to send her “a nice comment” on her Facebook page. Conrad described Pollack’s “Doom Patrol” as “fundamental to my comics DNA” with many other remarking on the impact her tenure on the title had on them.
