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, Berger Books is publishing “Carmilla: The First Vampire.” Mignolaversity also took a look at October’s releases.
and Jordie Bellaire
– Peter David is following his return to the Maestro with a miniseries focused on Bruce Banner’s Las Vegas Mafioso alter-ego, Joe Fixit. Yildiary Cinar will handle art duties on the limited series, with issue #1 set for a 2023 release. David says, “When I created Joe Fixit decades ago, it was merely as a means to shake up the standard formula… I had no idea that the character would have this much staying power, and that so much would eventually be done with him in the pages of the ‘Immortal Hulk.’ I’m thrilled that Marvel has given me this opportunity to revisit with an old friend.”
– Detroit: Become Human is getting a spin-off manga. “Detroit: Become Human Tokyo Stories: is due out tomorrow in Japan, and will be available on Comic Bridge. The book will be written by Saruwatari Kazami and drawn by Moto Sumida (who calls the source material “one of my favorite games I’ve ever played”). As the title suggests, the manga focuses on android unrest in Japan, contrasting it with the titular American setting of the video game.
– Scott Snyder and Francesco Francavilla’s “Night of the Ghoul” is getting a print release courtesy of Dark Horse Comics. The first issue drops on October 5. Described as a “dazzling work of horror, intercutting between the present-day narrative and the story of a lost horror film,” the print release will feature variant covers from Francavilla, Tula Lotay, Francis Manapul, and J.H. Williams III. Availability depends on number of copies ordered by retailers.
– Yellowjackets and Addams Family star Christina Ricci will play Harley Quinn in Harley Quinn & The Joker: Sound Mind, a new audio drama podcast from Spotify, DC, and Warner Bros. Developed, written and directed by Eli Horowitz (Homecoming), the podcast will also star Billy Magnussen (No Time to Die) as the Joker and Justin Hartley (This Is Us) as Bruce Wayne. The audio drama will focus on a young Dr. Harleen Quinzel striking up a partnership with the Joker to help save her sick father. No release date has been listed.
– Five more audio adaptations of classic “Judge Dredd” stories will be available from Penguin Random House in September. The five stories are “Judge Dredd: Origins,” “Dredd Vs Death,” “Judge Anderson: Shamballa,” “Rogue Trooper: Welcome to Nu-Earth,” and “Nemesis the Warlock.” These adaptations will feature a full voice cast, original score, and an immersive soundscape.
– A24 has released a trailer for Funny Pages, a coming-of-age film about a young artist begging a former Image Comics employee for mentorship. Daniel Zolghadri plays young artist Robert, with Gone Baby Gone actor Matthew Maher portraying comic industry veteran Wallace. The film is the directorial debut of Owen Kline, and is due out in select theaters and available on demand August 26.
– Finally, a new article from The Hollywood Reporter details how comic creators are compensated when their characters appear in the MCU, revealing the disparity between the amount they’re promised and what they actually receive. Highlighting this is Devin Grayson’s back-and-forth with Marvel after Yelena Belova, a character she created with J.G. Jones, appeared in Black Widow. Grayson received $5000 of an expected $25,000, with no explanation from Marvel. The report details how Marvel uses ambiguous language in contracts, the number of characters and screentime in a project, and how many people who created a character, to determine compensation. To wit, Grayson believes she and Jones would’ve received $2000 for Yelena’s appearances in Hawkeye, but was offered $300 an episode instead.
