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 rounded up every announcement made by Marvel and every announcement from DC at San Diego Comic Con 2018.
– In a press release, Marvel Comics announced “Champions” will be venturing into the Weirdworld with issue #25. Senior Vice-President and Executive Editor Tom Brevoort described that following the disappearance of two of the Champions into Weirdworld, the rest of the team “have no choice but to follow them into that ever-changing landscape.” The journey promises to have “profound and unexpected” on the team. Series writer Jim Zub stated that “sword & sorcery is near and dear to [his] heart” and said that the trip into Weirdworld will test the team’s resolve to “fight for what’s right, no matter where they are…or who they are.” The three part Weirdworld story will start in “Champions” #25 by Jim Zub, with art from Sean Izaakse and Max Dunbar, on October 3, 2018.
– Creative Director of Bongo Comics, Nathan Kane, announced today, via Instagram, that “Simpsons Comics” will be ending later this year. Bongo Comics Group were founded in 1993 by Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons, along with Steve and Cindy Vance and Bill Morrison. The publisher since gone on to publish other comics based on The Simpsons including “Bart Simpson,” a “Lisa Comics” one-shot and a “Krusty Comics” mini-series. The final issue of “Simpsons Comics” #245 will be released in October.
– A trailer for the upcoming Alita: Battle Angel has been released. The Robert Rodriguez film is based on the manga, “Battle Angel Alita” by Yukito Kishiro which follows the story of Alita, a cyborg who is rebuilt by a cybernetics doctor after being found in a garbage heap with only one memory left. This one memory is of Panzer Kunst the legendary cyborg martial artist, which leads her to become a Hunter Warrior. The film’s screenplay by James Cameron and Laeta Kalogridis. Cameron is also producing the film, along with Jon Landau. The film is set for release on December 21, 2018.
– Following his firing from the director’s role on the next installment in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, James Gunn has issued an apology stating his regrets over the words from the past that are “totally failed and unfortunate efforts to be provocative.”
The cast of the franchise have also spoken out on social media on the subject. Chris Pratt, who plays Star-Lord, quoted the Bible, encouraging everyone to “be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.” Zoe Saldana, Gamora in the films, stated that she loves “ALL members of my GOTG family” and that she “Always will.” Dave Bautista, who stars as Drax in the movies, criticised the decision to fire Gunn by describing him as “one of the most loving, caring, good natured people [he has] ever met” while questioning why he is being punished for “horrible JOKES in the past instead of [being defended] for INSPIRING millions?” James Gunn’s brother Sean, who has worked with him on the Marvel films, has described the change he has been witness to in his brother following his work on Guardians and “saw that he was more open-hearted than the guy who needed to get a rise out of people by making nasty or offensive jokes.”
– Brian Michael Bendis’s eight-page Batman story, ‘Citizen Wayne,’ featured in “Batman Chronicles” #21 in 2000, is going to be reprinted and included in Bendis’s first original work for DC Comics, “Pearl.” Both “Pearl” and “Citizen Wayne” were drawn by Bendi’s Jessica Jones co-creator, Michael Gaydos. “Pearl” #1 will be released on August 15.
– More Batman news came in a press release which detailed the remastered version of Batman: The Animated Series. This follows the announcement that DC Universe will stream Batman: The Animated Series in HD. The collection will include all 109 episodes across 10 discs and the recent films, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and Batman & Mr Freeze: SubZero on two bonus discs. The collection will also have 11 audio commentaries by the cast and crew, for specially-selected episodes.
– The original graphic novel, “Hex Vet,” announced in May, has had a host of preview images released via press release today. The graphic novel by cartoonist Sam Davies, known for “Shutterbug” is due for release in December.
– Finally, John Allison (“Bad Machinery,” “Giant Days”) has revealed he has a new comic coming out called “Destroy History.” Besides the cover, revealed in a tweet, details about the series remain a secret.
