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.
– Magnetic Press will release “Tezucomi,” a two-volume anthology of works inspired by Osamu Tezuka. The 300-page books will feature a total of 18 original short stories, by creators like Ken Niimura, Joe Kelly, Juan Diaz Canales, Kenny Ruiz, Belen Ortega, Victor Santos, Mathieu Bablet, JD Morvan, Mig, David Lafuente, Bertrand Gatignol, LuisNCT, Elsa Brants, Reno Lemaire, Brice Cossu, and Sourya. The stories were commissioned by Tezuka Productions during what would’ve been the cartoonist’s 90th birthday in 2018, and their English release will mark his 95th in early 2024. Head to the link to find out more about the preorder campaign in the meantime.
– Publishers Weekly reports writer Rey Terciero (“Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy”) and artist Alex Moore (“Death Drop”) are teaming up at Penguin Workshop for “The Count of Monte Cristo High.” As the name implies, the YA graphic novel will reimagine Alexandre Dumas’s classic as the tale of Ernesto, a high school student seeking revenge for being bullied. It will be released in Summer 2026. In the meantime, Terciero’s next reimagining of a literary classic, “Doña Quixote: Rise of the Knight” (with artist Monica M. Magaña), will be released by Macmillan on September 5, and you can read a preview at The Beat.
– Marvel revealed plot details for Saladin Ahmed and Aaron Kuder’s relaunch of “Daredevil” (due out September 13), while spoiling how the final issue of Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checcheto’s run (out August 16) would set up its new status quo. Head to the link if you don’t mind spoilers. The publisher also shared cover art for two titles announced at San Diego Comic-Con, the “Howard the Duck” 50th anniversary special, and the 40th anniversary miniseries “Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars: Battleworld,” both debuting in November.
– Sony have delayed several films in response to the WGA/SAG-AFTRA strike, including Kraven the Hunter and Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. Kraven was delayed from this fall until August 30, 2024, while Beyond the Spider-Verse was delayed indefinitely (incidentally, the sequel’s move came after reports that little work on the sequel had been completed.) The Ghostbusters: Afterlife sequel, which was set for December, will be released on Beyond‘s originally intended March 29, 2024 release date instead. Meanwhile, Madame Web was moved up two days to February 14, while Venom 3 received a July 12, 2024 release date.
– In addition to being James Gunn’s final Marvel film, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will have the dubious honor of being the last Disney film to be released on DVD and Blu-ray in Australia and New Zealand. The Digital Bits and other outlets confirmed the decision, which came about due to the rise of streaming, the ensuing collapse of the physical market in the region, and the rise of global retailers (eg. Amazon and Zavvi.) As a result, fans looking to continue their physical collection will have to pay extra for their copies from overseas. Other physical media markets Disney have pulled out of include Asia (except Japan) and Latin America. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will be added to Disney+ on Wednesday, August 2.
– In an interview with ComicBook.com, Secret Invasion director Ali Selim gave an ambiguous answer to how long Don Cheadle’s Rhodey has been impersonated by a Skrull. “I think his legs not working in the end of episode six and him being in the hospital gown points to [Captain America: Civil War]. And, from there, does it have to be definitive, or is it more fun for the audience to go back and revisit every moment, every Rhodey moment and look at it with a different lens now that they think, ‘Oh, he might’ve been a Skrull there.'” All six episodes of Secret Invasion are available now on Disney+, while Cheadle’s Rhodey is set to return in the film Armor Wars (which does not have a release date at the time of writing.)
– Spanish artists David Lafuente and Belén Ortega have criticized the Eisner Awards for the omission of Carlos Pacheco from the in memoriam segment of this year’s ceremony. Pacheco, who was 60, passed away from ALS last year, and his death, as well as his 2004 nomination for “Arrowsmith,” was acknowledged by the organization then. Lafuente said, “Given his stature in the community, the talent and success that Carlos had in his decades-long career in the American comic-book market, as well as the historic reluctance to recognise the value of overseas artists, I strongly believe that an apology is owed.”
– Finally, artist Carmen Carnero (“Captain Marvel,” “Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty”) disclosed that she has been battling cervical cancer. She wrote, “I’ve been lucky, not skipping any routine check-ups can give you years of life. Today I am healthier than yesterday and there is not much left for me to be able to keep drawing beautiful things. It is not easy to live or tell this, but it is the only way in which perhaps I can help some of you. All of this is very real and a simple pap smear can save your life. Take care of yourselves and enjoy every minute and make that call you should, take that coffee you had pending, visit that person who is waiting for you…” The last issue of Carnero’s Captain America run, “Captain America Finale,” releases on August 16.
