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, stand-up comedian, film/TV producer, and writer Ron Zimmerman has died.
– Mark Millar’s comic “Nemesis” is returning for another volume at Millar’s Netflix imprint Millarworld. Via CBR, “Batman” artist Jorge Jiménez is joining Millar on the book, which is expected to come out next year. “Nemesis,” created by Millar and Steve McNiven as a creator-owned book at Icon Comics back in 2010, follows the titular supervillain on a reign of terror through Washington D.C. The announcement also made note that Millar was working on the new series “Big Game” with artist Pepe Larraz. The new volume of “Nemesis” is set to hit shelves in January 2023.
– Michelle Nguyen, associate publisher at Oni Press, has decided to step down from the company following the recent layoffs of roughly a third of the publisher’s staff. Nguyen’s departure is reportedly of her own volition. “This decision was not taken lightly but it definitely feels like the right time,” she said in a statement to Popverse. “I have so deeply loved working with my colleagues, our creators, and our books. Really, I can’t imagine doing anything else. This was my dream job–hopefully the dream can continue elsewhere.” Nguyen submitted her resignation two days after the dismissal of senior VP of sales and marketing Alex Segura, sales manager Henry Barajas, senior editor Amanda Mewdows, and editor Jasmine Amiri; those departures came two weeks after Oni Press removed publisher/president/co-owner James Lucas Jones and VP of creative and business development Charlie Chu from their positions as well. Popverse reports that 13 Oni Press employees have departed from their positions at the company this year.
– The CW is racing toward the end of an era, as the superhero show The Flash will reportedly end after an abbreviated ninth season. Via TVLine, the recently wrapped season eight was previously planned to be the show’s final outing, but a deal struck with star Grant Gustin has allowed for the series to take one last victory lap. Grant Gustin, Candice Patton and Danielle Panabaker are the final remaining members of the show’s original main cast, with Jesse L. Martin returning in a recurring role to allow him to headline an NBC pilot. The Flash will head into production on its final 13 episodes in September.
– Disney and Lucasfilm have revealed the first full trailer for the upcoming Rogue One prequel series Andor, coupling with it the news that the show has been delayed an additional month. Via TVLine, the series will follow Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) as he is drawn in to aiding the efforts of the burgeoning rebellion. The show, created by Rogue One co-writer and Academy Award-nominee Tony Gilroy, also features Genevieve O’Reilly and Forest Whitaker reprising their roles from the film, as well as newcomers Stellan Skarsgård, Adria Arjona, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller, and Fiona Shaw. Andor will now premiere on September 21 on Disney+.
– Bestselling author Rick Riordan has posted the cover for the graphic novel adaptation of his book The Maze of Bones on Twitter, simultaneously revealing that the adaptation will be drawn by artist Ethan Young. The first book in the collaborative series of adventure books penned by a rotating stable of writers, called The 39 Clues, The Maze of Bones follows two orphan siblings who discover they are part of a powerful family that fights each other for Clues, the ingredients for a mysterious serum. The graphic novelization is scheduled for release on April 4, 2023.
– Actor Milo Manheim has signed on to lead the YA graphic novel television adaptation School Spirits for Paramount+ alongside co-lead Peyton List. Via Deadline, School Spirits is based on the book of the same name by Nate & Megan Trinrud and Maria Nguyen, which is scheduled for publication from Clarion Books/HarperAlley in 2023. The story follows a teenager (List) in the afterlife, who teams up with the spirits of other former students to investigate her own mysterious disappearance. Oliver Goldstick (Bridgerton) will be the showrunner and executive producer for the series along with Nate and Megan Trinrud, who also wrote the pilot. Max Winkler (Jungleland) is directing the pilot.
– Amazon Prime’s The Boys is adding a trio of series regulars for its upcoming fourth season. Via Deadline, Cameron Crovetti, who has previously recurred as Homelander’s son Ryan, has been promoted to series regular status. Meanwhile, newcomers Valorie Curry (The Lost Symbol) and Susan Heyward (Orange is the New Black) have joined the series playing the superheroes Firecracker and Sister Sage respectively. Based on the comics by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson and developed for television by Eric Kripke, The Boys follows a team of vigilantes that clash with rogue and corporate-sponsored superpowered individuals that portray themselves as heroes in the media.
– Shazam! Fury of the Gods director David F. Sandberg has confirmed that Rizwan Manji (Peacemaker) is appearing in the upcoming film, but cautioned fans not to draw too many conclusions about the nature of the character. Via SuperHeroHype, Sandberg took to Twitter after eagle-eyed fans spotted Manji in the upcoming film’s recent trailer to confirm the news, saying that he hired Manji for the gig off of the recommendation of Peacemaker executive producer Peter Safran. His small role in the film was not intended to be a reprise of Manji’s character Jamil from the HBO Max series, but Sandberg noted that it could be: the character is unnamed in the film. Shazam! Fury of the Gods strikes on December 21.
