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 spoke with Tess Stone and Justin Roiland about their new series, “Trover Saves The Universe.”
– Writer Christopher Sebela will be releasing two new titles through Oni Press this October, the five-issue miniseries “Dirtbag Rapture,” and a collected edition of his Kickstarter series “Short Order Crooks.” “Short Order Crooks” features art by George Kambadais with colors from Lesley Atlansky, and tells the story of a reformed career criminal-turned-chef who seeks revenge on the brothers tormenting his taco truck. “Dirtbag Rapture,” meanwhile, is a supernatural stoner comedy with art by Kendall Goode and colorist Gab Contreras. The comic features Kat who, after a near-death experience, can see and transport ghosts. She uses this power to act as a paid transporter for the recently departed, before inadvertently being drawn into a battle between good and evil.
– Tatsuki Fujimoto, the creator of “Chainsaw Man,” has returned to edit his Shonen Jump one-shot “Look Back” in an effort to address concerns around its depiction of mental health. The manga features a killer who, in the original publication, is driven to mass murder by voices in his head, heavily suggested to be the product of a delusional condition like dissociative identity disorder. In the revised version, Fujimoto changed the motivation instead to a general maliciousness, which he explained was because he wanted to “avoid depicting something that could be linked to promoting bias or discrimination.” This is likely also an effort to distance the events of “Look Back” from the 2019 Kyoto Animation arson attack, which was committed by a perpetrator suffering similarly delusional symptoms of mental illness.
– Cobra Kai cast member Xolo Maridueña is reportedly in talks to star in the Blue Beetle movie for HBO Max and Warner Bros. Maridueña will play Jaime Reyes, an El Paso teen who uses a suit of extraterrestrial armor to protect his hometown. The film will be directed by Angel Manuel Soto (Charm City Kings), with a script by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer (Miss Bala), and is looking to begin filming early next year. Like the upcoming Batgirl movie starring Leslie Grace, Blue Beetle will be released exclusively on HBO Max. Jaime Reyes, the third Blue Beetle in the comics, was created by Keith Giffen, John Rogers, and Cully Hamner in 2006.
– Writer/comedian Colin Jost will be collaborating with his brother Casey Jost on a new live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie rebooting Michael Bay’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. The film, which is currently untitled and in pre-production, will be produced by Bay, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller, Scott Mednick and Galen Walker. No director is attached as of yet. Jost has been a main writer on Saturday Night Live since 2005 and is currently writing and starring in Worst Man with Pete Davidson. No release date has been set for the film, but it will be produced alongside the upcoming animated TMNT film from Seth Rogen in 2023.
– In further news for the Heroes in a Half Shell, Hasbro have announced a new line of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Power Rangers crossover action figures, based on the 2019 crossover series “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” by Ryan Parrott and Simone di Meo. The figures, set to release this November, are amalgams of Donatello and the Black Ranger, as well as Leonardo and the Blue Ranger, with the last three mash-up characters from the BOOM! Studios/IDW crossover likely to release later. The figures, which are selling for US$52.99, are available for pre-order from Entertainment Earth.
– Malcolm Ingram’s documentary biopic of Kevin Smith, Clerk, has been acquired by 1091 Pictures, with the movie now set for a November release. The film tells the story of Smith’s career, beginning with the cult classic Clerks in 1994, and continuing on with indie hits like Mallrats and Jay and Silent Bob, featuring interviews with Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Justin Long and Richard Linklater, as well as the late George Carlin and Stan Lee. “I’m legit thrilled that 1091 snapped up Malcolm’s masterpiece, Clerk,” said Smith. “To say I love this deep-dive documentary into my favorite subject matter is a gross understatement, and I’m stoked that this inspirational little flick has been 1091’ed! Clerk couldn’t have found a better home than with the same folks who made The Last Blockbuster such an undeniable success.” The film will release digitally on November 23.
– Marvel Studios have confirmed that Hayley Atwell’s Captain Carter from What If…? will continue her solo story in the second season of the show, with executive producer Brad Winderbaum hinting at her grander role in the series alongside the Watcher, played by Jeffrey Wright. “We realized as we started developing the second season that Captain Carter was going to be the character we would revisit in every season, and continue that adventure,” said Winderbaum. “Obviously, we’re telling a story on a giant multiversal canvas. So you never really know who’s going to pop up where and when. It’s very much an anthology, but there’s always opportunity for fun connections to be made.” Captain Carter made her comics debut in “Exiles” by Saladin Ahmed and Javier Rodriguez. What If…? will debut on August 11, running for nine episodes in its first season.
– Finally, Sony released a second trailer for the upcoming superhero picture Venom: Let There Be Carnage, giving greater insight into the physical, psychological and symbiotic rivalry between Eddie Brock/Venom and Cletus Kasady/Carnage. The trailer features Eddie Brock reporting on incarcerated serial killer Cletus Kasady by day and serving as San Francisco’s lethal protector by night. The trailer escalates however, when Cletus ascertains Eddie’s inhumanity by tasting his blood, going on to unleash the Carnage symbiote and wreak havoc in Ravencroft Asylum. The trailer also features the return of Michelle Williams’s Anne Weying and another look at Naomie Harris’s debut as Shriek. Venom: Let There Be Carnage is directed by Andy Serkis with a story by Tom Hardy and Kelly Marcel. The film is set to release September 24.
