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, the international comics community mourns the lost of “Batmanga” creator Jiro Kuwata, who passed away at the age of 85. Also, DC Comics has announced ”Injustice: Year Zero”, a 14-page digital-first prequel to the video games, and we spoke to the creators of “KUTE Crew” about their new webcomic.
– Paying tribute to the classic one-page Dungeons & Dragons ads from ‘80s comics, Cullen Bunn has gathered a team of over a dozen artists to create “Deepest Catacombs,” a fantasy series in the spirit of the classic tabletop roleplaying game, that will be released in one-page installments through Bunn’s Patreon. Each page will feature art from a different creator, with A.C. Zamudio and Nick Zamudio providing the first two pages, as well as “cover art” and character designs. The webcomic, which begins next week, will be public, but backers will receive special “behind-the-scenes material,” as well as supplements for D&D’s fifth edition.
– As the “Monstress” Book One limited edition hardcover hits shelves this week, Image Comics made multiple announcements regarding Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda’s Eisner Award-winning series. November 25 will see the release of the first of a two-issue miniseries, “Monstress: Talk-Stories,” which will follow Kippa as she “recounts a defining moment from her childhood.” Additionally, the current story arc will conclude with issue #30 on September 2, and Vol. 5 of the trades will hit shelves on the 30th. Book One’s limited edition will have a print run of 500 copies, each signed by both Liu and Takeda.
– Marvel artist Paolo Rivera announced on his Instagram that the upcoming Marvel anthology series curated by Alex Ross, simply titled “Marvel,” will be finally released beginning this November. A six-issue limited series featuring such talents as Rivera, Steve Darnall, and Dan Brereton, “Marvel” will have a framing story produced by Ross and Darnall. Rivera posted a page from the series showcasing the Vision.
– In the hopes of providing a little levity to uncertain times, the Norman Rockwell Museum has launched Finding Funny in Complicated Times, an online event featuring conversations being the most acclaimed cartoonists, illustrators, and editors working today. The event will focus on discussions over the ability of cartoons to, in the words of curator Stephanie Plunkett, “provide a little stress relief at a time when it’s needed most, and to open up conversations in ways that words alone cannot.” The event coincides with Comic Relief, an exhibition dedicated to the works of Liza Donnelly, who opened Funny in Complicated Times with her husband, Michael Maslin. The event runs until September 1, 2020.
– AfterShock Comics is adding three new managers to its staff. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the independent publisher has hired former freelance writer/editor Katherine Jamison as marketing manager; former Marvel/DC editor Rachel Pinnelas as social community manager; and Frozen Beach Studios co-founder Charles Pritchett as Design Manager. “Katherine, Rachel and Charles each fill roles and provide expertise critical to the continued growth of AfterShock Comics as both a publisher and a brand,” said Steve Rotterdam, AfterShock Senior Vice President of sales and marketing. “There’s lots happening at AfterShock right now and it’s a very exciting and rewarding place to be.”
– Finally, on September 4, Niki Caro’s Mulan will be made available on Disney+, but at a premium cost. Disney+ users in the US, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and a number Western European countries can see the film for the price of $29.99. The live-action epic starring Liu Yifei was originally scheduled for theatrical release on March 27, but was delayed three times by COVID-19 before Disney pulled it from their release schedule. During the company’s third-quarter earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Chapek said the decision is considered a “one-off,” but the company will see how the remake performs before making decisions for similarly large projects like Black Widow.
