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, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips announced their new graphic novel series, “Reckless,” beginning this October, and we had an exclusive preview of next week’s “Empyre: X-Men” #3.
– DC Comics have announced two new ‘Tales From the Dark Multiverse’ one-shots, “Tales From the Dark Multiverse – Flashpoint,” by Bryan Hitch, and “Tales From the Dark Multiverse – Batman: Hush,” by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Dexter Soy. The new “Flashpoint” story is set in a world where “Barry Allen had not put things right,” says the solicit. “Where the Flashpoint reality was never undone, where Thomas Wayne still haunts Gotham City as the Batman, and the Amazonian and Atlantean armies still prepare for war, will the Reverse Flash embrace this darker more deadly world and finally eclipse Barry Allen’s legacy?” Meanwhile Johnson and Soy’s “Hush” story asks, “What if Tommy had ruined Bruce Wayne’s life when they were children?,” and presents an inverse story where “Tommy Elliot grew up to be the Dark Prince of Gotham City with help of Talia al Ghul, Oswald Cobblepot, Harvey Dent, and Jason Todd! But vengeance is coming in the form of Batman the Silenced… who will tear Tommy’s life apart!” Both comics feature covers by David Marquez, with “Hush” going on sale November 3, and “Flashpoint” on November 17.
– Peter David and Greg Land will be returning to “Symbiote Spider-Man” this November with a five-issue “King in Black” tie-in series. The series will delve back into Peter Parker’s backstory, looking at one of Knull, the god of the symbiotes’s first attempts at creating life. The cover for the first issue promises appearances from Uatu the Watcher, the Black Knight, Kang the Conqueror, Rocket Raccoon, a mysterious symbiote, and Spider-Man himself. “King In Black: Symbiote Spider-Man” #1 releases this November with variant covers by Geoff Shaw, Khary Randolph, Superlog, and Alex Saviuk, as well as a blank variant.
– Writers Didier Alcante and Laurent-Frédéric Bollée have collaborated with author/illustrator Denis Rodier on a 470-page graphic novel, “The Bomb,” which chronicles the story of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. The novel, originally published in French, is a way to “convey complex scientific content. You can read at your own pace and understand its complexity,” said Alcante. “And on the other hand, drawings can be used to convey the emotions.” The novel focuses on the fallout wrought by the bomb, as well as the efforts to prevent its use by Hungrian scientist Leó Szilárd, who had originally helped design the weapon. The novel was released in French in March 2020, and German in June 2020.
– Random House have revealed the new preteen graphic novel, ““Katie the Catsitter,” by Colleen AF Venable and Stephanie Yue. The eponymous hero is a middle-grade girl who takes care of 217 different cats, each of whom has a different superpower. The cats belong to her neighbor, who might just be a supervillain. “On the surface, ‘Katie the Catsitter’ is a fun, superhero tale,” said Venable. “But I also wanted to write a story of what it’s like to grow up without money, a story that questions the definitions of good vs evil, a story that points out strong female heroes and BIPOC heroes are often overlooked, and a story about growing up… and growing apart.” The graphic novel releases January 5th next year, with a preview available at The Hollywood Reporter.
– The “Attack on Titan” franchise made the leap to picture-books on Wednesday with the release of Attack Detective Armin: Pass the Regimental Entrance Exam!, which features series protagonists Armin, Mikasa, and Eren doing detective work amidst their titan fighting. The book is currently available in Japan.
– Fans got their first look at character designs for the new Invincible animated series through “Free Comic Book Day 2020: Invincible” #1, which reveals original series artist and co-creator Cory Walker will be serving as lead character designer for the show. Fellow co-creator Robert Kirkman will also be serving as executive producer for the series, and writer of the pilot and season finale. It seems as though the series’ art style will remain faithful to the original comic when it debuts later this year. The series features a voice cast including Steven Yeun, J.K. Simmons, Seth Rogen, Gillian Jacobs, Sandra Oh, and a swathe of Walking Dead alums.
– Finally, in an interview with artist Jason Fabok, co-creator of “Three Jokers,” alongside Geoff Johns, the archetypes of the titular antagonists were revealed. The Golden Age, Silver Age, and Modern Age Jokers have been colloquially dubbed ‘the Criminal Joker,’ ‘the Clownish Joker,’ and ‘the Comedian Joker,’ respectively. Seminal texts for these interpretations include the Joker’s first appearance in “Batman” #1, the more high-antics “Batman” comics of the ’50s, and Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s “Batman: The Killing Joke.” “I don’t want to go into too much more because I want people to just read it and see how it all comes together, but each one is its own thing,” said Fabok. “Yet, each one also feels like they’re part of the other versions of the Joker. That’s what makes the mystery a little bit more fun.” “Batman: Three Jokers” #1 releases on August 25 in a 48-page premium format, for US$6.99.
