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, Mark Russell and Roberto Meli are “Traveling to Mars,” and beloved British author and cartoonist Raymond Briggs has died at the age of 88.
– Marvel has announced the next creative team set to tackle the story of the Merc with a Mouth. Writer Alyssa Wong and artist Martin Coccolo will kick off their run with “Deadpool” #1 this fall. The solo series finds Wade Wilson partnering with a new mercenary group that sends him on one of his most dangerous missions, where “an intoxicating villain unleashes a twisted plan on his body with horrifying side effects, and a hot new romance arrives on the scene to drive him crazy!” “I love chaos. And what is Deadpool if not chaos incarnate?” Wong said. “I’m honored to take the reins for Wade’s next solo adventure — expect romance, expect body horror, and expect a wild time!” “Deadpool” #1 explodes to shelves on November 2, nearly two years after the last “Deadpool” ongoing concluded in January 2021.
– BOOM! Studios has announced the new series “Specs” from David M. Booher, Chris Shehan, and Roman Stevens. Via The Beat, the story follows a group of teenagers who order a pair of novelty glasses and discover that the “Magic Specs” “unlock a world of unforeseen possibilities… and consequences.” “Specs is my most personal story so far. As a gay kid who grew up in the Midwest, I know how it feels not to fit it,” Booher said. “Kenny and Ted’s story as outsiders, filtered through the lenses of wish-granting novelty glasses, is my way of reminding that little kid that he’ll find his place in the world.” “Specs” #1 features a main cover by Skylar Patridge, with variants coming from Kevin Wada, Shehan, and David Talaski. You can look for the series to hit shelves in November.
– DC is expanding the “Poison Ivy” series with a second arc. Previously announced as a 6-issue limited series, the book from writer G. Willow Wilson and artist Marcio Takara will continue for an additional six issues that feature “Ivy on a new mission, with a renewed outlook on life and a burgeoning new purpose.” Wilson teased on Twitter that the series will see Ivy setting her sights on big sources of pollution. Artist Atagun Ilhan, a graduate of DC’s Milestone Initiative, will be making his DC Comics debut on issues #7 and #8, with Takara returning to pick up art duties on #9. Jessica Fong will continue to produce covers for the series, with #7 getting variant covers from Joshua Middleton, Leirix, and Dan Panosian. “Poison Ivy” #7 grows to shelves on December 6.
– Valiant Entertainment has been hit by a massive wave of layoffs. Popverse reports that only a handful of employees remain at the company after being laid off in the first week of August by parent company DMG Entertainment. Multiple sources told Popverse that only a skeleton crew was still working at the publisher, with some reporting as few as three employees remaining. Publisher Fred Pierce seems to still be involved with the company in some capacity. Valiant has a number of announced projects at some stage of production, including the Kickstarter-funded graphic novel “Eternal Warrior: Scorched Earth,” as well as two new series – “Bloodshot Unleashed” and “X-O Manowar Unconquered” – that were scheduled to launch in the fall. Popverse’s reporting suggests that DMG Entertainment has greatly scaled back their spending on the company.
– The new comics publisher 50 Amp Productions has announced that their launch title will be a graphic novel series based on the video game Terraria. Via ICv2, Terraria is an action-adventure sandbox game that revolves around exploring, crafting, and combat in a 2D world. First released in 2011, it remains one of the best-selling games of all time. 50 Amp plans to release single-issues of “Terraria” exclusively on their website before releasing the graphic novel collections widely. The first four issues will be released during the third quarter of 2022, with the collected edition due in early 2023. A creative team was not announced for the book.
Continued below– Marvel has launched a new Infinity Comic centering on Amadeus Cho as part of their Marvel’s Voices line. Via AIPT, the digital comic comes from writer Jon Tsuei and artist Lynne Yoshii, with colors by Erick Arciniega and letters by VC’s Ariana Maher. The story follows Amadeus as he comes to the aid of his friend and fellow Agents of Atlas member White Fox. “Marvel’s Voices: Amadeus Cho” #11 is available now on Marvel Unlimited.
– The new trailer for season 3 of HBO Max’s Batman prequel Pennyworth has revealed a new title for the series. Via IGN, the newly-dubbed Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman’s Butler will feature a five-year time jump from the events of the previous season, picking up with the titular butler and the Waynes at the dawn of “a new age of Super Heroes and Supervillains.” The first two seasons of the series aired on Epix, before Warner Bros. TV opted to move the show over to the streaming service for its third outing. Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman’s Butler premieres on HBO Max in October.
– Following the news of the cancellation of the nearly completed Batgirl film, a look at one of the film’s villains surfaced online courtesy of the character’s stunt double. Via Comicbook.com, stunt performer Jules Wallace shared pictures of himself dressed as the film’s version of Killer Moth. The character’s design seemingly reimagines him as a gangster in a green tracksuit, with an image of a moth inset with a skull tattooed onto his bald head. The character of Killer Moth had not been announced as part of the film, although several announced cast members have yet to have their roles in the film disclosed. Warner Bros. Discovery announced last week that the film would not be released as part of an accounting move, that allowed the company to receive a tax write-off on the project following its recent merger.
– In further DC film news, The Flash star Ezra Miller reportedly attended reshoots for the film in between their various run-ins with the law earlier this year. Via SuperHeroHype, the news comes from a larger story by The Hollywood Reporter that suggests Warner Bros. Discovery is still committed to releasing the film despite the star’s multiple arrests and troubling headlines. Those headlines include arrests for disorderly conduct and assault, with additional stories accusing Miller of grooming, child endangerment, and leading a cult-like compound in Iceland. Miller was most recently charged with burglary in Vermont on August 7. The Flash is currently scheduled for release on June 23, 2023.
– Disney+ has confirmed the release schedule for the upcoming Rogue One prequel series Andor. Via ComicBook.com, the series will debut the first three episodes of its 12-part first season together in September, with one episode per week releasing after that, leading to a season finale the day before Thanksgiving. The series features Diego Luna reprising his role as the titular thief and rebellion member Cassian Andor, charting his journey from a cynic of the revolution to one of its most passionate champions. Created by Tony Gilroy and co-starring Genevieve O’Reilly, Stellan Skarsgård, Adria Arjona, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller, and Fiona Shaw, Andor premieres its first three episodes on September 21.
