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, this year’s Harvey Award nominations were announced.
– Marvel revealed a new “Thanos” miniseries by Christopher Cantwell and Luca Pizzari, which will see the Mad Titan return to Earth to recover “something” the Illuminati — now consisting of Reed Richards, Doctor Strange, Iron Man, Emma Frost and Blue Marvel — hid from him. Cantwell says, “What has drawn Thanos back screaming into the universe is a singular pain and desire for connection that he believes only one essence in existence (and non-existence) can give him… while this being is in turn grappling with some deeper questions about what they are, and what they want to be. Plus, Thanos hot-wires a pickup truck.” Issue #1 (of 4) releases November 8.
– Furthermore, longtime Marvel editor Tom Brevoort announced via Facebook he will be taking over the X-Men line in the near future. Brevoort made the post to quell speculation over his last newsletter, where he described Marvel Entertainment’s President, Dan Buckley, as pitching him an unexpected new assignment. Brevoort has overseen the Avengers titles since 1997, and will succeed Jordan D. White, who has been editor of the X-Men comics since 2018. He says, “When we’re closer to the switchover happening and there’s something worth reporting on, you’ll hear more from us. For now, I’m still trying to figure out which one is Professor X.”
– DC released details on this winter’s crossover event ‘Titans: Beast World.’ As well as Tom Taylor and Ivan Reis’s biweekly main series, the crossover will run in December and January’s “Titans” #6-7, and the specials “Beast World: Amanda Waller,” “Beast World Tour: Metropolis,” “Gotham,” “Central City,” “Atlantis,” and “Star City.” There will also be a prelude, “Beast World: Evolution,” reprinting some of Beast Boy’s greatest adventures. Confirmed creative teams consist of Chuck Brown and Keron Grant on the Waller tie-in, and Nicole Maines, Joshua Williamson, Zipporah Smith, Dan Jurgens, and more on the Metropolis special. ‘Beast World’ kicks off with issue #1 on November 28.
– Humanoids announced “Betrayal of the Mind: The Surreal Life of Unica Zurn,” a biography of the Surrealist artist by Céline Wagner. Zurn, who lived from 1916 to 1970, was a German-French poet, painter and automatist, who battled schizophrenia and the trauma of childhood sexual abuse. “She longed for and rejected intimacy at once, seeking her so-called Man of Jasmine, an idealized male figure, throughout her life while living as the partner of Hans Bellmer, noted artist and photographer.” It will be released in March 2024.
– Drawn & Quarterly unveiled “Self-Esteem and the End of the World” by Luke Healy, a memoir by the Irish cartoonist exploring climate anxiety, and his brother’s decision not to choose him as his best man. “From self-help books to summiting Greek mountaintops, and workplace murder mysteries to a Hollywood revival of Luke’s early work, we see our protagonist grappling with his identity as the world crumbles.” It will be released in Spring 2024.
– Papercutz will publish “The Inventor,” a children’s graphic novel series by Norwegian cartoonist Lars Henrik Eriksen. The books follow Cobalt Cogg and his grandfather, the titular inventor Alfred, as they explore the island of Mata-Mata. Cobalt dreams of becoming an inventor too, until an accident occurs. “Will Cobalt find the strength to overcome adversity alongside his loyal friend Linnea and his supportive family? Prepare to embark on a thrilling adventure filled with joy, grief, creativity, and a mysterious energy source known as Alpha-Energy.” The first installment, “The Dangerous Discovery,” will be released on January 23.
– Video game publisher THQ Nordic revealed they will release Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin, a game based on the miniseries of the same name by Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, Tom Waltz, and Esau & Isaac Escorza. Released in 2020, the older-skewing comic followed the last surviving ninja turtle in a dystopian future, as he pursued revenge for his brothers’ deaths. It is being developed by THQ’s German subsidiary Black Forest Games (the Destroy All Humans! remakes), and will be released on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
– The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) announced the winners of the Seeds in Space Comic Book Contest, a global competition to design a comic explaining the IAEA and FAO’s project to culivate new seeds on the International Space Station. In first place was Seemab Fatima, a 17-year old from Pakistan; Sophie Boutaud de la Combe, Director of the IAEA’s Office of Public Information and Communication, commented his “visual narration of the ‘seeds in space story’ is very inspiring and beautifully executed.” Over 70 artists aged between 14 and 18 participated in the contest.
– Finally, copies of “Heartstopper” have been pulled from a public library in Marion County, Mississippi, following a complaint from a parent over its “sexual” content. No one else spoke out against the double standard during a town meeting at the library. The series, aimed at readers aged 13 to 18, has been removed from the children’s section until the library’s board of supervisors makes a final decision. In the meantime, the live-action TV-14 version — written by series creator Alice Oseman (who is, incidentally, asexual) — remains available worldwide on Netflix.
