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.
– DC Comics announced “John Stewart: The Emerald Knight” #1, a new one-shot by the “Green Lantern” creative team of writer Geoffrey Thorne and Marco Santucci. Seemingly set place between the final issue of Thorne and Santucci’s “Green Lantern” series and “Justice League” #75, the one-shot follows John Stewart as he fights against the New God, Esak, and escapes the Dark Sector alongside his fellow Green Lanterns. Consisting of 48 pages, “John Stewart: The Emerald Knight” #1 is set to be released on November 29, with covers by Jay Hero, Canaan White, and Mateus Manhanini. You can check out two of the one-shot’s variants here.
– Marvel Comics revealed they will be giving readers, and Darth Vader, a glimpse into the future of the publisher’s Star Wars comic stories, in a one-shot called “Star Wars: Revelations” #1. Created by writer Marc Guggenheim and a host of artists, including Salvador Larroca and Paco Medina, the comic will follow Darth Vader as he sets to find the Force-wielding creature known as the Eye of Webbish Bog on Mustafar, with Guggenheim describing the story as “our clever way of giving readers a preview of what everyone has up their sleeves for next year,” including the upcoming crossover story, ‘Hidden Empire.’ Guggenheim insisted that “this isn’t a 40-page movie trailer. It’s a real Star Wars story with Vader at the center.” Phil Noto will be providing the cover for “Star Wars: Revelations” when it releases in November.
– Via AIPT, BOOM! Studios announced a new Magic: The Gathering one-shot called “Magic: Nahiri the Lithomancer,” by writer Seanan McGuire and artist Fabiana Mascolo. Details about the one-shot’s story were kept mostly under wraps, with its description largely focusing on who the titular character is, specifying that she “has protected her home plane of Zendikar for centuries,” with “her ruthlessness and terrible deeds kept in check by a strong sense of justice;” it hints that a “new challenge awaits [Nahiri] that may change the way the entire Multiverse perceives her.” “Magic: Nahiri the Lithomancer” #1 is scheduled for release on November 30 with a primary cover by Ariel Olivetti, and a variant cover by Suspiria Vilchez.
– Publishers Weekly reported on three graphic novel deals this week, including First Second’s acquisition of “Flora” by Paulina Ganucheau. The description for the YA graphic novel leaves much of its story to be revealed, although it will involve “an independent loner” who is travelling around the world and working “odd jobs” along the way, only to be halted when she meets Briar, “a mysterious (and hot) plant man with Big Himbo Energy and a sinister secret.” First Second have set “Flora” for publication in 2025. The other two deals were for “Fustuk” by Robert Mgrdich Apelian, and “Chickenpox” by Remy Lai, the details of which you can read here.
– Viz Media announced they have partnered with the charity, ComicBooks for Kids, which will distribute their graphic novels and manga to children in hospitals and cancer centers across the United States. The charity’s president, Mark Weiss, specified that the “properties targeted to teens and under” by Viz will be provided to children whilst the “more mature titles” will be given to members of the military via their sister charity, ComicBooks for Troops. Since its inception in 2017, the charity has grown its catalog of titles through publisher partnerships, and has been supported by the Eisner Foundation in the form of two grants.
– Frank Miller sued Jennifer Bush-Kraft, the widow of Comics Interview founder David Anthony Kraft, in addition to the latter’s estate, over the ownership of two pieces of artwork. The artwork, which depicts an early version of Batman and Robin from “The Dark Knight Returns,” and Miller’s Ronin, were given to Kraft on loan, Miller claims, with Miller also claiming that he previously asked for the return of the artwork, though Bust-Kraft denies this, with records of Miller’s requests not being found despite her husband’s “level of meticulousness” when keeping correspondence. The two pieces of artwork, which featured on two covers of the magazine, were due to be auctioned by Comic Connect, though the pieces were withdrawn ahead of their scheduled auction when Miller’s lawyer issued a cease-and-desist letter in May. The dispute is due to go to trial, with Miller ultimately seeking damages “in an amount, exceeding $75,000,” the amount the works are estimated to be worth.
– The nominations for the 2022 Saturn Awards were announced, with comic book adaptations featuring across its film and TV categories, led by The Batman, which totaled 12 nominations, meaning it was also the most nominated film of the awards. Spider-Man: No Way Home and Shang-Chi: The Legend of the Ten Rings‘ lead actors, Tom Holland and Simu Liu, were nominated in the Best Actor category, with Marvel Studios films making appearances in multiple categories. There were 10 nominations in total for the Disney+ Star Wars series collectively, whilst The Walking Dead and Superman & Lois both got 6 nominations each, only beaten by Better Call Saul, which had 7 TV nominations overall. The winners of the 2022 Saturn Awards are set to be revealed on October 25; you can check out the full list of nominations here.
– Finally, actress Anne Heche was pronounced brain-dead. She was 53 years old. Heche had been in a coma following a car accident on August 5. Her spokesperson made the announcement, detailing that as a result of her condition she “is legally dead according to California law,” though as long as her heart is still beating, she will not be “taken off life support so that One Legacy can see if she is a match for organ donation.” Among Heche’s many roles included her portrayal of Joyce Dahmer in My Friend Dahmer, the 2017 adaptation of John Backderf’s graphic novel of the same name; the voice of Lois Lane in Superman: Doomsday, and Suyin Beifong in The Legend of Korra; and perhaps her most famous role as Robin Monroe in Six Days, Seven Nights.
