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, BOOM! Studios announced the mini-series “Regarding the Matter of Oswald’s Body,” Vault Comics will be releasing the new series “Lunar Room,” and AfterShock is combining monsters with dreams in their new title “Croak.” Additionally, DC Comics announced a partnership with the webcomics service Webtoon. We also have an exclusive preview of next week’s “Barbaric” #3.
– Jim Mahfood will be expanding the world of “Grrl Scouts” at Image Comics this November with “Stone Ghost.” The new six-issue mini-series takes place in the same world as “Grrl Scouts,” but features an entirely new cast of characters. Mahfood will be writing, drawing, and lettering the series, while Peach Momoko will provide a variant cover for the first issue. “Stone Ghost” follows Turtleneck Jones, Dio, and Gordi as they take on the terrible evil of the Teeth. The book will also have bonus comics and behind-the-scenes content packed into each issue. The series is a psychedelic and bombastic action-comedy that Mahfood promises will make readers “feel the funk.” The original “Grrl Scouts” was released in 1999 by Oni Press, while the subsequent titles “Grrl Scouts: Work Sucks” and “Grrl Scouts: Magic Socks” were respectively released by Image Comics in 2003 and 2017.
– ABLAZE Publishing are reprinting writer/artist Guillem March’s slice-of-life comic “LAURA” for the first time in English. The comic was originally serialized in a local Spanish newspaper in 2003, before March made a name for himself as the artist behind hits like “Gotham City Sirens” and “Batman.” March previously used Kickstarter to fund a digital version of “LAURA” back in 2016, but this release marks the first time that the series has been physically printed in English. “LAURA” follows a 20-year old woman who has to suffer the pain of heartbreak after realizing that her love for another person remains unrequited. The comic was written, drawn, and lettered by March, and will be available on November 3. Artist Gerald Parel will be providing a variant cover for the release.
– Jonathan Hickman has announced that he will departing the X-Men line after the release of the upcoming “Inferno” mini-series. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Hickman explained that this decision comes as a direct result of the massive success of the current X-Men titles. “When I pitched the X-Men story I wanted to do, I pitched a very big, very broad, three-act, three event narrative, the first of which was ‘House of X’… when the time came for me to start pointing things towards writing the second-act event, I asked everyone if they were ready for me to do that, and to a man, everyone wanted to stay in the first act.” Hickman would go on to say that he does indeed have further plans for Marvel, but would not confirm whether or not they included the X-Men. However, Hickman has made sure to help chart a course of the future of the franchise. “Starting in January the X-Line will rocket forward starting with a weekly series that leads into the very cool, refocused, line of books. Yes, it’s taken us a little while to get everything assembled correctly, but the end result – everything that’s coming after ‘Inferno’ – is going to be pretty great.”
– Writer Donny Cates and artist Ryan Stegman are the latest names joining the Substack newsletter platform. The pair announced that they will be bringing KLC Press (Kids Love Chains) to the service, starting with their new series “Vanish” (which we previously covered here). In addition, KLC Press will be releasing “Flood,” a six-issue mini-series by Cates, artist Megan Hutchison-Cates, Dee Cuniffe, and John J. Hill, as well as the continuation of “The One You Feed” by Cates, artist Dylan Burnett, and John J. Hill. All paid tiers of the KLC Press Substack will receive digital editions of “Vanish,” “The One You Feed,” and “Flood” as they are produced, with additional print rewards available for those who contribute to the annual and GOAT Annual tiers. Other bonuses for the service include monthly video chats, livestreams, and instructional art videos from Ryan Stegman. It was also confirmed Image will release the series in print.
Continued below– Disney has released the first official trailer for their upcoming project Star Wars: Visions. The collection of shorts will be available to stream on Disney+ and unlike previous Disney+ series, all of Star Wars: Visions will be released together on September 22. The show is an anthology of stories that explore the world of Star Wars through anime, featuring nine adventures from seven different animation studios. All episodes of Star Wars: Visions will be released in both English and Japanese, with Lucy Liu, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bobby Moynihan, Neil Patrick Harris, Simu Liu, David Harbour, and more attached as part of the English voice cast.
– Archie Comics will be collecting their fun-filled series of “Bite Sized Archie” webcomics. The comics were originally intended to be used exclusively on Archie’s social media feeds, but they have been so well-received that the publisher saw an opportunity to release them in print. Written by Archie Comics Director of Social Media & Publicity Ron Cacace and drawn by Archie Comics Art Director/Editor Vincent Lovallo, “Bite Sized Archie” harkens back to the original Archie format, telling silly stories in three or four panels. The webcomics often feature an Archie spin on popular memes and trending topics, and have captured the attention of fans worldwide. The collected edition of “Bite Sized Archie” will be available in comic shops on April 27, 2022 and mass retail on May 17, 2022.
– ReedPOP has announced their updated health guidelines for their forthcoming slate of conventions, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and encourage vaccinations. ReedPOP previously announced that all of their conventions will include sanitization stations, feature reduced capacity, and require face masks, which must be approved on-site. At this time, that will be the protocol for Florida SuperCon from September 10-12. However, NYCC from October 7-10 will require that all attendees over the age of 12 provide a proof of vaccination, in line with upcoming NYC health regulations. Children 12 and under must be accompanied by a vaccinated adult and need to provide a negative COVID-19 test upon entry. ECCC from December 2-5 and C2E2 from December 10-12 will require either a proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test from all attendees, regardless of age.
– ShortBox will be hosting a month-long digital comics fair featuring 48 artists starting this October. The fair will include work by the likes of David Lafuente (“Harley Quinn”), Warwick Johnson-Cadwell (“Our Encounters with Evil”), and Victoria Ying (“City of Secrets”), and can be found on the ShortBox Gumroad page from October 1-31. It features all-new digital stories that range between 16 and 60 pages in length. Additionally, all of the books will be given a special pricing on the weekend of October 2-3. The ShortBox Comic Fair is a way for the company to connect readers with creators and hopes to help fans find new favorites. Founder Zainab Akhtar said, “I wanted to have an online event/digital platform that actually provides readers with an opportunity to buy a whole range of new comics… to explore and discover new comics and artists.”
– ShortBox has also announced the upcoming release of “Cuckoo,” a brand new graphic novel from writer/artist Joe Sparrow. The book will be available in 2022 and is the second collaboration between Sparrow and ShortBox. The publisher previously released “Homunculus” in 2018, which was nominated for Best New Graphic Album at the 2019 Eisner Awards. No page length has been announced for “Cuckoo,” though it is worth noting that “Homunculus” was 70 pages long.
– Finally, the role of Catwoman has been cast for Catwoman: Hunted from Warner Bros. Animation. Actress Elizabeth Gillies, star of the Dynasty soap opera series, will be voicing the titular role in the upcoming animated film. She joins Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s Stephanie Beatriz, who will be playing Batwoman, as well as actors Jonathan Banks as Black Mask, Steve Blum as Solomon Grundy, and Keith David as Tobias Whale. The film is set to be released in 2022 and is being produced in an anime style. In it, Catwoman sets out to steal a priceless gem and finds herself facing off against Interpol, Batwoman, and a wealth of villains who want it for themselves.
