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, Random House Graphic announced plans to publish “The Moth-Keeper” by K. O’Neill.
– BOOM! Studios revealed a new limited series called “Power Rangers Universe,” by artist Simone Ragazzoni and a writer who has yet to be revealed. The series will focus on answering some of the biggest questions in the Power Rangers mythology, with the first issue set to reveal the “true origin” of the Phantom Ranger, and answer, “what is his connection to the Morphin Grid?” There will be a selection of covers available for the first issue, with a primary cover by Dan Mora, and variants by Miguel Mercado, Goni Montes, and InHyuk Lee. “Power Rangers Universe” #1 is set to be released in comic shops and on digital platforms in December. The variant covers can be viewed at your leisure here.
– BOOM! Studios also announced “Magic: Master of Metal” #1, a one-shot by the creative team of writer Mairghread Scott; artists Jorge Coehlo, French Carlomagno, and Jacques Salomon; colorist Francesco Segala; and letterer Ed Dukeshire. The one-shot will see the Master of Metal, Tezzeret of Esper, travelling across the Multiverse to find an answer to his own secret question and, after finding it, stop at nothing to acquire his prize. “Magic: Master of Metal” #1 is scheduled for release in November with a primary cover by Junggeun Yoon, a variant cover by Adam Gorham, and a connecting variant cover by Miguel Mercado. Both variant covers can be seen over at BOOM! Studios’s website.
– King Features Syndicate revealed they will be teaming up with Macmillan to publish a series of YA graphic novels based on the “Flash Gordon” comic strip by Alex Raymond. All that is known about the series at this point is that the characters are set to be reimagined as young adults to match their target audience. This is the latest in a series of deals that King Features have established with publishers to produce original content based on their vast catalog of IP. A summary of the various King Features collaborations and their resulting publications can be found here.
– Publishers Weekly detailed two graphic novel deals:
– Shonen Jump+‘s Million Tag competition series crowned Naoki Fujita its winner for his series “Beat & Motion.” As part of the prize, Fujita won 5 million yen and will now see “Beat & Motion” serialized on the platform, with Shihei Lin serving as its editor, and then collected in a paper volume at a later date. The manga will also be developed into an anime series that will be streamed exclusively around the world on Netflix. Release dates relating to the manga’s serialization and subsequent anime adaptation have not been disclosed.
– HBO Max have entered a Black Canary film into development, according to reports which were confirmed by THR. Jurnee Smollett will return as Dinah Lance after portraying the character in Birds of Prey, with the film’s producer, Sue Kroll, also set to return. Writer Misha Green (Lovecraft Country) is attached to the project. Plot details and wider cast and crew members have yet to be revealed, likely as a result of the project only being in the very early stages of development.
Continued below– Variety reported that Yassir Lester has signed on to serve as the Head Writer on Disney+’s upcoming Armor Wars series. The series will see Don Cheadle reprising his role as James Rhodes/War Machine, and navigating the situation after Tony Stark’s technology falls into the hands of villains. Lester and Cheadle, who are both currently starring in Black Monday, are the only two whose involvement in the show is confirmed besides Kevin Feige, who will serve as an executive producer, as he has with all of the Disney+ MCU shows thus far. A release date for Armor Wars has not been announced.
– The upcoming The Addams Family 2 is set for a simultaneous home rental and theatrical release, according to Bloomberg. This shift in release plan is described as being in response to the uncertainty generated by the rising cases of the Delta variant of COVID-19. The sequel to the 2019 animated film will see the titular family setting off on a vacation as parents Morticia (Charlize Theron) and Gomez (Oscar Isaac) struggle with their children growing up so fast. The film series is based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles Addams. The Addams Family 2 is scheduled to be released by MGM on October 1.
– Lionsgate announced that they will be distributing the 4K remastered version of 1995’s Ghost in the Shell anime film to IMAX screens across North America this fall. The film was directed by Mamoru Oshii and adapted Masamune Shirow’s manga series of the same name. The film follows Major Motoko Kusanagi, a cyborg agent who works against cybercriminals, and explores the ideas of humanity and technology as the boundaries between the two grow evermore unclear. The 4K version of Ghost in the Shell is scheduled to debut in select IMAX cinemas in the US, Canada, and Japan on September 17.
– Finally, writer Ryan North revealed a new book, How To Take Over The World: Practical Schemes and Scientific Solutions for the Aspiring Supervillain, which will feature illustrations by Carly Monardo. The book presents nine schemes that a supervillain could implement to achieve their ambitions of world domination that are all based on real-world science and technology. On the book’s website, North described how the book came about from his time working at Marvel and DC, where he always had to include a “fatal flaw” in the supervillain’s plans: the inspiration grew from asking “But what if we didn’t?” How To Take Over The World: Practical Schemes and Scientific Solutions for the Aspiring Supervillain is set to be released on March 15, 2022.
