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, TKO Studios will publish the fictionalized history graphic novel “The Witches of World War II,” and we had an exclusive preview of Marvel’s “Iron Fist” #5.
– Marvel has announced a ‘Dark Web’ tie-in starring two of Spider-Man’s greatest loves. Jed MacKay and Vincenzo Carratù are launching the five-issue limited series “Mary Jane & Black Cat,” which will connect to the upcoming Spider-Man/X-Men/Venom crossover event. The series finds the pair crossing paths when they’re thrown into the dimension of Limbo. MacKay has been crafting Felicia Hardy’s story across several ongoing and limited series for the past few years, including January’s “Mary Jane & Black Cat: Beyond” one-shot, and the current miniseries “Iron Cat.” The first issue of the series will feature a main cover by J. Scott Campbell. “Mary Jane & Black Cat” team up to reach the shelves on December 21.
– Writer Steve Foxe has been creating a series of 10-page “Spider-Man” comics for Disney’s Euro division, and, per his Twitter, those stories are beginning to see release in the UK via Panini’s “Spider-Man Magazine.” Claudio Sciarrone provides the art for the first two stories, with colors from Valentina Taddeo and letters by Arancia. “For the time being, these are only available in the UK,” Foxe said. “But hopefully they swing stateside at some point. It’s been a huge thrill to help craft classic, all-ages Spidey stories with such talented collaborators!” The stories were released in “Spider-Man Magazine” #413 and #414.
– The writing team of Matt Silverstein and Dave Jeser (Drawn Together) have entered a co-development deal with IDW Publishing. Via Deadline, the deal will see them developing and producing the sci-fi comedy Family Time as both a television series and an original comic book series. Writer James Asmus and artist Edison Neo are set to work on the comic. No definitive timeline or synopsis were announced for either the show or the comic, but “Family Time” the comic book is scheduled to be released sometime next summer.
– IDW, meanwhile, is moving former Archie Comics executive and current IDW board member Allan Grafman into the position of CEO. Via ICv2, current CEO Ezra Rosensaft will be removed from the role, effective August 29. Rosensaft had been serving as CEO since 2019, the same year that Grafman joined IDW’s board. “Allan will build on the foundation established by Ezra Rosensaft, whose leadership as CEO and CFO contributed greatly, strengthening our balance sheet, and sharpening our focus on original IP content acquisition and development for both television and publishing,” said IDW Media Holdings Chairman Howard Jonas.
– Via Horror DNA, Dark Horse is releasing the new original graphic novel “Skinner” from co-writers Micky Neilson and Samwise Didier, artist Piotr Kowalski, colorist Dennis Calero, and letterer Frank Cvetkovic. The horror story follows six internet celebrities and a superstar survivalist, who are stalked by the titular mountain man of local legend when their plane crashes in the Canadian wilderness. Didier provides the cover art for the book. “Skinner” will cut its way to comic shops on May 3, 2023, and to bookstores on May 16, 2023.
– Amidst the many headlines surrounding Warner Bros. Discovery and HBO Max, The Hollywood Reporter reports that DC Films has found their version of Kevin Feige. Producer Dan Lin has entered talks to take control of the studio, with current president Walter Hamada transitioning out of the role. Hamada was recently reported to have nearly quit his position after new Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav cancelled the nearly completed Batgirl film earlier this summer. A prolific executive producer, Lin has shepherded several hits through his production company Rideback, including The Lego Movie, It, and the live-action Aladdin. Zaslav has previously said that he hopes to “reshape” DC Films with a 10-year plan that would compete with rival Marvel Studios.
– Netflix’s comic book adaptation The Umbrella Academy has been renewed for a fourth and final season. Via Variety, the new season of the series, which is based on the comic by Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá, was announced alongside a new overall deal with showrunner Steve Blackman and his production banner Irish Cowboy. Cast members Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher, Justin H. Min, Ritu Arya, and Colm Feore are all expected to return for season 4. The season will reportedly be shorter than prior seasons of the series. Blackman’s overall deal also includes development of an adaptation of the video game Horizon Zero Dawn with co-creator Michelle Lovretta, and the original sci-fi series Orbital with writers and co-creators David & Keith Lynch.
Continued below– The Boys is adding Walking Dead star Jeffrey Dean Morgan to the cast of its fourth season. Via The Hollywood Reporter, the nature of Morgan’s role is currently under wraps. Morgan is the second alumni of The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke’s Supernatural to join the series, following Jensen Ackles’ season 3 role as Soldier Boy. The Boys, a dark superhero satire based on the comic book by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, has recently finished airing its third season.
– Speaking of Jeffrey Dean Morgan, the Walking Dead spin-off series featuring Morgan’s Negan and Lauren Cohan’s Maggie has received an official new title. Via Entertainment Weekly, The Walking Dead: Dead City was confirmed as the new title by AMC. The series, previously known as Isle of the Dead, will reportedly follow Maggie and Negan to a post-apocalyptic Manhattan, bringing them into conflict with “dead and denizens who have made New York City their own world full of anarchy, danger, beauty, and terror.” Dead City has begun filming ahead of the return of the eleventh and final season of The Walking Dead, whose final block begins on October 2.
– Finally, the digital comics distribution company GlobalComix is partnering with publisher Top Cow to release PDFs of Top Cow titles. Via Newsarama, the partnership will include high-quality PDF releases of books including “Witchblade,” “Postal,” and “The Darkness,” all of which will be DRM-free downloads that can downloaded, shared, and viewed on any device. Each PDF will also be uniquely generated upon purchase, meaning that the item’s removal from the store would not affect the purchaser’s own library.
