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, Arleen Sorkin, the original voice and inspiration for Harley Quinn, has died, aged 67.
– Via Bleeding Cool, Sunnyvale-based comic book store Comics Conspiracy have released “Meanwhile… A Comic Shop Anthology,” an 80-page book celebrating comic book stores. Edited by Comics Conspiracy owner Ryan Higgins with Kevin Sharp, it features stories by Higgins & Leann Hill, Brian Michael Bendis & Bill Walko, Geoff Johns & Scott Kolins, Liana Kangas, Ariela Kristantina, Soo Lee, Sarah Leuver, Maria Llovet, James Sime & Christian Ward, Scott Snyder & Jock, Jenn St-Onge, Joshua Williamson & Mike Henderson, and many more. You can learn more about the crowdfunded comic, download a PDF/CBZ file of it, and order physical copies at the official site; a comiXology and Amazon release is also in the works.
– Bleeding Cool also shares Diamond have canceled all upcoming orders for “X-O Manowar Unconquered” #6, and Jeff Parker & Mike Norton’s long-delayed miniseries “Ninjak Superkillers.” The news comes ahead of the planned relaunch of Valiant’s titles by Alien Books — whom Valiant announced they were outsourcing their characters to in June — next year. “X-O Manowar Unconquered” #6, the final issue of Becky Cloonan, Michael W. Conrad, and Liam Sharp’s run, was supposed to be released this month, while “Ninjak Superkillers,” which received a Free Comic Book Day story in 2022, was meant to follow in September.
– Oni Press will publish “The Happy Shop,” a middle-grade graphic novel by Washington Post contributor Brittany Long Olsen. The book follows Darcy, an 11-year-old girl struggling with depression and loneliness after moving to a new country. “After she accidentally discovers The Happy Shop, she quickly becomes a customer of its happy feelings. But when she find a sad feeling on its store shelves, she begins to reconsider if its okay to be something other than happy sometimes.” It will be released on February 13, 2024.
– Netflix released “My Sails Are Set,” a song from the live-action One Piece series, performed by Norwegian artist Aurora Aksnes (Frozen II, Wolfwalkers). The song, written by series composers Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli, is described as being Nami (Emily Rudd)’s theme. The streamer also released a video of series lead Iñaki Godoy (Luffy) meeting the creator of the manga, Eiichiro Oda. The show premieres this Thursday, August 31.
– The Daily Cartoonist shares Australian newspaper strip “Ginger Meggs” is ending after 102 years. The comic, which followed the misadventures of the titular redheaded boy, was created by Jimmy Bancks in 1921, and ran its last print edition in The Sun-Herald on August 13, 2023. The final storyline, by cartoonist Jason Chatfield (who took over the strip in 2007) will be published on Go Comics. The comic’s demise continues to raise concerns over the future of Australia’s comics industry, after News Corp decided to drop all strips from their newspapers in the country last year.
– Via Down the Tubes, “Angel Eyes,” a VR comic by writers Matt McCartney and Andy Lanning, artist Ant Williams, and letterer Rob Jones, was launched on the Meta Quest 2 last month. Published by Sky Immersive in partnership with Williams and Lanning’s imprint Ideas & Inks, and Surround Vision, the comic follows Janus, a dead assassin, now working on Heaven’s behalf. It is available now via the Meta AppLab Store and the Sidequest Store, or can simply be watched on Sky Immersive’s YouTube channel.
– Finally, The Messenger reports Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman author Marc Tyler Nobleman has fallen afoul of homophobic censorship in Georgia. Nobleman had given a talk at an elementary school in Forsyth County, where he mentioned in passing that Fred Finger, the late son of Batman co-creator Bill Finger, was gay; the principal subsequently sent a written apology to parents. Nobleman responded, “You don’t apologize for saying that someone has a certain sexual orientation. That’s not a grievance,” and that the apology was “not even remotely” warranted. The Forsyth Coalition for Education have also weighed in, calling the letter “astonishing and appalling.”
