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.
– Papercutz have released a new, six-part “Asterix” strip in the run-up to the release of the 40th album, “Asterix and the White Iris.” The strip, titled ‘The Chief’s Fight,’ follows Vitalstatistix, the head of Asterix’s village, as he tries to make amends after angering his wife Impedimentia. “Asterix and the White Iris,” penned by new series writer Fabrice “Fabcaro” Caro, and penciled by returning artist Didier Conrad, will see Asterix and Obelix contend with a new tactic from Caesar: the power of positive thinking. (Or more specifically, a Roman school of thought called the White Iris.) It will be released in the UK on October 26, and the US on October 31.
– The Folio Society launched a partnership with DC Comics, beginning with “DC Comics: The Golden Age (1938-1956),” a box set containing a facsimile copy of Superman’s debut in 1938’s “Action Comics” #1, and a 328-page hardcover reprinting the first appearances of Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Shazam/Captain Marvel, and more. Each comic is introduced by former DC publisher, president, and editor-in-chief Jenette Kahn (who curated the book), and was scanned directly from original copies in the company’s archives. The set also includes an exclusive print by Yanick Paquette, reimagining the montage from 1939’s “Superman” #3. “DC Comics: The Golden Age” is available now, at the cost of $260. It will be followed by “The Silver Age” in Fall 2024, and “The Bronze Age” in Fall 2025, as well as “DC: Batman” in Spring 2024.
– Marvel have relaunched the Unlimited exclusive series “Spider-Man Unlimited Infinity Comic,” with a 12-part arc by Christos Gage, Simone Buonfantino, and Fer Sifuentes-Sujo, that sees Earth-616’s Peter Parker cross paths with his counterpart from Insomniac Games’ PlayStation universe. Gage comments, “616 Spidey and Games Spidey only crossed paths very briefly in the ‘Spider-Geddon’ event [in 2018]. So, this is the for-real first meeting between them.” Issue #1 of the story, also featuring the Spot, is available now on Marvel Unlimited, with new chapters arriving every Tuesday. In the meantime, the Gamerverse Peter Parker’s story will continue in Spider-Man 2, hitting PlayStation 5 on October 20.
– Paramount announced they will mark Star Trek Day (this coming Friday, September 8) with Star Trek: very Short Treks, a set of five short films animated in the style of Star Trek: The Animated Series (which turns 50 on Friday), featuring the voices of various Trek alumni, past and present. The first short, “Skin a Cat,” will be released on the day on the official site and YouTube channel, with the subsequent four arriving every Wednesday (September 13-October 4.) Additionally, the official site will release the first chapter of a comic by the shorts’ creative consultant, Casper Kelly, called “Star Trek: The Animated Celebration Presents The Scheimer Barrier,” which will also continue every Wednesday.
– Disney+ are releasing an anime series based on Osamu Tezuka’s manga “Phoenix,” titled Phoenix: Eden17. Based on the comic’s ‘Nostalgia’ arc, the four-part series takes place in the far future, and “follows a woman named Romi and her partner as they depart from the devastated Earth and head for a new life on the planet Eden17. However, life has already been made extinct on the new world, so Romi finds herself eking out an even harsher life there.” The show was directed by Shōjirō Nishimi (Mutafukaz, Batman: Gotham Knight‘s “Have I Got a Story for You” segment) at Studio 4°C. It will be released worldwide on Wednesday, September 13. The series will also have a film version, Phoenix: Reminiscence of Flower, which will be released in Japanese theaters on November 3.
– In more manga adaptation news, Satoru Noda’s “Golden Kamuy” is receiving a live-action film version, which will be released in Japan on January 19. The film, directed by Shigeaki Kubo and starring Kento Yamazaki as Saichi Sugimoto, as well as Anna Yamada as Asirpa, will retell the story of a Russo-Japanese War veteran searching for Ainu gold in Hokkaido. Additionally, it was revealed that the new anime film, City Hunter The Movie: Angel Dust will feature crossover appearances from Lupin the Third‘s Lupin and Jigen. It marks the second crossover for Tsukasa Hojo’s universe with Lupin, following this year’s Lupin the Third vs Cat’s Eye. The film releases in Japan this Friday.
– Finally, Luke Cage writer and producer Nathan Louis Jackson died on August 22, aged only 44. The exact cause of death is unknown, although Jackson had been suffering from heart problems. An award-winning playwright from Kansas, Jackson served as co-producer and executive story editor on the Netflix series, for which he received two “written by” credits. He also worked on Shameless, 13 Reasons Why, Genius, and S.W.A.T., although he remained as active in the Midwest as Hollywood, serving as the Kansas City Repertory Theatre’s playwright-in-residence from 2013 to 2019. He is survived by his wife, two children, his mother, and two siblings. You can help cover funeral and memorial service expenses by donating here.
