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, Marvel relaunched their Marvel Unlimited reading platform with new, exclusive comics, while comiXology announced a new digital series titled “We Only Kill Each Other” by Stephanie Phillips and Peter Krause. We also have an exclusive preview of next week’s “Marauders” #24.
– Marvel will be continuing their thematically-themed line of anthology comics this December with the release of “Elektra: Black, White & Blood.” The four-issue mini-series will debut with a cover from famed “Daredevil” artist John Romita Jr. and stories by Charles Soule, Declan Shalvey, Leonardo Romero, and more. The “Black, White & Blood” series of books began with “Wolverine: Black, White & Blood,” and continued with “Carnage: Black, White & Blood” and “Deadpool: Black, White & Blood.” The books feature stories starring the titular character, depicted in only shades of black, white, and red (for the blood).
– Marvel has also formally severed ties with artist Joe Bennett, and removed him from all upcoming projects. The decision comes only days after writer Al Ewing announced that he would not work with the “Immortal Hulk” artist again in the future, following the circulation of discriminatory art by Bennett. In the art, Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro is shown attacking scurrying people that are caricaturized with buck teeth, big noses, and rodent-like ears. Bennett was previously announced as one of the contributing artists for “Timeless” #1, an upcoming event one-shot written by Jed MacKay, also featuring art by Kev Walker and Mark Bagley. Marvel has confirmed that Bennett has been removed from that issue, and replaced with Greg Land.
– “Harrow County” will be receiving a new tabletop strategy game. The news was announced by series creator Cullen Bunn, after a demo sign-up was posted by developer Off the Pages. While many details behind the board game remain under wraps, it has been revealed that Harrow County: The Game of Gothic Conflict will support 2-4 players, will have asymmetric combat, and will be screened at the upcoming Gen Con Online event. “Harrow County” is a Dark Horse comic book series written by Cullen Bunn with art by Tyler Crook, that centers around the titular Harrow County and the horrifying events that happen within it.
– Writer Alex Segura and artist Jamal Igle are teaming up for “The Mysterious Micro-Face” #1. The comic is a modernization of the “classic” 1940s hero Micro-Face, who currently exists in the public domain. The premise spins out of Segura’s appearance on NPR’s Planet Money podcast, where the writer discussed ways to repurpose old characters and copyright them for a new era. The book is available for pre-order on NPR’s website and depending on its success, could lead to more Micro-Face adventures. The original Micro-Face was created by “Shadow” and “Green Hornet” writer/artist Allan Ulmer, and debuted in “Clue Comics” #1. Legendary artist Jerry Ordway drew the cover for the new book.
– Funko has released a new Marvel Previews Exclusive Pop Daredevil figure with a variant edition of a special comic book. Originally available as both a singular release and a combo with a variant to “Daredevil” #35 (homaging Frank Miller’s cover for “Daredevil” #189), the Funko Pop features Daredevil in a heroic pose with his escrima sticks in hand. Previews Exclusive products are released in limited quantities and are only available to retailers that have an account with Diamond Comic Distributors, making many of them highly sought after.
– Insomniac Games has announced Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 and Marvel’s Wolverine for the PlayStation 5. These releases come off of the wild success of Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, adding new characters to the ever-growing virtual landscape of Marvel’s heroes. In Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, players will be able to alternate between controlling Miles Morales and Peter Parker as they take on Venom (voiced by Tony Todd), and other classic Spidey foes. Meanwhile, details remain under wraps for Marvel’s Wolverine, but an early glimpse shows the X-Men’s resident grump at a bar unsheathing his claws for a fight. No release date has been set for Wolverine, but Spider-Man 2 was confirmed for sometime in 2023.
Continued below– The fan-favorite Star Wars video game Knights of the Old Republic is getting a remake for the PS5. Commonly known as KOTOR, Knights of the Old Republic was originally released in 2003, and takes place roughly 4,000 years before the foundation of the Galactic Empire. The game spawned numerous follow-ups in comic book and video game form, and is still highly regarded today as possibly the best Star Wars game ever made. Knights of the Old Republic – Remake will be a console exclusive for the PS5 when it launches. It will be produced by Lucasfilm Games and Aspyr, who previously ported the original by BioWare for Mac OS X, iOS, and Android.
– Warner Bros. Pictures has released the first trailer for The Matrix Resurrections. The film is the first installment in the Matrix franchise since 2003’s The Matrix Revolutions, and sees the return of Keanu Reeves as Neo, as well as Carrie-Anne Moss and Jada Pinkett Smith as Trinity and Niobe. Joining the ensemble is actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Morpheus, a role originated by Laurence Fishbourne. The trailer for The Matrix Resurrections shows new Agents, new threats, and potential new allies, but leaves many questions unanswered — such as what happened in the Matrix to make everybody forget their previous lives? The Matrix Resurrections is scheduled to come to theaters on December 22, 2021.
– Finally, the home video details for The Suicide Squad have been revealed ahead of its October 26 release. The James Gunn-directed film will be available on 4K, Blu-ray, and DVD, with a wealth of special features including a commentary track by Gunn himself, retro trailers, scene breakdowns, and featurettes on many of its monsters. Fans looking to pick up the movie sooner can buy an early Premium Digital edition on September 17. The Suicide Squad came out on August 5 to largely positive reviews, revitalizing the series with a mix of laughs and violence. Gunn will be returning alongside Peacemaker actor John Cena for an upcoming HBO Max series in 2022.
