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, Legendary announced a new graphic novel “The Heart Hunter,” by McKelle George and V. Gagnon.
—Two more one shots tying into the ‘Infected’ story arc of “Batman/Superman” are arriving this December. The stories will explore the fates of the final two members of the Secret Six, Donna Troy and Commissioner Gordon. “The Infected: Deathbringer,” releasing December 4th, will be written by Zoë Quinn with pencils by Tyler Kirkham. It will follow Donna Troy as her infection causes her to grow disillusioned with an ungrateful world. “The Infected: The Commissioner,” written by Paul Jenkins with art by Jack Herbert is set to release on December 8th. The series looks to provide a character study of Jim Gordon, analysing what happens when a man as moralistic as The Commissioner gives into hatred and impulse. Both one-shots feature covers by Viktor Bogdanovic.
—Turkey will be releasing five imprisoned journalists, including cartoonist Musa Kart who was charged with five years incarceration for “aiding and abetting terror groups without being a member”. All five journalists were accused of supporting the alt-left Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front, a Kurdish Workers’s party that the Turkish government view as a terrorist organization. The imprisonment in 2016 was seen as a major violation of the freedom of the press and the appeal marks a turning point in the conflict between Turkey and its critical public media. It’s unclear whether Musa Kart will be returning to his job at Cumhuriyet.
—The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has appointed Bob Shreck as its new Deputy Director. The CBDLF have represented the legal interests of comic readers, distributors and creators for over 30 years, concurrently Shreck has spent 25 years immersed in the comic industry as a convention organizer and publisher at Dark Horse, IDW and DC. Shreck went on to found Oni Press, whose works include “Scott Pilgrim,” “Stumptown,” and the “Invader Zim” adaptation. The news comes courtesy of Newsarama who quoted Shreck as saying “I am very excited to join the CBLDF team and to make further strides toward protecting our industry’s essential rights.”
—DC’s “Batman/Superman” #4 is arriving sooner than thought. Newsarama announced that the issue by Joshua Williamson and David Marquez will be arriving a week early on November 20th. No specific reasoning was given for the change in schedule. In the meantime, Issue #2 is set for a September 25th release.
—In lighter news, manga artists Yuki Kodama and Inio Asano have released art posters for the Elton John biopic Rocketman. Kodama’s poster leans into the film’s biographical aspect as he depicts Elton John in various stages of his life, his size growing with his confidence. Alternatively, Asano depicts Elton John at his peak, mid performance and costumed.
– Viz Media and Powerhouse are launching a new anime called Seis Manos at Netflix next month. This is Viz’s first original anime, and is described as “Set in Mexico in the 1970’s, SEIS MANOS centers on three orphaned martial arts warriors who join forces with a DEA agent and a Mexican Federale to battle for justice after their beloved mentor is murdered in their tiny border town.” You can find out more here.
—Top Cow Productions are bringing back their annual talent hunt, encouraging writers and artists to submit their work based on “The Darkness.” Writers are expected to submit a self contained 20 page script, while artists will submit 8 pages of consecutive art based on 1 of 3 scripts written by Top Cow’s writing team. In an interview with Newsarama the president and publisher of Top Cow, Matt Hawkins believes that there aren’t enough opportunities for new talent to break into the industry, saying “I think the Talent Hunt is a way for [aspiring creators] to test their skill and since the winners are heavily publicized and are then published it gives them exposure in the industry.” Winners are awarded with $1000 and guaranteed, published work with the company while runners-up will receive $250 and a short story assignment. Applications close February 28th 2020.
—According to Newsarama SND Films’s “Random Acts of Violence” adaptation will debut on September 19th at Austin Fantastic Fest. The Image Comics original miniseries by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and Giancarlo Caracuzzo tells the story of two non-fiction writers whose press tour is trailed by a string of murders that imitates the “Slasherman” they wrote about. Jay Burchel is the film’s lead actor/director and is complimented by Jordana Brewster, Niamh Wilson, and Baruchel. No theatrical release date has been announced.
—And finally, the Netflix adaptation of Brian Ralph’s “Daybreak” has a release date of October 24th. The announcement comes courtesy of Entertainment Weekly and Ira Madison who wrote the show’s fifth episode. The graphic novel follows an unnamed silent protagonist through a zombie post-apocalypse, telling the story from a novel, first person perspective. The series looks to reinterpret the comic into a YA optimistic apocalypse that pits a group of country high schoolers against the adult undead. The series hopes to use its setting to dissect clique culture and identity.
