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.
– The third annual ShortBox Comics Fair has announced an expansive line-up for the month-long comics event. Via Popverse, more than 100 of the next generation of comics creators will exhibit their works digitally at the event, which will run through the month of October. Aimed to help fresh voices reach a larger audience, exhibiting artists retain full ownership of their works and receive 100% of their sales from the fair. “What’s special about our fair is that every single comic is a new work: something you’ve never seen before,” said ShortBox founder Zainab Akhtar. “Each exhibitor is debuting a brand-new, never-before-released comic, allowing us to put together a truly exciting array of fresh, independent comics, all gathered in one place.” You can find more information and a full list of exhibitors at the ShortBox Comics Fair website.
– Z2 Comics is partnering with singer/songwriter Alison Wonderland for their newest music-based comic collaboration. Via The Beat, Wonderland will co-write the “psychedelic, role playing-inspired” graphic novel “Loner” with Z2 Comics co-founder Sridhar Reddy, featuring interior art by Minomiyabi, Alex Heywood, Kelsey Ramsay, BRÄO, and Taylan Kurtulus. Inspired by Wonderland’s album of the same name, the graphic novel “explores the waves of panic, grief, and forgiveness that come with the highs and lows of making something beautiful.” The book will be available as a standard hardcover edition, or in a variety of deluxe editions packaged with premium art prints, a limited edition of Wonderland’s album, and a special 20-sided die. “Loner” is available for preorder now ahead of its release in January 2023.
– Via Bloody Disgusting, Coheed and Cambria frontman Claudio Sanchez has unveiled his new horror comic “My Brother’s Blood Machine” from his own independent publishing outfit Evil Ink Comics. Sanchez will co-write the book with Steve Niles (“30 Days of Night”), with artist Andrew Ritchie (“Cthulu Tales”) handling interiors. Loosely based on the album of the same name from Sanchez’s solo project The Prize Fighter Inferno, “My Brother’s Blood Machine” is set in the secretly troubled town of Margretville, where disturbing truths lurk under the surface of its picturesque façade. “My Brother’s Blood Machine” dyes the shelves red on December 14.
– Dark Horse is the latest publisher to opt for a new direct market single-issue distributor, expanding its partnership with Penguin Random House Publisher Services. Penguin Random House has now entered into an exclusive worldwide multi-year agreement with the comic book publisher to distribute their both newly published and backlist works, with the deal covering periodicals, graphic novels, and manga in direct market comic shops. “It’s an exciting time for the industry, and our move to Penguin Random House for Direct Market distribution comes after our successful partnership in bookstore distribution,” said Dark Horse CEO and founder Mike Richardson. “Random House will help us expand our reach to retailers and fans around the globe.” Penguin Random House already distributes for both Marvel and IDW in the direct market. Steve Geppi, founder of Diamond Comic Distributors (Dark Horse’s exclusive distributors for the last 30 years), released a statement noting that Diamond would continue to serve as the distributor for Dark Horse’s merchandising efforts.
– Writer David Hein has posted a video to his Twitter account featuring the first two pages of his short story in Marvel’s “Edge of the Spider-Verse” #4. Best known for co-writing the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Come From Away, Hein flexed his songwriting bonafides for a story about the new hero Spinstress, an alternate Disney Princess universe version of Spider-Man. The song she sings in the issue is brought to life in the video, courtesy of producer Zack Zadek and singer Arielle Jacobs (Princess Jasmine in the Broadway production of Aladdin). Spinstress’s story was illustrated by Luciano Vecchio, with colors by Brian Reber. “Edge of the Spider-Verse” #4 is on sale now.
– Marvel has set a pair of writers to tackle its most famous foursome. Via Deadline, the writing team of Jeff Kaplan and Ian Springer has been tapped to write the script for the upcoming Fantastic Four film. Their hiring comes after the confirmation at Disney’s recent D23 Expo that Matt Shakman (WandaVision) had signed on to direct the film. Kaplan and Springer are relative newcomers on the scene, but they are notably in demand around Hollywood at the moment; Deadline notes that they have sold multiple spec scripts to studios in the past year. The report notes that Kaplan and Springer have actually been on board the project for awhile, and are now working with Shakman to align their script with his vision as a director. Fantastic Four is currently eyeing a release on November 8, 2024.
– Sarah Leavitt’s critically acclaimed memoir “Tangles: A Story About Alzheimer’s, My Mother and Me” has been tapped for an animated feature adaptation by Monarch Media, Point Grey Pictures, Lylas Pictures, and animation studio Giant Ant. Via Deadline, Tangles will be directed by Giant Ant’s Leah Nelson, with Seth Rogen and his wife Lauren Miller Rogen producing through Point Grey Pictures and Lylas Pictures respectively. The story follows Leavitt returning to her oddball family in a conservative small town as her mother’s vibrant personality begins to be stripped away by the disease. The Rogens are longtime activists in the fight against Alzheimer’s, having founded the nonprofit organization Hilarity for Charity to raise money for family caregivers, brain health education, and prevention research.
– Don Cheadle’s production company This Radicle Act has optioned the Image Comics series “Rogues’ Gallery” for a television adaptation. Via Deadline, the series from writer Hannah Rose May and artist Justin Mason follows Maisie Wade, an actress whose decision to quit her role as a popular TV superhero leads to her being trapped in her own home by superfans determined to “teach her a lesson.” May will executive produce the series through her Weird Neighbour Productions banner, alongside Cheadle, Karyn Smith-Forge and This Radicle Act.
