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 yesterday, Dark Horse Comics announced “Blackwood: The Mourning After,” comiXology Originals announced “Forgotten Home,” and Oni Press announced “Gudetama: Love for the Lazy.” In addition to those three books, Tokyopop revealed a line of digital first titles, and we learned that Mike Mignola and Alison Bechdel will be inducted into the Harveys’ Hall of Fame at NYCC.
We also ran previews for Marvel’s “Champions” #10 and “Doctor Strange” #20, both of which are concluding their current runs next week.
on The NYT graphic novel bestseller list
– Kicking off, after two years The New York Times is reinstating a version of its graphic novel best-sellers list. The newspaper eliminated the category in February 2017, but is bringing back the list due to “reader interest and market strength.” This new Graphic Books category will no longer separate hardcover, paperback, and manga graphic novels, but will track all three in one list. The new monthly list begins October 2.
– New York Comic-Con begins next week, and with that DC is bringing Harley Quinn to the con in big fashion. The character will be making a big splash at NYCC with a pop-up gallery, a panel, and more as DC and Warner Bros. show of the new Harley Quinn DC Universe animated show and showcase the upcoming Birds of Prey film. You can check out all the details in DC’s press release here, which also revealed that the first issue of Brian Azzarello, Emanuela Lupacchino and Ray McCarthy’s “Birds of Prey” series will now launch in February.
– In more DC Comics news, ahead of the first wave of the Joe Hill curated horror imprint Hill House Comics, the company has released a digital primer with looks at the five new books. The sampler contains previews of “Basketful of Heads” #1 written by Joe Hill with art by Leomacs; “The Dollhouse Factory” #1 by Mike Carey and Peter Gross; and “The Low, Low Woods” by Carmen Maria Machado with art by Dani. These books will be released in October, November, and December respectively. In addition, the sampler also features previews of “Daphne Byrne” and “Plunge,” as well as a look the back-up strip ‘Sea Dogs,’ which will be in every Hill House book. You can find the sampler here.
– Sony is continuing to grow its Spider-Man-related universe with the announcement that they are developing a movie based on the character Madame Web. The character, introduced in 1980, is a “clairvoyant mutant who specializes in predicting the future specifically of Spider-themed superheroes, having mentored not only Peter Parker’s alter ego, but also multiple generations of heroes calling themselves Spider-Woman.” The film will be written by Morbius screenwriters Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless. No other details were announced.
– DC and Warner Bros. upcoming film Joker continues to spark debate and anxiety as it nears its October 4th release date. AMC Theatres has said they are banning “masks, face paint, weapons of any kind or items that could potentially make other patrons uncomfortable” from screenings of the film. Landmark Theatres is set to ban costumes altogether. These announcements comes on the back of the U.S. Army being warned about possible violence that could be sparked by the incel population related to the film, as well as victims of the 2012 Aurora, Colorado shooting voicing concerns over the film.
– In casting news, the Crisis is expanding as Osric Chau (Supernatural) has been cast as Ryan Choi in the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” Arrowverse crossover between Arrow, The Flash, Batwoman, Supergirl and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. Chau joins an already enormous cast including the recently announced Tom Welling and Erica Durance. The Crisis begins on December 8th.
– Audio entertainment company Serial Box announced yesterday the details for its first Marvel series centered around Thor called Thor: Metal Gods. The series finds Thor and Loki “as they race across the universe to untangle a dangerous mystery and stop the return of an ancient evil.” This new work launches weekly on December 12th and will be available to either read or listen to.
– Finally, Merriam-Webster has added the term “Bechdel Test” to its dictionary. The term, coined by cartoonist Alison Bechdel, was introduced in her 1985 strip “Dykes To Watch Out For.” The term is defined as “a set of criteria used to evaluate a movie or other work of fiction on the basis of its inclusion and representation of female characters.”
