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, Albatross Funnybooks announced 20th anniversary plans for “The Goon,” and we had video interviews with Jim Zub and Tee Franklin from New York Comic Con.
– Farida Bedwei, a Ghanaian software engineer, has launched her latest venture, “Karmzah,” a superhero comic book with video game developer Leti Arts. The comic follows the story of Karmzah, a young girl, who, despite being diagnosed with cerebral palsy (like Bedwei herself), fights crime. Rather than her crutches being a hindrance, they are the source of Karmzah’s powers, and Bedwei hopes that the book will change the perception of people with disabilities because, in the media, “persons with disabilities are usually portrayed as being feeble and asking for handouts.” The book launched last Saturday and will be available on the Afrocomix app by the “end of October.”
– The first official look at Ruby Rose as Batwoman in the upcoming CW Arrowverse “Elseworlds” crossover was revealed and you can see it right here. The costume was designed by four-time Academy Award winner Colleen Atwood, who has previously worked on Arrow, The Flash and Supergirl.
– io9 reported that James Gunn is in talks to write – and possibly direct – the next entry in the Suicide Squad franchise following his firing from Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. At this early stage, details on what Gunn would do with the team remain scarce besides the report’s claims that Gunn’s entry would be a “completely new take” on the property. Gavin O’Connor (Warrior) was previously attached to direct the sequel to David Ayer’s 2016 film. The sequel currently doesn’t have a release date set.
– Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw’s 2017 comic book “God Country” has been optioned for a film adaptation by Legendary Entertainment and Aftershock Media, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Cates will be on board for the adaptation by supplying the screenplay. The comic book follows the story of Emmett Quinlan, an elderly widower suffering from dementia, who finds an enchanted sword at the heart of a tornado that restores him and burdens him with the responsibility to fight the creatures that are drawn to the sword. There isn’t a release date for the project.
– Viz Media announced that Rooster Teeth’s animated series RWBY will be getting a new manga series. The new RWBY series will be created by Bunta Kinami and be debuting in Weekly Shonen Jump later this year. This project comes in addition to DC’s comic books based on the science-fiction series. The sixth “volume” of RWBY will be released on October 27.
– Marvel announced that there will be another LEGO special called Marvel Spider-Man: Vexed by Venom, which will debut in 2019. The special will follow Spider-Man trying to thwart the Green Goblin and Venom’s “mysterious villainous scheme before all of New York City is destroyed.” Spider-Man and Venom will be voiced by Robbie Daymond and Ben Pronsky, respectively. Josh Keaton (Green Goblin), Laura Bailey (Ghost-Spider) and Tara Strong (Mary Jane) make up the rest of the cast announced so far.
– The Star Trek franchise reached a milestone with the launch of Star Trek Online’s newest expansion, Age of Discovery. The MMORPG expansion features the matriarch of House Mo’Kai and sister of T’Kuvma, J’Ula. Fans will know J’Ula from the comic book spin off story, “The Light of Kahless,” which marks the expansion as the first major crossover between “Star Trek” comic books and Star Trek Online. In an interview with “The Light of Kahless” writer Mike Johnson and Star Trek Online’s lead producer Al Rivera, they described how CBS have been “sharing some information… and opportunities for [the MMORPG]” very recently, suggesting that fluidity will continue to be a feature of the Star Trek franchise going forward.
