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.
– Drawn & Quarterly unveiled the cover for the cartoonist Seth’s upcoming “Palookaville 24.” The long-running series has always consisted of three sections, and “24” is no different: the first section will be titled ‘Nothing Lasts,’ a memoir exploring Seth’s teenage years; the second will be “The Apology of Albert Batch,” which is a collaboration between Seth and filmmaker Luc Chamberland; and the third and final section is comprised of five outcomes from Seth’s sketchbook exercises, in which he “select[s] five names from a list and produce[s] five stories to go with them.” “Palookaville 24” will also come with a DVD copy of a documentary that accompanies “The Apology of Albert Batch,” and chronicles Seth’s exploration of the realm of puppetry. “Palookaville 24” is scheduled for publication in the Spring of 2023.
– January 2023 will see Bishop’s co-creator, Whilce Portacio, explore the character’s origins with writer Brian Haberlin in “X-Men Legends.” The story will depict the fateful Elite Omega Squad mission that resulted in Bishop being thrust into the present (of the 1991 release “Uncanny X-Men #282, in which Bishop made his debut). Marvel describes the story as “shed[ding] new light on Bishop’s original motivations and the intense guilt he feels over his fallen teammates, as well as provid[ing] surprising depth to the dystopian world he left behind.” Whilce Portacio and Brian Haberlin’s two-issue tenure on “X-Men Legends” will begin with the release of #5 on January 24, and conclude with the release of #6 on February 8. You can see Portacio’s cover art for both issues here.
– Publishers Weekly reported on four graphic novel deals this week, including Henry Holt’s acquiring of “Wayward: Fractured Shadows” by Liza Singer. “Wayward: Fractured Shadows” is targeting a middle-grade audience and will tell the story of Ryan and Owen, two best friends who are starting at middle school. Ryan and Owen, though, are not just best friends; they are Guardians, tasked with fighting against demons who feed on emotions, that live in a mirror realm below their town of Wayward. With the pair starting middle school, they will have to face up to the fact they may be growing apart, and the difficulties that come with that. Singer has previously worked as a storyboard artist on shows such as Harley Quinn and DC Super Hero Girls. “Wayward: Fractured Shadows” has been given an unspecified release date in the Fall of 2025.
– Enki Bilal’s “Le Sommeil du monstre” (released in English as “The Dormant Beast”) is set to be adapted into a TV series by Trioscope (The Liberator). The graphic novel is set in a dystopian future, and follows Nike Hatzfeld as he explores his youth as an orphan in the Yugoslav Wars through his vast memories, which retain every single day of his life. He remembers two other orphans, Leyla and Amir, and the graphic novel chronicles the reunion of the trio after their lives took them in separate directions. The adaptation will be “a stylized live-action series,” according to Greg Jonkajtys, the chief creative officer and co-founder of Trioscope, who is set to direct and executive produce the show. Bilal is involved in the project as an executive producer. Further details about the series have not been announced at this time.
– Deadline reported that Rhona Mitra has joined the upcoming Red Sonja, whilst Oliver Trevena has been forced to depart due to a scheduling conflict. It is unclear who Mitra will be portraying in the adaptation. Trevena was set to be playing a gladiator named Tr’aal and a replacement actor has not been specified at this time. Mitra joins the cast, which includes Matilda Lutz as Red Sonja, Robert Sheehan as Draygan, and Wallis Day as Annisa, among others. The film is currently in production with M.J. Bassett directing. Red Sonja does not currently have a release date.
– WB Games Montréal announced a new game mode called Heroic Assault for the upcoming Gotham Knights video game. The game mode will be separate to the primary campaign and see up to four players teaming up to defeat waves of enemies, as they progress through thirty floors in the mode. The number of players involved in the new game mode is in contrast to the main campaign, which only allows for two players at once, meaning that when playing Heroic Assault, all four playable heroes in the game — Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl, and Red Hood — can be utilized at once. Heroic Assault will be added to the game as a free update on November 29, with Gotham Knights being released on Friday, October 21.
– Finally, in further Batman gaming news, a Batman-themed DLC for Minecraft was unveiled at Minecraft Live 2022. Players will be able to play as Batman and unravel the Joker’s “nefarious plot,” whilst taking on villains such as Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, and Mr Freeze, all of whom were featured in the trailer for the DLC. Heroes like Batgirl, Robin, and Nightwing were also shown in the trailer, along with glimpses of the Minecraft-ized Gotham City, Batcave and Arkham Asylum. A price for the DLC has yet to be revealed but it will be available to purchase tomorrow on October 18. You can check out the announcement and trailer at around the 1:02 mark of the full Minecraft Live event video here.
