The Rundown: October 30, 2019

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, we interviewed artist Matt Smith about “Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: Long Night at Goloski Station” and talked about “Middlewest” with artist Jorge Corona.

Cover by Claire Fauvel

NBM Publishing revealed five graphic novels it will be publishing next year:

“Phoolan Devi, Rebel Queen” by Claire Fauvel will tell the real-life story of the Indian bandit-turned-MP, Phoolan Devi. Devi was born into a low caste family before being forced into marriage at the age of 11 and going on to spend many years as a bandit. After her lover was killed and she was gang raped, Devi led a massacre which resulted in the death of 22 men. Devi then spent 11 years in prison, following which she was elected into the Indian Parliament and became the folk hero she is remembered as today. Devi was assassinated in 2001. “Phoolan Devi, Rebel Queen” will be released as a 220-page hardcover biography in March.

“Giant” by Mikael will tell the story of an Irish steelworker working on the Rockefeller Center who is on duty when his coworker is killed in an accident. The steelworker proceeds by writing a letter to his coworker’s wife and sends her money, but is unable to reveal to truth about her husband to her. “Giant” will be released in April as a 120-page hardcover.

“Silent Invasion, Vol. 3: Abductions” will be the third volume in Michael Cherkas and Larry Hancock’s series from the 1980s collected for the first time. The series was set in the 1950s with a slew of alien abductions and UFO sightings taking place amongst the paranoia of the Cold War. The series follows a newspaper reporter, Matt Sinkage, as he tries to uncover the conspiracy that connects the incidents. “Silent Invasion, Vol. 3: Abductions” will be published in May.

“The Louvre Collection: The Red Mother with Child” by Christian Lax is the latest production in the Louvre’s ongoing collaboration with graphic novelists. Lax’s entry into the collection will depict the story of a young man in Mali saving a 14th century sculpture from destruction by Islamists, and journeying across Europe alongside immigrants and refugees, in order to get the sculpture to the Louvre. “The Louvre Collection: The Red Mother with Child” will be released in June.

“Leonardo Da Vinci: The Renaissance of the World” by Marwan Kahil and Ariel Vittori will present the famous artist and inventor within the context of his time, and engage with contemporary politics, along with his experiences as a gay man. The back matter will include a timeline of Da Vinci’s life, along with other infomation. “Leonardo Da Vinci: The Renaissance of the World” will be released in July.

You can check out the rest of the covers for the graphic novels here.

– Image Comics revealed that they will be publishing a collection of Kieron Dwyer’s political cartoons, set to be called “Unpresidented.” The collection will contain Dwyer’s cartoons that lampoon the American political and culture direction since the election of President Trump in 2016. In a press release for the collection Dwyer described how “The economy of information in an excellent editorial cartoon is, in my opinion, the highest form of graphic storytelling,” which is what he strives to achieve in his own work. “Unpresidented” will be released in comic book stores on April 29 and in bookstores on May 5.

– Lucifer star, Tom Ellis, has revealed the show’s fifth and final season will be 16 episodes long and be split into two halves. The final season will be airing on Netflix at an unannounced date. Netflix picked up the show which aired on Fox for three seasons, with the fourth season being released on the streaming platform earlier this year.

– Yesterday marked the investor day conference for AT&T’s upcoming streaming service HBO Max. Among the upcoming projects announced were three DC Comics TV series: Strange Adventures, which is described as a “DC super hero anthology” that will feature characters from across DC’s canon. Each episode will be an hour long and explore the “intersecting lives of ordinary humans and superhumans,” although the HBO Max Twitter account seeming to counter this statement, saying that the show will be about Adam Strange.

The second show to be announced is an adaptation of “Green Lantern,” although details regarding it are under wraps for now. Greg Berlanti will be serving as executive producer on both of these series. DC Super Hero High is the third series to be announced at this time, and will be a half-hour comedy series about students at a boarding school for gifted individuals. Elizabeth Banks (Pitch Perfect) will be the executive producer for the series, with Brownstone Productions in association with Warner Horizon Scripted Television producing the series. At this point, it is unclear whether the series is an adaptation of DC’s ongoing Super Hero Girls franchise. Launch dates for the series were not announced, but HBO Max will be launching in May 2020 for the price of $14.99 a month.

– Finally, veteran actor John Witherspoon, who voiced Robert “Granddad” Freeman on The Boondocks, has died at the age of 77. Regina King, who worked with Witherspoon on The Boondocks and Friday, wrote on Twitter: “My dad, my grandpa, my comedic inspiration! I love you Spoons! Rest In Paradise, King.” Born in Detroit, Michigan, on January 27, 1942, Witherspoon was also a main cast member on The Wayans Bros., The Tracy Morgan Show, and Black Jesus, and also had roles on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Proud Family, and Black-ish. He is survived by his wife Angela Robinson, and their two sons.