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 Marc Silvestri about his DC Black Label series, ““Batman and the Joker: Deadly Duo.”
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– Vault Comics announced a music-centric imprint called Headshell, which will be home to graphic novels by musicians. Richard Rudolph is taking the reigns of the imprint, specifically devising its strategies and working as the artist relations individual for the imprint. Headshell’s first title will be “Dying Inside,” by writers Pete Wentz (the Fall Out Boy bassist and lyricist) and Hannah Klein, and artist Lisa Sterle. There will also be “Hysteria” by Def Leppard, and a graphic novel with Lars Ulrich, the co-founder of Metallica, involved, although further details about the wider creative teams for the projects have not yet been revealed. Specific story details about the upcoming projects have also been kept under wraps, with Headshell’s publications only described by Vault as being “original stories inspired by artists’ careers and music.” The Beach Boys and Redman round out the list of named musicians set to be involved at Headshell in the near future. Release dates for the first Headshell titles are not yet publicly known.
– Marvel Comics unveiled their Planet of the Apes variant cover line, which is scheduled to feature on select releases in February. The variants will depict moments in the lives of Marvel characters as if they live within the world of the iconic science fiction franchise. Artists set to be involved with the variant live includes the likes of Declan Shalvey, Peach Momoko, and Phil Noto. The variants lineup will debut ahead of the publisher’s as-yet-unspecified relaunch of the franchise’s comic book counterpart next year. Head over to Marvel.com to see a selection of the covers set to be available and the full list of titles to get the Planet of the Apes variant treatment.
– Disney-Hyperion are set to launch a new middle-grade imprint, called Freedom Fire, that will publish short stories, novels, and graphic novels; Tristan Strong author Kwame Mbalia will be at the imprint’s helm. Details about the imprint’s first releases are very limited, though Publishers Weekly reported that there is “a fantasy and short story anthology” currently in development, alongside “a few other [confidential] projects.” Through the imprint, Mbalia seeks to provide opportunities to other authors, release stories “celebrating diasporic culture,” and give readers “a safe space between the pages, a destination they can carry with them in their backpack.” The first publications from Freedom Fire are currently set for release in Spring 2024.
– AWA Studios became the latest comics publisher to announce a distribution deal with Lunar Distribution. The deal is set to come into effect in January, with AWA’s entire back catalog set to be available alongside the publisher’s upcoming titles. AWA will continue their distribution deals with Diamond, and Simon & Schuster; in a press release, Michael Cotton, the Executive Editor and Head of Publishing Operations at AWA, stated the Lunar deal is part of the publisher’s endeavor to “to provide more flexibility for our retail partners and readers.” You can see an up-to-date list of different publisher’s distribution deals here.
– The upcoming second season of Netflix’s Heartstopper added Thibault de Montalembert, Ash Self, and Bel Priestley to its cast. De Montalembert is set to portray Nick Nelson (Kit Connor)’s father, Stephane, whilst Self and Priestley will portray Naomi and Felix, two friends of Elle Argent (Yasmin Finney). Deadline’s report also confirmed that Olivia Colman is set to return as Nick’s mother, Sarah. The series is an adaptation of Alice Osman’s comic book series of the same name, which tells the teenage love story of Charlie Spring (Joe Locke) and Nick Nelson. An air date for Heartstopper season two is not yet known.
– Finally, Dave Stevens: Drawn to Perfection, the documentary about the titular artist, is set to be made available on demand on December 2, following a rights deal with Samuel Goldwyn Films. The film dives into Stevens’s life and career, which included inking Russ Manning’s “Tarzan” artwork before he went on to create “The Rocketeer.” The film’s trailer indicates that the adaptation of “The Rocketeer” into a live-action film will also be explored, as will Stevens’s admiration for model Bettie Page. The film was directed and produced by Kelvin Mao. Rob Chatlin joined Mao in a producing capacity, whilst Robert Windom served as an executive producer. Platforms on which Dave Stevens: Drawn to Perfection will be made available have yet to be stated.
