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 unveiled the trailer for Skybound’s “Scurry.”
– On Substack, writer Gerry Duggan announced he is writing a number of comics exclusive to the newsletter platform, beginning with the “tentatively” titled “The Ginormous Kokjü.” Featuring art from Duggan’s “Deadpool” collaborator Scott Koblish, colors from Hi-Fi, and lettering by Joe Sabino, the “hard R” comic offers a revolting spin on the kaiju vs. mech concept: what if the giant monster attacked cities by defecating on civilians? The first “drop” of the completed comic is available for free now at the link. Duggan also told readers to expect a new project with “Analog” co-creator David O’Sullivan.
– Via The Beat, Dark Horse Comics will publish four comiXology Originals series in print next year: “Hailstone” (from Rafael Scavone and Rafael de Latorre), “Cold Iron” (by Andy Diggle and Nick Brokenshire), “The Never Ending Party” (Rachel Pollack, Joe Corallo, and Eva Cabrera), and “Beatrix Rose: Vigilante” (by Stephanie Phillips and Valeria Favoccia). The comics, which will each retail for $22.99 in trade paperback, will be respectively published on June 20, July 4, July 25, and August 1, 2023.
– Via ComicsXF, Titan announced “Moriarty: Clockwork Empire,” a steampunk series that will cross over Sherlock Holmes with The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Written by Fred Duval and Jean-Pierre Pécau with art by Stevan Subic (“Riddler: Year One”), the series will see Holmes and Watson investigate a card-playing automaton, and the “corpse” of a monster that escaped from the hospital. The first issue, which will be 48 pages, will be released on February 22, 2023.
– Deadline reports Shawn Levy is in talks to direct a Star Wars film, joining Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Taika Waititi, Patty Jenkins, and several other filmmakers developing their own projects at Lucasfilm. Levy will prioritize the movie after completing Deadpool 3, and his two episodes of Stranger Things 5, which are all due out in 2024. The news coincides with J.D. Dillard confirming to press that he is no longer attached to a Star Wars movie, or the mooted Rocketeer reboot; the Devotion and Sleight director first became reportedly attached to the former in 2020, shortly after the release of The Rise of Skywalker.
– Meanwhile, Variety broke word of Lucasfilm considering an Indiana Jones series for Disney+. It is unknown at this time what the project would be (ie. animated or live-action, prequel or spin-off), as the company are currently seeking pitches from writers. If produced, the show would mark Indiana Jones’s second venture into TV, following The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, which ran from 1992 to 1996. The news comes in the run-up to Indiana Jones 5, which will mark Harrison Ford’s final appearance in the role of Dr. Jones on June 30, 2023.
– Damon Dayoub (Stitchers) and Lauren Stamile (Complications) have been cast on the Gotham Knights TV series as Lincoln and Rebecca March, the parents of Brody March (played by Rahart Adams). The showrunners commented, “While fans of the comics may recognize Lincoln’s name, they should expect some twists in the stories to come.” Lincoln is described as being an elite businessman with ambitions to become Mayor of Gotham City, while Rebecca is his dutiful but distant wife, who must maintain the facade they are still close. Gotham Knights will premiere on the CW early next year.
– In an interview with Total Film, Avatar director James Cameron revealed Dark Horse’s new three-part graphic novel “Avatar: The High Ground” is based on an early draft of the sequel. “It just didn’t achieve enough of the overall story and thematic goals that I had in mind,” he said. “So [we turned] it into a Dark Horse graphic novel. You’ll be able to see that interim battle that took place between movie one and movie two.” Vol. 1 of “The High Ground,” penned by Sherri L. Smith with art by Guilherme Balbi, is available in hardcover now, while Vols. 2 and 3 will be released respectively on November 30, and December 7. Avatar: The Way of Water will follow into theaters on December 16.
– Finally, cartoonist Alex Norris, creator of “Webcomic Name” (which spawned the “oh no” meme), has disclosed they have been fighting a legal battle since 2019 over the rights to their comic. Norris explains they entered a deal to turn the comic into a board game, which the company then used as an opportunity to claim the rights to the comic itself. They are now crowdfunding to pay off the remaining legal fees caused by the lawsuit. At the time of writing, £66,357 has been raised of Norris’s £100,000 goal has been raised on GoFundMe.
