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 have exclusive previews of next week’s “Alien” #1 and “Star Wars: Dark Droids” #4.
– Dark Horse has unveiled its new sci-fi miniseries “Dawnrunner.” Written by Ram V, with art from Evan Cagle, the book tells the story of kaiju invading the world, and secret prototype mech that could shift the balance of the war. “A century ago, a portal opened over Central America and giant monsters known as the Tetza came through, changing our world,” the official synopsis reads. “Now, the world puts all its effort into making the Iron Kings – giant mechs that are forever battling the Tetza for humanity’s continued survival in gladiatorial combat.” Issue #1 (of 5) will be available on March 20, 2024.
– In more Dark Horse news, the publisher announced an English edition of “Loud: Stories to Make Your Voice Heard,” the Carlo Boscarato Award-winning anthology created to raise awareness about gender-based violence in Italy. From artist collective Moleste (English: “annoying”), the anthology’s stated goal was to “unite, support, and empower others in the fight against toxic masculinity, both in the comics industry and beyond.” The book was translated by Anna Burton, and it will be available in bookstores on July 2, plus comics shops the following day.
– As part of the 50th anniversary Marvel “Giant Size” issues, writer Fabian Nicieza and artist Creees Lee will explore the secrets of Atlantis in “Giant Sized Fantastic Four” #1. The book will see the FF defend the underwater kingdom from an ancient ruler, while a disgraced Namor is imprisoned. The book will also contain a reprint of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s “Fantastic Four” #33, which marked the first appearance of Attuma. It’s due out February 28.
– Former Marvel Comics publisher John Nee has joined up with former IDW editor-in-chief John Barber and business manager Nate Murray to form Pan-Universal Galactic Worldwide (or PUG Worldwide.) The new publisher’s first project will be “Conan the Barbarian: Colossal Edition,” an oversized reprint of Marvel’s “Conan” comics from the 1970s. A creator-owned comic (“Signa” by Barber, with art from Andrew Griffith) and prose novel (The Murder of Mr. Ma by Nee and SJ Rozan) are set to follow, along with a series of 3D comics and an RPG titled Everyone Else Thinks This Game is Awesome. Nee has assumed CEO duties, with Barber taking over as editor-in-chief and Murray as publisher.
– Artist Abigail Jill Harding is making her longform writing debut with the comiXology Original “Parliament of Rooks.” Called a “a gothic love story told in 5 chapters over the course of the four seasons—Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter,” the limited series finds architect Darius Ravenscar get pulled into a “precarious predicament” after attending Princess Seraphina’s masquerade ball in the city of Eborvik. Harding calls the series a tribute to British authors Neil Gaiman and Emily Brontë. Chapter one (of five) will be available on comiXology on November 14. Harding will also be at the Thought Bubble comic art festival this weekend; you can find a panel schedule here.
– Mad Cave Studios YA imprint Maverick will release “Silver Vessels.” Written by Steve Orlando, with art from Katie Vecchio, the graphic novel follows a group of young friends who go looking for the treasure of Our Lady of Atocha while on a summer vacation in the Florida Keys. It’s due out March 12, 2024.
– We got our first glimpse of Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender in action, courtesy of the first trailer from the streamer. The trailer not only showed us scenes of the main cast, including Gordon Cormier’s Aang and Daniel Dae Kim as Fire Lord Ozai, but also the Kyoshi Warriors and Crescent Island. The series is set to premiere February 22, 2024. The trailer was released as part of Netflix’s Geeked Week announcements, which included a behind-the-scenes look at season four of The Umbrella Academy; you can check those out at the links.
– Finally, Marvel Studios have officially delayed several films following the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike: Deadpool 3 will arrive on July 26, 2024; Captain America: Brave New World will be released on February 14, 2025; Thunderbolts will follow on July 25 that year; and Blade will hit theaters on November 7, 2025. (Fantastic Four‘s May 2, 2025 release date appears unchanged.) While Deadpool 3 will now mark Marvel Studios’ sole movie next year (a first since 2012), 2024 will also see the release of Echo, Agatha: Darkhold Diaries, X-Men ’97, and Spider-Man: Freshman Year, plus Sony’s Madame Web, Kraven the Hunter, and Venom 3. Ryan Reynolds has also marked the end of the strike by revealing Dogpool will appear in the next movie. The character, who has received their own Instagram account, first appeared in Victor Gischler and Phillip Bond’s “Prelude to Deadpool Corps” #3 (March 2010).
