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.
– DC announced “Red Hood: The Hill,” a six-issue series by writer Shawn Martinbrough and artist Sanford Greene. A spiritual sequel to Christopher Priest and Martinbrough’s 2000 one-shot “Batman: The Hill,” the series sees Jason Todd move to the titular predominantly Black suburb of Gotham, where he teams up with the vigilante Strike/Dana Harlowe against a new threat to the area. The first issue will be released in February, along with an issue #0, reprinting Martinbrough, Tony Akins and Moritat’s two-part “Red Hood: Outlaw” storyline from 2020 (issues #51-52), where Strike was introduced.
– Marvel announced a new “Night Thrasher” series, written by J. Holtham with art by Nelson Daniel. The four-part comic follows the New Warriors member (real name Dwayne Taylor) as he comes out of retirement to help Silhouette/Janelle Chord, his former teammate and lover, hunt down a new criminal called the O.G. in New York City. “And the mystery of the O.G.’s true identity and what’s to come will change Night Thrasher’s legacy forever!” Night Thrasher was created by Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz in 1989, and previously starred in two solo series, the last of which was released in 1995. His new outing begins February 14.
– Marvel also revealed “Godzilla: The Original Marvel Years Omnibus,” a collection of the publisher’s long out-of-print 1977-79 series (the King of the Monsters’ first American comics series.) Written by Doug Moench, with art by Herb Trimpe and Tom Sutton, the 24-issue run pit a green version of the Japanese film icon against various Marvel heroes, plus aliens, mutants, mad scientists, and other kaiju from his movies, like Batragon and Yetrigar. The omnibus will be released during the 70th anniversary of the original film in October 2024.
– Mad Cave will publish “The Mushroom Knight,” an original fantasy graphic novel by debut cartoonist Oliver Bly. Colored by Steph Snow, with lettering by AndWorld Design, the book follows Gowlitrot the Gardener, “a chivalrous faerie mushroom” protecting the forest, who encounters a teenage girl searching for her missing dog in the woods. “As their destinies coalesce, a whimsical friendship forms. But peril is nigh, and their respective journeys threaten to challenge the foundation of their realities… and reality itself.” It will be released on March 5, 2024.
– The Marvels opened worldwide to $110.3 million worldwide. It only grossed $47 million domestically, an all-time low for the MCU, largely thanks to the lack of promotion from its stars during the SAG-AFTRA strike (which ended just two days before it released.) It still marks the largest opening weekend for a film directed by a Black woman. Speaking of the SAG-AFTRA strike, the new contract has come under fire over its AI protection provisions, with actress/director Justine Bateman disclosing there are a number of loopholes the studios can exploit. Guild members are set to begin voting on the terms of the contract from tomorrow, until early December.
– Black Panther: Wakanda Forever racked up three nominations at the 2024 Grammy Awards, namely Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media, Best Song Written for Visual Media for “Life Me Up” (the only non-Barbie track nominated), and Best Compilation Soundtrack (which Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was also nominated for.) John Williams picked up two in Best Score Soundtrack for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and The Fabelmans, while Star Wars Jedi: Survivor composers Stephen Barton and Gordy Haab were nominated for Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games. The winners will be announced February 4.
Netflix revealed the following as part of Geeked Week:
– The first trailer for Dead Boy Detectives, the series starring the characters Neil Gaiman and Matt Wagner created for “The Sandman.” The show stars George Rexstrew and Jayden Revri as Edwin Payne and Charles Rowland, the respective brains and brawn of the ghostly detective agency, plus Kassius Nelson as teenage medium Crystal, and Yuyu Kitamura as her best friend Niko. A release date was not given.
Continued below– The trailer for Yu Yu Hakusho, the live-action Japanese series based on the manga by Yoshihiro Togashi. The supernatural action show follows Yusuke (Takumi Kitamura), a prematurely deceased teen, who is offered the chance to return to life as a spirit detective. It will be released on December 14.
– A teaser trailer for Masters of the Universe: Revolution, the continuation of Revelation. The trailer emphasizes Hordak (Keith David) boasting about his victories before his invasion of Eternia, spearheaded by Skeletor (Mark Hamill) after his assimilation by Motherboard (Meg Foster). The miniseries premieres January.
– Finally, the streamer unveiled The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep, an anime film based on the short story “A Little Sacrifice.” Set between episodes five and six of the live-action series, the film will see Geralt of Rivia try to prevent a war with an undersea kingdom. It stars Witcher game voice actor Doug Cockle as Geralt, plus Anya Chalotra and Joey Batey (reprising their roles as Yennefer and Jaskier), and Christina Wren (Man of Steel) as new character Essi Daven. Nightmare of the Wolf storyboard artist Kang Hei Chul directs, with animation provided once again by Studio Mir. It will be released in late 2024.
