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, DC announced a host of titles for next year’s ‘Dawn of DC’ initiative.
Image Comics announced three new series set to debut in February 2023:
– A new ongoing superhero series called “Torrent” by writer Marc Guggenheim, artist Justin Greenwood, colorist Rico Renzi, and designer Keith Wood. It is set to follow a superhero called Crackerjack, who is “the world’s most happy-go-lucky hero,” until an unrevealed tragedy occurs, causing him to cross the line into vigilantism. Guggenheim describes the series as trying to “break new ground by reinventing and revisiting old tropes;” he also promised that Michelle Metcalf A.K.A Crackerjack will be fighting “against all levels of villains and heroes alike,” and that the series’s “incredible characters… [are put] through the meat grinder.” You can see a selection of preview pages at Image Comics.
– An ongoing series called “Blood Tree” by the creative team of writer Peter J. Tomasi, artist Maxim Šimić, and colorist John Kalisz. “Blood Tree” will center around a sociopath known as the Angel Killer, who specifically seeks to “purify” society by killing members of known murderers’ families, and the pair of detectives on their trail. The series’ description states that the question of “who must pay for the sins of the fathers — and perhaps even the sins of the mothers?” is at the core of “Blood Tree.” Image released its first cover and preview pages as part of the announcement.
– A post-apocalyptic five-part series by Ed Laroche called “Almighty,” set against the backdrop of “a Third World America ravaged by economic collapse, anarcho-warfare, and a mysterious environmental disaster contained behind a massive wall,” in the year 2098. It will chronicle the endeavor of a killer to succeed after being hired to rescue an abducted girl. In the announcement, Image described the series “as Max Max: Fury Road-style action combined with the mutated horror of Annihilation.” Preview pages and the first issue’s cover can be viewed here.
“Almighty” #1 and “Blood Tree” #1 are scheduled for publication on February 1, with “Torrent” following on February 15.
– BOOM! Studios announced “Harrower,” a four-part horror series by writer Justin Jordan and artist Brahm Revel. Debuting in February 2023, “Harrower” will follow teenager Jessica Brink as she navigates the mystery that surrounds the “purveyor of puritanical vengeance against the unrighteous,” known as the Harrower, that has haunted the small town of Barlowe, New York, for generations. Jordan stated that with the series, he wanted to explore “a place where the real horror isn’t the legendary killer stalking you but the secrets that spawned them;” Revel described the series as “a super fun take on the slasher genre with a very interesting riff on why these bad guys continue to stalk the teens of today.” You can check out Revel’s designs and preview pages here.
– Disney CEO Bob Chapek has been unexpectedly replaced by his predecessor, Bob Iger. Chapek took over from Iger as CEO of the company in February 2020, after his tenure as chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. Iger had previously run the company since 2005, and will resume the post for another two years, before passing it on to another chosen successor. Chapek’s departure came after a reported loss of $1.5 billion for Disney in the third quarter of 2022, as well as controversies like his response to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, and Scarlett Johansson’s lawsuit over Black Widow‘s box office royalties.
– Publisher Papercutz revealed that their upcoming “Smurfs” Free Comic Book Day release will feature augmented reality interactions, specifically by bringing Smurfette ‘to life’ when the comic’s cover is viewed through a smartphone camera lens. The comic itself will be one part of the publisher’s celebrations for the franchise’s 65th anniversary, and see two stories, ‘The Smurf from Outer Space,’ and ‘Smurfs and the Robot X-XIII,’ both by Peyo, be published in English for the first time. The third story in the issue will be ‘A Kiss for Smurfette.’ The use of augmented reality on the release will also be the first time it has been featured on a Free Comic Book Day title. The “Smurfs 65th Anniversary FCBD Special” will be available on Free Comic Book Day next year on May 6.
Continued below– The BBC unveiled Millie Gibson (Coronation Street) as the newest companion in Doctor Who, specifically for the upcoming Fifteenth Doctor played by Ncuti Gatwa. Gibson will portray Ruby Sunday, with further details about her character being firmly kept secret. She will debut in the 2023 festive season, when Gatwa takes over from the Fourteenth Doctor (David Tennant)’s tenure in the show’s three 60th anniversary specials, set to air next November.
– Empire magazine revealed a host of new details about the upcoming Indiana Jones 5; the film will be set in 1969, and see the titular hero fight against former Nazis who are now involved in the Space Race for NASA. According to Jez Butterworth, the film’s co-writer, the question of “how ‘ex’ they are” is central to the concerns of Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford). A scientist named Voller, played by Mads Mikkelsen, will be the primary antagonist in the film, and working for him will be Boyd Holbrook’s Klaber, whom Holbrook says is “a lapdog to Mads, and a crazy one at that.” The magazine also revealed a selection of images from the film ahead of the release of their January issue, which spotlights the film on November 24; Indiana Jones 5 will debut in cinemas on June 30, 2023.
– Author and San Diego Comic-Con co-founder, Greg Bear, died at the age of 71 after recently being admitted to hospital following a stroke. Bear’s best known works include the Star Wars novel, Rogue Planet; Corona, a novel connected to Star Trek: The Original Series; and the Forerunner Saga, a trilogy of Halo books. Outside of his franchise titles, Bear’s works included the ‘Tangents,’ which won in the short story category at both the Nebula and Hugo Awards in 1987, and Blood Music, which similarly won in the Novellette category at both award ceremonies in 1984; he also won the Inkpot Award in 1984. Bear is survived by his wife, Astrid, and his two children, Chloe and Alexandra.
– Finally, actor Jason David Frank, who portrayed the original Green and White Power Ranger Tommy Oliver, has died at the age of 49. His manager did not disclose how or when he died, asking for the “privacy of his family and friends during this horrible time, as we come to terms with the loss of such a wonderful human being.” A mixed martial arts expert, Frank portrayed Tommy in multiple Power Rangers TV series, films, and video games from 1993 to 2018; he also reprised the role in a live-action trailer for BOOM! Studios’ 2018 Power Rangers crossover ‘Shattered Grid,’ portraying the evil alternate universe version of Tommy, Lord Drakkon. He is survived by his second wife, Tammie Frank, and four children (three from his first marriage, to Shawna Frank, and one from his second.)
