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 an exclusive first look at “Speed Republic” #1, due out from Mad Cave Studios in February.
– “Kim & Kim” and “Vagrant Queen” co-creator Magdalene Visaggio has started a GoFundMe asking fans for immediate help. “I usually live off book sales,” the writer states, “but my last sale was pre-pandemic, which also seriously delayed production (and release) on books that were already supposed to be generating income by now.” She goes on to explain how the delays have cut her income by 60% compared to 2020, leaving her unable to afford food and bills by the end of the month. As of this writing, Visaggio has received $2,865 of her $10,000 goal.
– Drawing inspiration from the Witcher franchise, writer/artist Marco Rudy has crafted a tale of mental health and addiction with RDW: A Tale of Lost Fantasy. Successfully funded on Kickstarter and available now on Rudy’s Gumroad, the story follows a warrior named Astrid, and the potion that gives her invincibility. “There are dragons and creatures of folklore around and they influence every bit of the way this world works,” Rudy says of the project. “But in all honesty, it’s all more dressing to try to tell personable and relatable current-issues stories.”
– “Heathen” #1 will the first re-release in Vault’s new line of collectors editions, dubbed Vault Reserve. The first issue of the Natasha Alterici series is slated to hit shelves on February 16, 2022, with a $7.99 MSRP.
– Manga sale tracking organization Oricon unveiled their list of the top-selling manga of 2021. “Jujutsu Kaisen” took the top spot, selling 30.91 million copies over the course of the year, barely edging out fan favorite “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” (itself selling 29.51 million copies.) “Tokyo Revengers” took the third spot on the list, beating out in “Attack on Titan” and “My Hero Academia” (in fourth and fifth place respectively.)
– Season two of Raising Dion and season three of Locke & Key are set to premiere in 2022, according to Netflix. They join a list of genre series set to hit the streamer in 2022, which include Cuphead: The Series, Magic: The Gathering, and fellow comic adaptations The Sandman and The Umbrella Academy. Raising Dion returns on February 1, while no airdate has been set for Locke & Key. Deadline also reported that Sherri Saum’s Ellie Whedon has been promoted to series regular in the new season.
– Following Victor Garber and Franz Drameh’s reappearance in Legends of Tomorrow‘s 100th episode, Garber’s original Firestorm partner is set to return in an episode of The Flash next year. Robbie Amell will reprise his role as Ronnie Raymond in the CW series, which is set to go on hiatus until March after the five-part “Armageddon” storyline wraps this month.
– Finally, “Hellbound,” the inspiration for the Netflix series of the same name, is is now available in English on Webtoon. This is the first time the Korean horror series, based on the short film The Hell from writer/director Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan) and artist Choi Gyu-Seok, has been translated for Western audiences. The Hellbound Netflix series, helmed by the creative team behind the comic and film, debuted on the streamer on November 19, beating out The Queen of Flow and Squid Game as the most watched series on the platform worldwide. You can read “Hellbound” on its Webtoon page, a week before the first volume of the print release from Dark Horse Comics goes on sale December 8.
