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 preview of next week’s “Giant-Size Black Cat: Infinity Score” #1.
– “Youth” writer Curt Pires is launching another comiXology Original comic next week. IGN has the details and first look for “Memoria,” which was previously announced back in April with a planned 2022 debut. The two-hander detective story follows a pair of cops who are saddled with a seemingly unsolvable case, only to unravel a conspiracy that points to the most prolific serial killer in American history. “Memoria” is written by Pires, with art by Sunando C, colors by Mark Dale, and letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. All five chapters will launch on comiXology on December 7.
– Saladin Ahmed’s Substack imprint Copper Bottle has released the first issue of its second title. Originally teased back in August alongside the announcement of Copper Bottle’s impending launch, “TerrorWar” is a sci-fi horror book written by Ahmed with art by Dave Acosta, inks by Jay Leisten, colors by Walter Pereyra, letters by Shawn Lee, and editing by Heather Antos. The story follows Muhammad Cho, a “Terrorfighter” who battles Terrors, mysterious creatures who take the shape of someone’s deepest fear before burning them to ash. The first issue is available to read now on Copper Bottle.
– Marvel is teasing their plans for what appears to be the next era for their X-Men line. Via Newsarama, a mysterious set of teasers for ‘Destiny of X’ shows multiple versions of some major X-characters with a tagline that reads “Choose Your Destiny.” Thus far Hope Summers, Wolverine, and Storm have received the teaser treatment, with a fourth teaser featuring an ominous quote from Destiny herself promising that “There is no ‘The’ future.” The teasers point to a Spring 2022 launch for the storyline.
– The publisher Oni Press has announced that they will be partnering with the new comics distribution company Lunar Distribution. Via Newsarama, the deal does not signal that the company will be breaking ties with Diamond Comics Distributors, with the company describing the deal as “additive” and Oni’s comics being available for order from both distributors. Oni Press is now the fourth client of Lunar Distribution, which was launched back in 2020 by Discount Comic Book Service after DC discontinued its long relationship with Diamond; Scout Comics and Ahoy Comics are the two other partnered publishers.
– As the animation union enters into its next round of contract negotiations, details have been spreading through social media of inequitable and poor treatment towards animators and writers working on shows and films throughout Hollywood. Via CBR, Bill Wolkoff, co-showrunner of the Netflix/DreamWorks Animation series Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, detailed a production sleight of hand that allowed Netflix to underpay its creators. Despite being marketed and released as three seasons, the network internally treated the show as having a single production order, meaning that no artists qualified for raises over the course of its three years in production. Other tweets detailing abuse and trickery from studios and networks can be found at the hashtags #PayAnimationWriters and #NewDeal4Animation.
– Awards season is well underway in Hollywood, and the Hollywood Critics Association is next up to bat. The organization announced their nominees for the 5th Annual HCA Film Awards, and several comics adaptations are among the honorees. Both Shang-Chi and The Suicide Squad picked up nominations for Best Action Film and Best Visual Effects, with Shang-Chi earning an additional nomination for Best Stunts. Eternals also got a nod for Best Visual Effects, while Black Widow also made the five for Best Stunts. Finally, Sylvester Stallone picked up a nomination for Best Animated or VSX Performance for his role as King Shark in The Suicide Squad. You can find a full list of nominees over at the HCA website.
– Dark Horse Comics is reportedly looking to sell a part of its entertainment arm. Via CBR and Bloomberg, Dark Horse has reportedly met with an adviser to “weigh options that could include a sale” of some of their IP, according to Bloomberg reporter Lucas Shaw. Dark Horse has recently been ramping up its film and television projects, with Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy, Syfy’s Resident Alien, and upcoming adaptations of “Usagi Yojimbo” and “Grendel.” Dark Horse has yet to comment on the story.
– Finally, Janelle Monae has announced a book of speculative fiction based around her 2018 album Dirty Computer, and some comics creators are among Monae’s collaborators. Via People magazine, The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories from Dirty Computer comes from a roster of female and non-binary creators, including “Champions” writers Eve Ewing and Danny Lore. The Memory Librarian “delves into the world of Dirty Computer where the mind and ‘self-conception’ can be controlled by others.” The book goes on sale in April 2022.
