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 had an exclusive preview of Marvel’s “Alien” #8, and we spoke to Christopher Golden and Matt Smith about “Hellboy: The Bones of Giants” #1.
– Writer Adam P. Knave, artist Valentine Barker, and letterer Frank Cvetkovic have a new YA graphic novel coming from Dark Horse. Via School Library Journal, “The Airless Year” follows Kacee, a queer Black middle schooler who fails a class due to her stress and ends up in summer school. She ultimately “begins to discover her own power to improve the things in her life she can control, and try to let go of what she can’t.” “‘The Airless Year’ is a story about the period in your life just before High School, which is a time fraught with deep, personal challenges. It’s the first time you really get to consider redefining yourself,” Knave said. “The Airless Year” hits shelves on June 8, 2022.
– A new Lebanese comic tells stories from the country’s feminist struggle. Via Middle East Eye, “Where to, Marie? Stories of Feminisms in Lebanon” traces the history of the Lebanese feminist movement by following five fictional female characters. The book was the brainchild of researcher Bernadette Daou, who had just finished her PhD on women’s rights movements in Lebanon when the project began, and Yazan Al-Saadi, a writer and comic enthusiast who wanted to make Daou’s research accessible to a wider audience. The pair scripted the book together, with art coming from Razan Wehbi, Rawand Issa, Tracy Chawhwan, Joan Baz, and Sirene Moukheiber. Lina Mounzer provided the English translation. “I hope these stories will give people extra motivation to continue this struggle across generations,” says al-Saadi, “and finally, to build appreciation for our little corner of the globe that is on fire.” The full comic is available for download in both English and Arabic on their website.
– DC has informed retailers that the current “Swamp Thing” run, originally solicited as a ten-issue miniseries, will be getting a season 2. Via Bleeding Cool, Ram V and Mike Perkins’ critically acclaimed series is being expanded “due to popular demand,” with the series earning an additional 6 issues. After “Swamp Thing” #10 goes on sale in December, the series will see a short break, returning for Season 2 and issue #11 in March.
– Moon Knight will be entering the fray of the upcoming event Daredevil event ‘Devil’s Reign’ in February and March. Via Syfy Wire, “Moon Knight” #8 from writer Jed MacKay and Alessandro Cappuccio will tie into the event, with Fisk’s newly assembled squad of Thunderbolts striking out to hunt Spector down. With Moon Knight off the streets, issue #8 will primarily focus on the happenings at Spector’s Midnight Mission while he’s incapacitated. Meanwhile, the one-shot “Devil’s Reign: Moon Knight” from MacKay and Federico Sabbatini will focus in on Spector’s time spent in Wilson Fisk’s jail. “Moon Knight” #8 hits on February 9, 2022, with “Devil’s Reign: Moon Knight” #1 following on March 2.
– Marvel’s still-untitled Disney+ Halloween special is set to star Gael García Bernal. Sources told The Wrap that the project may be an adaptation of the character Werewolf by Night, created by Gerry Conway and Mike Ploog based on concepts by Stan Lee and Roy Thomas. The original comic featured Jack Russell, a lycanthropic man who could transform without a full moon, and retain his intelligence while doing so. This new project could also be an adaptation of Jake Gomez, a more recent incarnation of the character created by Taboo, Benjamin Jackendoff and Scot Eaton, who is a member of the Hopi Native American tribe that comes into conflict with an evil pharmaceutical company. That remains mostly speculation, however; Marvel has yet to comment on the report. The special is reportedly set to begin production in early 2022.
– Taika Waititi is tackling Alejandro Jodorowsky and Mœbius’s graphic novel “The Incal” as a film project for Humanoids and Primer Entertainment. Via Deadline, Waititi is set to direct and co-write the script, with Peter Warren and his frequent collaborator Jermaine Clement also working on the screenplay. “The Incal” revolves around John Difool, a private investigator who finds the titular mystical artifact, and is drawn into a mission to save the universe that becomes, as Deadline puts it, “a spiritual journey examining the duality and meaning of existence.” The comic title marks Humanoids’ first film project, and the report makes note that adaptations based on other entries in the ‘Jodoverse’ – including “The Metabarons” and “Megalex” – might be explored by the company down the line.
Continued below– The Harvey Award-winning South Korean graphic novel “Moms” is being adapted as a television series by Playground Entertainment. Via Deadline, Yeong-shin Ma’s comic tells the story of Lee Soyeon and her two best friends, three Korean women dealing with the loneliness of middle age. “Sick of suffering life’s injustices,” the description reads, “they begin to reclaim their own lives with reckless abandon, leading to sexual adventures, infighting, and a daring challenge to the social hierarchy at work that risks their livelihoods.” The project is being overseen by producers Scott Huff and David Stern.
– Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait have all banned the latest MCU entry Eternals, likely due to the inclusion of a same sex couple. Via The Hollywood Reporter, the film has been quietly removed from websites in each of those countries ahead of its planned release on November 11, after Disney refused to make edits requested by local censors. Sources suggested that the decision comes from the inclusion of the aforementioned couple, as well as a kiss between them that occurs during the film. The Pixar film Onward was similarly banned in those countries as well as Oman due to a single line in the film that referenced a lesbian relationship. Directed by Chloe Zhao and featuring an ensemble cast including Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry, Salma Hayek and Angelina Jolie, Eternals opens today in the U.S.
– Finally, the next update for the game Marvel’s Avengers will add Spider-Man as a playable hero (for some players). The hero will launch as a PlayStation exclusive as part of the Spider-Man: With Great Power hero event. The game’s website teases a series of unlockable missions that see the webhead striking up an uneasy alliance with the Avengers as he struggles to figure out how to work within the team. Also coming in the new update is Klaw Raid, a follow-up to the events of the War for Wakanda expansion, as well as a number of adjustments to the game’s systems, including the ability to earn cosmetics rather than buying them with real life currency. The new patch launches on November 30.
