Welcome 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.
– IDW’s “Femme Magnifique” is headed back to press for a September softcover release, reports Newsarama. The anthology, which raised nearly $100,000 on Kickstarter, celebrates the stories of 50 of history’s most iconic and impactful women. Contributors include Marguerite Bennett, Jen Bartel, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Tini Howard, Gail Simone, and many, many more. The softcover edition of “Femme Magnifique” will be available Sep. 4.
– Black Panel Press announced the release of Kickstarter success, “Ancient Astronauts,” a sci-fi fantasy painted entirely in watercolor by Italian artist Vincent Pompetti. “Ancient Astronaut” tells the story of a young archer, Onys Di Chieti, as a mysterious entity invades her home planet. The book is currently available through Black Panel’s website, Amazon, and Comixology.
– In your last bit of Kickstarter-adjacent news, “Xenoglyphs” creator Omar Spahi announced a campaign to bring the entirety of that series online for free. If the Kickstarter is successful, the 30-issue series (which has already released a number of physical issues) will release two pages a week until the story is complete. Backers will receive the only physical copies of volumes 3, 4, and 5, while the rest of the world will have to make do with the online release.
– The Beat dropped an article that looked at the top 20 graphic novels of 2017 (according to NPD/Bookscan), a list that included a number of diverse creators and voices. Rep. John Lewis’s “March: Book One” topped the list, trailed by volume seven of “Saga,” “Everyone’s a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too” and “March”‘s own trilogy slipcase edition. Also notable is that NPD/Bookscan plan to provide monthly graphic novel sales numbers to ICv2 throughout 2018.
– Five years after converting his graphic novel to a successful live stage show, Brian Gorman will finally release “New Dawn Fades,” a book about Manchester band Joy Division. Previously held up due to “disagreements and delays,” “New Dawn Fades” ties Joy Division’s rise, and its music, to the history of Manchester, including cast members such as Roman general Julius Agricola and Elizabethan alchemist Dr. John Dee. The book is looking for funding on IndieGoGo, but will release in April regardless. The stage show of the same name will also be back in Manchester in April.
– On nearly the opposite end of the comics-to-stage spectrum, “One Piece” is coming to the stage as a live, musical production. Shueisha, Toei Animation, and Fuji TV announced the news via a website that went live yesterday. The production, titled One Piece Sound Banquet: East Blue Arc will run from Aug. 12 to Sept. 2 at the Tokyo International Forum Hall.
– Tom King took to Twitter to announce Lee Weeks is coming on to the regular “Batman” title for at least an issue. Weeks has recently provided the art for the wonderfully bonkers “Batman/Elmer Fudd Special” as well as “Batman Annual” #2. The tweet also included an art preview showing a rather upset Mr. Freeze.
– Are you anywhere near Philadelphia? If so, you can join “Andre the Giant: Life and Legend” author and illustrator Brian Brown on Wednesday at Atlantis the Lost Bar in Fishtown, as he debuts his new graphic novel, “Is This Guy for Real?: The Unbelievable Andy Kaufman.” The Philadelphia Inquirer published an interview with Brown on the eve of his new book’s publication, examining the inspiration and work behind the graphic novel.
– Wynonna Earp’s mom is coming back as a recurring character in season three, according to ComicBook.com. On the heels of Earp‘s second-season cliffhanger, SyFy has released a still from season three featuring Megan Follows reprising her role as Michelle Earp. Wynonna Earp will be back on the air later this year, after wrapping its ongoing season three production.
– In another bit of comics TV news, Netflix’s Sabrina-based Riverdale spinoff has found its second female lead, casting actress Jaz Sinclair (Easy, The Vampire Diaries) as Sabrina’s best friend (and minister’s daughter) Rosalind Walker.
