WIRE Buzz: Carnival Row lands two prequel comics; Sonic runs through Monopoly; more

Today’s WIRE Buzz has plenty of fantasy—some classic and some a little more inventive—alongside a truly strange board game crossover. Sounds like exactly the speed of most genre fans out there, so let’s dive in.

First up, Amazon’s new big fantasy gamble is getting a bit more backstory. Carnival Row, the Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne show about faeries, cops, and Victorian fashions, has two prequel comic books set to introduce the two main characters ahead of the show’s launch on Aug. 30.

According to a release, these two one-shot comics—From the Dark and Sparrowhawk—are focused on human detective Rycroft Philostrate (Bloom) and faerie Vignette Stonemoss (Delevingne). “Legendary Comics developed both stories working in conjunction with the incredible Carnival Row showrunners and writing staff,” said show executive producer Marc Guggenheim. “They’re not only both in-canon, but also Philo’s story actually ends with the cold open of Season One.” 

That would be From the Dark (which boasts long credits that include writers C.M. Landrus and Charles Velasquez-Witoksy; story creators Travis Beacham, Marc Guggenheim, Kai Wu, Georgia Lee, Marc Bernadin, and Stephanie Smith; artists Harvey M. Tolibao, Tristan Jurolan, and Jhun Mar Tadong Entico; and colorists Kevin Tolibao and Kevin Anthony de Castro) which sees Philostrate as a newcomer to The Burgue.

Sparrowhawk sees Vignette in the fight that makes her a refugee, allowing fans to understand her plight before starting the show. This comic is from writer Jordan Crair, artist Giorgia Sposito, and colorist Triona Farrell. That long list of story credits remains the same. From the Dark and Sparrowhawk are available to read now, for free, on comiXology.

Next, one of the terrible things about Monopoly is how achingly slow it is to play the capitalism simulator—but not to worry, thanks to the fastest video game character in existence, board game night is about to get a little more tolerable. That’s thanks to Monopoly Gamer: Sonic the Hedgehog, which warps the real estate game into the world of Chaos Emeralds and Dr. Eggman.

Following on the heels of Monopoly Gamer Mario and Mario Kart, the Sonic version of the classic game focuses the game on going fast, passing go, and fighting bosses. Yes, you have to fight Dr. Eggman inside of Monopoly. Somehow.

Sonic, Tails, Amy, and Knuckles (each with their own special powers) can gather or drop iconic golden rings, seek out Chaos Emeralds, and find Chao tokens. Even the die is themed: it’s gotta go fast, bumping its numbers up to 2-7. Sonic, for example, has a special move where you can double his dice roll and blaze past other players so quickly that they drop their rings. Fans can check out some pictures of the game below, but they don’t answer one of the biggest questions: what exactly is the Sonic equivalent of Boardwalk?

Monopoly Gamer: Sonic The Hedgehog hits Walmart on Sept. 15 and other stores on Oct. 1.

Finally, Netflix’s post-Futurama animation has released a teaser for its second season. Disenchantment, the swords-and-sorcery version of Matt Groening’s genre-centric comedy, is heading to its sophomore outing and given fans a glimpse at all the new antics of spunky princess Bean—and her elf friend Elfo who died in the first season. Looks like all may not be what it seems.

Check it out:

This tease continues the first season’s post-credits scene, which saw unknown hands collect Elfo’s corpse from the beach he washed up on after being shot with an arrow. And yes, this is still a comedy. Is Elfo a ghost? Has he been revived using some dark, demonic magic like that possessed by Bean’s demon Luci?

Fans can find out when Disenchantment returns to the streaming service on Sept. 20.