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.
– The National Cartoonist Society has reported that Brad Anderson, creator of “Marmaduke,” has passed away at 91. Born in Jamestown, New York, Anderson served in the Navy and attended Syracuse University, where he developed his cartooning skills. His first strip, “Grandpa’s Boy” ran from 1954 to 1966, but he’ll perhaps be best remembered for “Marmaduke.” Created in 1954, “Marmaduke” went on to be syndicated in over 500 newspapers. Anderson received the Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013 and recently had a cameo in an episode of Rick and Morty.
– Over at FanExpo 15, Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones) promised to bring the awesome-factor over to Aquaman. “Just wait,” he said. Momoa refused to elaborate further on any of it, but I imagine he’s hoping we’ll all realize what Grant Morrison’s been talking about for years.
– Even though Marvel and DC have plans for film franchises that stretch out as long as a Mark Z. Danielewski novel, legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg (Raiders of the Lost Ark) thinks that their domination will soon reach the end of their cycle. The popular box office, he says, is always dominated by one huge genre (he cites the Western as an example), but soon interest in that will wane. That doesn’t mean we won’t see any more superhero movies at the theater, we just won’t see as many. Even though many lash out at this, Spielberg knows what he’s talking about. And frankly, I think we could do to see less superhero movies as they continue to become more stale and more repetitive, redundant, and pandering.
– Amandla Stenberg (The Hunger Games, Sleepy Hollow) is sick and tired of badass women of color being, at best, relegated to secondary characters in other books. So, along with Sebastian A. Jones of Stranger Comics, Stenberg is doing what she can to change that. This November sees the debut of her comic, “NIOBE: She is Life” about a half-elf half-human warrior on a “journey of self-discovery to find out exactly who she is and all the powerful things she can do.” The book is illustrated by Ashley A. Woods (“Millennia War”).
– R. C. Harvey offers a pretty great write-up and overview of the comic strip, “Modesty Blaise” by Peter O’Donnell and Jim Holdaway. With striking black and white art, dynamic action, and some snappy dialogue, “Modesty Blaise” is the sort of strip that really ought to be more popular.
– First Second has announced “The Well,” an upcoming graphic novel from Jake Wyatt (“Necropolis,” “Ms. Marvel”) and F. Choo (“Lumberjanes”). About a young girl who steals money from a wishing well and is forced to make all the attached wishes come true, the book drops some time in 2018. Both Wyatt and Choo have done some interesting and exceptional work, so this should be another gem in the First Second catalogue.
– On Friday, following the news ComiXology obtained a small catalogue of books from Kodansha as well as “Weekly Shonen Jump” from VIZ Media, we asked if that digital store has an effect on your reading. 35% of you said yes, and you prefer to have all your digital purchases in one place online. (I agree with this.) 21% of you said you’re more willing to give something a try because of the one-click purchases. 13% of you like to put your eggs in the ComiXology basket because it seems to most secure/permanent platform for digital distribution while 9% of you didn’t really care and buy from all over the place. 22% of you said that you don’t read many digital comics anyway. These are interesting answers, and I hope at the very least ComiXology continues to broaden and expand their library of material. Make sure to check back this upcoming Friday for out next Weekly Readers’ Poll!
– Finally, in Webcomics Worth Clicking: this week, I’ve been enamored with “Knights-Errant” by Jennifer Doyle, and part of the Sparkler set of webcomics. Centered around a dude named Wilfrid, who’s been sent on a quest for something he doesn’t know, having to escape a rebellious king in a besieged city. The intrigue is compelling, the action dynamic, and the boys super pretty. Remember, if you have any webcomic recommendations, make sure to leave them in the comments!
