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, before the holidays First Second announced Tillie Walden’s next book “Are You Listening?;” Image announced the end of “Paper Girls” this summer; and Dark Horse Comics will publish an English translation of “Isabellae.” And in the meantime, don’t miss out on our 2018 Year in Review columns published over the break.
– During the Jump Festa event in Japan, “Naruto” creator Masashi Kishimoto announced he is partnering with artist Akira Ōkubo (“Soul Eater”) for a new manga called “Samurai 8: Hachimaruden.” The strip, which Kishimoto described as a homage to Japanese culture, clothing, and science fiction, will begin running in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in spring 2019. You can watch a promotional video for the comic here.
– IDW’s Black Crown imprint will begin its latest miniseries, “Eve Stranger,” in April. The five-issue series, written by David Barnett (“Punks Not Dead”) with art by Philip Bond (“Vimanarama”), follows the titular amnesiac spy, who has nano-bombs in her bloodstream ensuring she will complete every mission she’s hired for, no matter who she’s contracted by. Barnett said, “Imagine if you couldn’t even remember that you saved the world last week, and that you have to do it all again today… or you’ll die. Welcome to the world of ‘Eve Stranger.'” For more on the title, head to The Hollywood Reporter.
– Rebellion announced the “2000 AD Villains Takeover Special,” a 32-page anthology featuring stories from creators like Rob Williams, Pat Mills, Henrik Sahlstrom, and more starring the biggest enemies from the “2000 AD” universe. The one-shot will be published to coincide with Free Comic Book Day on May 4, 2019, and will only cost 99 cents.
– On Twitter, writer Bryan Edward Hill stated 2019 will likely be his last year writing comics, as he wants to concentrate on his television/film career. “I’m sure I’ll be back after 2019, but I HAVE to get this TV/Film career in order and the moves I want to make require full focus,” he said. He intends to finish his current projects though, promising “I wouldn’t leave you like that.” Hill’s TV work thus far includes episodes of Titans and Ash vs. Evil Dead. The first issue of his next comic, “Batman and the Outsiders” (illustrated by Dexter Soy) is still indefinitely delayed.
– Per Bloomberg, DC will end their deal with Mattel and give most of their toy licenses to Canadian toy company Spin Master (Bakugan, PAW Patrol). The three-year agreement will begin in 2020. Mattel will still retain the rights to make preschool and girls’ toys based on DC characters, like the DC Super Hero Girls line.
– DC Universe confirmed the first season of Doom Patrol will be released on the streaming service on February 15. They also dropped a trailer and character posters featuring the first look at Joivan Wade as Cyborg, Diane Guerrero as Crazy Jane, and Timothy Dalton as the Chief.
– Skybound Games announced the PC version of The Walking Dead: The Final Season will become an Epic Games store exclusive. Those who already bought the season pass for the game will still be able to download the final two episodes for free though. The third episode of the game, “Broken Toys,” will be released on January 15.
– A few notices: Audrey Geisel, the widow of cartoonist and children’s author Theodor Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss) died on December 19, 2018, aged 97. Norman Gimbel, the award-winning lyricist behind Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman theme, also died the same day, aged 91. And finally, Don Lusk, a veteran animator on many Disney classics, who also worked on Peanuts and The Smurfs, died December 30, aged 105.
– Caitlin McGurk, of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum, has started a GoFundMe page to bury the ashes of cartoonist Barbara Shermund in San Francisco: so far, the page has raised $4,485 of its $8,556 goal. Although Shermund died in 1978, her ashes remained at John Pfleger Funeral Home in New Jersey until 2011, when they were claimed by Amanda Gormley, the daughter of Shermund’s much younger half-sister. You can read more about Shermund’s story at The Beat.
– Finally, over the holidays we asked you to vote for the biggest news story of 2018. An overwhelming 58.2 percent of you voted for the death of Stan Lee, followed by Brian Bendis’s debut at DC at 26.9 percent. The death of Steve Ditko came third with 7.5 percent.
