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, First Second announced “One Year at Ellsmere” and “Truckus Maximus” and we interviewed Curt Pires about his new series, “Wyrd.”
– YouTube star/singer Poppy announced her first ever graphic novel, “Genesis 1.” The graphic novel will be published by Z2 Comics and written by Poppy herself, Titanic Sinclair (her manager, producer and director of her videos), and Ryan Cady (“Infinite Dark”). Masa Minoura and Ian McGinty (“Adventure Time”) will be providing the artwork for the book. “Genesis 1” will tell Poppy’s origin story and aim to answer questions about her true nature. The graphic novel will be released with a limited deluxe edition that will include a 9×15 slipcase hardcover copy, as well as a print and a vinyl copy of the exclusive brand new album bundled with the book. The vinyl will be signed by Poppy. “Genesis 1” will be released in July.
– io9 revealed that DC Comics will be joining comiXology’s Unlimited subscription service. A selection of single issues and graphic novels from both DC and their Vertigo imprint have now been made available through the subscription with the launch titles including recent series of “Batman” and “Wonder Woman” as well as Vertigo’s “Watchmen” and “The Sandman.” You can see the list of launch titles here.
– Random House Graphic has acquired chapter book graphic novel “Lemon Bird,” written and illustrated by Paulina Ganucheau (“Zodiac Starforce,” “Another Castle”). Set in a world of animals who are also fruits and vegetable, the book follows the titular lemon/bird and her best friend Pupkin (a pumpkin/puppy). The book is the first deal made by former BOOM! Studios editor Whitney Leopard, who joined Random House last year. It will be released in 2021.
– Brenden Fletcher (“Isola”) will be joining Titan Comics’ “Robotech” as co-writer, and his first issue will be the Free Comic Book Day 2019 special. Fletcher will be co-writing with Simon Furman and Hendry Prasetya will be illustrating the book. Titan Comics editor Martin Eden described Fletcher as a “huge, longtime fan” of the series and that, in calls they’ve shared, his enthusiasm has been “amazing.” Finally, Eden promised that “Robotech” is “heading for some exciting changes!” Free Comic Book Day 2019 will be taking place on May 4.
– Tom King detailed the upcoming “Batman” story-arc, ‘Knightmares.’ Issues #61-69 of “Batman” will all be “shocking 1 shots that form one story,” each “scratching at the soul of Batman.” He also revealed the artists for each issue, including Mitch Gerads (“Mister Miracle”), Amanda Conner (“Harley Quinn”) and Yanick Paquette (“Swamp Thing”). You can see the full list of artists here.
– Reportedly, Sony are considering animated TV series featuring the some of the characters from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. However, the possibility of any spin-off series being developed is complicated: in 2009, Sony relinquished the TV rights to Spider-Man to Marvel and so for any series to be made, an agreement between the two companies would have to be reached. These considerations come in addition to a sequel to the animated film, as well as a female team spin-off film.
– Luke Wilson has joined the cast of DC Universe’s Stargirl as Pat Dugan, the pilot of “a 15-foot robot called Stripe.” The official description for his character details how he was Stripesy, a sidekick to the Star-Spangled-Kid and later Starman. In the series, Dugan will be brought out of retirement because his stepdaughter, Courtney Whitmore, takes on the legacy of Starman, as Stargirl. This time, however, Dugan pilots the aforementioned robot called Stripe. Showrunner Geoff Johns commented that, when he created Stargirl at DC Comics, he wrote the part of Pat Dugan specifically for Wilson after watching him in Battle Rocket.
– Dante Basco (best known for his role of Rufio in 1991 movie Hook), is planning to adapt “Kids Being Kids” into a film. The webcomic by aiyeim, which was released on Tapas Media, tells the story of kids who have to overcome obstacles in life set in the Philippines. Basco described how he was excited to start working on bringing the characters to life, “as well as representing [his] community in a way that [he felt] hasn’t been done yet.” Michael Son, Editor in Chief of Tapas Media, echoed this sentiment, explaining the vision for the company is to “help promote diverse stories from creators from all around the world, and help us all connect through the power of storytelling.” Basco’s option for the webcomic also includes the potential for moving to a more serialized format in the future.
– Star Trek 4 has been cancelled, according to reports. It was reported in August 2018 that would-have-been stars Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth had left the film as a result of issues with the budget. In addition to this, director SJ Clarkson has now signed on to direct the pilot for HBO’s forthcoming Game of Thrones prequel.
– Finally, the nominations for the BAFTA Film Awards have been announced: Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse was nominated for Best Animated Film, while Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther will compete for Best Special Visual Effects. Black Panther‘s Letitia Wright was also nominated for the EE Rising Star Award (voted for by the public). The winners will be announced February 10.
