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.
– Fans of “Ascender” will have to wait a little bit longer to read the final arc of the series: Image Comics cancelled retailers’ orders for “Ascender” #15, the first part of the final arc of the sci-fi series. Written by Jeff Lemire with art by Dustin Nguyen, “Ascender” is a sequel to the pair’s book “Descender,” which ended in 2018 after a 32-issue run. The latest issue of “Ascender” came out in October, and the third volume of the series came out in paperback only weeks ago. In his newsletter, Jeff Lemire confirmed that he has finished his work on the series, and that artist Dustin Nguyen has finished the art for issues #15 and #16. There is currently no word on when the issues will be resolicited to retailers.
– Marvel has teased a new ‘Clone Saga’ centered around the young Miles Morales. Writer Saladin Ahmed confirmed on his Twitter that he will be on board for the adventure, and that this has been in the works for “some time.” The new story will begin in April in the pages of “Miles Morales: Spider-Man” #25. The original ‘Clone Saga’ was a years-long Spider-Man storyline that took place throughout the mid-90s. In it, the villainous Jackal revealed that Peter Parker was a clone, and that the true Spider-Man was in fact a man named Ben Reilly. The twists and turns of the story have made it one of Spider-Man’s most infamous adventures to this day. It remains to be seen what the scale of the new ‘Clone Saga’ will be for Miles.
– Deadpool is coming to the MCU, according to Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige. In a recent interview, Feige was asked about what the future holds for Ryan Reynolds’s popular film series, where he confirmed that there are indeed plans for the Merc’ with a Mouth. “It will be rated R and we are working on a script right now, and Ryan’s overseeing a script right now,” said Feige. He continued to say that the studio is currently prioritizing Thor: Love and Thunder and the upcoming Spider-Man: Far From Home sequel, but that once there is an opportunity in Ryan Reynolds’s schedule, things will begin moving further along with Deadpool 3.
– Joe Barton is stepping in as the showrunner for the upcoming The Batman series for HBO Max. Deadline is reporting that the screenwriter, known for his work on the BBC television series Giri/Haji, will be taking over as showrunner and executive producer for the show after the departure of Terence Winter in the Fall. The Batman HBO Max show was greenlit for a series commitment last summer. It is set to focus on the Gotham City Police Department prior to the events of the forthcoming Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson movie.
– Sony Pictures have delayed the release of the upcoming Morbius movie. The film, which was originally slated to come out on March 19, will now be coming out on October 8, 2021, due largely to theater restrictions currently in place as a result of COVID-19. Morbius stars Jared Leto as Michael Morbius, a scientist with a rare blood disorder who experiments on his body and unwittingly becomes a vampiric being. The film co-stars Matt Smith, Jared Harris, and Tyrese Gibson, and has teased fans with an appearance of Michael Keaton’s popular Vulture character from Spider-Man: Homecoming.
– The Critics Choice Association held the inaugural Critics Choice Super Awards this weekend. Hosted by Kevin Smith and actress Dani Fernandez, the show was broadcast on the CW and honored television and film media. Of the many winners, Amazon’s The Boys won for Best Superhero Series, Best Actor in a Superhero Series (Anthony Starr), Best Actress in a Superhero Series (Aya Cash), and Best Villain in a Series (Anthony Starr). Among the other big winners were Birds of Prey (Best Actor in a Superhero Movie, Best Actress in a Superhero Movie), The Old Guard (Best Superhero Movie), and the DC Universe Harley Quinn series (Best Voice Actress in an Animated Series).
Continued below– Casting is underway for the new season of The Umbrella Academy. Last year, the shocking season two finale introduced fans to the Sparrow Academy, and now the members of said Academy have been cast. Joining the series will be Justin H. Min, Justin Cornwell, Bristine Oldford, Genesis Rodriguez, Cazzie David, and Jake Epstein. These new faces join an ensemble cast that includes Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, David Castineda, and Aidan Gallagher, among others. The series will begin filming the third season in February.
– Netflix has removed and offered up an apology over a promotional tweet for Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. The tweet, which went up over the weekend, featured multiple characters of the show covered in blood and read “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” The line, from the U2 song of the same name, references the 1972 massacre in Derry, Northern Ireland that is commonly known as “Bloody Sunday,” and was met with backlash for its poor taste. A spokesperson for Netflix said of the incident, “Our tweet was unacceptable and has since been removed. We are very sorry for the hurt and distress it caused.”
– Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is coming to Netflix on January 22. The popular anime series debuted in 2019 on Adult Swim, and is based on the best-selling manga series of the same name. The anime received critical and fan acclaim during its initial run, and spawned an animated sequel film, which was released in Japan in October. The film became the highest-grossing film in Japanese history, and is slated for a North American release this year.
– Finally, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago will be hosting an ambitious gallery of Chicago-based artists for their upcoming “Chicago Comics: 1960 to Now” exhibit. Currently set to open in June, the exhibit has carefully curated a multitude of unique and influential voices from the illustration and graphic novel scene, including the likes of Chris Ware, Dan Clowes, Lyna Barry, Nicole Hollander, and Emil Ferris. This will be one of the largest museum exhibitions of comic book artists ever. One of the aims of the exhibit is to show off the vibrant variety of voices in graphic literature.
