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, we have exclusive previews of “Fantastic Four” #29, “Hollow Heart” #1, and “Maestro: War & Pax” #1. Also, Dark Horse have announced a series of ‘Tales from the Outerverse’ comics, and DC revealed a new “Robin” ongoing by Joshua Williamson and Gleb Melnikov.
and Franco Riesco
– The World’s Greatest Detective is joining forces with Mystery, Inc. in the new digital-first DC series “Batman & Scooby-Doo Mysteries,” beginning on March 27. The 24-chapter series will go on to be collected in a 12-issue print run, featuring the creative work of writers Ivan Cohen and Sholly Fisch alongside artists Dario Brizuela and Randy Elliott. The series will begin with an issue by Cohen and Brizuela set during Batman’s iconic ‘Year One’ era, followed by a supposed Batcave haunting in issue #2 by Fisch and Elliott. The series will release monthly in print, beginning on April 13.
– Chris Powell a.k.a Darkhawk will be taking the spotlight this April when Marvel releases its 30th anniversary special “Darkhawk: Heart of the Hawk.” The comic features three stories by creative teams from across the character’s history. Danny Fingeroth and Mike Manley, who created the character, are returning, as well as Dan Abnett (“Annihilation: Conquest”) and Andrea Di Vito (“Annihilation”), and writer Kyle Higgins (“Radiant Black”). “Hawkamaniacs are always asking me when we’ll be returning to the character we established, and I’m glad to have the opportunity to once again tap into the Darkhawk magic with Mike,” said Fingeroth. “Hope everybody enjoys this new tale of the high-flying, amulet-wielding hero!” Dan Abnett added, “It was a chance to revisit the cosmic part of his career when I put him out among the stars with the likes of Nova and the Guardians, and I enjoyed it more than I imagined — I had forgotten what a great, lonely, determined hero he was.” The comic features a cover by Inhyuk Lee and a variant by Logan Lubera.
– A piece of unprinted “Tintin” cover art by creator Hergé (Georges Remi) has sold for €3.2 million at auction. The cover, depicting Tintin and Snowy hiding in a ceramic vase from a red dragon, was originally planned as the cover for the fifth Tintin album, “The Blue Lotus.” The cover, however, was rejected for being too colorful and therefore too expensive to mass-print. It was made in 1936 and gifted to the son of editor Louis Casterman, Jean-Louis, and re-emerged in 1981, just two years before Herge’s death. The auction on Thursday broke records as the most expensive comic book artwork sold on auction in history, with the record previously being held by the 2014 auction of “Action Comics” #1.
– In related news, an original copy of 1940’s “Batman” #1 sold at auction for US$2.2 million on the same day. The book, created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, features the first appearances of The Joker and Catwoman. The comic retains a 9.4 CGC rating, mainly due to the careful care of collector Billy T. Gates, who owned the issue until his death in 2019. It is one of the most expensive comic book auctions to date.
– The finalists for the sixth Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics were announced. The five comics spotlighted are Lawrence Lindell’s “From Truth With Truth,” Roye Okupe and Godwin Akpan’s “Iyanu: Child of Wonder,” George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, and Harmony Becker’s “They Called Us Enemy,” Brandon Thomas and Khary Randolph’s “Excellence,” and Marcelo D’Salete’s “Angola Janga: Kingdom of Runaway Slaves.” A winner will be announced in February, with the decision resting on a selection committee including Colleen Doran, Marv Wolfman, Jamal Igle, Joe Illidge, Heidi MacDonald, Kevin Rubio, Geoffrey Thorne, Will J. Watkins, and Matt Wayne. Past McDuffie Award-winning books include “Ms. Marvel” and “Upgrade Soul.”
– Black Widow will be sporting a new look, designed by artist Elena Casagrande, in Kelly Thompson and Rafael de Latorre’s “Black Widow” #6. The costume sports a minimalist, two-color design inspired by the work of “Black Widow” alums Chris Samnee and John Romita Jr., as well as Natasha Romanov’s new home, San Francisco. The hero will be leaving for the city in “Black Widow” #6, continuing the independent path being forged in her new ongoing series. The issue releases this March with a cover by Adam Hughes.
– Dark Horse Comics have introduced a new series of conduct and anti-discrimination policies to improve working conditions for their staff in the wake of alleged misconduct dating back over 20 years. “Dark Horse leadership has been reflecting, discussing and implementing new and updated policies to ensure the safety, happiness, and well-being of all employees,” said the company in a statement. “It continues to be our goal to be a company in which every single person feels valued and where every person feels safe.” The measures include an employee relations committee, new code of conduct, a HR executive committee and anti-harassment policies.
– Finally, Disney have released a first trailer for the Disney+ film adaptation of Kate DiCamillo and K.G. Campbell’s 2013 novel Flora & Ulysses. The film follows the kid/squirrel dynamic duo of Flora and Ulysses. Flora is a comic fan, with the trailer explicitly citing an array of Marvel heroes, who comes to the aid of the intelligent superhero squirrel Ulysses as they go up against an animal control officer played by Danny Pudi. The film also stars Matilda Lawler, Alyson Hannigan and Ben Schwartz, with Lena Khan directing, and releases on the streaming service February 19.
