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.
– DC held its first ever “DC in D.C.” event this last weekend in Washington D.C. where it premiered Black Lightning and held a number of panels and signings at the “DC Pop Up Store.” A few new projects were teased at the event for both the comic book and media lines for DC. The biggest of these was from Tom King on “The Aftermath: Battle & Trauma in Comics” panel. King teased a new project called “Sanctuary,” described as a superhero crisis center for heroes to receive support. King didn’t elaborate whether this was a new series or imprint, but teased this is tied to something big coming for the DCU. Geoff Johns and Greg Berlanti also teased that an adaptation of the Garth Ennis and John McCrea created “Hitman” was in the works for television.
– Diamond released their year end figures on Friday making it official that 2017 is the first year that direct market comic book sales have fallen since 2011. Both in dollars and units, 2017 was about 10% below the figures for 2016. “Marvel Legacy” #1 was the best-selling comic of the year in dollars and units, followed closely behind by “Dark Nights: Metal” #1. “Saga” Volume 7 was the best-selling graphic novel of the year.
– Jackie Ormes and Carol Kalish have been selected as part of the 2018 induction class into the Will Eisner Comic Awards Hall of Fame. Ormes was the first black, female newspaper cartoonist best known for her strip “Dixie in Harlem,” while Kalish was the first direct sales manager for Marvel and is credited with developing the direct market in foundational ways. An additional sixteen persons were nominated, four of which will be inducted. Industry professionals can vote until March 16th.
– The Walking Dead is receiving a new showrunner for its upcoming ninth season. Angela Kang has been promoted now to executive producer and showrunner, while previous showrunner Scott Gimple is being promoted to the new role of chief content officer for the entire Walking Dead universe including its spinoff Fear the Walking Dead and any other brand extensions. Kang has been a writer on the show since 2011, and later co-executive producer with Gimple from 2013 onward. Gimple is the show’s third showrunner and has been a part of the show since season 2. The new season will premiere later this year.
– While speaking at TCA recently, HBO president Casey Bloys stated he had read the screenplay of the pilot for Damon Lindelof’s HBO-produced Watchmen television series. Bloys had nothing but praise saying, “I’ve read the script, it’s amazing. I’m thrilled, I imagine we’ll shoot that this year.” No release date has been given since the show was commissioned back in September, but if the pilot films later this year we could expect the show in early 2019.
– Marvel has been trying to push further into Asian markets, releasing mobile games in China and beginning to recruit new talent in the Philippines. With this, new Editor-In-Chief C.B. Cebulski has stated that two new Chinese superheroes, set in China, will be introduced called Sword Master and Aero. These new characters will also be drawn in the manga style of Japanese comics.
– ComicBook.com claims Brian Michael Bendis’s first published work at DC will be in the upcoming, oversized “Action Comics” #1000 in April in a backup tale with art by Jim Lee. The main tale will be written by series writer Dan Jurgens, with another back up by “Superman” creative team Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason along with a ton of other bonus material. The “Action Comics #1000: 80 Years of Superman” hardcover will also hit stores that day with over 300 pages of bonus content.
-DC exclusive artist Viktor Bogdanovic confirmed that his next work at DC will be on the second arc of the upcoming New Age of Heroes title “The Silencer.” Bogdanovic will join Dan Abnett on the title and follow artist John Romita Jr. after issue #4 as JRJR goes to relaunch “Kick-Ass” with Mark Millar. This follows a continued trend of artists on these New Age of Heroes trading off arcs with Evan “Doc” Shaner coming on “Terrifics” on issue #4 and Cary Nord on “Damage” #4.
– Writer Michelle Perez and artist Remy Boydell are releasing “The Pervert” OGN in April, continuing the story from Image’s “Island” magazine. Painted in full color, the OGN follows a “trans girl surviving through sex work in Seattle.” The graphic novel drops in stores April 25th.
– ComicsBeat have the first look at publisher Silver Sprocket’s direct market line-up for the first half of 2018. Silver Sprocket are an indie publisher that recently made a distribution deal with Diamond Comics, and these will be their first titles available through the direct market; you can also look at a cartoon on their website acknowledging mocking their “deal with the devil.”
