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.
– Mark Russell (“Prez,” “The Flintstones”) announced in an interview with HiLowBrow that he’ll be continuing work in the reimagined Hanna Barbara universe with a “Snagglepuss” series. Russell is removing the subtext of the early cartoons and outright portraying him as a “gay Southern Gothic playwright” working on Broadway in the 1950s. The run will start with Snagglepuss being dragged in front of the House Committee on Un-American Activities in an 8-page sampler in the “Suicide Squad/Banana Splits Annual.” Russell also mentions in the interview that his run on “The Flintstones” will end after 12 issues. It’s unclear whether the series will continue without him. It sounds like some of that social commentary will continue in “Snagglepuss” and, at this point, anything Russell puts out is a must read.
– Boom! is debuting a new kids’ graphic novel titled “The Not-So Secret Society.” The book is written by Matthew Daley and Arlene Daley, co-created by Trevor Crafts and Ellen Crafts, with artwork by Wook Jim Clark. Boom! is leading up to the release by publishing 25 weekly digital comics at TeamNS3.com starting today. It will also have educational content, focusing on science and technology. The graphic novel is the first in a planned three book series featuring The Not-So Secret Society.
– The upcoming comic adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s “American Gods” by P. Craig Russell and Scott Hampton was previously going to be released in the UK as an original graphic novel only. Diamond UK informed retailers yesterday that it will now be released monthly. A preview of the comic can be read over on ScienceFiction.com. The series launches on March 15th and will consist of a planned 27 issues with three arcs, titled ‘Shadows’, ‘My Ainsel’, and ‘The Moment of the Storm.’ Starz also has an upcoming adaptation of the novel but the comics will be directly adapting the book.
– Kevin Smith can be removed from the shortlist of directors that may replace Ben Affleck on The Batman. The writer/director/podcaster tweeted out some reasons why he won’t be doing that, among them: common sense. It’s not surprising that fans have reached out to him since he hosts a popular Batman podcast and has directed Affleck in the past with varying results. However, it would be nice to see Smith get a crack at the genre he is constantly evangelizing.
– Teri Hatcher will have a “mysterious new role” in Supergirl for a multi-episode arc. The only hint of who she will play is the fact that eventually she will become a villain by the end of the season. She joins the likes of Mark Hamill and Dean Cain in an ever growing family of actors on current DC shows that had roles in legacy DC shows. Hatcher portrayed Lois Lane in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.
– Gerard Jones, writer of “Green Lantern,” “Justice League,” and many others, was arrested on suspicion of child pornography offenses late last month. Now some reissues of his collections are being pulled from solicits and possibly canceled.
– Machinima is kicking off their new documentary series profiling creative icons, Greater Creators, with an episode on Jack Kirby. The show is hosted by ComicBookGirl19 and future episodes will feature Alan Moore, Gene Roddenberry, Frank Herbert, Stephen King, Stanley Kubrick, Hayao Miyazaki, Frank Frazetta, Ray Harryhausen, and others.
– The Get Down star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has been offered the role of Black Manta in the upcoming Aquaman film. Black Manta was the rumored villain for the film as early as August of last year but hadn’t been confirmed until now. In other Aquaman casting news, Nicole Kidman is in talks to play Atlanna, the former queen of Atlantis and Aquaman’s mother.
– Common remains open to playing John Stewart in Green Lantern Corps, even though he hasn’t been contacted about a role yet. Common was previously cast in George Miller’s canceled Justice League film.
– Bleeding Cool has a sprawling interview with Image Comics publisher Eric Stephenson in advance of Image Day.
