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, Marvel made a host of announcements that include “The Mandalorian” and “Clobberin’ Time,” as well as a new “Ant-Man” series to mark the character’s 60th anniversary, and a five-part miniseries called “Deadly Neighborhood Spider-Man.”
– FairSquare Comics announced that they will be bringing Ibrahim Moustafa’s “Jaeger” to print in May. The series, which will be collected as part of the publisher’s new “Classified” line, follows French-Algerian spy Idris Morel as he tracks down Nazi war criminals who falsified death certificates, fueled by the memories of his own torture in a WWII Nazi POW camp. “Jaeger”‘s print debut will also feature variant covers from artists Phil Hester and Dennis Calero. The comic had previously been published via the online comic app, Stela, and was nominated for an Eisner in 2017. “Classified: Jaeger” is set for release on May 18, and will retail for $12.99.
– Following the widespread backlash to the integration of comiXology into the Amazon storefront, Women Write About Comics highlighted that new creators seeking to publish comics via comiXology Submit are facing a “a 65/35 split on digital sales (in favor of Amazon),” compared to the 50/50 split that older creators are being given. The website was informed of the change by creator Jodie Troutman. This financial impact comes in addition to the loss of built-in support for setting up comics to be published via the service for best readability. ComiXology issued an update addressing some of the latest changes on Thursday, within which they stated they have heard the feedback and “recognize that there’s a lot to be done.”
– Publishers Weekly reported on three graphic novel deals last week:
The round-up also revealed that the next project for illustrator LeUyen Pham will be Shrinking Violet with writer Laurel Snyder; the book is set for publication by Chronicle Books in Spring 2025. You can read more about Shrinking Violet here. Publishers Weekly also released a preview of all the children’s books coming in Fall 2022, which is available here.
– “Grubbs,” the webcomic by writer Max Weaver and artists Ted Dawson and Remy “Eisu” Mokhtar, is set to be adapted into an animated TV series by M.J. Offen (Jade Armor). “Grubbs” follows Billy Watson, an 8-year-old, and his imaginary friend, Tyler, as they set out to cause chaos to those around them, including Billy’s older brother, Zane, who gave Billy his titular nickname; his older sister, Courtney; and the twin girls who live in his neighborhood. Offen will be onboard the adaptation as the showrunner, the writer of the show’s pilot, and as a producer. Joining Offen as producers will be Chris Crosby from the webcomic’s publisher, Keenspot; writer Bobby Crosby (“Marry Me,” also from Keenspot); and series creator Max Weaver. The “Grubbs” adaptation is scheduled to debut in the holiday season of 2022.
– THR revealed that This Is Us actress Lyric Ross has joined the upcoming Marvel Disney+ series Ironheart. Ross is set to play Riri Williams/Ironheart (Dominique Thorne)’s best friend, though it was not made clear if this will be Natalie Washington, like in the comics, or a different character. Anthony Ramos (In The Heights) is the third cast member currently known to be involved in the project, potentially in the role of its villain. Ironheart is set to enter production in June, with a release date not yet confirmed.
– Finally, The Today Show shared the story of 13-year-old DJ Strickland, who created his own comic, “Tech Boy,” because of the lack of representation in the comic books he was reading. Strickland described the titular character as being “made by this mysterious scientist,” and as having the ability to “control technology to defeat villains or anyone who tries to oppose him.” Strickland’s mother, Sharron Prather, supported him financially for the project, enabling him to have the comic professionally illustrated and edited. Following the success of “Tech Boy,” Strickland has been able to establish Team Tech Boy LLC, and with further support from investors, he has been able to sell more copies of the comic and provide students with copies free of charge. As part of the coverage, Strickland paid credit to his mother, describing her as a “superhero,” and stating that “One of my goals is to retire her one day.”
