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, Lalo Alcaraz has become the first Latino recipient of the prestigious Herblock Prize, and Dark Horse Comics have announced that they will publish “Kings of Nowhere.” We also have an exclusive preview of Marvel’s “Captain Carter” #1.
– Tony Stark and Patsy Walker are sharing the title card for an upcoming annual issue this June. “Iron Man/Hellcat Annual” #1 from “Iron Man” writer Christopher Cantwell and artist Ruairí Coleman picks up after (spoiler alert) Tony’s proposal to Patsy in “Iron Man” #20 in May for a story that digs into Hellcat’s history. After the proposal, Patsy heads to San Francisco to take care of an aging manor left to her by her mother, meeting up with old friends like Hedy Wolfe and sparking a supernatural crisis that pits her and Iron Man against the forces of Hell. “Iron Man/Hellcat Annual” #1 hits shelves on June 1.
– The Scholastic imprint Graphix has picked up the YA graphic novel “Stars in Their Eyes” from writer Jessica Walton and illustrator Aśka. Originally published in Australia by Fremantle Press, the story follows Maisie, a young girl who heads to Fancon hoping to meet her hero, amputee actor Kara Bufano. When she meets a cute volunteer named Ollie at the convention, Maisie must contend with her embarrassing mother if she wants the two of them to have a chance at something. “Stars in Their Eyes” will be available in March 2023.
– Jason Aaron has issued an apology for his use of a name associated with real-life Indigenous figure Pocahontas in “King Conan” #3. Via ComicBook.com, Aaron’s use of Pocahontas’s birth name Matoaka for a scantily clad sorceress sparked outrage on social media this week. Aaron’s apology calls the naming decision “ill-considered,” noting the particular offensiveness of using the name considering Matoaka’s dark story of abuse and exploitation at the hands of English colonizers. “I understand the outrage expressed by those who hold the true Matoaka’s legacy dear, and for all of this and the distress it’s caused, I apologize,” Aaron said. “As part of that apology, I’ve already taken what I was paid for the issue and donated it to the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center. The character’s name and appearance will be adjusted for the rest of this mini-series and in all digital and collected editions.” Marvel has yet to comment on the story.
– Via the Associated Press, the company that owns the rights to the works of Dr. Seuss has announced that some of Seuss’s unpublished sketches will be featured in new books by a diverse group of writers and illustrators. The Associated Press notes that the announcement comes exactly a year after Dr. Seuss Enterprises announced that they would be ceasing publication of six Seuss books that feature racist imagery. The new books will be published under the banner of Seuss Studios by Random House, and will each be based off of one of Seuss’s sketches. The first of the new books is expected to hit shelves next year; no creative teams for the project have yet been announced.
– SelfMadeHero’s graphic anthology “Catalyst” is having an online exhibition courtesy of London’s Cartoon Museum. Via Comicon, “Catalyst” was born from SelfMadeHero’s Graphic Anthology Programme, which launched in 2021 with the goal of promoting UK comic makers of color. The program consisted of seven artists who participated in a 12-week intensive, culminating in the publication of their eight-page graphic short stories for the anthology “Catalyst.” The work of those artists is available to view now as part of the exhibition, which will run until May 31.
– This weekend’s New York International Children’s Film Festival will feature the early premiere of a high profile animated film. Via the New York Times, Waltz with Bashir filmmaker Ari Folman’s Where is Anne Frank will open the festival tonight. The film follows Kitty, Anne Frank’s imaginary friend as described in her diary, who materializes in the near future and “can neither find her friend nor understand why her home is now a tourist attraction.” The film premiered last year out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival to positive reviews. It is still in search of a US distributor.
– Writer Steve Foxe and artist Shadia Amin are collaborating on a pair of upcoming books. The graphic novel “Spider-Ham: Hollywood May-Ham” finds Peter Porker and Mary Jane Waterbuffalo on a trip to Hollywood to “stop a suspiciously sinister unauthorized film from making our porcine protector look like a menace.” The pair will also work together for Dumb and Dumber: Irrational Treasure, a prose work with Amin’s illustrations that features Harry and Lloyd as “middle-school menaces who stumble across a conspiracy dating back to our nation’s founding.” “Spider-Ham: Hollywood May-Ham” is due out on October 4, while Dumb and Dumber: Irrational Treasure hits shelves on June 28.
– Director Matt Reeves told the folks at Deadline’s Hero Nation podcast that the previously reported HBO Max prequel to The Batman focusing on the Gotham City Police Department has been abandoned in favor of a series centering on Colin Farrell’s Penguin. The Penguin series is currently “in the pilot stage,” working from a script by Lauren LeFranc. Reeves also told the Toronto Sun that the second HBO Max spin-off would be connected to Arkham Asylum. Fans will be able to see what threads are laid for the potential spin-offs with The Batman’s premiere this weekend; you can read our review of the film here in the meantime.
