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, Jeff Lemire’s next graphic novel, “Frogcatchers” was announced: it will be published by Gallery 13 this September.
– eBay have announced Superheroine HQ, an online store for female superhero comic books, collectibles, and merchandise, in partnership with writer Gail Simone (“Red Sonja”) and artist Cat Staggs (“Crosswind”). Currently, some of the most notable items in the store include a CGC 9.8 copy of “Ms. Marvel” #1 (1977) signed by Stan Lee, an eBay exclusive variant cover of “Captain Marvel Braver and Mightier” #1 and a CGC 9.6 copy of “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” #1 (1971). In a statement, Simone described how she wanted to “to bring more attention and accessibility to comics featuring strong female characters of past and present” with the partnership. The sales of Captain Marvel related products has risen by 63%, year-on-year, with female superheroes more widely rising 34%, according to eBay. Superheroine HQ is currently open for business.
– Lion Forge have acquired cartoonist Jarad Greene’s debut graphic novel “Scullion,” the fantasy tale of a dishwasher who gets kidnapped after being mistaken “for the most famous warrior and bestselling author in the kingdom.” Greene is an administrator and development coordinator at the Center for Cartoon Studies, whose comics and cartoons have appeared in various publications in the Southeast United States and Vermont. “Scullion” will be published next year.
– Image Comics have announced an original soundtrack by composer Skies Speak for Rob Guillory’s “Farmhand.” The score started out as just a “crazy idea between two buddies,” Guillory said, but now exists as a 16-track album. Skies Speak (real name Jordan Vidrine), described how he was allowed to compose the music without any “guiding rules” beyond his inspiration from the first five issues of the series and was “free to explore lots of sound combinations and dive deep into sound design,” such as “creaking doors to distorted and delayed samples of a cat’s meow.” The “Farmhand” original score will be released on March 20, but in the meantime you can listen to one piece, “Ezekiel,” here.
– Jorge Jiménez renewed his ‘exclusive’ contract with DC Comics. This news coincided with Jiménez’s return to drawing “Justice League” this week, which also saw the artist join Scott Snyder as a co-writer. In an interview with Newsarama, Snyder described Jiménez as “the best kind of partner – confident and visionary, a risk taker, but also hungry to challenge himself.” “Justice League” #19 is available now.
– Arrow will end with its eighth season this fall, which will run for only ten episodes. Executive producers Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and Beth Schwartz declared in a statement, “This was a difficult decision to come to, but like every hard decision we’ve made for the past seven years, it was with the best interests of Arrow in mind. We’re heartened by the fact that Arrow has birthed an entire universe of shows that will continue on for many years to come. We’re excited about crafting a conclusion that honors the show, its characters and its legacy and are grateful to all the writers, producers, actors, and — more importantly — the incredible crew that has sustained us and the show for over seven years.”
Star Stephen Amell tweeted “Playing Oliver Queen has been the greatest professional experience of my life… but you can’t be a vigilante forever. Arrow will return for a final run of 10 episodes this Fall. There’s so much to say… for now I just want to say thank you.”
– The Hollywood Reporter revealed Idris Elba is in talks to replace Will Smith as Deadshot in James Gunn’s Suicide Squad follow-up. Smith departed the role last week due to scheduling issues. The Suicide Squad is due for release August 6, 2021.
– Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, creator of Riverdale and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, released a tribute to the late Luke Perry, describing him as “our heart” and dedicating every forthcoming episode of Riverdale to him. Luke Perry, who played Archie’s father Fred on the show, died on Monday, aged 52, following a massive stroke last Wednesday.
– Deadline reported that Nidhi Chanani’s “Pashmina” is being adapted into a CG animated musical at Netflix. Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham), producer Ashok Amritraj and Chadha’s frequent writing partner, Paul Mayeda Berges, will all be involved in the production of the film. The story follows Priyanka, a first generation American of Indian descent, as she explores her family history with the aid of a magical pashmina. Jon Levin, Priya Amritraj, Addison Mehr, Paul Mayeda Berges and Nidhi Chanani will all be serving as executive producers of the film, which does not currently have a release date.
– Deadline revealed that Brian K. Vaughan (“Saga”) has signed on to executive produce and write the screenplay for a live-action Gundam movie. The film will be based on the mecha anime and science fiction media franchise and be a co-production between Legendary Entertainment and Sunrise. The franchise started with Mobile Suit Gundam which aired in Japan in 1979 and saw teenager Amuro Ray pilot a new giant roboto, RX-78-2 Gundam, for the Earth Federation in the war against the Principality of Zeon. Gundam does not currently have a release date.
