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, yesterday Dark Horse announced a new “Black Hammer” series set 1000 years in the future called “The Quantum Age;” we also interviewed Michel Fiffe about “COPRA: Round 5.”
– Kicking things off, yesterday Marvel announced “Infinity Wars,” set to debut in July. Writer Gerry Duggan (“Deadpool”) will be helming the series with art by Mike Deodato Jr. (“Thanos”), and colors by Frank Martin (“Marvel 2-in-One”). Marvel will reveal more during C2E2 taking place in Chicago from April 6-8, 2018. “Infinity Wars: Prime” #1 will debut sometime this July. Keep your eyes on Multiversity Comics for all the updates.
– As we previously reported in our May solicitations column for Image Comics, the publisher plans to release “Where We Live: Las Vegas Shooting Benefit Anthology,” with 100% of the profits going to an existing GoFundMe campaign. Image has now released the full list of contributing creators behind the project spearheaded by J.H. Williams III, Wendy Wright-Williams, Will Dennis, and Image Comics’ Publisher, Eric Stephenson. The anthology will contain 70 stories from over 150 creators: to see the full list of contributors, head to Newsarama, where they have Image’s press release.
– Fox2Detroit reports that comic book writer/artist William Messner-Loebs, who wrote “Wonder Woman” from 1992 to 1995 and co-created Image Comics’ “The Maxx.”, is homeless. Messner-Loebs and his wife are currently living in their car, but have been approved for a housing choice voucher and are being looked after by the Severe Weather Network. You can read more about his story here, and donate to the Severe Weather Network here.
– After releasing ‘Of Tomorrow,’ Tom King and Clay Mann’s “Action Comics” #1000 story, DC released yet another 5-page story titled ‘Five Minutes,’ this time written by Louise Simonson (“The Death of Superman”) and featuring art from Jerry Ordway (“Superman: The Man of Steel”), with Dave McCaig (“Action Comics”) and letters by Carlos M. Mangual (“Nightwing”). Fans can read the story here. The 80-page “Action Comics” #1000 will hit comic book shelves on April 18, 2018 for $7.99.
– In the wake of shutting down their graphic novel Bestseller list, The New York Times has appointed literary scholar and comics specialist Hillary Chute, and novelist and former Penguin Press executive editor, Ed Park, as regular columnists for their new comic and graphic novel column set to begin in April. For more information on the new column as well as the backlash against The New York Times removing their graphic novel Bestseller list, head on over to Publishers Weekly.
– Newsarama reports that Black Mask Studios has had to delay and cancel books originally solicited, such as the trade paperback of Tini Howard’s “The Skeptics.” Meanwhile, the trade for “Twelve Reasons to Die,” created by Ghostface Killah and co-written by Matthew Rosenberg and Patrick Kindlon, and a slew of artists including Nate Powell, Michael Walsh and Tim Seeley, was also reported to have been solicited for a later date. Rosenberg responded via Twitter to Newsarama’s report citing personal issues.
– Marvel alum Sven Larsen will return to the company after a 23-year hiatus as the company’s Director of Licensed Publishing. Larsen previously worked as Director of Marketing in the ’90s. Larsen’s new position focuses on helping Marvel’s relationship with Disney Publishing Worldwide and he will be responsible for maintaining Marvel’s other licensed material. Larsen will officially start Friday and report to Publisher John Nee and President Dan Buckley, according to Newsarama.
– According to Deadline David Maisel, the founding Chairman of Marvel Studios, and Scooter Braun, founder of SB Projects, have partnered to create Mythos Studios, which has acquired a 50% stake in Aspen Comics and its entertainment distribution rights. Already, two projects are in development based on properties from Aspen Comics: Fathom, based on the comic by the late Michael Turner, as well as Soulfire, based on the 2003 top selling comic. Both projects are currently looking for distribution and production financing partners. Mythos Studios will be based out of Los Angeles and run by Maisel and Braun.
– And finally, Hulu has dropped Locke & Key, based on IDW’s acclaimed comic book, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It was explained that new CEO Randy Freer, who took over in October, decided he did not like the series after a pilot was shot and seven episodes were scripted. The pilot is being shopped to multiple outlets, including Amazon and Netflix.
