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.
– Mike Mignola has announced via Twitter that he is going to start an eBay auction of his sketches, with 100% of the proceeds going to Jose Andres’s World Central Kitchen. Similarly, DC publisher/Chief Creative Officer, Jim Lee, has announced that he will be drawing one DC character every day for two months, which he will then auction off, with the proceeds going to different random “brick and mortar” comic stores around the country who are facing challenges due to the pandemic. The auctions will take place on Lee’s Instagram and will begin on April 1.
– Dav Pilkey (Dog Man, Captain Underpants) is teaming up with the Library of Congress to entertain and serve children and families online during the pandemic. Dav Pilkey at Home will feature video content created by Pilkey each Friday morning at 8 a.m. ET on social media channels, and on the Library of Congress and Scholastic websites. Starting April 1, some of the free content uploaded will include how-to-draw demonstrations, read-a-louds, and inspiring resources from the library. Downloadable activities, conversations about books and creativity are also to be expected.
– Marvel Entertainment Creative Director Joe Quesada, has launched a video series called Joe Q’s Morning Warm-Up, where he will record himself drawing every Monday morning in an effort to entertain and inspire those stuck at home during the quarantine.
– Sotheby’s has announced that they will be offering DC Complete: The Ian Levine Collection in an exclusive private sale. The collection holds every comic book released by DC Comics from 1935-2014. It holds over 40,000 comics, including complete runs of “Superman,” “Batman,” “Action Comics,” and “Detective Comics.” The sale marks the 81st anniversary of the release of “Detective Comics” #27 on March 30, 1939, which featured the debut of Batman. The sale is available to view now on sothebys.com.
– DC’s comic book releases scheduled for April 1 have all been rescheduled to release April 29 on comiXology. The titles include “Strange Adventures” #2, “Batman” #92, “Harley Quinn” #72, “Justice League” #44, “Justice League Odyssey” #22, “Lois Lane” #10, “Daphne Byrne” #4, and “The Dreaming” #20. Marvel have not yet announced whether or not they will be continuing to release digitally due to the shutdown of Diamond.
– Dynamite Entertainment have announced that they will be halting all of their upcoming comic releases, including digital, due to the shutdown of Diamond Comic Distributors. First Second Books have also announced M.T. Anderson and Jo Rioux’s upcoming graphic novel, “The Daughters of Ys,” from its original May 12 release date to August 11, 2020.
– Unique, Marvel-themed experiences are now available through Amazon Alexa. Marvel’s Project M.I.ND. and Marvel Hero Training are available through Amazon FreeTime Unlimited and Echo Dot Kids Edition. With Project M.I.N.D., fans will be able to embark on audio-missions and adventures with Princess Shuri as a mentor and guide. Users will be challenged to use their academic knowledge and problem-solving skills to advance in a serialized, narrative experience. With Marvel Hero Training, users will answer “what-ifs” to be matched up with certain superheroes who will bring them on exciting missions. Users will be inspired to get up and move to explore these imaginative missions.
– Netflix has announced that supernatural horror drama Locke & Key has been renewed for a second season. Season one debuted in February of this year and is based on the graphic novels by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez. The Season 2 release date is still up in the air, however, as the current coronavirus pandemic has shut down many productions. On the contrary, Netflix has also announced that its other two IDW-produced dramas, V-Wars and October Faction, which both ran for only one season, will not be moving forward.
– The CW has announced return dates for Riverdale and its Arrowverse shows, all of which suspended production due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Flash and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow will return on Tuesday, April 21, at 8 pm and 9 pm ET/PT respectively. Batwoman and Supergirl will be returning back-to-back, starting Sunday, April 26th at 8 pm ET/PT. Riverdale will return Wednesday, April 15 at 8 pm ET/PT, and its spinoff Katy Keene will return the next day in the same timeslot. Supernatural, now in its 15th and final season, was left off of the return schedule.
– Finally, Sony has rearranged its upcoming film slate due to delays caused by the pandemic. Morbius, originally set to release July 31, is being postponed to March 19, 2021. Ghostbusters: Afterlife is moving from its July 10 release to March 5, 2021. Uncharted, originally in the March 5, 2021 slot, is being pushed to October 8, 2021, which was previously occupied by an unnamed Sony/Marvel film, which now has no new date.
