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, Jim Rugg issued a statement declaring he has ended his “working relationship” with Ed Piskor.
– Via Bleeding Cool, Marvel intends to credit Roy Thomas as one of Wolverine’s creators on the Deadpool & Wolverine movie. News of the decision came from former Marvel editor-in-chief Bobbie Chase, who shared on Facebook that Christine Valada, the widow of writer and Wolverine co-creator Len Wein, had been informed about the decision, and was worried about the impact it would have on her late husband’s memory.
Wolverine, who was designed by John Romita Sr., debuted in 1974’s “Incredible Hulk” #181 (pictured above), written by Wein with art by Herb Trimpe, during Thomas’s tenure as EIC of Marvel. Mark Waid and Tom Brevoort were among those who criticized the decision, with Waid saying, “Staff editors don’t get to claim a co-creator credit on characters their writers and artists create for them. Throwing out suggestions and brainstorming is part of the editor’s job.”
– Via Chris Burnham, Rick Veitch says DC are considering releasing the unpublished “Swamp Thing” #88. The comic, created in 1989, was canceled due to a controversial storyline where the temporally displaced character becomes the cross Jesus Christ was crucified on, bringing Veitch’s run on the series to an abrupt end. The cartoonist said on Facebook, “I am told a gmail account has been set up to collect opinions on whether or not DC should publish ‘Swamp Thing’ 88. And that these will be read by folks at DC. So if you have an opinion, let them know at: publishswampthing88[at]gmail.com.” A reprint of his “Swamp Thing” run is set to begin on August 20, 2024, titled “Swamp Thing by Rick Veitch Book One: Wild Things.”
– 2000 AD are reviving 1970s horror series “Misty,” with a 48-page anthology written by Gail Simone, with art by Carola Borelli (“The Deadliest Bouquet“), Aly Fell (“A Trick of the Light“) and Marianna Ignazzi (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), alongside a fourth story written and drawn by Letty Wilson (“Owl People”). Created in 1978, “Misty” was a horror magazine aimed at girls, hosted by the titular witch-like teenager, designed and drawn by Shirley Bellwood, who spied on the characters whose adventures she narrated from a mystical cavern – and it appears she will play a role in at least two of the stories. The “Misty 2024 Special” will be released with a cover by Tula Lotay on July 17.
– Scholastic Graphix will publish “The Deep Dark,” a young adult graphic novel by Molly Knox Ostertag on June 4, 2024. Originally published on Substack under the name “Darkest Night,” “The Deep Dark” follows Mags, a teenager who spends every night battling an evil presence in her basement, as she kindles a romance with an old friend, who may be the key to finally uncovering the childhood trauma responsible for the monster. It will retail at 480 pages in paperback for $16.99, and hardcover for $27.99.
– At WonderCon, Darick Robertson announced he will write a new series with storyboard artist Stephen B. Jones on interiors, titled “Greaser: Gemini Blues.” No plot details were given about the four-issue series, which will be published by Magma Comix, although it was described as being dark and twisted. Robertson subsequently shared an image, indicating it is a sci-fi title involving aliens. It will mark the first volume in a wider series called “Greaser.” Further details will be announced on Thursday, April 18.
– The nominees for the 2024 Hugo Awards were announced, with “Bea Wolf,” “Saga,” “Shubeik Lubeik,” “The Witches of World War II,” “Wonder Woman Historia,” and Tencent’s adaptation of The Three Body Problem all picking up a nomination for Best Graphic Story or Comic. Nimona and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse were shortlisted for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form, while Loki, Doctor Who, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds were all nominated in the Short Form category. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was nominated for Best Game or Interactive Work, while Spider-Man 2 was snubbed. The winners will be announced at the 82nd Worldcon in Glasgow on August 11, 2024. “The Three-Body Problem” manhua itself will be released in English by Yen Press sometime later this year.
Continued below– TriStar Pictures will release Here, the Robert Zemeckis film based on the graphic novel by Richard McGuire, in theaters this November. The film, which reunites Zemeckis with Forrest Gump stars Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, chronicles the history of a single space, including the various families who’ve lived in it. It will premiere in New York City and Los Angeles on November 15, before a limited release on November 22, and a wide release on November 27. The film also features Paul Bettany, Kelly Reilly and Michelle Dockery, and was penned by Forrest Gump screenwriter Eric Roth.
– Olivia Colman will not appear in Heartstopper season three following a scheduling conflict. The actress, who played Nick (Kit Connor)’s mother Sarah, told Forbes magazine, “I couldn’t fit it in. I feel awful about that. I feel like I was part of one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever been part of.” Series creator Alice Oseman promised fans in an Instagram Story that she has “done everything in my power to preserve” a key scene between the two that was set to feature in the next season, adding “Sarah’s role as emotional support for Nick will shift to other characters in the story for now.” Heartstopper season three will be released on Netflix sometime this October.
– Finally, several notices: Bob Beerbohm, comics historian and retailer, died from cancer on Wednesday, March 27, aged 71. Academy Award-winning actor Louis Gossett Jr. (the elderly Will Reeves/Hooded Justice in HBO’s Watchmen, An Officer and a Gentleman) died aged 87 on Friday, March 29. Tim McGovern, Academy Award-winning visual effects supervivor (Ant-Man and the Wasp, Total Recall), died of undisclosed causes on Saturday, March 30, aged 68. Lastly, and tragically, actor Chance Perdomo (Gen V, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) died in a motorcycle accident on Saturday, aged just 27. Gen V‘s producers released a statement mourning Perdomo, saying “even writing about him in the past tense doesn’t make sense,” and that production on season two has been delayed indefinitely as a result.
