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, Star Wars Celebration Europe saw plenty of announcements and reveals from Lucasfilm, Dark Horse, and more over the weekend; Marvel unveiled three ‘Fall of X’ titles; and Rachel Pollack passed away, aged 77.
– The 2023 Eisner Hall of Fame inductees were announced, consisting of 11 deceased comics creators and four living contributors. The late inductees are Jerry Bails, Tony DeZuniga, Justin Green, Jay Jackson, Jeffrey Catherine Jones, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Win Mortimer, Diane Noomin, Gaspar Saladino, Kim Thompson, & Mort Walker, while the living four are Bill Griffith, Jack Katz, Garry Trudeau, & Tatjana Wood.
Another four inductees will be chosen by Eisner voters from Gus Arriola, Brian Bolland, Gerry Conway, Edwina Dumm, Mark Evanier, Creig Flessel, Bob Fujitani, Warren Kremer, Todd McFarlane, Keiji Nakazawa, Ann Nocenti, Paul Norris, Bud Plant, Tim Sale, Diana Schutz, and Phil Seuling. In contrast to previous years, the inductees will be announced at San Diego Comic-Con before the annual award ceremony, on the morning of July 21.
– Publishers Weekly reports Little, Brown will publish “The Brainstormerz,” a middle-grade trilogy written by Kwame Alexander (“The Crossover”) and newcomer Cassidy Dyce, with art by Rashad Doucet (“Pax Samson”). It follows “three friends who put their heads together to think creatively and solve tricky problems, often with hilarious results.” The first book in the series, “Money Talks,” will be released in Summer 2025.
The magazine also shares Macmillan imprint Roaring Brook will release “When a Tiger Flies,” the debut YA graphic novel of “Cat & Cat Adventures” author Susie Yi. Set for 2025, it follows a 16-year-old Korean-American prodigy’s first year at Harvard, and (as its title suggests) explores the idea of the “tiger mom.” IDW, meanwhile, will publish “Best Foot Forward!,” the YA graphic novel debut of newcomer Liv Hamilton, which follows a marching band player after her decision to confess her feelings for her childhood best friend backfires. It will be released in Fall 2026.
– Korean webcomic platform Manta announced the return dates for three titles. Season two of Seonji’s fantasy romance “Evangeline’s Sword” will begin on April 18, almost a year after the first season’s conclusion. Season two of Doggo’s florist-themed “The Accidental Heiress” will start on May 4, similarly ten months after the first season ended. The third season of Jin Soye’s genderbending period romance “Finding Camellia” also began on Saturday, April 8, following a five-month hiatus.
– The second trailer for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny debuted at Star Wars Celebration, revealing the nature of the titular artifact, what exactly Mads Mikkelsen’s “ex-Nazi” villain intends to do with it, and why Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) is Indy’s goddaughter. The film will conclude the adventures of Harrison Ford’s archaeologist on June 30. You can also check out the movie’s Temple of Doom-esque poster, and action figures at The Hollywood Reporter‘s exclusive reveal.
– In other Star Wars Celebration-related news, Deadline’s Justin Kroll claims Taika Waititi’s film was not announced because he is now prioritizing his live-action remake of Akira. The director and actor put the Warner Bros. project on the backburner because of Thor: Love and Thunder, but it might now become his next film after football comedy Next Goal Wins (due out September 22, 2023.) Kathleen Kennedy commented in a Variety interview that Waititi is still writing his Star Wars film, but by himself, another possible reason it will take longer to materialize.
– Per Business Insider and the Jewish Telegraph Agency, copies of Ari Folman and David Polonsky’s “Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation” have been removed from Vero Beach High School, Florida. The decision came after a parent affiliated with the conservative group Moms For Liberty complained it was inappropriate, claiming it was “sexually explicit,” and not an accurate adaptation of the diary. The Anne Frank Fonds responded, “We consider the book of a 12-year-old girl to be appropriate reading for her peers.”
– Emmy Award-winning animator Leo D. Sullivan passed away from heart failure on March 25, aged 82. One of the first prominent Black animators, Sullivan’s works included the Soul Train logo, Fat Albert, Scooby-Doo, Flash Gordon, Challenge of the Superfriends, Transformers, My Little Pony, Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, and Taz-Mania, as well as the ’90s Fantastic Four, Iron Man and Incredible Hulk cartoons. He is survived by his wife and colleague Ethelyn, and a son and daughter.
– Finally, actor Michael Lerner passed away Saturday, April 8, aged 81. Best known for his work with the Coen brothers in Barton Fink (which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor) and A Serious Man, Lerner also appeared in The Postman Always Rings Twice, Newsies, Radioland Murders, the Clueless TV show, 1998’s Godzilla (as Mayor Ebert, a role he reprised in the animated series), Elf, Art School Confidential, Glee, and X-Men: Days of Future Past. He is survived by his brother Ken, and nephew Sam, both actors.
