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.
– Marvel has announced the titles and some of the artists for the upcoming 10-issue maxi-series, “Generations.” The event will run from August (previously reported as July) to September and will bring together classic Marvel characters with their new incarnations. The full lineup is as follows: “Generations: The Best” starring Wolverine and All-New Wolverine, written by Tom Taylor and art by Ramon Rosanas; “Generations: The Americas” starring Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson, written by Nick Spencer and art by Paul Renaud; “Generations: The Bravest” starring Captain Mar-Vell and Captain Marvel, written by Margie Stohl and art by Brent Schoonover; “Generations: The Thunder” starring The Mighty Thor and The Unworthy Thor, written by Jason Aaron and art by Mahmud Asrar; “Generations: The Strongest” starring Bruce Banner and Amadeus Cho, written by Greg Pak; “Generations: The Archers” starring Clint Barton and Kate Bishop, written by Kelly Thompson; “Generations: The Iron” starring Iron Man and Ironheart, written by Brian Michael Bendis and art by Marco Rudy; “Generations: The Marvels” starring Captain Marvel and Ms. Marvel, written by G. Willow Wilson; “Generations: The Spiders” starring Peter Parker and Miles Morales written by Brian Michael Bendis and art by Ramon Perez; and “Generations: The Phoenix” starring Phoenix and Jean Grey, written by Cullen Bunn.
– In other Marvel news, chatbots are hip, right? Well Marvel seems to think so because they are debuting one of their own in conjunction with “Secret Empire.” The new bot will “… allow fans the ability to converse with everyone’s favorite neighborhood wall-crawler, Spider-Man! Fans will also be able to engage in fun quizzes & puzzles, receive exclusive first-looks, and find their local comic shops.” The chatbot will be available on Facebook Messenger and Twitter (via direct message) starting on May 3.
– Bill Willingham is returning to a high fantasy world, but this time with a new creator-owned series called “Lark’s Killer” with artist Mark Dos Santos. The book centers around Lark, a street urchin from L.A. who gets transported to a dangerous Dungeons and Dragons inspired world. Many people will know Willingham from his award winning 150-issue run of “Fables” and he reassures fans that “This isn’t ‘Fables,’ But my bet is it’s for the same people who like ‘Fables.’” The new series will be published by Devil’s Due/1First Comics starting in August.
– There will be another attempt at a “Locke & Key” adaptation. This time Hulu has ordered a pilot. Carlton Cuse (Bates Motel, The Strain) will act as showrunner with series writer Joe Hill writing the pilot script and Doctor Strange director Scott Derrickson directing. This will be the latest in a series of false starts for a series adaptation, but probably has a better chance to get picked up in the current TV landscape.
– Boom! Studios is teaming up with 20th Century Fox to release a prequel miniseries for War For the Planet of the Apes, also confusingly titled with the same name. The comic will bridge the 20 year gap between Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and the new film. The series debuts on July 12 and will be written by David F. Walker (who recently wrapped “Power Man & Iron Fist”) and illustrated by Jonas Scharf.
– IDW will publish “First Strike,” a G.I. Joe and Transformers crossover that will act as a follow up to 2016’s Hasbro line encompassing “Revolution.” The event will be writtern by Mairghread Scott & David Rodriguez, with art by Max Dunbar. Scott described the story as “…a fast-paced, hard-hitting, and deeply personal character story set against the backdrop of intergalactic war with all the giant robots, cyborg ninjas, and massive explosions you could ask for.”
– Titan comics will revive Jack Kirby and Joe Simon’s other patriotic superhero, the Fighting American. The original series was a satirical take on superheros that also critiqued the anti-communist fervor of the McCarthy era. Not much has been announced besides the creators, Gordon Rennie and Duke Mighten, but the publisher promises more info soon.
– The History Channel will debut a new documentary called Superheroes Decoded that will explore the relationship between the rise of the United States as a world power after World War II and the growing popularity of the superhero genre. The documentary will feature interviews with Anthony Mackie, the Russo brothers, George R.R. Martin, Jon Favreau, Stan Lee, Brad Meltzer, and was produced by Morgan Spurlock of Super-Size Me fame.
– Dark Horses Comics is releasing another couple adult coloring books in their Star Trek line with Star Trek: The Original Series Adult Coloring Book—Where No Man Has Gone Before in September, and Star Trek: The Next Generation Adult Coloring Book—Continuing Missions in October.
– And finally, in a brief report from a Diamond retailers summit, it looks like Marvel will be bringing legacy numbering back after “Secret Empire.” In what capacity is unclear. This will surely bring in the older lapsed readers, now that they have the younger audience taken care of with that fancy new chatbot.
