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, Marvel announced Murewa Ayodele and Lucas Werneck will helm this fall’s new “Storm” series, and we have an exclusive preview of next week’s “Immortal Thor” #11. Additionally, we mourned the loss of Moon Knight and Bloodshot co-creator Don Perlin, who passed away this week aged 94.
– San Diego Comic-Con has unveiled the nominees for the 2024 Eisner Awards. Over 150 works from 60 publishers were nominated over the 32 categories. Image took the most nominations with 17, while DC followed behind with 13, and Fantagraphics got 11. “Roaming” by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki earned the most nominations with eight, while Kelly Thompson was the most nominated creator with five (followed by Tom Taylor with three.) Also, after much controversy, the Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism Award was reinstated, despite the organizers having originally announced it would be merged with another category earlier this year. The awards will be presented on the evening of July 26, though the Hall of Fame will receive its own special ceremony beforehand. Prospective voters can apply using this link. The deadline to vote is June 6.
– “Black Hole” creator Charles Burns is returning with a new (English) graphic novel after ten years. “Final Cut” follows a group of amateur filmmakers who attempt to produce a Invasion of the Body Snatchers-style B-movie in the woods. Pantheon will publish the English edition, which was originally released in French in three parts by Cornelius Editions under the title “Dédales.” This will be Burns’s first English graphic novel since 2014’s “Sugar Skull,” the final part of a trilogy Pantheon released as “Last Look” in 2016. It is his first self-contained graphic novel since “Black Hole” in 2005. It is due out on September 24, 2024.
– 1978’s “Superman vs. Muhammad Ali” is getting a collector’s edition from DC. “Superman vs. Muhammad Ali Collectors’ Edition Facsimile Edition” will be available in 14′ x 10′ format and feature two covers (the iconic Neal Adams wraparound, and a foil variant). The classic story, written by Dennis O’Neil with art from Neal Adams and Dick Giordano, sees the two cultural icons battle to see who will challenge the evil Rat’lar’s chosen fighter for the fate of the planet. The book will be available on August 27. The standard edition will be $14.99, with the variant retailing for $17.99.
– Rob Liefeld has revealed what he is calling his “last Deadpool story.” The five-issue miniseries, titled “Deadpool Team-Up,” will be written and drawn by Liefeld, who introduced the character with Fabian Nicieza in 1991’s “New Mutants” #98. Living up to the title, the series will see the Merc with a Mouth join characters both well-known and obscure, such as Major X, Crystar, Ghost-Spider, Wolverine, and the Incredible Hulk. The official synopsis even teases a “lost” Marvel character who returns at some point in the book. Liefeld draws both covers for the first issue. Issue #1 (of 5) will be on sale August 28.
– Meanwhile, Carnage will choose a side in Marvel’s ‘Venom War’ in “Venom War: Carnage.” Torunn Grønbekk writes the series with Pere Pérez providing art, which will see Cletus Kasady choose whether to support Dylan or Eddie Brock. Ken Lashley provides cover art, with a variant from Salvador Larroca. Issue #1 (of 3) is due out August 21. Al Ewing and Iban Coello’s main “Venom War” series will begin on August 7, while “Venom War: Spider-Man” #1 will be released on August 14, and “Venom War: Venomous” will also start on August 21.
– While the Nicholas Cage-led Noir, the live-action series based on his depiction of Spider-Man Noir in Into the Spider-Verse, has been picked up by Amazon, Silk: Spider Society will not. Meant to lead a suite of Spider-based projects for MGM+ and Prime Video, and in development for five years, the decision to cancel the series was reportedly made a few days ago. While the suite will go on as planned, planned showrunner Angela Kang will fulfill the terms of her contract on other projects, and the rights will revert back to Sony, who plan to shop the project around to other buyers. The series, which would have followed the Korean-American hero Silk/Cindy Moon, who was bitten by the same spider that gave Peter Parker his amazing spider-powers, was originally conceived back in 2019.
– Following the news Sesame Street is getting a new comics series courtesy of Oni Press this summer, it was revealed the show itself will get its first comics artist. Actor/comedian Eugene Cordero has joined the cast of the long-running children’s program as artist Bobby Manalo, who helps Muppets TJ and Tamir create their own comic. He in term also learns Tagalog to communicate with his Filipino family. The episode is available on Max, and you can watch a preview here.
– Finally, stuntman Tony McFarr passed away on Monday, May 13, aged 47. No cause of death was given. Farr was Chris Pratt’s stunt double on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, as well as the first two Jurassic World movies and Passengers, and also worked on Captain America: Civil War, Ant-Man and the Wasp, The Walking Dead, and The Gifted. His last credit was the 2022 short Grobb. Pratt expressed condolences in an Instagram Story, saying “I remember he took a nasty shot to the head (in the title sequence of Guardians 2) and got several staples in his head – he came right back to work ready to go again. He was an absolute stud. He was always a gentleman and professional. He’ll be missed.” McFarr is survived by a daughter, his parents, and a sister.
