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 expanding the number of issues for “Secret Empire” from nine to ten issues. Marvel’s Senior Vice President/Executive Editor, Tom Brevoort, explained the need for the extra issue stating, “…moving into the finale, with issue #10, the heroes across the Marvel Universe will be pushed to the breaking point as we race to the exhilarating climax we’ve been planning for months.” The expansion of the series is the third major Marvel event of recent memory in which extra issues were added.
– DC Comics has announced six one-shots featuring characters created by Jack Kirby as part of a Kirby tribute this summer. The issues will be released in August to celebrate Kirby’s 100th birthday. One shots are set to include characters such as Mister Miracle, Black Racer, Newsboy Legion, Darkseid, Orion, OMAC, and Manhunter. No creative teams have been announced just yet, but the cover images for all five of the six books were released, and were drawn by Howard Chaykin (“The Newsboy Legion”), Shane Davis (“Orion”), Chris Burnham {“Darkseid”), Bill Sienkiewicz (“Mister Miracle”), and Bruce Timm (“Manhunter”).
– IDW Publishing is planning a five-week event relating a book a week called “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Dimension X.” Several teams – the first of which will feature Paul Allor and Pablo Tunica – will be working on the series and previews of the first issues covers can be found here. Covers will be provided by “The Manhattan Projects” artist Nick Pitarra, TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman, and Tunica.
-According to The Wrap, Robert Zemeckis is being tapped to direct The Flash. The groundbreaking Back To The Future director could be a breath of fresh air for the film as Previous Director Rick Famuyiwa left the project over creative differences last year.The Flash was set for a March 16, 2018, release, but Warner Bros. has since pushed back the date. Matthew Vaughan and Sam Raimi are also rumored to be in the running.
– Despite earlier reports that he had dropped out, sources has stated that Billy Crudup is still on-board to play the role of Barry Allen’s dad in the upcoming film The Flash. Rumors have been flying over the last 36 hours about the film including cast and director shakeups.
– The first poster for the recently-announced live-action Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen franchise reboot film has been spotted in Cannes during the annual film festival. The poster illustration was done by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, and includes a 2018 release date.
– CBS and Star Trek: Discovery star Sonequa Martin-Green dropped the first trailer and art work for Star Trek: Discovery. The series will premiere this fall and have 15 episodes, two more than the originally announced 13. The series will also have a companion after-show, Talking Trek, available on CBS All Access.
– TNT is launching Snowpiercer series, the series will be a futuristic thriller drama based on the 2013 film written and directed by Bong Joon-ho. Set to start is Hamilton stand out David Diggs who will play Layton Well, a prisoner barely surviving in the tail end of the train who becomes a reluctant participant in a struggle aboard the train. No date for the series or the pilot have been released.
– Artist Eleanor Davis was among eight people arrested while protesting the Georgia state university system’s policies. Davis teaches comic book storytelling at the University of Georgia. Davis has had several works published by Fantagraphics including a collection called, “How to Be Happy,” and has contributed to Fantagraphics’ MOME anthology. Davis has also self-published several comics, including “The Beast Mother.” In 2009, she won the Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award at the Eisners.
