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.
– Asher Elbei, of The Atlantic, wrote an article chronicling Marvel’s decreasing print sales. In the examination of the company’s current strategy, the piece cites disconnected continuity, a carousel of creative talent and an over saturation of monthly offerings prime contributors to the diminishing sales numbers. Sales and production data coupled with historical context make this a very well supported critique.
-A new Spider-Man: Homecoming trailer has been released. The trailer features clips from Captain America: Civil War from Spider-Man’s point-of-view, more details on the Vulture’s origin, and what exactly the cargo plane shown in the previous trailers is carrying. The film opens in North American theaters July 7.
– As mentioned in yesterday’s Rundown, Vanity Fair has released four different covers for the magazine’s issue featuring the Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the Definitive Preview cover story. The full article, written by contributing editor David Kamp, is now online. The article includes exclusive commentary from the film’s director Rian Johnson(Looper, Brick), interviews with the film’s stars Mark Hamill and Daisy Ridley and a tribute to the late Carrie Fisher. Exclusive character profile and behind the scenes photographs were provided by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz.
– Fans will look forward to the opportunity to own a functioning replica of a new surveillance drone featured in this summer’s Spider-Man: Homecoming. The eight-legged surveillance drone will be available in two different designs priced at $89.99 and $149.99. The more expensive version sports additional features such as streaming and recording of video and is set to be a Toys R Us exclusive. Developed by Skyrocket Toys, both drones are equipped with phrases directly from the film and have the capability for voice feedback. Also included are front and back LED lights, dual flight modes, adjustable flight sensitivity, auto launch and land, adjustable wide-angle lens, and a quick swap battery.
– Jack Kesy(The Strain) has been cast as “Black Tom” Cassidy in the still unnamed Deadpool sequel. The character has been written as a consistent adversary of Deadpool starting with his appearance in the first solo Deadpool miniseries,1994’s ‘Deadpool: The Circle Chase.’ “Black Tom” Cassidy has been described as a “major villain” for the film along with the previously announced Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men) portrayed Cable.
-The final Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets trailer not only showcases stunning visual effects but focuses on explaining the basics of the plot. Agents Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) are shown investigating and inevitably trying to stop a threat to Alpha, the titular “city of a thousand planets.” The book is an adaptation of “Valérian and Laureline,” the French sci-fi comic by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières. The film is set for release on July 21.
–Rumors surrounding the setting of pending film X-Men: Dark Phoenix have surfaced. A cosmic setting has been described as “certainly a possibility” by the film’s producer Hutch Parker during a discussion with Screenrant. 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand featured elements of outer space but are no indication of the possible creative direction for the unreleased film. Further, little is know about the cast except that Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones) will reprise her role as Jean Grey. X-Men: Dark Phoenix has targeted release of Nov. 2, 2018
