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.
– The Winnipeg Free Press interviewed Scott A. Ford, 26, about his debut graphic novel, “Ark Land.” The comic takes place 100 years after first contact, when interstellar arks brought alien planets to this world, and follows a scavenger who salvages relics from the debris of the arks. The 260-page, full color book, published by ChiZine Publications imprint ChiGraphic, will be launched at Winnipeg’s McNally Robinson Booksellers on June 15th.
– New details continue to emerge in regards to the forthcoming Swamp Thing live action series. The website Hashtag Show provides some new information and detailed character studies for both Alec Holland and Abby Arcane. This latest iteration of Swamp Thing is scheduled to air through a new DC Universe streaming television service.
– According to Bleeding Cool, Wizard World is planning to expand into television/film and streaming video services. Wizard World will apparently be launching a live-action production company, as well as a new line of comic books, under the Wizard Immersive umbrella. Bleeding Cool notes that this is Wizard’s second try at such an endeavor, previously launching the Black Bull line of comics and a streaming entertainment service called Con TV.
– In other live action comics news, Deadpool co-star Ed Skrein (who portrayed Deadpool’s supervillian foe Ajax) has put in a special request for his next comic book-to-film role. Skrein says that he would love to portray the mysterious X-Men character Fantomex. Fantomex was create by Grant Morrison and Igor Kordey but was loosely based on the fumetti noir character Diabolik (who has already made his way to the big screen in the Mario Bava film adaptation Danger: Diabolik).
– Meanwhile, Marvel Television is ready to go forward with season three of Netflix’s Jessica Jones adaptation. This was confirmed by series star Krysten Ritter at this week’s Comicpalooza Spotlight Panel. According to Ritter, “I start very soon [preparing for the role]. I’m training, boxing, all of that. Pumping iron.”
– Disney’s Star Wars themed spin-off Solo: A Star Wars Story has been greeted with disappointing box office returns. Disney Distribution Chief Dave Hollis suggested that these numbers may be the result of three blockbuster action films (Avengers: Infinity War, Deadpool 2 and Solo) being released in short consecutive order. Perhaps only time and box office receipts will tell for sure.
– And in yet more comic-to-screen news, the Vertigo/DC Comics-based Fox TV series Lucifer may be getting a second chance at redemption. Last night, fans were treated to a devilish double dose of the series in the form of two “lost episodes,” and showrunner Joe Henderson says that the good news doesn’t end there. Henderson says that there have been some behind-the-scenes talks addressing the possibility of Lucifer being revived for a fourth season, emphasizing that audience reaction to Monday’s “lost episodes” may have an impact on the likelihood of a future season.
– Meanwhile, Ant-Man and the Wasp fans are also making their voices heard in a last ditch effort to move the UK release date to an earlier July 6th release date (which is when the film will open in the US). Because of potential conflicts with airings of the World Cup Soccer tournament, the Marvel Studios film has been relegated to a later August 3rd UK release, which fans argue will make online spoilers unavoidable.
