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, we published part two of our interview with “Destiny NY” co-creator Pat Shand.
– DC formed a new deal with IDW Publishing for Artist’s Editions of their titles, beginning with “David Mazzucchelli’s ‘Batman: Year One,'” and “Neal Adams’ DC Classics.” The latter will include various art, including five complete stories, from the 1960s to 1970s, and have two different covers scanned respectively from the pencils for “Green Lantern/Green Arrow” #76 (the start of his run with Dennis O’Neil), and “Batman” #232 (the first appearance of Ra’s al Ghul.) The oversized books will be released sometime in mid-2024. They will mark the first Artist’s Edition of a DC title since 2017’s collection of Bernie Wrightson’s work for the publisher.
– Marvel and Shueisha are reteaming for “Spider-Man: Octopus Girl,” a manga by “My Hero Academia: Vigilantes” writer Hideyuki Furuhashi and artist Betten Court. A Shonen Jump+ exclusive, the comic will offer something of a genderbent spin on “The Superior Spider-Man,” with a premise where Doctor Octopus wakes up in the body of a junior high school girl after falling into a coma. It will start on Tuesday, June 20, shortly after Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse‘s release in Japan. Marvel and Viz Media will presumably announce an English-language release at a later date.
– In further Shueisha news, the publisher also announced Jump Toon, a vertical manga imprint/app that will be launched sometime next year. The app’s name (and nature) is a play on both their flagship title Weekly Shōnen Jump, and their new main source of competition, the Korean webtoon market. Similarly, unlike regular manga titles, the imprint’s new comics will be in color. Expect more details to be announced ahead of the app’s launch in 2024.
– Popverse reports CBR owner Valnet Inc. have laid off the site’s editor-in-chief, Adam Swiderski, plus senior news editor Stephen Gerding, and senior features editor Christopher Baggett. Swiderski stated he was informed without any warning yesterday morning. George Edelman, Valnet’s content director, attributed the lay offs to “major structural changes related to turning the corner on both culture and performance,” and said “We are focusing on individuals who can create a more positive culture going forward.” Former editor Meagan Damore responded she believed “Valnet got rid of them because they actually stood up for their coworkers and employees.” Their departures leave managing editor Jon Arvedon as the site’s lead staff member.
– Humanoids announced “The Shadows of Thule,” a historical fantasy/horror graphic novel by writer Patrick Mallet, artist Lionel Marty, colorist Axel Gonzalbo, and translator Montana Kane. Set in second century Scotland, the book sees a necromancer trick a vengeful Roman general into unleashing an ancient evil on the Picts. Unable to stop the titular shadows, the Pictish king must persuade the Romans and the Gauls to settle their differences and help save the world. The title refers to the legendary Greco-Roman island, which scholars theorize referred to Scotland, or specifically the northeast isles of Orkney. It will be released in an oversized hardcover on August 15.
– Speaking of Humanoids, the publisher’s 2022 release “Alice on the Run: One Child’s Journey Through the Rwandan Civil War” was among several that received a Translated YA Book Prize Honor from the Global Literature in Libraries Initiative (GLLI). The book, by writer/artist Gaspard Talmasse and translator Nanette McGuinness, tells the true story of Alice Cyuzuzo, a Tutsi girl who fled to Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) during the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Also recognized were Drawn & Quarterly’s indigenous anthology “Movements and Moments,” and Marie-Noëlle Hébert’s 2021 memoir “My Body in Pieces” (translated by Shelley Tanaka.) You can check out the full shortlist here.
– In more awards news, the Denver-based Pop Culture Classroom revealed the finalists for this year’s Excellence in Graphic Literature Awards. Books shortlisted for more than one award include “Alice on the Run,” “Button Pusher,” “Mamo,” “The Many Deaths of Laila Starr,” and “What is Home, Mum?” The winners will be announced online on Monday, June 5. You can check out previous years’ winners here.
– Finally, Vanity Fair shared an excerpt from Maureen Ryan’s upcoming book Burn It Down: Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood, revealing the infamous ABC series LOST had a toxic writers’ room. Featuring interviews with Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse, Javier Grillo-Marxuach, and Monica Owusu-Breen (who all became comic book or comic book TV show writers after the show), the chapter goes in-depth about the racist, sexist and insensitive comments that frequently went on behind-the-scenes. Lindelof, whose Watchmen series centered around racism in America, admits he “failed” to “provide safety and comfort inside of the creative process.” The book releases from HarperCollins July 6.
