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, DC announced that Geoff Johns will be stepping down from his executive post and entering an exclusive writer-producer deal with Warner Bros. and DC. Oni Press also announced “Kim Reaper: Vampire Island.” It was also revealed that creators Ryan Cady, Andrea Mutti, and Michael Russell will bring “Infinite Dark” to Image/Top Cow. Image will also launch a new series called “MCMLXXV.” We also talked to Robert Venditti about the new “Hawkman” comic starting tomorrow.
– First up, CBR reported that BOOM! Studios’ BOOM! Box imprint will release an all-new four issue miniseries, “Welcome To Wanderland” written by Jackie Ball (“Goldie Vance”) with art from Maddi Gonzalez. The miniseries will follow Bellamy Muñoz, a girl with an affinity for her local theme park, Wanderland. But when Bellamy steps through a magical portal she is transported to the ‘real’ Wanderland, and she may not like what she finds there. To read CBR’s interview with Ball and Gonzalez, click here.
– DC Entertainment have announced their slew of new young adult books with creative teams and release dates for their DC ZOOM and DC INK lines, which will launch in 2019. “Super Sons: The Polarshield Project” (April 2019), written by Ridley Pearson and illustrated by Ile Gonzalez, and “DC Super Hero Girls: Spaced Out” (May 2019), written by Shea Fontana, and illustrated by Agnes Garbowska, are among the DC ZOOM titles, slated for children 8-12 years old. DC Ink will publish thought-provoking stories for young adults (readers ages 13+), and include books such as “Mera: Tidebreaker” (April 2019) that will be written by Danielle Paige and illustrated by Stephen Byrne. To see the full list of DC ZOOM and DC Ink titles click here.
– According to their website, Ultimate Comics, a chain of comic book stores, were robbed between Sunday night and Monday morning. All three Ultimate Comics physical store locations in North Carolina were broken into and burglarized. It is reported that over $20,000 worth of comic books, toys and merchandise were stolen, glass display cases smashed, and the store’s windows were broken for entry. Fortunately no one was hurt, and the stores were able to open to the public yesterday. Ultimate Comics is asking for a little help not only with the investigation, but for support from their customers as well as the comics community. They put out the following statement: “Whether you’re a comic’s pro, news outlet, fellow store, or a fan like us, every re-tweet, share, or shout-out helps too! Let people know they can support Ultimate Comics by grabbing a copy of one of the year’s hottest comic books, stopping by or giving us a shout online!” They also request that if you have any information about the robbery, then contact owner Alan Gill at: alan@nccomicon.com or email http://ultimatecomics.com/contact/ if you’d prefer to remain anonymous. Keep your eyes peeled as this story develops.
– Tony Stark and Janet Van Dyne will be rekindling a romance they had long ago (in real life, not comic years) according to Newsarama, as the pair can be seen in each other’s arms on the cover of “Tony Stark: Iron Man” #4. They briefly had a romance in 1982’s “Avengers” #224, but Janet broke it off because of Tony’s lies. Fans waiting for this coupling should look out for “Tony Stark Iron Man” #4 hitting comic book shelves September 19, 2018.
– As we previously reported, Geoff Johns is stepping down from his administrative role at DC Entertainment to focus on more creative content. He has updated his website, which you can find here, that lists his current and upcoming projects, including “Three Jokers” with collaborator Jason Fabok. It also confirms Hal Jordan and John Stewart will be the leads in the upcoming film reboot Green Lantern Corps, which Johns is writing.
– Newsarama has released a full list of current and future comic book related televisions series. According to the site, “Those signed to networks will be denoted as such with those outlets in parenthesis.” Notably, AMC’s Preacher season 3 premieres on June 24, 2018, while Fear The Walking Dead season four part two will return to AMC on August 12, 2018. Luke Cage season 2 will be available on Netflix on June 22, 2018. There will be plenty of comics-related TV this summer to look forward to.
Continued below– Tapas Media, an online publisher is taking some heat from womenwriteaboutcomics.com, for their publishing practices. Mostly, the lengthy piece goes into detail about some of the contractual arrangements and copyright information. The article cites cartoonist Melanie Gillman’s tweet which calls out Tapas for its business practices. Womenwriteaboutcomics.com sheds further light on the subject here.
– Meanwhile, Stephanie Cooke, Editor in Chief of Rogues Portal and TO Comix announced the launch of ‘Creator Resource’ via Twitter. The website promises tools and resources for comic book freelancers around the world. The website will also have valuable information such as comic book page rates, information on contracts and copyrights, as well as creator databases and helpful blogs for up and coming comics creators.
– Newsarama announced that Saladin Ahmed will pen “The Amazing Spider-Man Annual” #1 with art from Garry Brown and a cover by ACO. The Hugo and Eisner nominee says “‘Amazing Spider-Man Annual’ is an untold street-level story of the brief bond that existed between Pete and the alien symbiote that would eventually become Venom. This is my tribute to the Spider-Man I grew up reading in the early 1980s. Spider-fans are going to love this book!” “The Amazing Spider-Man Annual” #1 is on sale September 19, 2018.
– Speaking of Spidey, at E3 Sony revealed a breakout at the Rift in the PlayStation 4 Spider-Man game, which introduces Insomniac Games’s take on Electro, the Rhino, Vulture and Scorpion. A new open-world demo was also released. The game is out September 7, 2018.
