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, Jason Latour, the co-creator of “Spider-Gwen” and “Southern Bastards” was accused by multiple women of sexual harassment and misconduct.
Chris Samnee
– “Walking Dead” co-creator Robert Kirkman will be headlining the new virtual convention, Skybound Xpo. The two-day event will include a panel on the upcoming series “Fire Power” by Kirkman and Chris Samnee, a Skybound retrospective, Kristian Harloff’s gameshow Movie Trivia Schmoedown, and more. “Like the rest of our community, we miss the comic-cons we go to every year,” said Skybound CEO David Alpert. “In this off year, we wanted to make sure we could still connect with fans in some way. We’re excited to share the awesome content from our new wave of creators as Skybound turns ten.” The free event will happen on July 18 and 19.
– Mairghread Scott (“Toil and Trouble,” “The City on the Other Side”) spoke out yesterday about her experience with gender discrimination at DC Comics. “I bumped into another writer in an airport and accidentally learned he was heading to DC’s Burbank offices for a Bat-family summit.” said Scott. “I was writing ‘Batgirl’ at the time. I wasn’t invited.” She continued, “I was expected to shut up and execute. To chase and beg ‘higher up’ writers who couldn’t be bothered to even let me know they were about to blow up months of work, then write revision after revision with no extra pay,” saying that “I’m not doing this to blow up anybody. I just want young women out there to remember that when someone tells you ‘I support women,’ you look around and see if there are any fucking women near him that he’s actually supporting. Because if there aren’t, he just supports himself.” This comes in the aftermath of multiple victims opening up about their abuse at the hands of influential figures in the comics industry including Cameron Stewart, Jason Latour, Charles Brownstein and Warren Ellis. If you or a loved one are experiencing trauma from sexual assault you can contact the RAINN National Sexual Assault hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673).
– The 2020 Eisner Awards, which were previously reported to have closed due to a technical anomaly, will now be having a complete re-vote. “As a result of our investigation into the recently reported issues with the Eisner voting website, it appears this was not a malicious attempt but an error in the platform itself,” said SDCC strategy officer David Glanzer. “While our examination of the records leads us to believe the problem is small and we have no direct evidence that any votes have been altered, out of an abundance of caution and care we have decided to re-run the vote with a current and secure voting platform.” It hasn’t been revealed when voting will re-open and end, but the winners are set to be announced this July.
– Writer Jason Reynolds and Book Riot revealed a preview for “Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel.” The book by Reynolds and artist Danica Novgorodoff releases October 2020 from Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books. The YA novel adaptation looks at gun violence in the US and the emotional repercussions that follow. For a full four-page preview, check it out here.
– Thomas Flintham’s graphic novel series “Press Start!” will be adapted for animation by Cyber Group Studios. The first season will consist of 52 eleven-minute episodes. The series follows six-year-old Sonny and his video game friend Super Rabbit Boy, who he can visit in the video game world to help fend off the evil King Viking. “Since I was a kid, I’ve been a big fan of books, video games and animation, and I’m so excited that ‘Press Start!’ is going to expand to cover three of my biggest passions,” said Flintham. “To see my work being turned into an animation is a childhood dream come true, and Super Rabbit Boy couldn’t be in safer hands than the super talented folks at Cyber Group Studios.” The series has no set release date as of yet.
Continued below– Tove, the upcoming film biography of “Moomins” creator Tove Jansson, got its first trailer. The film is set between 1944 and 1956, the period where Jansson first found widespread success and recognition. It is directed by Zaida Bergroth with a cast including Alma Pöysti, Krista Kosonen, Joanna Haartti, and Shanti Roney, and is currently set for release in Finland in October. Jansson was recently honored with a flag-raising across Finland in recognition of her artistic endevours.
– Square Enix aired a livestream delving into the new game Marvel’s Avengers in greater detail. One of the biggest reveals was that the game’s main antagonist will be M.O.D.O.K., with the Adaptoids serving as his henchmen. Gamers will be able to play either in co-op or solo (with AI allies). In addition players were treated to some revealing gameplay behind Thor’s playstyle, new customization options and the tease of new regions, heroes and missions to come absolutely free. The game releases September 4 on PS4, Xbox One, Google Stadia and PC.
– Director Edgar Wright spoke yesterday about the possibility of a Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World sequel, and revealed he’s in the early stages of an animated follow-up project. “There’s some plans — and there’s nothing official yet — but there are some plans to revisit the material in an animation way,” he said. “We’ve been talking with Bryan [Lee O’Malley] and with Jared [LeBoff] for a while: What if we did something with the books in anime form? It’s being discussed as we speak.” The movie will celebrate its 10th anniversary this August.
