Welcome 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 launched our new monthly column Lemire County, dedicated to Jeff Lemire’s creator-owned work. The first edition of which includes an interview with Lemire on “Gideon Falls,” a preview of “Quantum Age: From the World of Black Hammer” #1, and more.
– After a hiatus, the Harvey Awards are scheduled to return this year for its 30th Anniversary. The Harvey Awards are named after Harvey Kurtzman, most remembered for creating MAD Magazine, who lived in New York City, and so, in his honor the award ceremony will be hosted by ReedPOP at New York Comic Con this October. The awards will have a variety of new features this year, such as the new voting system: nominees will be chosen by a committee of industry voices and can be voted for by any eligible industry professional, which includes anyone who has had an Pro Badge or Artist Alley Badge at a ReedPOP comic convention (New York Comic Con, Emerald City Comic Con, C2E2) in 2016, 2017, and 2018.
As well as this new voting system, there will be new awards: Book of the Year, Digital Book of the Year, Best Children or Young Adult Book, Best Adaptation from Comic Book/Graphic Novel, Best Manga and Best European Book. There will also be three new Special Awards chosen by the Harvey Awards Executive Committee. There will be the Harvey Kurtzman Award for Humor, for satire in comic books, graphic novels or comic strips, either digital or print that embodies the spirit of Harvey Kurtzman; the Harvey Hall of Fame Award for creators that have had a distinguished career or impact on the medium for over two decade; and finally, the International Spotlight Award will be for a creator who originates from outside of the US that has had an impact on the medium.
The nominations will be announced on August 1, with the voting process running from August 1-23 with the ceremony taking place on Saturday, October 6.
– After the Walt Disney Company’s announcement of the purchase of 21st Century Fox last week, the United States Department of Justice have given their approval to the deal provided that one criterion is met. The one criterion in question is necessary for the federal antitrust laws to be complied with; to achieve this, the Walt Disney Company must divest from Fox’s 22 Regional Sports Networks.
– Torrid, the American fashion brand for women, has announced that they are releasing a plus-size collection of Betty and Veronica in partnership with Archie Comics. The collection will, of course, be based on the two famous friends, Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge. Torrid president Liz Muñoz described the eight-piece collection as “the perfect mix of sweet, edgy, and friendship,” while Archie Comics CEO and Publisher, Jon Goldwater, said that the collaboration had been like a “dream” with the merchandise reflecting the ideal that Archie Comics are “for everyone.” The collection is now available online and in select stores.
– Krysten Ritter, star of Jessica Jones, will be making her directorial debut in the third season of the hit Netflix show. While details of which episode she is directing are being kept secret for the time being, Ritter said she is “beyond thrilled” to be taking the director role because it gives her an “opportunity to work with [the] incredible team in [a] new way.” The “incredible team” that Ritter mentions includes those returning to the series such as cast members Rachael Taylor (Trish Walker) and Carrie-Anne Moss (Jeri Hogarth), and Melissa Rosenberg, who created the series, returning as showrunner. While the third season recently started filming in New York City, a premiere date for it remains unannounced.
– Following up from her previous photo of Chris Pine on the set of the upcoming Wonder Woman sequel, director Patty Jenkins has released an image of Kristen Wiig as Barbara Minerva, better known by her super-villain alter-ego, Cheetah. The character’s origins have been altered in recent years with the ‘New 52’ and ‘Rebirth’ but the film’s version of the character’s origins remaining unknown. Fans anticipating answers to the questions posed by Patty Jenkins’s tweets will have to wait until the film’s release on November 1, 2019.
Continued below– Sony’s Morbius movie, about the Spider-Man villain of the same name, has found its star: Jared Leto. Leto has now committed to the role as well as Daniel Espinosa (Life, Child 44), who will direct the film. Leto met Espinosa whilst he was on tour with his band Thirty Seconds To Mars in German last month. The film has been written by the team of Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama, neither of whom are unfamiliar with vampires, having developed the screenplay for Dracula Untold. Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach and Lucas Foster will produce the film with Palak Patel overseeing the project. This will be a return to comic book work for Leto, having previously played the Joker in 2016’s Suicide Squad. The film does not currently have a release date but is expected to be next year, with production due to begin before the end of this year.
– According to The Wrap, via CBR, Toby Kebbell has signed on to star in Vin Diesel’s upcoming film based on the Valiant Comics superhero Bloodshot. The report states that Kebbell playing the villain, Axe. This wouldn’t be his first experience playing a comic book villain, after portraying Doctor Doom in the 2015 adaptation of Fantastic Four. Principal photography is set to begin in July, with the film planned to be released in 2019.
– Humble Bundle revealed that they have teamed up with DC Comics and GraphicAudio for their latest bundle. The bundle contains 22 books including Batman, Wonder Woman and Green Lantern stories, with portions of the money raised from the purchases of the bundle going to support two charities: the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and The Hero Initiative.
– Finally, at the Saturn Awards, Black Panther won Best Comic-to-Film Motion Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress (for Danai Gurira), Best Production Design, and Best Make-Up. Star Wars: The Last Jedi won Best Actor for Mark Hamill, Best Writing, and Best Editing. Gal Gadot, Patrick Stewart and Tom Holland also won awards for their performances in Wonder Woman, Logan, and Spider-Man: Homecoming, while Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 won Best Special Effects. Best Horror TV Series went to The Walking Dead, The Flash won Best Superhero Adaptation Television Series, and The Punisher was named Best New Media Superhero Series. The full list of winners can be read here.
