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.
Spectacular Spider-Man #309
– In a recent Reddit AMA, writer Chip Zdarsky announced that issue #310 of “Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man” will be his last. The issue, due out September alongside issue #309, will be both written and penciled by Zdarsky, and mark the end of his 19-issue tenure on the book. No replacement has been announced yet.
– Variety reported that actress Ruby Rose will be playing Batwoman on the CW. Rose’s introduction will happen during the annual television crossover event involving the shows Arrow, The Flash, and Supergirl. The network has plans to develop a new series centered on Batwoman (real name: Kate Kane), but it has not been officially picked up yet. Ruby Rose has previously appeared in Orange Is the New Black and John Wick: Chapter 2. She will also appear in The Meg, out August 10.
– In anticipation for today’s release of “The Sandman Universe” #1, Comic Book Resources released an exclusive interview with the book’s creative team and a BTS look at the creative process behind page #9 of the issue, written by Si Spurrier and illustrated by Bilquis Evely, with colors by Matt Lopez and letters by Simon Bowland. “The Sandman Universe” #1 is co-written by Neil Gaiman, Dan Watters, Kat Howard, and Nalo Hopkinson, and also illustrated by Sebastian Fiumara, Max Fiumara, Tom Fowler, and Domonike Stanton.
– Bob Almond, founder and Director of The Inkwell Awards, has announced through a press release that the organization will relocate their live awards ceremony from HeroesCon, located in Charlotte, NC, to East Coast Comicon in Secaucus, NJ, starting in May of 2019. HeroesCon has been home to the inkwells since 2011, but according to Almond, the travel expenses required to host the event there were too much to continue justifying, saying, “We can truly thank HeroesCon for where we are now. But the 16-hour drives and related travel expenses each season would leave our budget almost wiped out.” The Inkwell Awards are the only existing official 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to educate the public and promote the art form of comic-book inking, as well as to annually recognize the best ink artists and their work.
– Marvel movie veterans Samuel L. Jackson and Cobie Smulders will be reprising their roles as Nick Fury and Maria Hill in 2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home. The Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel is set to release July 5, 2019.
– In other Marvel movie news, The New York Times reports that, beginning with Captain Marvel, movies produced by Walt Disney Studios will no longer find a home on Netflix after their theatrical life. Instead, these movies will be funneled into the yet un-named Disney streaming service. The bulk of information regarding their streaming service is still unknown, including the launch date and subscription price.
– Deadline reports that Universal’s adaptation of A.J. Lieberman and Riley Rossmo’s graphic novel Cowboy Ninja Viking has been abruptly put on hold. The film was set to star Chris Pratt and Priyanka Chopra and had been on a fast track to begin production by mid-September before being pulled for currently undisclosed reasons. The film was originally due for release on June 28, 2019.
– Also according to Deadline Guy Pearce, who is no stranger to comic book films, having played Aldrich Killian in Iron Man 3, is reportedly in talks to replace Michael Sheen in the upcoming Bloodshot movie. Starring Vin Diesel, Bloodshot is based on the comic book published by Valiant, and is set to jump-start a new movie franchise on February 21, 2020.
