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, Magic: The Gathering is returning to comics for its 25th anniversary, with a November-debuting series starring pyromancer Chandra Nalaar.
– “Transformers vs. G.I. Joe” creator Tom Scioli may soon be working on an “X-Men: Grand Design”-esque retelling of the Fantastic Four’s early days, says The Beat. Scioli showed off his pitch pages on Facebook and confirmed the project is a possibility, though not a sure thing.
– Bleeding Cool shared the story of artist Matt Wagner’s son, Brennan Wagner, being removed as the colorist of “Batman” #54. The issue, which was shaping up to tell a father-son story illustrated by a father-son art team, will now be colored by an “in-house” colorist, according to Matt Wagner. The issue, penciled by Matt Wagner and written by Tom King, is due out September 5.
– Former Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 director James Gunn will likely land on his feet, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Reporter sources say Marvel still plans to use Gunn’s script for Vol. 3, and there’s hope Gunn could return to Marvel Studios in some fashion.
– In other movie news, The Oscars announced they’ll be creating a new category designed to honor “achievement in popular film,” likely in an attempt to include comic book and other pop culture-based films in the proceedings. What the category’s actual criteria for inclusion will be (total gross, tickets sold, etc.) is unknown.
– It turns out Squirrel Girl was inspired by a real-life woman named Doreen who loves wildlife, including but not limited to squirrels. Or at least that’s the way Squirrel Girl co-creator Will Murray told it to Syfy Wire, in an interview examining the fan-favorite character’s origins.
– Marvel Entertainment chairman Ike Perlmutter was named as one of three “Mar-a-Lago cronies” secretly shaping the Trump administration’s Veterans Affairs policies, in an in-depth ProPublica report. The Hollywood Reporter offered an overview of the report, in which they state the VA shadow cabinet “had an unprecedented level of influence over the direction of department policy.”
– Superman: The Movie star Margot Kidder’s death has been ruled a suicide, the AP reports. Park County coroner Richard Wood released a statement disclosing the 69-year old actress, who passed away on May 13, “died as a result of a self-inflicted drug and alcohol overdose,” and that no further details would be released. It was previously reported Kidder had died in her sleep, with Maggie McGuane, Kidder’s daughter, adding, “It’s a big relief that the truth is out there. It’s important to be open and honest so there’s not a cloud of shame in dealing with this.” She noted Montana, where her mother lived, has one of the highest suicide rates in US, and urged people with mental illness to seek help.
