Welcome back to The Rundown, Multiversity Comics 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, Lynda Barry was awarded a MacArthur “Genius” grant.
— Chris Jericho is breaking out a little bit of the bubbly in celebration of a new comic collaboration. Ahead of All Elite Wrestling’s (AEW) TV debut, they teased a partnership with DC Comics. An illustration of a decked out Chris Jericho by Howard Porter/Hi-Fi has kick-started the campaign. A second piece by Ramon Villalobos of Jon Moxley has also been released.
— Deadline reported on Wednesday that Hulu is no longer moving forward with Gabriel Luna’s live-action Ghost Rider series. The report suggests the streaming giant and the show’s creative team reached a “creative impasse” on the direction of the fledgling series. There is no word yet as to whether the series gets pitched to a new streaming service.
— Fans of the recently concluded series “The Wicked + The Divine,” fret not: Jamie McKelvie teased his upcoming series in his newsletter. The currently unnamed project will be penned and drawn by him, and colored by long-time collaborator Matt Wilson. The new series is slated for sometime in 2020.
— Thomas Kinkade Studios and DC Comics are partnering up for a series of pastoral paintings of DC’s Mightiest Heroes and Villains. DC stalwarts such as Superman, Catwoman, Batman, and Wonder Woman will be immortalized in three paintings by the studio. The protégé of the late Thomas Kinkade will infuse the artist’s unique “Kinkadian style” into the DC Universe, paying homage to the painter in the process.
— Variety has learned that Counterpart Pictures has optioned the movie rights to Tapas Media’s webcomic “Blink.” The comic, written by former DC Comics editor Rex Ogle and illustrated by Eduardo Francisco, tells the story of a young African-American girl pushed to the brink. Everything freezes indefinitely when she screams at the top of her lungs, and as she wanders the still and silent New York City, she soon discovers that she is being stalked by an ancient evil entity.
— The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige is developing a new Star Wars movie with Lucasfilm. Disney Studios co-chairman and CEO Alan Horn said that Kathleen Kennedy “is pursuing a new era in Star Wars storytelling, and knowing what a die-hard fan Kevin is, it made sense for these two extraordinary producers to work on a Star Wars film together.” Other post-Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker movies in the works include projects from Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, and Last Jedi director Rian Johnson.
— Lastly, Diamond Comic Distributors has a new parent company in Geppi Family Enterprises’s (GFE). Chairman and CEO Steve Geppi announced the new company’s leadership team along with his vision for the pop culture properties it owns. Chuck Parker was appointed Chief of Staff, formerly Diamond Comic’s Chief Operating Officer. Larry Swanson remains the Chief Financial Officer for GFE. Dan Hirsch and Charlie Tyson will assume the roles of Chief Revenue Officer and President of Alliance Game Distributors, respectively. Chris Powell takes on the newly created position of Chief Relationship Officer for GFE. Tim Lenaghan is Chief Procurement Officer, Shawn Hamrick as Chief Logistics Officer and Roger Fletcher steps down as VP of Sales and Marketing.
