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.
– Pittsburgh Current cartoonist Rob Rogers has been honored with the Rex Babin Memorial Award for Excellence in Local Cartooning for his “Brewed on Grant” strip. “For decades, Rob Rogers has been a national leader in our profession, deftly satirizing not just national politicians, but also keeping a close watch on Pittsburgh politics and culture,” the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists said of Rogers. The strip ran for over 20 years in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, before Rogers was released from the paper and made the jump to The Current, a decision he attributes to his criticism of Donald Trump.
– The New York Times has published the complete list of MacArthur ‘Genius’ Grant winners, which include American speculative fiction writer author N.K. Jemisin. The author, who currently writes DC’s “Far Sector,” said in a video on MacArthur’s website that “I am writing the stories I wish someone had written for me when I was younger.”
– Diamond Comic Distributors reports their UK warehouse was broken into over the weekend. The distributor said, “We are now in a position to start cleaning up the mess and devastation that the thieves left behind and are aiming to re-open the UK warehouse [Tuesday] morning.” The company told shops that they cannot guarantee all orders will be filled this week as a result, and are asking retailers to hold new releases until October 8.
– Selina Kyle will be sporting a redesigned costume in writer Tom King and artist Clay Mann’s “Batman/Catwoman” for DC’s Black Label imprint. Mann, who cites Batman: The Animated Series as his inspiration for the redesign, posted the new costume on his Twitter with the caption “Love it or hate it. Batman&Catwoman#1 December.” Mann says the new design adds “a bit more tech/practicality to balance Batman.” “Batman/Catwoman” #1 hits shelves on December 1.
– Hulu’s stop motion MODOK series will feature advertisements for Marvel’s “MODOK: Head Games” comic at the end of every episode. Patton Oswalt, who provides the voice of MODOK in the show, will co-write “Head Games” with showrunner Jordan Blum. “HODOK: Head Games” will be four issues and run from December 2020 to March 2021. The show is scheduled to air in early 2021.
– An animated feature and series based on BOOM! Studios’ “Lumberjanes” is coming to HBO Max. Comic co-creator Noelle Stevenson, who was previously showrunner on Netflix’s She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, will write and executive produce the series, and direct the special as well as some episodes. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the rights to the show were the subject of a bidding war between HBO Max, Apple and Peacock. The Eisner Award-winning comic was created by Stevenson, Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, and Brooklyn A. Allen, who will also serve as executive producers.
– Cartoon Network has officially greenlit We Baby Bears for a Spring 2021 premiere. While the series will star younger versions of the We Bare Bears characters (Grizz, Panda, and Ice Bear), the cable channel has stated the show is not a spinoff or sequel to that series. We Bare Bears creator Daniel Chong and director Manny Hernandez will produce. No casting announcements have been made as of this writing, so it’s unclear if the actors who starred in We Bare Bears will resume their roles in the new series.
– Finally, Warner Bros. Animation has announced Batwheels, an animated series aimed at pre-schoolers. The show follows the adventures of “Bam” the Batmobile and his friends, Jett the Batwing, Red the Redwing, Bibi the Batgirl Cycle, and Buff the Bat Truck. The series is currently in development.
