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.
In case you missed it, we discussed long comic book runs in the latest episode of Make Mine Multiversity.
– Newsarama reported that DC’s ‘Future State’ and ‘Generations’ events are no longer connected. Dan Jurgens, writer and artist for the ‘Generations’ event, confirmed the distancing between the two events, stating “we were going to touch on what’s coming with ‘Future State,'” but plans have since changed so the event is now “detouring from that a bit to focus more on our own story.” Batman group editor Ben Abernathy echoed this: “‘Generations’ is its own story right now.” ‘Future State’ was first mentioned as the subtitle for the next ‘Generations’ one-shot at the end of the ‘Generations: Fractured’ short story featured in September’s “Detective Comics” #1027. The ‘Generations’ one-shot is now called “Generations: Shattered,” and is scheduled for release on January 5, with the now separate ‘Future State’ event starting on that same day.
– Marvel Comics publisher John Nee was revealed to have left the company after Disney cut back employees who had previously furloughed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. During his time at Marvel, Nee oversaw operations largely from behind-the-scenes, and was responsible for the Warhammer licensing deal last year. Nee replaced Dan Buckley in the role following his promotion to President of Marvel Entertainment in early 2018. A new Publisher has not currently been announced.
– Cartoonist Gleb Melnikov shared multiple pieces of artwork for a creator-owned comic piece starring the scythe-wielding Kira. In a tweet, Melnikov joked that he needs a “clone of myself” to be able to work on the project alongside his continued work at DC Comics. You can check out the artwork here.
– Germany’s Ariella Publishers released #Antisemitismus für Anfänger (#Anti-Semitism for Beginners), a collection of satirical cartoons and texts from a host of individuals, including cartoonists from The New Yorker, and across France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Ariella Publishers’ founder, Myriam Halberstam, intended to broaden the German publishing landscape, with the company being the first Jewish children’s publishing house in Germany since the Shoah. Halberstam describes the collection as a “successful symbiosis of Jewish and non-Jewish humor.”
– Writer Nadria Tucker announced that her contract for the upcoming Superman and Lois is not being extended by the CW. Tucker, who said the network told her her “outline and draft [was] subpar,” claimed that there is a sexist atmosphere within the writers’ room. She stated that she spent months “flagging #metoo jokes in dialogue,” “defending the Bechdel test,” “fighting to ensure the only Black faces on screen aren’t villains,” and “pitching stories for female characters,” only for them to be rejected. The CW have not yet responded to the allegations.
– Deadline reported that production on a third season of Disney+’s The Mandalorian may be starting as soon as this week, despite not officially being greenlit. Some sources have claimed that production may not start until Spring or Fall of 2021 though, with the Lucasfilm production being shrouded in secrecy, due to the possibility of a spin-off starring Boba Fett being filmed before The Mandalorian season 3. The report also detailed that Sophie Thatcher (When The Street Lights Go On) is set to join one or both of the projects. Season 2 of The Mandalorian is premiering each Friday on Disney+.
– Colin Firth signed on for the headline role in New York Will Eat You Alive, a feature film adaptation of Jia Haibo’s “Zombie Brother.” The digital Chinese comic is set in City H, where an ancient coffin has contaminated the water supply, causing those who drink the water to eat others to try to evolve; it follows main character Bai Xiaofei, a boy who steps away from his video games and out of his house in search of his girlfriend. Firth’s character was not specified. Todd Strauss-Schulson (Isn’t It Romantic) is set to direct, whilst Tencent, STXfilms, and Channing Tatum, amongst others, are producing the adaptation. Alex Rubens wrote the screenplay, which is currently undergoing revisions by Dan Gregor and Doug Mand. New York Will Eat You Alive does not currently have a release date.
– Finally, Rupert the Bear, the star of The Daily Express strip, turned 100. Since debuting in a cartoon named ‘Little Lost Bear’ on November 8, 1920, “Rupert Bear” has been a mainstay in the paper ever since, with creator Mary Tourtel writing and illustrating the stories until 1935. Since then, several cartoonists have taken the reigns for the comic strip, with Stuart Trotter currently at the helm. The Beaney Museum in Canterbury, the city where Mary Tourtel grew up (then Mary Caldwell) will be celebrating the centenary with an interactive exhibition, which will open on December 3.
