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 either david@multiversitycomics.com or brian@multiversitycomics.com.
– Marvel Studios has revealed the first official plot summary for Avengers: Age of Ultron, and it sounds pretty much like what we’ve been expecting:
Marvel Studios presents “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the epic follow-up to the biggest Super Hero movie of all time. When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to The Avengers to stop him from enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected action pave the way for an epic and unique global adventure.
Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” stars Robert Downey Jr., who returns as Iron Man, along with Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Mark Ruffalo as The Hulk. Together with Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, and with the additional support of Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill, the team must reassemble to defeat James Spader as Ultron, a terrifying technological villain hell-bent on human extinction. Along the way, they confront two mysterious and powerful newcomers, Wanda Maximoff, played by Elizabeth Olsen, and Pietro Maximoff, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and meet an old friend in a new form when Paul Bettany becomes Vision.
– It seems like we don’t go a week without reporting some sort of kerfuffle involving a creator and Bleeding Cool’s Rich Johnston. Yesterday, Rich posted a 10 page preview of “Batgirl” #35 which DC sent to retailers. Rich posted it in an effort to get folks excited about the book, as yesterday was the final order cutoff date. Co-writer/layout and cover artist Cameron Stewart did not see it that way. Stewart saw this as half of the first issue of his run was leaked online for free, especially in an uncorrected proof/watermarked form, especially as it was never intended for the “general public” to see. Stewart and Johnston were going back and forth on Twitter quite a bit, before cooler heads eventually prevailed.
– Today in December’s DC solicitations, a new Vertigo miniseries was announced from Cullen Bunn and Jeremy Haun. “Wolf Moon” is a 6-issue mini, and Bunn posted a preview of the art on his Tumblr.
– Sorry, folks planning on binge watching Arrow on Netflix Instant before season 3 starts – for an unknown reason, the season’s debut on the streaming service has been delayed until the first week of October. So, if you want to catch up, I would recommend going the route of Luke Thompson at Topless Robot, and doing a couple of 12 hour marathon sessions of the new Blu Ray. On said Blu Ray, there is a deleted scene that shows a larger role than just one line off camera for Harley Quinn.
– Another cast member for The Flash has been revealed – and this is an interesting one. Amanda Pays will be playing Dr. Tina McGee, the same role she played on the 1990 Flash TV show. Obviously, she will be playing a much older version of the character, and she will no longer be working for S.T.A.R. Labs. Along with John Wesley Shipp, she is the second cast member to bridge both series.
– “Battlstar Galactica: The Death of Apollo” is a new Dynamite book taking place between the original television series and the 1980 sequel. Written by Dan Abnett and illustrated by Dietrich Smith, the book addresses a rumored, but never seen on screen, death of a main character, and does not yet have a release date.
– Norman Reedus, Daryl Dixon on The Walking Dead is publishing a book of fan art sent to him during his time on the show.
– Alan Moore will be writing a new “Crossed” miniseries, set 100 years in the future and illustrated by Gabriel Andrade. Avatar and Moore seem to be doing more and more together – if only I care about the properties.
– And, finally, we have some conclusive proof: Spider-Ham is going to be a part of “Spider-Verse.” Fuck yes.
