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.
– To the surprise of no one, Marc Webb will be back as the director for the third “Amazing Spider-Man” film. Webb has directed the first two, and even though the second has yet to arrive, it’s clear that Sony considers Webb an integral part of the team behind this series. Good for Webb, although I hope his next two are better than round one was.
– In a pretty long, fascinating interview with IAI, Warren Ellis touches on a lot of subjects, but of most interest to you is what he thinks about where American comics are right now. Which is:
The American comics industry is in trouble. People in comics are still trying to work out what the internet is for, and it’s leading to a lot of close-minded thinking. So you’re not really finding, at least in the commercial comics industry, a lot of experimentation or people trying to kick out new ground.
The whole piece is well worth a read, but I’m not sure I agree with Ellis. There may not be a lot of experimentation going on, but I’m not sure if experimentation defines a successful comic. There is plenty of quality storytelling out there, but maybe not a lot that is pushing the envelope. I do think the industry is a bit like an awkward teenager right now with the internet, but in trouble? Maybe not.
– Oh hey! Barry Allen gets a mom, which doesn’t bode well for her future as a living person. Michelle Harrison, who I have no experience with, has been cast for the role, but also noted in there is the fact that Danielle Panabaker has been cast as Killer Frost (apparently), which is totally awesome because she is awesome.
– Yuko Shimizu, cover artist of The Unwritten at Vertigo, provided a walkthrough on how she put together a recent piece she crafted for Entertainment Weekly for their Oscars issue. Shimizu is a wonder, and it’s pretty awesome seeing her process laid out like this.
– Marvel’s getting into the health business, and by that, I mean they are backing a half-marathon with Disney called the “Avengers Super Heroes Half-Marathon”. That’s a thing that is happening at Disneyland, so if you want to inject yourself with some sweet, sweet super soldier serum, this may be a good time for that. I wouldn’t recommend it though, as I did one once, and holy shit you guys, 13.1 miles is REALLY far. Driving is advised.
– Finally, Honest Trailers released their 50th iteration, and they take aim on Zack Snyder’s “300”. As a person who was definitely not a fan of that movie, I loved it.
