The Rundown: Sean Murphy talks PRJ, Batman; Jim Rugg dissects digital vs. print, and more

Welcome to The Rundown, a new daily article at Multiversity. It will break down key comic news we missed from the day before. It will touch on anything comic related, from interviews to news stories, interesting features to speculation, you name it. We’re here to inform you folks, and this is the way to get news outside of Multiversity (but why would you want to leave, really?).

Have a hot scoop? Find a piece we didn’t cover? Please share it with me at david@multiversitycomics.com. I’d be greatly appreciative!

– Up first, Newsarama had a very interesting interview with Punk Rock Jesus creator Sean Murphy yesterday, touching on his work on that book and much more. Of note, Murphy shared in regards to a PRJ sequel, “I have a clear idea of what I want to do for a sequel, but with my busy schedule, I would need to find another artist to draw it. I spoke to DC about it, but I don’t think they’re interested in a sequel unless I’m drawing it.” To me, that’s a shame, as Murphy clearly proved himself as a highly gifted writer on top of being a talented artist. Given his fierce talents and interest in maintaining quality on his creator-owned work, you’d have to think he’d choose someone that would be a good fit for the sequel.

Also of note is him sharing – after he previously had on Twitter – that he is working on something Batman related from an art standpoint. Working with pal Scott Snyder, perhaps? We’re not sure, but from what we’ve heard, expect this in 2013.

– Cartoonist Jim Rugg dissects the difference between the print and digital editions of Hellboy in Hell, noting the superior quality of the look of the art – mostly in colors – in the print edition. Rugg goes into great depth, and it’s an interesting read from a guy who (obviously) knows his stuff.

– Latino Review shares an “exclusive” rumor that Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler are being targeted for roles in Marvel’s upcoming “Guardians of the Galaxy” film from James Gunn. Adam Sandler as Rocket Raccoon perhaps? I will now light myself on fire.

– Is there any way you missed this yesterday? Rob Liefeld apparently wrote a script that reveals the hidden truth behind Image’s launch up until 1996, going in-depth on each of the Image founders and their development of the creator-owned publishing giant. He also cast his cohorts at Image, including Christian Bale as Todd McFarlane. It’s an entertaining read and is not to be missed.

– David Brothers answers a reader question about Marvel/DC dropping out of the comics business at 4thletter!, replacing it strictly with licensing. It leads into a great piece on the power of the direct market, what Marvel/DC’s market share means, and the world of comics today. As per usual, the comment thread turns into continued discussion on the subject that is perhaps even more interesting.

– Fury MAX rules. Jason Aaron’s Punisher MAX ruled. You can get those series finally exclusively on ComiXology. For those digital only readers, this is a time to get very excited.

– Not comic related, but a person Manti T’eo’d the living hell out of the gaming industry by creating a fake news story about a new X-Box. The results are really interesting, scary and kind of hilarious.