The Sunday Spotlight: The ‘Hopping Down The Bunny Trail’ Edition

Welcome once more to the Sunday Spotlight, where I take a quick perusal of the news in comics this week. All I ask of you is to read them. This week, it’s Easter and that means only one thing…

 

Disney Legend – Steve Ditko?…

So, Steve Ditko, creator of Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, and the man who gave the world the classic red & gold Iron Man for Marvel, plus creating the Question, the Creeper, Shade the Changing Man, and Hawk and Dove at DC, amongst many other comic achievements, is now part of the whole Disney Legends thing. No, I was unaware of it as well. From what I gather, it’s something of a Hall of Fame thing that Disney established to honour individuals who have ‘made a significant impact on the Disney legacy’.

Now, I know it’s all well and good acknowledging the man who went a long way, along with Jack Kirby, in creating the lion’s share of the Marvel Universe and, subsequently, raking in the billions for Disney. But there’s a real bittersweet feel to any award that, a) the recipient would most likely have hated to get and refused to accept in life, and b) recognises someone posthumously when they were never rewarded properly for their work during their lives.

Oh, and Disney including Ditko, keeps the 100% record of every Marvel comic artist in the Legends series having sued them – first Jack Kirby, then Ditko.

 

 

Hawk The Slayer’s Back – again…

This was in the latest 2000 AD Prog this week, an ad promising us that ‘Hawk lands in the Prog in 2024’ – meaning that there’s going to be a brand-new Hawk The Slayer series coming in the Prog later this year. The image itself is unmistakably Cliff Robinson, presumably for a cover, but the strip itself is credited to Alec Worley and Simon Coleby. Which means it should be plenty good.

As for Hawk the Slayer, one of those very cult ’80s movies beloved by so many, Rebellion finally acquired the rights to it a couple of years back and have already published the Garth Ennis and Henry Flint sequel to the movie, first appearing in the Megazine and then in collection (previewed here). This though, this looks like they’re really taking the property on and running with it…

 

More great zines and comics at BrumZineFest, Birmingham, 27 April…

BrumZine Festival, a celebration of all things independent publishing, DIY making, and creative freedom is happening on Saturday 27th April 2024 at TheHive in Birmingham UK. Join them for the fourth BrumZine Fest!

Here’s what the have to say…

‘Brum Zine Fest in an open invitation to explore the role that independent publishing and DIY making can play in interconnected movement building and collective action. Bringing together makers and organisers from Birmingham and across the UK, we host vibrant, energising places to share work and practice, build and strengthen connections, and activate more people to enjoy and deploy zine approaches, methodologies and formats.’

BrumZineFest 2024 happens on Saturday 27th April, 11am – 5pm, at The Hive, New Standard Works, 43-47 Vittoria Street, Birmingham B1 3PE.

 

Marc Laming launches new sci-fi graphic novel Eden at Chaos City Comics, St Albans, 23 April…

The always rather excellent Marc laming has a new sci-fi graphic novel coming out from Humanoids – Eden – and he’s having a little signing at St Albans’ Chaos City Comics on Saturday 13 April from 1-4 pm.

Announced and previewed by us here, Eden is a new Humanoids sci-fi GN of environmental collapse and corporate greed by writer Christopher Sebela and artist Marc Laming, from a story by Alain Bismut and Abel Ferry.

Well, with Laming on art, it’s going to look very good, but here’s an idea of what it’s all about…

“Desperate to escape a dying Earth, a family schemes their way onto a massive spaceship towards a new planet, Eden. Everything is going according to plan until the Oximenkos are shocked out of cryosleep and learn the truth of their journey. Now, the family must once again fight for survival, but this time an entire transport ship is looking to make sure they never make it to Eden… or anywhere else!”

 

London’s Cartoon Museum to launch Heroes: The British Invasion of American Comics – 25 April…

London’s Cartoon Museum has announced its new exhibition taking a look at how British artists and writers invaded America and made their mark on those American as apple pie superheroes and more.

The exhibition will tell the story of early American comics such as Buster Brown, Miss Fury and Superman, how they influenced British artists and culture, and how the British took that influence and sold it back to America through legendary comics such as Watchmen and V For Vendetta. There’s a look at the British attempts to imitate US newspaper strips of the 1940s, the creation of Marvel UK in the 1970s, and – as they say – a lot more.

The exhibition runs from Thu, 25 April to Sat, 19 October.

 

The Lakes International Comic Art Festival & Doctor Who Magazine announces Doctor Who Monster Competition…

With the winner appearing in Doctor Who Magazine in 2025 as a special comic strip, LICAF and Doctor Who Magazine invite children to design a Doctor Who monster.

Contest is open to children aged 8-12 and all entries have to be in by Thursday 1st August 2024. A shirt list of 15 designs will then go before a judging panel of Doctor Who Magazine editor Jason Quinn, Doctor Who comic strip writer and former DWM editor John Freeman, and artist and Who storyboard artist Mike Collins. Also involved in the judging will be Doctor Who expert Archie Phillips, from Milnthorpe, brought on board as a local superfan of the show.

The overall winner will be publicly revealed at the start of a special Sixty Years of Doctor Who Comics event at LICAF 2024 (27th- 29th September 2024), celebrating sixty years of Dr Who in comic strip form, starting in TV Comic back in 1964. At LICAF, Jason, John and Mike will lead a special session to brainstorm a possible story featuring the winning monster, working with the audience to create a special comic strip tale to appear in DWM in 2025.

 

Whilst we’re talking Doctor Who – trailer and dates for new series drop…

Oh, and whilst we’re on Doctor Who, I presume you’ve all seen the news that Doctor Who season 14, starring Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor, begins on Saturday 11th May 2024 with the first two episodes will be released at once, debuting on BBC iPlayer and worldwide on Disney+ at midnight UK time before then airing on BBC TV back-to-back later that day before the Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final.

It’s the first big change since the inking of the deal with Disney+, meaning that there’s a simultaneous worldwide release time, albeit one that’s obviously designed to favour you lovely people in the Americas who get to watched it on 10th May.

Now, people here in the UK have been a bit quick to complain that it takes away some of the uniqueness of having the series debut on the BBC and that it’s going to be a nightmare to avoid spoilers for the series with it being released many hours before getting a BBC1 terrestrial TV release. But all we really need is for everyone to be nice and polite about it on the internet and don’t give the game away, which I know is a big ask – but then again it happened with the James Bond No Time To Die reveal, so there’s no reason we all can’t do it for new Who.

 

The what Easter means to me moment…

Oh yes, you mention Easter to me and this is the one image that instantly pops into my mind – Unexpected #202, 1980, DC Comics, cover by Luis Dominguez.

Up until now though, I only knew that for the cover. For some reason (probably for reasons of my own sanity) I never imagined there would actually be a story to go with this cover. But no, five pages of absolute nuts – ‘Hopping Down the Bunny Trail’ – written by Michael Uslan, art by Tenny Henson…