Patrick Horvath’s Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees gets a prequel comic. IDW’s exiting EIC Jamie S. Rich speaks out after rumors fly. Francesco Mattina DC covers are reportedly being replaced after the AI controversy. All on Comic Book Club News for June 24, 2024.
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Episode Transcript:
Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees gets a prequel.
IDW’s exiting EIC speaks out.
Francesco Mattina covers being replaced.
This is Comic Book Club News for June 24, 2024.
Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees Prequel Ashcan Coming To SDCC:
Before the trees where nobody sees? Patrick Horvath’s hit horror comic Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees is getting a one-shot prequel from IDW. And the only place to get it is at San Diego Comic-Con.
The news was revealed via The Beat. Titled Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Präludium, the new prelude story will focus on adorable bear killer Samantha Strong as she takes a hike in the woods in 1962, and figures out what she really wants to do: cut people into little pieces to watch them bleed.
The one-shot will be limited to 1,000 copies, cost $10, include 10 new pages of story and two sketch pages, and only be available at the IDW booth at SDCC. Somebody grab me a copy, okay? Thanks.
IDW Exiting EIC Jamie S. Rich Speaks Out After Rumors Fly:
Sticking with IDW for a moment, after the news hit that EIC Jamie S. Rich was leaving the company, rumors began to fly. With layoffs occurring over the past two years, and questions about the publisher’s future, is that it for IDW?
Well… No. Rich spoke to Popverse about leaving the company, and all the scuttlebutt couldn’t be farther from the truth. Said Rich: “It’s disheartening to see the know-nothings of the internet twist my hard work and how that is paying off for a new and exciting opportunity for me into something nefarious and negative. IDW is currently on a creative upswing. I had the pleasure of working with a lot of talented, professional people at the company who cared a lot about the comics we were making, all of which has been awarded with excellent sales and critical acclaim.”
Further, Rich shut down any rumors that IDW’s licensed editor, Heather Antos, was involved in any way. Antos has been a frequent internet troll punching bag since her time at Marvel, only inasmuch as when you go to punch a bag, it punches you back so hard you explode. Continued Rich, “[Heather] was one of the leaders I heavily relied on in editorial. To say otherwise, to discount the level of skill and vision evident in her comics, makes me wonder if you like good comic books at all.”
While it’s unknown what job Rich did leave to take — maybe he’s taking over from Zeb Wells writing Amazing Spider-Man? — publisher Mark Doyle will temporarily take on the EIC duties before a new hire is announced.
Francesco Mattina DC Comics Covers Being Replaced After AI Controversy:
And in non-IDW news, DC Comics is reportedly replacing all of artist Francesco Mattina’s upcoming variant covers, after questions about his potential use of AI.
The news comes via Bleeding Cool, which reports that at least seven variant covers attributed to Mattina have been resolicited as “TBA,” including the cover to Action Comics #1069 that drew most of the internet’s ire. As reported previously here on the podcast, DC has emphasized they have a long-standing policy about how artists’ work must be original and were looking into the allegations against Mattina.
Mattina has been previously accused of tracing and stealing artists’ work for decades; potential AI usage is just the latest wrinkle on this. More on this story as it develops.
For Comic Book Club News, I’m Alex Zalben. And okay, fine, I’ll run IDW. If I have to.
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