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BOOM! Studios today announced LUMBERJANES: TRUE COLORS, an all-new original graphic novel by New York Times best selling author Lilah Sturges (Lev Grossman’s The Magicians), acclaimed artist polterink (Lumberjanes: The Shape of Friendship), and letterer Jim Campbell, taking Ripley – and us – on a journey to discover who she truly is, and reminding us that showing others your true colors can help you see theirs, too.


At Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqual Thistle Crumpet’s Camp for Hardcore Lady-Types, being yourself has a long tradition of being celebrated, and no one knows that better than Ripley, who has spent a summer going wherever the wind takes her. But sometimes going against the grain is starting to feel like she’s going against her friends, and Ripley’s not sure if being unique is all it’s cracked up to be.

Lilah Sturges is the Eisner Award-nominated co-writer of acclaimed title Jack of Fables, as well as the writer for well-known series such as House of Mystery, Fables: The Wolf Among Us, Doctor Who, Thor, and Justice Society of America, as well as The Magicians: Alice’s Story, an original graphic novel set in the universe of Lev Grossman’s best-selling trilogy.

“When a practical joke goes awry, Ripley suddenly finds herself the target of a lot of anger and frustration. Afraid that no one likes her anymore because she's too different, Ripley runs away from camp... only to meet a capricious magical beast known as a zebracorn (it's like a unicorn, but the ZEBRA version),” said writer, Lilah Sturges. “Convincing Ripley that being unique isn't cool, it uses its magic to help her blend in, but before long Ripley blends in so well that she becomes invisible! Meanwhile, the Head Counselor from Lumberjanes International has come to grade Jen's performance... but is she really on the up and up?”

Claudia Rinofner, known as polterink, is an artist and illustrator from Austria, a rising star and the innovative creator of the online comic series Crysalis.

"This is such a beautiful, fun and heartfelt story, and I'm so happy to be a part of it!” said artist, polterink. “I can't wait for people to get their hands on it!"

Lumberjanes: True Colors will mark Sturges and polterink’s third original graphic novel collaboration in the beloved Lumberjanes franchise, joining Lumberjanes: The Infernal Compass (October 2018) and Lumberjanes: The Shape of Friendship (November 2019).

Launched in 2014 under BOOM! Studios’ YA-focused BOOM! Box imprint by series co-creators Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Brooklyn Allen, and Noelle Stevenson, Lumberjanes was originally solicited as a limited series, but the overwhelming response from fans transformed it into an ongoing series that has become a New York Times best-seller, earned numerous nominations for prestigious awards including the GLAAD Media Award and the Eisner Awards (which it has won twice), and have even crossed over with heroes from the DC Comics Universe (in Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy). The Lumberjanes have expanded to middle-grade novels at Abrams Books, a diverse array of merchandise from pins to patches, and a feature film in development at 20th Century Fox.

“Ripley is a wonderful ball of energy who always throws herself headlong into whatever zany adventure the Lumberjanes have stumbled into, but even the most confident of hardcore lady-types can find it scary to disagree with their friends or be their authentic selves,” said Jeanine Schaefer, Executive Editor, BOOM! Studios. “Lilah and polterink are here with an exciting and moving story about the youngest member of the Lumberjanes and how she deals with being true to herself while also being a good friend and a great Lumberjane!”

LUMBERJANES: TRUE COLORS is the latest release from BOOM! Studios’ award-winning BOOM! Box imprint, home to groundbreaking original series such as Giant Days by John Allison, Lissa Treiman, and Max Sarin; Smooth Criminals by Kirsten ‘Kiwi’ Smith, Kurt Lustgarten, and Leisha Riddell; Fence by C.S. Pacat and Johanna The Mad; and The Avant-Guards by Carly Usdin and Noah Hayes.

Print copies of LUMBERJANES: TRUE COLORS will be available in October 2020 at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one), bookstores or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and Madefire.

AMC has released an appetite-whetting clip from tonight's episode of The Walking Dead.

The episode, "Look at the Flowers", premieres Sunday, March 29 at 9/8c on AMC.

Clip: https://youtu.be/nD1_cNVfzXg

Dan Fogler, the actor you know as Jacob Kowalski in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Luke on The Walking Dead, is a huge fan of comics.

This summer, Heavy Metal magazine is launching three comics titles of Fogler’s Fiction — Fishkill, Brooklyn Gladiator and Moon Lake. The first two are already available for pre-order.

Brooklyn Gladiator issue #1, arrives July 1. Fishkill issue #1, coming July 8. And Moon Lake #1, coming July 15.

Brooklyn Gladiator features art by Heavy Metal favorite Simon Bisley, and Fishkill is drawn by Eisner-nominated Ben Templesmith.

Deadline reports that Neon has taken U.S. rights to Brandon Cronenberg’s sci-fi thriller Possessor, which made its world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The distributor will announce a release date in the future for the pic. Well Go USA is handling the home entertainment release.

Possessor, which stars Andrea Riseborough, Christopher Abbott, Tuppence Middleton, Sean Bean and Jennifer Jason Leigh, follows corporate agent Tasya Vos (Riseborough), who works for a secretive organization that uses brain-implant technology to inhabit other people’s bodies – ultimately driving them to commit assassinations for high-paying clients.

Out of Sundance, the movie scored a 93% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Marvel's executive vice president Joe Quesada, like many of us, has been going a tad stir crazy since the ongoing pandemic social distancing, so he has popped a video announcement onto his Facebook and Twitter accounts announcing a new morning show he will be hosting starting Monday.

Joe Q's Mornin' Warm-Up should be, at least in initial stages, as loose as it comes as Quesada familiarizes himself with home streaming tech. From his vid, it sounds as though there will be the usual: Q & A with fans, interviews, behind-the-scences looks, tutorials, live guests over video conferencing tech, etc.

Quesada said the show would start Monday morning, with an announcement coming on Marvel’s YouTube account.

Video: https://www.facebook.com/joe.quesada/videos/10163346507320578/

Last week comic fans and stores were hit with a huge blow thanks to the coronavirus pandemic when Diamond Comic Distributors announced that they will no longer receive shipments of new comics at its warehouses due to the ongoing pandemic, a move that means product dated on or after April 1st will not be shipped. Now, ComicBook.com reports that DC will be going forward with releasing a limited selection of new DC comics digitally on Wednesday, April 1st.

At this point, full details of what DC will release digitally on Tuesday are not yet available. What is known is that at least some of the week's planned new releases will be made available for customers on digital platforms.

Last Monday, Diamond Comic Distributors announced that they will no longer receive shipments of new comics at its warehouses. In an official statement Steve Geppi, chairman and CEO of Diamond’s parent company Geppi Family Enterprises, stated that the move was prompted from what they were hearing from retailers -- specifically that due to stay at home orders put in place by various state and local governments, stores were no longer able to service customers in a business as usual manner. Additionally, Geppi cited the strain and challenges being experienced by supply chain and others due to the coronavirus pandemic as part of the decision to cease weekly distribution of new product at this time.

On Saturday, DC released their own statement on the ongoing issues of distribution and returnability, indicating that they are looking at other distribution methods, something that could long run lead to the end of Diamond's position in the industry and open up other avenues of sales and shipment.

"Additionally, because we anticipate that continued disruption to business operations will create regional volatility, DC is exploring a multi-distributor model to provide us with the flexibility needed during this crisis to get new content to our readers on an ongoing basis," that statement reads. "In the short-term, we continue to engage in active conversations with Diamond to help us solve the distribution issues that have arisen and hope to get new product to stores that want or need it as soon as possible. We will provide additional information about how we’ll make that happen in the coming days."

Stay tuned to DF News for further updates on this situation.

Just what we were waiting for, a hot film deal.

Days after the town jumped all over the new novel by The Martian author Andy Weir, sources said that Project Hail Mary is in exclusive negotiations to be acquired by MGM in a 7-figure deal. Ryan Gosling will produce with Ken Kao. It is the latest bold move for Michael De Luca since taking the reins of the movie side of the studio. The deals are expected to close quickly.

The book is described as a solitary tale of an astronaut on a space ship who is tasked with saving the planet. There are some very clever twists which will not be given away here, but are consistent with the ingenuity that made The Martian a thrilling ride.

Gosling is attached to play the astronaut as well. (via Deadline)

THR reports that in one of the first deals to get underway since Hollywood locked down due to the coronavirus crisis, Disney+ is hiring a director for one of its features.

Shiri Appleby, best known for her longtime acting work on shows such as UnREAL and Roswell, is in negotiations to direct Wouldn’t It Be Nice, a body-switching romantic comedy in the works at Disney+.

Appleby, who also directed episodes of unREAL as well as several other shows, would make her feature-helming debut with Nice. The way she nabbed the gig is very much of the moment in the way Hollywood is operating in these times of lockdown: Sources say Appleby presented her take on the project to Disney executives via Zoom. If a deal makes, she is likely to be the first director to be hired by the studio in this fashion. The project has not been greenlit and is still in development, insiders say.

Nice tells of teenage friends — a star football player on the rise and a brainy girl with few prospects — who wake up 20 years later to find out they are married and living a life neither of them expected.

Kristen Bell and Nickelodeon have teamed up for a special offering a kid's-eye view of life today amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Hosted by Bell, #KidsTogether: The Nickelodeon Town Hall will be an hour-long special that directly addresses kids' questions and concerns about COVID-19 and provides tips and insights from medical experts. Kids and families across the country will also give first-person accounts of how they're handling social distancing and other changes in their lives. Alicia Keys is set to perform at the event as well.

"It’s so important to remember that we are all in this together, and our kids and loved ones need outlets to help them process and understand what’s going on and, most importantly, to still feel connected," Bell tells EW about the special. "I hope kids and families come away from this special feeling a little more comfortable and that they enjoy some much-needed moments of humor during this difficult time."

#KidsTogether: The Nickelodeon Town Hall is set to air Monday, March 30, at 7 p.m.

CBS All Access has released the first teaser for the third season of Star Trek: Discovery.

The series is expected to return to CBS All Access with new episodes in 2020.

Teaser: https://youtu.be/ihGPBM5jIP0

Russell T Davies has penned and posted a prequel to the Doctor Who adventure, "Rose" – the episode that marked the series. What we weren't expecting was for Davies to post a sequel to the return episode, "Revenge of the Nestene".

In the sequel, Davies took us back in time to the last days of "The Time War"… and the beginning of the Doctor's return. This time, viewers get a sense of what happened after the final credits rolled on the the Doctor's return. Both were released to coincide with the global anniversary live-stream/live-tweet that took place on Thursday, which Davies also took part in. (via Bleeding Cool)

"Revenge of the Nestene" sequel vid: https://youtu.be/CpFoOkSDgnc