Welcome back to The Beat Digest, a twice-weekly round-up of the biggest comics-related news stories we’ve missed every Tuesday and Friday. Is there a story out there you think we should cover? Be sure to let us know in the comments.
§ Top Cow revealed Stjepan Šejić‘s Death Vigil will return with a new issue #1 on August 5. The comedic action horror series, which originally ran from the Image imprint from 2014 to 2015, follows the Death Knights — an order of literally deceased warriors — in their battles against necromancers and the Elder Gods. Šejić comments, “This is the second story arc. If you like it, get loud about it because without you there may not be a third one for a long time. And trust me… you want the third, the fourth, and the fifth one!”
§ Dark Horse will release a Library Edition of Mark Millar, Peter Gross, and Tomm Coker‘s American Jesus trilogy on January 12, 2027. The series, which was originally published by Dark Horse as Chosen in 2003, before running at Image from 2009 to 2023, presents a contemporary take on the Second Coming of Christ, beginning with the tale of a 12-year old boy who discovers he has miraculous powers. The Library Edition will retail in hardcover at 232 pages for $49.99.
§ ICv2 shares Random House Graphic will rerelease K. O’Neill‘s Tea Dragon Society trilogy on June 2. The award-winning children’s webcomic, which consists of The Tea Dragon Society, Tea Dragon Festival, and Tea Dragon Tapestry, tells the story of a young blacksmith who befriends the titular small dragons. It was originally released in print by Oni Press from 2017 to 2021.
§ Netflix announced The One Piece will be released in February, and consist of seven episodes totaling about 300 mins (meaning each chapter should average out at 42 mins.) The series is a new anime version of Eiichiro Oda’s pirate manga, retelling the story from the start, and is produced by WIT Studio (Spy x Family, Attack on Titan seasons 1-3). The original One Piece anime, which began in 1999, continues to be produced, while season three of Netflix’s live-action version will be follow sometime later in 2027.
§ AWN shares King of the Hill season 15 will be released on Hulu on Monday, July 20. All ten episodes will be available at once. It will mark the second season of the animated sitcom’s revival, which began after a 16-year hiatus last year. Seasons 16 and 17 are also currently in the works.
§ Deadline reports The Fantastic Four: First Steps director Matt Shakman and co-writer Josh Friedman will reunite on the next Planet of the Apes film. Friedman previously wrote 2024’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, helmed by Wes Ball (director of next year’s Legend of Zelda movie). No ETA was provided, something bound to raise more questions about the next (unannounced) Fantastic Four movie. In the meantime, Marvel’s Planet of the Apes/Fantastic Four crossover will wrap up with issue #4 on May 27.
§ Finally, media mogul Ted Turner died on Wednesday, May 6, following an eight-year battle with Lewy body dementia. He was 87. The founder of CNN, TNT, TBS, TCM, and Cartoon Network, Turner played a major role in the shaping of the modern media landscape, including the library of films and TV shows Warner Bros. and DC Comics have the rights to. He was also the co-creator of Captain Planet and the Planeteers, which was revived as a comic by Dynamite last year. He was married three times, including to Jane Fonda from 1991 to 2001. He is survived by five children, 14 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
