TBDWelcome 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.
§ Crunchyroll released the trailer for Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle, the latest film in the anime series, releasing in the US and Canada on September 12. The movie is the first in a trilogy adapting the final arc of Koyoharu Gotouge‘s manga, and marks the franchise’s first original, non-compilation feature since its first outing to the big screen, 2020’s Mugen Train (which remains the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time). The TV show concluded in the meantime with its fourth season on June 30, 2024.
§ In more manga movie news, The Hollywood Reporter states Warner Bros. has let the option to produce a live-action remake of Akira expire, after 23 years of unsuccessfully trying to make the project happen. The film had various creatives attached at different points, including producer Leonardo DiCaprio, who remained onboard until the end, and Taika Waititi, who was the last filmmaker set to direct it. Other studios are said to be interested in snapping up the rights from publisher Kodansha, while an anime series by Bandai Namco, adapting the entirety of Katsuhiro Otomo‘s original manga, is also in development.
§ Following their appearances in Invincible season three, Image will reprint the Invincible Universe series Tech Jacket and The Astounding Wolf-Man in compendium books. Tech Jacket, by Robert Kirkman and E.J. Su, will collect all eight issues of the original 2002 series, Tech Jacket Digital #1-3, and Tech Jacket (2013) #1-12, while Astounding Wolf-Man, by Kirkman and Jason Howard, will reprint all 25 issues of the 2007-10 series, and the character’s crossover appearance in Invincible #57. Both books will retail for $39.99, and be released in comics stores on November 19, and bookstores on December 2.
§ Via Threads, Stephanie Williams shared an Ironheart miniseries she developed with artist Jim Towe, that was canceled after the Disney+ series was pushed back to 2025. Titled Riri Williams, the Invincible Ironheart, the four-parter would’ve seen Riri, now in possession of the Mandarin’s rings (as seen in Gerry Duggan‘s Iron Man run) face off against the supervillain’s daughter, Sasha Hammer. Marvel ultimately published two one-shots to coincide with the show this year instead: Ironheart: Bad Chemistry, by John Jennings and Jethro Morales, and the Free Comic Book Day Marvel’s Voices issue, by Justina Ireland and Julian Shaw.
§ Meanwhile, Popverse reports John Semper, the creator of 1994’s Spider-Man: The Animated Series, stated on social media that he was not asked by Marvel to be involved in the upcoming comics revival Spider-Man ’94. Semper said that, while he had “nothing but the greatest respect for” J.M. DeMatteis, who’ll be penning the book, he has “long [since] abandoned all expectation that Marvel would acknowledge any of my contributions to the Marvel universe.” Spider-Man ’94 #1, featuring art by Jim Towe, releases September 3.
§ Speaking of Spidey, Sam Raimi‘s trilogy is getting a 4K rerelease in theaters this fall, courtesy of Fathom Entertainment. Spider-Man‘s screenings will be held on Friday, September 26, with the sequels showing on the respective subsequent days, and an encore presentation will be held the next weekend, with each film respectively playing on October 3, 4 and 5. Of note, Spider-Man 2.1, the extended cut of the second film, will be the chosen version of the movie, making it the first time it’s had a theatrical release. Tickets go on sale July 25.
§ Fathom will also rerelease 1990’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie to celebrate its 35th anniversary on August 17 and 20. Screening before the movie will be the new behind-the-scenes featurette Turtles Unmasked, produced in collaboration with the creators of the upcoming Kickstarter documentary TMNT: Evolution, Mutation & Reboot, featuring new on-set footage, deleted scenes, and commentary from director Steve Barron. You can buy tickets here.
§ LDComics (formerly Laydeez Do Comics) have launched an online fair to mark their 15th anniversary, running through the whole month of July. Over 80 artists are participating in the event, which celebrates domestic and autobiographical by creators who identify as female, and you can browse what’s on offer, here. And in further British comics culture news, The Phoenix magazine and LICAF announced that, for the first time ever, Phoenix Fest will be held at the latter’s annual festival in Bowness-on-Windermere on the weekend of September 26-28. Further details and tickets (going on sale at 8pm UK time) can be found here.
§ Finally, Danny Lore has restarted the GoFundMe for them and their wife to protect them from housing insecurity. As they put it, “the problem with catching up on old bills… is the newer ones. Essentially, I’ve upped the goal to reflect about a month and a half of bills, which would get us to not behind. I’m aware it’s a rough time for everyone, so I appreciate anything.” At the time of writing, $8,361 has been raised of their $10,000 goal.
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