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.
§ Oni and Magnetic Press launched a Kickstarter for Liberty! The Arms Smugglers Who Helped Win the Revolution, a historical graphic novel written by Prince of Persia creator Jordan Mechner, with art by Étienne Le Roux and Loïc Chevallier. The book revolves around the merchant Silas Deane, and the French playwright Pierre‑Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, whose partnership ensured a vital supply line to the American Revolution. The crowdfunder has raised over $21,000 (of a $7500 goal) at the time of writing, and will end on July 23.
The two publishers also revealed a Kickstarter campaign for Loba Loca, a MFKZ spin-off by Run and Guillaume Singelin. The graphic novel follows Guada, a teenage girl who discovers her father was a famous luchador, who may have who once saved the world. Teaming up with one of his former colleagues to launch her own underground wrestling career, Guada “refuses to be chewed up by the brutal bouts, strange powers, and bad attitudes that DMC is known for.” You can sign up to be notified of when it launches at the link.
§ Starz announced they are developing a series based on Cullen Bunn and Jonas Scharf‘s horror comic Bone Parish, with 50 Cent (Power) attached as an executive producer. The source material, released by BOOM! Studios from 2018 to 2019, revolves around a drug made from the ashes of the dead, and the ensuing war involving rival crime gangs and supernatural forces in New Orleans. Diane Ademu-John (Dune: Prophecy) and Declan de Barra (The Witcher: Blood Origin) will serve as showrunners.
§ People magazine reports Kay Hanley, who provided the singing voice for Josie (Rachael Leigh Cook) in 2001’s Josie and the Pussycats, is missing residuals from the movie. The Letters to Cleo vocalist, 57, told the magazine the lack of payments from the film means she is at risk of not earning the minimum for health benefits and pension points from SAG-AFTRA. She believes SAG stopped paying her residuals based on the mistaken belief that she only worked on the set for a day, or as an extra, and is currently in the process of rectifying that with her lawyer and manager.
§ Via Blu-ray.com, Universal will release the original He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon on Blu-ray for the first time on August 25. The Complete Original Series set will include all 130 episodes of the 1983-84 show, the 1985 feature He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword, and that year’s Christmas special starring the two siblings, as well as various bonus features. The release comes in the wake of the new movie, which has bombed at the box office, grossing only $110.3 million worldwide a month after its theatrical debut. The site also lists a Blu-ray release for the 2002-04 series from Mill Creek for November 3.
§ Thought Bubble and comics/board game retailer Travelling Man are reteaming to offer £400 micro-bursaries for nine UK-based up-and-coming comic creators. “Three recipients will be selected from each of the following: Disabled Comic Creators, Comic Creators of Colour, and Trans/Non-Binary Comic Creators.” They will also receive a table at the Thought Bubble convention, which will be held this year on the weekend of November 14, in Harrogate, England. The deadline to apply will be 11.59pm BST, on Sunday, July 12.
§ Finally, Sony announced that PlayStation games will no longer receive physical releases from 2028. We’ll have more thoughts on this frankly horrifying decision soon, but suffice to say, it’ll mean future PlayStation exclusives (like Insomniac’s Spider-Man 3, or a sequel to Wolverine) will be only available to buy and download digitally from the PlayStation Store. The news comes shortly after Sony’s decision to stop bringing PlayStation exclusives to PC, and Rockstar’s to only sell a digital code with physical copies of Grand Theft Auto VI (due out November 19).
