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.
§ Image revealed a pair of deluxe hardcover releases: Saga Book Four, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, and Friday: The Complete Series, by Ed Brubaker and Marcos Martín. The Friday Deluxe Edition, collecting all nine chapters of the Panel Syndicate webcomic, will be released in comics stores on November 12, and bookstores on November 25. Saga Book Four, reprinting issues #55-72 (ie. every issue since Book Three in 2019), will be available in comics shops on April 15, and bookstores on April 28, 2026.
§ Marvel unveiled a line of variant covers from this year’s class of Stormbreakers, releasing throughout the month of October. In order of release, the artists and the comics their covers will be available on are Netho Diaz (New Avengers #5); Luciano Vecchio (Avengers #31); Jonas Scharf (Marvel Knights: The World to Come #5); Alessandro Cappuccio (One World Under Doom #8); Geoff Shaw (The Undead Iron Fist #2); Gurihiru (Black Cat #3); Simone Di Meo (Imperial #4); and Juan Frigeri (Mortal Thor #3). When arranged in the order below, the character poses spell “Marvel ’25.”
§ As revealed at San Diego Comic-Con, Ignition Press has revealed their line-up of creators on unannounced books. They consist of Aneke (DC/RWBY), Aaron Campbell (Hellblazer: John Constantine), Mack Chater (Stranger Things), Rob Guillory (Farmhand), Phil Hester (Gotham City: Year One), Dennis Hopeless, Tini Howard, Sam Lotfi (Young Alfred), Shawn Martinbrough, B. Clay Moore (Last Flight Out of Wichita), Ande Parks (Ciudad/Extraction), Khary Randolph, Brahm Revel (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Will Rosado (Green Arrow), Joanne Starer (Fire & Ice), and Dave Wachter (Uncanny Valley). Their books will be released in 2026.
§ The winners of the 2025 Scribe Awards, honoring the best writing from tie-in releases, were announced at SDCC. The award for Graphic Novel went to Alex Rider: Snakehead, the adaptation of Anthony Horowitz‘s YA spy novel by Antony Johnston and Amrit Birdi, beating out Rick and Morty: Finals Week: Wrath of Beth, Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness: The Beginning, The Wheel of Time: The Great Hunt, Godzilla vs. Cthulhu, and Dark Souls: The Willow King. Congratulations! Head to Locus Online for more of this year’s winners and nominees.
§ Via The Futon Critic, Iyanu: The Age of Wonders will premiere on Cartoon Network and HBO Max on Saturday, August 30 (at 9:30 am ET/PT). The film, the first in a pair of tie-ins to the Iyanu series, takes place 500 years before the show, and chronicles the Divine Wars, when the warriors Dara and Ishe tried to stop the coming of the Age of Darkness. Iyanu, created by Roye Okupe & Brandon Easton, and based on the comics by Okupe & Godwin Akpan, premiered earlier this year, and will be followed by a second season and movie in 2026.
§ Broken Mirror Games and Skybound released a gameplay trailer for I Hate This Place, an isometric survival horror title based on Kyle Starks and Artyom Topilin‘s comic of the same name, revealing mechanics like a day/night cycle, and sound-based stealth traversal. The game, which will be released sometime later this year on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch, can be wishlisted now on Steam and the Epic Games Store.
§ Via IGN, Avatar: The Last Airbender creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko revealed Steven Yeun is voicing Fire Lord Zuko in the upcoming animated film The Legend of Aang. While the movie has recast most of the original show’s characters with Asian and indigenous actors, fans had no reason to believe original Zuko voice actor Dante Basco (who is Filipino) would also be replaced. Yeun previously voiced Wan, the original Avatar, on The Legend of Korra. The Legend of Aang, which will pick up several years after the original show, will be released in theaters on October 9, 2026.
§ Finally, Israeli actor Alon Abutbul died on Tuesday, July 29, after collapsing on a beach at HaBonim, in the Haifa District. He was 60. A popular actor in his home country, Abutbul was perhaps best known internationally for playing the unlucky Dr. Pavel in The Dark Knight Rises, and Avi Drexler on Snowfall. Other work included Rambo III, Munich, Body of Lies, London Has Fallen, Beirut, Fringe, 3Below, Hawaii Five-0, FBI: International, and the 2022 London production of the musical The Band’s Visit, for which he was nominated for an Olivier Award. Abutbul also supported the Israeli Labor Party, and ran for office with them in 2006. He is survived by his partner and their four children.
