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.
§ Per a press release, Mad Cave will publish a sequel to the 1984 sci-fi adventure film The Last Starfighter, written by Benjamin Raab and Deric A. Hughes (Quantum Leap, Arrow), with art by Willi Roberts (Antarctica). Releasing in June 2026, the book will pick up 40 years after the movie, which saw teenage gamer Alex Rogan (Lance Guest) become an alien hero. Incidentally, Mad Cave also announced The New Space Age, a five-part adventure by Kenny Porter (Superboy: The Man of Tomorrow) and Mike Becker (Young Offenders!). Beginning December 17, the series follows an astronaut on a quest to rescue his brother, who was abducted by aliens when they were children.
§ Dark Horse announced two, four-issue series based on CD Projekt Red games: Cyberpunk 2077: Chrome, and The Witcher: Blood Stone. Chrome, by writer Doug Wagner (Plastic, Plush) and artist Tommaso Bennato (The Witcher: Edge of the World), will offer a slasher movie premise for the world of Night City, while Blood Stone, by Daniel Freedman (Birdking, Kali) and Pius Bak (Godfather of Hell), will see Geralt investigate a monster attacking prospectors in an ancient dwarven mine. The books will respectively begin on January 14 and Jan. 28.
Furthermore, Dark Horse revealed Touched by a Demon, a horror comedy by Kristen Gudsnuk (Henchgirl, Making Friends). The series follows a lowly demon named Bifrons, who attempts to turn over a new leaf by becoming a life coach on Earth. “[He] is determined to help humans save their souls in the hopes that maybe with enough good deeds, God in his heavenly mercy will give him a second chance… but can an entity of evil really change its nature?” Issue #1 (of 4) will be released on January 21. (And yes, the title is probably a play on Touched by an Angel.)
§ Kyle Starks will write and draw Wrestle Heist, a five-part Image series that, as its name suggests, stars a crew of wrestlers on a heist. Colored by Vladimir Popov, the comic follows “a former pro wrestler — who has a brush with death thanks to a crooked promoter — [as he] assembles a crew of fellow wrestlers he’s screwed over… to rob him blind during the biggest wrestling event of the year.” Issue #1 releases December 17. It will mark Starks’s first series at Image since the conclusion of I Hate This Place (the video game of which drops November 7) in 2023.
§ Christopher Cantwell, Germán Garcia, and Alex Lins‘s dark reimagining of Sleeping Beauty, Briar, will conclude with Briar: Night’s Terror. Issue #1 of the final volume of the series, which debuted at BOOM! Studios in 2022, will be released on December 3. Additionally, BOOM! announced Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Zord Quest, a one-shot by Joey Esposito and Gavin Smith, which’ll see the original Rangers embark “on a spiritual quest of discovery to the breathtaking landmarks that the Zords [their giant mechs] call home” on December 31.
§ Hot on the heels of announcing their Terminator: Santa Claus special, Dynamite revealed for December a ThunderCats Ho!(liday) Special, and a Red Sonja New Year’s Special. The former, by Ed Brisson and Fabio Gallo, will spotlight the character of Snowman, while the latter, by Dan Panosian, will see Sonja battle snow panthers and ice giants after being “summoned” to a remote mountain village.
§ Marvel revealed a holiday special of their own, the Marvel Winter Break Special, releasing December 10. Reuniting Tim Seeley, Tony Fleecs, and Nick Bradshaw, the creators of the framing device for this year’s Marvel Swimsuit Special, the comic will similarly offer an excuse for pin-ups of our favorite heroes at a winter resort in hot tubs, hot springs, or doing hot yoga. Artists confirmed at the time of writing (aside from Bradshaw) include Kaare Andrews, Annie Wu, and cover artist Greg Land.
§ The Fantastic Four: First Steps will be released digitally on Tuesday, September 23, and then on physical media on October 14. Special features will include a commentary by director Matt Shakman and production designer Kasra Farahani, and five deleted scenes; the Amazon steelbook release will also include copies of the prequel comic by Matt Fraction and Mark Buckingham. First Steps, which became the First Family’s first positively-received movie, grossed approximately $519 million worldwide, and will mark the final MCU movie until July 2026’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
§ In more MCU news, Marvel TV boss Brad Winderbaum informed IGN that Daredevil: Born Again has already been renewed for a third season. Filming will begin next year, presumably after season two premieres on Disney+ in March. It is now currently the only Marvel TV series confirmed for 2027. Born Again, a continuation of Netflix’s 2015-18 Daredevil series starring Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio, premiered earlier this year to positive reviews, and is also set to receive a spin-off special written by and starring Jon Bernthal as the Punisher sometime next year.
§ Finally, ICv2 reports Ten Speed Graphic will release Wake Now in the Fire, a graphic novel chronicling the Chicago Board of Education’s attempt to ban Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis from the city’s public school libraries. Written by local librarian Jarrett Dapier, with art by AJ Dungo (In Waves), the book is based on Dapier’s experiences, as well as interviews with students and teachers, and follows fictionalized versions of the students who stopped the ban. It will be released on February 3, 2026.
BTW, just wanted to say that I really appreciate The Beat Digest column — finding a lot of news here, about things I’d like to read/view, that I’m not finding elsewhere. Thank you!
Thank you, that means a lot.
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