Welcome back to The Beat Digest, a twice-weekly round-up of the biggest comics-related news stories we’ve missed, usually every Tuesday and Friday, but we’re going a day earlier this week as it’s New York Comic Con. Is there a story out there you think we should cover? Be sure to let us know in the comments.
§ LEGO revealed next year’s Batman releases will include a buildable piece of wall art based on Jock‘s cover for 2011’s Detective Comics #880, featuring the Joker. Jock himself shared the product on Bluesky, saying his favorite part was “my green scribbles [being] replicated with LEGO shrubbery.” The Joker Wall Art Comic Cover is available to pre-order now, for a release on January 1, for $169.99. For prior LEGO Batman wall art, click here, and for all current and upcoming available LEGO Batman sets, go here.
§ Speaking of DC, buried in a Deadline article about Skydance Pictures co-chairmen Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein and Warner Bros.’s upcoming slate comes word that the planned Bane and Deathstroke movie is tentatively titled… Savage Hunters. To be clear, that’s not a title with any precedence in DC Comics. The film, written by Matthew Orton (Moon Knight), is listed as being in “early development,” along with Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Teen Titans, Swamp Thing, and the Wonder Woman reboot.
§ Sony revealed Phoenix Cyclops will be added to Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls as a playable character on Monday, November 2. The Phoenix Force version of the character, voiced by X-Men ’97‘s Ray Chase, originated in 2012’s event comic Avengers vs. X-Men, and is the first DLC character included in the game’s Year 1 Pass. (And yes, the classic outfit will be available.) Fighting Souls is available now on PlayStation 5 and PC, with the game now on sale on the PS Store, along with a three hour trial for PS Plus subscribers.
§ Writer Joe Atalla and artists Juni Ba, Jesse Lonergan, Dimitrios Pantazis, and Armand Bodnar are teaming up on the pulp anthology Sir Reginald and the Clockwork Heart. The book, which will be crowdfunded by Goats Flying Press on Kickstarter, follows the gentleman explorer (and skeleton) Sir Reginald, and his ghost butler Mr. Spittle, on their adventures around the world, collecting artifacts for a secret project. You can check out a preview of Ba’s story ahead of the Kickstarter’s launch on IGN.
§ Via AIPT, the Superfan Podcast announced it is returning for a Halloween-themed third season, featuring creators discussing their favorite tales of horror and crime. Guests will include Mat Johnson & Victor LaValle, Matt Wagner & Kelley Jones, Steve Niles & Eric Powell, and Nicole Goux & Mariko Tamaki. The first 85 min episode, featuring Patrick Horvath and Tyler Crook on David Lynch, is available now. The Superfan Podcast, hosted by Nakama Press executive editor Kristen Simon, and Superfan Promotions founder David Hyde, launched in 2025.
§ Finally, legendary actress Eva Marie Saint died at her home on Tuesday, October 6. She was 102. Best known for starring in On the Waterfront (1954) and North by Northwest (1959), Saint also played Martha Kent in Superman Returns (2006), and voiced the older Katara on The Legend of Korra (2012-14). She was the oldest living Oscar winner before her passing, having won the Award for Best Supporting Actress for On the Waterfront in 1955. She is survived by two children, four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
