Author: matthewephotography@yahoo.com
Tom Jung’s iconic Star Wars A New Hope painting was sold by Heritage Auctions last Wednesday for $3.875 million. This artwork was used as key art on half-sheet posters that appeared in newspapers, magazine ads, and billboard ads in 1977 during the film’s original release. For many Americans, this was their first look at the Star Wars series. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (TCF, 1977), historic half-sheet key poster artwork by Tom John. (Cover image source: Heritage Auctions) “For most people in America, this was the first glimpse of a galaxy far, far away,” said Charles Epting,…
Next February, Ignition Press will debut Love Ignition 2026, its first-ever anthology featuring love stories from a host of incredible creators. However, please be careful. Some of these romances are a little weird. Today, The Beat is giving you an exclusive sneak peek at some of the stories from the collection. Details are explained below. The synopsis of the anthology is as follows. Ignition Press debuts its first anthology. This is an outsized, fiery love that stretches from the depths of the ocean to the far reaches of space. In love, emotions become intense, and some people go to extremes…
This week we took a look at what’s going on with Les Humanoïdes Associés and Humanoids, the French publishing house that launched Heavy Metal Magazine. And as we progress through the story, more is revealed, so consider this the end of the trilogy… unless there’s more to reveal, which is always a possibility. Les Humanoïdes Associés has a storied history. Founded in 1974 by creators Möbius, Jean-Pierre Dione and Philippe Druillet and businessman Bernard Farkas, it published the original Metal Hurland magazine. This quirky, spirit-expanding mix of science fiction and gorgeous art is one of the most influential comics anthologies…
boom! The studio is continuing the legacy of the popular sci-fi series The Expanse with a series of comic stories, including the latest installment, The Expanse: A Little Death, released in September. Today, The Beat can reveal an exclusive first look at issue #4, which concludes the limited series. Written by Andy Diggle and Wes Chatham, illustrated by Francesco Pisa, colored by Sarah Stern, and written by Simon Bowland, The Expanse: Little Death takes place after season 6 of the TV series and the events of The Expanse: Dragon’s Tooth. The series is directed by the author of the original…
In Jed McKay and Ryan Stegman’s X-Men: Age of Revelation Finale #1, the Age of Apocalypse has come to an end and the X-Men are reeling from a leap forward ten years. Cyclops faces a grim future, a world ravaged by the X-Virus, a highly contagious pathogen that not only affects mutants but threatens the entire world. Now Cyclops knows that the devastation it causes is somehow related to one of his team members. The X-Men will return this January, but it won’t be the same team. They must deal with the shadows of tomorrow in order to build a…
Written by Ollie Kaplan and Heidi McDonald After a year of investing heavily in big brand partnerships and IP acquisitions, WEBTOON today announced a series of new programs aimed at helping creators gain more resources and more opportunities. With programs aimed at both indie creators self-publishing on CANVAS and established WEBTOON Originals storytellers, the initiative is described as a “major investment designed to support creators every step of the way, from up-and-coming CANVAS talent to established global storytellers.” New programs include expanded monetization opportunities, support for new conferences and events, and new educational programs for career development. The new programs…
The following contains references to sexual abuse and suicidal thoughts. Months after filing the lawsuit against Midjourney, Disney announced a three-year agreement with Sam Altman’s company OpenAI, giving users of video generator Sora access to more than 200 Disney characters starting in early 2026. You can read the full press release here, but for now, here are the highlights, courtesy of Disney. As part of this three-year licensing agreement, Sora will be able to leverage over 200 Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars characters to generate short, user-driven social videos that fans can watch and share. The agreement will allow…
A few months ago, Skybound announced Invincible Omnibus Volume 2. 1 HC includes Marvel Team-Up #14, a historic team-up between Invincible and Spider-Man. This is a first for a trade collection. Today, Skybound is teaming up with Marvel Comics to announce the reprint of the aforementioned Marvel Team-Up #14 by writer Robert Kirkman (Invincible, The Walking Dead), artist Corey Walker (Invincible), and colorist Dave McCaig (The Walking Dead Deluxe), which will be back in comic shops on Wednesday, March 4th. This new reprint marks the first time that fans can purchase this iconic issue in standalone format since its original…
The Beat has exclusively released Archie Comics’ new one-shot, “Archie’s Valentine’s Day Spectacular #1.” Archie Comics loves pop culture parodies, so it’s no surprise that they decided to try their hand at parodying the super popular K-Pop Demon Hunter. Looks like there’s going to be a lot of romantic fun. Please read the official description of the issue below. The official Valentine’s Day comic is back with an all-new story! A-POP is a vibrant world fueled by music and love. When Sabrina, Betty, Veronica, and Josie form a band (managed by Archie!) to spread joy and compassion, they come to…
Not only was Superman one of the most popular movies of the year at the U.S. box office, but anecdotes suggested that comic book retailers may have actually brought in new readers. This is unusual. For years, the success of comic book movies doesn’t seem to have an impact on actual comic book sales. With the release of the first teaser trailer, Supergirl hopes to repeat that feat. The trailer released earlier today ends with a call to action to “Read Where It All Began,” and includes an ad for DC Universe Infinite and a link to a landing page…