Author: matthewephotography@yahoo.com

When I was a kid, our version of “war on cards” (to borrow Postmark Games’ tagline) was war. For those who haven’t had the fun (and I use that term loosely), both players flip over the top cards of their decks at the same time, and the top card steals the bottom card. Repeated nausea. 52 Duels clearly isn’t. Instead, the good folks at Postmark Games (Matthew Dunstan and Rory Muldoon) took the basic idea from their successful Trump-driven solo dungeon crawler (52 Realms: Adventures) and created a head-to-head dueling game with real decision-making and clever mechanics. And it all…

This week: All Fight Month begins with DC’s first KO tie-breaking one-shot, Superman vs. Captain Atom #1! Note: The following review may contain spoilers. If you want a quick, spoiler-free buy/pass recommendation for the comic in question, check out the final verdict at the bottom of the article. DC KO: Superman vs. Captain Atom #1 Screenplay: Joshua WilliamsonArtist: Sean IsaacseColorist: Trish Mulvihill (P. 1-16, 20-26) and Hi-Fi (P. 17-19, 27-30)Author: Dave SharpCover Artist: Jorge Corona & Sarah Stern We’re now two months into the publisher’s latest big crossover, DC KO, and after a lot of table setting and a mad…

In this week’s Wednesday Comics Reviews, the team reviews a pair of Christmas horror anthologies with Dread the Halls and Startling Tales of Santa Claus, as well as new Criminal and new Briar! Plus, Ensign’s Log and The Prog Report! Dread the Halls 2025 #1 Writers: Jordan Hart & Chris RyallArtists: Luana Vecchio, Lee Ferguson, Keithan Jones, Walter Pax, and Fabio VerasLetterer: Jordan HartPublisher: Image Comics – Syzygy Publishing Review by Javier Perez Here we are again, the third installment of Dread The Halls. Let me be the broken clock that is right once a year and tell you to pick up this book. Like…

Oni Press released the latest installment of its “Quick & Easy Guides” series on Tuesday. This time we’re focusing on how to form and maintain healthy relationships. Written and illustrated by cartoonist Mariah Rose Marie, A Quick & Easy Guide to Healthy Relationships takes place in a fictional multicultural neighborhood called Sun Heights. However, it deals with real-life issues and provides tips to overcome all kinds of difficult situations. Today, The Beat is offering an exclusive preview of the book, featuring advice on how to deal with difficult times in friendships. See below. In announcing the book earlier this year,…

Two influential creators team up across time and space! Artist Tetsuo Hara, best known for his monumental Fist of the North Star, adapted the historical novel written by Keiichiro Ryu with Mio Aso. 1. Kodansha will publish a hardcover English version of the book in December, and The Beat has an exclusive preview today. The series is based on the real life of Sengoku period military commander Maeda Masumi, also known as Keiji Nada. The film is also about the famous kabukimono, a gang formed by samurai who ignored the formal dress codes of the time and adopted non-traditional clothing…

Yankee & Caramelized Writer/Artist: Chiuko UmeshibuPublisher: Yen Press (print and digital editions)Translation: Emma SchumacherLettering: Olivia OsantsPublication date: October 28, 2025Rating: MatureGenre: Manga (Japan), Boy’s Love, LGBTQ+, Romance Yankee & Carameliser ended its run in 2023, so it’s not a completely new series, but it’s Chiuko Umeshibu’s first work licensed for English by Yen Press. This review details specific events in the story. If you haven’t read it yet and want to read it blind, I recommend visiting after you’ve finished reading it. Next, let’s dig into this heartwarming boy’s love manga! If I were friends with Akito, I’d probably be…

December 3rd’s “Top Comics to Buy This Week” marks the first time this year (so far) that a holiday comic will appear on these lists. That comic is the horror anthology “Dread the Halls,” which is now in its second year and getting even better. Plus, we have a new Ed Brubaker/Sean Phillips comic, the end of a killer Star Trek miniseries, and more. In addition to the usual weekly release list, you can find all of my top 5 picks below… Enjoy! Top comics to buy on December 3, 2025 batman #4Writer: Matt FractionArtist: Jorge JimenezColorist: Tomeu MoriAuthor: Clayton…

Image credit: Jason Brown, midlifegamergeek.com Valiant, a classic 1950s cartoon character, successfully revived Tulloch in the 90s. Launching the series with a chrome and foil cover (similar to Bloodshot #1, the chrome treatment is applied to the area attached to the cover, rather than the entire cover), bringing the Native American dinosaur hunters into their own shared world. This issue provides new readers with an in-depth look at who, where, and why Turok is. We follow Turok as he seeks revenge against Monark, a cybernetically enhanced dinosaur with advanced intelligence and a ruthless nature, while providing the necessary explanations. This…

Strangers Publishing, known for celebrating overlooked artists and pushing the cutting edge of genre comics, is breaking new ground with Hostile Planet. This environmental science fiction anthology is a two-year passion project from publisher Eddie Raymond and longtime collaborator Tom Kneeshaw, who want to pay homage to the creators who shaped their friendship. Influences like Mad Max, the Armored Core series, and Tsutomu Nihei’s gritty techno landscapes are still reflected in its DNA, but the project has evolved far beyond its initial spark. Reimagined, expanded, and finally ready for readers, Hostile Planet brings together 13 creators from around the world…

Written by Mark Tweedle For the uninitiated, Mike Mignola’s Hellboy Universe can be intimidating. This is a shared universe that has been running since 1994 and has never been restarted. There are over 100 collections, about 12 different series, and just as many independent miniseries. So… where do you start? Don’t overthink it. If you want to read Hellboy, pick up a trade, omnibus, or paperback version of Hellboy with #1 on the spine. If you don’t have a number, that’s okay too, because it works independently without having to read it beforehand. If you want to read Lobster Johnson,…