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October was a strong month for crowdfunded comics. We’re leading the campaign for The Dungeon Crawler Carl: CROCODILE graphic novel, which has already raised nearly $2.3 million with only hours left. Based on Matt Dinniman’s wildly popular LitRPG series Dungeon Crawler Carl, Vault’s graphic novel is nothing short of a huge success. It’s no secret that publishers have had a lot of success with crowdfunding, but they’ve reached even greater heights in recent months. For example, Oni’s Murder Drones graphic novel campaign, which also ended in October, earned $1,750,552. And earlier this year, Skybound’s THE TRANSFORMERS Compendium Set sold for…
Marvel Comics has previewed Armageddon, an event storyline written by Chip Zdarsky, which will be released in June 2026. Described as a cosmic-scale event that will reshape the Avengers in a way not seen since Disassembled (a 2004 crossover that launched Brian Michael Bendis’ comics run), the series will build on Zdarsky and Valerio City’s Captain America work and Ultimate. Spider-Man: Incursion features teaser art that reveals a new Ultimate Universe Origin Box. For those unfamiliar, the Origin Box was created by the new Ultimate Tony Stark to give superpowers to heroes who were prevented from gaining them by the…
The Absolute Universe Line produces bangers, and Absolute Batman Annual #1 is no exception. The Dark Side Alternative Timeline featured the witchy Wonder Woman, the brick-shack Batman, the temperamental Martian Manhunter, and the creepy creature Mr. Freeze. Photo credit: DC. Absolute Batman Annual #1 depicts the early part of Batman’s career, specifically before Batman chooses not to kill the villains he faces. But instead of creating a youthful, edgy iteration of a violent Batman, it feels more like a gaudy mirror held up to the headlines. This story has the delicacy of a megaphone, daring you to say something. Batman…
Image credit: Alien Books We’ve reached the fourth (and so far final) comic in the reimagined world of Valiant, Valiant Beyond. I hate series that claim to be “new” or “all new.” Because it doesn’t take long before it doesn’t feel completely new anymore. Think New Teen Titans from the early 80s or the 2001 series New X-Men. These series are always referred to as “new works,” although they are never called “new works” these days. All-New Harbinger #1 introduces the team and new members one by one as they are called in to deal with a terrorist called the…
Created in collaboration with Tsuburaya Productions and Marvel, the Ultraman comic saga began in 2020 with The Rise of Ultraman. Giving the iconic hero a reimagined origin for Western audiences, the story continued through Trials of Ultraman, Ultraman: The Mystery of Ultraseven, and last year’s Ultraman X: The Avengers, where Japan’s greatest superhero finally crossed over with the heroes of the Marvel Universe. Now, the creative team of Kyle Higgins and Matt Groom, who laid the foundation for Ultraman in Marvel Comics, are preparing for their final ride. They return to conclude Ultraman’s journey in The Fall of Ultraman,…
Image credit: Alien Books It’s time to check out the third of four new Valiant comics, part of a rebooted all-new continuity known as Valiant Beyond. Following Bloodshot #1 (which has understandably been mired in controversy since its release) and Tales of the Shadowman #1, it’s time for classic armored hero XO Manowar to get the Beyond treatment. This issue introduces us to a wasteland inhabited by dangerous gangs and a lonely outcast who appears to be the only person capable of protecting the innocent. Who is Aric of Dacia and why no one seems to have even heard of…
DSTLRY’s best-selling series of the year, Galactic, doesn’t even debut until November, but today The Beat can provide you with an exclusive look at the second issue of Process Art, which will be released next year. The science fiction series Galactic is written by Kurt Pires, illustrated by Amilcar Pina, colored by Lee Lockridge, and written by Micah Myers. Described as the lovechild of George Lucas and Quentin Tarantino, the series follows a bounty hunter hired to retrieve a princess from a “death-bringer on a hippie planet.” Unfortunately, they both end up in the middle of an intergalactic war…which of…
Happy Halloween! In honor of the spookiest holiday of the year, Dark Horse has brought you a horror comic on the beat. Clipped from the pages of Dan Brereton’s Nocturnals Omnibus Edition, Vol. 1, we can exclusively share the full story of Punkinheads, which follows Halloween Girl and her guardian Gun Witch as they search for the remotest trick-or-treating outpost. Along the way, they encounter an evil witch and her pumpkin-headed minions, derailing Candy’s mission. You can read “Punkinheads” below. (Note: The page from the original publication from the 90s was removed because it contained slurs. Its removal has no…
Written by Avery Kaplan and Olly Kaplan In Star Trek: The Last Starship, the Federation, struggling in the aftermath of the Burn, turns to a long-dead hero for help. As issue #1 of IDW’s new franchise flagship comic series returns for its second printing, two crew members from Comics Beat’s Star Trek command team jump in to give their thoughts on the series everyone is talking about. The first three issues of The Last Starship are written by Jackson Lansing and Colin Kelly. Illustrated by Adrian Bonilla and colored by Heather Moore. Lettering by Clayton Cowles, design/creation by Neil Uyetake.…
Gran Familia Vol. 1 Writer/Artist: Kenji HamadaPublisher: Titan Manga (print version)Translation: Motoko Tamamuro Author: Skylar RutanPublication date: September 30, 2025Rating: 15+Genre: Supernatural Provided by Titan Manga Gran Familia once again taught me the lessons I learned as a child. That means you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. I felt like I had forgotten all that when I saw a white-haired young man in an unpinned tuxedo lounging in a red armchair. There was nothing that screamed, “You’re going to love this!” To me. Even the plot, about vampires wanting to coexist peacefully with humans, felt pretty basic. However,…