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 Reuters, a district judge has dismissed the Joe Shuster estate’s bid to block the release of James Gunn‘s Superman in several countries outside the United States, citing the lawsuit being “brought explicitly under the laws of foreign countries, not the laws of the United States.” The Superman co-creator’s family filed the suit at the start of the year, claiming Warner Bros.‘s control of the character had reverted to them under various countries’ laws in 2017. The estate, which declined a request for comment, subsequently refiled the lawsuit in New York’s Supreme Court on Friday. Superman will be released in the meantime on July 11.
§ Taiyō Matsumoto‘s drama manga Tokyo These Days Vol. 1 (of 3) won this year’s Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Best Graphic Novel/Comics. The series, which ran from 2019 to 2023, but was only published in English by Viz Media last year, follows a retiring manga editor as he embarks on his final project. For the full list of this year’s finalists, head here, and for all of the year’s winners, click here.
§ Via Newsarama, Marvel revealed a new mutant will be introduced in next month’s Giant-Size X-Men 50th anniversary special. Set to debut in a back-up by Al Ewing and Sara Pichelli, the teaser image, by Luciano Vecchio, claims this character was invited by Professor X to join the X-Men during the events of the original 1975 comic, but turned him down. The new Giant-Size X-Men, featuring a main story by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, and Adam Kubert, releases May 28.
§ Dark Horse will release omnibuses of the comics for James Cameron’s Avatar films ahead of the third movie’s arrival this fall. Avatar: The High Ground Omnibus, collecting The Way of Water‘s tie-in graphic novels by Sherri L. Smith and Guilherme Balbi, will be released first in comics stores and bookstores respectively on September 30 and October 1, and Avatar: Tales from Pandora, collecting the other miniseries by Smith and more, will follow on October 28/29. The third Avatar film, Fire and Ash, will be released on December 19, 2025.
§ Via School Library Journal, Papercutz will publish The Ghost of Wreckers Cove, a children’s graphic novel by cartoonist Liniers and writer Angelica Del Campo. Originally released by comiXology in 2022, the book follows two sisters who move to a coastal town, and befriend a ghost haunting an abandoned lighthouse. The print edition will be released on September 16, 2025.
§ Amazon Prime has ordered a show based on Stillwater to series, with Greg Berlanti and Carly Wray (Watchmen) attached to write. Created by Chip Zdarsky and Ramon K. Perez at Skybound, Stillwater is a horror comic following a former criminal, who discovers a town where no one ages, dies, or can leave. Zdarsky and Robert Kirkman will be among the executive producers on the show, which will mark one of Berlanti’s first projects as co-creator since Superman & Lois in 2021.
§ After being teased in promotional material for some time, General Mills confirmed they are releasing a limited edition Thunderbolts* Wheaties box, which will be sold exclusively online from tomorrow morning, April 30, at 11 am ET, while stocks last. And speaking of Red Guardian, Marvel Studios released a commercial for the character’s limo service ahead of the film’s release on Friday:
(Go on, call the number.)
§ Finally, Netflix announced their annual Tudum event will be livestreamed this year on Saturday, May 31, so get your diaries out, and prepare to hear more about Wednesday season two (releasing August 6 and September 3, 2025), One Piece season two (early 2026), and many other coming releases next month.
