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.
Badrock #1 (2026) cover A, by Seth Damoose
§ Image will release Badrock, a Youngblood spin-off by Rob Liefeld and artist Seth Damoose (Tales of Mr. Rhee, Savants), starting July 15. The book will follow the youngest member of Youngblood after his mom is kidnapped, forcing him “to submit to the demands of her mysterious abductors.” Badrock (real name Thomas McCall) previously headlined his own books in 1994 and 1995, and four team-up titles from 1995 to 1997, including Badrock/Wolverine and Spider-Man/Badrock.
§ Richard Starkings and Abigail Jill Harding launched a Kickstarter for Ask for Mercy: Whitby Goth Weekend, a 41-page special “containing the first two parts of this new adventure.” Ask for Mercy, which ran for four “seasons” on comiXology from 2016 to 2022, is a fantasy horror series revolving around a group of monsters — led by the titular Mercy — hunting their own kind. Whitby Goth Weekend will see her gang pursue an alien vampire at an annual goth gathering in Whitby (the town where Dracula made landfall in England in the original novel). At the time of writing, $3475 has been raised of the $7000 goal.
Cloven #1 cover A, by Dan Panosian
§ Mad Cave announced Cloven, a horror western by writer Dan Panosian and artist David Ferracci (Monsterverse Declassified). Set during “the dying days of the American frontier,” the series follows June Buckley, a young woman in the process of receiving her inheritance from her evil, wealthy father. “And at the center of it all is Hendido… a creature bound to her father’s past, and perhaps to something far older and much more wicked.” Issue #1 will be released on July 21. The publisher also revealed a reprint of the Scout Comics series Grit, due out the same day.
§ Chris Schweizer launched Outlaw’s Apprentice, a fantasy adventure series, on Webtoon. The comic follows Otis, a teenage artist apprenticed to a former mercenary, who must go on the run when they find themselves “on the wrong side of the law,” forcing them to contend with all manner of bounty hunters and old enemies. It marks the first Webtoon title by Schweizer, whose prior credits include The Creeps, Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton, and Rock Candy Mountain. New installments will be released every Wednesday. The comic is also available to read on his Patreon, where subscribers will receive new chapters a week earlier.
Charles Dance on Game of Thrones (2014)
§ Deadline states Charles Dance (Game of Thrones) is in talks to join the cast of The Batman Part II, reportedly as Charles Dent, the father of Harvey Dent (sometimes known as Two-Face). In the comics, Harvey’s father (initially known as Christopher, then Harvey Sr.) was an abusive alcoholic responsible for his son’s mental health problems. The site adds Sebastian Stan will play Harvey, and that Scarlett Johansson will portray his wife; while both were previously reported to have been cast in the film, DC Studios and director Matt Reeves have not confirmed their parts at the time of writing. The Batman Part II releases October 1, 2027.
§ Via Variety, Kathryn Newton has confirmed she will return as Cassie Lang, the daughter of Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), in Avengers: Doomsday. The actress was spotted in the trailer screened at CinemaCon, prompting her to respond with a video sketch on Instagram, where (in a reference to the initial cast reveal) she receives a personalized “shrunken” chair. Newton first played Cassie in 2023’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, where she replaced the first two films’ Abby Ryder Fortson, and Avengers: Endgame‘s Emma Fuhrmann. Doomsday releases December 18.
§ Netflix revealed two new cast members for Heartstopper Forever, the show’s upcoming feature-length finale. Anna Maxwell Martin (Line of Duty) will replace Olivia Colman as Nick (Kit Connor)’s mother Sarah, while Derek Jacobi, one of Britain’s oldest openly gay actors, will have an undisclosed cameo role. Sarah was absent from the third season because of Colman’s busy schedule, but creator Alice Oseman felt the role was too important to write out again. The film will premiere sometime later this year, alongside the sixth and final collection of the webcomic (which concluded on April 11), due out July 7.
§ Variety reports Reginald Hudlin will direct and produce a new live-action TV show of The Phantom. King Features president C.J. Kettler confirmed the project is being developed in-house at the publisher, but little else was said about this take on the character, who was created by Lee Falk in 1936. The last TV version, starring Ryan Carnes as a present day iteration, aired on Syfy in 2010. As well as the comic strip, which continues to run with daily new chapters, the character has been reimagined in the sister title Phantom 2040, and stars in a series (plus assorted one-shots) from Mad Cave Studios.
§ Finally, Bandai Namco unveiled Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3, a new entry in the role-playing video game series, due out on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S sometime next year. Teased earlier this year, the game takes place in Age 1000, roughly 200 years after the original series, and will allow players to join the Great Saiyan Squad. It features original character designs by creator Akira Toriyama, who passed away in 2024. For more news from the Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour 2026, head to Bandai’s website, and the Dragon Ball site itself for the first footage from the new version of Dragon Ball Super: Beerus.
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