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.
Thief: Pulse of Promise banner, featuring cover art by Emanuele Ercolani
§ Via IGN, Bit Bot and Eidos-Montréal announced they will crowdfund Thief: Pulse of Promise, a graphic novel set between the original two video games. Written by Joshua Viola (Legacy of Kain) and Sean Eads (Lord Byron’s Prophecy), with art by Emanuele Ercolani (Masters of the Universe) and Gianluca Papi (Zootopia 2), the book will follow master thief Garrett as he encounters “a mysterious young boy whose fate may shape the future”.
The BackerKit campaign‘s bonuses will include a soundtrack by band Celldweller, featuring a new performance by original Garrett voice actor Stephen Russell. The book marks the second for the Thief series, following 2014’s Dark Horse release Tales from the City. Its reveal comes shortly after the news the original 1998 game, Thief: The Dark Project, would receive a remastered release sometime later this year.
You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive #1 cover A, by Heather Vaughan
§ Via Bloody Disgusting, IDW Dark revealed You’ll Never Leave This Place Alive, a horror mystery written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, with art by Heather Vaughan. The book follows Phoebe, a girl raised in a secluded community, that was seemingly safe “until the night of their graduation. When one of them dies under impossible circumstances, Phee starts to pull at the edges of her perfect life — and what she finds is something far more terrifying than she ever imagined.” Issue #1 goes on sale October 14.
§ Dark Horse announced a Where Monsters Lie Omnibus, collecting the first two volumes of Kyle Starks and Piotr Kowalski‘s horror comedy series, and the final chapter, Dead End, that was crowdfunded through Kickstarter. The series, which Dark Horse originally published from 2023 to 2025, follows the survivor of a killing spree, as he uncovers the existence of a gated community for slasher villains, and embarks on destroying it. It will retail in paperback for $29.99 on January 19.
Gravitator (voiced by Jack Quaid) on Invincible season five (2027)
§ As part of its announcements at the Annecy Animation Festival, Prime Video revealed Invincible has been renewed for a sixth season, making it the longest animated Prime series to date, as well as the longest animated streaming show since BoJack Horseman (2014-20). It was also revealed Jack Quaid has joined the cast of season five as Gravitator/Chris, an engineer who uses his gifts for thievery until he meets the titular hero. Season five will premiere at some point next year.
§ Meanwhile at the event, Netflix revealed In Waves will be released on the streamer on December 11. The French film, based on the graphic memoir by AJ Dungo, features the voices of Will Sharpe and Stéphanie Hsu, and chronicles the relationship between Dungo and Kristen, a surfer who was diagnosed with cancer. The first trailer for anime reboot The One Piece, premiering in February, was also revealed at Annecy, which you can read more from at the link.
Concept art for Snoopy Unleashed (2027), featuring Mia center right
§ In more news from Annecy, Apple TV revealed next year’s Peanuts movie Snoopy Unleashed will co-star Charlie Brown’s pen(cil) pal, reinterpreted here as Mia, a South Asian girl from London who uses a wheelchair. In the comic strip, the character was revealed to be a Scottish girl named Morag. Meanwhile, a first look was provided at the upcoming French-Japanese TV series Astro Boy Reboot, which will provide a secret identity for Osamu Tezuka‘s classic hero (named Atom, after his Japanese name). The show will premiere on FAST channel Wonderland Junior TV in 2027.
§ Finally, via GameInformer, Insomniac Games will add the Spider-Man: Brand New Day suit to Spider-Man 2 on July 28, three days before the film’s release. The free outfit, known in-game as the Fresh Start suit, will be available on both the PlayStation 5 and PC, and mark the first update for the 2023 game since June 2024. Insomniac’s next game, Wolverine, will follow on PS5 on September 15, for which Dark Horse has also annnounced an artbook, due out November 3.
