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.
§ Via Variety, Supergirl opened to a disappointing $37 million domestically ($62 million total globally). The film, which cost $170 million to produce, received mixed reviews (including 56 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and a B- from CinemaScore respondents) compared to its predecessor Superman, which opened to $125 mil last year. It opened in second place, behind Toy Story 5, which added $70 mil to a current domestic total of $298 mil, and $589 mil worldwide.
Co-producer Peter Safran responded to The New York Times, saying, “While Supergirl didn’t meet our box office expectations, it’s just one component of a broader, long-term strategy at DC Studios that we remain confident in.” The paper also says Warner Bros. was taken aback by a misogynistic backlash to Milly Alcock, as they “believ[ed] the culture had evolved past that sort of campaign.” In any case, Alcock will take flight again as Kara in the Superman sequel Man of Tomorrow, out July 9, 2027.
§ Sony revealed the Midnight Sons Samurai Outriders, the fifth and final team in Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls, led by Robbie Reyes/Ghost Rider (Giancarlo Sabogal). The team also consists of Blade (Imari Williams), Deadpool (Nolan North), and Loki (Jason Spisak). Fighting Souls launches on the PlayStation 5 and PC on August 6, with an open beta set to be held on the weekend of July 24 (during San Diego Comic-Con).
§ In further fighting game news, Invincible VS is adding Universa and The Immortal as playable characters from today. The characters’ arrival heralds the start of the game’s first “season”, which will also add an Endless Arcade mode, and new cosmetics. Seasons two and three will follow in October and December. The game, and the separately priced year one character pass, are available now on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S.
§ In other video game news, Bandai Namco dropped a new trailer for Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3. The latest entry in the role-playing series takes place in Age 1000, roughly 200 years after the original manga and anime by the late Akira Toriyama, and will allow players to moonlight as a member of the Great Saiya Squad, and a West City University student. It will be released on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S sometime in 2027. For more, head to the official Dragon Ball site.
§ In an email to customers (shared by Nick Roche), The Phoenix comic has announced it will no longer ship to the European Union as a result of a new customs charge being introduced on July 1. The last issue sold outside the UK will be #759, due out July 18. The Phoenix, which runs weekly, is the biggest-selling children’s comic in the UK, and the home of Jamie Smart‘s Bunny vs. Monkey, among others. The news came ten years after the UK’s EU membership referendum (on June 23, 2016), which resulted in the country’s official departure from the union a few years later.
§ Finally, Toy News International shares BigBadWorkShop will release a toy line of Fury Force, the unrealized Nick Fury-affiliated team created by Larry Hama, that were redeveloped into the heroes of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero in the early 1980s. BigBad, which made the announcement at this weekend’s JoeFest, also revealed a figure of a 1/12th scale action figure of Hama himself. While not the first figure of the G.I. Joe creator, it will be the largest to date. For updates, stay tuned to BigBadToyStore’s official page.
