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.
That Texas Blood #1 cover, by Jacob Phillips
§ Deadline revealed Jim Mickle and E.L. Katz (Hap and Leonard) are developing a TV show of That Texas Blood for FX. Based on the Image Comics series by Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips, the show is a neo-noir western that tells the story of Joe Bob Coates, an ageing Texan sheriff dealing with the disappearance of a man’s brother. Mickle will direct the series, in addition to serving as co-showrunner. In the meantime, the comic will return with issue #21, which has been delayed until September 2.
The site also shares Unapologetic Projects (Dìdi) is developing a TV show of the manga Hotaru’s Way. The original comic, by Satoru Hiura, tells the story of an executive assistant whose boss unexpectedly moves back into her apartment. The American version is being written by Angela Nissel (Scrubs, Ginny & Georgia), and Sasha Leigh Henry (Workin’ Moms). The comic was previously adapted into a live-action series and film in Japan.
Fatal Fest #1
§ Via The Hollywood Reporter, IDW Dark revealed Fatal Fest, a Hollywood-themed horror series by Hannah Rose May and Andrea Scalmazzi (Dune: Edge of a Crysknife). The five-parter follows six young filmmakers, who are invited to compete at a festival by reclusive horror producer Frank Finch. “They soon discover this is no ordinary film festival. Finch has one simple rule: to create true fear, you must experience it. If these filmmakers want to win the Fatal Fest, they need to be willing to kill for it.” It will be released at an unspecified point sometime later this year.
§ Over on People magazine, BOOM! Studios announced a graphic novel based on Silvia Moreno-Garcia‘s horror book Mexican Gothic, which the author herself will adapt with artist Steph C. Solis (The Body Was Never Found). The book, released in 2020, was set in the 1950s, and told the story of a woman who receives a letter from her newlywed cousin, claiming her British husband is trying to kill her. To investigate, she heads to his family home in the Mexican countryside. The graphic version will be published in Fall 2027.
§ The Korea Herald reports Keum Suk Gendry-Kim (Grass, My Friend Kim Jong-Un) was named a Chevalier of France’s Order of Arts and Letters on Thursday, May 28. She is the first Korean comics creator to receive the honor. Gendry-Kim, who studied fine art in France, commented, “Studying in France 32 years ago taught me how free art could be. And within that freedom, I found myself looking again at both Korea and my own identity.”
§ 2000 AD shares Sue Grant, the widow of the writer Alan Grant, has passed away. Described by the publisher as “an often unsung figure in British comics,” Sue and Alan organized the annual comics festival in their home in Moniaive, Scotland. “Our deepest condolences go out to her family, friends, community, and all those whose lives she touched,” they say. Alan Grant died in 2022, aged 73. They are survived by their daughter, and four grandchildren.
§ Finally, Marcia Lucas, an editor on the original Star Wars film (directed by her ex-husband George Lucas), died on Wednesday, May 27, following a battle with cancer. She was 80 years old. Lucas also worked on Return of the Jedi, American Graffiti, THX 1138, and several Martin Scorsese films, including Taxi Driver. She won the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for her work on Star Wars, for which she edited the film’s climax. She was married to Lucas from 1969 to 1983, and then stained glass artist Tom Rodrigues until 1993. She is survived by a daughter from each marriage, and three grandchildren.
