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.
Neverlanders: Get Lost cover by Jon Sommariva
§ Penguin imprint Putnam Books announced Neverlanders: Get Lost will be released on August 30. The second volume of Tom Taylor and Jon Sommariva‘s Peter Pan spin-off, the book will see Bee and the Lost Ones enlist the help of “a tatted-up Wendy Darling who is equal parts Lara Croft and Robin Hood,” after they discover the magic tree that gives Neverland its power is dying. The first Neverlanders graphic novel, which follows a new generation of Lost “Boys” in the wake of Peter’s disappearance, was released in 2022, and an animated film version written by Taylor is currently in development.
§ Daily Dead reports Matt Wagner and Kelley Jones will reunite on Dracula: Book IV – The Undead, the fourth and final installment of their Dracula series. The book “will unveil what happened after the events of Bram Stoker‘s classic 1897 book, when the infamous vampire lord finally became… THE UNDEAD!” You can follow the Kickstarter here. The third book, The Count, which retells the original story from the title fiend’s perspective, will be released in the meantime by Dark Horse on October 20.
The Phantom vs. the Singh Brotherhood cover A, by Mark Spears
§ Mad Cave revealed The Phantom vs. The Singh Brotherhood, a new 40-page one-shot by Ray Fawkes and Russell Olson. Due out August 19, the comic sees the Ghost Who Walks face off against the incarcerated crime lord Arif Singh. It’ll mark the third Phantom one-shot written by Fawkes for the year, with the second, The Phantom vs. the Red Dragons, set to arrive beforehand on June 17. The Singh Brotherhood are the Phantom’s oldest enemies, having made their debut in the very first serial, “The Singh Brotherhood”, from 1936.
Additionally, the publisher revealed The Cardoselli & Perillo Collection, a reprint of all four of Stefano Cardoselli and Francesca Perillo‘s Mad Cave series (Don’t Spit in the Wind, Love Me: A Romance Story, Long Cold Winter, and Where Does The Rainbow End?) It will retail for $39.99 in hardcover on September 22. Furthermore, a deluxe hardcover edition of the first collection of David Pepose and Davide Tinto‘s Speed Racer run will be released on August 11.
§ ICv2 shares Pantheon will release a new graphic memoir by James Spooner (The High Desert: Black. Punk. Nowhere.) on August 4. The book, titled It Starts With Anger: A Punk Beginning. An AFROPUNK Ending., explores Spooner’s early life as “a mixed-race teen seeking a place to belong in the 90s New York City punk scene, exploring racism, authenticity, identity, visibility, extremism, and rebellion.” The book will feature comics, text, illustrations, and photos.
§ Cullen Bunn announced he is writing a film version of Scott Hampton‘s graphic novel The Upturned Stone, directed by Ryan Spindell (The Mortuary Collection). The book, published in 1993, followed four boys on Halloween, 1969, after they discover and consume an unusually large pumpkin, that grants them the keys to solving an old murder mystery. Anky Cyriaque (Seasons), who was previously set to direct, will produce. Bunn’s previous screenwriting credits include the short film Swumpwater.
§ Finally, the voice and likeness of the late Stan Lee has been licensed to generative AI company ElevenLabs, who’ll license them in turn to other companies as well as for their own projects, which I imagine you have no interest in hearing more about. The news came a day after it was announced Stan Lee: The Final Years, the documentary film centered around the alleged exploitation of Lee before his death in 2018, featuring real new footage of the Marvel creator, will premiere at the Dances With Films festival in Los Angeles on June 27.
