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.
§ Playbill shares A Morning with Ernie Bushmiller, a play about the creator of Nancy, launched at the Mark O’Donnell Theater in Brooklyn last week. Written by and starring Tom Gammill (Seinfeld), the 80-minute play follows Bushmiller receiving some unexpected guests in 1976, six years before his death. It is directed by Owen Kline (Funny Pages), features original songs by Gammill and Peter Lurye (Dora the Explorer), and co-stars Lauren Servideo (Little Brother) in multiple roles. Three performances were held, and another three will be held this week.
§ The full line-up of characters in Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls‘s Year 1 Character & Stage Pass was revealed: it consists of Phoenix Cyclops, Jane Foster’s Thor, Venom, and Jubilee. Cyclops will be available on Monday, November 2, and Jane, Venom, and Jubilee will respectively follow in Winter, Spring, and Summer 2027. Venom’s addition will also bring a stage on the symbiote homeworld Klyntar. Fighting Souls is available now on PC and PlayStation 5, with the latter now providing a three hour trial for PS Plus subscribers.
Marvel Cosmic Invasion also revealed Doctor Doom and Sue Storm/the Invisible Woman as new playable characters, bringing the retro beat-em-up game’s total to a number of 17. The pair will be added in the Siege of Castle Doom expansion, out Tuesday, November 10. It is the second DLC for the 2025 release, and makes Sue the second playable member of the Fantastic Four, following Ben Grimm/the Thing.
§ In more video game DLC news, Skybound revealed Agent Spider will be added to Invincible VS this winter. The character, who was created as a Spider-Man stand-in for the animated series to avoid paying Marvel et al. royalties, will be the fourth DLC character, and get added as part of season three of the Year 1 character pass. Season two, which adds the evil Angstrom Levy as a playable character, is out today.
§ Meanwhile, Clear River Games revealed He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction will be released on February 4, 2027. The retro brawler, which will be released physically and digitally on PC, Xbox, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch, was originally scheduled to arrive earlier this year, before the new movie. A collector’s edition, including an exclusive lunch box, mini-comic, and more, will also be available from Limited Run Games.
§ HalaCG (Honkai: Star Rail) released “Solar Cyclone,” a song for Solar Sisters, the new music-themed sci-fi graphic novel by Amit Tishler, Elliot Sperl & Virginia Salucci. It is the first track from Solar Sisters: Nova Starr, the planned three-song EP for the comic, and features guest vocals from anime dub veteran Risa Mei. A second single, “Controlled,” will follow on November 6, and the third, “Watch Me Fall,” will arrive on December 4. The Solar Sisters book, published by Papercutz, is available now.
§ Actor Aleks Le, who voices Daredevil in Marvel Rivals, released Daredevil: Damned, an unofficial short film starring him as the Man Without Fear. Le, who discusses how the Netflix series inspired him to become an actor in a post-credits note, also wrote, directed, storyboarded, and edited the non-profit short. Troy Baker also voices Matt’s father Jack Murdock, while Ben Starr lends his likeness to Wilson Fisk, and Johnny Yong Bosch plays a goon.
§ As revealed at Marvel’s House of Ideas panel at NYCC, LEGO Ideas will launch a Marvel/Star Wars challenge to coincide with the upcoming crossover series. Fans will able to submit designs for a Character Fusion, Vehicle Fusion, and Scene Fusion, combining elements from both worlds. Voting for the winners will begin on December 15, while Star Wars/Marvel: Hope Assembles (which will now be six issues) will start on January 6.
§ Finally, at NYCC, 2000 AD teased a new line of action figures from McFarlane Toys. They also revealed the Nacelle Company’s upcoming toy for the Judge Dredd/Biker Mice From Mars crossover, featuring Throttle in Dredd’s armor, and a bike based on both characters’ vehicles. It is available to pre-order now from Rebellion or Nacelle. The comic itself will debut on December 2, and the toys (which will include both issues in a bundle if you choose that option) will follow in 2027.
