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.
§ Comic Book Club shares Chew will be making a return as a serial in the new periodical Comics! The Magazine. Series creators John Layman and Rob Guillory will reunite for the new series of one-page stories. Chew, which originally ran at Image from 2009 to 2016, follows Tony Chu, a cop capable of seeing the memories of anything he eats. Published by Atom! Freeman, the first issue of Comics! The Magazine will release on March 4, and is available to pre-order from Lunar and Universal until February 2.
§ Via The Hollywood Reporter, Skybound announced Corpse Knight, a fantasy horror series that’ll mark the comic book debut of filmmaker Michael Chaves (The Conjuring: Last Rites). Created with Matthew Roberts (Manifest Destiny), the six-issue series follows a young girl in Medieval France, whose murdered father returns from the dead to protect her. Together, the pair head off to find Joan of Arc, in the hopes she can solve their predicament. Issue #1 releases April 22.
Meanwhile, Image revealed Ghost Machine: The Official Guidebook, a five-part, well, guide to the imprint’s different settings, written and illustrated by their creators. The first two issues will spotlight The Unnamed Universe from Geiger, Redcoat, Junkyard Joe, and more, issue #3 will showcase the world of The Rocketfellers and Hornsby & Halo, and the fourth will feature Rook: Exodus. The finale will focus on the horror series Hyde Street and its spin-offs. Issue #1 releases April 1.
§ Marvel unveiled Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – Echoes of the Empire, a five-issue series by Ethan Sacks, Jethro Morales and Roi Mercado, beginning in April. Set during the original trilogy, the book sees Luke, Leia, and Chewbacca discover a “dangerous relic” on Batuu, drawing the Empire’s unwanted attention. The book will mark the upcoming update of Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland, California, which will bring in original trilogy and Mandalorian era elements to the previously sequel trilogy-themed area on April 29.
The House of Ideas also announced Doom 2099: Rage of Doom, a one-shot follow-up to last year’s special Doomed 2099. Writer Frank Tieri will be joined by artist Von Randal (Spider-Gwen: The Ghost-Spider) on this installment, which’ll see the post-apocalyptic Doom variant revive Ultron to help him repair his time platform. But will Doom be able to tame the android for long? You’ll be able to find out when the book is released on April 29.
§ IDW Publishing will release Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theatre Presents, a four-part follow-up to Tom Scioli‘s 2024 literary mash-up Godzilla’s Monsterpiece Theatre. It’ll kick off with Adam Tierney (Yars Rising) and Sean Peacock (Blood Honey)’s 52-page one-shot Romeo & Juliet and Godzilla on April 8. Each issue will include a five-page backup by Scioli, the first of which will be “Robin Hood and the Monster of Nottingham.”
§ Deadline reports Lyrical Media (How to Blow Up a Pipeline) will co-produce two films with Tiny Onion, based respectively on Exquisite Corpses and Room Service. James Tynion IV, who wrote both comics, previously launched Tiny Onion with a seed investment from Lyrical. In addition to producing both projects, he will co-write the script for Room Service with PK Colinet, who directed the original short film. The movies build on Tiny Onion’s previously announced slate of animated series.
§ Finally, the nominees for the 24th annual Visual Effects Society Awards were announced. Avatar: Fire and Ash dominated with ten nominations, while KPop Demon Hunters earned five, and Stranger Things and The Last of Us led with four each in the TV categories. Superman received four, including Outstanding Character in a Photoreal Feature for Krypto, while Marvel was completely shut out. Andor also got three, while The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon and Gen V earned one each; in fact, the latter and Andor were the only nominees for Outstanding Special (Practical) Effects in a Photoreal Project. The winners will be revealed on Wednesday, February 25.