For years, Frank Miller has been one of the most recognizable names in comic books. His distinctive visual and storytelling styles have made his comics highly influential and adaptable to other media. From Sin City to 300 to his work on Batman, there are ample examples of how Miller’s work translates onto screens both big and small. For years, film producer and Frank Miller: American Genius director Silenn Thomas has been one of the figures working with Frank Miller to help make those adaptations happen.

With the Frank Miller: American Genius available now on streaming platforms, we spoke with Thomas about what it takes to be in the Frank Miller business.

Popverse: You have worked with numerous directors, but I see a high number of auteurs - writer/directors. Much like Frank, who writes and draws and can even direct. What have you found in working with those who can have a consistency of vision as someone writing the script and directing how it looks? 

Tom King, co-creator, writer, and executive producer of DC's upcoming HBO series Lanterns, developed a compelling formula for character-driven superhero stories. In a world of countless Marvel and DC adaptations, it pays to create self-contained, character-focused narratives that connect to a wide universe. These are the types of stories that will be adapted into live-action or animated features for the big and small screens, but, most importantly, tend to rise to the top as comics that will last. 

As Warner Bros. and DC revamp their cinematic universe, James Gunn and his team have hyper-focused on telling character-focused stories about gods and monsters. Tom King excels in that department. He just knows how to elevate mainstream and legacy characters. From Marvel's The Vision to DC Comics' Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, King has crafted tales of human drama centered around the most powerful beings on the planet, what he calls in the case of Lanterns, "intimate epics."

His works are also fantastic gateways into comics. 'How do I get into comics?' or 'Where do I start?' are common questions for new comic fans. Toss in a name like Batman or Wonder Woman, and that question becomes exponentially difficult. Decades of character continuity exist for you to sift through. Whatever book someone suggests may have side issues or companions you need to read to get the full picture. Having a singular, isolated story that gives you everything you need without the attached homework is invaluable. Tom King's books are a solution to that problem, all thanks to his approach to superhero storytelling.

Todd McFarlane is expanding the Spawn universe. In his upcoming miniseries Spawn '77, McFarlane and artist Mark Spears are introducing an all-new Hellspawn-adjacent anti-hero loosely based on the original design McFarlane had for the character that he's most recognized for. But if you know McFarlane at all, you know his ambitions never stop with his current project.

Or for that matter, the current medium he's working in.

I recently sat down with the Image Comics co-founder and Spawn creator in advance of Spawn '77 hitting shelves this fall. But eventually, our conversation shifted from McFarlane's comic plans to his movie plans, plans which, as you might know, have been in the works for a while. Currently being produced by horror titan Blumhouse, the King Spawn movie is McFarlane's second shot at the big screen and, if all goes well, one of many more.

By now, you’ve hopefully had a chance to see Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Judging by the monstrously good opening weekend it enjoyed, you’re ready for a spoiler-filled take on the movie, because Brand New Day is doing a lot of heavy lifting to set up the MCU version of the X-Men… and it shows that maybe the public is right to be terrified of them.

Heavy spoilers for Spider-Man: Brand New Day follow.

By now, you probably know that Sadie Sink’s character is, in fact, Jean Grey, one of the founding members of the X-Men in the comics. She is nearly as ubiquitous with the team as Wolverine and Cyclops. Jean Grey is an incredibly powerful telepath, which makes her both a great hero and a terrifying villain on occasion. In Spider-Man: Brand New Day, she has her villain hat on as she goes on a veritable body-swapping rampage across New York City.

It's not a comic con without cosplayers, and the Cosplay Central Cosplay Showcase was where Florida Supercon 2026 attendees got to celebrate that fact. Watch the video below to see some of your favorite characters in games, movies, and obviously comics come to life in a way you never have before, all courtesy of the Popverse video team. 

This is one of the many Florida Supercon 2026 panels Popverse filmed at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Consult our Florida Supercon 2026 panel hub for a list of all of the panels we have available, and what's left to be released.

Watch the FSC 2026 Cosplay Showcase now: 

Netflix's one-time superhero crew reunited in Miami recently when The Defenders themselves were featured in one of Florida Supercon 2026's many incredible panels. Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist themselves (AKA Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter, and Finn Jones) were all there to greet fans and share some behind the scenes knowledge, and Popverse was there to film the whole thing. Check it out below!

This is one of the many Florida Supercon 2026 panels Popverse filmed at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Consult our Florida Supercon 2026 panel hub for a list of all of the panels we have available, and what's left to be released.

Watch the Defenders panel with Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter, and Finn Jones now: 

What will I remember most about San Diego Comic Con 2026? That's hard to say. Deciphering the Latverian runes on Robert Downey Jr.'s Avengers: Doomsday jacket was a highlight for sure, as was investigating whether Simon Pegg's Balrog on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power was canon. But I gotta tell you - as someone who grew up reading his fair share of Green Lantern comics, one of my favorite bits was during the HBO Lanterns panel, when myself, two bonafide Green Lanterns, and literally thousands of took part in a sacred Oan ritual.

That is, the reciting of the Green Lantern oath.

In case you've missed our coverage before this, the Lanterns panel was one of the biggest events at this year's Hall H. Not only were Kyle Chandler (Hal Jordan) and Aaron Pierre (John Stewart) on stage with the showrunners, but we got a ton of sneak peeks and, about halfway through, the panel received a surprise guest in Guy Gardner actor Nathan Fillion. Then, as the panel was wrapping up, the assembled cast and crew decided to end on a high note, cueing up the Green Lantern oath on the titanic screens Hall H comes equipped with and leading the packed room in reciting:

Tom Holland is about to do something that no other Spider-Man actor has ever done – get a fourth solo movie in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Of course, it is also his seventh appearance as Peter Parker in the MCU, but that is what happens when you are a company’s most popular character, right? Spider-Man has long been the face of Marvel Comics, but that reputation has meant Marvel Studios has never really given us a stand-alone Spider-Man movie. No character has suffered more from being in the MCU than Spider-Man.

I’m not even talking about the usual nods to the wider MCU that nearly every movie has had; every Spider-Man movie from Marvel Studios has been more of a team-up film than a story about our friendly neighborhood wallcrawler. Spider-Man: Homecoming gave Tony Stark an inordinate amount of screen time. Far From Home featured Nick Fury as a central character to remind us that this was the MCU we are talking about. The closest Tom Holland has had to getting his own Spider-Man movie thus far has been Spider-Man: No Way Home, which still featured two other actors playing Spider-Man and had Doctor Strange as a major driver of the plot. I love all these movies but they always feel a little overstuffed for what should be a stand-alone film.

Now we’re getting Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Here, we have both The Punisher and The Hulk, plus what appears to be The Hand popping up to give Spider-Man a hard time. That is three different figures, two of which are making their movie MCU debuts. That is even ignoring the character that Sadie Sink is playing, which we won’t mention here but is probably the worst-kept secret in cinema right now. That is a very crowded New York City for Peter Parker to contend with.

The X-Men are coming to the Marvel Cinematic Universe — something that fans who have seen Spider-Man: Brand New Day know all too well, for reasons that we’ll not spoil just yet. (Consider this a spoiler warning, however; we’ll get there soon.) But Marvel Studios have been teasing Charles Xavier’s mutant heroes for five years by this point, with the new Spider-Man movie being just the latest example. So… what makes this time different? We’ll answer that after we’ve addressed the previous MCU X-Men appearances.

Oh, and one more time: spoiler warning for Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Read on at your own risk.

The first X-Men character to show up in the MCU was, amusingly enough, a metatextual trick played on the audience. Evan Peters, who played Quicksilver in Fox’s X-Men movies from 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past through 2019’s Dark Phoenix, appeared to be reprising his role when he showed up as ‘Pietro Maximoff’ in the first Disney+ Marvel series, WandaVision. Alas, it was just a gag played by producers, with Pietro being a fictional identity conjured by Wanda’s out of control magic. Peters was actually playing an entirely unrelated character called Ralph Bohner. But for a brief second, we all wondered if there was a multiversal crossover in the offing.

The Hart of Dixie cast joined the attendees at this year's Florida Supercon 2026, and fans of the show were out in droves. I mean, why wouldn't they be? Folks like Rachel Bilson, Jaime King, and Wilson Bethel were all at the event to share their personal history with the iconic TV series, but don't worry if you couldn't make it. Popverse was also in the crowd, and we happened to bring a camera along. 

This is one of the many Florida Supercon 2026 panels Popverse filmed at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Consult our Florida Supercon 2026 panel hub for a list of all of the panels we have available, and what's left to be released.

Watch the Hart of Dixie panel with Rachel Bilson, Jaime King, and Wilson Bethel now: 

The Cosplay Central Crown Championship held its latest chapter at Florida Supercon 2026, and Popverse was there to film it all. See for yourself the dazzling displays of needlework, special effects, and more that some of the best cosplayers on the east coast (and even in the world) brought to Miami this year, courtesy of the Popverse video team

This is one of the many Florida Supercon 2026 panels Popverse filmed at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Consult our Florida Supercon 2026 panel hub for a list of all of the panels we have available, and what's left to be released.

Watch the Cosplay Central Crown Championships now: 

The cast of Daredevil: Born Again usually spend their time in NYC, but their spotlight panel from Florida Supercon 2026 brought them down to Miami for a great time for Marvel fans. Daredevil cast members Charlie Cox, Krysten Ritter, Deborah Ann Woll, and Wilson Bethel all were in attendance to share behind the scenes secrets and take fan questions, and Popverse was there to film the whole event. 

This is one of the many Florida Supercon 2026 panels Popverse filmed at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Consult our Florida Supercon 2026 panel hub for a list of all of the panels we have available, and what's left to be released.

Watch Daredevil: Born Again panel with Charlie Cox, Krysten Ritter, Deborah Ann Woll, and Wilson Bethel now: 

Marvel Comics is in the middle of an armageddon, and it's on a strict timetable.

Popverse has learned from sources familiar with the situation that the publisher has quietly had to shift its creative team for the current event series Avengers: Armageddon, after issues came up leading to concern that the series could be delayed. Series artists Delio Diaz and Frank Alpizar have been instructed to skip drawing August's Avengers: Armageddon #3, and to attempt to catch up on deadlines by beginning September's Avengers: Armageddon #4 early.

In the gap, semi-retired interior comics artist Ario Anindito has been lured out of a two-year hiatus from drawing comic pages to help get Avengers: Armageddon back on track and is now furiously drawing Avengers: Armageddon #3. As part of this, Anindito was offered a gig doing a variant cover for the issue, which shows off a new Iron Man armor he is designing as part of this last-minute assignment.

On Friday night, DC Comics dominated the Eisner Awards. With Warner Bros. Discovery. accountants' tallies of 2025 sales now finished/checked/doublechecked, DC Comics is boasting that 2025 was its most financially successful year in its 80+ year history. And they've created a new monthly comic book (not a revamp or a relaunch of an existing title) in Absolute Batman that is the best-selling comic book series in arguably the past 40 years. And their long-time rivals, Marvel Comics, are following something DC did 11 years ago and moving to California, and even challenged them to a friendly game of softball.

DC Comics seems to have won the hearts and minds of fans, retailers, and creators if you look at what is happening this weekend at Comic-Con International: San Diego. But, as with any overnight success, it takes years of mistakes, attempts, lessons, failures, and the ability to go from being reactive to being active. And saying, 'Yes and'. Not as a question, but as the start of a conversation. But like any good superhero comic story, there is a tragic secret origin.

For DC, this year's successes come six years after 2020, a year when all of us experienced the COVID-19 pandemic and our lives changed. For DC, it led to a fracturing of the comics distribution model it relied on for the past 20 years and a rush to find a solution that involved enlisting larger comic stores to step up and become comics distributors themselves to fill the gap. While that played out in public, inside DC's Burbank offices (and the employees who began working from home) went through perhaps the largest layoffs DC has experienced in its 80-year history. Roughly 60% of its institutional executive braintrust were gone as part of two rounds of company-wide layoffs as part of a larger restructering effort of WarnerMedia under then-new owners AT&T, with the company losing a publisher, an editor-in-chief, and more. As part of those changes, DC shuttered its merchandise division, downsized the ambitious DC Universe streaming platform, and had to make a lot of hard choices about current ongoing comics, potential ongoing comics, and even linewide revamps that were killed off in the short term.

On Friday, July 24, in a bespoke ceremony that was for several hours the centerpiece of this year's San Diego Comic-Con, the largest gathering of comic creators and professionals in one room took place for a ceremony to honor the best comics in the world and find out who won the Will Eisner Comics Industry Awards.

Spoilers, but the list of winners made its way online nearly two days before that.

According to a Reddit user under the name 'beginendbegin,' the 2026 Eisner Awards winners were posted prematurely and temporarily on the Comic-Con International: San Diego website sometime in the days of July 22 and July 23. The user then posted a list of what they say are the winners. While the list was later confirmed to be correct, Popverse has been unable to verify how the user came to have the list. The user has not responded to comments, but has been active on Reddit in making their profile more private.

The biggest event at San Diego Comic Con 2026 was undoubtedly the Marvel Hall H panel, predominantly because of its reveals. We know who will play the MCU's Ghost Rider and when Black Panther III will hit theaters, but the revelations didn't end there. In fact, at least one of the revelations at Marvel's Hall H extravaganza wasn't even directly referenced on stage, but instead comes to us via a secret, coded message embroidered onto Robert Downey Jr.'s jacket.

That is, the assumed language presumably used by Doctor Doom and his fellow Latverian countrymen.

Before we get into that, though, we have to bring you back to June 2, when the Russo Brothers teased a "special announcement" happening at a British coffee shop during SXSW London. While fans lined up expecting a celeb experience or perhaps a trailer, what they actually got was the Avengers: Doomsday-branded "Dom Latveria" coffee, a special brand partnership between RDJ's coffee brand Happy and Marvel Studios. Each fan in line got a bag of coffee that, while perhaps delicious, was definitely not what they were hoping for.

"The only way to start is by thanking you guys," Scott Snyder says to a capacity crowd during DC Comics' Absolute Universe panel at Comic-Con International: San Diego 2026.

This comes after the Absolute line propelled DC Comics to its most financially successful year in its 80+ year history, the Absolute Batman title outselling any single DC comics run in the past 20 years, and the Absolute titles dominating the 2026 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards ceremony. It all started with the various editors and creators of the Absolute Universe titles, but only worked when fans bought comics as they did.

“They came in with guns blazing, and the mission was just pulling these characters out of context that we know them in," Snyder, who in addition to writing the Absolute Batman line is also a consultant for DC on it, says to the crowd. "“DC is just a bunch of people who really care about comics, trying really hard to make them, and most of editorial are there long hours, none of them expected this success, but it comes with this whole level of pressure, and these guys handle it."

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles panel at Florida Supercon 2026 was there to prove to every turtles fan what they already know - that you don't get far without your closest allies. The panel celebrating the TMNT featured their co-creator, Kevin Eastman himself, alongside numerous voice actors who have leant their talents to the mutants over the years, including Rob Paulsen, Barry Gordon, Cam Clarke, Renae Jacobs, and Townsend Coleman. And don't worry - if you were, say, busy in the sewers instead of in Miami this year, we've got you covered: the full panel is available to watch now. 

This is one of the many Florida Supercon 2026 panels Popverse filmed at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Consult our Florida Supercon 2026 panel hub for a list of all of the panels we have available, and what's left to be released.

Watch the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with Kevin Eastman, Rob Paulsen, Barry Gordon, Cam Clarke, Renae Jacobs, and Townsend Coleman now: 

Cult film Josie & the Pussycats is celebrating a quarter century of existence this year, and one of the stops it made was Florida Supercon 2026. That's right, OG cast members Rachel Leigh Cook and Rosario Dawson were live at Miami's biggest pop culture bash, and as I'm sure we don't have to tell you, we wouldn't miss it. In fact, not only did we get to see the real-life Josie and Valerie take the stage, but thanks to our camera crew, we were able to bring it back to you too.

This is one of the many Florida Supercon 2026 panels Popverse filmed at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Consult our Florida Supercon 2026 panel hub for a list of all of the panels we have available, and what's left to be released.

Watch the Josie & the Pussycats panel with Rachel Leigh Cook and Rosario Dawson now: 

Here is a little behind-the-scenes info for you all; we at Popverse don’t always know what is going to be announced at a convention ahead of time, so we have to guess. And when a panel is as big as the Marvel Studios Hall H Panel at San Diego Comic-Con, we sometimes write up what we think are going to be the big announcements ahead of time and try to play “fill in the gaps” with the details. Which is why we currently have a “Marvel announces MCU X-Men cast!” article uselessly sitting in our system.

Like everyone else, we went into the Marvel Studios SDCC 2026 panel expecting to hear about the X-Men and get some confirmation about who will be in Avengers: Secret Wars, but that isn’t what we got. Instead, we got the surprise announcements that Ryan Gosling is going to be Ghost Rider and David Jonsson is playing T’Challa II in Black Panther 3, both of which are out in 2028. If you had those announcements on your SDCC Bingo Card, you’ve clearly got your finger on the pulse better than 90% of this industry and should probably be doing our jobs.

But the thing is, I’m not even mad about this. Don’t get me wrong; I want the X-Men casting announcement, both because I know it is something people want to read and because it will help show us what Marvel Studios has planned for life after Avengers: Secret Wars. But not knowing also tells us something, and that is that Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars are going to have consequences, to the point where even telling us who is in Secret Wars will spoil things for Doomsday.

The MCU has a new Ghost Rider, and it is Johnny Blaze. Playing him is Ryan Gosling, who is reuniting with Star Wars: Starfighter director Shawn Levy for his first Marvel Studios film. We don’t know much else about the new Ghost Rider movie other than it has a 2028 release window, but we do know that it should absolutely be an R-rated movie following the success of Deadpool & Wolverine.

That movie, which was also directed by Shawn Levy, already proved that there is an appetite for R-rated MCU films. Like Deadpool, whose foul mouth and penchant for bloody murder set him apart from most superheroes, Johnny Blaze is difficult to see as a traditional hero. He is the Spirit of Vengeance, and not just because of Nicholas Cage’s previous outing as the character. 

The entire point of Johnny Blaze is that he has the powers of a demon, which allow him to punish the wicked. He is scary and intense enough to inspire fear in the worst of humanity. Ghost Rider’s main power is forcing people to feel the inescapable weight of their actions, crushing their psyche beneath their guilt.

This year's Comic-Con International: San Diego is Popverse's fifth time at the convention, and for this year's event, we have partnered with Dark Horse Comics. They are sponsoring our wall-to-wall coverage of the event across four days, four nights, and all the surprise stuff we have rolling out over the next few weeks because of it.

While the Popverse team is bouncing around the San Diego bayfront, Dark Horse Comics has a booth in the heart of the SDCC showfloor at #2515 (here's a map), where it is hosting signings, events, and a full-on pop-up store that also stocks several SDCC exclusives (full list here). They also have a packed panel schedule, which you can see here, that includes Dark Horse & Dungeons & Dragons & Comics, an Avatar: The Last Airbender panel, a Black Hammer 10th Anniversary panel, a celebration of Three Worlds / Three Moons, and more.

We at Popverse thank Dark Horse for supporting us and the 100+ stories we have planned for this weekend.

There are interesting things happening in the horror sphere these days - as if you need me to tell you that. Tiny films from new directors are exploding at the box office, movies like Obsession and Backrooms are not just raking in cash for the studios that produced them, but are opening doors for creators with weird visions to believe that the movies they want to make are not just possible, but wanted. 

At least, that's kind of how Todd McFarlane feels.

I recently sat down with the Spawn creator to go over a host of new projects that he's working on - primary among them his upcoming comic miniseries, Spawn '77. But I wasn't going to let the conversation end without asking about King Spawn, the McFarlane-steered film that seeks to adapt his comics under the Blumhouse banner. And luckily for me, McFarlane was happy to share where his thoughts were on the long-in-development film.

NoneLikeJoshua and Mike Drop combined their greatest loves - hip hop and anime - into an unmissable event at this year's Florida Supercon: the Anime Rap Showcase. The vibes were high and the room was packed, but if you couldn't make it this year, don't worry, we've got you covered. Popverse was there, absolutely not rapping, but with a camera crew to ensure that you and yours didn't miss out on any of the fun.

This is one of the many Florida Supercon 2026 panels Popverse filmed at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Consult our Florida Supercon 2026 panel hub for a list of all of the panels we have available, and what's left to be released.

Watch the Anime Rap Showcase with NoneLikeJoshua and Mike Drop now: 

"Jason was like, 'Come on, don't get greedy. You already got one big star.' You can't get two stars, right? Especially because, at that point, I was going to be the director and you know, you're not going to get big stars going with the rookie director. And I'm like, 'I don't know, why don't we ask?'"

That's how Spawn creator Todd McFarlane describes a conversation between himself and horror titan Jason Blum, regarding the upcoming Spawn film, King Spawn, that will be produced under the legend's Blumhouse banner. The first 'big star' McFarlane's talking about here is Jamie Foxx, who will play the titular Spawn, and the second 'big star' he wanted to recruit for the movie was none other than MCU superstar Jeremy Renner. If you know Todd McFarlane at all, you won't be surprised to learn that he did indeed reach out to Renner's people, and the Hawkeye actor did indeed say yes.

But there was one stipulation, says the Image Comics co-founder, that he had to agree to first.

Though you may know Daredevil: Born Again star Deborah Ann Woll for her role as Karen Page, much of what she works on is in the TTRPG actual play field. You may recall Popverse's reporting on Woll's TTRPG/reality show blend Tales from Woodcreek, but there's even more sides to that part of her career than a d20 can count. Which is not to say that the Karen Page of it all doesn't occasionally work its way into her tabletop ventures.

Especially when she GMs for someone like Kevin Smith, who famously killed Karen in his Daredevil run.

The subject came up at Florida SuperCon 2026, where Woll joined costars Wilson Bethel and Charlie Cox for a fan Q&A panel moderated by Popverse's own Ashley V. Robinson. At one point in the discussion, a fan from the audience asked the actors which Marvel Comic storylines they'd like to see adapted for the MCU.

During the near decade that it's ben in development, there have been a host of changes to Todd McFarlane's Spawn movie, AKA King Spawn. There's been a title change, casting change-ups, and a long list of potential release windows pushed back. But something that's been with the film since it got off the ground, idea-wise, was the actor behind the titular role: that is, Jamie Foxx as Al Simmons. With that kind of commitment to a project, you might wonder what it was that nabbed Foxx the role in the first place...

Or at least, I did, so I asked Todd McFarlane himself about it.

The Spawn creator and Image Comics cofounder and I recently sat down to discuss his upcoming entry into Spawn's comic world, the three-part Spawn '77 miniseries. But with a focus toward the franchise's future, I naturally wanted to know a little bit about where the developing movie was, and thankfully, McFarlane was willing to discuss certain topics with me. First on deck: how did Jamie Foxx earn the cape and chains? 

The Uncharted cast went seeking treasure at Miami's premiere pop culture gathering this year, and boy did they find it at their packed Florida Supercon 2026 panel. Original voice actors Nolan North, Richard McGonagle, and Emily Rose (or as you may know them - Drake, Sully, and Elena) joined Popverse's own Ashley V. Robinson on stage, but in case you couldn't chart an adventure down to Florida this year, we went ahead and filmed the whole thing.

This is one of the many Florida Supercon 2026 panels Popverse filmed at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Consult our Florida Supercon 2026 panel hub for a list of all of the panels we have available, and what's left to be released.

Watch the Uncharted panel with Nolan North, Richard McGonagle, and Emily Rose now: 

The beating heart of Miami's hottest pop culture event (because of all the blood splatter) was arguably the Fans First: Chainsaw Man panel, featuring English voice dub actors Ryan Colt Levy, Derrick Snow, and Reagan Murdock. The voices you know behind the gratuitous and gratifying anime's Levy, Snow, and Murdock, respectively, joined Popverse's own video producer Ashley V. Robinson on the Florida Supercon 2026 stage for an unmissable anime deep-dive. But if you couldn't make it, don't worry - we recorded the whole thing, and you can watch it below.

This is one of the many Florida Supercon 2026 panels Popverse filmed at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Consult our Florida Supercon 2026 panel hub for a list of all of the panels we have available, and what's left to be released.

Watch the Chainsaw Man panel with Ryan Colt Levy, Derrick Snow, and Reagan Murdock now: 

Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic was a dark, gritty, and violent homage to Frank Miller’s Daredevil. The 1987 cartoon was a bit lighter. In fact, it was downright goofy. The animated series had over-the-top villains, fourth-wall-breaking gags, and sarcastic one-liners.

(For the record, TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman loved the irreverent tone.)

However, they were attempts to make the cartoon more serious, but those efforts were thwarted by the Turtles themselves.

As publisher at Image Comics, Todd McFarlane gets to make a lot of big decisions, particularly when it comes to the world of Spawn. Currently, the Hellspawn's creator and owner is working on a new entry to that world, which is currently listed as a three-part miniseries. But when I had the chance to speak with the comics industry titan, I wanted to know - what would it take to make his latest project an ongoing series instead of a mini?

This was his answer.

In case you haven't been around these parts lately, the comic McFarlane is working on is called Spawn '77, which sees him and artist Mark Spears take elements of McFarlane's Spawn prototype that he drew in (you guessed it) 1977 and work those into a new story. It's a pretty cool idea, to say nothing of its already gorgeous art, so you can see why I wanted to know about there possibly being more of it to come.

There's a new Spider-Man movie in theaters this month. There's also new Spider-Man comics on shelves this week, and almost always every week into the far future. The successful Spider-Man comics inspired the movies and set the stage with readers for the successful Spider-Man movies, and those movies in turn inspire the comics and set the stage with viewers to go back and try those comics. This virtuous cycle is the ideal way comic book adaptations should work if you ask any fan or anybody working in comics... as long as adaptations don't end up forcing themselves back on the source material.

Ahead of Marvel Studios and Columbia Pictures' Spider-Man: Brand New Day on July 31, the question of how its marketing and eventual release is informing plans Marvel Comics has for Spider-Man comics is something on many people's minds - us included. But instead of just speculation, we straight-up asked... and got answers.

"We always try to have books for people who walk out of the movie theater and into a comic book store or bookstore wanting more of that," Marvel Comics' longtime Spider-Man editor Nick Lowe tells Popverse. In addition to the full-time job of being the Spider-boss as it were, he also serves as an executive editor for the company and is vice president of content and digital publishing.

The Amazing Digital Circus cast was at the biggest pop culture event in Miami recently, as cast members Alex Rochon, Amanda Hufford, and Michael Kovach attended a once-in-a-lifetime panel at Florida Supercon 2026. Hosted by Popverse's own Ashley V. Robinson, the voices of Caine, Ragatha, and Jax, respectively, proved that just because the show is over doesn't mean that the fandom will ever die. And in case you couldn't snag a flight to Florida this year, Popverse filmed the whole thing just for you.

This is one of the many Florida Supercon 2026 panels Popverse filmed at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Consult our Florida Supercon 2026 panel hub for a list of all of the panels we have available, and what's left to be released.

Watch the Amazing Digital Circus panel with Alex Rochon, Amanda Hufford, and Michael Kovach now: 

Do you have any big plans for 2027? If you’re a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan, you might want to keep your calendar open, because Kevin Eastman and the TMNT voice actors are cooking up something special for the cartoon’s 40th anniversary.  

“We do have the luckiest job. We are so lucky that we get to do these shows together,” Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman says during a panel at Florida Supercon. “We really want to do something special for the 40^th anniversary next year for the cartoon. Like some kind of live event people can experience because we’re lucky that we get to spend our time with you. Let’s do something awesome where we can all be on stage and answer these questions and show highlights and clips and things that we love. It’s deserved and it’s well earned. We get to see each other and it’s one of my favorite things.” 

Eastman even hinted that he would share special never before seen content, like Chuck Lorre’s alternate version of the TMNT theme song. No date or venue has been announced yet, but this sounds like an event you won’t want to miss. Maybe they can serve pizza at the event. After all, who hasn’t dreamed of eating pizza alongside the Ninja Turtles? 

Could the cast of Daredevil: Born Again get any cuter? In a way, yeah.

Don't just take my word for it - this comes straight some of the lead actors based on the hit show inspired by Marvel Comics themselves, as they recently sat down to reveal their answers to a particularly adorable question: which animal would each of their characters be? We have their answers below.

The subject came up at Florida SuperCon 2026, where Daredevil stars Deborah Ann Woll, Wilson Bethel, and Charlie Cox took part in a fan Q&A panel moderated by Popverse's own Ashley V. Robinson. At one point during the discussion, a fan by the name of Dakota stepped up to ask the question of which animal each of their characters would be, inspired by her stated are of study: veterinarian medicine.

There were no shortage of Daredevil cosplayers at Florida SuperCon 2026, and we imagine that their primary destination that weekend was the Daredevil: Born Again panel. And while they were probably not surprised to hear behind-the-scenes tidbits and see some costar-on-costar teasing on stage, they might've been shocked to learn that star Deborah Ann Woll liked some of their cosplays a lot more than some others.

By a wide margin.

Let's back up a bit here. The panel Woll was a guest on, along with costars Charlie Cox and Wilson Bethel, was in the fan Q&A format, hosted by Popverse's own Ashley V. Robinson. And at one point in the discussion, one cosplaying fan stood up to ask which of the many outfits that adorn both the Netflix original series and Disney+ update of the Marvel Comics series was each actor's favorites.

Rob Paulsen is a man of many voices. If you grew up watching cartoons, you may know him as the voice of Yakko Warner, Pinky, Carl Wheezer, and many others. However, his time as Raphael on the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon remains near and dear to his heart. Not only is it a role Paulsen fondly remembers, but he’s also kept up with some of the various Turtles projects that have been released since the cartoon ended. One of his favorites is The Last Ronin

“What [Kevin Eastman] and [Peter Laird] did has enormous staying power,” Rob Paulsen says during a panel at Florida Supercon. “Truly, many of you weren’t even thought of when this show was made. And to see what these young men have created – when you’re orange you’ll probably have more cheese than me, but there will still be folks making and watching Ninja Turtles. This is remarkable. I don’t have a particular favorite, but I must say that I really love The Last Ronin. I love that story. It’s so powerful, and the evolution of the mythology of the Turtles.” 

The Last Ronin is a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic set in an alternate post-apocalyptic  future where Michelangelo fights to avenge his fallen brothers. So yes, one of Raphael’s favorite Turtles comics is one where he’s dead, but if you read the comic you would understand. It’s that good.

Daredevil: Born Again is, as the name implies, a show that takes a lot of material from the Marvel comics that inspired it. Things like Wilson Fisk as Mayor of NYC, the serial killer Muse, and even Daredevil's black armor with red highlights are all straight from the pages of various runs in the character's long, paneled history. But that doesn't mean that they've run out of things to adapt. In fact, series villain Wilson Bethel even has a storyline from the comics he'd really like to see make it to screen...

Although to be fair, it's technically not from a Daredevil book.

Bethel joined costars Deborah Ann Woll and Charlie Cox at a Florida SuperCon 2026 fan Q&A, moderated by none other than Popverse's own Ashley V. Robinson. At one point in the discussion, one eager fan stepped up to the mic and asked the assembled actors - which comic book do you want to see adapted into the MCU?

Nobody does capes like Todd McFarlane.

Since his work began in the 1980s, McFarlane has been redefining the most iconic aspect of superhero costuming. Fans of his creator-owned character Spawn are, of course, familiar with Al Simmons's hellish cloak, but I'll remind you that McFarlane's capes were making waves (heh) even before that, such as in a Batman design that still remains a favorite among Gothamites. But even before that 'even before,' McFarlane was spending time developing his skill in superhero fashion, and in a recent conversation, I got a special window into that era.

McFarlane and I were chatting in advance of his latest Spawn project, Spawn '77, which takes aspects of his prototype for the Spawn character and works it into an all-new, Hellspawn-adjacent antihero. Naturally, the character currently known as Spawn '77 is rocking a badass red number not dissimilar from his modern-day counterpart, and this inspired McFarlane to bring up why his capes stood out so much in the superhero landscape.

Everyone has their own dirty secrets, even if they’re trapped in a wacky virtual reality simulation.

The Amazing Digital Circus may be over, but the web series has captured our imaginations and we’re not ready to say goodbye to the characters yet. There’s still so much we want to know about the characters, their world, and their secret lives. Luckily for us, the cast has thought about all these questions. For example, when they were asked what their character’s guilty pleasures would be, the voice actors gave some thought provoking answers.

“We got to see a little bit of something that Jax is maybe a little ashamed of when they shouldn’t be in the last episode, just embracing their femineity,” Jax voice actor Michael Kovach says during a panel at Florida Supercon. “A lot of things that they feel undermines their masculine image. So, I’m sure there’s a lot of things about Jax that they’re probably into, that they will never acknowledge, that embrace that feminine side.”

The heart wants what the heart wants. And sometimes the heart wants what the audience wants.

If you watch the CW drama Hart of Dixie, you might notice how the early seasons seemed to push the will they, won’t they tension between Zoe and George. Zoe’s chemistry with Wade was always a part of the series, but he seemed like a character that was there as a roadblock to the inevitable pairing between George and Zoe.

However, if you watched the series until the end, you know that not only did Zoe and Wade get together, but they got married and had a baby. This wasn’t a part of the original plan, but the producers noticed the chemistry between Wade (Wilson Bethel) and Zoe (Rachel Bilson) and how the audience was responding to it.

Be patient with Jax, they seem to have misplaced their mind.

If you’ve seen The Amazing Digital Circus, then you know that one of the worst things that can happen in the virtual reality world is getting abstracted, a process where you lose your sanity and sense of self. The process, which is irreversible, eventually happens to Jax in the final episode of the web series.

But what if the process wasn’t irreversible? What would happen if Jax were to somehow unabstract?

In case you haven't already heard, Todd McFarlane is paying homage to his earliest days as a comic book artist. Essentially, the iconic creator is working elements of his original ideas for the character that would become Spawn into a brand new story called Spawn '77, which molds a character design he did in 1977 into an all-new, Hellspawn-adjacent addition to his Spawn-Verse. So when I got the chance to chat with McFarlane recently, I wanted to know: what is this new character called within that story?

"We haven't gotten that far," was McFarlane's answer.

Let's back up a second. The conversation I had with McFarlane took place as McFarlane and series artist Mark Spears were still very much at work on creating the new book, which isn't set to hit shelves until this fall. And while McFarlane did have assurances about certain elements of the book - like, for instance, one of its variant covers - the issue of Spawn '77's in-universe name had not yet been decided upon.

Rosario Dawson is collecting movie franchises, and she’s not done yet. Looking at the actress’s filmography, you’ll see plenty of iconic roles in some of the most successful cinematic universes. However, she has her eyes set on her next prize – a spot on the X-Men.

While the 20^th Century Fox version of the X-Men have appeared in numerous Marvel Studios projects, it’s generally assumed that Kevin Feige will get around to introducing a new version of the group in the Sacred Timeline. When that happens, Rosario Dawson is ready to answer the call.

“I want to do a heaving-chest corset drama as a vampire. That’s it. That’s all I’m asking for. Also, X-Men maybe. Star Trek. I just want to be in all the universes. I’m in View Askewniverse, I’m in DC, I’m in the Disney world,” Rosario Dawson says during a panel at Florida Supercon.

If you’re a millennial, chances are you know the roll call in the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme song by heart. Leonardo leads, Donatello does machines, Raphael is cool but rude, Michelangelo is a party dude.

That’s the way it goes, but what if Leonardo got to be the party dude too?

Cam Clarke, who voiced Leonardo on the animated series, felt his character was too serious, and was jealous of all the fun his castmates got to have as the goofier turtles. “I wanted to be Michelangelo because I’m from LA, where that voice started, and Leo, pardon the pun, was the straight man of the act,” Cam Clarke says during a TMNT reunion panel at Florida Supercon. “As these clowns were being goofy, doing cartwheels, and all that crazy stuff, I’m just here trying to keep them in line. ‘[Serious Leonardo voice] We’ve got to think of something fast.’ Tightass.”

Here's a question I'm going to whisper to all you Daredevil: Born Again fans - do you ever miss the Netflix era? I know, I know - it's crazy cool that we're getting a Bullseye who actually gets to dress like Bullseye and seeing Muse in live action was as horrific as we hoped it would be - but aren't you occasionally kind of nostalgic for when Marvel Comics' street-levelest hero was just figuring out how to make it on TV?

Well, Deborah Ann Woll does, especially when it comes to Karen Page.

Woll recently spoke to Popverse's Ashley V. Robinson at Florida SuperCon 2026, where she attended a fan Q&A panel alongside costars Charlie Cox and Wilson Bethel. At one point in the jam-packed discussion, one traveling fan asked the assembled actors what side of their characters they wished the audience could see more of. It was Woll that answered first.

Of the many, many things fans love about Daredevil: Born Again, something that always comes up during praise for the series is its pitch-perfect casting. From Vincent D'Onofrio's Wilson Fisk to Elden Henson's Foggy Nelson, fans have been sold on these performances since moment one... but that doesn't mean that the actors themselves were always as confident. Take, for instance, Bullseye actor Wilson Bethel, who recently revealed that he had serious doubts about himself in the role.

Until, that is, one common household appliance changed his mind.

Bethel was speaking to Popverse's Ashley V. Robinson at Florida SuperCon 2026, in a fan Q&A panel also attended by costars Deborah Ann Woll and Charlie Cox. During the discussion, one fan asked the assembled cast about challenges regarding getting into their Marvel Comics characters, and Bethel spoke up.

I bet if you were to ask the Daredevil: Born Again cast if they felt their show was a hit, chances are they'd say yes. But if you'll recall, there was a time when the idea of the grittier, mature-leaning character from Marvel comics heading into the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe felt somewhat risky, and I'm not just talking about how fans felt. According to Matt Murdock himself, Charlie Cox, the time Daredevil spent on Netflix was occasionally marked by feelings of being the odd man out in terms of the MCU line-up.

Along with Marvel costars Deborah Ann Woll and Wilson Bethel, Cox was a guest at Florida SuperCon 2026, where he and Popverse's own Ashley V. Robinson spent quite a while reminiscing on the character's time over at Netflix. As a fan Q&A panel, much of that reminiscing was prompted by the FSC attendees - attendees like one costumed fan who asked the series star what it was like going from the show's first iteration to its second. 

"We owe so much to the Netflix show," begins the Clair Obscur star, "Those guys looked after us so well. It was such a great experience. In some ways it's kind of the OG."

I don't know what it is about comic books in particular, but for some reason, fans of the medium just love when there's a variant version of their favorite character. Todd McFarlane, who some would say is deeply in touch with his fans, probably knew this when he started introducing different versions of his iconic Spawn character. So it makes sense that, as he looks back on Spawn some 30-plus years after his debut, McFarlane has few if any regrets about the various Hellspawns that populate his universe.

Except that maybe, in the current comic book media landscape, he hadn't created enough.

I spoke to McFarlane recently, as he was hard at work on introducing yet another Hellspawn-adjacent character into the Spawn-Verse: the titular Spawn '77, which takes elements of McFarlane's original idea for the character and works them into a new story. At one point in our discussion, McFarlane touched on developing the story of Spawn '77 alongside artist Mark Spears.

If you grew up with the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon, you might be surprised to see just how different it is from the original comic. While the 1987 cartoon gave the Turtles bombastic personalities and zany adventures, the original comic was a grim and violent homage to Frank Miller’s Daredevil.

Kevin Eastman, who co-created the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles alongside Peter Laird, didn’t mind the cartoon taking the characters in another direction. Not only did it help Eastman feel like a kid again, but the comic creator feels the cartoon expanded the characters in meaningful ways.

“When we did the original Turtles comic series, it was a little darker and edgier,” Kevin Eastman says during a panel at Florida Supercon. “The pure joy and the love of doing the cartoon series was the crossover of all the things that we liked about our favorite cartoons growing up. You know, Scooby-Doo and so many wonderful things, but adapting the Turtles and exploring so many different Turtles adventures. There was stuff that we did in the original comic series that was brought to life in a whole new way.”

Alex Rochon has a special relationship with Caine, his character on The Amazing Digital Circus. Caine is a ringmaster AI, who torments the humans trapped in the circus, while Rochon is a voice actor and content creator. At first glance, it might seem like they have nothing in common other than their voices, but Rochon doesn’t see it that way.

“Caine is so unapologetically himself that he just kind of wears all of his many passions on his sleeve,” Alex Rochon says during a panel at Florida Supercon. “I love that for him too."

Rochon has been open about his diagnos of Autism and ADHD, and has spoken in the past about how it informs his voice acting and his dislike for masking himself. Its in that way (among others) that Rochon finds a connection with his Amazing Digital Circus character of Caine, who he has said is coded as neurodiverse.

Would you listen to a podcast hosted by Jax? Nowadays it seems everyone and their uncle has a podcast, so why not a character from The Amazing Digital Circus? After all, Jax must do something in his spare time when he’s not acting as a prankster and testing the patience of the other humans trapped in the circus.

Michael Kovach, who voices Jax on the web series, was recently asked what type of podcast Jax would have, and the actor had some interesting ideas. “Would Jax be a Joe Rogan type,” Michael Kovach says during a panel at Florida Supercon. “They would try to appeal to masculinity, and be like a Joe Rogan type, probably. I don’t know. I don’t think that’s how Jax actually feels, but I feel like in their coping mechanisms they’d be like, I have to appeal to the right audience, and it’s just bad people probably.”

In other words, he would be just as chaotic on the air as he is in person. The only difference is he would be reaching a wider audience. Honestly, I feel like that idea might appeal to him.

Rosario Dawson has been a Jedi Knight, an Amazonian warrior, and a Greek goddess. The actress has a lot of impressive accomplishments, and her next mission is to infiltrate the Disney Princess group chat. That’s right, there’s a Disney Princess group chat, and Dawson is hoping to join the secret club.

“[Jodi Benson] is back here, who’s the voice of Ariel. And you’ve got like a bunch of all the princesses, and apparently, they’re on like a princess group chat,” Rosario Dawson reveals during a Florida Supercon panel.

Dawson had previously played Princess Jasmine during an appearance on SNL, and she was hoping that would be enough to gain her entry.

Kevin Eastman hasn’t given up on seeing a film adaptation of The Last Ronin. The graphic novel, which depicts the last surviving Ninja Turtle in a post-apocalyptic future, was set to be adapted as a live-action R-rated film from Paramount Pictures. However, the film never left the development phase, and Paramount eventually shelved the idea, opting to do more kid-friendly Turtle projects.

Kevin Eastman, who co-created the Turtles and co-wrote The Last Ronin, is still confident that the movie will be made. Eastman took the idea a step further, suggesting the film could be animated, using the voice actors from the 1987 TMNT cartoon.

“It would be wonderful to have some of those original voices,” Kevin Eastman says during a TMNT reunion panel at Florida Supercon. “It would really be a wonderful crossover or throwback to all the things that we – even at the height of the Turtles comic it was 100,000 copies, but millions of people fell in love with the original cartoon series. It would be a wonderful tip of the hat to the original Turtles stories if we were lucky enough to do The Last Ronin movie and bring these guys back and do it up right.”

When it comes to cartoon theme songs, it doesn’t get more epic than the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme. The lyrics may have been simple, but it was a catchy tune that let every kid know that a half hour of Turtle Power was about to begin. The theme song, which is still stuck in our heads almost 40 years later, was written by Chuck Lorre, who went on to co-create many famous sitcoms including Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory.

It’s hard to imagine the 1987 Turtles cartoon with any other theme song, which is why it’s so mind-blowing to learn there’s another version out there that was almost used instead.

“In the early days of development on the cartoon, one of the things I think about is they sent us two versions of the Turtles theme song,” TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman says during a panel at Florida Supercon. “Chuck Lorre did both. One of them was the one that became the theme for the show. The other one was like a version of Rawhide.”

It’s been 25 years since the Josie and the Pussycats movie hit theaters, and today the film feels like a snapshot of reality. The 2001 musical comedy takes a satirical look at the music industry, revealing that major record labels are working with mega-corporations and the government to brainwash consumers via pop music. Musicians like Josie and the Pussycats become unknowing pawns in this conspiracy, as they learn that every successful artist becomes nothing more than a tool for commercialization.

While musicians have always had corporate sponsorships, the age of streaming, social media, and influencers have taken things to a new level. When Rosario Dawson, who played Valerie Brown, watches the movie today, she can’t help but see how the film seemed to predict what the modern entertainment industry would become.

“I think for me, it was just watching the beginnings of that,” Rosario Dawson says during a Josie and the Pussycats panel at Florida Supercon. “You had the Michael Jackson Pepsi commercial. You had some fire or whatever. But it was that beginning. And I remember just within a couple of years you had Britney Spears at concerts being like, ‘Give me a P, give me a E,’ like really selling it super hard and obviously going into influencer culture.”

The Amazing Digital Circus is so successful that it’s easy to forget its indie roots. The adult animated web series has over 1 billion views on YouTube along, it’s spent weeks in Netflix’s global top ten charts, and it made over $36 million during its limited theatrical run.

Not bad for a show that started as a YouTube video from an independent creator. In fact, you might be surprised to learn that the voice actors used Discord during their earliest recordings. Looking back, the cast have fond (if not embarrassing) memories of their Discord experiences.

“I think [my favorite line] is, ‘You look convoluted,’ for episode six, because the first time I recorded that, I screamed that during the table read, and nobody heard it because Discord cut it off,” Caine voice actor Alex Rochon says during a panel at Florida Supercon.

We seem to be living in the age of television reboots. In the past few years alone we’ve seen revivals of Scrubs, Dexter, Frasier, King of the Hill, iCarly, and that’s just off the top of my head. Could Hart of Dixie be next?

While there are currently no plans to revive the CW television drama, the cast is certainly game to answer the hypothetical call. “Yes,” Jaime King enthusiastically says in response to the question during a Florida Supercon panel.

Her co-star Rachel Bilson was also excited by the prospect.

If you think about it, the Backrooms and the Amazing Digital Circus aren’t that different. Both are internet properties from independent creators who found mainstream success. Both involve characters finding themselves trapped in an inescapable alternate reality. Both involve intense psychological torture.

Which leads me to wonder what would happen if the Amazing Digital Circus characters were dropped in the Backrooms? The voice actors for the popular web series have thought about this, and it’s about as insane as you would expect.

“Well, I think that Jax would probably handle it about as well as Clark. Not great. Just like, ‘I don’t have to change,’” Jax voice actor Michael Kovach says during a panel at Florida Supercon.

Beyonce Knowles has won 35 Grammy Awards, the most for any artist ever. She holds the record for highest-grossing tour by a black artist. In 2022 Rolling Stone named her the world’s greatest living entertainer. Beyonce Knowles has many accomplishments she can be proud of, but being a Pussycat isn’t one of them.

In 2000 MGM Pictures and Universal Pictures were co-producing a Josie and the Pussycats movie, and they were looking for a real musician to give the cast some authenticity. Beyonce Knowles, who was still performing with Destiny’s Child at the time, read for the role of Valerie Brown. The role ultimately went to Rosario Dawson, who the producers felt could perform the script’s more comedic moments. Dawson spent years unaware that she had beat Beyonce out for the role.

“I heard many years later that Beyonce had been offered the role. I don’t know what weird alternative universe situation that happens, but okay,” Rosario Dawson says in disbelieve during a Josie and the Pussycats reunion panel at Florida Supercon.

Michelangelo is a turtle who was raised in New York City, under the watchful eye of his mentor, a Japanese rat. It’s only natural that he would have a Californian surfer accent.

If you watched the 1987 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series, you’ve probably noticed that Michelangelo sounds a bit goofy. It turns out you can thank Sean Penn for that. Penn had played a stoner named Jeff Spicoli in the 1982 comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and the TMNT producers thought Spicoli’s laid back persona was the perfect template for the party dude turtle.

“What they were looking for with Michelangelo, they were looking for a surfer dude, and they used Sean Penn in Fast Times at Ridgemont High as sort of a prototype,” Michelangelo voice actor Townsend Coleman says during a TMNT reunion panel at Florida Supercon.

You might recall Popverse reporting a while back that a major shake-up was going on in Image Comics' Spawn Universe. Todd McFarlane, who had been writing not only the main Spawn title, but also King Spawn, GunSlinger Spawn, and The Scorched, was stepping away from writing duties. At the time, no official reason was not given for the change, but now, the Spawn creator was kind enough to reveal what happened.

I sat down with McFarlane in advance of the latest entry to his Heaven Vs. Hell universe, Spawn '77. The comic is the first Spawn comic that McFarlane offered his writing talent to since handing off Spawn #375, King Spawn #54, GunSlinger Spawn #53, and The Scorched #50 to a host of various other authors. Naturally, I wanted to know why.

"Stepping back from writing Gunslinger and Spawn," McFarlane answered, "It allowed me to just try to change things up and see if I could give myself a little bit more breathing space to do more artwork."

One of the biggest success stories in recent comic book publishing has been DC's Absolute line, a series of books that reimagine popular characters into all-new worlds and stories. Marvel's been playing the game a bit too, in their just-completed Ultimate Comics universe. So this brings up the question - are there any other comic book best-sellers that are ready for that same kind of semi-relaunch?

Todd McFarlane has an answer.

The topic came up when I sat down with the Image Comics co-founder, who is currently working on an all-new Spawn title, Spawn '77. It's the latest entry into the Spawn comic book kingdom, which McFarlane has been helming ever since 1992. Spawn has not just maintained a loyal readership over the past 34 years, but has greatly affected the trajectory of the comic book industry - so while we were on the topic of Spawn's place in the medium, I had to ask: might Spawn ever get his own Absolute or Ultimate spin?

Warning: spoilers for DC Studios' Supergirl movie are ahead! 

If you're reading this, you've probably just finished watching Supergirl at the movie theatre, and I hope you enjoyed Craig Gillespie's film as much as I did! So let's unpack that shocking ending to the film, shall we? As noted above, we're obviously going to get into spoiler territory, so you've been warned. 

At the end of the climactic fight in Supergirl, Kara talks Ruthye out of killing Krem of the Yellow Hills, citing that taking his life to avenge her own family would leave too great a mark on her conscience for the rest of her (hopefully) long life. After being told this, Ruthye relents, setting down her family's sword that she would have used to kill Krem. Kara then gently tells Ruthye to walk away from him before she "changes [her] mind" about sparing his life. 

When Critical Role wants to get into a character's backstory, they call Marieke Nijkamp.

Author of prose novel Kith & Kin and Dark Horse's prequel graphic novel trilogy The Whitestone Chronicles, Nijkamp has expanded and expounded upon some of the fandom's favorite Legend of Vox Machina characters - everyone from the heroic Vex & Vax to the villainous Briarwoods have gotten the Nijkamp treatment, but still, there's at least one lesser-known Critical Role character they'd still like to write.

That is, tiefling daughter of Percy de Rolo and Vex'ahlia, Gwendolyn de Rolo.

Critical Role's animated series The Legend of Vox Machina is approaching its endgame, and as you might infer, this most recent season is finally getting into its Thanos. The Big Bad I'm talking about here is, of course, The Whispered One. First hinted at all the way back in season 1, this necromantic demigod is not just set up to be the greatest challenge Vox Machina has faced yet, but also one of the most interesting characters on the show, and we're betting that a whole bunch of Critters are going to want to know more.

Thankfully, Marieke Nijkamp is happy to provide that.

Along with artist Aviv Or, Nijkamp is the creator of Dark Horse's Vox Machina prequel The Whitestone Chronicles Volume 3--The Briarwoods. And if you're familiar with the project's titular villains, you know that they're acolytes of the not-quite-Vecna. So, when Popverse got the chance to sit down Nijkamp to discuss the project, we had to ask - what will the upcoming OGN reveal about the Whispered One that fans won't get from the Vox Machina series?

The Ultimate universe ends (again) with June 24's Ultimate Universe: Finale #1, but for many, it did back in March with Ultimate Spider-Man #24, the final issue of the Marvel line's flagship series. Writer Jonathan Hickman, artist Marco Checchetto, and others successfully rewrote the story of Spider-Man by going to the one place Marvel Comics has been hesitant to go for decades, but the one place fans, from back in the '90s to present day, with the Spider-Verse movies, have been hoping they would: Peter Parker as a happily married father.

But there was another surprising thing Marvel Comics did with the 2024 - 2026 Ultimate Spider-Man run that even those within Marvel were surprised about: letting it end, naturally.

"I've been at Marvel a long time, and I've never seen us do what we're doing, which is end a book that is selling well and a line that is selling well," Hickman told Popverse back in late 2025. "But I understand the decision because we, generally speaking, don’t do discrete units of books. We don't do stuff that's pre-built to be a collection, and [Marvel President Dan] Buckley and all those guys looked at it, and they were like, ‘Look, we think we're really proud of this entire Ultimate line.’"

Stephanie Williams has made comic book history, but it's harder to see because of how she did it hasn't gotten the attention it should. 

Williams is currently in the running for 'Best Writer' in North American comics' top awards grouping, the Will Eisner Comics Industry Awards. It's Williams' first time being nominated, and the first time any Black woman has been nominated for the 'Best Writer' award in its 38-year history. Williams currently shares writing duties on DC's Wonder Woman ongoing series with Tom King, and her 2026 Eisner Awards 'Best Writer' nomination is for her licensed comics work on a Street Sharks comic, and two creator-owned series: Roots of Madness and Temporal.

Williams' 'Best Writer' nomination is only the second time a Black creator has been nominated for it, but for that, you'll have to go all the way back to the '90s with the late Dwayne McDuffie; Kyle Baker has been nominated previously for the 'Best Writer/Artist' award. It's a historic feat, saying volumes about Williams' growing skill in comics as well as the state of the comics industry that such a first is happening all the way here in 2026. But when it was announced, this historic feat wasn't as recognized for the feat it was.  

What happens when you host a sci-fi convention on the site of a basketball championship?

I’m not a sports person. There’s a reason I write about costumed crimefighters on a pop culture website. I can tell you useless trivia about obscure Marvel characters like Millie the Model for hours, but I have no clue how many people are on a typical basketball team or what the scoring system is. Occasionally I’ll go to a sports game with a group of friends, but for me it’s mostly a social thing. I generally have no idea what’s going on, and I feel like I’m disguising myself as one of the normies.  

As a result, I don’t keep up with sports, and I had no idea what I was in for when I flew to San Antonio, Texas to cover Spacecon for Popverse. The convention took place June 12-14 at the Freeman Coliseum Expo Halls. If you follow sports, then you might know that Spacecon wasn’t the only event being held there that weekend. On June 13 the New York Knicks faced the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center. The game was part of the NBA Finals, which I’m told are a big deal.

Here's something I probably don't need to tell you, die-hard Critters out there. From the earliest days of Critical Role fan art, there's always been a purple motif for the characters of Delilah and Sylas Briarwood, the necromantic romantics that served as the villains of the first arc. A decade later, the color has become synonymous with the pair, even though we've never exactly gotten a reason. So, when I got the chance to speak with someone actually responsible for bringing the pair to life, I had to ask for their expert opinion.

The expert in question is Aviv Or, the artist on such Critical Role graphic novels as Critical Role: Tales of Exandria Volume 2--Artagan and the upcoming The Legend of Vox Machina: The Whitestone Chronicles Volume 3--The Briarwoods. The OGN, which saw Or working with colorist Diana Sousa to bring Exandria to life, dives into the history of Delilah Briarwood in particular. And since it's our responsibility for the visuals of this uncharted chapter of Delilah's life, we asked her to parse our purple perplexities.

"Purple is mystical, magical," Or said, "It's kind of the in-between light and dark. It's dusky, When you think about purple, you think about mysterious."

With Taryon Darrington having made his animated debut in Critical Role's The Legend of Vox Machina season 4, we expect a lot more of the casual Critter crowd to start following the adventures of Exandria's most... er, most human artificer. And we expect some of their first questions to be something along the lines of  - where can I get more adventures of the Wayne Brady breakout character?

And in our opinion, there are few better people to ask than Aviv Or.

In case you aren't aware, Or is the artist for Dark Horse's upcoming Critical Role prequel OGN, The Legend of Vox Machina: The Whitestone Chronicles Volume 3--The Briarwoods. Before working on that project alongside author Marieke Nijkamp, though, Or was the first artist to bring the Darrington Brigade - that is, Taryon's own attempt at assembling a team of Vox Machina-comparable heroes - to life. So when we got the chance to sit down with her, we had to ask; what's next for Exandria's weirdest team of adventurers?

These days, James Tynion IV is known as an indie comics champion. And with one of his creator-owned books, Exquisite Corpses, having been one of the best-selling indie comics of 2025 and still growing, that's unlikely to change anytime soon. But as I'm sure you know if you're a comics reader, Tynion spent a healthy chunk of his career at DC Comics writing the superheroes that the medium has become known for. So what changed?

That's exactly what we set out to learn.

Popverse's Editor-in-Chief Chris Arrant had the chance to sit down with Tynion at C2E2 2026, and during their discussion, asked about the Something is Killing the Children author's transition between traditional superhero storytelling and horror-leaning indie works. And it turns out, there was a single moment when that transition clicked for the author.

Whether you've been with the character since Critical Role Campaign 1 or caught up with her in The Legend of Vox Machina season 1, chances are you know all about the fall of Delilah Briarwood. But now, the author responsible for digging into some of Exandria's most complex NPCs is bringing you back to the villain's frightful origin in The Legend of Vox Machina: The Whitestone Chronicles Volume 3--The Briarwoods.

And before their tale is through, you'll see Delilah in a way you never have before: as a novice.

We got the chance to sit down with Nijkamp ahead of the release of The Briarwoods OGN, the third and final entry into Dark Horse's original graphic novel series that serves as a prequel to Prime Video's The Legend of Vox Machina. With so many fans already familiar with Deliliah's skullduggery from the first chapter of the animated series, we wondered, what new light (or darkness) was Nijkamp shining on the necromancer?

I don't have to tell you now that there's an astonishing market for stories in the queer hockey romance field. While the example that might come to mind at first is HBO's Heated Rivalry, the niche subgenre is exploding across multiple franchises in the literary world, with sagas like Pucking Around; Collide; Behind the Net; and Wake Up, Nat and Darcy all putting steam on the ice. So when I got the chance to ask an expert in that genre about what was going on, I had to jump on the chance.

The expert in question was Ngozi Ukazu, author of the hit webcomic (and future OGN) Check, Please!, which was telling queer stories in a hockey space since 2013. I was lucky enough to chat with Ukazu at BookCon 2026, and so I asked the Barda and Orion author her feelings on why hockey romance in general was such a hot-ticket genre these days. And to start off, Ukazu answered by explaining something that came up from her widley-attended BookCon panel, You Had me at Hockey, which also featured authors Rachel Reid, Emily Rath, Bal Khabra, Stephanie Archer, & Kate Cochrane.

"[Jacksonville Rays author] Emily Rath did something amazing," Ukazu said, "When asked about why hockey romance is so popular, she just straight up said, 'whiteness is a reason why.' That was an incredible lift to explain that, so that me or the moderator - who are people of color - didn't have to say that. It was a dynamic, exciting, funny, and memorable panel."

Three years ago, IDW Publishing (and its parent company IDW Media Holdings) went through a massive self-induced "reset" that included laying off over 35% of its staff, the installation of a new senior management, and more to avert an impending destiny of having to declare bankruptcy. A year in, both its new editor-in-chief and one of its new publishers departed, but at the same time, efforts were ongoing to create new hits such as Beneath the Trees Where No One Sees and the revitalization of its licensed franchises, such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Star Trek. Now, three years later, there are positive signs.

In IDW's quarterly report to investors released June 11, the company appears materially healthier than it has in years by growing revenue, decreasing some of its expenses, and seemingly stabilizing what had been in flux. While a full turnaround has yet to be achieved, the idea of it is becoming more credible.

If these numbers are true, IDW is only $3,000 shy of breaking even, down from losing $1.738 million in the same six-month time period last year. That is a dramatic improvement, resulting from a 15.6% increase in overall revenue, almost exclusively from comic sales. And not just general comic sales, but primarily from comic book store sales "driven by IDW Dark titles and recovery of the industry after Diamond Comic Distributors' bankruptcy in the prior year." Patrick Horvath's Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees has become one of the largest sellers at IDW as a whole, and has become the defact flagship of the IDW Dark line. 

After her memorable late-game cameo in James Gunn’s Superman movie, Milly Alcock’s Supergirl is getting her very own solo outing in 2026. The next installment in the relaunched cinematic DC Universe, it’s one of the most anticipated movies of the year — which is funny, considering that, not so long ago, a flick starring Superman’s cousin Kara Zor-El wouldn’t have been possible. And not because of visual effects limitations, budgetary constraints, or any of the other mundane roadblocks you’re probably thinking of, but because DC banned anyone (inside and outside the comics industry) from using the OG Supergirl for nearly 20 years. 

It’s unthinkable, right? But it’s also true; an editorial edict really did sideline one of the most recognizable superheroes of all time from the mid-'80s to the early '00s. So, read on to find out why DC placed Supergirl off limits, how this impacted Superman comics and related media for close to two decades, and why the publisher ultimately welcomed the Girl of Steel back into the fold.

Technically, she was actually Superman’s fourth female counterpart (and the second to use the ‘Supergirl’ name); in the years leading up to her introduction, DC gauged readers’ interest in the concept via dream scenarios and magic-related shenanigans. But these were more prototypes than fully-fledged additions to Superman lore, and for all intents and purposes, Otto Binder and Al Plastino’s Supergirl was the ‘true’ original incarnation of the character — and, to this day, the best known, as well.

In their 60+ year career on television, The Doctor has survived countless alien invasions, reality crashes and the destruction of his homeworld (more than once). But the BBC’s announcement that it is readjusting its plans for the show’s future might be enough to make fans concerned about what lies in wait for Doctor Who. Here’s what you need to know. 

The statement opens, “as part of securing the next phase of the show for future generations, and in line with the BBC’s Charter and Agreement requirements, the BBC will put Doctor Who out to competitive tender this year,”  This last element has been overshadowed, somewhat, by the revelation that the previously announced 2026 Christmas Special had been cancelled — and, in fact, might not have even been a real project to begin with — but it’s something that is crucially important to the future of Doctor Who as a whole.

What does it mean that the BBC is “put[ting] Doctor Who out to competitive tender”? In layman’s terms, it basically means that the BBC will not be making Doctor Who anymore, but will instead be outsourcing production of all future episodes to third parties who’ll bid for the opportunity.

A story like 'The Infernal Saga' in the pages of The Incredible Hulk and Infernal Hulk by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Nic Klein is rare today in Marvel & DC comics, because it is a sprawling epic that doesn't fit neatly into a single ongoing series. 'The Infernal Saga' initially launched with The Incredible Hulk #1 in 2023 and moved into its second phase with The Infernal Hulk #1 in 2025. But when online speculation that the story was canceled bloomed from Marvel revealing the ongoing series was ending after just 10 issues, Johnson and Klein confirmed to fans that no, the Infernal Saga was not over. The next chapter of it is to begin after Infernal Hulk wraps with issue #10. 

At C2E2 2026, we sat down with Phillip Kennedy Johnson to discuss his and Klein's Infernal Hulk series and what he made of the internet's reaction to Infernal Hulk's end with issue #10. 

"The question of whether it was limited or ongoing was a little bit obscured by the nature of what's coming next. It's not simply 'ten issues of Infernal Hulk, followed by this other book #1,' there's some other stuff in between that- even saying that it's ending at ten is not completely accurate. I can't really spoil what's going to be happening after number ten, but I will say that it is still very much continuing the story of Infernal Hulk that trails off with ten," Johnson began. 

Bigger doesn't always mean better when it comes to comic book villains. At a certain point, when there are already multiple characters who can rewrite reality running around the Marvel Universe, it gets harder and harder to set up legitimately threatening stakes. But where does that leave us as readers when we're inundated with so many apocalyptic comic book events at once? 

Listen, I don't have any doubt that the creators behind Ultimate Endgame, Queen in Black, and Avengers: Armageddon can't pull off an engaging blockbuster storyline. I am enjoying the ever-living hell out of Al Ewing and Carlos Gomez's Venom series right now, and I think exploring superheroes as weapons of mass destruction is a fascinating idea worthy of exploration. But I think part of my problem lies in how these events are being marketed to us. Oh no, another apocalyptic force is coming to the Marvel Universe. Everything is at stake. Lives will be changed. 

I won't pretend to know when the ad copy for these events is written, whether that's before or after the scripts for the issues have even been written. But at a certain point, hammering home the same apocalyptic narrative does a disservice to the specific story that each specific creative team is trying to tell. Surely they can't all be painted with the same broad brush?

Having worked on a couple of iconic superheroes, James Tynion IV's origin story is a little bit harder to nail down than, say, Batman's. Part of that is because Tynion acts in a lot of capacities these days - not just as the scribe behind books like Something is Killing the Children and The Department of Truth, but also as the creative manager of the Tiny Onion brand. However, when it comes to the business end of his job, Tynion is able to point to one moment in his career that could act as a suitable origin.

That is, his time working on an Image Comics book.

Popverse's own editor-in-chief, Chris Arrant, sat down with Tynion at C2E2 2026. During their wide-ranging discussion, Tynion brought up that he enjoyed "doing the business side of my work," which he points to as starting with 2020's The Department of Truth #1.

I'm just saying - the fans were putting Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy together long before the DC writers were. And though I don't have the specifics to back this up, it at least wouldn't surprise me if the people responsible for hooking them up in-canon were fans who shipped them before that. They were probably fans-turned-canon-makers like Ngozi Ukazu, who has been an ardent supporter of an eternally fan-shipped DC couple for a very long time:

That is, Blue Beetle and Booster Gold.

Popverse got to sit down with the Barda and Orion author at BookCon 2026, where Ukazu shared her deep love for (and understanding of) some of DC's most interesting characters. At one point in the discussion, we turned to what a hypothetical Blue & Gold pitch from the Check, Please! author would look like, and if you've read Check, Please!, you probably wouldn't be surprised to hear that Ukazu thought, "they would have to be gay."

Is it cheesy to suggest that the real adventure is the friends we made along the way? Not in most tabletop games. The key component of games like D&D has always been the group of players who come together regularly to fight monsters and save the world. Even if you aren’t best friends with the people you game with, Chris Perkins hopes Daggerheart players walk away with a sense of friendship and community.

We sat down with Chris Perkins, Creative Director of Darrington Press, at PAX East 2026 to discuss Daggerheart as the system was approaching its first anniversary. We asked him to describe how he hopes the game and its community will evolve over the next few years. “In the next five years, I see Daggerheart being a strong, robust game that, when a new person comes into it, they feel invited. It’s friendly,” he told us. “There’s enough options that they can create the character they want to play, but there’s not so many options that there’s analysis paralysis or difficulty in trying to figure out what’s right or what’s the best option for them.”

However, Critical Role’s Darrington Press isn’t just focused on making a welcoming game; they want to make a welcoming community as well. “And that we’ve just created a game that has a strong community of fans around it,” Perkins continues. “Who are just experiencing it at conventions or at home play and like the best other roleplaying games, it’s just a way for people to make new friends and have a great time together. Similar to my thinking on D&D, we’re in the business at Daggerheart of creating friendships and fun experiences and memories that will last a lifetime.”

When he was first introduced in Arrow's debut season, David Ramsey's John Diggle was very much supporting cast. However, over the decade-plus of the universe the show introduced, Diggle became so much more than an Oliver Queen sidekick. And now, the character's co-creator is ready for him to take the next logical step in his evolution: as the headliner of a DC Comic.

And at the same time, Marc Guggenheim kinda knows why that might not work.

I got the chance to sit down with Guggenheim at C2E2 2026, where the TV legend's love of the character that would later be called The Spartan was evident. So evident, in act, in inspired a message directly to the hallowed halls of DC Editorial.

The thing about tabletop gaming is that it can be a very expensive hobby to get into. With D&D, past editions relied on players and DMs buying not just the core rulebook but DM Guides and Monster Manuals and expanded rules that introduced new, more powerful classes. Much of this has been part of a corporate strategy to increase sales, but Chris Perkins tells us that it has actually hurt sales in many cases.

We spoke to Chris Perkins, who was Story Lead and Creative Director for Dungeons & Dragons before he retired and then joined Critical Role’s Darrington Press in 2025 to work on their Daggerheart system, at PAX East 2026. He explained that he wants to make sure that Daggerheart adventures don’t require the player or the GM to own anything but the core rulebook to run. “We want our adventures to basically be runnable just with the Core Rulebook, so that means making sure that anything we introduce that is new is playing nicely with the core rules. We don’t want GMs to feel like they have to own six different products to run an adventure.”

It is a lesson that comes from years of working on D&D. “That’s a hard lesson Jeremy [Crawford] and I learned on D&D, particularly 5th Edition, is that adventures will get played more and used more if they require fewer things to run. And so that’s going to be true of Daggerheart adventures going forward.”

Every good story needs a villain. In tabletop games like D&D and Daggerheart, that villain is usually someone with plans for world domination or at least someone who is trying to cause a little bit of chaos. Classically, it has been up to the GM to come up with the villain for the campaign, but the upcoming Daggerheart expansion, Hope & Fear, is turning things around and giving players a chance to help create their perfect villains.

“I am imagining right now that a Daggerheart villain is just somebody who’s doing something so awful that any right-minded party of adventurers feels the absolute need to stop them,” Chris Perkins, Creative Director at Critical Role’s Darrington Press, told us when we sat down with him at PAX East 2026. As someone who has been writing published campaigns and adventures for many years, Perkins is also thinking about how to make villains the kind of baddies that players just want to stop, so that means letting them flesh them out a bit more. 

“One of the key things about a Daggerheart villain is that it will be built in such a way that the GM and the players can customize it. You’re gonna see a little of that in Hope & Fear. One of the campaign frames that I worked on with Jeremy [Crawford] and Spencer [Starke] and Rowan [Hall] is a campaign frame that is based around a villain. The villain is sort of the motivator for pretty much everything that happens in the campaign frame, and so one of the things that was done in this campaign frame was we have a section up front that says, ‘Okay, here’s the basics of the villain. Here’s what they’re up to. What their plan is. Now here is the system by which you and your players customize the villain in the session zero before the campaign even starts.’”

My girlfriend was never interested in superheroes. She told me that her perception of them has mostly been shaped by the MCU movies (“Marvel movies,” as she calls them). While it’s easy for a snobby comic book reader to dismiss the opinion of someone who can barely tell the difference between Marvel and DC characters, she made a very interesting point: it feels as though MCU heroes are always there to preserve the status quo. According to her, the stories are almost always about some radical person or group who might have good intentions (to humanize them and make them relatable), but then go too far, and the heroes have to stop them. It’s a fairly simplified reading of decades of storytelling, but I do think it’s an interesting point, and it touches on something important.

Across DC and Marvel’s main continuities, there exists a form of equilibrium. Superman might be down on his luck today, and even Lex Luthor might be president, but this is an anomalous state for the world. When everything runs as it should, and villains are stopped without causing too much havoc, that is what I would call equilibrium. It’s not a perfect situation, as even a third-rate villain might be onto something, but they are dealt with quickly. It’s only when things really go south in a major event that this equilibrium is temporarily lost.

I believe the 'dark' universes, such as the Dark Multiverse, are evidence of this. Reading the Tales from the Dark Multiverse anthology books, much like many other 'dark' Elseworlds stories, is really fun because they explore universes that did not recover from temporary catastrophes (events) and instead remained in a state of disequilibrium. That is also why we don’t get ongoing series set in those worlds, for example, set in the universe of Batman the Silenced, a tortured and clinically insane version of Batman who fights his CEO and politician brother in the US government.

A group of content creators is coming together to call for a boycott of all DC Comics after what they feel is a dearth of Black-led comic books in the company's primary continuity. A new organization called the Black Comic Alliance, led by comics content creator James Portis III, is calling for all fans, readers, and creators "to withhold financial support as well as cease content creation for DC Comics publishing initiatives until meaningful structural changes are made regarding Black representation in their mainline continuity."

This is the second stage of a planned #DCSoWhite project campaign that Portis has been pushing for in recent months to publicly force DC Comics to make changes using negative opinions about the company in social media (and media) coverage. The #DCBlackout boycott is called by the Black Comic Alliance to last until DC puts up for pre-order "a Black-led ongoing in mainline continuity" with retailers and that it has marketing efforts "on the levels that would show faith in the title and a desire for it to succeed."

Earlier this month, as part of the #DCSoWhite campaign, Portis individually also called for these new Black-led DC ongoings to run for 18-24 months "so that fresh data can be gathered on their sales from multiple avenues like digital and collected editions, not just single issue preorders."

Tabletop gaming is often a collaborative project, with players helping to weave their story into the world presented to them by the GM. However, most games like D&D expect the DM (or GM if you’re playing a different system) to do the bulk of the heavy lifting. As possibly the most famous GM in modern tabletop, Matt Mercer knew that Critical Role’s Daggerheart system needed to share that load between players and GM.

We spoke to Matt Mercer at PAX West 2026 and discussed what makes a great Daggerheart game. It isn’t just the usual things that make a tabletop game work, like everyone agreeing on what they want to play and how to handle the story.

“A good Daggerheart game is a very present table acknowledgement and understanding that everyone is building the story together,” Mercer explained. “There’s a very historical tendency to have the ‘GM providing story and the players are along for the ride’ sort of vibe, and I think that’s, thankfully, been changing over time.”

There are a lot of people to credit with the smashing success of DC's Absolute Batman. There's original writer Scott Snyder and artist Nick Dragotta, to start, then there's editor Katie Kubert, and of course, the hundreds of thousands of folks who are buying copies of the comic each month. But was we look back on the Absolute Universe's biggest hit so far, let's not forget to thank one rather influential comic book writer, without whom the story might've been very, very different.

That writer is Tiny Onion's own James Tynion IV, who recently sat down with Popverse's editor-in-chief, Chris Arrant, at C2E2 2026. During the course of their discussion, Chris brought up Tynion's lesser-known contributions to Absolute Batman's existence, asking the Something is Killing the Children writer and comics business pioneer to explain his side of the story.

"The way I always put that whole era was," Tynion began, "It was kind of a year and a half of me being like, 'Scott, why are you doing this?' He was going back into superheroes, and that meant that he kept calling me. I could tell that he didn't realize that he was asking permission to this."

No one could ever accuse Critical Role fans of being shy about showing their appreciation. Critters are, almost as a rule, very passionate about the series, so it shouldn’t have been too surprising when the original Kickstarter for the Legend of Vox Machina animated series set all kinds of records. However, as longtime DM Matt Mercer explained to us, that first night, when they raised over $1 million almost immediately, was still an eye-opening experience.

While he was at PAX East 2026, we managed to catch up with Matt Mercer to discuss everything from Daggerheart to Critical Role’s place in the modern history of tabletop gaming. As he admitted that the company has a history of underestimating both themselves and their fans, we mentioned the first Kickstarter campaign for The Legend of Vox Machina as evidence that maybe they shouldn’t. We then got to see Matt Mercer’s eyes widen as the memory of that night came flooding back to him. 

“Oh yeah,” he said. “It’s forever burned into my soul in the best way.”

Frank Miller is a man who doesn’t seem to stop. He’s written some of the most influential comic books ever, with his The Dark Knight Returns becoming one of the definitive Batman stories of the past 40 years. He’s got a memoir coming out this summer that promises to share his creative process, but he’s still apparently pushing himself to try new things. Even if those things are outside of comic books.

We spoke to Frank Miller earlier this year and asked him about what he feels is the next challenge he’s undertaking. His answer was surprising; it also had nothing to do with comic books. “Floral arrangement – origami – embroidery,” he told us, citing three activities we don’t typically associate with the author of Daredevil: Born Again and The Dark Knight Returns. “It’s like the title of the movie, Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

It seems that Frank Miller, for all his success, is still eager to try new things and keep his mind active by learning new activities. Even if all he is doing is clearing his mind between drawing and writing comics, the simple activities of floral arrangement, origami, and embroidery could prove valuable to the comic book legend.

Considering the number of tabletop game systems that are out there, you might think that making one is easy. However, there is so much to consider, between balance issues and how to make your system stand out in an increasingly crowded industry. When Matt Mercer was looking at designing Daggerheart, the longtime Critical Role GM knew there were a few mechanics that he wanted to make sure they explored.

When we spoke to him at PAX East 2026, we asked Matt Mercer what he was hoping that Daggerheart would take from other tabletop systems like D&D and change or adapt for Critical Role’s new system. He explained that part of the challenge when working with D&D is always that it has to both bring in new players and satisfy those who still revere the 50-year legacy of Dungeons & Dragons. 

“With Daggerheart, a lot of us wanted to find the scenarios, the sort of experiences that a lot of other modern tabletop systems weren’t really facilitating,” Mercer told us. “We wanted there to be enough tactical crunch and customization options and the ability where you can really dive in and craft your own place in this world, but then also be a little more narratively inviting, like a lot of new school game design tends to lean towards. Trying to bridge some of those gaps in a way that also empowers the GM to not feel like they have to build and run and learn everything. That, I think, is one of the big things we wanted to improve upon with Daggerheart over a lot of other systems was to give enough GM tools to make them feel like you don’t have to build a campaign setting. You can just build a few pages here, and it’s really not that hard to just take these few pages and run with it.”

Veronica Roth is out to change how you see the world. Literally. 

In her latest novel, adult dystopia Seek the Traitor's Son, Roth presents a vision of future Earth ravaged by a super-powerful (and supernatural) plague called the Fever, which decimates the population and, in some cases, brings part of that population back. But Roth's focus wasn't only one the citizens of that future Earth, it was on the actual geography they inhabit, a geography that many of our current, real-world Earthlings get wrong, thanks to a flawed map dating back to the 1500s.

Or as you may know it, the Mercator projection. 

Zoe Thorogood, the writer-artist behind It's Lonely at the Centre of the Earth, has announced a new collaboration between her and musician Harley Poe called Vampire on Aisle 6. The project will be a graphic novel and EP, which is pretty exciting! 

At C2E2 2026, we chatted with Zoe Thorogood about her work, both past and present, and she opened up about how she came to collaborate with her partner, Joe Whiteford, on Vampire on Aisle 6. 

"It's a story that my partner, Joe, had in mind years ago. He's been talking about it for years, this idea he's had about this vampire who's trapped in a grocery store, he can't get out because the sun's up, and he's just stuck there til the sun sets," Thorogood said. 

If you've been a visitor to Popverse lately, chances are you've noticed how exited we are about DC's Next Level line. The post-DC KO comic series, which puts the spotlight on B-tier DC characters such as Deathstroke, Lobo, and Batwoman, is publishing some wholly unique takes on DC's heroes and villains by recruiting some of the best names in the biz... names like Michael Walsh.

Walsh, who originated the Image Comics horror anthology Silver Coin and is currently working on indie hit Exquisite Corpses with James Tynion IV, was recently a guest at C2E2 2026, where the artist did us the kindness of stopping by our Pop Spot interview space. Naturally, we wanted to know all we could about Walsh's still-unidentified DC Next Level Comic, and though we'll tell you right now that he wasn't able to give us the character on its covers, he was able to share a lot of other details.

"I can say that it is referential of some of the other things that I've done over the last few years," began the artist, "Tonally speaking. I can say that it's a character that's been around in DC for a very long time, but hasn't really had a hit book in in quite a while. I can say that I'm writing and drawing the book in that Toni-Marie Griffin will be coloring the book. Brittany Holzer, the incredible Britney, and James Reid are the editors on the book." 

The Amazing Digital Circus fanbase has done some incredible things. We've viewed the pilot episode a whopping 435 million times as of this writing. We've broken ticket sale records for a Fathom screening event. And now, a select and glorious few of us have done what some fandoms can only dream of doing: causing animator Gooseworx actual regret for making the show.

The story comes on the heels of The Amazing Digital Circus's hotly-anticipated finale, episode 9, leaking online ahead of its June theatrical release. Asked about the leaks on BlueSky, Gooseworx responded in a since-deleted post, "ehhhh, who cares?," as though she was allowed to accept events that she had no part of or control over. Obviously, this was Not A Correct Response, and thus tantamount to a war crime.

Fortunately, though, we the true fans set about correcting Gooseworx, responding with the same authoritative and constructive methods as our forbears in the Star Wars or Minecraft fanbases. And not 24 hours after the discourse began on BlueSky (the non-toxic alternative to Twitter, remember), Gooseworx admitted defeat.

Dan Buckley has seen Marvel Comics change from a comics publisher with dreams of TV and film success into a franchise and a brand where comics is a smaller but integral part inside a massive multimedia empire. Buckley has been Marvel Comics' publisher for the past 23 years, leading it to become the modern comic company it is while also being a key part of its transition into movies, TV, gaming, and being a department of the monolithic Walt Disney Company. 

But now, Buckley is leaving (not retiring) from Marvel after a nearly seamless tenure with the company beginning right after he graduated college in 1991. For context, he joined the company when modern epics such as Infinity Gauntlet and the 'Weapon X' storyline were not even midway through release on comic shelves that month. But things have changed tremendously in the intervening 35 years, and while he's said to be staying a full year to help with the transition, one major thing seems to not be transitioning with him.

For the first time in its 87 years, Marvel Comics has no publisher... and has no signs of getting one.

The 2026 Eisner Award nominations have been announced, and the list of nominees is looking rather Absolute. Across 32 categories, DC Comics racked up 16 nominations (sharing 10 nominations with other publishers in categories like "Best Writer"), the majority of which were for books from their Absolute line. Now, in 2026, DC's Absolute Universe has cemented itself as a hit both commercially and critically, and it keeps growing. Take a look at the entire list of nominations here. 

DC's biggest hit at the Eisners isn't an Absolute book for one of the Trinity. Instead, it's Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez's Absolute Martian Manhunter - a new interpretation of a character who hasn't had an ongoing series in a decade. Originally, Absolute Martian Manhunter was planned as a 6-issue mini-series by Camp and Rodriguez, but in light of the enthusiastic fan response to the book, it was extended to a 12-issue limited series. Of course, Camp and Rodriguez had a dynamite idea for Absolute Martian Manhunter - one that made me shriek at the top of my lungs when I first heard it in 2024 - but if we can extract anything from Absolute Martian Manhunter's success, it's that both fans and critics reward DC for letting creators like Camp and Rodriguez run wild with a familiar character. 

And the same could be said across the entire Absolute line. The continued success of DC's Absolute Universe into 2026 evidences that these books are more than just their provocative loglines. Absolute Batman from Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta and Absolute Wonder Woman by Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman are both nominated for Best Continuing Series this year after they were nominated for Best New Series in 2025. In other words, the Absolute titles are continuing to meet the same level of quality that fans got from the first series arcs in these succeeding months and years. 

One of the brightest stars working in comics today is writer Deniz Camp. And if you need any evidence for why, look no further than the 2026 Eisner Award nominations. Between books like DC Comics' Absolute Martian Manhunter, Image Comics' Assorted Crisis Events, and Marvel Comics' The Ultimates, Camp has established himself as a vibrant new voice in American comics today thanks to his ability to merge high-concept genre storytelling with slippery, inventive prose. Camp's skills have been put to work in stories reflecting the bizarre state of our world today. 

This year, Deniz Camp is up for the Eisner Award for Best Writer (for Absolute Martian Manhunter, Assorted Crisis Events, and The Ultimates), Best New Series for Assorted Crisis Events (with artist Eric Zawadski), Best Limited Series for Absolute Martian Manhunter (with artist Javier Rodriguez), and is nominated twice in the Best One-Shot/Single Issue category for Absolute Martian Manhunter #1 and Assorted Crisis Events #4 - totaling 5 nominations. 

Part of what's remarkable about Camp's work, reflected in his Eisner nominations, is how he's able to play within a superhero sandbox (even if it's in an alternate universe) just as well as in his creator-owned work. Between The Ultimates and Absolute Martian Manhunter, Camp has approached decades-old characters and worlds and reinvented them in a gutsy manner that also honors their existing history. That's no small feat. The Ultimates, for instance, made Emmanuel Da Costa, the conniving businessman father of the X-Man Sunspot, even more of a monster than he is in the mainline Marvel Universe. As far as villains go, Emmanuel Da Costa isn't an obvious pick when you have foes like Doctor Octopus, Norman Osborn, whoever your favorite Marvel villain is, also running around. In other words, Camp "knows ball," as the kids say, while simultaneously working on stories that rewrite the rules of the game entirely. 

There’s something about the odd pairing of a monster and a flack vest that just makes me overwhelmingly happy. 

I first encountered this visual delight while reading the pages of John Arcudi, Mike Mignola and Guy Davis in the pages of the B.P.R.D.. For those uninitiated, the book is a spinoff of Mignola’s long-running Hellboy series. It follows the journeyman-like exploits of a few monsters, trapped in the employ of the United States government. Their task? To investigate all those things that go bump in the night.

That sounds like it could be any number of genre-centric programs, right? The X-Files, Kolchak the Night Stalker, Fringe. They’ve all played in similar waters. But the thing that makes the BPRD so fascinating to me is the seemingly effortless combination of the mundane and the surreal. Additionally, you’re not dealing with humans who are investigating monsters… your primary cast are all monsters. And then they go out and deal with more monsters. What’s not to love? It’s the perfect setup for an enthralling otherworldly procedural.