An amazing showcase of the best Cosplayers from the region, come support your local cosplayers or just admire the astounding craftsmanship on display! At this Championship incredible Cosplayers will battle it out onstage to be chosen as the New York regional winner. Our NYCC winner will go on to compete against the cosplayers selected at Emerald City Comic Con, Florida Supercon, and C2E2, to decide the overall US Champion who will head to C2E2 in 2027 and compete in the Final for the Global Cosplay Central Crown!

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Since movies first hit the big screen, audiences have always adored a swordsman – from Robin Hood, Zorro and The Three Musketeers to the playful fencing fun in The Court Jester and The Princess Bride to the dazzling clashes of One Piece and the cinema-altering lightsaber battles in Star Wars.

Today, the spotlight on fencing is growing again – particularly in the run-up to the 2028 Summer Olympics and the recent launch of the World Fencing League.

Hollywood is getting in line, too – several name actors have taken up the sport, and a new film is on the horizon – Content Republic’s “Fencer” from writer/director Rob Edwards (Captain America: Brave New World, Disney’s The Princess and the Frog, The King of Kings).

200,000+ people are in New York City to take part in the biggest celebration of pop culture in North America: New York Comic Con. But while a quarter million people all in one building is a lot of people, there's even more not going to be there who want to watch some of the big panels from the event. Good thing Popverse has you covered.

For NYCC 2026, you can be there from anywhere as we are livestreaming some of the big panels from the event here just for you. Come back each day of New York Comic Con - October 8 - 11 to watch it all:

Main Stage

The interview was over, but the conversation wasn’t. Because when you get Fantagraphics associate publisher Eric Reynolds talking about comics—not products, not IP, not “content,” but actual lines-on-paper comics—you don’t stop. You keep listening, you keep talking, and ask what keeps someone excited about this beautifully improbable medium after spending decades inside the machine that makes it.

Reynolds remains an evangelist for cartooning and a realist about the business built around it. Comics are still his happy place; corporate consolidation, algorithms, assembly-line publishing, and variant-cover excess are decidedly not. Somewhere between those two poles sits Fantagraphics, a proudly independent publisher that can release uncompromising contemporary work alongside Peanuts, Disney, and archival Marvel comics without pretending that artistic integrity requires financial self-destruction. As Reynolds puts it in four words sharp enough to become a company motto: “Integrity is not purity.”

So, after our official interview about Takumigraphics ended, we kept going—into the anthologies Reynolds constructs like mixtapes, the strange-but-not-really partnership between Fantagraphics and Marvel, and the great cartoonists he still wishes would return to the drawing board. This is a conversation about loving comics enough to remain excited by what they can be, cynical about what the business makes them, and stubborn enough to keep publishing the good stuff anyway.

Marvel Masterworks is coming back, and the people bringing it back know exactly what’s at stake. This isn’t simply another series of hardcover collections; since 1987, Marvel Masterworks has become a library within the House of Ideas that is Marvel, preserving decades of comics in painstaking detail and looking very handsome while doing it. So when Marvel’s long-running line appeared to be ending, fans weren’t just losing some books. They were losing an institution.

Enter Clover Press, which is taking on Marvel Masterworks (in partnership with Marvel, of course) to preserve the reproduction quality, physical format, archival extras, and shelf-to-shelf consistency collectors expect, while adding new editions and collectibles designed to invite more readers into the club. Popverse spoke with Hank Kanalz about how the deal happened, why Clover believes it can make Masterworks work, and the one question every longtime collector wants answered: Will these books still match the ones already bending our shelves?

If you haven't yet, check out Clover Press' Kickstarter for Modern Masterworks. Think of it less as crowdfunding and more as helping Clover figure out how many to make.

The death of Peter Cullen was a shock to many people. His work on the Transformers series, where he famously played the heroic and noble Optimus Prime for decades, gave him an undeniable place in the history of animation. While he didn’t take on many roles in anime dubbing over the years, he was the voice of anime for a whole generation of fans. Not because of any specific role but because he narrated the promotional bumps for many of the classic anime on the Toonami block, including Dragon Ball Z, Yu Yu Hakusho, and, weirdly enough, Hamtaro.

These promos are never going to be what Peter Cullen is known for. He’ll always be Optimus Prime to many fans around the world; it is a role he played starting in the original The Transformers animated series in 1984 all the way through to the Michael Bay films. His final performance as the character was finally shown in cinemas around the world this week, more than 40 years after he first stepped into the booth as Optimus Prime. Even with that firmly being his legacy (and what a legacy it is), his impact on the anime fandom is surprisingly large considering he didn’t have a major anime acting role outside.

The world of Dragon Ball is built on a series of rules, with the most important one being that sometimes Akira Toriyama just liked to mess with his readers. Over the course of the manga, he frequently established tropes only to subvert them at the first opportunity. In this way, Super Saiyan 3 was his masterpiece of turning the rules of Dragon Ball on their head.

It is often decried as a “useless” transformation among Dragon Ball fans because it doesn’t actually accomplish anything in the original manga. Super Saiyan 3 is introduced in the Buu Saga as Goku’s ultimate weapon in his attempt to stop Majin Buu from wreaking havoc on Earth. A sudden, unexpected transformation that was as surprising as it was ridiculous to look at, SSJ 3 was a shocking reveal in the manga before being swiftly cast aside in favor of fusion as the new way to achieve new power.

The trouble is that Goku shows up, unveils Super Saiyan 3, and then buggers off when he’s wasted just enough of Majin Buu’s time. In the course of the manga, it helps him defeat exactly no one; it is only ever used as a stalling tactic despite being technically more powerful than any other transformation at the time. Add in the fact that it was unlocked during a time skip and without any of the usual drama associated with Dragon Ball transformations, and you get something that feels underwhelming to fans years later.

Gravity isn’t just the name of the game in Gravitas; it’s also your greatest enemy. In this episode of Popverse’s Let’s Play, Ashley V. Robinson sits down with Gravitas’ Chris Gagné to discover how quickly a seemingly simple stone-stacking game can become a tabletop battle of patience, strategy, and increasingly questionable decisions.

Handcrafted in Vermont from natural slate, marble, and granite, Gravitas is part game, part sculpture, and part disaster waiting to happen. Because every stone has its own shape, texture, and balance, no two sets play exactly alike. The rules may be simple enough to learn in minutes, but successfully stacking the pieces (especially with another player plotting against you) is another matter entirely.

Can Ashley defeat Chris at his own game, or does the man from Gravitas have home-field advantage? Sponsored by Gravitas, watch as the two build improbable towers, test the limits of gravity, and try very hard not to send everything crashing onto the table. Friendship is temporary; a perfectly balanced stack of rocks is forever.

I find myself utterly confused by Chainsmoker Cat. Here is an anime that begins with a series of fart and poop jokes, portraying the main character as disgustingly messy to the point where family refuses to visit. There is gross-out humor from start to finish, but it is almost a case of misdirection for the raw, painful impact that addiction can have on people’s lives.

Chainsmoker Cat is a difficult watch, but that is kind of the point. The opening moments inflict a surprising amount of poop and vomit on the screen for a show that is, obstinately, about a cute cat girl. It takes the horrors of addiction, even addiction to a legal substance like tobacco, and delivers it into a package that initially feels relatively harmless. That is the beauty of the anime and the part that makes me so damn intrigued by it.

I’ve talked about being the child of an addict before and how it colors my perception of most media, particularly those dealing with forgiveness or family issues. Right from the first scene of Chainsmoker Cat, I got the vibe that this was going to be a little bit more than it initially seemed. 

While its heyday as a true pop culture force is (arguably) long past, MTV was, for a time, one of the most important cornerstones of American television and music. It pioneered the music video format and became a hotbed for American comedic talent. However, the first scripted comedy series to air on MTV came from across the pond in the form of an anarchic, surreal British sitcom, The Young Ones.

The Young Ones first appeared on UK TV in 1982 and starred members of comedy troupe The Comic Strip as students living in squalid shared accommodation navigating a bizarre version of 1980s Britain that included puppets, fourth wall breakage, and a surprisingly robust line-up of musical guests. Each episode would rapidly descend into chaos, as was common of the alternative comedy movement that the series embodied.

After running for 12 episodes across two seasons (which was considered a success for this sort of show at the time), The Young Ones went off the air in June 1984. A year later, in 1985, MTV aired the show as the first non-music-based show on the network, introducing a whole new generation of viewers to the unbridled weirdness of British humor in the early 80s. 

From the very dawn of civilization, people have been united by the act of eating. The gathering of family and friends together around the table, food and drink flowing freely, is always among the most joyful images, so much so that it has become the very foundation of multiple festivals and holidays around the world. So it isn’t a surprise that one of the best manga in recent years, Delicious in Dungeon, is about food and, more importantly, the community that food creates.

Spoilers for the Delicious in Dungeon manga follow.

The initial concept of Delicious in Dungeon makes the food aspect of dungeon crawling feel like a gimmick to keep the series from feeling like any other high fantasy manga. The way that most characters react to Senshi’s skill and insistence on cooking the various creatures he finds in the dungeon is generally with suspicion or disgust, but that food becomes the catalyst for the plot of the story.

Part of the appeal of The Conjuring films is that they are period pieces, inspired by cases that Ed and Lorraine Warren took on during their careers as demonologists. The first two films are made by director James Wan, who remains arguably one of the most enthusiastic filmmakers in Hollywood today. Regardless of how you feel about Wan's filmmaking and The Conjuring films themselves, it's undeniable that Wan relishes in period-accurate needle drops and leaning into the cultural moment of the story's setting. And in The Conjuring 2, a film that dramatizes the 1977 Enfield poltergeist incident in north London, the most frightening force in the story isn't The Nun or the poltergeist itself, but Margaret Thatcher. 

In case you need a refresher, because it's been ten years since The Conjuring 2 was released in theaters, the Enfield poltergeist incident took place at a council house - the UK's version of public housing - in London. Janet, one of the four children living in the council house, falls ill after playing with a ouija board, and begins experiencing supernatural phenomena around the house. That's when Ed and Lorraine Warren come to the rescue to exorcise the demons inside the home. 

But hang on, where is Margaret Thatcher in the film? She's only in one scene, but it's one that's worth breaking down. In the scene, Janet is home alone and watching television in her living room. This innocuous scene turns unsettling, however, when the television mysteriously switches to other channels, eventually settling on the "Britain Awake" speech of then-Leader of the Conservative Party, Margaret Thatcher. It's then that Janet suspects that the television is being controlled by the ghost of the old man who lived in the house before her and her family, evident in the empty living room chair left behind by him. The TV erupts into static, and as Janet leans closer to the screen, the face of the old man suddenly appears next to it, screaming, "My house!" at her. 

Aliens, time travel, sentient AI - for 60+ years, Doctor Who has been supplying Great Britain (and the world) with fables of the fantastic. It's all fiction, of course; at no point has the BBC's No. 1 scifi ever pitched its plunger-wielding extraterrestrials as plausible. But when a show's been running as long as Doctor Who has, it's likely to encounter some kind of true strangeness. And if one of the UK's strangest airline stories is true, we may know of just such a meeting place.

Our story begins in March of 1967, when writers had The Doctor squaring off against the chillingly-named Faceless Ones. The serial featured Patrick Troughton's Second Doctor (this writer's personal favorite) encountering shape-shifting aliens at a place every Londoner would know well - the Gatwick Airport. In order to present the setting realistically, the series organized a shoot at Gatwick itself, a task with which the airport was "only too happy to help," as Whovian record-keeper Richard Bignell told the BBC.

Tragically, it's unlikely the world will get to see what Troughton and Co. filmed at Gatwick on those chilly March mornings. Much of what was filmed for The Faceless Ones is now believed to be lost, though BBC studios produced an animated reconstruction of the audio in 2020. However, almost 25 years to the day of serial's filming, travelers to Gatwick got a second chance to encounter an otherworldly presence... whether they were looking for it or not.

How do I watch Peaky Blinders? The answer isn't difficult. The BBC crime drama revolving around the Shelby crime family, set in the aftermath of World War I, is a straightforward narrative that begins with its pilot episode in 2013 and carries on, chronologically, through 6 seasons, one film, and an upcoming sequel series. But we're getting ahead of ourselves: This is how to watch Peaky Blinders in order:

As you can see, the Peaky Blinders watch order is very simple to parse, beginning with series 1, episode 1 and tracking (thus far) to the Netflix film Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man. Originally, series creator Steven Knight toyed with the idea of continuing the story of main character Tommy Shelby with Peaky Blinders season 7, but opted to turn the story into a feature film instead. It debuted on Netflix March 20, 2026.

Yes, there is more Peaky Blinders on the horizon, with a sequel series picking up after Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man. As reported by Popverse in October of 2025, the show is coming from OG series creator Steven Knight and will be executive produced by Cillian Murphy. The official logline of the sequel series is as follows:

So, you’re probably here because you’re a little confused about who Psylocke is. Sometimes she’s called “Betsy,” and sometimes she’s called “Kwannon,” so who is she? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Many people before you have been confused about what’s going on with her, and many more after you will be confused. 

Let’s start from the beginning. There was a white British girl with telepathic powers named Betsy Braddock who dyed her hair purple, created back in 1976's Captain Britain #8 by artist Herb Trimpe and the British-born writer Chris Claremont. Betsy became one of the X-Men in 1986 when she joined under the code name Psylocke in the New Mutants Annual #2 by Claremont and Alan Davis. So, initially, Psylocke is a white British lady named Betsy in her original body.

Then, beginning with 1989’s Uncanny X-Men #256 by Claremont, Jim Lee, and Scott Williams, Betsy became amnesiac and was kidnapped by the ninja organization known as the Hand. And for lack of a better word, Betsy was given a 'makeover' that transformed her physical appearance into that of a Japanese woman’s (with purple hair and eyes), because “we can’t have a Westerner running the Hong Kong underworld" according to her then-boss, the Mandarin. With her new look, Betsy was trained by the Hand and became a ninja assassin. 

The United Kingdom is a small country with an oversized cultural footprint, especially when it comes to pop culture. After all, what would pop music be without the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, punk, rave, or any number of musical acts and genres that have their origins in the U.K.? Where would visual art be without British figures from John Constable and J.M.W. Turner through David Hockney and Banksy? And what would modern contemporary cinema be without Star Wars?

Yes, that’s right: Star Wars is British. I’m just declaring it right now.

Obviously, I know that the Star Wars series is funded and released by American companies: 20th Century Fox, Lucasfilm, and now the Walt Disney Company. Similarly, I also appreciate that the directors and writers of each of the big screen Star Wars movies to this point have been American — and, also, that the roots of the original trilogy come from specifically American sources as well, whether it’s the movie serials of the 1940s or the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War. And yet, despite all of that, Star Wars simply feels like a British film series on some basic, important, level.

The ShortBox Comics Fair has become one of the most exciting showcases for independent comics. Founded by critic/publisher Zainab Akhtar, the month-long digital event is essentially a pop-up shop of new comics from around the world, available to anyone around the world. In many ways, it's where the next comics talent gets their first spotlight, but also where the rising stars show off their next project. Names such as Victoria Ying (Diana & Nubia: Princesses of the Amazons), Hamish Steele (DeadEndia), Sas Milledge (The Ravel Cycle graphic novels), Theo Stultz (Maleficent), Laura Knetzger (Bug Boys), Ben Sears (Young Shadow), and David Lafuente (Ultimate Spider-Man).

The remarkable part is that the ShortBox Comics Fair is essentially a one-person operation. Founder Zainab Akhtar personally selects all the comics on exhibit, builds the site, manages the marketing, and connects readers to work they might never encounter at a traditional convention or fair. The fair has grown from roughly 40 comics exhibited in 2020 to 145 in its most recent outing, and despite taking a one-year hiatus for 2026, the 2027 ShortBox Comics Fair is already picking up steam to be bigger than ever before.

Believe it or not, there was a time when we thought the Dragon Ball franchise might be done forever following the death of Akira Toriyama. While it still remains to be seen if we’re ever going to get new Dragon Ball stories in either anime or manga form, Toei Animation is going ahead with Dragon Ball Super: Beerus, the remaster of the first arc of Dragon Ball Super, this fall. Like many fans out there, we’ve got expectations for how this new remaster could be the beginning of a new chapter for Dragon Ball.

Announced earlier in 2026, Dragon Ball Super: Beerus is an extensive remaster of the Battle of Gods arc of Dragon Ball Super. While it isn’t quite a remake of those episodes, the original announcement suggested it was more than just a quick polish to make a bit more money off the franchise. It will feature new animation, new voice recordings, and see sequences recut to change the storyline from the original.

It is that last part that really intrigues me. For me, there were three big problems with the original Dragon Ball Super anime. The first was the wildly inconsistent animation quality throughout, but particularly in the Battle of Gods and Resurrection F arcs, which seems to be one of the primary purposes of the Beerus remake. This new cut will include redrawn scenes made to bridge the gaps created by the remastered plot. How well they match the existing animation to the new scenes will be a deciding factor in how successful it is. Some of the new stuff in the Dragon Ball Kai edit was difficult to look at.

Endings are always difficult, especially when a series has been going on for a long time. For a series like Jujutsu Kaisen, the series always felt like it struggled to find its footing when Satoru Gojo wasn’t on the page being the coolest person anyone had ever seen. When the Jujutsu Kaisen manga ended in 2024, it was probably time for that particular story to end, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t leave me wanting more from the guy who was supposed to be the main character.

Spoilers for the ending of Jujutsu Kaisen are ahead, in case you couldn’t tell.

From the very beginning, Jujutsu Kaisen wanted us all to believe it was about Yuji Itadori. He is simply brimming with that Shonen Manga Main Character Energy. He’s plucky and kind and somehow possesses an inexhaustible reserve of strength that makes him both weird and mysterious. When he ends up as the host for Sukuna, a curse so powerful and so deadly that he is referred to as the King of Curses, it feels like the start of a modern Naruto, which was obviously a strong influence on Gege Akutami when he was coming up with Jujutsu Kaisen.

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.

Fans who are tuning in to the new Ghost in the Shell anime on Prime Video might be a little surprised by what they see. This is a very different anime adaptation than we’ve seen in the past, with lots of gag humor and stylized facial expressions. Fans who grew up with the films or Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex might think this is a departure for the series, but, in reality, it is the only faithful adaptation of Masamune Shirow’s manga we’ve had. And that is probably why the series has been so successful in the past.

You can make the argument that the Ghost in the Shell manga is a product of its time. It is full of richly detailed panels and illustrations that occasionally get hijacked while Mokoto and the rest of the Section 9 crew go out drinking together. Expressions change from serious to silly at times. There is a kind of playfulness that wasn’t there in the films directed by Mamoru Oshii, but there is also a strikingly different visual style in the manga. 

Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell films are rightly praised for their philosophical explorations of mankind and our relationship with technology and each other. They are also visually beautiful, with intricate character designs and brilliant action scenes. They are also far more serious than Shirow’s original manga, having stripped out the lightness that served to relieve the dramatic tension and left only the series’ themes on display.

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:

Like many manga fans, the death of Akira Toriyama felt somehow personal to me. He was a towering figure who influenced not just fans in Japan but around the world through Dragon Ball, Sandland, and his work in JRPGs. His passing sent shockwaves through the anime industry and threatened to bring the Dragon Ball franchise to an abrupt end. And, there is a part of me that hopes it has.

Dragon Ball has been a huge part of my life. It helped introduce me to anime and has already been my son’s introduction to manga. For all its flaws, it is no exaggeration to say that I would not have the career that I have without Dragon Ball, so my interest in the series’ future extends beyond the professional. I find myself torn between the fan in me, who always wants more Dragon Ball to devour, and the journalist in me who wonders if more Dragon Ball could truly be Dragon Ball.

One of the key differences between manga and American comics is the adherence to the singular vision of the mangaka. Batman was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, but he has been written by dozens of individuals both in and out of the main continuity. He is a communal character at this point and was treated like it throughout most of his history. This allows for vastly different interpretations of the character, some of which may not exactly be in line with what the original creators had in mind. But that is how American comics work. We didn’t see Rob Liefeld’s name at the start of Deadpool & Wolverine and, despite appearing in many MCU films, it was never implied that Stan Lee had anything to do with Marvel movies aside from being a cheeky reference they could wheel a few times a year.

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.

Every day, artists around the world make the brave decision to put their work out there on social media, where literally anyone can see it. Sometimes people like it. Sometimes they hate it. Often it gets lost in the mass of other artists trying to get people’s attention. For Jinushi, the mangaka behind Smoking Behind the Supermarket with You, a post on social media turned into a monthly serialization and, a few years later, one of the most interesting anime of 2026 for me.

In 2022, Jinushi already had one manga series being published in Square Enix’s Monthly Big Gangan magazine. That series, Rokurei – Tenseishi Rinne Kuyakusho Dairokkanbu Joreika Katsudouki, was a supernatural story about government-backed exorcists playing mediator between the living and the dead. As a writing exercise, Jinushi’s editor suggested that they try something more grounded in reality. Not for publication but for fun and to stretch their creative muscles. 

According to Jinushi, he has a background in customer service, so the new series was set at a supermarket. It featured Sasaki, an overworked office worker who has a secret crush on Yamada, the cheery, upbeat cashier at the shop where Sasaki often bought coffee and snacks. Meanwhile, he was spending time behind the store in the smoking area with a mysterious woman named Tayama, not realizing that Yamada and Tayama are, in fact, the same person.

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.

Marvel Comics is in a liminal stage — planning for the future while still wanting to keep a grasp on the stories from the past that made it who it is. In Marvel Comics' Marvel Fanfare panel this weekend at Comic-Con International: San Diego, the company looks to touch on both , and plot a way forward: to the next comic you'll want to read, whether it be old or new.

Come back Saturday, July 25 at 3 PM Pacific Time (that's 6 PM Eastern!) for Popverse's full play-by-play of the Marvel Fanfare panel.

Hey!

Unfortunately, a backstage issue led to us not being able to do the previously planned live play-by-play of Marvel Studios' Hall H panel from Comic-Con International: San Diego 2026. Don't worry! Everyone is okay! 

We will still be filing stories live and after the fact with all the major events from the panel, though. Follow along here at our San Diego Comic-Con 2026 hub.

You can count on one hand the times Marvel Comics has launched a major new universe. But now they are with Midnight Universe, with dark, supernatural takes on some of its top heroes including the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, and Spider-Man. And casting a light in that darkness will be an hour-long panel at Comic-Con International: San Diego focused on those three new series, debuting this fall.

Jonathan Hickman (Midnight X-Men), Phillip Kennedy Johnson (Midnight Spider-Man), and Ben Percy (Midnight Fantastic Four) are en route to San Diego to hold court to talk about this new dark universe in depth for the first time... and Popverse will be reporting on it live.

Come back Saturday, July 25 at 1:45 PM Pacific (that's 4:45 PM Eastern) for Popverse's full play-by-play of the entire event.

DC's Absolute Universe line is a once-in-a-generation kind of success for superhero comics, but if you think about it... the line is just now getting started. At Comic-Con International: San Diego, architect Scott Snyder and group editor Katie Kubert are leading an absolute monster of a panel with Nick Dragotta (Absolute Batman), Hayden Sherman (Absolute Wonder Woman), Jeff Lemire (Absolute Flash), Che Grayson (Absolute Catwoman), Pornsack Pichetshote (Absolute Green Arrow), Rafael Albuquerque (Absolute Green Arrow), and more to be announced.

Come back Saturday, July 25 at 12:30 PM Pacific time (that's 3:30 PM Eastern) for our live play-by-play of DC's Absolute Universe panel from San Diego Comic-Con 2026.

So.... that Vampire Lestat season finale? I won't be so forward as to talk spoilers here, but the cast and the crew definitely will this Friday at Comic-Con International: San Diego. The core cast and crew will be on hand to show off the recent The Vampire Lestat: One Night Only Live performance, as well as talk about the future of the franchise.

Come back Friday, July 24 at 12:30pm PM Pacific (thanks 3:30 PM Eastern) for a live play-by-play of the entire panel:

When the best creators get a hold of their favorite characters, chances are some magic will happen. With DC's 'Next Level' initiative, the publisher is clearing the way for both top creators and those up-and-coming to do that squarely in its main universe, the same way others have done with the Absolute DC line. And at Comic-Con International: San Diego 2026, DC is unveiling the next level to 'Next Level.'

Popverse will be reporting live from the panel room as senior editors Brittany Holzherr and Andrew Marino lead a cast of creators including the Legion of Superheroes team (Joshua Williamson and Hayden Sherman), Teen Titans (Kyle Higgins), Gerry Duggan (Next Level: One Shot) and those with teased projects including Michael Walsh to talk about what's underway, what's to come, and what was until this panel under-wraps.

Come back Friday, July 24 at 12:30 PM Pacific time (that's 3:30 PM Eastern!) for Popverse's live play-by-play of DC's Next Level panel:

Batman is DC Comics' flagship, so its fitting (nigh, deserved) that its the first big DC Comics panel at this year's Comic-Con International: San Diego. Batman boss Rob Levin is taking to the stage on two fronts, both for the hit series Absolute Batman, as well as the classic universe Gotham titles... especially as it leads into the upcoming 'Bad Seeds' crossover arc.

The SDCC 2026 panel 'DC's Gotham City' is scheduled to star G. Willow Wilson (Poison Ivy), Matt Fraction (Batman), Tom Taylor (Detective Comics), Tate Brombal (Batgirl), Christopher Cantwell (Gotham Central), and Scott Snyder (Absolute Batman), but with the proverbial panel room door always open to a few surprises.

Come back Friday at 11:15 AM Pacific time (that's 2:15pm Eastern!) for our live play-by-play of the 'DC's Gotham City' panel live from San Diego:

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: 

What's the next big thing for Marvel Comics? Well, funny you should ask... Marvel is doing a whole panel about it at Comic-Con International: San Diego. And Popverse will be there, covering it live.

Join us Friday, July 24 at 3:30 PM Pacific (that's 6:30 PM Eastern) as Marvel creators and editors talk about the upcoming milestone Amazing Spider-Man #1000, as well as the upcoming events DNX and Infernal Hulk. And more, to be announced!

This year, Prime Video is primed (ha!) to unveil an exciting new slate of projects for viewers around the world. And both Blade Runner and Lord of the Rings fans are in luck this year at San Diego Comic-Con, because Prime Video will be hosting a panel that will give us glimpses of the upcoming seasons of Blade Runner 2099 and The Rings of Power. We will be there live to fill you in on all the details as the panel unfolds. 

The official description for the Prime Video panel reads, "Enter dystopian Los Angeles and the epic battle for Middle-earth as Prime Video presents exclusive looks at the upcoming series Blade Runner 2099 and Season Three of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Cast and Executive Producers of the series will take you into their worlds, sharing behind-the-scenes insights and thrilling surprises." 

Marvel's blockbuster event of the summer, Avengers: Armageddon, has begun - and they don't need Bruce Willis and his guys to get it done. With the first two issues of the event by Chip Zdarsky, Frank Alpizar, and Delio Diaz already out, anticipation builds for what comes next for Wolverine and everyone else involved. 

At San Diego Comic-Con 2026, Marvel will host an official panel diving into Avengers: Armageddon. The official description for the panel is as follows: "Armageddon is here. The Red Hulk has conquered Latveria and has his sights set on world domination. Only the Avengers can stop him . . . but at what cost? A special discussion of Avengers: Armageddon includes breaking news about the blockbuster event set to usher in a new era of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Attendees who stay until the end will receive an exclusive copy of Avengers: Armageddon #2 with a secret new cover by Chip Zdarsky, teasing the future of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes." 

All eyes are on DC Comics at San Diego Comic-Con this year, with the success of their Absolute Universe, Next Level publishing initiative, and other series sweeping across the comic book industry at large. DC has so much to offer readers of all genres and ages, so what are they going to announce next at the Jim Lee & Friends panel?

Here is the official description of the panel from DC Comics: "Jim Lee (DC President, Publisher, and Chief Creative Officer) is on hand to bring out a few of his friends for discussions and reveals that will have everyone talking long after the Con is over! You won’t want to miss this. Moderated by Jim Lee." Of course, like other Jim Lee & Friends panels of the past, we won't know who is on the panel until they are called up to the stage by the man himself. But until then, we can speculate. 

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.”

There is no question that Absolute Batman has struck a nerve somewhere in the hivemind of comic book readers. The sales figures alone speak to its popularity, with fans and critics revelling in its dark, twisted take on the Batman mythos. Absolute Batman wears its seinen manga influences on its remarkably broad sleeves, but, while reading it, I felt like those influences only made it skin deep, making Absolute Batman a more sanitized, safe version of manga like Berserk.

Sure, both Berserk and Absolute Batman have a similar sense of style and penchant for twisted, over-the-top designs. Both lean into the idea of a hero not only pressing on through impossible odds but also enduring through pain and suffering. Resilience is at the heart of both stories, so I can kinda see where these comparisons begin. However, I can also see where they end.

The core of Berserk has always been Kentaro Miura, and I don’t just mean for his art. It is because the whole comic functions as part of his particular vision. His vision of the plot and the characters is what drives Berserk. He was assisted along the way, but even years after his death, those who carry on Berserk still focus on how to bring Miura’s vision to life on the page. There is a reverence for what Miura wanted

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.

The world needs more utterly ridiculous anime, which is what I’ve loved so far about the Devil May Cry series. It has slick animation and a soundtrack that takes me right back to the deepest, darkest era of nu-metal dominance. As much as I struggle to call Devil May Cry a good anime, I remain hooked on its over-the-top silliness of it all. Devil May Cry is an anime that succeeds both despite and because of its flaws.

Admittedly, it took a few episodes for the first season of Devil May Cry to really click with me. Not because it was necessarily bad but because I struggled to pin down exactly what they were trying to do. Was it meant to be funny? Or am I supposed to be taking this seriously? That was the question that kept popping into my mind as I watched. The show was inconsistent and irreverent, but I couldn’t figure out if that was intentional.

Then Season 1 Episode 3 happened. Dante raced down the freeway, killing demons on his motorcycle as Papa Roach’s Last Resort played. Suddenly all was made clear to me. Devil May Cry is a dumb show that revels in the absurdity of its action and its bewildering concept. Much like the original games, it is a parody of the kind of mindless action that video games typically provide. Through that lens, the show can be properly enjoyed. The over-the-top violence and life-and-death stakes are meant to be at odds with the inherent silliness of using a Limp Bizkit song in the opening credits in 2025.

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?

The entirety of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is, unsurprisingly, bizarre. It starts as a Victorian-era drama about two feuding brothers and, within a few chapters, we see a ghoulified Jack the Ripper climb out of a horse’s neck. From the start, it was always weird, but out of all the generational leaps and multiple timelines, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 3: Stardust Crusaders remains the perfect distillation of the series.

I say this as someone who adores nearly every part of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Admittedly, 'Golden Wind' didn’t grab me – perhaps because it is so removed from the overall story without being totally separate – but I still love the outlandish character designs and the even more outlandish Stand powers. Those weird powers have become what makes it a JoJo’s story, but they don’t show up until the third generation of the story.

The first two parts, 'Phantom Blood' and 'Battle Tendency,' focus on a totally different power called Hamon, which is basically the same power as Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star, but instead of hitting pressure points, it is powered by intense breathing. It is basically only useful for attacking vampires, which is good because Parts 1 and 2 of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure are absolutely riddled with them. In fact, I maintain that Battle Tendency, with my personal favorite JoJo in Joseph Joestar, is one of the best vampire stories of all time.

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.