SDCC 2026 – Page 2 – SMASH PAGES

‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin III – Return for New York’ will arrive next summer

The original creative team returns for the final chapter set in the Turtle’s future. Meanwhile, the current TMNT title gets a new creative team next year.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin III — Return for New York, the third and final chapter in Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz’s Roninverse trilogy, will arrive next summer. Entertainment Weekly revealed the project and its cover today.

“When [co-creator] Kevin Eastman and I sat down to write the original TMNT: The Last Ronin, we had high hopes readers would love the story just as much as we loved telling it,” Waltz told EW. “Little did we know, that love would be exponentially returned to us and our amazing art teams…From that first volume, throughout all the subsequent prequels/sequels that have followed in what we now fondly call the Roninverse. And, here we are, capping off the main trilogy with TMNT: The Last Ronin III — Return for New York…and we couldn’t be happier!”

The original creative team of Eastman, Waltz, Isaac and Esau Escorza, Luis Antonio Delgado and Ben Bishop will return for this final chapter.

Dark Horse announces new ‘Minor Threats’ noir series, ‘The Cleaner’

Gerry Duggan, Patton Oswalt, Jordan Blum and Mark Torres return to the Minor Threats universe with another spinoff this fall.

Patton Oswalt, Jordan Blum and Scott Hepburn’s Minor Threats line will expand yet again in November with From the World of Minor Threats: The Cleaner.

Dark Horse announced the four-issue noir series at the San Diego Comic-Con this week. The title will be written by Gerry Duggan, Patton Oswalt and Jordan Blum, with art, colors, and design by Mark Torres and letters by Nate Piekos. The character first appeared in the anthology From the World of Minor Threats: Welcome to Twilight in a story by Duggan and Torres.

“When Gerry and Mark introduced The Cleaner in Welcome To Twilight, we knew there were more bodies buried in that fertile ground,” said Blum. “Along with those rotting heroes and villains was a deeply human, personal, twisted, pulpy, gorgeous story that Gerry and Mark Torres needed their own series to tell. The Cleaner is one of the best examples of what a Minor Threats story can be, a point of view in the genre of spandex we’ve never seen, grounded by an emotional hook that pulls you deep into their world.”

Fortune and glory, kid: Jason Aaron + Aaron Kuder bring Indiana Jones back to comics

‘Indiana Jones and the Sword of Pandemonium’ will launch at Marvel this December.

The Lucasfilm Publishing panel at the San Diego Comic-Con today revealed that Indiana Jones will raid lost arks once again in the pages of a comic. Indiana Jones and the Sword of Pandemonium, a new five-issue miniseries by writer Jason Aaron and artist Aaron Kuder, will kick off a new era of Indy comics set during the original film trilogy.

Aaron is no stranger to working on Lucasfilm Properties, having helped launch a new era of Star Wars comics in 2015.

“I’ve wanted to adventure alongside Indiana Jones since I was 8 years old, to climb through ancient crypts and run for my life in exotic locales, to seek the world’s most fabled treasures. Now, here I am, feeling the same sort of joy I felt in 2015 when we launched Star Wars #1,” Aaron said. “This is the Indy of Raiders of the Lost Ark, fresh off his harrowing experience on the island of Geheimhaven. Dark events were set in motion that day, strange new enemies have risen from the shadows, and for Indy and Marion Ravenwood, the globe-trotting, punching, whip-cracking, and death-defying escapades, not to mention the archaeology, have just begun.”

Dark Horse will adapt ‘Stranger Things: The First Shadow’ stage play

The graphic novel brings the award-winning stage play to the printed page next January.

Dark Horse has announced a new entry in their long-running Stranger Things line — an adaptation of Stranger Things: The First Shadow, the stage play that serves as a prequel to the Netflix series. Rachel Pinnelas and Jake Bartok will adapt it into an 80-page graphic novel that’ll arrive in January.

The play is currently running at London’s Phoenix Theatre and New York’s Marquis Theatre, and tells the story of Henry Creel, a.k.a. the villainous Vecna, when he was a teenager in the late 1950s.

The play opened to five-star reviews in 2023 and has racked up an extensive awards haul since, including multiple Olivier Awards and Critics’ Circle Awards, and a WhatsOnStage Award for “Best New Play.” It also took home four Tony Awards in 2025. The production marked Netflix’s first foray into theatre, and has sold nearly 1.6 million tickets across its West End and Broadway runs with more than 1,500 performances. The play was written by Kate Trefry from an original story by the Duffer Brothers, Jack Thorne and Trefry, and the Duffer Brothers have confirmed that the play is canon to the series.

Dark Horse announces ‘Invasive Species’ by Frank Miller + Ryan Benjamin

The publisher announced the new series in advance of Miller’s appearance at the San Diego Comic-Con.

Frank Miller will make his return to the San Diego Comic-Con this week to unveil his next project: Invasive Species, a new science fiction series from Dark Horse Comics. Illustrator Ryan Benjamin and colorist Alex Sinclair, who are both working on the series, will join Miller for a signing at the convention.

“Any day you get to personally announce a new Frank Miller book is already amazing but when you get to add Ryan Benjamin and Alex Sinclair to the mix it becomes one for the ages,” said Tim Weisch, Dark Horse’s head of publishing and business development. “I can’t wait for fans to see what they’re doing in the new book Invasive Species and folks at SDCC will be the first to see it!”

Iron Man builds toward issue #700 by throwing Tony Stark into the slammer

The series will come out twice a month beginning with ‘The Incarcerated Iron Man’ storyline in December.

Iron Man will move to a twice-a-month schedule in December as writer Joshua Williamson begins building toward issue #700 of the title, which will come out in March of next year. Every other issue will have a different artist and a different story, with even numbers featuring “The Incarcerated Iron Man” and odd numbers showcasing a new team of armored warriors led by War Machine.

“The journey to our epic Iron Man #700 anniversary issue is so big that we had to split the book into two and double ship it,” continues Williamson. “Our amazing series artist Carmen Carnero will handle the even-numbered issues where Tony Stark is in prison. While the odd-numbered issues are taken over by the ‘War Machines.’ James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes puts together a new team of Armored Warriors to help take down Madame Masque, Adam Ware, and the new A.I.M. while Tony is locked up. For those issues we’re joined by my old partner in crime, Gleb Melnikov! I feel lucky to have two amazing artists on my team during this action-packed story!”

The Underworld Universe expands with new series ‘Victoria Jaguar’

Mark London and Marco Rudy’s ancient-myth horror series brings an immortal guardian into the growing shared universe this November.

Mad Cave Studios has slowly been growing the Underworld Universe they launched in 2024, featuring characters and concepts created by their publisher, mark London. This November adds another new character, Victoria Jaguar, who debuts in a new five-issue series from London, artist Marco Rudy and letterer Pat Brosseau.

Since launching in 2024, the Underworld Universe has grown into a connected line of supernatural thrillers spanning Revolution 9, Hour of the Wolf, Exit City, the crossover event Endless Night and the recently launched Mister Nemo (which had a really fun debut issue, if you haven’t checked it out yet). Victoria Jaguar turns the universe’s focus toward ancient legends and immortal guardians.

Storm assembles a new team of X-Men to fill the void left by the Avengers in ‘Maximum X-Men’

Christopher Yost and Tony S. Daniel’s new ongoing series launches in December.

It’s not often you walk into an Avengers panel to learn about the X-Men, but that’s what happened at the San Diego Comic-Con today.

Marvel used its Avengers: Armageddon panel to reveal what’s next for its mutants: Maximum X-Men, an ongoing series from writer Christopher Yost and artist Tony S. Daniel. Yost worked on various X-Men titles back in the late 2000s and early 2010s, most notably on long runs on X-Force and New X-Men. Both creators made surprise appearances at the panel to discuss the series.

“I’ve worked on my fair share of X-Books over the years, but Maximum X-Men is everything I love about comics rolled into one—it’s underdog heroes saving the world from the biggest Avengers-level threats imaginable, it’s mind-breaking action and drama and everything people expect from X-Men, all with a classic Claremont vibe,” Yost said.

No saving throw: Dark Horse launches a new ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ ongoing series

Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly and Ibraim Roberson assemble Faerûn’s most legendary heroes as a draconic apocalypse looms over the Forgotten Realms.

Dark Horse continues its partnership with Wizards of the Coast with the launch of Dungeons & Dragons, a new ongoing series written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, with art by Ibraim Roberson, Arabson Oliveira and Dan Brown, and letters by Haley-Rose Lyon.

Dark Horse has published miniseries based on the popular roleplaying game since they picked up the license, including Dungeons & Dragons: Total Party Killers, which debuted this past Wednesday (the first issue was great, if you haven’t read it yet). But this will be the first ongoing comic series based on D&D since the early days of IDW’s comics.

“This book is the very definition of a passion project for us,” said Kelly. “We’ve been roleplaying together for as long as we’ve been a writing team, which is only slightly less than we’ve been friends. Playing D&D is how we started to fuse our individual storytelling instincts into the incredible blade of our partnership; if a table wants to tell imaginative, emotional stories, then it needs to work off of a core of collaboration, creativity and trust. It’s one of the reasons that we think D&D is one of the greatest games ever made. Yes, the mechanics and game design are tip-top – yes, its magic system is incredible and we will be using it to its ABSOLUTE FULLEST – but MOST IMPORTANTLY…D&D is a game that can never be ‘won,’ but which can make you a better person through playing. Of course, player catharsis only comes from character pain…and sadly for our characters, we’re about to end the world.”

Bryan Lee O’Malley returns to Scott Pilgrim for the first time in 16 years with a new one-shot

‘Scott Pilgrim EX: Dawn of Metal Scott’ is a prequel to the Scott Pilgrim EX video game.

Oni Press has announced Scott Pilgrim EX: Dawn of Metal Scott #1, a new one-shot written and drawn by Bryan Lee O’Malley that will arrive in November. The comic is his first new Scott Pilgrim comic since the original series wrapped 16 year ago.

The one-shot serves as a prequel to the Scott Pilgrim EX video game, introducing antagonist Metal Scott across a complete 16-page story, along with never-before-seen extras and a look at O’Malley’s creative process.

“When I was asked to create a minicomic for Scott Pilgrim EX, I quickly said yes without considering the implications,” said O’Malley. “Only when I started writing and drawing it did I realize this would be the first new Scott Pilgrim comic in 16 years. It’s only a trifle, but returning to Scott’s Toronto really did feel like coming home.”

SDCC Slugfest | Comic-Con renews with San Diego through 2030

Plus: Anniversary specials for Archie and Captain Britain, Halloween specials for Spider-Man and Terrorbytes, and more!

With the San Diego Comic-Con kicking off tonight, we have news and announcements dropping left and right, starting with one about the convention itself.

Comic-Con International and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria announced earlier today that the San Diego Comic-Con will stay in the city through 2030, a year that will mark 60 years of the pop culture convention.

Gloria made the announcement before preview night kicked off alongside officials from Comic-Con, the San Diego Convention Center and the San Diego Tourism Authority.

“Comic-Con belongs in San Diego, and today’s announcement ensures this incredible tradition will continue here through 2030,” Gloria said. “This agreement is the result of years of partnership and reflects our shared commitment to the fans, creators, businesses and workers who make Comic-Con unlike anything else in the world. We’re proud to welcome everyone back to San Diego for another unforgettable year and excited about the future we’re building together.”

Rumors have circulated for years that the convention could move to another city, for reasons that include the price and availability of hotels, as well as the convention center size. As San Diego’s largest convention, it is of course a huge money maker for the city, with the 2026 event expected to attract more than 135,000 attendees and generate more than $160 million in regional economic impact and $3 million in hotel and sales tax revenue for the city.

Image will release ‘The Trap’ by Bears legend Lance Briggs + Kyle Higgins + Danilo Beyruth this fall

Sports and comics collide in this graphic novel.

Image Comics will publish a new edition of The Trap by seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker and former Chicago Bear Lance Briggs, Massive-verse architect Kyle Higgins and Catwoman artist Danilo Beyruth.

The project was originally crowdfunded back in 2020, bringing in more than $40,000 on Kickstarter.

“I love working with interesting people and from the moment I met Lance—over a decade ago—I was impressed by how much his love of comics and storytelling was at the forefront of all our conversations, to say nothing of his desire to tell new stories in new corners of fiction,” said Higgins. “We started this journey to make The Trap—what we like to call an interstellar sports noir—over six years ago. Now, I’m so excited to share what we’ve built with the world.”

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