Celebrating 40 years of The Transformers: The Movie, Hasbro has been putting on an “Apology Tour” that includes numerous parts including the “Celebration of Life Concert” which took place during San Diego Comic-Con 2026.
The full concert has now been put up online, a near 2 hour rocking concert. It features music from The Transformers: The Movie: The Soundtrack: The Reformatted Edition, performed live by Knights of Unicron, including a special performance of “The Touch” by Stan Bush himself and performance by Vince DiCola. Opening for the Knights of Unicron are G.I. JOE’s Cold Slither and Britta Phillips – original singer from Jem and the Holograms. And featuring a special appearance by Sebastian Bach!
Jem 0:01 Jem Theme 2:18 Only The Beginning 4:38 Twilight In Paris 6:27 Deception 9:04 I Got My Eye On You 11:17 Glitter & Gold 13:58 Truly Outrageous 16:32 Who Is He Kissing 18:29 Like A Dream 20:52 She’s Got The Power 23:23 Depends On The Mood I’m In 25:51 Music is Magic
28:08 Stern Pinball
Cold Slither 29:11 Welcome To The Swamp 30:17 Knock Em Dread 34:05 These Fluffies Are Fatal 37:49 Under The Dreadnok Spell 42:19 Zartan’s Revenge 46:21 Cobra Island 51:19 Thunder Machine 55:48 Cold Slither 1:01:27 Jem Theme Song with Britta Phillips
Knights of Unicron 1:04:35 The Transformers Theme featuring Brittney Slayes 1:08:56 Hunger featuring Brittney Slayes 1:13:59 Instruments Of Destruction featuring Francesco Cavalieri 1:18:27 Dare To Be Stupid featuring Torch 1:22:00 Autobot/Decepticon Battle 1:26:45 Death Of Optimus Prime featuring Vince DiCola 1:33:25 The Touch featuring Stan Bush and Vince DiCola 1:38:29 Dare featuring Stan Bush and Vince DiCola 1:43:54 Escape 1:49:30 Nothin’s Gonna Stand In Our Way featuring Sebastian Bach
Frank Miller was one of the honored guests at the 2026 National Book Festival which is put on by the Library of Congress. He was there to discuss his new memoir Push the Wall.
If you didn’t catch the discussion live, you can watch the recorded version by the Library of Congress.
“Cancel culture” has been debated in over a decade at this point. While the issue itself has ebbed and flowed, the reality is few celebrities and entertainers that have been “canceled” have stayed “canceled.” When it comes to entertainment, perceived profitability is what matters and no matter how problematic someone is, if corporations can make money off of them, they’ll be forgiven. Comedian Louis C.K. was accused for sexual misconduct in 2017 but Netflix rolled out the red carpet and gave him a platform in 2026 for a set during the Netflix is a Joke Festival at the Hollywood Bowl. He also won a Grammy for “Best Comedy Album” in 2022, his third win and first since the accusations.
At its worst, “cancel culture” is just another part of the ongoing culture wars used to score political points and galvanize a political party’s base to drive votes or put pressure on a business. That corruption does a disservice to the real world abuse and bigotry it’s supposed to address.
Comic publisher Image Comics has done their own disservice by recently welcoming back at least two individuals who have both been accused of misconduct in the comic industry.
The accusations against Ellis had some immediate impact. He had a story pulled from Dark Nights: Death Metal. DC completed the release of his Batman’s Grave series but it has not been collected. Recently his run on The Authority was released as part of DC Compact Comics line, as there were plans to bring the superhero group to the big screen, but those plans have fizzled. In general, Ellis went away, even taking a break from his weekly email newsletter, only to eventually return to that in 2022 with regular updates.
And now, Warren Ellis has returned to the world of comics with two releases by Image. On August 5, Image announced that Ocean from Ellis and Chris Sprouse was returning to print in October. It was originally released by Wildstorm/DC Comics in 2004. It was optioned to be adapted for film in 2007 but there hasn’t been much news since the initial announcement.
A reprint isn’t the only announcement from Image regarding Ellis. On August 11, the publisher said it would be releasing his new graphic novella with artist Lordess Foudre, Ghost Drive Station, this November.
I have spent the day re-reading the entirety of SoManyOfUs.com, including every testimonial. I’ve also re-read dozens of documents and communications from the transformative justice action SMOU-TJ and Warren Ellis started. I wanted to remember the hope I held at that time. I also wanted to see if I could approach this moment with gratitude instead of anger.
To believe in transformative justice is to believe people capable of change. But, as our mediator said during the process, “transformation is heartbreak.” It is crushing and painful, but it is also our right as human beings. I haven’t spoken to Warren Ellis in over 6 years. I don’t know who he is now. I don’t know how he’s changed, but I’m sure he has. I know Warren read all of SoManyOfUs.com and I can’t imagine an outcome where doing so doesn’t change you. But, as Kai Cheng Thom says, “Change is inevitable, growth is optional.” I was often sad that Warren, when confronted with the consequences of his actions, didn’t react in the way I expected him to. But I am grateful it led to me untangling 15 years of complicated feelings and hurtful actions.
I’m grateful that I believe we can change and hold ourselves accountable in this world. But, quoting our mediator again, “being called to accountability feels like being reminded that your shit stinks. and coming clean is hard to do.” It can feel impossible to look in the mirror and confront the worst version of ourselves. Without having the necessary support systems in place to make it possible, I don’t blame or fault anyone for not being able to do it.
We all tried our best. When our attempt at a community accountability action failed, I was disappointed, but grateful that we tried. And grateful to know that Warren had tried, too.
I currently work as an editor in comics, with books I work on being published by Image. I love comics. I love the comics community and how we all keep making them despite it being so hard, with no financial security, and no safety nets. I see groups within the community doing so much good and fighting hard to make the industry more sustainable and safer for everyone involved.
But there is no set process for anyone in the comics community to account for our actions and change our behaviour after harm or abuse has happened. This has led many people to be forced out of the industry – victims, perpetrators, and witnesses. My heart hurts for all the people who were bullied, ostracized, shunned, or threatened out of this community, particularly those I spoke to back in June and July of 2020, impacted by Warren’s actions. I hope one day this changes.
I’m grateful to everyone who was wondered if Warren has “made amends to the satisfaction of all involved.” It shows me solidarity and care are widespread within comics. I wouldn’t say I’m satisfied, but I also would say I am no longer personally invested in Warren’s transformation.
I am personally invested in the books I work on that come out with Image, and I really hope you don’t take any disappointment you feel in Image’s actions out on the creators whose work they publish. Seeing people boycotting Image comics feels a cruel joke when that directly affects my livelihood and that of the people who respect and support me. But I get it – this seems like a financial decision from Image, so respond in a financial fashion. I hope we can all keep ourselves open to change in the future.
My resolve to expand my capacity to hope for change – after a night of anger and crying and shouting – is renewed. Thanks for hearing me out and for reading all of this.
In 2020, Jason Latourwas accused of harassment by multiple individuals. Again, the original accuser wasn’t looking to harm a career but instead raise awareness of his behavior, as well as the “creeper” behavior in general. Numerous other individuals spoke up about their own interactions with Latour and were described as “inappropriate behavior.” Latour did attempt to take responsibility for his actions and apologized in Tweets that were later deleted. If he actually attempted to apologize to individuals or really took responsibility is unknown.
Around the time of all of this, Southern Bastards was one of the hottest comics on the market, having won multiple awards and being well regarded by both critics and readers. Created with writer Jason Aaron, the series paused due to the accusations against Latour and hasn’t returned to comics. In October 2025, it was announced that Hulu ordered a pilot based on the series.
But, like so many “canceled,” Latour returned to mainstream comics with a contribution in the Image 30th Anniversary Anthology #12 which was released in 2023. His crowdfunded graphic novel Super Ego got a bigger release from Image in May 2026, with an announcement of it in February 2026. It didn’t make much of an impact on release, honestly I didn’t know it was and thought it was still yet to come out.
At the time of that announcement, we said “2025 was the year of court cases for the comic industry and two months into 2026, it sounds like it’ll be the year of attempted returns by those in the comic industry previously accused of harassment.”
The embrace of Ellis and Latour are just two examples within the comic industry of its recent warm embrace of its troubled past. While some individuals have completely left the industry, others still find work or dip their toes in to test the waters and see the reaction. In early February 2026, Neil Gaiman broke a year of silence to address allegations against him for sexual assault among other alleged crimes. It was the first step in his attempt to re-enter the public sphere in the build up to a new book release.
There’s some irony in Image’s choice to welcome back these two individuals. In November 2021, Image employees began the unionization process with Comic Book Workers United. They had nine goals, one of which was:
A collective voting option to allow stay a say in canceling publication of any title whose creator(s) have been found to have engaged in “abuse, sexual assault, racism and xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, ableism, etc. until such time as said creators have engaged in meaningful reparations toward affected person(s).”
Now, we as consumers have a choice, if we welcome these returns and purchase their published comics or send a signal to publishers these individuals are unwelcome back until they show actual signs of acknowledging the harm they’ve done and accept responsibility. Image Comics has shown where it stands, now it’s time for the consumers, retailers, employees with publishers, and other creators to show if they really believe accusers and are against this behavior, or if it was all performative to score points online and look good to others.
San Diego Comic-Con has wrapped up and the city of San Diego has fined Marvel Studios for covering up the Gaslamp arch. The movie studio is being fined $160,000.
Marvel’s contractor was told to not cover up the arch and install an installation but it was done anyways.
Rose isn’t special. She works in the Factory just like everyone else — a dark, sprawling monolithic structure that runs along the coast and cuts the world in two. All that’s left now are desolate settlements that exist in its shadow, made up of submerged villages, derelict woods, and deadly swamps. No one knows what’s left of the world on the other side… But when Rose’s young daughter Ava is violently taken from their shanty town home a year before she is meant to join the work force, Rose will come face-to-face with the surreal, harrowing forces outside the Factory’s walls… Crowbound #1 is another fantastic debut from Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen that’d fit right into the traumatic children’s films of the 80s.
When it comes to creative teams in comics, Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen is one where if you see they’re working on a comic together, you buy it. The combination of the two always results in entertaining stories that feature amazing art. Someone needs to back up the truck of money and just lock them in to do whatever they want. Crowbound is a new series that features the creative duo, and you better believe I read the first issue as soon as I could.
Crowbound #1 is the kind of story and debut you’d expect. It teases the grand picture, focusing on an emotional hook of a mother whose daughter has been taken away by those that rule. Interspersed, the issue has a dreamlike aspect to it as Rose and Ava dream, picturing what might be and remembering what was. There’s a haunting feel of it all and the mix between Lemire’s narrative and Nguyen’s art the comic has a feel of the 80s “children’s” movies I grew up with and delivered fantasy and a dose of trauma.
And there’s absolutely trauma here. Violence against women is present and while it’s not over the top in its depiction, it still got me to wince. But, it’s all a set up for what seems like a fantasy revenge tale, where Rose rises up against her oppressive rules to get her daughter back.
Nguyen’s art is his distinctive style and with the narrative, it takes an almost melancholy feel about it. The visuals are interesting telling us so much about the world and the characters, but there’s also a sadness to it all as well. And that feeling extends to the lettering by Steve Wands. It feels like there’s a choice in the lettering to deliver a style that matches the struggling society depicted as well as work with the dreamlike sequences.
Crowbound #1 opens up a lot of questions and the first issue doesn’t give a lot of answers. What it does give is a very focused story with an emotional core many can relate to. It’s a story of a mother who fights to get back her daughter. It’s a story of a parent protecting their child. How that plays out will be the big question and with Lemire and Nguyen at the helm, it’s one I can’t wait to find out the answer to.
Crowbound #1 comes to shops September 2, 2026.
Story: Jeff Lemire Art: Dustin Nguyen Letterer: Steve Wands Story: 8.5 Art: 10 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy
Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Lynx Takuma is standing still. As a bio-enhanced detective in New Borealis, one of the last habitable cities after worldwide climate disaster, Lynx knows what she’s meant to do: break up crime syndicates, track down rogue Qual technology, and keep the peace alongside her reckless-but-trusty partner Task and her crime-fighting talking cat Skua. But ever since Simone…
Well, she’s not thinking about Simone. Or about anything beyond getting through the next day, and the next, and the next…
Until, while on the trail of a series of grisly murders, Lynx sees something impossible that turns her world upside down—something that looks like an angel…
From writer Samuel Sattin, art by tokitokoro, and published by VIZ Media, you can get Lynx Vol. 1 this week at comic shops and book stores, Bookshop, Amazon, and more. While you wait to get yours, check out this exclusive look at designs from tokitokoro.
Small Press Expo has sent an email regarding a Union issue concerning the Montgomery County Conference Center, where SPX is held every year.
In the spring of 2025, Montgomery County and the Marriott signed a contract to continue their operating agreement (Montgomery County owns the Conference Center and Marriott manages the facility). That new contract did not include a clause to allow collective bargaining. UNITE HERE Local 25, the union of hotel, restaurant, and casino workers in the DC area, has been seeking to unionize it for a year.
The Montgomery County Council approved a bill in September 2025 that would require any hotel or conference center supported by county funding to enter into labor peace agreements with employee unions and other labor organizations if they receive the county’s financial backing. That legislation doesn’t apply to the Conference Center SPX takes place in as there’s a 10-year contract with Marriot regarding its use which won’t end until December 31, 2034. The legislation would impact it after. Though, there’s hope that it might affect it before that date.
Due to the lack of a fair union organizing process UNITE-HERE Local 25 called for a boycott to protest the omission of the collective bargaining clause in the Conference Center contract. The boycott has gone national with the support of the AFL-CIO. There is no strike by the staff of the Conference Center and there are no collective labor issues under discussion between that staff and Marriott management. But, the boycott has cost the conference center with events being cancelled. It’s estimated that over $205,000 in revenue has been lost in 2026 alone.
While it is connected to the conference center, the boycott does not extend to the Marriott.
For the last 20 years, SPX has been held at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. With the boycott, the convention has been put in a tough position.
While it supports labor and the right of all workers to organize, bargain collectively, and advocate for fair treatment, it’s also bound by contracts and locked in to the location until 2029. To cancel its contract would cost the convention $85,787 in a cancellation fee which would be enough to close the convention. And, relocation would cause the costs to increase 30% or more for tables, badges, and hotel rooms.
The situation puts the convention in a tough spot and not long after it was impacted during COVID and its future was unknown. Like SPX, we hope that all parties can reach a fair agreement as quickly as possible.
You can read SPX’s position below.
The Small Press Expo is a 501(c) 3 non-profit that has been an institution in Montgomery County, Maryland for more than 30 years, drawing tens of thousands of people and international acclaim via our annual festival. For the last 20 of those years, we have been holding SPX at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, and we now consider it our home.
Our purpose throughout that time has never wavered. We exist to promote, preserve, and protect the labor of creative professionals. SPX further supports the right of all workers to exercise their fundamental right to organize, bargain collectively, and advocate for fair treatment. The ability of working people to act together is a cornerstone of a fair and equitable workplace.
At the same time, we want to be transparent about our own circumstances that do now allow us to participate in the boycott:
SPX has contracts at the Bethesda North facility from this year until 2029. If we cancel any one of those contracts, SPX does not have the financial resources to cover the cancellation fees that we would incur. The result of canceling any of the contracts, including the one for this year whose cancellation fee is $85,787, would be that SPX closes permanently.
Even if the cancellation penalties were to be paid, our show cannot relocate to another venue in the DC area. We have explored this possibility and relocating would mean a prohibitively large increase of 30% or more in prices for tables, badges, and hotel rooms; which would affect the overall affordability of the show to the SPX Community.
We recognize that some will be disappointed by that decision, but we believe it is important to be honest about the commitments we have already made rather than imply we can take actions that are not realistically available to us.
Our inability to join this particular boycott should not be understood as indifference to the issues at stake. Montgomery County is our home and we wish to see it prosper for those who live and work here every day. We continue to support the rights of workers to organize and to seek fair wages, safe working conditions, and dignity on the job, and we hope the parties are able to reach a fair agreement as quickly as possible.
The Enterprise-G is on a desperate mission beyond the known Galaxy to relocate the dying Revlavan people when its crew finds a perfect new home in a region of unknown space called the Epsilon Corridor. Three pristine Class-M worlds—the Trinity—await the refugees. No signs of civilization. No detectable threats. A colonist’s dream. But the dream fractures fast. When Captain Seven of Nine and her divided, fast-tracked crew begin exploring the Trinity, they uncover disturbing contradictions: vanished structures, inexplicable artifacts, time skips, and evidence of a presence Starfleet’s century-old probes never detected. Each world houses a different ecosystem, different physics problems, and different secrets—as if they’ve been curated…or quarantined. But from who? Or what? Star Trek #1 is a hell of a debut with a fantastic story anchored by amazing art.
I’ll admit, I’m not the biggest Star Trek fan. I’ve seen all of the movies multiple times and watched a lot of the television episodes of the various series, but it’s not much watch or must read as far as the comics or books. It wasn’t until Star Trek: The Last Starship that I got invested in a Star Trek franchise where I didn’t want to miss anything. Star Trek #1 might be the start of the second for me. It’s good, really good.
Written by Christopher Cantwell, Star Trek #1 is part of the 60th anniversary celebration of the franchise and balances nostalgia while charting a new course. The Enterprise is back, now with Seven as its Captain and also featuring Jack Crusher, Sidney La Forge, and Lily Sato. It combines an established character like Seven with newer characters that have a legacy that long time Trek fans will appreciate. It celebrates the old and the new and even as a casual fan, I appreciate it and part of the fun, for me, is seeing those names and appreciating the connection. Sato not only has history herself but connects Enterprise and The Last Starship, helping focus this new series on Trek history and a future yet to come.
Beyond the history, even if it wasn’t there, the story itself is engaging and exciting. It takes the Enterprise-G’s crew to a whole new sector to explore, one with new rules and mysteries to discover. The less said, the better as part of the fun is exploring these strange new worlds and anticipating what’s to come. It’s a comic that embraces the idea of Star Trek exploring new worlds, meeting new civilizations, and and underlying theme of the hope the best of humanity can deliver.
The art by Dennis Menheere is jaw-dropping. With lettering by Jodie Troutman that enhances so many moments, the style for the comic is amazing. Great character designs captures the feel of classic Trek but with updates as well. Small updates to uniforms help cement a new flag being planted, the ships look like the next generation of Starfleet while connecting to those of the past. The comic’s action is beautifully rendered even with the destruction depicted. Even simple transportation just looks cool. Menheere does it all and adds in page layouts that are engaging and really enhance Cantwell’s story. Troutman’s lettering adds so much to the comic as well with a style that captures classic Trek in its choices, it helps immerse the reader even more and connects to what has come before.
Star Trek #1 is a hell of a start that delivers a fantastic story with mesmerizing art. It’s a comic that celebrates the past but also charters a new future for the franchise. It shows you can honor what has come while delivering something new. Most importantly, it’s an engaging debut that has us excited to see what comes next.
Star Trek #1 debuts September 23 with pre-orders due August 17.
Story: Christopher Cantwell Art: Dennis Menheere Letterer: Jodie Troutman Story: 9.0 Art: 10 Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Buy
IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
The Disney/TikTok deal will pilot in the US in the coming months and “will bring an expansive collection of thoughtfully curated Disney-centric fan-created content from TikTok to the Disney+ app.”
Participating creators who opt-in will see the content they create live on TikTok and in Verts on Disney+. They can feature characters and stories across Disney’s brands including Pixar, Marvel, Star Ears, and more.
TikTok will provide creators access to assets related to hundreds of films and series from Disney’s library.
Mentioned in the announcement is the ability to “unlock special rewards” as well as increase the visibility of creators. It also will feature exclusive events and “career development pathways.”
The deal, which the press announcement calls a “first-of-its-kind global deal” sounds similar to Disney’s deal with OpenAI which would have provided access to Disney IP while bringing the AI creations to Disney+.
The deal to purchase Electronic Arts by a rogues gallery of villains has officially been completed. Announced in September 2025, Silver Lake Partners, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund PIF, and Affinity Partners teamed together like the Legion of Doom to complete the deal. Affinity Partners is run by President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Stockholders approved the deal on December 22, 2025.
PIF is the largest insider stakeholder in EA and is rolling over its existing 9.9%. The Saudi PIF has been investing in the video game market since 2022 with minority stakes in numerous companies. They are an investor in Nintendo as an example.
The deal will end EA’s 36-year history as a publicly traded company that began trading with its shares ending its first day of trading at a split-adjusted 52 cents. EA stockholders will receive $210 in cash for each share of EA common stock they owned as of the closing. EA’s common stock has ceased trading and will be delisted from NASDAQ.
One of the partners in this, Silver Lake, is also part of the TikTok takeover deal that’s headed by Oracle. Oracle founder Larry Ellison is helping fund the takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery by his son David Ellison and Paramount Skydance.
As the son-in-law to President Trump, Kushner has been a part of numerous horrible policies including the much discussed redevelopment of Gaza by Trump. Under the first term, Kushner and his wife Ivanka Trump reported between $172 million and $640 million outside income while they served in unpaid roles un the White House. Affinity Partners received billions of dollars from Middle Eastern investors, including $2 billion from Saudi Arabia’s PIF six months after he left the White House.
Saudi Arabia is regularly accused of attempting to wash away the criticism of the regime over human rights abuses, funding of terrorism, and the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. The PIF invested $1 billion in Embracer Group, the owner of Dark Horse among numerous other geeky things. A rumored larger investment in Embracer fell through.
