Clayface: Celebrity Dirt #3 Preview

 

Before he broke out of Arkham Towers, the psychiatrist who evaluated him insisted that he was Todd Russel, not Basil Karlo. Since all eight known Clayfaces share the same DNA, perhaps "Todd Russell" is the same person as the others. 

Now, he's in Los Angeles. Basil Karlo stars in a new production on the Worldwide International Studios lot. Yet the film crew thinks he's a monster. The people who should be his fans belittle him. Is Clayface just someone who impersonates actors because he lacks a meaningful life? And how many more people will die as Todd tries to reclaim his life from that "monster" Basil Karlo?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Clayface: Celebrity Dirt #3 Preview

Writer: Jude Ellison S. Doyle

Artist: Fran Galán

Cover Artist: Riley Rossmo

Variant Cover Artists: Mike Del Mundo & Bruno Redondo

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Series Length: 6 Issues

Price: $3.99 US/Variant $4.99 US (Card Stock)

Release Date: September 9, 2026

 

 

What Do Missing Women, 

A Dangerous New Supplement, 

And Los Angeles’s Newest Resident All Have In Common?

 

 

Hot on the trail of his double, Basil Karlo’s investigation continues with shocking videos of a designer supplement’s side effects. Surely there’s no connection to the missing women in the other Basil Karlo’s orbit…And how will the real Basil convince Dr. Victoria October to help him after she learns his most deeply buried secret—especially now that his only friend in L.A. has gone missing?

 

Horror sensation Jude Ellison S. Doyle and rising star Fran Galán push their body horror noir to terrifying new extremes.

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

For "Todd's" fight to reclaim his life in Los Angeles, see Clayface: Celebrity Dirt #2 Preview. 

For how this series began, see my Clayface: Celebrity Dirt #1 Preview.

For more recent series involving Clayface, 

See my review of DC K.O. Knightfight #1,

My preview of Harley and Ivy: Life and Crimes #1 & 

My review of Batman and Robin: Year One #1. 

 

Clayface: Celebrity Dirt #2 Preview

 

 

Basil Karlo had it all. Then he indulged in a banned substance. He has sought treatment. His face still adorns cinema marquees. Yet as he contemplates playing the starring role in a Batman biopic, another Basil Karlo escapes captivity in Arkham Towers. The psychiatrist claimed he was Todd Russell. But is he the movie star, and someone else is impersonating him? And why did Lorna have a meltdown in her dressing room?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Clayface: Celebrity Dirt #2 Preview

Writer: Jude Ellison S. Doyle

Artist: Fran Galán

Cover Artist: Dan Mora

Variant Cover Artists: Mike Del Mundo & Hayden Sherman

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Price: $3.99 US/Variant $4.99 US (Card Stock)

Release Date: August 12, 2026

 

 

Basil Karlo Makes His 

Triumphant Return To Hollywood—

And Big-Screen Body Horror!

 

 

Basil Karlo tracks the man who stole his identity to the set of Hollywood’s hottest new film production, but getting close to “Basil Karlo” means sneaking onto the studio lot via forgotten underground tunnels and discovering the nightmare waiting underneath. Meanwhile, a new supplement is causing grotesque transformations across Los Angeles.

 

Clayface’s comeback is about to become a horror show as acclaimed writer Jude Ellison S. Doyle and rising-star artist Fran Galán continue bending genres and bodies.

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

For how this series began, see my Clayface: Celebrity Dirt #1 Preview.

For more recent series involving Clayface, 

See my review of DC K.O. Knightfight #1,

My preview of Harley and Ivy: Life and Crimes #1 & 

My review of Batman and Robin: Year One #1. 

 

Clayface: Celebrity Dirt #1 Preview

 

Being an actor may seem glamorous. But actors spend their lives portraying others. Devoting so much time to being someone else can stress your relationships off the set or stage. And when you spend every day being someone else, how do you know who you are anymore? Isn't it wrong to define yourself by who you used to be, when you will become many more people in the future?

Here's all the info from DC Connect: 

Clayface: Celebrity Dirt #1 Preview

Writer: Jude Ellison S Doyle

Artist & Cover Artist: Fran Galán

Variant Cover Artists: Mike Del Mundo & Dave Johnson

Publisher: DC Comics

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Series Length: 6 Issues

Price: $3.99 US/Variant $4.99 US (card stock)

Release Date: July 8, 2026

 

 

Ahead of DC Studios’ Clayface movie, 

witness Basil Karlo bring the mud and the pain 

back to DC Comics!

 

 

Before he was Clayface, Basil Karlo was one of the hottest stars in Hollywood. As he breaks out of Arkham once again, he’s ready to stage his comeback, but there’s just one problem: Someone already beat him to it, and Basil Karlo is already a massive star. But if that’s true, what’s next for the real Basil? And what does his predicament have to do with young women disappearing in Los Angeles and a new supplement causing hideous transformations in its users?

 

Acclaimed horror writer Jude Ellison S. Doyle and rising star artist Fran Galán join forces for a bold new miniseries that’s equal parts body horror and Hollywood glamour.

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

For more recent series involving Clayface, 

See my review of DC K.O. Knightfight #1,

My preview of Harley and Ivy: Life and Crimes #1 & 

My review of Batman and Robin: Year One #1. 

  

 

 

EC Catacomb Of Torment #9 Cover Preview

 

COVER A BY ARIEL OLIVETTI

 

There aren't many things you can count on in life. Thankfully, Catacomb Of Torment brings you three bloodcurdling tales of terror every month. What more could you possibly ask for? How about a tale written by an award-winning, bestselling horror author?

Here's all the info from Oni Press:

 

EC CATACOMB OF TORMENT #9

WRITTEN BY JUDE ELLISON S. DOYLE, CELESTE BRONFMAN, JOE R. LANSDALE

ART BY FELIPE CUNHA, DAVID LAPHAM, MALACHI WARD

COVER A BY ARIEL OLIVETTI

COVER B BY YANICK PAQUETTE

EC HOMAGE VARIANT (1:10) BY SHAWN MCMANUS

B&W ARTIST EDITION VARIANT (1:20) BY YANICK PAQUETTE

ARCHIVE EDITION (1:50) BY PATRICIA MARTIN

 

WAKE UP AND SMELL THE CORPSES! Welcome back to the endless maze of the Tormentor’s catacombs . . . where the flesh is freshly flayed and the worst is always yet to come!

 

In the malevolent EC Comics manner, breathe in that acrid stench and prepare for three ribcage-thrumming tales of trepidation wrought from the gaping maws of our latest victims . . . ahem, contributors: Celeste Bronfman (Star Trek, My Little Pony), Jude Ellison S. Doyle (Dead Teenagers, Be Not Afraid), Malachi Ward (Black Hammer Reborn), and more!

 

Plus: A malicious milestone only in this issue: 11-time Bram Stoker Award winner, horror maestro, and certified comics legend Joe R. Lansdale (Jonah Hex: Two-Gun Mojo, Batman: The Animated Series) makes his long-awaited EC Comics debut!

 

$4.99 | 32 PGS. | FULL COLOR | ON SALE MARCH 18, 2026

IOC: 1/31/2026

FOC: 2/23/2026

 

Here are more cover options:

 

COVER B BY YANICK PAQUETTE

 

EC HOMAGE VARIANT (1:10) BY SHAWN MCMANUS

B&W ARTIST EDITION VARIANT (1:20) BY YANICK PAQUETTE

 

ARCHIVE EDITION (1:50) BY PATRICIA MARTIN

Thanks to Oni Press for sharing this cover preview with us.

 

Dead Teenagers #1 Advance Preview

 

COVER A BY NAOMI FRANQ

 

Edge of Tomorrow (or Live Die Repeat) showed us a soldier's worst nightmare: forced to keep reliving a Kobayashi Maru scenario. Groundhog Day forced a man to relive one day until he turned his life around for the better. But both those stories followed adults. How will teens cope with being caught in a time loop? Especially when it involves their worst nightmare: Prom Night! And will Jamie Lee Curtis help them escape?

Here's all the info from Oni Press:

 

DEAD TEENAGERS #1 (of 5)

WRITTEN BY JUDE ELLISON S. DOYLE

ART BY CAITLIN YARSKY

COVER A BY NAOMI FRANQ

HOMAGE VARIANT BY CAITLIN YARSKY

FULL ART VARIANT (1:10) BY NAOMI FRANQ 

VARIANT COVER (1:20) BY BRANDT&STEIN

ON SALE MARCH 18 | $4.99 | 32 PGS. | FC

IOC: 1/31/26

FOC: 2/23/26

 

HELL IS THE ‘90s — THERE’S NO ESCAPING HIGH SCHOOL! This spring, Oni Press – the multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning publisher of groundbreaking comics and graphic novels since 1997 – is proud to present DEAD TEENAGERS #1, a 90-obsessed horror escapade about prom night ‘97 – and five friends who have been living and dying inside it ever since – a from GLAAD Award-nominated writer Jude Ellison S. Doyle (Maw, Be Not Afraid) and Eisner Award-nominated artist Caitlin Yarsky (Black Hammer Reborn, EC's Cruel Universe). Brash and brutal, the series is the most clever and compulsively page-turning horror thriller of the year. DEAD TEENAGERS #1 drops on March 18, 2026. Since 1997, five friends have been trapped in the ultimate nightmare as a mysterious entity forces them to relive their first prom night over and over again... and re-kills them in new and increasingly insane ways each time. They dress up. They party. They make out. And no matter what they try to change, they always die... until now. Something is about to break the cycle that has kept Alicia, J.T., Ryder, Brandy, and their group of friends locked in a bizarre purgatory beyond all understanding... but what they find on the other side will be the most disturbing revelation of all. "I think most of us have feared, at one point or another, that high school might literally never end,” said writer Jude Ellison S. Doyle. “Those of us who’ve made it out can also recall looking back and realizing that what we took for granted, back in those days, was actually terrifying. DEAD TEENAGERS is about both those feelings — about what it takes to get unstuck from your teen years and start growing up."  “Jude is already recognized as a master storyteller when it comes to thematically resonant horror, and I’m excited for readers to get a taste of his pitch-black comedic chops as well,” said Oni Press Senior Editor Allyson Gronowitz. “Dead Teenagers is a brutally funny ode to the very real AND very fake horrors of high school… which no one escapes from unscathed. Meanwhile, Caitlin Yarsky’s art takes the terror and satire to a whole new level…re-exposing you to ‘90s and Y2K fashion styles you wish you could forget ever existed. It’s a fright and a delight!” With a unique variant cover on each issue by interior series artist Caitlin Yarsky homage to an iconic film from the decade – alongside main covers by Naomi Franq (Tales from Harrow County: Death's Choir) and variants by Keyla Valerio (Stranger Things: The Voyage) and Brandt&Stein (Crowded) – hell is the 90s in his genre-distorting ode to the generation that gave us Scream and Buffy the Vampire Slayer …and the little bitty bits of viscera that are left of them.      Now, let's take a look inside:           Here are more cover options:   Valerio Cover   HOMAGE VARIANT BY CAITLIN YARSKY VARIANT COVER (1:20) BY BRANDT&STEIN   DEAD TEENAGERS is a terrifying time loop tale of terror. DEAD TEENAGERS is a terrifying time loop tale of terror. DEAD TEENAGERS is a terrifying time loop tale of terror. DEAD TEENAGERS is a terrifying time loop tale of terror. On sale in March 2026, only from Oni Press.

For more updates on Oni Press, visit them on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram.     Thanks to Oni Press and Superfan Promotions for sharing this advance preview with us.

 

Be Not Afraid #2 Review

 

Writer: Jude Ellison S Doyle

Illustrator: Lisandro Estherren

Colorists: Francesco Segala & Gloria Martinelli

Letterer: Simon Bowland

Cover Artists: Reiko Murakami, Tyler Boss & Jenna Cha

Designer: Madison Goyette

Editors: Caroline Butler, Allyson Gronowitz, Elizabeth Brei & Andy Schmidt

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $4.99

Release Date: July 16, 2025

 

On his 17^th birthday, Jordy Rehms makes a man claw out his eyes. Then he watches as the man chews his hand off. Jordy knows he's not Human. Still, he enjoys terrorizing the people in Enoch.

 

His mother once imagined a glorious future. Now, she cannot bear to face tomorrow. When Cora prays for deliverance, a man appears in her kitchen. Is Mr Phim the answer to her prayers? Or will he bring Cora more suffering? Let's grab a Bible, leap into Be Not Afraid #2, and find out!

 

Story

Seventeen years ago, Cora mourned her father. Her friend Cindy grieved for her mother. While Cora's mother grew bitter, Cindy introduced Cora to church. Cora found meaning in religion. But then she went too far. Cora dared to believe that she could speak with God, and he replied.

 

In Be Not Afraid #2, Cora envisions the world as it ought to be. Cora wants to share her vision of divine harmony with others. Instead, her mother locks her inside the house. Anyone who claims God speaks to them is crazy and a menace to society.

 

Jude Ellison S. Doyle intersperses Cora's discussion with her mysterious visitor with glimpses from her past. We discover why Cora found her unnatural pregnancy difficult instead of a blessing. Be Not Afraid #2 tackles the divide between the laity and the clergy. It also reminds us that the Christian Church closed the canon of the Word of God, then zealously rooted out “heretics” who disagreed with the establishment’s decisions. While addressing the way tragedy can tear families apart, the story reminds us of our daily struggles to spread kindness, even if love demands that we punish those who do wrong.

 

Art

Lisandro Estherren provides a window into Cora’s past, revealing the pain that divides mother and daughter. Mr Phim may reason with her. Yet his features seem harsh, and his movements suggest impatience. A vision from Biblical prophecy merges with a glimpse of Cora's home in the valley. Yet, as Cora mentions to Mr Phim, her town seems removed from time in Be Not Afraid #2.

 

Francesco Segala and Gloria Martinelli adorn scenes of rural life in toned pages. Red adorns the opening scenes with her mother, and Cora's search for a new worldview. Green fills the valley, Cora's initial scene with Mr Phim, and her interview with a priest. While enhancing the mood of these pivotal moments, radiant yellow and white hail warmth, affection, belonging, and divine providence. Yet the visions seem slanted or skewed in Be Not Afraid #2 as if glimpsed not through a window but a funhouse mirror.

 

Simon Bowland places uppercase black letters in white boxes and balloons. The uppercase letters in boxes are more stylized than their cousins, but both are easy to read. Words grow bold for emphasis, while lowered voices receive smaller, lowercase letters. But white words appear in black boxes when everything right in Cora's world suddenly goes wrong. Thanks to Boom! Studios for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Cora Rehms faces a difficult decision. The mysterious Mr Phim promises her deliverance from her suffering. But he appeared as miraculously as her son. And he advises actions that clash with Cora’s ethics and belief in Be Not Afraid #2.

 

Rating 9/10

 

For more cover art see my review at Comic Book Dispatch. 

To refresh your mind of previous events, see my review of Be Not Afraid #1.

Be Not Afraid #1 Review

 

Writer: Jude Ellison S Doyle

Illustrator: Lisandro Estherren

Colorists: Francesco Segala & Gloria Martinelli

Letterer: Simon Bowland

Cover Artists: Jae Lee & June Chung; Reiko Murakami; Abigail Jill Harding; Ariel Olivetti; Javier Pulido

Designer: Madison Goyette

Editors: Caroline Butler, Allyson Gronowitz & Elizabeth Brei

Publisher: Boom! Studios

Price: $4.99

Release Date: June 4, 2025

 

Cora Rehms is having a baby. It's not something she is looking forward to. Like any would-be mother, Cora feels the burden of carrying a child to term. She dreads the pain of delivery. When her body signals readiness, no one is with her. Can she endure childbirth alone? And will Cora love her child? Let's grab a Bible, leap into Be Not Afraid #1, and find out!

 

Story

Cora's fear of childbirth proves unnecessary. One moment, her stomach is round and full. Next, Cora's abdomen is flat, and her hips narrow. Instead of clutching an infant to her breast, a toddler appears in the doorway. Her son smiles at her, clad in a shirt and overalls. Jordy walks beside his mother as they leave the room.

 

Like Cora, the townspeople don't understand Jordy's sudden appearance. Other children keep their distance from Jordy. As Jordy grows, Geraldine Gish takes him under her wing. Sadly, something changes in their relationship. By his teens, the citizens of Enoch fear Jordy in Be Not Afraid #1. And Geraldine wants him to keep away.

 

Jude Ellison S Doyle's story is a study of fear. It's also a reminder of how easily we can use our abilities to hurt others. Like Charlie X, Jordy doesn't belong in our world. He doesn't respect the boundaries of propriety. And he cannot sympathize with others. Worst of all, Jordy delights in tormenting his mother. As Jordy stands on the brink of manhood in Be Not Afraid #1, Cora wonders how much longer she can live with her son.

 

Art

Lisandro Estherren takes readers through a closed door to glimpse Cora lying on a bed in a thin, modest dress. When Cora stares down at her flat stomach, her fingers arc like a bird’s feet, and her hair coils like snakes. Young Jordy smiles. His eyes glow beneath a mop of hair as Jordy reaches for her. As Cora leaves the room and departs the cave with her newborn toddler, she may clutch Jordy’s hand. But Cora doesn’t smile in Be Not Afraid #1.

 

Francesco Segala and Gloria Martinelli adorn Lisandro Estherren’s shadowy, etched art with a limited palette. The colors enhance the depth and atmosphere of lines, shadows, and stippling. Like Cora and young Jordy, the color artists guide us into this remote midwestern town surrounded by waving corn. Beneath swirling storm clouds, Jordy’s dark, distorted figure evokes Reverend Henry Kane from Poltergeist 2. But the curly golden locks on his forehead glow like the sun.

 

Simon Bowland places Jude Ellison S Doyle's flowing narrative in boxes and the characters' dialogue in white balloons. The uppercase letters in boxes are more stylized than their cousins, but both are easy to read. Words embolden for emphasis, while lowered voices receive smaller, lowercase letters. Bowland carves dark symbols and words into panels to attend acts of kindness and defiance. Thanks to Boom! Studios for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

As children reach high school age, parents often struggle to bridge the gap with their teens' diverging interests. Jude Ellison S Doyle’s flowing, Biblical narrative transforms a fast-paced story about the challenges of one-parent families into a supernatural horror story in Be Not Afraid #1.

 

Rating 9.5/10

 

For more covers see my review at Comic Book Dispatch.