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Transformers! G.I. Joe! Turok! Skybound Visions is HERE! Skybound, Image, Hasbro & Universal Announce New Line of Comics Featuring The Biggest Icons & Biggest Creators! LOS ANGELES 10/09/2026 - Today at New York Comic Con, Skybound Entertainment and Image Comics, in collaboration with Hasbro, a leading games, IP and toy company, and Universal announced "Skybound Visions," a new line of standalone, limited comic series featuring bold reimaginings of pop culture icons, exploring who those characters are - and who they can be. Bringing together the biggest comic characters and the biggest creators, Skybound Visions issues will tell complete, evergreen stories showcasing new sides of these beloved icons. Their stories serve as perfect jumping-on points for new readers, while also rewarding lifelong fans. The Skybound Visions line will launch in 2027 with Transformers: Bumblebee - Lost Planet in January, G.I. Joe: The Island of Dr. Mindbender in February, and Turok: Son of Stone in March. Each issue will be printed on deluxe newsprint, and feature variant covers by top talent. "Skybound Visions pairs beloved comic book characters with the most interesting comic book creators working today, to present their personal takes on these fan-favorites" said Sean Mackiewicz, SVP, Skybound. "Visions is all about surprising creators, surprising characters, and surprising storytelling, and we have plenty more in store for 2027 and beyond." Skybound also revealed the storylines and creators for the first three series in the Skybound Visions line. Transformers: Bumblebee - Lost Planet by writer Tate Brombal (Batgirl, Everything Dead & Dying) and Matt Emmons (The Council of Frogs), colorist Giovanna Niro (Absolute Catwoman), and letterer Becca Carey (Radiant Black) arrives in comic shops on January 27, 2027. After a devastating Decepticon attack, Bumblebee is stranded on an uncharted planet. Lost in the galaxy, with no way to call for help, the so-called "weakest of all the Autobots" must tackle the biggest mission of his young life. But beneath its surface, this strange planet holds a secret that's already begun to corrupt and change its indigenous life. Now, the Autobots' greatest hope must come from the evolution of its most unexpected warrior... if Bee can survive being hunted by the deadliest Decepticon of all! Then, just one new comic book day after Transformers: Bumblebee - Lost Planet #1 debuts, G.I. Joe: The Island of Dr. Mindbender by writer Karl Kerschl (Gotham Academy) and Doug Mahnke (Batman: The Man Who Laughs), inker Jaime Mendoza (Superman), colorist David Baron (JLA), and letterer Tom Napolitano (Kaya) lands in stores on February 2, 2027. The last team of Joes sent to the Island of Dr. Mindbender never came back... Now, Codename: Flint must return to active duty to lead a fresh batch of recruits to the isolated compound of a madman. A mad scientist who's grown madder every year-and his creations more monstrous. In the deadliest mission of his career, Flint just wants to rescue his old friends and get back to his family. But on this island, survival isn't just half the battle-it's the whole damn war! The first Gold Key character in Skybound Visions, Turok: Son of Stone by writer Stephen Graham Jones (The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, Earthdivers) and Leandro Fernández (The Old Guard), and colorist Lee Loughridge (G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero) with letterer Tom Napolitano (Kaya) hits comic shops on March 10, 2027. Turok wanted to dig up the past. Now, he must survive it. Turok dreamed that his dig in New Mexico would make his name legendary. But when the ground gave way, he fell through history and landed in a valley that shouldn't exist. Where the Ice Age sits on top of the time of dinosaurs, and at every turn he discovers an era older and hungrier than the last. In a relentless quest to return to his son, Turok must unearth the truth about this hidden world and not lose his grip on a shifting reality that threatens to consume him. Sometimes a dream coming true is a nightmare beyond imagination... To celebrate this brand-new initiative, a special Skybound Visions ashcan will be available in comic shops on Wednesday, November 11th, providing readers with a sneak peak of character designs and what to expect from all three series in the first slate of Skybound Visions titles. Fans will soon be able to pre-order their copies of Transformers: Bumblebee - Lost Planet #1, G.I. Joe: The Island of Dr. Mindbender #1, and Turok: Son of Stone #1 at their local comic book shops. Here is what the creative teams are saying: Transformers: Bumblebee - Lost Planet Tate Brombal: "What an honor to be a part of this first wave of Skybound Visions! With its bold mandate in mind, we wanted to make a Transformers comic unlike any other...so get ready as Bumblebee takes center stage on an alien planet hellbent on killing him. This is Scavenger's Reign meets Horizon Zero Dawnvividly illustrated by your new favorite artist (if he isn't already) Matt Emmons and the inimitable Giovanna Niro." Matt Emmons: "I'm so thrilled unveiling Transformers: Bumblebee - Lost Planet, and especially our new Bumblebee design for this new journey! We went all out filling this strange, beautiful, and dangerous world with all sorts of bizarre plants, animals and a few... other beings to make a Transformers comic the likes of which has never been seen before. Working with Tate, Ben, Giovanna, and Becca has been a dream come true. Everyone brought their best to this book. I'm so excited to share what we've made and couldn't be more proud to be a part of the first wave of Skybound Visions." G.I. Joe: The Island of Dr. Mindbender Karl Kerschl: "As a kid who grew up watching the G.I. Joe cartoon and obsessing over the comic books, I spent a lot of time making up my own characters. Now I have the opportunity to do that for real. The Island of Dr. Mindbender is a nightmare-fueled version of everything that I love about G.I. Joe-it's a freight train of 80's-inspired action and horror." Doug Mahnke: "Working with Karl on GI Joe: The Island of Dr. Mindbender has been one helluva ride. When I signed on to do the book, the rough concept of Joes going to save more Joes from a twisted version of Dr. Mindbender on a distant and hidden island seemed simple enough, but as each script unfolded it was far from simple as the story submerged further and further into chaos and horror, two things I'm absolutely qualified and happy to draw! This is definitely not your father's G.I. Joe story, and it's entirely awesome." Turok: Son of Stone Stephen Graham Jones: "Don't we all want to go be in a Turok comic book? Don't we all want to see dinosaurs, mammoths, prehistoric birds and snakes and fish? Writing this, it was close as I can get to that. It's been a thrill, an honor." Leandro Fernández: "I got hooked into this story automatically, right after reading the first script. It feels so exciting for me to have the chance to work with Stephen on this new approach to this classic character. It's both fun and very inspiring. A perfect starting point - let's enjoy the ride!" Transformers: Bumblebee - Lost Planet #1Cover A by Matt Emmons & Giovanna Niro | | Transformers: Bumblebee - Lost Planet #1 Preview Pages | | G.I. Joe: The Island of Dr. Mindbender #1Cover A by Doug Mahnke & David Baron | | G.I. Joe: The Island of Dr. Mindbender #1 Preview Pages | | Turok: Son of Stone #1 Cover A by Leandro Fernández & Lee Loughridge | | Turok: Son of Stone #1 Preview Pages | | / Your First Place For Comics News since October 18, 1998

AI agents are coming for CTV; it's cheaper for politicians to buy national ads than to target Texas. Wednesday, October 7th, 2026 - 12:03 am Agents, Agents Everywhere Agentic media buying is all the rage, including for streaming TV. A new joint effort announced Tuesday will use custom agents to help brand marketers get more from their streaming TV investments, including upfront commitments. The initiative brings together NBCUniversal, its SSP FreeWheel, Dentsu-owned agency Carat and research firm Newton. So, how does it work? Custom buying agents pair identity data from NBCU and FreeWheel with audience intelligence from Dentsu and Newton. The agent uses that audience data and ad performance data to recommend NBCU ad inventory based on an advertiser's desired outcome. An unnamed luxury retailer working with Carat is the first marketer to use the solution, although the joint offering will eventually be available to all Dentsu clients. In the meantime, Carat is busy building custom agents for specific advertiser KPIs, everything from search lift to incremental reach. The promise is that agents could bring outcomes-based buying closer to the mainstream in CTV. Great, right? But if every buy is judged by immediate results, advertisers could end up sacrificing long-term brand building for short-term gains. Everything's Bigger In Texas Did you happen to catch any ads for Texas Attorney General - and Republican senatorial candidate - Ken Paxton during Fox's "Sunday Night Football" broadcast last weekend, despite not living in Texas where he's running? On Sunday, viewers reported seeing multiple pro-Paxton ads from Texas PAC during not just the Cowboys-Texans game on Sunday night but also during the Eagles-Rams game, the Packers-Buccaneers game and the Jets-Bears game. According to Texas-based news outlet Chron, Texas PAC likely bought national advertising time because it was cheaper than trying to break into the crowded Texas TV market. An estimate from political ad platform Medium Buying suggests it would've cost more than $2 million to buy campaigns for a single 30-second ad spot in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin during the Cowboys-Texans game. But cost may not have been the only factor. Perhaps Paxton's supporters wanted to counter the growing national attention on his opponent, James Talarico, since he won the Democratic primary in March. Talarico's interviews with Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel - and the fact that neither segment could air on broadcast TV - made headlines nationwide. Talk about doing more with less. Claim To Fame Just yesterday, this newsletter looked at brands testing the limits of claims like "Keto-friendly," "sugar-free," "gut-healthy" and "Protein!" Well, Adexchanger has got some related news to share about how the pursuit of a compelling marketing claim can send household product and food and beverage brands down some pretty strange paths. Pet food makers, for example, are investing in major research facilities to measure and demonstrate claims like "preferred by cats," as The New York Times reports. (Apparently, cat adoption rates are way up, while dog food purchase rates are flat, so a lot of the research is cat-centric.) Candy giant Mars, meanwhile, is undertaking a costly and tricky overhaul of M&M's production - which has essentially remained unchanged since World War II - so that it can put the words "no artificial colors" in ads and on packages. This is such an expensive and challenging process because to get blue or brown coloring it needs a great deal of spirulina - but spirulina is an algae-like substance that gunks up its machines. Without blue and brown, the remaining yellow, green, red and orange candies look distinctly tropical. Oh, and then there's Procter & Gamble, which has cut marketing budgets in recent years and shifted more spending to product R&D, including innovations, such as crotch deodorant and woven-tile laundry detergent. Guess sometimes the product itself is the pitch. But Wait! There's More! It's official: Skydance has closed its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. [Deadline] What human in the loop? S4 Capital's Monks agency lets its AI agents run unsupervised for days at a time. (By the way, the company has cut 800 jobs so far this year.) [Digiday] San Diego County files a lawsuit alleging that AppLovin shows graphic ads in apps marked appropriate for kids. [Bloomberg] A British class-action suit claims Google drove up costs for Android developers and users through its 30% Google Play Store fee. [Bloomberg] Tagged in: