ComicCollx Weekly — Week of August 24–29, 2026

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MON · 2026-08-24

01. Roger McKenzie, who wrote Daredevil and co-created reporter Ben Urich, died at 75 after months of heart and kidney failure.

Roger McKenzie died peacefully in hospice care on the morning of August 21, 2026, survived by his wife Tami and chosen family member Catherine. He was 75. His family said he was certain he still had stories to tell and struggled to write one last script in his final months. Marvel issued a statement mourning his passing and crediting his work on Daredevil with introducing the darker tone that defined the character for years, noting his lasting impact on Marvel storytelling from Daredevil to Captain America and beyond.

Born November 8, 1950, McKenzie entered comics in 1976 with a seven-page short in Warren Publishing's Vampirella #50, then wrote extensively for Warren's horror magazines Creepy, Eerie, and Vampirella through the early 1980s. He created the Western character Cinnamon with artist Jack Abel at DC in Weird Western Tales and collaborated with a young Frank Miller on an early story in Weird War Tales. He took over Marvel's Daredevil with issue 151 in 1978, infusing the series with a darker atmosphere drawn from his horror background and co-creating chain-smoking Daily Bugle reporter Ben Urich with Gene Colan. Beginning with issue 158 in 1979, he was joined by artist Frank Miller; their collaboration through the early 1980s laid groundwork for the character's modern interpretation, later collected in volumes highlighting Miller's early work.

McKenzie also wrote Captain America, where he and artist Don Perlin originated the concept of Captain America running for President — an idea Marvel initially rejected but that Roger Stern and John Byrne later used in Captain America #250, with Stern ensuring McKenzie and Perlin received credit. Additional Marvel credits included Ghost Rider, the Battlestar Galactica adaptation with Ernie Colón, and stories for Marvel Fanfare. In the mid-to-late 1980s he worked extensively in independent comics for Pacific, Comico, Sirius, Eclipse, and others, notably on Sun Runners, and from 1986 to 1988 he co-founded and co-published Pied Piper Comics with Mark L. Hamlin, also serving as managing editor. After a long hiatus he returned in the mid-2010s as Executive Editor of the Charlton Neo line, writing for The Charlton Arrow and Charlton Wild Frontier, and co-creating the weekly webcomic Spookman with artist Sandy Carruthers.

Bleeding Cool →

TUE · 2026-08-25

02. Dragon Ball's official site published a rare 37-year-old color page draft by Akira Toriyama showing Goku and Vegeta's first fight.

The Toriyama Archives segment on the Dragon Ball website recently published the draft of a color page from Chapter 229 of the Dragon Ball manga, originally released over 37 years ago on June 20, 1989, in Weekly Shonen Jump issue 29. The chapter centers on the fight between Goku and Vegeta during the Saiyan Saga. The official website noted in its description that the draft showcases a mano a mano showdown between Goku and Vegeta, packed with tension, with unique use of color making Vegeta's unfathomable power radiate off the page.

The archival release shows the sequence where Vegeta mocks Goku and proceeds to unlock what he refers to as the power of an elite Saiyan. While Vegeta managed to overwhelm Goku with this power-up, his superiority lasted only a short while — Goku, quickly utilizing the Kaio-Ken threefold, was able to push his opponent onto the back foot. Following a series of twists, Goku, Gohan and Krillin, with unexpected assistance from Yajirobe, eventually defend Earth from Vegeta's onslaught. The battle laid groundwork for a celebrated rivalry between Goku and Vegeta that lasted for the entirety of the DBZ manga's serialization, spawning decades of powerscaling debates and discussions among the fandom. Stakeholders in the series regularly issue callbacks to the characters' initial fight through official artwork and merchandise releases.

CBR →

WED · 2026-08-26

03. Dynamite Entertainment cancelled retailer orders for Buffy, Angel, and Firefly, then announced all three will be resolicited with larger page counts at no price increase.

Dynamite owner, publisher and CEO Nick Barrucci said writer Kelly Thompson's story for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel evolved and became more ambitious, prompting the publisher to take a step back and increase the page count to meet the story and deliver the best possible product for fans. Buffy #1 and Angel #1 will have significant story page increases from average issues at no additional cost to readers or retailers. Barrucci said it's important to Kelly and Dynamite that this is done right and not rushed, so resoliciting both titles is the best way to fully convey these updates across the board. Dynamite also decided to push Firefly back and will resolicit, while confirming X-Files is still launching in February.

The original Buffy solicitations listed Kelly Thompson as writer and Stephen Byrne as artist, with issue #1 priced at $4.99 and featuring the comics debut of a beloved Buffy fan-favorite character. Thompson is an Eisner-winning writer known for Absolute Wonder Woman and Black Widow, while Byrne is a superstar artist known for Wonder Twins. The series was positioned as a vision of Buffy the Vampire Slayer readers had to see to believe, telling the story of what happened when the people who loved Buffy couldn't live with her death after she gave her life to save the world.

Angel #1 was originally solicited as an extra-sized 48-page premiere issue featuring extra pages of story and art plus a special sketchbook section, specially priced at just $4.99, with art by Giulia Giacomino and covers by David Nakayama. The issue was set to feature the first appearance of Angel and Buffy's new big bad, Leviathan. The series follows Angel, once the terrifying vampire Angelus, who was cursed for his crimes with the return of his soul — a soul that eventually led him to Sunnydale and a tragic star-crossed affair with Buffy, his vampire-slaying true love, before he built himself a new life elsewhere.

Bleeding Cool →

THU · 2026-08-27

04. Peter Cullen, the voice of Optimus Prime in Transformers for 40 years and Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh, died at 85.

Peter Cullen died peacefully at home in Los Angeles on Wednesday, August 27, 2026, surrounded by his loving family. He was 85 years old. His agent Kevin Motley confirmed the death to The Hollywood Reporter. Cullen's family asked in a statement that people honor his legacy by serving their communities and leading others with compassion, integrity and loyalty, and to always remember 'be strong enough to be gentle.' He is survived by his children Angus, Claire, Pilar, and Clay.

Born in Montreal in 1941, Cullen became legendary as the voice of Autobot leader Optimus Prime in the original Transformers cartoon, a role he reprised in many movies, video games, and other Transformers projects over four decades. He infused the robotic hero with a gentle nobility that emphasized empathy over strength. His performance became instantly recognizable to a generation of fans. Optimus Prime's death in 1986's The Transformers: The Movie proved so traumatic for children who had come to love and idolize the character that it became an early geek in-joke and eventually a meme, with Hasbro embarking on an 'apology tour' for the film's anniversary. The backlash was strong enough that both Prime and Cullen returned a year later in the direct-to-video sequel The Transformers: The Return of Optimus Prime.

Cullen returned to voice several iterations of the character. Most notably, he voiced Optimus Prime in Michael Bay's live-action Transformers movie and its sequels. He eventually won a Daytime Emmy for Optimus Prime, specifically his performance as the Autobot in Transformers: Prime, the 2010-2013 animated series. Within the Transformers franchise, Cullen also voiced Prime's fellow Autobot, Ironhide. He was also well known for voicing the downcast donkey Eeyore in Disney's Winnie the Pooh franchise, beginning in The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh from 1988 until 1991, returning for 2002's Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Years and several additional projects. Some of his earliest voice work included voicing King Kong in the 1976 remake, the villainous vehicle K.A.R.R. on Knight Rider in 1982 (reprised in 2009), and developing the clicking noises that the alien makes in Predator in 1987. Before becoming legendary in animation, he was the announcer on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour. Other roles include voicing Monterey Jack in Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers, King Alfor and Koran in Lion Voltron, Commander James Hawkins in Vehicle Voltron, and Mario in the Saturday Supercade cartoons.

CBR →

FRI · 2026-08-28

05. Disney unveiled a plaque honoring Jack Kirby at Avengers Campus in California Adventure on his birthday, featuring a Kirby quote and Kirby Krackle in the concrete.

A plaque commemorating Jack Kirby was unveiled on August 28, 2026 — his birthday — at Avengers Campus inside Disney's California Adventure theme park. The plaque was announced during a panel at D23, where Imagineer Brent Strong and Marvel Experiences Development executive Brian Crosby shared the news toward the end of a discussion of upcoming Marvel attractions across Disney Parks. It is placed near the Stan Lee plaque that has stood at the entrance since February 2022. The dedication features a quote attributed to Kirby: 'If you look at my characters, you will find me. No matter what kind of character you create or assume, a little of yourself must remain there.' There is also Kirby Krackle on the concrete leading up to it.

Jeremy Kirby, one of Jack Kirby's grandsons, attended the unveiling and called it a Jack Kirby birthday surprise, thanking Disney and Marvel and calling it an amazing honor. Various members of the Kirby family attended the private ceremony, along with Marvel Television, Animation, Comics, and Franchise head Brad Winderbaum; Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Stephen Wacker; park vice president Brent Davies; and Walt Disney Imagineering's executive creative director Brent Strong. A performer dressed as the MCU's version of Kirby's alter-ego, Ben Grimm/The Thing, was also present.

Jack Kirby was born in 1917 on 147 Essex Street, a tenement building on the Lower East Side of New York City as Jacob Kurtzberg. By the time he died in 1994, he had created or co-created many of the cornerstone characters and concepts of the Marvel and DC Universes, including the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, the X-Men, Hulk, Captain America, Silver Surfer, The Eternals, Darkseid, Fourth World, and New Gods, among hundreds of others. His storytelling and visual style helped define the look and language of comic books across genres such as superheroes, crime, war, romance, and science fiction and continues to ripple through comics, film, television, and popular culture. The plaque thanks Kirby, saying 'Avengers Campus owes much to your vision and storytelling. The characters you created populate this campus as a living tribute to you, Jack.' The installation comes over four years after frequent Kirby collaborator Stan Lee's own plaque was installed at Avengers Campus in 2022, and a few months after a street in New York City was renamed after Kirby.

Bleeding Cool →

SAT · 2026-08-29

06. Disney unveiled a plaque honoring Jack Kirby at Avengers Campus in California Adventure on his 109th birthday, attended by his family and Marvel executives.

A plaque commemorating Jack Kirby was unveiled at Avengers Campus in Disney California Adventure Park on August 28, 2026, marking the cartoonist's 109th birthday. The plaque thanks Kirby, saying 'Avengers Campus owes much to your vision and storytelling. The characters you created populate this campus as a living tribute to you, Jack.' Placed in-between is a quote from Kirby himself: 'If you look at my characters, you will find me. No matter what kind of character you create or assume, a little of yourself must remain there.' The comment originated from a 1982 interview for Entertainment Tonight and previously appeared in the end credits of The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

Various members of the Kirby family attended the private ceremony, along with Marvel Television, Animation, Comics, and Franchise head Brad Winderbaum; Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Stephen Wacker; park vice president Brent Davies; and Walt Disney Imagineering's executive creative director Brent Strong. A performer dressed as the MCU's version of Kirby's alter-ego, Ben Grimm/The Thing, was also present. The installation of the plaque comes over four years after frequent Kirby collaborator Stan Lee's own plaque was installed at Avengers Campus in 2022, and a few months after a street in New York City was renamed after Kirby — something presumably buoyed by the release of First Steps, which owed more to Kirby than any previous Fantastic Four film, in 2025. It also heralds Marvel Comics' own move from Kirby's hometown of New York to the Greater Los Angeles area, where Disneyland is located, next year.

The Comics Beat →

CGC Pristine Gold Star Rayquaza sells for $1,020,000 - the most expensive English Pokemon card ever sold — Reddit - r/PokemonTCG

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