The Sunday Spotlight – The ‘And You Broke It Within A Week’ Edition
by Richard Bruton
Well, after a couple of weeks off for Christmas and New Year, it’s time to head back to the weekly slug of comics news we call The Sunday Spotlight…
Well, did ya miss us? Let’s get into 2026 then…
ONI PRESS TO PUBLISH NEW ARCHIE LINE IN 2025…
Yep, Oni Press have partnered with Archie to start publishing new and classic Archie from 2026. Oni gets to try fresh things with the characters in their new Archie line, plus they’ll be putting out new collections from the history of Archie Comics. Oni will also be publishing a new line of YA graphic novels in their own continuity. Meanwhile, Archie Comics will still be publishing the familiar look of ‘Classic Archie’ with a newly announced quarterly Archie Jumbo Comics Magazine and the digest editions you see at Walmart, with a mix of new and reprint material.
The three new Oni/Archie ongoing titles announced so far are – Archie #1 (September 2026) by W. Maxwell Prince and Fábio Moon, Sabrina the Teenage Witch #1 by Corinna Bechko and Kano (October 2026), and Archie in Hell by Patrick Horvath and Tyler Crook (November 2026).
VOTE FOR YOUR 2000 AD FAVES OF 2025…
Seeing in the New Year at 2000 AD by looking back at 2025. Go here to a Survey Planet thing asking for you to pick your best covers and stories of the past year. But be quick – results are announced on 7th January!
STEVE RUDE NEEDS YOUR HELP…
Steve Rude, the incredible artistic talent behind Nexus and so many other great comic works, is the latest comics creator to put out a call for assistance. On 31st December, he wrote this:
‘Today marks both my birthday and the announcement of a critical campaign for Steve Rude Studio. After 45 years of Nexus (co-created with writer Mike Baron) and decades teaching traditional ink-on-paper techniques, we’re at an inflection point.
The reality: Our studio faces closure without immediate community support. We’re launching The Art of Steve Rude 2026 Annual Sketchbook via crowdfunding January 15-29, alongside building sustainable support through Patreon.
This isn’t about charity. It’s about proving that creator-owned, community-supported studios can survive in today’s market. That traditional craftsmanship still has value. That the relationship between artists and audiences can transcend corporate structures. The next 30 days determine whether we continue or close. I believe in this community. Let’s prove that quality and craft still matter.’
You know what to do. Early access registration is here – www.steverude.com/2026skb
A FEW BEST OF LISTS FOR YOU…
Well, no doubt you’ve perused the Comicon Best Of lists for 2025 (you can catch them all here), but there’s plenty of other Best of lists out there at this time of year that you should be casting a glance over…
The Comics Journal – A huge list, containing many, many contributors to TCJ and a whole host of diverse titles for you to look at, including Michael DeForge, Robert Crumb, Julia Gfrörer, Anders Nilsen, Jir? Taniguchi and Masayuki Kusumi, Cameron Arthur, Alison Bechdel, Henry McCausland, Huahua Zhu, and a heck of a lot more, including quite a bit of love for DC’s Absolute titles.
The Comics Beat – More praise for the Absolutes – Batman, Martian Manhunter and Wonder Woman in a wide-ranging A-Z list. Here’s just A & B titles to give you an idea: Ancestral Recall, Assorted Crisis Events, Basket, Batman: Dark Patterns, Batman: Full Moon, Beat It Rufus, Black Arms to Hold You Up, Black Ritual: The Book of Nyx, Bowling with Corpses & Other Strange Tales from Lands Unknown, Breadcrumbs: Coming of Age in Post-Soviet Poland.
The Guardian – Oh, bless The Guardian, ever consistent of them to come out with a best graphic novels list that’s VERY heavy on the perceived lit-end of things, with half of the 16 books picked coming from Jonathan Cape and Drawn & Quarterly. Great books absolutely, but you can’t help but wish they’d go a little further afield sometimes.
Here’s what they had… Five from Jonathan Cape – Do Admit by Mimi Pond, Spent by Alison Bechdel, The Once and Future Riot by Joe Sacco, Dry Cleaned by Joris Mertens, Tongues by Anders Nilsen. Three from Drawn & Quarterly – Milk White Steed by Michael D Kennedy, The Weight by Melissa Mendes, Cannon by Lee Lai. Two from Fantagraphics – Raised by Ghosts by Briana Loewissohn and Precious Rubbish by Kayla E. And from other publishers – Photographic Memory by Bill Griffiths (Abrams), The Compleat Angler by Gareth Brookes (SelfMadeHero), Ginseng Roots by Craig Thompson (Faber), Misery of Love by Yvan Alagbe (NY Review of Books), Big Pool by Chris Harnan (Breakdown), and The Witch’s Egg by Donya Todd (Avery Hill).
RED??? WHAT DO YOU MEAN CHARLIE BROWN’S JUMPER’S RED????…
Kerry Callen came out with this one over the holiday break:
“Years ago, when I worked in Hallmark’s Licensing Department, I was fortunate enough to meet Charles Schulz several times. I once asked him, “What color is Charlie Brown’s shirt?” He answered, “I’ve always considered it to be red.” I think most folks think of it as yellow, probably because of the Christmas Special. The old Sunday comics mostly colored it red. (I think.)”
Okay, that’s me taken aback.
