As the final days of summer wind down, and the next major MCU project remains far off on the horizon, things have slowed down considerably, both at Friends From Work and in the newscycle. Kyle and Robby continue to recharge their batteries on vacation, but FFW+ subscribers will be treated to a special podcast tomorrow: “Best Twists in the MCU.” Main feed podcasts will resume in the very near future.

Stick around to the very end of this week’s newsletter for another “Robby Recommend” from Panel Bound Comics.

But before that, there was one particularly big piece of casting news last week, so let’s head straight to…

THE WATERCOOLER

THIS WEEK IN THE MCU

• Variety broke the news that Severance breakout star Tramell Tillman has joined the cast of Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Details surrounding his role remain mysterious (but almost certainly important). The most consistent rumor is that he will be playing a villainous character.

• According to ComicBook’s official fall preview, all four episodes of Marvel Zombies will premiere on September 24th, which is just one month away. There have been reports that the first trailer for the series is ready and could debut any day.

• Nexus Point News reports that Daredevil: Born Again is expected to get at least three seasons from Marvel Studios. Star Charlie Cox had previously created a stir on the internet when he mistakenly referred to season 2 as the “final” season at a fan convention. Season three is expected to begin production in March 2026.

• The Fantastic Four: First Steps is expected to cross $500 million at the global box office by next weekend.

BEYOND THE MULTIVERSE

• The movie phenomenon KPop Demon Hunters (97% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) stunned the world by finishing first at the domestic box office this weekend, despite only two days of limited showings. According to industry estimates (Netflix does not report box office results), the movie is expected to earn $18 million.

TRUE BELIEVERS RUMOR OF THE WEEK

• Marvel has yet to reveal the official release date for Wonder Man. I’ve speculated a couple of times that maybe it will debut earlier than expected, but I saw a rumor today suggesting that the release date for the 8-episode miniseries could be December 10th.

PANEL BOUND COMICS PICK OF THE WEEK

As promised, we're back with another bit of recommended reading brought to you by Panel Bound Comics (formerly Organic Priced Books). This week, we continue our brief tour through the collected works of writer/artist Chip Zdarsky, who made his long-awaited debut on Friends From Work just last week.

First, some good news! You may remember last Sunday, when I said that the two volumes of Chip's Daredevil were out of stock on PBC. Well, that was true then... but now it looks like we've got a restock in the works! Click here to order a copy of Vol. 1, which contains some of my all-time favorite Chip and Daredevil stories -- including that masterful opening arc that we discussed at some length in last week's interview.

Second, more good news! If you've seen The Fantastic Four: First Steps, you might have spotted Chip's name among a small list of comics creators that received a special shoutout in the movie’s closing credits. Why? Well, after the epic finale of Jonathan Hickman's Secret Wars (don't worry, no spoilers), it wasn't immediately clear where else Marvel could take its first family. You can't go bigger than Secret Wars. You can't tell a better Doom story than the one Hickman had just completed. And even if you could, it was just too soon to jump into another Richards family adventure. So Marvel did something that was equal parts shocking and sensible: it stopped publishing Fantastic Four... for a few years.

In its place, we saw the return of a fan-favorite series focused on two members of the FF who were less integral to the events of Secret Wars: Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm. And that's where Chip Zdarsky came in. Fans often look to Spider-Man: Life Story (see last week's pick of the week) and Daredevil (see two paragraphs up) as the turning point for Zdarsky's career -- the moment when he went from a guy who makes funny comics to a guy who makes great comics (that are sometimes very funny). But that does a real disservice to his work with Ben and Johnny. Like his Spectacular Spider-Man, Chip's Fate of the Four pitches itself as an easy entry point for new readers. Compared to the continuity-laden main titles, these self-contained "B-books" seem like lighter fare... right up until they start yanking on your heartstrings.

I don't want to give too much away, so I'll say this. If you enjoyed Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach in First Steps and want more of the Human Torch and the Thing, this is a perfect place to start. But you don't have to take my word for it. There's a reason Chip was one of a handful of creators invited to the FF set in London. He gets these characters, and he clearly loves writing them.

Plus, reading this will give you the chance to see Chip's first work with Captain America collaborators Valerio Schiti and Frank Martin, Jr! Trust me. It's fantastic. So, please check out these comics and don’t forget to use promo code “FRIENDSFROMWORK” to get a discount off every order!

-RE

Wow! Thank you, Robby. While everyone is checking out Robby’s picks over at PBC, I want to take a second to point out that they are also having a 50% off sale right now on all things Batman! With James Gunn’s DCU beginning to take off, it might be a good time to grab some DC books too!

Thanks for reading and subscribing! Have a great week!

-Greg