seeing The Hand, and introducing him to The Punisher, tells me he'll meet Daredevil soon enough.

The wait is over. For a very long time, fans of 1984's The Last Starfighter film were left dangling on a cliffhanger that only now will be satisfied by a new story that will make this year one of the best for the movie's most patient followers.

As a refresher for the unenlightened, The Last Starfighter is a bit of a cult classic that has stood the test of time over the past 40+ years. The sci-fi starred Lance Guest (Halloween II, Jaws: The Revenge) as Alex Rogan, a teenager who gets recruited as a real-life interstellar fighter pilot, Beta Alex, after beating an arcade game.

Without giving away any spoilers, just know there's an aforementioned cliffhanger that left audiences wondering, and thanks to Mad Cave Studios, there are about to be some great eats as a continuation of the story when The Last Starfighter: Beta arrives this Fall.

"Whether it's the Buffy bot or the Spider-Man clone, I've always loved a fictional fraud, especially when they stop pretending to be a hero and find a way to really save the day," said artist David Cutler via the official press release. "The scenes in The Last Starfighter with Alex's hapless stand-in were my favorites growing up, so being a part of this book was a genuine dream. Join us in The Last Starfighter: Beta in the search for self, and maybe we can all stop feeling like copies of someone cooler."

Writer: Benjamin Raab, Deric A. Hughes

Art: David Cutler

Colorist: Francesco Segala

Letterer: Rob Jones

Cover art: David Lopez (A), Jessica Fong (B)

Length: 40 pages

On sale: Oct. 21, 2026 (Pre-order now)

The Last Starfighter Is Back to Continue the Story

Per the official synopsis: "When the Ko-Dan Armada sent an assassin to kill small-town boy Alex Rogan, it was Alex's simuloid duplicate, Beta, who saved the day, sacrificing himself to convince the Ko-Dan that Alex was dead. The move bought the Last Starfighter valuable time—enough to sabotage the Ko-Dan mothership and save the planet Rylos. That's been the story for forty years."

It continued: "Now, original film writer Jonathan Betuel joins a star-studded creative team to reveal Beta's true fate. Beta survived the Ko-Dan assault, but he's not the only alien entity left on Earth."

He most certainly is not, begging the question of what happens next: "With Alex far away, Beta is stranded and alone. Can an organic robot with no orders to execute find its own purpose on an alien planet? Not if the Zando-Zan have anything to say about it."

The 'Missing Chapter' of The Last Starfighter Film Is Unveiled

The added beauty in The Last Starfighter: Beta lies in the simple fact that it features the return of the original film's screenwriter, Jonathan Betuel, and producer Paul Davidson to ensure continuity for Raab and Hughes. It's something the latter two are excited for, particularly for those who recall how epic the movie was.

“Everyone remembers The Last Starfighter for its epic space battles and groundbreaking CGI, but the real victory of that movie was its unique blend of heart, pathos and humor in an unforgettable sci-fi stew," said Raab. "With that recipe in mind, we've cooked up Beta—a story about the disposable, shape-shifting simuloid sent to Earth as a sacrificial decoy for Alex Rogan, who suddenly finds itself in an adventure all its own. A 'stranger in a strange land' tale about an artificial intelligence learning what it means to be human.”

His sentiments are echoed loudly by Hughes, co-writer of The Last Starfighter: Beta.

“Normally, androids on the big screen are to be feared and never trusted. ... But not The Last Starfighter’s lovable and trustworthy android, who made a heroic sacrifice to save Alex Rogan's friends and family and brought a tear to audiences' eyes as we mourned its loss," he added. "Or so we believed... Because now, a new adventure begins! But this time around, tears of sorrow won't be shed; instead, it'll be tears of joy, as we welcome back the android and hero called BETA in a fun and exciting One-Shot issue for all to enjoy.”

The missing chapter is missing no more, and everything changes for Alex and The Last Starfighter in October 2026.