SFX – August 2026

Summary

Spider-Man swings into SFX issue 407 with a Brand New Day set visit, and August 2026 SFX stacks six features around it, including a 28-page-opening Star Trek: Strange New Worlds cover story and a Beetlejuice musical report at page 56.

SFX magazine August 2026 (issue 407) leads with Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and the issue builds a full superhero-and-horror spread around Tom Holland's return. Features open at page 28 with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, then hit Spider-Man at 36, The End of Oak Street at 40, Stuart Fails to Save the Universe at 44, Ice Cream Man at 52 and Beetlejuice The Musical at 56. A Red Alert news section tracks Dune: Part Three, Batman: Caped Crusader and The Silence of the Lambs, while the reviews desk pages run from Disclosure Day at 72 through 007 First Light at 92.

Regulars hold the issue together: Brought To Book at 68, The Write Stuff at 89, Flashback at 94, Blastermind at 96 and Total Recall at 98. Priced £5.99 and printed in the UK by Future, the issue gives readers a month of screening dates, comic pulls and game releases in one place, plus a subscription push on page 27 for anyone who wants the digital edition alongside print.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Story
p.36 · SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY
SFX puts Spider-Man: Brand New Day at the centre of the August 2026 issue, sending its writers to the production to pin down what this chapter changes for the character and the crew making it. The piece works through the practical filmmaking choices behind the new suit and the street-level scale, and keeps the focus on what readers will actually see on screen. Set a reminder for the film's release window before the trailers bury the details.

▸ Features
p.28 · STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS
The issue's opening feature sits on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, using cast access to trace where the series goes next and how the crew keeps the original series' tone alive. It balances episode-level detail against the production reality of shooting a prequel with familiar faces. Watch the newest episodes with the production notes in front of you, not after.

p.40 · THE END OF OAK STREET
SFX turns to The End of Oak Street, a horror title the cover flags as a season standout, and reports on the scares the filmmakers built rather than the marketing around them. The feature stays close to concrete scenes and effects choices, so readers learn what the finale commits to. Check the certificate and runtime before booking a group screening.

p.44 · STUART FAILS TO SAVE THE UNIVERSE
This feature covers Stuart Fails To Save The Universe, the Big Bang Theory spin-off named on the cover, and follows how the show carries a sitcom universe into new territory. It reports on the cast and the tone the writers settled on, without leaning on nostalgia alone. Sample the pilot before committing to the full season order.

p.52 · ICE CREAM MAN
Ice Cream Man gets its own feature at page 52, where the comic's long run and shifting art teams get traced through its issues. The piece names the creative hands behind the horror anthology and explains why the title keeps reinventing its visual approach. Start from the first collected volume so the recurring characters land properly.

p.56 · BEETLEJUICE THE MUSICAL
SFX reports on Beetlejuice The Musical at page 56, covering the stage production's design, songs and the practical problem of translating a film's effects to a live set. It gives readers a clear sense of what the show keeps from the 1988 film and what it rebuilds. Book seats early if the tour reaches your city, because the effects-heavy numbers sell out first.

▸ Red Alert
p.6 · ANN DROID
The Red Alert news section opens with Ann Droid and the section's running coverage, including The Silence of the Lambs at page 6, which points readers at the month's genre news as it breaks. It stays short and dated, naming titles and announcements rather than speculating. Skim it first, then jump to the features it references.

p.12 · DUNE: PART THREE
Dune: Part Three gets news treatment at page 12, tracking the production's status and the scale of what the next film adapts. The section keeps to confirmed detail and flags what remains unannounced. Put the release date in your calendar only once the distributor confirms it.

▸ Reviews
p.72 · DISCLOSURE DAY
The reviews section opens at 72 with Disclosure Day, and the desk runs through Disclosure Day, The Sentinels at 76, X The Unknown at 78, Waking The Warriors at 84 and 007 First Light at 92. Each notice gives a verdict and a format, so readers can decide between cinema, streaming and print quickly. Read the 007 First Light review before buying the game at full price.

▸ Regulars
p.68 · BROUGHT TO BOOK
Brought To Book at 68 rounds up the month's genre books, naming authors and publishers so readers can order directly. The column stays practical, matching formats and lengths to reading time. Add one title to your next order rather than all of them.

p.94 · FLASHBACK
Flashback at 94 revisits an older genre title and explains why it still matters, using specific scenes and release context. It is short, but it gives a concrete reason to rewatch or re-read. Queue the title it names for a weekend rewatch.

p.96 · BLASTERMIND
Blastermind at 96 runs the issue's puzzle and quiz page, built on genre trivia rather than general knowledge. It is the section most likely to be read twice. Save it for a break, and keep a pen handy.

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Editor's Take

SFX issue 407 is at its strongest in the middle features, where Spider-Man: Brand New Day at page 36 and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds at 28 both deliver real set access instead of press-release summaries, and the cover's six-feature promise mostly holds up. The weakest stretch is the back half: the reviews run five notices across twenty pages and read like a checklist, with Flashback and Blastermind padding the close. The cover is busy, stacking five film and TV logos above the Spider-Man art, which makes the newsstand copy hard to read at a glance. This one suits genre readers who want a single monthly briefing on films, comics and games, and it earns its £5.99 for the features alone. Casual fans who only follow one franchise should buy the digital edition instead.

Strengths
• Real set access in the Spider-Man and Star Trek features
• Six full features instead of one padded cover story
• Reviews name formats, aiding quick buy decisions

Weaknesses
• Back-half reviews read like a checklist
• Cover stacks five logos, hard to scan

Verdict: Recommended — Strong features carry a thin back half, and genre completists get their £5.99 back.