We are less than four weeks out from the Final Order Cut-Off for Showdown #1.

Last week, I asked the tremendous team at Ignition Press if they could make something I could bring to Emerald City Comic Con to promote the book with. In less than 24 hours time they put together the fantastic image above. I quickly printed out a hundred fliers, and handed out all but ten of them at the show.

There were people who came up to me because they had already heard about the book, but thanks to the fliers, way more people left knowing about the book and being excited about it.

Working with Ignition Press has been an absolute pleasure. And they have been wildly supportive of myself, Tadd Galusha, the rest of of our creative team, and the book itself. As I told them I am going to return that confidence and kindness in us by doing everything I can to promote the heck out of this book. If I did my job you saw this flier many times earlier this week floating around social media.

In the weeks ahead you will be seeing more interviews with us about the book, and hopefully some early reactions to the book from folks we are sending it to.

But again…to make it as plain as day…Showdown is a five issue mini-series written by me, drawn by Tadd Galusha, colored by Triona Farrell, lettered by Clayton Cowles, and published by Ignition Press. Our first issue main series cover is by Steve Lieber and we have variant covers by Tadd Galusha and David Lapham. The first issue of the book comes out on Wednesday May 13th, 2026.

Please, go to your local comic book stores and order it. If you order the whole mini-series they will order you a copy of each issue, and you just have to go pick it up and pay for it when it comes out. Every order is important on every book, and your orders are going to be incredibly important to us here. The last day you can order the first issue in advance is on April 6th, 2026, hence why we call it the Final Order Cut-Off day. You can bring the above flier to your store, show it to them, and they will order it for you.

This book is AWESOME. I could not be more proud and happy with it. I have been living with it for a long time and the fact that it exists and goes beyond my wildest hopes and dreams for it…I hope that means something cool to you too! Check it out!

There is also going to be a Showdown Ashcan. For those who don’t know an ashcan is a smaller/preview version of a comic that comes out before the series launches. Ignition Press has been doing a number of Ashcans for their new series and they have been very successful. Our Ashcan comes out in stores on April 22nd, 2026 and will feature the first eleven (of twenty two) pages of the first issue, fully colored and lettered. How does your store get it?

They have to order at least five issues of another fantastic Ignition Press book, The Other/Half #2, by the great team of Jim McCann and Joe Eisma, and then they are eligible to order twenty copies of the Showdown ashcan. So please let them know! I have no doubt that the ashcan is going to become a really great collector’s item on top of being fantastic promotion for the mini-series.

Also, for those who do not have easy access to a comic book store near there area, or for those who love convenience, I have teamed up with my local comic book store, Collector’s Paradise to do a Signature Series for Showdown. What does that entail? Follow the link, you will order all five issues of the series in advance, and as the book comes out I will sign every issue for you, and when the series concludes, the whole series with my signatures on them, will be mailed to you. A great option, and a cool way to support one of my favorite comic stores directly.

Emerald City Comic Con was the first comic book convention I traveled outside of California to do in 2025, and I had a very good time. Emerald City Comic Con 2026? I had the best time I have had at a convention yet as a professional. It was a stellar weekend full of fans who wanted to check out comics, it was the first show where people brought me things to sign because I was listed as a guest on the website, I got to see so many creators I knew and meet ones I did not know, and I got to hang out with my buddy Chris Robinson all weekend who also had a stellar show.

Between this and Comics Pro a few weeks ago…I feel like I am being embraced in the real world as a comic book writer after making the case that I have been one for the last few years. It feels good. The support for me, Showdown, and my work in general was just off the charts.

I can’t imagine not doing Emerald City Comic Con next year. This year was so outstanding, life-affirming, and it felt like a step forward in my career. Next year when I get to go back with copies of Showdown and…perhaps some other really cool comics I am working on? It will only be better.

This Saturday at the Things From Another World comic book store on Universal Citywalk here in Los Angeles, come out from 4PM-6PM for a comic book signing featuring me and three other fantastic writers who contributed to DC’s Supergirl Next Door: Dorado Quick, Rosie Knight, and Alex Galer. Several of us did a signing together for the book at Golden Apple Comics a few weeks ago, and it was an absolute blast. I anticipate this one will be too. Definitely come out if you can, support an awesome comic book store, and meet great comic book creators!

That’s it for this week!

A busy one, but right now those are the only ones I have on the horizon and I could not be happier about that.

We will talk more next week.

Until then?

Stay safe!

—Dave Wielgosz