Welcome back to the Weekly Up-Dave! Last week I attended San Diego Comic Con for the very first time not only as a comic book writer and professional, but as a fan. I had waited thirty three years to go to the biggest and most iconic comic book convention on the planet.

Was it awesome? Did I have a good time? Well, I don’t know. I am writing this post far in advance because I suspect like everyone the week after San Diego Comic Con, I am incredibly tired and barely functioning this week.

However, something very important happened this week that I wanted to commemorate. This week, yesterday as you are reading this, the Detective Comics 2026 Annual came out from DC Comics. It had a main story by the sensational team of writer Tom Taylor and artist Nicola Scott. It also had a back-up story…written by me and drawn by an artist who I suspect is going to be new to you named Fran Mariscal.

I am so proud of the story we did, and I am betting as I am writing this that folks liked it. And I am confident they liked it in no small part due to Fran Mariscal’s amazing artwork. Fran took time out of his schedule to talk to me about the story, share his process, and share a copious amount of behind the scenes artwork. Get ready to meet one of your new favorite comic book artists.

DAVE: Fran, first and foremost, congratulations on your first published DC Comics story, that’s a great accomplishment, and I am excited got to work with you on this story!

FRAN: Thank you so much, Dave! I still can’t really believe that I’ve started working at DC with Batman. This is literally my first job in the U.S. market. And this is my first interview in English… so bear with me if my English isn’t perfect.

DAVE: However, this is not your first work as a published comic book creator. Can you share with us how long you have been making comics, where, and what type of genres you have worked in?

FRAN: Last year, in 2025, I published Moribundo, my first graphic novel as both writer and artist in Spain with Norma Editorial. It’s a graphic novel of almost 300 pages that talks about depression and toxic relationships, using the figure of the vampire as an allegory. A novel VERY influenced aesthetically by DC’s Vertigo imprint. Very atmospheric, with touches of horror and romanticism.

DAVE: I was hired to write the Detective Comics 2026 Annual story in the fall of 2025, and I wrote the script with multiple revisions not knowing who the artist would be. I am still somewhat new as a comic book writer, this story is one of my biggest opportunities to date, so the editors originally were going to pair me with an artist who had drawn Batman before to balance the story out.

Then, one day close to Christmas, the editors said to me, “We are not doing that anymore, a brand new artist was brought to our attention by Denys Cowan and you are going to be working with them.” At first I was nervous, I love new artists, I love working with new people but I still had a little trepidation. Once I reviewed your portfolio, I was very quickly impressed and eager to start working with you.

Can you tell us about how you met comic artist legend Denys Cowan and how he came to recommend you to DC? It’s a very cool story!

FRAN: It’s a long story (laughs), but I’ll try to summarize it. My girlfriend and I worked at a comic shop in Barcelona. The company went bankrupt and we suddenly found ourselves with no job and no plan. We took that unfortunate situation and turned it into an opportunity. I only had one shot. So, we booked a flight to New York in October for NYCC with the little savings we had left, hoping to land work with a U.S. comic publisher.

Walking through Artist Alley, I saw Denys Cowan talking to fans. I’ve been a fan of his work on Deathlok and The Question since I was 9 years old, and now at 31, I like his work even more. My girlfriend encouraged me to show him my portfolios, so I built up the courage and showed them to him one by one; after a few minutes, Denys started sharing them with other colleagues.

He asked me why I hadn’t worked in the United States before, and I told him it was because I hadn’t been given the opportunity. He looked at my girlfriend and asked if she was my wife. I said no. He asked if she was my fiancée. I told him I didn’t have money to get married, that we had used the money to come to New York (laughs).

Then he told me to come back the next day with more printed portfolios, that he wanted one of each, and he said: “Okay, tomorrow you’ll come, I’ll get you a job at DC and you’ll be able to work in the U.S., SO YOU CAN MARRY THAT WOMAN. She believes in you, there aren’t many like that.” And that’s how I became friends with Denys. I owe him big time.

DAVE: When you read the script, you reached out to me and were very complimentary and told me it reminded you of Legends of the Dark Knight stories and episodes of Batman: The Animated Series, which is the highest compliment you could have given me.

Were Batman comics an influence on you, and if so, what ones were your favorites? And then in general what comics, international or American, wanted to make become a comic book artist and creator?

FRAN: Wow, that’s a really hard one to answer. Are the questions getting more difficult as we go or what? Just kidding!

Well, it’s easy to see my influences when you look at my work. I love the art of Sienkiewicz, McKean, Mike Mignola, and Bruce Timm. But when I was younger, I also really enjoyed everything Tim Sale and Jeph Loeb did, as well as the masterpieces of Frank Miller, who doesn’t?!

The comics I really grew up with, though, were X-Men by Chris Claremont and Spider-Man by Romita. From those, I love the human side of both the main and supporting characters, how the ordinary and the extraordinary come together, creating very realistic situations within fictional worlds. That’s why I liked your Annual story so much, because it comes from that place. And some Legends of the Dark Knight comics or episodes of Batman TAS have that too.

 DAVE: This interview is being released after our story comes out so we can spoil it.

Our story is called “Pyg Pen” and it focuses on a building in Gotham City called Carol Street Studios that is a home for artists of all kinds. It’s a very bright, positive, creative place, and it has a lovely supportive community inside of it. That community is disrupted when a mysterious man named Mr. Sty starts renting a studio in the building and terrorizes the other artists, forcing them to leave.

During the story, we reveal Mr. Sty is really the Batman villain Professor Pyg who is planning to kidnap, kill, and make Batman the centerpiece of his own new art project.

When I was approached to come up with ideas for the story I was given a list of villains who could not be used. Professor Pygwas not on that list. I have been a huge fan of that character since Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely created him in their Batman & Robin series. He was actually the first ever villain I wrote for DC all the way back in my debut for Cursed Comics Cavalcade, and when I realized I could use him this story came together very quickly.

Were you a fan of Professor Pyg’s going into this? You drew him phenomenally. And what was your first reaction to the script?

FRAN: The script fascinated me! I read it late at night, in the dark (laughs). Batman has the best gallery of villains in comics. It’s a fact. Every character he faces has this dark glamour that I find really appealing. They’re broken people, with eccentric perversions, and incredibly fun to reinvent!

There are many versions of Riddler, Mr. Freeze, Joker, etc., but Pyg is a very underexplored villain. I thought maybe it was because he lacked a stronger visual punch. I felt he hadn’t quite earned his place among Batman’s villains. So being able to reimagine him was a dream.

Pyg had to be grotesque. He had to be scary and disgusting. I didn’t want him to be funny or feel like a second-tier villain. He needed to look more like Leatherface or Michael Myers, so that when he appears you think, “Oh damn, this is another seriously messed-up guy who escaped from Arkham.”

DAVE: We also create three new Gotham City based artists who try to defend Carol Street against Mr. Sty/Professor Pyg’sviolent outbursts: William, Al, and Olivia. I love these three, they feel real and they are even more unique than I imagined them. What your process in designing them?

FRAN: Well, your descriptions were very clear. As an artist, I think it’s easier to draw artists (laughs). I know many from different fields and generations.

With Will, I knew he would resemble Denys, as a nice way to pay tribute. With Olivia, I thought of punk friends and gave her a certain roughness, but without being a cliché. Being punk doesn’t mean having a colored mohawk and spikes. We’re not in the ’70s anymore.

And Al, since they are a non-binary character, I imagined them with stylish Korean vibes. But since they live in Gotham, I gave them a bit of a Robert Smith from The Cure touch. I wanted them to be elegant and stylish. It shouldn’t matter if they are a boy or a girl, but they could be an ideal Robin, you know, brave and all that.

In general, there’s a lot of research when I design settings and characters. I try to think and act the way they would. Get to know them better. That way I can portray fiction with a greater sense of reality. Does that make sense? I think with those details, the reader connects more emotionally.

 DAVE: And of course…the star of Detective Comics…Batman and his alter ego Bruce Wayne, both of whom we get to see in the story, what were your inspirations for drawing him? It’s an excellent take on the character.

FRAN: You already know I’m a big supporter of the old logo.

When designing characters, you often start from basic shapes depending on their role: the triangle for evil, the square for strength, and the circle for goodness. Bruce Timm’s Batman mixes all three. He has that square jaw that matches the belt. The horns and eyes are triangular, and the cape and logo are full of points and curves that reflect that duality of the Dark Knight. BUT the yellow oval reinforces that good is above evil.

This Batman doesn’t have 100% the look I would have wanted; we had to stick to the design proposed by Jorge Jiménez, and currently he has trunks but no oval, no problem! He still looks great.

DAVE: Agreed, Jorge’s design is stellar, you did an excellent job with it. And as I told you privately, you’re going to get to draw a lot more Batman I bet. That oval will come back around.

FRAN: Anyway, I tried to show the Dark Knight as little as possible. More like Murnau’s Nosferatu, while I treat Bruce Wayne more like Lugosi’s Dracula. Slicked-back hair, pale, with dark circles. Taciturn like Keaton, but elegant like Pattinson.

DAVE: I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about your artistic approach to creating comic book pages. Correct me if I’m wrong, but you physically pencil, ink, and then paint each page? Is there any digital aspect to your process? And can you tell us how you developed this process for making comic book pages?

FRAN: Lately, I do everything in Procreate on an iPad. I used to work traditionally, but with a tablet I save on materials and space. It’s faster too.

A lot of people think it’s gouache or mixed media because of that painterly finish I have, but it’s actually all done with digital brushes. The thing is, the way I work digitally isn’t that different from how I used to work traditionally. I basically paint over the sketch on a single layer, applying glazes, splatters, and textures that I’ve scanned and turned into brushes. It’s hard to explain, but I basically forget it’s a screen and treat it like a canvas.

DAVE: Fran, I can’t predict the future, but I feel very good about the chances of you doing more work for DC Comics. I hope I get to write at least one more story for you, if not a few more. We spoke privately about what characters we’d like to do stories for. I said Superman, Dr. Fate, and I would be delighted to do another Batman story with you. What characters would you like to draw for DC?

FRAN: Thank you very much, Dave, I hope so. I’m very excited, and the experience has been amazing. I felt very comfortable working with you all.

Batman is one of my favorite characters, and his nemeses are incredible. I love Poison Ivy, Clayface, Two-Face… But beyond the Batman world, I’d love to work with The Question and give him a memorable rogues gallery. Designing Hub City could be just as cool as Gotham. Deadman fascinates me, creepy and supernatural! Etrigan the Demon too, and his alter ego Jason Blood is very interesting, a demonologist, no less! Swamp Thing… I would LOVE that.

And of course, SUPERMAN, if it’s with you.

DAVE: One fun question before we go. This story takes place at several artist’s studios. What does your studio look like and what are some of your favorite parts of your studio?

FRAN: Another reason I use the iPad is because I don’t have a studio (laughs).

Seriously, I’d love to have one (with a bathroom included, to wash brushes and all that), and to have my comics and figures nearby for reference… air conditioning too (more laughs). But for now, I have a table next to my bed that I have to move when I need to open the closet, with a computer, a small lamp, and a cart with markers and paper. A humble setup. In fact, I often go to libraries or cafés to have space and some peace.

 DAVE: Other than this story in the Detective Comics 2026 Annual, do you have any other projects coming up, and where can our readers keep up with you online?

FRAN: Well, I’d love for Moribundo to be published in the U.S.; I think it’s a graphic novel that would work very well with both European and American audiences.

I also recently collaborated with the Spanish Embassy in Washington on a collective project called PORTRAITS. I created a short story about the Catalan cardiologist Valentí Fuster, who worked at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, a true authority in the field of medicine. Portraits is about to come out (if it hasn’t already…) and will have a traveling exhibition across the U.S.

You can find me as “Fran Mariscal Mancilla” on Instagram and Facebook. Instagram is what I use the most…

 DAVE: Fran, thanks for joining me today. Thanks for being a great collaborator, I hope we get to work again and talk again soon. And I want to give a special thanks to the amazing editorial team on Detective Comics: Ben Meares, Jessica Berbey, and Rob Levin for putting us together!

FRAN: I’m enormously grateful to have been part of this Dream Team. The trust placed in me and in my work has been exceptional.

If they ever light up the “Fran-Signal” again, I’ll be there, no doubt.

Do you want to see more of Fran’s artwork? You should follow him on Instagram where he posts a lot of tremendous work. See here!

On October 28th, 2026, Showdown comes to a close. Issue #5 of my debut creator-owned mini-series comes out and you are not going to want to miss it. After four issues of smaller showdowns and searing emotional examination, we reach the titular Showdown. Steve Lieber and Tadd Galusha’s covers should let you know that this is going to be an epic conclusion. Let the battle begin, let the flames burn, and let the most righteous person leave with their life. Our FOC date for this one is September 21st, 2026. Our formal solicit from Ignition Press below.

Time’s up! Let the rumble begin!

Trish came back home and told Harvey to get his affairs in order, because the two of them were going to settle their grievances with violence. Two will enter, and as far as they are both concerned, they don’t care if neither of them leaves! Read the bloody and emotional conclusion to 2026’s best crime comic. Showdown has established writer Dave Wielgosz (Man-Bat) and artist Tadd Galusha (Bubba Ho-Tep) as major talents, and this brutal finale will only cement that reputation.

Before San Diego Comic Con I was lucky enough to be a guest on the From Script to Shelf podcast. We had a terrific conversation about Showdown, having been a DC editor, and a little surprise Man-Bat talk. Check out the conversation and check out past episodes of this fantastic podcast! Also available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

As I said at the top of this post, I imagine I am still recovering from being at San Diego Comic Con last week. Next week? I will tell you what it was like to go to San Diego Comic Con for the very first time. There will be pictures and stories and fun details!

Until then?

Stay safe!

—Dave Wielgosz