A year ago this week, I had just finished up the third issue script for Showdown and delivered it to my editors Jamie S. Rich and Nora Ornstein at Ignition Press. This week I got my comp copies of the first issue sent to me in the mail, they look amazing, and next week the book hits comic book stores nation wide.

I have been talking about this book a lot. For good reason. It’s a piece of work I am proud of, it’s my first long form comic in five years, it’s my first creator-owned book, and I want as many people to read it as possible, I think that will happen.

Here’s to the future, and the last Newsletter post I make about Showdown #1. And here is to the stunning Ignitionpress.Com exclusive variant cover for Showdown #1 drawn by Joëlle Jones and colored by Mike Spicer that kicked off this week’s Newsletter.

Before Showdown #1’s FOC date we had a slate of quotes from amazing people in the comic book world recommending the book. After we got and posted those quotes, even more terrific comic book creators came out and gave us more terrific pull quotes and recommendations for readers to pick up the book. New pull quotes below!

Stellar praise from stellar folks. All of whom I am tremendously happy enjoyed the book! And if they dug it? I think you will too.

Notice I said this was my last post about the FIRST issue of Showdown. We still have four more issues coming up. And I am going to promote every single one of them. Up first? Showdown #2, covers by Steve Lieber & Dylan Snook and our series artist Tadd Galusha. This issue FOC’s on Monday May 18th, 2026, a few days after issue one drops. So make sure you get your orders in for this and our other remaining issues!

I also think that Showdown #2 may be the best single comic book I have written to date. And doesn’t me saying that make you want to see if that’s true or if I am absolutely full of it? Whatever gets you to buy it, dear readers! You should buy it because the comic is rad and we have an A-tier creative team: Tadd Galusha, Triona Farrell, Clayton Cowles, Steve Lieber, Joëlle Jones, David Lapham, Lee Loughridge…there’s not much better company in comics you can be in!

I had the great pleasure of being on the Citywide Blackout podcast last week talking about Showdown, my comic book career, staying creative through challenging times, and my advice for people starting creative careers. This was a great talk. Huge shout out to my brother Josh for helping me setting this one up!

And then we have our last call for my signing this upcoming week, on Wednesday May 13th, 2026, at Collector’s Paradise North Hollywood. I will be there from 5PM-8PM and I hope to sign as many Showdown #1’s for readers/fans as humanly possible. Please come through if you are in the LA area, and if you aren’t, but have a friend who is? Send them through. They’ll have a good time. I am awesome.

That’s it for this week. I am fifty/fifty on whether or not I will do a post next week with everything that will be going on but…I probably will. I love the Weekly Up-Dave, and I love you!

See you next week!

Until then?

Stay safe!

—Dave Wielgosz