Ignition Press, the new publisher formed by Eric Gitter, producer of the film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and helmed by industry veterans Jamie Rich, Jeremy Haun, and Filip Sablik, revealed its launch plans at the 2025 ComicsPRO annual meeting. The first Ignition Press comic will be released in August 2025, and the first media project, The Beauty (based on Haun’s comic published by Image in 2018) will launch in Fall 2025. The Netflix film Extraction, the third in a series based on the Russo Brothers’ graphic novel Ciudad (see “Movie Based on ‘Ciudad’”), has just been greenlit.

While no titles of comic series were released, several creators came to the mic to reveal elements of their works in progress. These include

• A horror project by Cullen Bunn and Marika Cresta
• An erotic art heist thriller by Leah Williams and David Baldeón
• A mystery/romance with a gay lead couple, with the setting and feel of the Thin Man movies, by Jim McCann and Joe Eisma
• Cosmic horror by Stephanie Williams and Letizia Cadonici

Writer Si Spurrier also spoke about his project, but he gave no details other than to say that he was feeling creatively re-energized by it. Ignition’s other launch creators include Mike Tisserand and the Miranda Brothers.

Ignition Press will focus on creator-driven comics and will have a consistent five-week release schedule with realistic timelines for creators and a minimum of three issues ready to go at the time the series is announced. “Our current weekly publishing plan runs through the middle of 2026, and projects are already in development that will take us through 2027,” Sablik said.

Retailers will be able to read three completed issues when a series is solicited and an entire story arc or limited series before the first issue goes on sale. Ignition will begin supporting creators 6 to 12 months before their product launches, and for many series they will create a 12-page pre-launch comic that Sablik called a “cold open,” similar to what is seen before movies and TV shows. This comic would introduce the concept and key characters of a series, and fans of the creator will be able to order it online or purchase it at comic shops or events. Every “cold open” will end with information on how to find a comic shop and pre-order the series.

In addition, Sablik said, “instead of pouring resources into third party platforms that can change their algorithm at a moment's notice, we'll invite potential fans to opt into to direct channels of communication like newsletters and video and audio podcasts.”

Sablik pledged that Ignition titles would have high production values, with good quality covers and paper. Covers will be designed as sales tools, with consistent elements: A corner box in the upper left, the series title in the upper third, and the bar code on the lower left. And from the beginning, Ignition titles will be compliant with the COMET metadata standard (see “COMET Metadata Standard Aims to Unify Product Information”).

Ignition Press was founded in 2024 (see “‘Scott Pilgrim’ Producer Launches Comics Publisher”), and this week they announced two new hires. Bre Sarpy will be Director of Marketing, working with publisher Filip Sablik; Sarpy began her career at BOOM! Studios, then moved to Skybound Entertainment and the marketing and PR agency Team Click; over the course of her seven-year career she has worked on BRZRKR, Something Is Killing the Children, The Walking Dead, and Invincible.

Senior Editor Maggie Howell will work alongside Editor-in-Chief Jamie Rich, was previously at DC, where she worked on the Black Label and Vertigo imprints, and IDW, where she co-edited the 2024 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles relaunch, worked on the upcoming IDW Dark imprint (see “DC’s Maggie Howell to IDW” and “IDW Launches Horror Imprint”), and edited several successful creator-owned titles, including Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees.