In the lead up to New York Comic Con 2026, Ignition Press is excited to announce twelve new creators bringing projects to the publisher in the coming year. This new wave of creators spans from rising stars to longtime favorites who have a variety of work slated for 2027 and beyond, including anthology work, new original series, and multi-series plans.
The twelve new creators bringing their work to life with Ignition Press are: David Rubín, Molly Mahan, Matthew Dunn, Maxine Zilkenat, Michael W. Conrad, Marley Zarcone, Morgan Hampton, Noel Kelly, Nuno Plati, Michael Dialynas, Justin Jordan, and Mike Norton.
“Sometimes being Editor-in-Chief of Ignition Press is like being the proverbial kid in the candy store,” said Ignition Press Editor-in-Chief Jamie S. Rich. “Or maybe the kid in the comic book shop, as I get to browse through the racks and pinpoint my favorites and pursue the talent that excites me. In this case, it’s a bit of everything. I am reuniting with past collaborators, like Michael W. Conrad, Mike Norton, and Marley Zarcone, and I am also working with folks I respect but have not worked with before, like David Rubín and Morgan Hampton. Or then there are special people like Maxine Zilkenat that most folks haven’t heard of yet, but whom I met at NYCC in 2025 and just knew I had to see step out onto the main stage.”
David Rubín is a Spanish cartoonist born in Ourense, Galicia. He’s the visionary creator behind The Hero, co-creator and illustrator on Ether with Matt Kindt, Cosmic Detective with Matt Kindt and Jeff Lemire, Battling Boy: The Rise of Aurora West with Paul Pope and J.T. Petty, Rumble with John Arcudi, the Eisner-nominated Beowulf graphic novel with Santiago García, and Grand Hotel Abyss with Marcos Prior, among others. David lives in a town close to Madrid, Spain, with his family and a dog.
Molly Mahan has been writing and editing comics and video games since 2013, working on marquee characters such as Batman, Harley Quinn, Red Sonja, and Vampirella. She helped launch the DC’s Young Animal and The Sandman Universe imprints at DC Vertigo, and has directed globally recognized franchises like Riot Games’ League of Legends. She is currently Editrix Maxima at Three Worlds / Three Moons. A California native, she now resides in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains with her husband, daughter, and two cats, baking bread and enjoying all four seasons.
Matthew Dunn is an Australian artist & comic creator whose work has appeared in/on comics, books, films, album covers, t-shirts, & galleries. He has worked with BOOM! Studios, Three Worlds/ Three Moons, Image Comics, Printed In Blood & more. He’s currently working on a series of short comic stories on Patreon and has some new collaborations in the works. Matt's also involved in mental health and trauma advocacy, and when he's not working he can usually be found wandering around the streets of Naarm/Melbourne with his partner and their incredible little dog, Rik. You can find him online at www.matthewdunnart.com.
Maxine Zilkenat is an artist and illustrator from Denver, Colorado based in NYC. Illustrator by day and bartender by night, she believes her truest form of connection with others comes from her creative expression. As a Trans woman it is important to her to share a hopeful view of life and the future of our world through characters who have experienced and overcome hardships. Her comics emphasize the value of change and growth through trauma and learning. For her, Art has always been an outlet to reach out for connection with others, to share human experiences through the stories of other worlds. Maxine prefers to mix her approach between pieces, working with; Gouache, pen and ink, watercolor and digitally, every story requiring a different emphasis. Her inspiration comes from all over. New York City provides a deep tapestry of detailed environments and human history, teeming with life. Most of all her inspiration comes from worlds of fiction and the stories of Genndy Tartakovsky, Moebius, Daniel Warren Johnson, and Brandon Sanderson to name a few. It is Maxine’s dream to write and illustrate human narratives in a variety of genre settings.
Michael W. Conrad is an Eisner Award-winning writer who has been trusted with the fates of notable characters including Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Dracula, Godzilla, Boris Karloff, X-O Manowar, as well as many others. Conrad’s creator-owned work includes The 99 Legs, Plague House, In Bloom, Neptune, Double Walker, and Tremor Dose. They say “write what you know” so much of Conrad’s writing has been called horrific, surreal, and absurd. Michael has no pets, no children, and often prefers to spend time alone.
Marley Zarcone is a comic book artist best known for her run on Shade, The Changing Girl and Changing Woman with Cecil Castelluci at DC Comics/Young Animal. She has also worked on Forgetless, Effigy, Madame Xanadu, House of Mystery, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Superman: Red and Blue and various other projects. She lives in Canada with her hermit husband, two adorable children, and two perfect cats.
Morgan Hampton is an award-winning writer who started his career in comics as part of the inaugural class of the DC Comics Talent Development Program: The Milestone Initiative. He's known for Green Lantern Corps, Cyborg, Sons of Star Trek, and the upcoming Steel, and holds an MFA in Television Writing from Loyola Marymount University. He enjoys temperatures in the 60s, maple donuts, and can be found questioning the nature of his existence when he's not writing.
Noel Kelly is an artist from California who flew on her vacuum to New Jersey and is now casting spells, drinking coffee, and making comics in her free time.
Nuno Plati is an illustrator and comic book artist, who has worked for the last 20 years in the fields of advertising, animation, editorial illustration, and comic books. He has worked with Marvel Comics, Glénat Éditions, Mad Cave Studios, BOOM! Studios, IDW Publishing, Image Comics, Aftershock Comics, and was able to work on characters like Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, Gatchaman, Speed Racer, and many others.
Michael Dialynas is an Eisner Award-nominated, GLAAD Media Award-winning comic book artist and creator from Greece. Over the past decade, he has built a long-running creative partnership with writer James Tynion IV, collaborating on acclaimed series including The Woods and Wynd. He has also been a longtime contributor to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, bringing his distinctive visual storytelling to the beloved franchise, alongside his creator-owned work, including Zawa + The Belly of the Beast. His work has been published by BOOM! Studios, IDW Publishing, DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, and other leading publishers. Drawing on a lifelong love of fantasy, horror, and mythology, Dialynas creates fun and imaginative worlds filled with expressive characters and emotionally grounded storytelling. His art combines dynamic visual storytelling with meticulous world-building, moving fluidly between creator-owned projects and collaborations. His decade-plus creative partnership with Tynion has produced some of his most enduring work, while his creator-owned stories continue to explore new worlds, quirky characters, and ideas from his studio space in Greece.
Justin Jordan broke into comics with the Image series The Strange Talent of Luther Strode. Since no one threw him back out, he has gone on to work for nearly every major comics publisher. He's done Spread, Malevolent, The Family Trade, and Reaver at Image Comics, and is currently writing Urban Animal at Webtoon, along with numerous other things he can’t actually talk about yet. But they're awesome. Justin is also the creator of https://deathorcomics.com/, your one stop shop for learning how to make comics. He is owned by cats named Tom, George, and Inky. You can find him and sometimes them at JustinJordanComics on the web, Facebook, and Instagram.
Mike Norton is the creator of the Eisner and Harvey Award-winning webcomic, Battlepug, as well the co-creator and artist of Grumble and the critically acclaimed Revival (now a TV series streaming on Netflix). He has worked for Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, and just about everybody else. He hails from Tennessee by way of Chicago and likes to pet animals, play guitar, and watch movies you wouldn’t see on a dare.
Stay tuned for future announcements regarding the creators’ projects at Ignition Press!