All the great artists have one thing in common...they’re dead. But why wait for a natural death when you can profit faster from murder? Writer Christian Ward (Batman: City of Madness, Event Horizon) and artist John J. Pearson (The Department of Truth, The Infernals) put their own life’s work on the page in a highbrow thriller at the bloody intersection of art and commerce in The Patron. Ignition Press will begin publishing the new series on July 29th, 2026.
"The Patron was born over a curry with John in Harrogate many years ago. Both ex-teachers and artists who have dabbled in fine art, myself and John were talking over our Sag Aloo about the art industry and joking that at least our work would be worth something when we were dead and PING! The spark that would become The Patron appeared in one of the purest light bulb moments I've ever had,” said writer Christian Ward. “An art dealer who killed artists so that their work would be worth more. It took another three years to develop a story truly worthy of the idea, and now a year later from when we first pitched it to Ignition Press, here we are. A gorgeously hand-painted comic all about the importance of Art in our world, but so full of thrills, tension, twists and turns and jaw-dropping cliffhangers that the six weeks between issues will feel like months! I adore this book and I think you will too."
“With The Patron, Christian has crafted a story that deals with multiple ideas effortlessly,” said artist John J. Pearson. “On the one hand it is a murderous tale of art world exploitation, greed, love and loss. On the other hand, it reflects on the consumers and creators of artwork, the creative world of comics, art education and our own identities and desires within it all. For a story like this, there was no other option but for me to create the artwork traditionally, painting each page and trying to push the narrative through a visual approach that hopefully lets you experience it all in a very tactile way. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve put together for The Patron, if you want murder and mayhem with musings on creativity, make sure you pick it up.”
A true patron of the fine arts, Mr. Cherish has dedicated his life to scouting and supporting emerging artists, launching countless unknowns from obscurity into industry superstardom.
Unfortunately for these young artists, the secret to Cherish’s success is their untimely demise. Nothing makes a work of art more desirable and valuable to collectors than the passing of its creator, and Cherish has refined his ability to orchestrate spectacular tragedies without leaving a trace…before selling his dead protégés’ oeuvres for massive profits.
Painter Matty Barnes is primed to become Cherish’s next ‘hit,’ but when the script is flipped on this latest murder, a shocking twist puts his empire in the crosshairs.
“In more ways than one The Patron is a showcase of artists pushing their creative limits to new effect,” said Senior Editor Maggie Howell. “Christian and John are doing some of their best original work to date with this book. The Ignition team was all-in on their vision for a thriller about the so-called “death effect” and its meditations on the commodification of artists, and the results are thoughtful, surprising, and drop-dead gorgeous. We’re confident it will keep readers guessing and reflecting, and we’re lucky to be giving it a home under our banner."
The Patron #1 is available in comic shops July 29th from writer Christian Ward (Batman: City of Madness, Event Horizon) and artist John J. Pearson (The Department of Truth, The Infernals), with letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. This issue features two open-to-order covers from Christian Ward and John J. Pearson, along with a 1-in-10 retailer incentive cover by Eisner Award-winning artist Anand RK (Deicidium, The Beauty) and an Ignition Exclusive cover by Tula Lotay (Somna, All Star Batman).
To guarantee a copy, make sure you preorder at your local comic shop by no later than Monday, June 22nd. To find a comic shop near you, go to findyourcomic.store .
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About Christian Ward
Christian Ward is a multi-Eisner winning comic book creator. Currently writing Event Horizon for IDW, as well as having recently written the critically acclaimed Two Face series for DC comics. As an artist he is perhaps best known for Batman: City Of Madness (which he also wrote), Spectregraph (written by James Tynion ) and the cosmic space opera Invisible Kingdom ( co-created with G. Willow Wilson). He is also a prolific cover artist for DC Comics, BOOM, Image Comic and others. Ward lives in Shrewsbury with his two daughters, his wifeCatherine and pug named Thor.
About John J. Pearson
John J. Pearson is an Eisner Award-winning artist and illustrator based in Leeds UK. He is the artist and co-creator of The Patron (with Christian Ward), The Smart Division (with Zack Kaplan) and In Bloom (with Michael Conrad). John has worked on Hellblazer: Dead in America and Batman: Urban Legends for DC Comics; The Department of Truth, Razorblades, The Infernals and Blue in Green for Image Comics; as well as contributing to works published by Dark Horse, Heavy Metal, IDW and Boom! Studios amongst others. He alsofrequently creates work for film and television, including poster art for Vice Press and cover art for Arrow Video.