Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Brian Level, Dan Watters, FOC, Ignition Press, lcsd, local comic shop day, Mad Science Division
Dan Watters’ Mad Science Division Early Launch On Local Comic Shop Day
Dan Watters and Brian Level’s Mad Science Division gets an early launch cold open one-shot from Ignition Press on Local Comic Shop Day
The last year has arguably been the biggest in the career of writer Dan Watters. Ten years ago, he self-published the graphic novel Limbo with creative partner Caspar Winjaard, who had previously worked together on Tortured Life, a short-run supernatural horror series for Twisted Comics. Eric Stephenson, Image Comics publisher, picked up Limbo at Thought Bubble in Harrogate and offered to publish it through Image. Watters also joined the virtual London writers collective, White Noise, alongside Ram V, Ryan Sullivan and Alex Paknadel. You can see them present at the Diamond Retailers Summit at MCM London in 2018 right here. By 2019, they had more projects from more publishers and kept it going.
But in 2016, for Dan Watters, in addition to continuing his All In run on Nightwing with Dexter Soy and finishing Batman: Dark Patterns with <a href="https://comicvibe.com/hayden-panettiere-who-starred-in-heroes-and-nashville-dies-at-36/” title=”Hayden Panettiere, who starred in 'Heroes' and 'Nashville,' dies at 36″>Hayden Sherman, Watters launched M.A.S.K. with Pye Parr as an integral part of Skybound’s expanding Energon Universe. M.A.S.K. may very well be his best-selling series to date based on its top position in Image Comics’ Top 10 Comics List for June, beating out even Rob Liefeld‘s landmark Youngblood #100. Toss in the recent announcement that Watters is anchoring the new ongoing Spider-Woman series with Andrea Broccardo for the character’s 50th anniversary, and making her the new host of Carnage, and it’s all quite impressive.
But despite this banner year, Watters has been absent from the creator-owned space for the last two years after completing The Six FingerswithSumit Kumar. The series teamed him with White Noise studio mate, Ram V, who wrote a parallel series entitled The One Hand with artist Laurence Campbell. The intertwined narrative experiment netted Watters his first Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album, Reprint where the two series were reprinted as alternating chapters. And while Ram V was faster to jump back into the creator-owned space with Black Tower: The Raven Conspiracywith Mike Perkins, releasing at the end of this month, and the announcement of his original graphic novel series Deicidiumwith artists Evan Cagle and Anand R.K, it took Dan Watters until San Diego Comic-Con to confirm new creator-owned plans.
Ignition Press revealed that Dan Watters, along with other creators, including artists Brian Level, Chris Mitten, and Ben Templesmith, were working on projects for the creator-driven publisher and that Dan Watters and tattoo artist Brian Level teamed up for a horrifying science fiction workplace satire appropriately titled Mad Science Division. In the series, a nepo hire is assigned to slash the budget and trim the fat of the genetic engineering and bioweapons development company Miyashi-Smith with devastating consequences. Basically, what if one of the Murdoch or Ellison kids was put in charge of the Umbrella Corporation and told to cut costs… What could go wrong, right?
But Dan Watters, Brian Level, Six Fingers colourist, Lee Loughridge and Ignition Press had one more surprise hidden in their sleeve as Bleeding Cool scooped the news that Ignition would offer Mad Science Division: The Cold Open exclusively to comic shops for Local Comic Shop Day on September 26th. While every other publisher seems to be dropping variant covers, advance editions, or other special editions, Ignition Press is dropping a brand-new standalone comic for participating retailers.
The Cold Open features an original, self-contained story along with a sneak peek of the upcoming first issue with cover by Level ahead of its November launch. And as I understand it, the print run will be based on orders from participating stores and limited to the first print with only one additional to-be-revealed Ignition Exclusive variant cover limited to 500 copies. This is only the second time Ignition Press has offered one of its Cold Open issues to comic book stores rather than its standard direct-to-consumer channels, the first being Si Spurrierand Mike Dowling‘s Minotaur. Here’s a look…
Mad Science Division: The Cold Open LCSD
Mad Science Division: The Cold Open LCSD
Mad Science Division: The Cold Open LCSD
Mad Science Division: The Cold Open LCSD
Mad Science Division: The Cold Open LCSD
Mad Science Division: The Cold Open LCSD
Mad Science Division: The Cold Open LCSD
Mad Science Division: The Cold Open is on Final Order Cutoff today, so fans will want to get their preorders in right away. And conveniently enough, FOC for Mad Science Division #1 is the Monday after Local Comic Shop Day, on September 28th.
- Mad Science Division: The Cold Open LCSD
(W) Dan Watters (A) Brian Level (C) Lee Loughridge
A LOCAL COMIC SHOP DAY EXCLUSIVE! It’s no secret Archimedes Anderson is a nepo hire. Assigned chief-coordinator of R&D at the American arm of genetic engineering and bioweapons development company Miyashi-Smith, everyone knows he’s here for one purpose: to slash the budget and trim the fat. If he can cut 30% of expenditure from the unaffectionately nicknamed Mad Science Division, he’s been promised a cushy, high-level job at HQ. He goes in with a move-fast-and-break-stuff attitude but, knowing absolutely nothing about the dangerous genetic experiments taking place in the division, he upsets the delicate equilibrium of the department factions, and removes guard rails which protect the workers and the public–exposing them to terrible, evil experiments. In this special introductory issue, featuring an all-new and exclusive story, readers and Archimedes go through orientation at the Mad Science Division together! Ignition’s latest series comes from the demented brains of Dan Watters (Nightwing; TMNT: Shredder) and Brian Level (Venom: Black, White & Blood). And this exclusive first chapter is only available in comic shops for Local Comic Shop Day! $4.99 Aug 17, 2026
- Mad Science Division #1
(W) Dan Watters (A) Brian Level (C) Lee Loughridge
Aa comedic, sci-fi horror series that asks, “What if DOGE dismantled the SCP Foundation?” $4.99 Nov 04, 2026
Mad Science Division #1
Mad Science Division #1
Mad Science Division #1
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