Exclusive Preview: Ignition Press prepares for LOVE IGNITED 2027

Ignition Press’acclaimed annual anthologyLove Ignitedreturns for another round of “weird tales ofromance” in Love Ignited 2027. The latest installment featuresseven all-new stories and 48 full-color pages of “heartbreak, betrayal, passion, and devotion from an all-star line-up of fan favorite and rising star creators.” 

Eisner Award-winning superstar illustratorJen Bartel(Blackbird) returns to comics to provide  both a stunning cover and to write and illustrate the story behind it. Emerging voicesMolly  Mahan(Shade, The Changing Girl) andMatthew Dunn(What’s The Furthest Place From  Here?) delve into the past and a union that transcends the earthly plane, while cartoonist Maxine Zilkenat(Bugbarian) explores parental love and loss on the high seas.

Meanwhile,Michael W. Conrad(In Bloom,Wonder Woman) teams withMarley Zarcone(Shade the Changing Girl)to examine the memory of a love lost closer to home…at the comic  book store.Morgan Hampton(Green Lantern) andNoel Kelly(The Dogsitter) whisk us away  to an intergalactic dating reality show.Joanne Starer(Dinner Date) andElisa Romboli(The  Ring: The Man Who Beats theMan) explore matters of the heart at a murder mystery party.  And finally, Eisner and Ringo Award winnerJordie Bellaire(Redlands, Exquisite Corpses)  delves into one’s love of big top circus bicycle performers…and their bicycles. No, really. 

“Anthologies are always fun to work on because, in a sense, you really get to play around and  try different things,” said Ignition Press Editor-in-ChiefJamie S. Rich. “Last year, when I  startedLove Ignited, I was asking people to pitch love stories, not realizing that because this is  a comic book, the ideas I was going to get were going to be strange. This year, having now set  the standard, I worked with editors Nora Ornstein, Ian Shaughnessy, and Maggie Howell to  seek out talent that would be equally as strange, but in all kinds of different ways. Thus, we  ended up with freaky aliens, pirates, macabre role players, otherworldly presences, and so much more.” 

“A good story is like a good conversation; and a good anthology is like a good party.Love  Ignitedmight just be the best party in town,” added Assistant EditorNora Ornstein. “One of  the greatest things about working on an anthology is putting together the right mix of talent, from emerging voices to long-established industry pros. Then, you just give them the space to  do what they do so well, and it becomes a special kind of magic. This year’s stories are just the  right mix of weird and wonderful—strange enough to keep you on the edge of your seat, and  charming enough to warm even my cold, jaded, heart.” 

Check out an exclusive look at the cover for Love Ignited 2027 below!