Not all chaos is bad, and writer Stephanie Williams can attest to that. Top comics, signings at San Diego Comic-Con, and, of course history making Eisner nods (Williams is the first black woman in the award’s 35 year history to be nominated as Best Writer).
We caught up with Williams at the Ignition Pavilion during SDCC 2026.
DEANNA DESTITO: How is Comic-Con for you this year?
STEPHANIE WILLIAMS: Chaotic in the best way. Last year was my first year. I had most of my signings at the Ignition Press booth, a couple at IDW, and then a couple panels. This year it’s a night-and-day difference, so much so that I double-booked myself, or I got double-booked. I could not be two places at once, although I tried very, very hard. And my voice is starting to go, as you can tell. But what an experience. That was my first time being on not one but two DC panels. You know, the crowd, the lights, the trailers — euphoric, I think, is the best way to describe.
DESTITO: How about being here with Ignition? How has that been?
WILLIAMS: Beautiful as well. One, because of the location change, which is great. It’s nice because it’s right across, but also just to see the amount of people who now know who Ignition Press is and just all of the books that have come out since last year, it’s crazy. It’s been a boom since then, so just to see the growth of Ignition, that is making me happy. Also the fact that all six issues of Roots of Madness are out, when last year all we had was the ashcan.
Roots of Madness was a story I wasn’t going to tell because I was kind of limiting myself because I didn’t want to tell a story that was past 1980 because I wasn’t sure if I would be able to tell a story for a young black woman in 1905 that didn’t feel restrained or limited by whatever social things were going on. But thanks to an author named Beverly Jenkins, she’s really good with her historical romance and the way that she weaves in history. Her books were the ones that let me know, hey, black pirates falling in love with kidnapped princesses, people moving out west, starting ranches and falling in love, all pre-Reconstruction era and post. So it was through that and just my love of her work that gave me the courage to tell the story that I wanted to, that was near and dear to me.
Research science was my former life before I ever started writing creatively. And I wanted to tell a story that kind of spoke to that transition for me and what I’ve been doing lately with writing and just entering a career where it’s totally different than what I did before. It’s uncharted territory, not only just for myself but for my entire family. I don’t really have anyone that can tell me exactly how to navigate it. My parents could tell me how to navigate regular 9-to-5, which they have done. So through those lessons, I’m applying it to what I’m doing now and figuring it out. I’m basically using those kinds of tools of survival as I keep—when I talk about Roots of Madness, to say it like that—and trying to take those instead of just surviving, thriving. That is the story of Roots.
Our main character, Etta, gets a chance to further her research in an unlimited way. And what does that look like for her? What does that mean? She comes from a two-parent household, hardworking individuals, and again, very similar, as her parents can only tell her how to navigate what they know, but she wants to go beyond that.
DESTITO: What about the creative team that you’re working with?
WILLIAMS: Letizia Cadonici, huge fan of hers. House of Slaughter is how I came in contact with her work. The moment that Jamie Rich, my editor, sent me a list of creatives that were available, I immediately honed in on her name, and I just could see the story of Roots through her art. Our colorist Alessandro Santoro is phenomenal, just his color palette and the way that he brings her lines to life. I don’t know — it all comes together. And of course, our cover artist, Juliet Nneka — what a beautiful storyteller she is. Never at any point did we tell her what to actually do for the covers. We just let her read, and she took it from there. And we got some amazing covers. I think cover #4 is my favorite because I was not expecting that at all.
DESTITO: So you mentioned coming from a very different profession. How does that help you with the business side of being a freelancer?
WILLIAMS: When I was in my very first job, I was a telemarketer. Awful job. I only lasted three months. But then I was a waitress for a little bit until I started school. And even that, you learn a lot of soft people skills, which are so important when you’re at conventions. You know, to assume that people know who you are, what your work is, you shouldn’t do that. So to be able to talk to people and say, hey, have a conversation, get to know them, and be able to recommend whatever books I’ve written to them, and talk to other professionals, communicating with my editors. I worked with doctors, and they’re sometimes difficult to work with, but they definitely helped me sharpen my communication skills. And of course, I’m applying that now when talking to my collaborators and making sure that everybody’s on the same page. And if we’re not, then we figure it out.
DESTITO: Ignition has been very supportive of creator ideas; it doesn’t seem like there are many restrictions. You’re basically allowed to write whatever you want. How has that been for you creatively?
WILLIAMS: Freeing, so much so that I’ve been able to apply it to other work in a way that I think is making me a better writer and helping me elevate stories elsewhere where maybe I wouldn’t have done that. I’m still honing my voice. I’m still growing. So to have an opportunity to kind of, again, for it to be limitless, what more could you ask for as a creator?
DESTITO: So do you have something coming up that you can tease?
WILLIAMS: I’m writing an ongoing Vixen series for DC Comics that will be coming out very early next year. It’s her first ongoing and my first ongoing. I am working on my second series right now with Ignition. The most that I can say about it is that it is a horror romance sci-fi. If you’re a fan of Love Island, if you like Logan’s Run, Running Man, I got some commentary, but also, like, this is probably the more hardcore sci-fi thing that I’ve done, so I’m very excited about this. I’m doing more horror with IDW Comics, Any Given Smile. So if you’re familiar with the Smile franchise, I’m telling a story set in 1995 in St. Augustine, Florida, following a football player who goes from backup to the main star for the championship.
Stay tuned to The Beat for more news from SDCC ’26.
