Karman Blade #1 Ashcan Promo

A rare pre-release ashcan for one of the fall's most anticipated dark fantasy launches. The Karman Blade comes from Darcy Van Poelgeest and Ian Bertram, the Eisner Award-winning team behind Little Bird. In a dying desert world ruled by a water-hoarding god, a young man is chosen by a blade forged from the stars to slay the tyrant deity and free his people.

Ashcans are miniature, low-print promotional editions distributed ahead of a series launch to build advance buzz among retailers and collectors — scarce by design, not by chance. Image Comics is distributing this ashcan through limited convention channels, including SDCC 2026, keeping print runs tight.

Series specs: The Karman Blade #1 releases September 9, 2026, launching a four-issue dark fantasy miniseries.

Why it matters for collectors: Van Poelgeest and Bertram's last collaboration, Little Bird, won an Eisner and built a strong secondary-market following on its own promo editions. Ashcans tied to a proven Eisner-winning creative team's next book are a classic speculative pickup — get in before word spreads past the direct market.