DSTLRY, the boutique publisher that promised a “creator-owned revolution”, has officially returned to the release schedule following a turbulent start to 2026. After a sudden “publishing pause” in February that left retailers and fans in limbo, the company has released its first wave of summer solicitations, headlined by the long-awaited conclusion of White House Robot Romance.
The return marks a critical pivot for the publisher, which is now leaning heavily into its digital arm, Neon Ichiban, to rebuild momentum. This week, the platform is offering the first issue of the series for free; a strategic move to re-engage readers with the high-stakes political satire co-created by Chip Zdarsky and Rachael Stott before the final issue lands in June.
The Return from the Brink
The “pause” announced earlier this year was a survival tactic. Reports from Bleeding Cool highlighted significant friction behind the scenes, with creators allegedly learning about the hiatus via news sites rather than internal memos. Concerns regarding payment delays and investor scrutiny have trailed the company since late 2024.
However, the new partnership with Penguin Random House for distribution seems to have provided the structural stability founders David Steinberger and Chip Mosher needed to “unquit” the industry. The move to Penguin follows a disastrous period of distribution instability that saw previous retailer orders for several DSTLRY titles cancelled, requiring fans to reconfirm their pull lists at local comic shops.
Neon Ichiban: The Digital Lifebuoy
While physical retailers grapple with re-ordering issues, Neon Ichiban serves as the most stable point of entry for the DSTLRY ecosystem. Built by the veterans who originally turned Comixology into a household name, the platform is designed to bypass the traditional distribution bottlenecks that nearly sank the company’s 2025 slate.
You can currently access White House Robot Romance #1 for free on the platform. This digital-first push offers several unique features for collectors:
- Digital Remarques: Fans can purchase digitally signed and sketched editions, creating a secondary market for digital assets.
- FOC Rewards: A new initiative where pre-ordering print copies via local shops earns users Neon Ichiban credit, effectively incentivising the “hybrid” collector.
White House Robot Romance: A Satire Re-Examined
The spotlight on the series is timely, but perhaps uncomfortably so. The story, which follows a romance between robots Service-1 and Chef-9 amidst a US invasion of Canada, was written before the current real-world cross-border tensions escalated in late 2024.
The delay for the series finale was a direct result of the publisher’s internal restructuring. Rachael Stott, artist on the title, addressed the uncertainty in a post on BlueSky, stating:
If you’ve seen the announcement from DSTLRY that’s why White House Robot Romance #3’s release date hasn’t been announced. I wish them all the best because they’ve a lot of rough luck last year ❤️
With the finale now scheduled for a June release, the free digital giveaway is a clear attempt to rebuild the momentum lost during the four-month silence. For those looking to secure the physical conclusion, Forbidden Planet has now opened pre-orders for the final issue, including the Leslie Hung variant.
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As independent geek news, we have published 5 articles on Neon Ichiban.
Latest entry: April 2026
