This month, we’re going to have an elaborate run of looks at the best of 2013 and what we’re excited about for 2014. To kick that all off, we’ll have a week of some of our favorite creators sharing their thoughts on the year to date as well as what they’re looking forward to in 2014.
Today, we asked “What are you most hoping to see from comics in 2014?” Here are the creators’ thoughts, and look for more tomorrow.
Fred Van Lente (Archer & Armstrong)
Quality. Risk-taking. The usual.
Jamie S. Rich (A Boy & A Girl, From the Gutters)
That a lot of us would just shut up and get to work. I feel like the noise has reached deafening levels lately, with lots of folks patting themselves on the back, mistaking self-righteousness for righteous anger, just for having the wherewithal to get upset over something. It’s not that there aren’t legitimate problems out there, or things that need attention or to be addressed, but those tend to suffer when we treat stubbed toes as if they were nuclear war and energy is diverted to the wrong place.
And in light of that, I’d like to see Kelly Sue DeConnick run a kind of Daily Show for comics where she comes out and tells us all how stupid we’re all being. I know it will be tiring for her, but if she could just shut all the shit down all the time, I’d totally make her President of Comics.
Sina Grace (Burn the Orphanage)
Another American Vampire! Me doing more monthly comics 🙂
Gina Gagliano (Associate Marketing & Publicity Manager, First Second Books)
The continual aim at First Second is greater acceptance for graphic novels from the general public, and that’s always what I hope for! Also I think that having another graphic novel win the Pulitzer would be swell. Here’s hoping 2014 is the year for that.
Michael Moreci (Hoax Hunters, Prime-8’s)
2012 and 2013 were the years of the creator. You had just about every big-name creator, particularly writers, shifting to the creator-owned market after long stretches working for the big two. And that was awesome, and it still is — these are amazingly talented individuals, and, as a fan, I’m thrilled to have more opportunities to enjoy their work. But, at the same time, I don’t want comics to lose sight of the mid-range creator, of the creators who are up-and-coming and have bold, exciting stories to tell. Keep in mind that the top-flight talent you see coming back to creator-owned, they too had typical early careers where they struggled and found their way—but, their abilities were also nurtured and supported, and that’s an enormous factor in their current success. I just don’t want to see comics become gentrified, in a sense, to the point where new voices are snuffed out.
Now, granted, this stands to benefit creators of my, let’s say, class; I’m certainly aware of what I’m advocating for. My own interests aside, in 2014 I want to see newer creators take the next—deserved—step. Frank Barbiere, Christian DiBari, Ryan Ferrier, Ed Brisson, Fabian Rangel, Tim Daniel, Brent Schoonover, Paul Allor, Brian Level, Jason Copland, Drew Zucker. These are all guys who’ve proven they can make great comics; it’s time they got seats at the table.
Chris Roberson (Monkeybrain honcho, Edison Rex)
More of the stuff I like, of course. Though we could do with fewer cynical cash grabs that none of the people involved—creators, retailers, or readers—are actually emotionally invested in. I want more comics that the people involved actually WANT to make, not just what they think will sell.
Michael Walsh (Zero, the upcoming Secret Avengers)
Diversity in every way. New ideas, characters, creators and publishers.
Christopher Sebela (High Crimes, the upcoming Ghost)
Continued belowMore diversity, more representation, more giant crazy ideas, more fun. This is supposed to be fun, theoretically. Less uninformed outrage, less shitty people, less pandering, less hesitation. I want everyone I know and love in comics to make the books they wanna do and everyone out there to read them by the boatload. And world peace. And to live on a houseboat.
Tim Daniel (Curse, Enormous)
The continued elevation in attention paid to the independent publisher and story tellers. Image, BOOM!, and Dark Horse should be joined by incubators like Action Lab, Monkey Brain and 215 Ink. The risk taking, diverse storytelling and unique creative voices that emerge from these publishers really drive the market at this point.
Similar to last year, I’d hope to see less needless comparison and bashing between independent publishers and Marvel/DC and more readying and entertainment.
Joe Keatinge (Marvel Knights Hulk)
More and more creators doing original work. I love a good Batman story, but I’d love to see people taking the leap into doing their own material. I think folks like Fiona Staples, Brian K. Vaughn, Emma Rios, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Howard Chaykin, Matt Fraction, Sean Philips, Steve Epting, Ed Brubaker and newer names like Joshua Williamson, Ed Brisson and so on proved over the last couple of years that Charlie Adlard and Robert Kirkman’s success isn’t an anomaly. That there’s a lot to be gained from paving your own path. I want to see more of this. I’m in turn hoping this diversification of content leads to a diversification of creators. I’m tired of seeing and being on panels comprised of a bunch of white dudes.
Jeremy Holt (After Houdini)
I’m hoping to see more new names surface in the world of creator-owned comics. The tides of emerging talent is ever constant. I’m just excited to see who washes ashore with the next great comic book.
I’m hoping Remender’s Black Science will take off and we’ll usher in a wave of hard sci-fi comics. I know that’s one genre I really want to work in.
Paul Allor (G.I. Joe, Strange Nation)
I’d love to see way more diversity of genres; more fact-based comics, more slice of life, more romance and westerns and crime and historical fiction. Tied in to that, I’d also love to see more efforts to broaden the comics audience, beyond just bringing back lapsed readers. As someone who started reading comics in his late 20’s, I know that there are millions upon millions of people out there who would love this medium, but have just never quite connected with it.
Antony Johnston (Umbral, The Fuse)
More diversity; more readers; more success for everyone, in every corner of the industry. Yes, even Steve Wacker.
Curt Pires (Theremin)
I want to see more bold ideas from new creators, and I want to see companies putting out this work. I think it’s great that we have guys who have been doing work at Marvel/DC/wherever back doing creator owned work, but nothing is more exciting to me than something totally new — than someone striking you like a bolt of lightning, so more of that.
Ryan Browne (God Hates Astronauts, Bedlam, The Manhattan Projects)
More creator owned titles that push creativity in the medium. I think comics are slowly getting away from the gritty seriousness that has blanketed them in the past. It will be really exciting to see what we get from Image and Dark Horse in the coming years.
Mike Allred (FF)
I’m always hoping to see increasing readership. There have never been more great comics and great talents working in comics at one time. It would be nice if the general populace moved in larger waves to our humble medium. Greatest storytelling art form there is!
Franco (Itty Bitty Hellboy)
Everyone walking around with copies of AW YEAH COMICS! – Ha! If you lob up a softball question I’m gonna jump all over it!
Ales Kot (Zero, Change, Wild Children)
Kindness, love.
Justin Jordan (Luther Strode, Dead Body Road)
Me selling Walking Dead numbers? But aside from that, I like the way comics have been going. Pretty Deadly, Velvet, Lazarus and East of West are all pretty non mainstream books (granted, from big name mainstream writers) that have done serious numbers. That is good. More of that.
Continued belowHell, my buddy Frank’s book Five Ghosts which is a pulp book set in the thirties by two unknown creators sells 9 – 10,000 a month as an ongoing. That would have been just about unthinkable as recent as 2010.
So yeah, more of that.
Robert Wilson IV (Knuckleheads, Like a Virus)
More creators taking a chance on their own ideas. More diversification of the comics community as a whole. I’m really excited to read Farel Dalrymple’s THE WRENCHIES, Jason Aaron & Jason Latour’s SOUTHERN BASTARDS, and Chris Roberson & Paul Maybury’s REIGN! I’d love to see more work from Thomas Herpich (WHITE CLAY was probably my favorite single issue comic of 2012) and Ronald Wimberly (you must read PRINCE OF CATS, another favorite from 2012).
Charles Paul Wilson III (Stuff of Legend, Wraith)
I don’t know! I want it to be a big, fat question mark of a surprise. I want to get caught up in what everyone else is getting caught up in and I want to be surprised by new stuff no one’s mentioned yet.
