This month, we’re going to have an elaborate run of looks at the best of 2014 and what we’re excited about for 2015. 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 2015.
Today, we asked creators “which writers were your favorites to read in 2014?” Here are the creators’ thoughts, and look for more tomorrow.
Michael Walsh (Secret Avengers)
I thought Millar had a very strong year, Jupiter’s Legacy, MPH, and Starlight all being great books. Jason Aaron had a big year and continues to produce some of my favourite creator owned + some of my favourite super hero comics, he proves that you can bring quality to everything you do and you don’t need to restrict yourself to one or the other. Snyder had a great year with Batman, The Wake and now Wytches. Charles Soule was impressive with the sheer amount of quality work that he produced, She-Hulk being probably my favourite of the bunch.
Joe Keatinge (Shutter)
I’m going to go with Ed Brubaker, because I really enjoyed the monthly Velvet/Fatale double feature (now continuing with Velvet/The Fade Out). Despite them being very different books with very different collaborators, his voice came through strong, yet continued to experiment in new and different ways.
Jeremy Haun (Wolf Moon)
Jason Aaron, Rick Remender, Dave Lapham, Jonathan Hickman, Scott Snyder, Ed Brubaker, and Grant Morrison of course. Hell, I’m forgetting so many people.
Josh Williamson (Birthright, Nailbiter)
Fraction, Bendis, BKV, Kelly Sue Deconnick, Brubaker, Joe Hill, Fialkov, hmmm I’m forgetting people.
Joshua Hale Fialkov (The Bunker)
I think Sam Humphries has made leaps and bounds the past year, and with more creator owned on the horizon, good things are coming. And I think Rick Spears’ THE AUTEUR was just a treasure to behold (but to try not to get anything on you), and Rick is another guy who’s been doing great book just outside the mainstream for a long, long time. Dan Slott has proven that he’s just about the best superhero comic writer in the world with his work on Silver Surfer. Oh, and I’m big fan of Frank Barbiere and what he has cooking all over.
Ryan Browne (God Hates Astronauts)
Loved seeing Charles Soule on every single book every single week. Jason Aaron is making a strong case for Southern Bastards to be a “first comic I read when I get home from the store” every month.
Justin Jordan (Deep State, The Legend of Luther Strode)
Josh Williamson has done some great work lately. He’s not new to comics, but he’s hit a real stride lately. He has Ghosted, Nailbiter and Birthright coming out from Image, and it’s a really good line up of books, in about as disparate of genre’s as I can imagine.
Frank Barbiere (Five Ghosts, Solar)
It’s been amazing watching some of my friends absolutely take it to new levels this year. Guys like Chris Sebela, Mike Moreci, Matthew Rosenberg, Fabian Rangel, Curt Pires, Paul Allor, Ryan Lindsay, Ryan Ferrier, and Jeremy Holt all put out great books and have really established themselves as writers in the medium.
Joe Eisma (Morning Glories)
G. Willow Wilson, Ray Fawkes, Grant Morrison.
Robert Wilson IV (Knuckleheads)
Matt Fraction’s work on SEX CRIMINALS was so unexpected and personal and real. I love that book because it feels like talking to a really good friend and I think that’s kind of magical. It’s also tough to beat Brubaker for me.
Matthew Rosenberg (12 Reasons to Die)
Obviously there are a lot of seasoned veterans doing awesome work and I could go on for too long about all their awesome stuff, but the thing that gets me most excited about comics right now is finding that new voice that keeps me coming back month after month. Frank Barbiere, Ed Brisson, James Tynion, Michael Moreci, and Chris Sebela are all folks whose comics I will always buy.
Continued belowBut there are a ton of people making comics that I think will be at the top of everyone’s list next year. Curt Pires is doing wild, trippy work that is still accessible. His books just feel cool.
Patrick Kindlon is my writing partner on a lot of things. He is also one of my favorite writers in comics, consistently wanting to do what other people aren’t and doing it better than anyone else could. There is literally no idea that he would shy away from because he believes in comics as a true marketplace of ideas and, he definitely won’t be for everyone, but the folks that get him will have a new favorite writer. And I will ride his coattails until he kicks me off.
Fabian Rangel Jr. has the sense of adventure and fun that so many big 2 books so badly need. He writes from a place of pure imagination and that enthusiasm for the medium just bleeds into the reader.
I am lucky enough to be co-writing a book with Vita Ayala next year. She is teaching me so much about how to tell stories that matter and how to make them human. It is rare to find a writer who is not just good but is actually “important” for the medium. If it is true of anyone coming up in comics it is true of Vita.
Ryan Ferrier is doing the same thing as a bunch of other people… he is just doing it better in every way. His books are funnier, sharper, more exciting, and better than most everyone else’s.
The fact that THOMAS ALSOP didn’t sell more copies is criminal. Chris Miskiewicz is writing like nobody else right now. He is a throwback to the early days of Vertigo where every single character was worth reading and following and falling in love with. I can’t wait to see what he does next.
I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that Jeremy Holt is constantly on the verge of doing that book that everyone is talking about. He sits firmly in a school of good storytellers who are consistent like clockwork. One of these days one of the bigger publishers will finally notice Jeremy and everyone will be clamoring over each other to do books with him.
And from what I have read of X’ed Tony Patrick just might be the next Warren Ellis. He is smart, a little crazy, and so happy to try things that other people could never pull off.
Declan Shalvey (Injection)
Ed Brisson has been bringing out a lot of great stuff this year. Really enjoyed Ollie Masters and Frank Barbiere’s latest work too.
Chris Ross (Top Shelf’s Director of Digital Publishing)
Scott Snyder is fantastic, and I think he’s our generation’s Stephen King. Big fan of Liz Prince’s TOMBOY, and I’m looking forward to seeing her next one. I’m also really enjoying the ongoing CHESTER 5000 story.
Natalie Nourigat (Home is Where the Internet Is)
Bryan Lee O’Malley on Seconds. So good.
Sebastian Girner (Editor of Deadly Class, Drifter, Low, and many others)
My favorite writing this year came from Emily Carroll’s Through the Woods, a beautiful collection of ghost stories. It’s not just how the writing is sparse and sharp, but how she places it on the page, weaves it into the art. Focused and effective.
Also Rob Williams did a great job on Ordinary. Great mix of comedy, drama, action and a ton of weird and fun stuff for the great D’Israeli to draw. Had a blast with that comic.
Jay Faerber (Copperhead)
You can never go wrong with Mark Waid and Brian K. Vaughan. And I always check out new work by Ed Brisson and Frank Barbiere. I also think Ed Brubaker’s had a great year, with VELVET and THE FADE OUT both firing on all cylinders.
Matthew Wilson (The Wicked + The Divine, Thor)
Greg Rucka because of Lazarus and Jason Aaron because of Southern Bastards.
Brenden Fletcher (Gotham Academy, Batgirl)
Michael Cho
Ray Fawkes
Scott Snyder
James Tynion
Kieron Gillen
Paul Allor (GI Joe, TMNT)
Continued belowAgain, not favorites so much as the first that come to mind. Emily Carroll. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (both Afterlife with Archie and Sabrina are absolute tops. Oh, mentally add them to my “favorite books” list). Kelly Sue DeConnick. Jason Aaron. Chris Sebela. Ryan Ferrier. Charles Forsman. I am leaving out a metric ton of people.
Tim Gibson (Moth City)
Horrocks, again for allowing me to experience green, alien flesh parties with all of the judgment falling on his shoulders. And despite having the appearance of artsy, indie comic the smoothness of the interweaving stories in ‘The Magic Pen’ is great.
Curt Pires (POP)
No particular order. Frank Barbiere, Ed Brisson, Warren Ellis, Matt Fraction, Chris Sebela, Ales Kot, and many more whom I’m sure I’m forgetting.
Ales Kot (Zero)
I loved Si Spurrier’s writing this year, as well as certain bits of Jonathan Hickman’s writing in East of West, G. Willow Wilson’s Ms. Marvel, Kieron Gillen’s careful, kind, throbbing and complex deconstruction of pop gods in the Wicked and the Divine…Brian K. Vaughan I can always learn from, Emily Carroll’s Out of Skin is a horror masterclass, is this the third time I’m going to mention Julia Gfrörer? Sure. And Matt Fraction’s joy of making dense pop comics communicates really well…I was very happy to see Scott Snyder pushing towards something new with The Wake. The bit in Southern Bastards #4 set up a whole new landscape — nice job, Jason Aaron. Warren Ellis is doing some of his best writing in years on Trees and Supreme…I’m probably forgetting a lot.
Ed Brisson (Sheltered)
Rick Remender is one of those guys who I’m always looking forward to seeing new projects from. I’ve been really digging on a lot of his creator owned work this past year. Same for Jason Aaron. “Southern Bastards” is tops.
