Every year, we gather some of our favorite creators to take our ‘Creators’ Year in Review’ survey. When thinking about this year, however, the usual questions didn’t seem to make as much sense. So, we’ve tweaked the questions a bit to better reflect what 2020 was truly like for all of us.
Profuse thank yous to the creators who took a few minutes to answer our questions. You’ll be seeing all five of their responses this week and next, as we continue our Holiday Season celebrations. Happy Holidays to all, and please stay safe!
What Were the Comics That Got You Through 2020?
2020 was one of the most difficult years of my life, not just because of the pandemic either, so I welcomed the inspiration of comic books more than ever.
I read a huge amount this year, but the ones that most stand out are: “Sweet Tooth,” “Gideon Falls,” “Paper Girls,” “Little Bird,” “Forgotten Home,” “Friendo,” “The Immortal Hulk,” “Vampire The Masquerade,” “Winters Teeth,” and “Uzumaki.”
Lisa Brown (“The Phantom Twin,” “Long Story Short”)
Lynda Barry’s “Making Comics” provided me with endless meditative solace as well as inspiration for my own class that I teach in illustration at The California College of the Arts. Rereading Richard Sala was the best way that I could think of to grieve for and honor him. (He passed away suddenly last spring.)
Deniz Camp (“Maxwell’s Demons,” “Ice Cream Man Presents”):
In terms of newly released comics, “Ice Cream Man” speaks to the depression, horror, and — most importantly — the redemptive capacity of the world moving through time, time moving through us. No comic in recent memory has so intimately explored those parts of ourselves we are, collectively, afraid to face. Issues 18 and 19, in particular, are the two best single issues of the year, in my opinion.
The Fraction/Lieber/Fairbairn/Clowes “Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen” was next-generation comic booking, and illuminated to me a way forward, with humor, post-modern fragmentation, and complicated feeling. Fraction/Charretier’s “November” continues a career-best run for Fraction, an inspiringly restrained-yet-engaging comic that rewards rereading and uses a format I hope we see more of.
I found myself going back to “Flex Mentallo” recently, perhaps drawn by the impending sense of existential apocalypse, finding something especially true in its heroes-in-hiding, seemingly ordinary men and women throwing off aprons and corrective lenses and standing up to the forces of nihilism.
Wes Craig (“Deadly Class,” “The Gravediggers Union”):
I went on a bit of an Alan Moore kick and finally read “From Hell,” drawn by Eddie Cambell. Thought provoking and horrific stuff. Maybe one of the best comics I’ve ever read. I also got my hands on Big Numbers drawn by Bill Sienkiewicz and it made me sad that it was cut off so early.
I’ve been re-reading Waterson’s “Calvin & Hobbes.” I’ve loved that strip since I was a kid and it’s still one of my favourite creations of all time.
For new stuff, I love “Something Is Killing The Children” (Tynion & Dell’Edera), “Department of Truth” (Tynion & Simmonds), “Crossover” looks very fun (Cates & Shaw). Brubaker’s work with Phillips (“Criminal,” “Pulp,” etc) and “Friday” with Martin.
I loved Eleaonr Davis’s “The Hard Tomorrow” (that was 2019 but whatever), and Tomine’s “Long Distance Cartoonist.”
Shit, there was a lot of good stuff this year.
“Parker” by Darwyne Cook and “Ping Pong” by Matsumoto!
Matt Smith (“Folklords,” Young Hellboy”)
First one that comes to mind is “Lomi in the Abyss” by Shel Kahn. I loved her “By Crom!” – a semi-autobiographical series with Conan the Barbarian as Shel’s own personal spirit animal. Lomi is an entirely different animal, about a teen metalhead and has these beautiful illustrations of the world Lomi is transported to listening to her music. I love it. Walt Simonson’s “Ragnarok” has been my favorite comic going these recent years. What can be said? It’s Simonson. How is he doing his best work now? He’s clearly got some deal with the gods. Anyway, ‘The Breaking of Helheim’ is the latest chapter and it’s excellent. “Sword Daughter” by Brian Wood and Mack Chater. Chater is a drawing beast. I want to hunt him down and eat his heart so that I can draw better. But that’s kind of gross and I like Mack a lot personally. Plus, I’ve never hunted anything except the Cadbury Mini Eggs my wife sometimes hides in the house so I don’t eat them all. I think a bunch of the issues I bought this year came out in 2019, but whatever, right? Don’t make me hunt you like a chocolate egg. Oh, and the “Hellboy: Beast of Varg”u collected. Mignola, Fegredo, Stenbeck, Hughes, Mitten, Stewart and Wagner. C’mon. That’s a ridiculous amount of talent in one book.
Continued belowMichael Walsh (“Black Hammer/Justice League,” “Comeback”):
I was incredibly impressed with Sean Phillips/Ed Brubaker/Jacob Phillips. I ALWAYS enjoy their output together but the last two books (“Pulp” and “Cruel Summer”) have been some of the team’s strongest…I’ve also got “Reckless” sitting on my side table waiting to be read. They are absolutely the most prolific creative team going and have a consistent level of quality that is unmatched in western comics. Other standouts from this year have been “Visions,” “Kill a Man,” “Blue in Green,” “Something is Killing the Children,” “Skip,” “The Goddamned,” “Skulldigger,” “Witch Hat Atelier,” “Thor,” “Don’t Go Without Me,” and “No Longer Human.” I’ve also been reading through the manga “Vagabond” by Takehiko Inoue and I’m addicted.
Johnnie Christmas (“Crema,” “Sheltered”)
“Deadly Class,” “Protector” (now “First Knife”), “Hobtown Mysteries,” “Akissi.” Also rereads of “Watchmen” and “Calvin and Hobbes.”
Tom Scioli (““Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of the King of Comics,” “Transformers vs G.I. Joe”):
Old Spider-Man comics. The Ditko stuff is so great. I’ve been reading a lot of the Post-Ditko comics and really enjoying them. Middle period, pre-Giffen “Legion of Super-Heroes” comics. I know the Giffen stuff and the Silver Age stuff, but other than the Starlin and Ditko issues, I’d never gone deep on that middle period. It was a lot of fun. Super-heroes combined with space opera, you definitely see it ratchet up a couple notches after Star Wars comes out. Assorted old Batman comics, especially the Englehart and Rogers run. I’ve read “Detective” #27 a million times, but I just read it for the first time on newsprint and it really comes alive in that format. I have a new appreciation for it. Golden Age Captain Marvel comics, as many as I could get my hands on. I’ve been reading a lot of Golden Age comics and I think the influence is showing in the comics I’ve been doing lately like “Young Zeus.”
Lily Williams (“Go With the Flow,” “My Endometriosis Story”
My old comfort comic compilation books of “Zits,” “Foxtrot,” and “Calvin and Hobbes.”
Michael Avon Oeming (“Powers,” “Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye”):
Mike Hawthorne’s “Happiness Will Follow.” It was the story of his upbringing and relationship with his mother. Just brilliant stuff.
Steve Orlando (“Commanders in Crisis,” “Wonder Woman”):
So many great books this year, either newly released or newly discovered! Like many, I love “Blue in Green,” but I also spent a lot of time digging into hidden gems like the strange sexual poetry of “Angel Claws,” or the proto-widescreen action of classic “GI: Joe.” Also new, “Lost Solders” was a must-read for me. “S.W.O.R.D.” just had a great debut as well, I thought! I also finally got into “Bad Weekend” and “Men of Wrath,” both of which I really enjoyed.
This year was a great year to go back and reread a lot of fun things I might have read too fast last year, so right now, I’d have to say “Terminal Punks,” “Eat and Love Yourself,” Jamie Jones’ “The Baboon,” “We are the Danger,” “Virtually Yours,” “Long Lost,” “Finger Guns,” and my usual deep cuts like “The Plot,” “The Wiced + the Divine,” “Sex Criminals,” “Forgotten Home,” and finally read some new things this year like the second arc of “Resonant” by DB Andry and my bud Skylar Patridge, heaps of rad Marvel books like “Nebula” that Vita Ayala wrote, and even cool anthologies like “Real Folk Blues” and “Dead Beats!”
Dean Haspiel (“The Alcoholic,” “The Red Hook”):
A whole bunch of Marvel Masterworks featuring “Iron Man,” “Captain America,” “Marvel-Two-In-One,” and “The Defenders.” Basically revisiting some Silver Age comics in a fancy format. I miss Captain America’s existential crisis and Iron Man’s nose.
“Cruel Summer” and “Pulp” by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips. I’m looking forward to “Reckless”
“Pandemic Journal” and free/weekly, all-ages art lessons by Jen Ferguson via Instagram.
“Bea Arthur” and slice-of-life comix by Whitney Matheson via Patreon.
“A Tale of Two Pandemics” by Josh Neufeld
“Twelve Miles from Akron” by Jon Allen.
Rock ’em Sock ’em “Savage Dragon” by Erik Larsen
Continued below“Outrage” by Fabian Nicieza and Reilly Brown
Sam Maggs, (“Rick and Morty: Ever After,” “Marvel Acton: Captain Marvel”)
Like many people, I returned to some old comfort favorites in 2020. It was like a warm hug to re-read “Scott Pilgrim” and “Runaways.” Reading Olivia Jaimes’s “Nancy” every day has been a delight. I also became obsessed with mongrelmarie’s “Let’s Play” on Webtoon.
Brian Joines, (“Backtrack,” “Krampus”)
“Chu,” “Once & Future,” “Something Is Killing the Children,” “Nailbiter Returns,” “We Only Find Them When They’re Dead,” “Pulp,” “Department of Truth,” “On The Stump,” “Iron Man,” “Spy Island”
Eliot Rahal, (“The Vain,” “Hot Lunch Special”)
“The Immortal Hulk,” “Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olson,” “Family Tree,” “House Of X,” “Powers Of X,” “Redfork,” “The Question.”
Erica Schultz (“Forgotten Home,” “Swords of Sorrow”)
In terms of reading, I went back to the classics for 2020 and reread the entire “Moon Knight” Epic Collection from Marvel. I also reread “Kingdom Come” and “Crisis on infinite Earths” from DC.
In terms of making comics, working on “Forgotten Home” with Marika Cresta, Matt Emmons, Natasha Alterici, and Cardinal Rae was a terrific experience. I also finished writing “Legacy of Mandrake” for Red 5, so seeing the art from Diego Giribaldi was a treat.
Jason Loo (“Afterlift,” “The Pitiful Human-Lizard”)
“Far Sector” by N.K. Jemisin and my bud Jamal Campbell, “The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist” by Adrian Tomine, Gaiman’s “Sandman” volumes 1-4, and back issues of “Doom Patrol” (issues 1-30) and “Justice League America” (the Giffen and DeMatteis run).
Richard Starkings (“ Elephantmen 2261,” founder of Comicraft)
John McCrea’s Kickstarter collection “The Mighty World of McCrea” and “November” by Elsa Charretier and Matt Fraction.
Karen Schneeman (“Go With the Flow,” “The Mean Magenta”)
I loved reading “Kid Gloves” by Lucy Knisley, “Daughters of Ys” by MT Anderson and Jo Rioux and “Anya’s Ghost” by Vera Brosgol.
Jim Zub (“Stone Star Season 2,” “Skullkickers”)
“Something is Killing the Children,” “Department of Truth,” “Bang!,” and “The Immortal Hulk” helped keep me entertained this year, along with re-reading some of my favorite old issues of “Savage Sword of Conan.”
Andrea Mutti (“Port of Earth,” “Infinite Dark”):
Ah! man, this is a LONG list! Just for call some name: “Big Girls,” “Batman: White Knight,” “Grendel Kentucky,” “Space Bandits,” “Hellboy,” “American Vampire,” “The Plunge,” but there really too many titles I am strong reader, still!
Tristan “T.Rex” Jones (“Ghostbusters,” “Tales of the TMNT”)
Honestly, I’ve been so deep in research for a couple of projects for 2021 and keeping a shop running that I’ve barely had a chance to look at much in the way of new comics. I re-read all of “Akira,” and the “Vampire Hunter D,” and am always poring over Killian Plunkett’s work, so there’s been a lot of that again. I have been (finally) reading more manga though, which was something I wanted to do. The sales figures for a lot of what we were selling in the shop were leaving even the best selling Marvel and DC’s titles for dead and I had to know why. “My Hero Academia” was just mopping the floor with both, at really big ratios, and while it wasn’t exactly my bag, it did lead to me looking into more of the titles I probably should’ve looked at in years gone by. The wealth of material Viz has been putting out from Junji Ito has been an absolute blessing this year though.
David Pepose (“Spencer and Locke,” “Go to the Chapel”)
The X-Men line, “DCeased,” “The Immortal Hulk,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Black Cat,” “The Autumnal,” “Lonely Receiver,” “Kill A Man,” and “Redfork” were all books I consistently looked forward to in 2020.
Jason Piperberg (“Raising Dion,” “Spaceman and Bloater”):
For the last year or so I’ve been very slowly making my way through “The Incal” series (“The Incal,” “Before The Incal,” and “Final Incal”). All three books are written by Alejandro Jodorowsky. “The Incal” is drawn by Moebius, “Before the Incal” is drawn by Zoran Janjetov, and “Final Incal” is drawn by José Ladrönn. I got the hardcover editions of all 3 books with the original colors last year. The art in all 3 is gorgeous and the story is pretty out there, which is fun.
Michael Moreci (“Wasted Space,” “The Plot”):
Honestly, I found myself reading a lot more comics for younger readers–with my kids, and also by myself. I discovered the “Hilo” series (which is wonderful), some amazing “Avatar” collections, a whole lot of “Star Wars.”
