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Creators’ Year in Review, Part 4: What Would You Like to Read More of in 2021?

By | December 28th, 2020
Posted in Columns | % Comments

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 would you like to read more of – titles, genres, mediums – in 2021?

Jason Loo (“Afterlift,” “The Pitiful Human-Lizard”)

I’ve got “Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass” on my to-read pile, as well as “Leia, Princess of Alderaan,” the manga series.

Erica Schultz (“Forgotten Home,” “Swords of Sorrow”)

I really want to delve into more sci fi and classics, so a combo of Asimov meets Aristotle.

Christian Carnouche (“The Resurrected”):

I moved to Lyon, France a few months ago and I’ve promised myself that I’ll read more French language graphic novels; mostly sci-fi. I’m also hoping to read more horror comics, especially cosmic horror, and to finally finish reading “The Boys.”

Jim Zub (“Stone Star Season 2,” “Skullkickers”)

I’m always down for more sword & sorcery comics. The genre is jam-packed with potential.

Jason Piperberg (“Raising Dion,” “Spaceman and Bloater”):

I’d honestly just like to get back into reading comics more regularly. In the last few years I’ve really fallen out of reading comics as much as I used to.

EJ Su (“Transformers,” “Tech Jacket”)

I have started to get into reading online comics such as Webtoon, I think it’s a great way of getting more readership for comic books in general, and getting casual fans to jump in.

I haven’t been able to read more comics, since I spent most of my time drawing, but when I draw, I usually listen to audiobooks. It would be great If somehow the comic book stories can be translated to audiobooks, so I get to keep up with what’s going on with the comic book world, and perhaps people other than comic book fans can also enjoy the stories.

Michael Walsh (“Black Hammer/Justice League,” “Comeback”):

I’m a real sucker for horror so I’m always excited when creators who are known for other work dabble in the genre. I’d love to see some more non-conventional superhero comics as well… I feel the big two have been trending towards more of a “house style” and I’m personally more interested in the weird and unexpected when it comes to superheroics.

David Pepose (“Spencer and Locke,” “Go to the Chapel”)

I’m always a sucker for a good crime book — or a crime book with a sci-fi hook. Bring it on, 2021!

Karen Schneeman (“Go With the Flow,” “The Mean Magenta”)

I love comics about adventure, magic and mystery or anything that teaches me to have a new perspective. But really I’d like more time to read anything!

Johnnie Christmas (“Crema,” “Sheltered”)

More everything! Any genre of comics so long as it’s good. Also more novels and poetry.

Dean Haspiel (“The Alcoholic,” “The Red Hook”):

I’d like to see the print anthology return in a more robust way. A weekly tabloid of serialized comix akin to Britain’s “Eagle,” or Mark Chiarello’s “Wednesday Comics” (published by DC Comics years ago). I’d like to see more alternative-driven “Bizarro Comics” and “Strange Tales.” And, an American version of “2000AD.”

Liana Kangas (“She Said Destroy,” “BLACK (AF): Devil’s Dye”):

More sci-fi, always. More graphic novels. More manga! But also I’d like to push myself to read more historical fiction like Henry Baraja’s “La Voz De M.A.Y.O. Tata Rambo” or Ned Barnett’s “Dreamers of the Day.”

Tom Scioli (““Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of the King of Comics,” “Transformers vs G.I. Joe”):

More comics on uncoated paper. More movie adaptations. That subgenre seems to have taken a hit.

Richard Starkings (“ Elephantmen 2261,” founder of Comicraft)

I’m determined to support books published via Kickstarter or personal projects available on Print on Demand services like LULU. Print publishers aren’t the only avenue available to creators now and I love seeing new ways of reaching readers. Elsa Charretier’s sketchbooks have been massive successes on Kickstarter and she created a terrific package without editorial or publisher oversight. It’s the future and its already here!

Continued below

Lily Williams (“Go With the Flow,” “My Endometriosis Story”

Just read more in general!

Eliot Rahal, (“The Vain,” “Hot Lunch Special”)

Utopian Sci-Fi and Romance. Just…thoughtful positivity. Something with solutions or ideas to make a better world.

Steve Orlando (“Commanders in Crisis,” “Wonder Woman”):

I want more of the genres we used to see thrive, and that still thrive outside the USA thanks to greater audience accessibility. Give me more SPORTS, give me more ROMANCE, hell, give me more FOOD comics. And then give me something weird like a symbiopsychotaxiplasm as a comic.

Lisa Brown (“The Phantom Twin,” “Long Story Short”)

I am always looking for more international creators to be translated into English. I’m excited to get my hands on “The Sky in Blue with a Single Cloud” by Kuniko Tsunita, for instance. I’m also kinda obsessing over hand-drawn comics, in PENCIL. What?? Yes, pencil.

Brian Joines, (“Backtrack,” “Krampus”)

I’d love to see more straight-up Westerns being done, as well as more Victorian-era fantasy/horror/adventure. A moratorium on dystopian/post-apocalyptic books…we get it, the future’s likely screwed, move on already. And as far as superheroes go, I really wish the Big Two would stop creating new “family members” of existing characters to fill shelves and instead focus on their deep catalogs of cool as hell characters that never get used.

Sam Maggs, (“Rick and Morty: Ever After,” “Marvel Acton: Captain Marvel”)

More sci-fi by and for women. It’s what I’m all about right now.

Daniel Warren Johnson (“Extremity,” “Murder Falcon”):

More manga and more stories by writer/artist creators.

Michael Moreci (“Wasted Space,” “The Plot”):

Whatever comes my way. I don’t read titles for the sake of reading titles. I have no tolerance for habit buying. If a series isn’t good, for God’s sake don’t read it. Genre’s fluid, and I’m the kind of person who reads everything and anything. So…I don’t know. Whatever captures my attention is what I’ll be reading.

Wes Craig (“Deadly Class,” “The Gravediggers Union”):

More cartoonists, like writer-artists, doing their own thing. I’ll be doing that with Kaya and I know a few really great artists that are doing the same thing. I grew up with a lot of that: Frank Miller, John Byrne, Walt Simonson. Creators who wrote and drew their own stuff. And when they really have a story to tell, and they’ve honed their craft, there’s nothing better.

Matt Smith (“Folklords,” “Young Hellboy”)

I just watched this show Wayne and its pretty great. It’s the kind of rare, special project that I’m amazed exists. Like, when I don’t know how to describe it to friends because it doesn’t easily fit a category–I always find that a good sign. I guess that’s what I’d like to read more in comics in 2021. Books that are driven by great characters and story and are clearly a work of love–like the creator was driven to make it regardless of its commercial prospects. You can’t fake that kind of thing and it shines out. By the way, Wayne needs a season 2, so let’s all watch season one and make it happen.

Deniz Camp (“Maxwell’s Demons,” “Ice Cream Man Presents”)

People continuing to push the boundaries of format, structure, topic. I want to see more passion projects, the kind of stuff people have been mulling over for years or decades. You can tell when someone’s spent long hours sweating every line of dialogue, obsessively editing and re-editing. It’s a beautiful thing. It’s been a year of people reaching, and I want to see more of that.

Michael Avon Oeming (“Powers,” “Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye”):

More bio comics, and adaptations of novels.

Tristan Jones (“Ghostbusters,” “Tales of the TMNT”)

I’d love to see more risks taken across the board. I’m sick of people telling you you can’t write a character a particular way, or companies not using comics to experiment with their properties the way their perhaps more lucrative mediums can’t. Give me a Star Wars comic that leans hard into horror. Or “Dr. Strange MAX.” I think DC have finally started doing what should’ve been one years ago, but all that fuss over being able to see a dick in a book geared towards an older audience is frankly fucking hilarious and an utter dismay at the same time. But I like that they’re trying new things with their characters, like the YA lines and the Black Label stuff, and I know IDW are looking at doing similar, so hopefully others do the same. I’m always game for more well done horror. Michael Walsh is doing some fucking GREAT horror stuff right now with his own material. More of that please. I’m burnt out on dirty superhero satire/deconstructions, too, so maybe less of that. They all look and read the same to me, but with “The Boys” (rightly) being such a smash with the TV show I suspect there’s just gonna be more of that.

I’d like to see more creators tackle smaller stories, too. I feel like there’s a lot of high-concept stuff that, on paper, sounds interesting, but it all starts to kind of get in the way of itself. I’ve been seeing a lot of “oh, well this is a story of this” but it’s really thinly veiled by other ideas, or surrounded by a particular dressing that makes me sort of go “this would’ve been better if it was just THAT core element, without the robots/ninjas/fruit-men/etc.”. It’s like a lot of creators are finally doing their spin on Brian K Vaughan, but they kinda miss why “Saga” or “Paper Girls” works the way it does. They have all the parts they need, but they’re adding parts they’ve seen work from another machine, if that makes sense. And that isn’t to say don’t do that big space opera, just know what the focus is and how to blend that into that universe without making it just read like your home-life cosplaying as Star Trek.

This might be vaguely controversial, but the monthly comic thing largely needs to go. I think it’s stifling a LOT of creativity for the sake of… I dunno… habit? Syndicate them digitally so people can get a taste of things (because, as a retailer, most people are reading digital stuff one way or the other anyway, and that has a huge say in what they buy to keep), then release the whole thing as a book. I think TKO’s model is rock solid. Obviously your soap books like Batman, Spider-Man… those things… they’re fine and they do their bit, but I think there are a lot of books that should just go straight to trade and really make the most of just being a book, rather than trying to conform to a weird issue number that kinda flies in the face of conventional storytelling structure. And unconventional storytelling never seems to take, or scares readers and publishers off in the monthly format in fear of that.


//TAGS | 2020 Year in Review

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