Happy New Year! Our staff has some goals for our personal comics consumption in 2022, and we want to encourage y’all to do the same! So, each day this week, we’ll be sharing some of our thoughts and goals for the next 12 months. We’d love you to continue the conversation in the comments or on social media.
Question #1: In 2022, I want to read more…
Mark Tweedale: European comics. I wasn’t reading that many for a while because I was insistent on reading physical books, and I just didn’t see many of them in comic or book stores. But I’ve been reading comics way more on my tablet this year, and comiXology is getting a real good read on my tastes now. Time and time again it keeps recommending European comics that I wind up loving. So I just want to do more of that. And if I’m very lucky, maybe someone will release “Les Indes Fourbes” in English this year.
Elias Rosner: One of the things I did not do in 2022 as I caught up with all the stuff I hadn’t been able to read during my grad school studies was revisit old favorites. In 2022, I want to do more of that. Now, I’m not much of a re-reader (or re-watcher) but I’ve found that sometimes I need to experience a story again to deepen my relationship to it and to destress my mind.
I’ve been wanting to read all of Terry Moore’s works in order in hardcover and I can do that now. I’ve been 2 volumes away from finishing “20th Century Boys” for nearly 4 years now and I want to finish it clean. Morrison’s “Animal Man” and Walden’s “On a Sunbeam” have both been calling my name, demanding I set the new shiny bauble aside and come back. Hell, if I’m really feeling ambitious, I’ll finally reread ALL of the “Hellboy” universe in the latest omnibus order and finally fold in the straggler series’ I’ve missed.
The possibilities are endless. Maybe that’s why it’s been so hard to go back.
Mel Lake: Indie comics and works created by marginalized groups. I’d like to broaden my horizons beyond the familiar characters and genres I know I’ll enjoy.
Ramon Piña: Specifically, I want to read the entire “B.P.R.D.” from “Plague of Frogs” to “The Devil You Know,” I’m a big fan of Mignola’s universe but haven’t been able to read this book yet, so, with the new TPB’s I might be able to.
Paul Lai: Comics past and comics future. I want to make steady, intentional progress through the mountains of books and primary sources I have about comics history globally so I can articulate a clearer sense of why the medium holds the cultural power it does today. And I want to read more climate conscious comics, books that take stock of the real life-as-we-know-it threats that demand our urgent, brave action and intrepid, alternative ways of living, the heroism we need in our times.
James Dowling: Webcomics! I’ve been lucky to meet a bunch of new people this year who are involved in making webcomics, and it’s really opened up my appetite for it. They’re free, creator-driven and probably the most dynamic medium in comics. There’s so much you can do with webcomics in terms of worldbuilding and storytelling methods, and it seems like the mainstream of comics is just learning this between DC on Webtoon, Marvel’s Infinity Comics and the shift to comics on Substack. A lot of it is a new frontier to me, so I’ve enjoyed getting to look at the early works from the mid to late 2000s, where you can see this cool stylistic origin they all share to a degree. My hope is that in 2022 I can keep reading and moving forward and see where it all branches outwards.
Robbie Pleasant: Indie comics, particularly older indie comics I overlooked. I admit, I mostly follow the “Big Two,” as well as comics from other companies that connect to properties I enjoy or are from writers whose works I enjoy. While that does cover a fair bit, it means I haven’t been really discovering much that’s new. Looking at the “Best Of” lists and seeing all these comics I overlooked made me realize that I need to widen my horizons to indie creators whose works I haven’t paid attention to lately. It’s time to step away from just the familiar and comfortable comic book universes, and see what I’ve been missing.
Continued below
Zach Wilkerson: Manga and novels. This year I’d specifically like to finally read all of “Monster,” “20th Century Boys,” and “Pluto.” I’d also like to be current on at least ten titles in Weekly Shonen Jump. Finally, I’d like to read somewhere between twenty and thirty books this year, the kind with more words and less pictures.
Brian Salvatore: OGNs. 2021 was a year when I don’t think I read one, not one new OGN. That’s due to a lot of factors, but it’s a bad thing that I want to correct. A self-contained story is somewhat anathema to the way I read comics growing up, where I was very much a part of the weekly grind. The beauty of comics is that there’s not one way to read, and so I want to re-introduce OGNs into my reading life.
Kate Kosturski: The answer for me is simple – – read more in general. In the back half of 2021, I fell off the reading progress I had made, no doubt due to a temporary return to the office, other hobbies of mine (knitting and sports), and the return of my more active social life. Something had to give, and reading – – both comics and prose – – was what gave. There’s only so many hours in the day! With a return to work from home on a permanent basis (thus more time in the day with no more long commutes), and a desire to achieve balance in all aspects of my life in this new year, it’s time to get back to that long to-read list . . . as daunting as it may seem.
