Every year, we send out a survey to a wide variety of creators and ask them questions about the year in comics. We had an incredible response this year, and got creators from all corners of the comics world to weigh in one what they loved about comics in 2021. Every day this week, we will be sharing a different question from our questionnaire.
Hopefully these inspire you to check out some new books, and to give some other books a second look.
Thank you to all the folks who took the time during this busy holiday season to reply.
Question #5: what would you like to read more of – titles, genres, etc – in 2023?
Liana Kangas (“Trve Kvlt,” “Star Wars Adventures”): I really enjoyed reading “It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth” by Zoe Thorogood after Thought Bubble this year and would love to see more auto-bio integration into comics this upcoming year.
Dan McDaid (“Judge Dredd,” “Dega”): More excitement, more weirdness, big emotions, lots of soap opera and explosions. That’s what I love about comics. Any genre is fine with me, as long as it has emotional content and swings for the fences in terms of style and energy. So, that. More of that.
Tyler Crook (“The Lonesome Hunters,” “Harrow County”): I’d like to read more “art comics”, zines and I’d love to find more fantasy comics.
Dan Panosian (“Alice Ever After,” “Black Tape”): Thrillers and Horror material. But Ed Brubaker always delivers exceptional Modern Noir.
Christa Faust (“Hit Me,” “Redemption”): Crime crime crime with crime sauce. The harder boiled the better.
Chip Zdarsky (“Public Domain,” “Batman”): I just want North American creators to start making books about things they’re passionate about, instead of just trying to write in various genres like sci-fi or fantasy. You enjoy gardening? Make a book about gardening! You have an interest in the Anglo-Scottish War of 1346? Make a book about that!
Jarred Luján (“Cray and Troy,” “The Twin Blades”): Listen, I’m a Texas man, tried and true, so I want more westerns. Not just cowboys and outlaws, but big stories in new settings that aren’t shy of their roots in the western-style story. Be proud of it! They’re neat!
Leeanne Krecic (“Let’s Play”): I’m always open to reading more romance; it’s a genre I don’t think I’ll ever grow tired of. I also have a stack of self-care books I hope to dive into next year. And Martha Wells, a very talented writer, has a new book releasing in May of next year called, Witch King. It’s her first fantasy title in a decade after writing a series of very successful science fiction books called, Murderbot Diaries.
Tim Daniel (Executive Vice President of Branding & Design, Vault): I’m steadfast in terms of genre. I dig my horror but making comics all day long has exacted a very real toll on both my time and energy as far as pure recreational reading is concerned.
Recently, I’ve found myself spending a lot more time with bios, having devoured George Lucas: A Life, Robert Iger: The Ride Of A Lifetime (guess I’ll be buying an updated edition sometime in the future), Steven Spielberg: A Biography, Roger Ebert: Life Itself, True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee, Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s. It’s likely that I’ll continue down that path because I’ve found the switch from genre-based fiction to bios energizing. Invariably, I’ll find something highly instructive or inspiring as the bio is part creative process, morality tale, business seminar, and leadership handbooks.
Chris Shehan (“The Autumnal,” “Nightfall: Double Feature”): I am currently following the Path of the Beam with my partner (reading through the Dark Tower series). It’s their first time and my second and we are chipping away at it slowly as a little 2 people book club when I have free time. I’d love to get more of that done in 2023.
As for comics, I want more time to read old favorites and discover some new favorites. Any genre, I love stories. Some of the best comics of our lifetime are coming out in recent times and I’m very excited to spend more time as a fan (and a creator).
Continued belowDavid Andry (“End After End,” “Resonant”): I’m really into the novels of John Gwynne right now. I read the Bloodsworn Saga and now I’m on the second book of the Faithful and the Fallen series. His books are perfect to me. Characters you really care about, brutal violence, great pacing. I’ll read everything he’s written, probably by the end of 2023.
Sebastian Girner (Editor in Chief, TKO Comics): I always want to read more horror. Or horror + Crime, Romance, Fantasy. Whatever it is adding horror makes it better. It’s the most malleable, the most relatable genre and the straightest line to getting to the core of the human condition. We spend our lives fearful of death. Only Horror can cure us of our fear and make us better people. Just everyone make more horror stuff please.
Coni Yovaniniz (“Walking to Do”): I still have a huge pile of unread comics at home, so I’m hoping to jump into that in the new year!! I’ve also been wanting to read more prose books…? Something something about expanding your horizons, but we all know comics are the best reading there is.
Sally Cantirino (“Door to Door Night by Night,” “I Walk With Monsters”): As someone who draws horror comics, I want both more horror comics and more comics that are as far from horror as possible. It’s all about balance!
Rodrigo Vargas (“Walking to Do,” “Everything Will Be Okay”): Last year I said I wanted to crack up, and then 2022 came and I didn’t. So I’m gonna say I want to read more grim and gritty comics, with the hope that funny books go popular again.
Also, my book with Coni Yovaniniz, “The Do-Over,” comes out in may, I’d like to read that!
Harry Bogosian (“A Better Place,” “Demon’s Mirror”): I really hope for more intense and weird fantasy comics with lush illustrations and deep worlds. Blend in science fiction, humor, horror, whatever you’d like! I want to see the creator spill their indulgences onto the page and revel in them.
Kyler Clodfelter (“Crash and Troy,” “Dungeons and Dragons Annua 2022”): I’d love to dive deeper into indie books and ROMANCE. This industry needs more romance books. Someone should do something about that.
Tyler Chin-Tanner (Publisher, A Wave Blue World): More creator-driven content, please. The stories I’m most interested in reading are the ones creators are most passionate about telling. Whether it’s crowdfunded, on a new digital platform, or through a fair publishing deal, I would love to see even more creator-owned comics in 2023!
Viviana Medeiros (“The Ocean Soul”): I’d like to read more standalone stories, short and sweet, that aren’t too dragged out. My tastes have gone to the simpler side, and I crave more abstract narratives, that utilise colour and composition to tell a story. Drama, comedy and fantasy are still my main go-to’s!
Brian Joines (“Krampus: A Yuletide Adventue,” “Backtrack”): In terms of the Big Two, I always want to see stories focusing on the existing B-, C-, and D-level characters that rarely get used, rather than more of the same ten or eleven characters/titles that get propped up again and again. As far as genres go, I feel like two big gaps I see are the kind of mystery/whodunnit series and a more traditional Western, not a modern-day book with a Western vibe. One older comic I meant to reread but didn’t ever get to was “Desperadoes” by Jeff Mariotte and John Cassaday…would love to see a new book with that kind of vibe again.
Floor de Goede (“Dancing on the Volcano,” “Flo”): I would really like to read more queer stories. More smaller told personal stories that are just as important as the big ones. Stories that can change my perspective on life or make me see it in a different way.
Hunter Gorinson (President and Publisher, ONI Press): A curious, but understandable phenomenon that I’m hoping comics can make a project of in the years to come: For a myriad of reasons – climate change, the pandemic, and the like – we seem to have stopped dreaming up new images of the future. Post-apocalyptic hellscapes, yes, we have those in ample supply, but, for the first time since science fiction recognized its own existence in the early 1900s, we have stopped creating actionable models of humanity’s future beyond its outright destruction, especially, it seems. in comics. I’m not suggesting we only tell tales of shiny, shiny optimism, but I do think, given how strange and unpredictable the first few decades of the 21st century have proven to be thus far, the next natural question should be: what happens next?
Continued belowJed McGowan (“My Life Among Humans,” “Uninhabitable”): I would love to read more comics from unique voices, underrepresented groups, and foreign cartoonists. As a creator, I always learn a ton when I read comics from people with drastically different backgrounds. I would love to experience even more of that in 2023.
Gregg Hurwitz (“NewThink,” “Knighted”): I want to finish my reread of Robert B. Parker’s Spenser series. I got up a great head of steam and then detoured into other reading adventures. Looking forward to reading the complete annotated “Sandman” by Les Klinger (I’ve had it on the shelf for years, waiting for the perfect amount of cleared reading time).
Mark Russell (“Superman: Space Age,” “Not All Robots”): I would like to read more non-comics, frankly. I feel like I get spoiled by how accessible comics are and how many great works are out there. I’d like more time to send the diving bell down into some truly boring and humorless tome just to remind myself that I still have that sort of patience as a reader. Barring that, I would also really like to explore some of my cultural blind spots and read more fables and legends from around the world. Stories that gave people great meaning once, and maybe still do. That’s probably going to be a reading priority for me in 2023.
Alex Segura (“Blood Oath,” “Marvel Voices”: More crime comics. More action comics with a sense of humor. More gothic horror. More superhero stories that celebrate the genre vs deconstruct it. More slice of life comics. It’s a great time to be a comic book reader!
Phillip Sevy (“Kepler,” “X-Men Unlimited”): Oh dear, I don’t think I ever go into a year with a “*this* is what I want from comics this year” mindset. I just want to be surprised by stories. Unique voices, stories, truths – regardless of the genre – are what make me excited about comics.
Kyle Starks (“Rick and Morty,” “I Hate This Place”): I feel like over the last year or two horror has became a really viable additional genre to comics – and that’s thrilling to me both as a reader and creator. That it doesn’t need to be superheroes or thrillers to be viable. I for one hope for another genre to gain a real foothold in direct market comics.
Neil Kleid (“The Panic,” “Judas Priest: Screaming for Vengeance”): Sports comic books! I’d also love to see the industry embrace Jewish comic book storylines in terms of both independent work (I’m cooking up something in that vein for 2024…) and in licensed work, focusing on Judaic themes in terms of established superhero characters rooted in Jewish representation by Jewish creators. Where’s our Judaically-themed Marvel VOICES book, friends? More Chanukah stories in those annual Big Two holiday anthologies, please! And can I introduce the world to a Krakoan Passover seder or something?
Rafael Scavone (“Red Tag,” “Hailstone”): In 2023 I would love to read more comics by new creative voices from all around the World, especially those mixing genres and exploring unusual themes.
Abigail J. Harding (“Ask for Mercy”): Looking forward to more Horror next year. The genre has been going strong for a while now but it just keeps getting better and better.
I’ve been trying to track down a physical copy of Guy Davis’s “The Marquis” for a few months now and I hope I will be able to find one to read next year. It’s a title I only just discovered this year and I wish one day it will see another reprint because it’s just a beautiful gem of a comic.
Stuart Moore (“Highball,” “The Wrong Eart: Purple”): Crazy shit that makes me think, from a variety of cultural perspectives.
Bryce Ingman (“My Bad”): I look forward to being surprised and inspired by what my fellow creators come up with in 2023. In other words, I plan on reading lots of comics!
Rachele Aragno (“Leonide the Vampyr,” “Melvina”): I’d like to see more horror, creepy and folklore stories…comics, films or series! I need some darkness.
Roberta Ingranata (“Dr. Who,” “Witchblade”): I certainly have a lot to recover in this 2023, first of all comics, but above all books. I’m a bookworm, I’ve always read a lot. I know I won’t be able to read as much as I used to, but I hope I can read at least one book every month, that would be perfect!
Continued belowEldo Yoshimizu (“Ryuku,” “Hen Kai Pain”): Korean Movies and TV series.
Charles Ardai (“Gun Honey”): I never get my fill of great crime fiction! Give me dark alleys and seedy nightclubs, sinister femmes fatale and brooding detectives, a mix of jazz and gunfire on the soundtrack, and you’ll see a big smile on my face.
Petra Norlund (“Prague Race,” “Tiger, Tiger”): I’m ending this on a bit of a somber note- ever since the war Russia has been completely cut off from the rest of the world, and I’ve only now realized that a lot of Russian artists and writers whose work I’ve enjoyed have disappeared from the online world completely. Creators who I’ve befriended as a teen have suddenly become lost to me and I have no way to contact them. The Finland-Russia border is closed for the indefinite future. The Russian government is banning all LGBT books as western propaganda- who knows what will happen, and has already happened to the marginalized people who made those books.
My goal for 2023 is to collect as many of those comics and stories as I can, and to try to reconnect with the people I’ve lost contact with.
To bring back to light the creations of those who never have and never would support the indefensible actions of a corrupt, sick joke of a government, and who are stuck in a country hostile to them and their views.
Emily Pearson (“Bonding”): I’m always such a big fan of high fantasy, or otherworldly settings. I think it’s a genre that would do really well in comics and is often passed by. There are a lot of ways comics can utilize its visuals as a storytelling medium that I’d like to see more of.
Tim Seeley (“Money Shot,” “Revival”): I’d like to see more retail spaces that carry only Japanese comics picking up indy American stuff. Stuff like “Saga,” “The Walking Dead,” pretty much all Vault Comics and my own “Hack/Slash” would absolutely appeal to those new, younger readers, and should get a place at the table in their home country.
Adam Gorham (“The Blue Flame,” “New Mutants”): I plan to read more manga. It’s been a blindspot of mine for a long time and I want to fix that. I will also be looking for more romance comics.
Daniel Kraus (The Autumnal, Trollhunters): Most of my favorite pieces of art this year were from very small presses, real bizarro stuff that challenged my notion of what a cogent piece of art even is. I can’t wish for more of that, because by its nature it has to sprout organically, but I wish there was a better discovery tool for it, as opposed to, you know, the shitshow of Twitter.
Christopher Cantwell (“The Blue Flame,” “Iron Man”): I just would like to have more time to do anything, period. I have three kids and I’m fighting for minutes over here.
Michael Moreci (“Barbaric,” “Wasted Space”): I’ve been on a kick reading the history of soccer. I played most my life and coach my kids now, and I just love the history and evolution of the game. So many people have written on the topic so well, and I really have enjoyed exploring all these dramatic angles that have brought the sport to where it is now.
Hayden Sherman (“Blink,” “Above Snakes”): I really want to dive into the entirety of Phillipe Druillet’s “Lone Sloane.” I’ve only gotten my hands on chunks of it so far, but it’s always a wild weird time.
As for genres, I think my reading palette could use a lil’ romance. I should find more romance comics. I read a lot of adventure, sci-fi, fantasy, psychedelic stuff. Gotta branch out more.
Holly G (“Archie Digests,” “School Bites”): I’m actually not a big reader, I am looking forward the the Hogwarts Legacy video game!
Ron Robbins (“Archie Digests,” “Weirder Mysteries”): Can DC please revive “ ‘Mazing Man?” The world needs him more than ever. Who’d like to write a one-shot with me?
Butch Mapa (“Happy Horrordays,” “Star Wars Adventures”): “Astro City,” really missed it this year!
Michael Northrop (“Fear the Funhouse,” “Teen Titans Go!: Undead?!”): A good, smart ongoing humor series. I love humor and horror, and there’s tons of great horror out, but with humor it feels like you’re lucky if there’s one great miniseries happening. “Wonder Twins,” “Jimmy Olsen,” “Shirtless Bear Fighter”… I’m sure I’m missing some, but to miss the great horror in a comic shop, you’d need a blindfold. To miss the great humor you just have to forget your magnifying glass. The next miniseries I’m really looking forward to is Frank Tieri’s “Multiversity: Harley Screws Up the DCU.”
Continued belowJamie L. Rotante (Archie Comics Senior Director of Editorial): Webcomics, horror, humor, murder/mystery
Joe Glass (“The Pride,” “Young Men in Love”): Queer romance. I’m a little surprised, as I’d never really considered myself much into romance, but honestly, this year gave me some crumbs, and I was part of making some, and it just makes me hungry for more. Connected to that, comics with gay rep that aren’t afraid to be sexy and full on thots. Let’s stop infantilising or sanitizing queer identities, let’s see more celebration of the joys of queer sex as well as romance.
Also, I hope there’s more for Jon Kent’s Superman after the impending mini-series. I am not ready to be done with that character.
Mike Deodato Jr (“The Fourth Man,” “The Resistance”): Crime, Sci-fi, and Western.
Joe Corallo (“The Never Ending Party,” “She Said Destroy”): Most things, really! I’d love to go through some more classic European and Japanese comics. I want to tackle a lot more of Rumiko Takahashi’s work for sure as well as more Judge Dredd. I’ve read only a little bit of Judge Dredd and I want to remedy that as quickly as possible!
Zack Kaplan (“Metal Society,” “Break Out”): Nah, no requests, just more good comics – surprise me, 2023!
