Welcome to half 2 of our annual Creator Survey. As we’ve performed yearly for 15 years, we requested comics creators, retailers and journalists to inform us what they thought had been the largest developments of the yr. This yr we additionally requested about what social media apps comics people had been considering of transferring to within the wake of Twitter’s decaying orbit. As you’ll be able to see, within the responses, whereas Twitter has performed a vital function in so many features of comics during the last decade, discovering a brand new platform – and even sticking round on social media – is an ever altering metric.
Thanks as at all times to everybody for taking the time to reply to our survey. You’ll be able to learn Half One right here.
Shaenon Okay. Garrity, Author, editor, cartoonist
2023 Initiatives: Jeffrey Wells and I completed our long-running day by day webcomic Pores and skin Horse this yr (full 12-volume print assortment obtainable now; go to skin-horse.com!), which has freed up lots of time. Chris Baldwin and I are engaged on a sequel to our graphic novel The Dire Days of Willowweep Manor. I’m writing some graphic novels I can’t discuss but.
Largest story of 2022: All of the dork-ass e-book bans transparently targeted on shutting down work by and about LGBT individuals, individuals of shade, and girls. I’ve no extra endurance for this nonsense.
Largest story of 2023: Hopefully, nonsense ending.
Responsible Pleasure for ’23: Nonetheless watching all of the horror motion pictures.
Mastodon, Hive, Twitter or one thing else? I’m hanging round Tumblr nowadays. It’s fairly chill.
John Patrick Inexperienced, cartoonist
2023 Initiatives: Popping out in 2023 I’ve the primary Brokers of S.U.I.T. e-book (February) that I co-wrote with Christopher Hastings and is illustrated by Pat Lewis and coloured by Wes Dzioba. It’s a by-product of the InvestiGators sequence I write and draw, which has its seventh quantity (titled “All Tide Up”) popping out later in September. Throughout 2023 I’ll be engaged on the second and third Brokers of S.U.I.T. books in addition to the eighth (and probably ninth!) InvestiGators.
Largest story of 2022: I’ve actually been out of the loop on capital C “Comics” issues these days. Perhaps James Gunn taking up DC’s movie division? Or the Batgirl film cancellation (and all of comics-adjacent media cancellations, like Netflix’s Bone adaptation and stuff.) I assume Oni Press employees getting gutted was a fairly large deal!
Largest story of 2023: Disney buys DC. Why not.
Responsible Pleasure for ’23: Indiana Jones 5. Extra Marvel TV. Extra Star Trek. These I don’t actually really feel responsible about, although, so I’m gonna say all of the costly LEGO units that I’ll in all probability purchase and by no means have time to place collectively.
Mastodon, Hive, Twitter or one thing else? Hive appeared fairly nice in the beginning, however has been down a bit whereas they attempt to enhance their total system. Mastodon may find yourself the winner. However actually I’d wish to see a resurgence in locations with a FOCUS. Message boards, boards, and so on. Much less “always speaking over each other vying for consideration” and extra “listed below are locations to have conversations about particular issues.” Precise discussions, not simply arguments with trolls, and I don’t know if something that follows the Twitter format can actually accomplish that.
Nate Powell, cartoonist
2023 Initiatives: My subsequent solo graphic novel, FALL THROUGH, might be out by Abrams ComicArts round August. It’s an interdimensional Nineties punk cleaning soap opera that’s about energy dynamics in artistic areas, a love letter to underground hardcore, and a pandemic remedy challenge stuffed with sweaty individuals respiratory on one another in enclosed, self-defined areas.
Largest story of 2022: It’s at present unfolding in actual time, however almost certainly the collapse of Twitter and different social media platforms as communication and organizational areas, and the scramble to stay linked and afloat in methods we more and more took without any consideration pre-pandemic, and positively transferring into the longer term.
Largest story of 2023: Horrifyingly, it can probably be a unbroken improve in censorship and intimidation campaigns from the reality-averse far-right. They at all times play the lengthy recreation, they’re simply ramping up, and so they’re determined.
Responsible Pleasure for ’23: Studying extra of the brand new wave of Hickman/Ayala/Duggan X-books! I haven’t been this excited to learn X-Males since I used to be 14 years previous.
Mastodon, Hive, Twitter or one thing else?I benefit from the simplicity of Hive, personally. However I feel we must always all take critically the basic takeaway that each one social media platforms will finally collapse and get replaced– and that it’s nonetheless true that we’re their product, not their clients.
Peggy Burns. Writer
2023 Initiatives: Barbara Brandon-Croft’s The place I’m Coming From; Benji Nate’s Woman Juice; Rina Ayuyang’s Man within the McIntosh Go well with, Roaming by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki, and plenty of many extra sensible initiatives.
Largest story of 2022: Kate Beaton’s DUCKS touchdown on the bestseller lists for a number of weeks, making many publications finest nonfiction books of the yr (not simply comics), and being in comparison with Maus and Enjoyable Dwelling, besides revealed by an indie. 🙂 Julie Doucet being nominated president of Angouleme, her new e-book Time Zone J being featured within the NY Occasions twice. Randall Park directing Adrian Tomine’s Shortcomings. Onerous to select one!!!
Largest story of 2023: Jillian and Mariko’s first graphic novel for adults, ROAMING
Responsible Pleasure for ’23: late nights at Chat Noir whereas attending Angouleme, mais oui
Mastodon, Hive, Twitter or one thing else? Please god no.
Matt Medney, Writer, Author, Heavy Steel
2023 Initiatives: Enthusiastic about my upcoming sequence AEON with Joe Harris and John Connelly! (See preview under) Additionally excited for the Graphic Novel Launch of Darkish Wing!
Largest story of 2022: James Gunn giving life to DC.
Largest story of 2023: The printing, provide chain disaster coming to a head.
Responsible Pleasure for ’23: Consuming extra sweets.
Mastodon, Hive, Twitter or one thing else? It’ll be again on Twitter.
Brian Fies, Graphic novelist
2023 Initiatives: I anticipate to spend most of 2023 studying Noah Van Sciver’s “Joseph Smith” e-book whereas working alone bold comics challenge I’m enthusiastic about however not able to announce. In the meantime, I’ll proceed to make appearances supporting my 2022 e-book, “The Final Mechanical Monster,” and I’ve occasions associated to 2019’s “A Hearth Story” deliberate as nicely. I’m quiet however busy! Lurking silently like a shark, or not less than cowering within the mud like a flatfish.
Largest story of 2022: The passing of the previous guard. It looks like a technology of each mainstream and Underground comics expertise has died abruptly: George Perez, Carlos Pacheco, Kevin O’Neill, Justin Inexperienced, Diane Noomin, Aline Kominsky-Crumb . . . It’s an important cumulative lack of historical past and expertise.
Largest story of 2023: I predict that one of many main comedian e-book corporations will publish a narrative drawn by synthetic intelligence, there might be an infinite uproar and outrage about it, and so they’ll promote a bajillion copies.
Responsible Pleasure for ’23: I’ll take no matter I can get.
Mastodon, Hive, Twitter or one thing else? Mimeographed newsletters, stapled and mailed with a “Peanuts” stamp.
Henry Barajas Writer (Gil Thorp, Batman: City Legends)
2023 Initiatives: Beyondtopia: Legends #2 & #3 are hitting comedian outlets in January and March 2023. I’m working a instructional comedian for the NYC Division of Training.
Largest story of 2022: Gender Queer’s win in Virginia because of the CBLDF
Largest story of 2023: AI will take over comics
Responsible Pleasure for ’23: I’ve been loving “Snoopy en Español” so much.
Mastodon, Hive, Twitter or one thing else? We now have but to see the brand new comics twitter. If you happen to’re sensible, e mail is the most effective place to go.
Peter Birkemoe. Retailer, The Beguiling
2023 Initiatives: simply protecting all of it collectively regardless of everybody’s forgetting the pandemic
Largest story of 2022: Ongoing distribution shakeups
Largest story of 2023: Sadly, ongoing distribution shakeups
Responsible Pleasure for ’23: Denpa’s PLEASURE & CORRUPTION
Calum Johnston, writer / retailer
2023 Initiatives: Makers #5 and 6 by Dave Howlett (@paskettiwestern) are coming quickly, new points from our buddies at Grandway Comics are on the way in which as nicely. [Editor’s note: The Makers elevator pitch: imagine a fictionalized version of the Image Comcis creators being in a Galaxy Quest type situation. Order here.]
Largest story of 2022: doomsday is upon us, comics are dying….
Largest story of 2023: doomsday remains to be upon us, comics are nonetheless dying….
Responsible Pleasure for ’23: hoping to get to comicspro, the one comics business convention, to see previous buddies, settle some previous scores and do our greatest to enhance the comedian e-book world
Mastodon, Hive, Twitter or one thing else? instagram and fb, nonetheless on twitter (however for a way lengthy?), tried HIVE and can achieve this once more as soon as it will get a bit extra steady, tried mastodon but it surely’s not for me. Reddit often
Marion Peña, Author/Podcaster
2023 Initiatives: Extra webtoon opinions! Listicles to provide individuals who haven’t learn any webtoons a greater thought of what is likely to be up their alley!
Largest story of 2022: Kadokawa proudly owning majority stake in J-Novel Membership. Yen Press, one other NA writer, can also be owned by Kadokawa, and can now present printings for sure JNC titles (novels and comics). This partnership between Yen and JNC occurred at ANYC, the place JNC additionally introduced their plans to dive additional into audiobooks, a area largely untapped within the manga/anime business till this yr.
Largest story of 2023: My intestine feeling is that Korean/Chinese language digital comics might be carving a deeper area of interest out there as time passes on. KOCCA (Korea Inventive Content material Company) is a Korean authorities company that promotes Korean content material internationally–together with digital and print comics like webtoons. They’d a presence at NYCC this yr, and introduced over a number of publishers to gauge curiosity and development within the North American market, to constructive outcomes.
Responsible Pleasure for ’23: Tapas, Tappytoon, Webtoon, Manta, and Pocket Comics will proceed to carry over ALL of the Romantasy (Romance Fantasy) from Korea and China, and I’ll proceed to devour all of it like a ravenous beast.
Mastodon, Hive, Twitter or one thing else? If Twitter doesn’t implode, I can solely see it staying there, except it turns into completely unusable. I may see Discord communities turning into extra prevalent, as they’re extra akin to AOL Chatrooms than social media areas like Fb or Twitter.
Megan Tan. Editorial Assistant
2023 Initiatives: Actually excited to see Woshibai’s English translation of 20KM/H out! And in addition Keum Suk Gendry Kim’s new e-book, THE NAKED TREE. I can also’t look forward to the world to learn the brand new Jillian and Mariko Tamaki’s e-book ROAMING and THE MAN IN MCINTOSH SUIT by Rina Ayuyang! Jazzed to even have Saito Nazuna’s OFFSHORE LIGHTNING out as nicely!
Largest story of 2022: Seeing all of the opinions of Kate Beaton’s DUCKS and following its launch. Having labored on it for therefore lengthy, and seeing it on the bestseller lists, in addition to studying how Kate’s story resonates with so many was actually gratifying. And naturally Julie Doucet successful the Grand Prix at Angoulême 🙂
Largest story of 2023: Oooh I’m actually excited to learn individuals’s reactions to ROAMING! 😀
Responsible Pleasure for ’23: I’m wanting ahead to the Nimona film!
Mastodon, Hive, Twitter or one thing else? Tumblr? I do assume I’ve seen a ton of individuals return to the great ol’ e-newsletter by way of Substack.
Ryan North, author
2023 Initiatives: DANGER AND OTHER UNKNOWN RISKS with Erica Henderson – – it’s me and Erica reuniting after Squirrel Woman to inform an all-new story tremendous essential to us each, and happening in a post-apocalyptic world of magic and journey – with a fairly large twist. We’re each tremendous excited for this.
Mastodon, Hive, Twitter or one thing else? I want I knew! Proper now I’m reexamining the belief that we want social media in any respect
Kat Kan, public librarian, Grownup Graphic Novel Selector
2023 Initiatives: Persevering with to pick graphic novels for my library system’s Grownup Graphic Novel assortment. Hoping to work with my metropolis’s Middle for the Arts and our native comics outlets to run a sequence of applications serving to individuals in our neighborhood create brief comics about their restoration from Hurricane Michael, a Cat-5 hurricane which devastated our a part of the Florida Panhandle in October 2018.
Largest story of 2022: Attributable to some main household points over the yr, I didn’t pay an excessive amount of consideration to information, however one factor i couldn’t assist however discover is that in-person comics conventions undoubtedly returned in 2022; I additionally observed that a lot of individuals who attended these conventions bought contaminated with COVID.
Largest story of 2023: Extra development in comics from unbiased publishers and so-called conventional e-book publishers. This has been occurring for years. Whereas I order some DC and Marvel graphic novels, my patrons a lot choose manga, and a few will take possibilities selecting up titles from different comics publishers in addition to titles from new unique graphic novel imprints from e-book publishers. I’ve additionally seen increasingly kids’s and youth unique graphic novels being revealed.
Responsible Pleasure for ’23: Sharing extra comics with my grandsons.
Mastodon, Hive, Twitter or one thing else? I’m simply hanging again and ready to see what develops.
Brandon Forsyth, Bookseller
Largest story of 2022: The explosion of manga in North America
Largest story of 2023:The continued rise of manga and webtoons
Responsible Pleasure for ’23: James Tynion’s continued runs on THE NICE HOUSE ON THE LAKE and THE DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH, huge concepts sci-fi!
