Here’s the final part of our annual survey of the comics industry, with all the big stories, all the prognostications and all the guilty pleasures. 2925 had some very clear storylines, and they all got mentioned:
- Diamond
- DC is boffo
- Comics sales are boffo!
- Uh oh, Baker & Taylor
- Tariffs ugh
- Indie bookstores yay!
It was the best of time and the worst of times….but the comics will keep coming and we’ll keep reading them.
Once again, thanks to all who participated at a very busy time of the year. I’m always amazed that so many people take the time out to give their very thoughtful answers.
You can read the entire survey here.
Chris Miskiewicz, (future: boundforfailurestudios.com), Writer, Man of our Town
2026 Projects: Dance Gavin Dance – Night of the Fruit Mafia/Dance of the Robot – for Z2Comics
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2025? That the entire industry is in a time out due to Diamond shitting the bed
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2026? Everything that Chris Miskiewicz does to reinvigorate this field. (wink)
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2026? Hopefully, the next Avengers film rocks.
Do you have a local comics shop? What do you like (or love) about it? Action City Comics in Greenpoint rules. Eric the owner is cool, but Brendan Reilly rocks that place.
David Pepose, Writer
2026 Projects: Space Ghost, Speed Racer, The O.Z., and more!
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2025? I’d say Diamond’s bankruptcy, for sure. For decades, they’ve been the 800-pound gorilla in the room as far as comics distribution is concerned, and their downfall has certainly caused all manner of cascading consequences for publishers across the industry. Thankfully, it seems that most publishers have found new arrangements with Penguin Random-House, Lunar, Simon & Schuster, and more, but Diamond’s downfall puts a lot of pressure on retailers and independent publishers that I’m certain they would have loved to avoid. While the dust has only just begun to settle and everyone is getting used to the new normal, the ongoing battle as far as Diamond trying to sell publishers’ consigned inventory is something to keep an eye on in 2026.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2026? DC. Between DC All-In, the return of Vertigo, and the ongoing sales juggernaut of the Absolute line, DC’s coming into 2026 swinging, with some ambitious plans with a top-shelf crew of creative talent. (I’m particularly excited to check out Ryan North and Gavin Guidry’s new run on The Flash, as well as Pornsak Pichetshote and Rafael Albuquerque’s Absolute Green Arrow!) As both a creator and a fan, I’m very excited to see what DC’s got cooking.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2026? I have absolutely zero guilt for how much I’m going to enjoy Oni and Archie’s new offerings in 2026. The creative team announcements feel completely demented, but in the absolute best possible way — Afterlife With Archie is what inspired me to take the leap to becoming a comic book writer in the first place, and these new titles with W. Maxwell Price, Corrina Bechko, and Patrick Horvath feel like the perfect evolution for Archie and the rest of Riverdale’s teenage cohort.
Do you have a local comics shop? What do you like (or love) about it? I’ve been very fortunate to have the support of incredible Los Angeles shops such as The Comic Bug, Golden Apple Comics, and Collector’s Paradise —all three of these shops have their own unique ways of building community and celebrating comics as a medium, and they’re all definitely worth visiting!
Dash Shaw, cartoonist
2026 Projects: LIKE SWIMMERS is a murder-mystery coming out August 2026! From New York Review Comics.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2025? In my corner of the comics world, I loved Bubbles Con 2 in Richmond, Virginia.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2026? I hope more independent bookstores and comic stores appear, and continue, despite the overall difficulty of the world.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2026? I love Manben, the cartoonist-interview show hosted by Naoki Urasawa on NHK.
Do you have a local comics shop? What do you like (or love) about it? My local comic shop is Velocity Comics in Richmond, Virginia. I’ve known Patrick the owner there for the majority of my life. It’s in walking distance of where I live now. They do a great job of carrying the wide range of comics and graphic novels out now, plus there’s always some inexpensive rare surprises floating around in their boxes. It’s a friendly place to pop in for a few minutes, or spend a few hours digging. I’m grateful for it every week.
Bill Kartalopoulos, Scholar, curator, teacher, event organizer
2026 Projects: Opening at the Center for Book Arts (NYC) in January 2026: “Rewriting the World: Isidore Isou and the Lettrist Book,” co-curated by myself and scholar/archivist Frédéric Acquaviva. This is only the third exhibit about this under-examined French avant-garde movement ever held in the US, and the first to feature a section on Lettrism and comics. Among many other works we will be showing original pages from Roberto Altmann’s ground-breaking 1968 graphic novel “Geste Hypergraphique” for the first time anywhere, ever. This little-known book rewrites the history of comics and I’m proud to play a role in showing this work in the US for the first time.
Then in March, it’s SI MoCCA Arts Fest 2026, where I’m again serving as programming director. Guest announcements coming soon!
This coming year I’ll also be making final edits on my long-awaited general history of American comics and continuing work on the second volume of Joe Brainard’s comics. Others surprises to follow, no doubt.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2025? The Diamond bankruptcy. The cancellation of the 2026 Angoulême festival, which would not have happened without the solidarity of authors at large and small publishers who were united in their desire to see institutional change at the event. Joe Sacco’s recent “War on Gaza” and this year’s “The Once and Future Riot” remind us what an important contemporary figure he is. Coming just a few years after his masterpiece “Paying the Land” (unfortunately released during lockdown), it’s a good reminder that Sacco is one of the most important comics artists working today.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2026? I hope there will be more support for intelligent, risk-taking graphic novels for adult readers in 2026.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2026? More bad reviews of Marvel movies.
Do you have a local comics shop? What do you like (or love) about it? Let’s hear it for Forbidden Planet NY, a high-functioning, long-lived, comfortable and friendly environment for all kinds of readers in a perfect location. I really appreciate that they’ve spruced up their zine section recently.
Russ Kazmierczak, Jr., Cartoonist
2026 Projects: At the beginning of 2026, I’ll be self-publishing issue #57 of my long-running minicomics series, Amazing Arizona Comics. In #53, my series took a “bold new direction,” introducing ME (the creator) as a supporting character. Consequently, my lead hero, Speed Cameron, knows he’s in a comic book and is wondering if his life is truly his own. This isn’t Deadpool-style fourth wall breaking irreverence — this is is existence-questioning personal crisis, for the creator AND the creation!
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2025? My answer is twofold: positively, I believe the insistent success of Absolute Batman proves a market for superhero comics, and sales proves an undeniable interest in fresh takes on classic characters. Challengingly, the passing of Peter David reveals the squalor of our industry’s most significant creators, and better care of our modern pioneers is imperative if we want future creators to consider making an impact like he did. Otherwise, why invest in an industry that doesn’t invest in you?
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2026? The new Avengers film will undoubtedly be the biggest story — hopefully, it will boost comics sales with its global mainstream appeal.
Do you have a local comics shop? What do you like (or love) about it? Drawn to Comics in Glendale, Arizona is the best comics shop I’ve ever seen. Their inventory is immense, and their staff is the friendliest you’ll ever meet. Owners Ken and Sue Brown run a family-friendly operation that promotes the sophistication of comics as a storytelling medium, and they support the Phoenix Metro indie scene like no other, with local creator signings nearly every weekend. Highly recommended!
Colleen AF Venable, writer
2026 Projects: Katie the Catsitter: Villain Con comes out in June.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2025? Sadly it’s record number of challenged and banned books, not to mention the rise of quiet “soft censorship” where books on certain topics, or by certain types of authors, are just not bought for libraries in the first place. The numbers are terrifying.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2026? Hopefully all the lawsuits against AI, as we fight back. Though there’s another problem which is so many books used to train the models weren’t creator owned projects. So if there is a lawsuit, publishers get the money, but the brains that made the real work get nothing but their ideas and style stolen.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2026? Not comics, but I adore Light Novels and I love that more comic shops are carrying them. I mean have you really lived if you haven’t read “ReBorn As a Vending Machine Now I Wander the Dungeon“? Super fast reads with the world’s most bizarre topics are a great distraction from the world on fire.
Do you have a local comics shop? What do you like (or love) about it? The Research And Development store in Mass MoCA, North Adams is predominately an art book store and gift shop, but they have a killer graphic novel section that is wonderfully curated by their great staff. My favorite place to find a graphic novel I’ve never heard of that knocks my socks off.
Charlie Stickney, Writer/Publisher
2026 Projects: 2026 is going to be a big year for White Ash Comics. We’ll be expanding a bit from the White Ash Universe and putting out our first creator-owned series — RUN. From writer LAYNE MORGAN (Glarien & Thane) and artist SKYLAR PATRIDGE (Action Comics, Super Girl, Resonant) Run traps a co-ed high school track team right at the very beginning of a devastating apocalypse in a soapy, blood soaked One Tree Hill meets Red Dawn mash up. We’ve also got plenty of new White Ash in the pipeline including new Hardcover Collections of White Ash Vol 1 AND Vol 2, The Game Vol 1. And finally, and perhaps most importantly to many of our readers, 2026 should mark the return of our books to comic shops across the country.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2025? Absolutely the Absolute line. It continued to dominate the conversations and sales around the Direct Market. And every publisher is evaluating what they have, and trying to figure out what lessons they can take from DC’s Absolute juggernaut, and most importantly, if they can apply those lessons to their own titles.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2026? I’d love to say it would be the return to prominence of creator-owned books. Unfortunately, I think that return is tied to the economy. And until it’s humming along again, customers are less likely to take risks on spending money on things they don’t know. Something like Absolute Batman worked so well because it was “sorta new.” So I think the biggest story is likely to be based on the breakout success of an IP we already know, but one that the caretakers of, emboldened by DC’s Absolute line, lets someone run wild. So… Pinnacle Power Rangers, anyone?
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2026? The new season of Slow Horses. I can’t get enough of Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb.
Do you have a local comics shop? What do you like (or love) about it? Santa Monica Comics. It’s a brand new shop from Kristen and Eddie who used to run Hi De Ho here in Los Angeles. They’re great people who love comics and comic creators. They’ve got plans for a large local creators section and plenty of events helping promote LA based comic people. If you live in Southern California, check out the shop.
Neil Kleid, Writer, Graphic Novelist, Super Genius
2026 Projects: Right now, I’m finishing up Medieval, a mature-readers Arthurian / baseball comic book series with Alex Cormack and Sarah Litt at Comixology Originals. Definitely something outside my usual wheelhouse, but a whole lot of violent, bloody, comedic fun as Cormack and I drop a modern-day New York baseball fan into sixth-century King Arthur’s court and destroy Mark Twain’s legacy. After being hit by a line drive, baseball fan Danny Landau wakes up in sixth-century England, out of time with no skills other than a knack for construction and a penchant for violence. His unique form of loud-mouthed chivalry—and “The Babe”his custom-designed iron bat—gains the attention of Camelot, bringing him helm-to-boot with Arthur, Lancelot, and Merlin, the notoriously wily magician who may just have Danny’s ticket home. Beer, baseball, Bronx, Britain. Issues 1 and 2 are out now, and the third drops on January 13th. I’m also working on my first-ever original horror novel, out (cross fingers) Fall of 2026. It’s a bit of a mash-up that I don’t want to spoil here – but intrigued readers will definitely find it familiar. You can learn when it’s announced and is planned to be released—along with fantastic essays, free comics and more—by subscribing to my monthly newsletter, “Nice Jewish Words & Comics.” And then, who knows? I’ve got a few pitches out there, floating across the universe. Let’s see if we can bring them home.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2025? Diamond? Is it Diamond? It’s probably the fall—finally—of Diamond and the rise of, well, many, many other distribution methods—but more importantly, the bind and chokehold that Diamond’s fall has put on small and indie comics publishers, many who were left holding the bag. Apart from that, the constant, terrible jungle drums of AI and its monstrous encroachment upon creative spaces; the return of DC Comics / Vertigo upon the horizon; Marvel and DC making peanut butter-and-chocolate superhero babies together again; the juggernaut boom double-punch that was the DC Comics Absolute Universe and the new Superman movie; and, of course and most importantly, the growing and rising threat against many, many creators and their freedoms—to create and publish, to get their necessary voices out into the market and world, to travel, to love, to simply exist—by the current administration.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2026? I’m awful at predicting the future. I always say “somebody figuring out digital comics” but something tells me the more realistic answer will have to do with a major publisher and / or studio wholeheartedly embracing AI on the regular. I think you’re going to see a lot more well-known (and slightly less well-known) creators figuring out how to self-publish and bring their stories directly to readers and audiences sans publisher. The revival of the Marvel Cinematic Universe? K-Pop Demon Hunters taking the comics world by storm? Major publishers and studios finally, finally, finally giving the creators off whose work their movies and shows are based their well-deserved rights and royalties, their financial due? Hell if I know. It’ll probably be another X-Men reboot. But wouldn’t it be great if it was a good-and-bloody Medieval feature film or animated series ala Invincible?
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2026? I’ll admit that I’m a sucker for a good franchise movie, and want to see if the MCU is gonna swim or sink—plus, I dig watching those movies with my boys, so bring on the Doomsday. I’m also looking forward to more seasons of The Pitt and The Bear, the new Lanterns show, and my nightly ritual watching yesterday’s episode of Jeopardy (what? it centers me.) Finally, I’m learning to mull my own wine and cider, so I’m looking forward to it being cold for a while longer while I figure it out…
Do you have a local comics shop? What do you like (or love) about it? I do! I love Alex and Tony at A&S Comics in Teaneck, NJ, my hometown store! They just did a fantastic remodel a year ago, and its walking distance from my house and they guys there always have a smile and a high-five for me when I walk in the door. Lots of great back issues, fantastic wall selection, and they always hold the stuff I’m worried I’ll miss for me, even though I don’t have a regular pull list anymore (it got too big!)
Barbra Dillon, Editor-in-Chief, Fanbase Press
2026 Projects: Fanbase Press will soon be announcing SHRUB, a middle grade Graphic Medicine series, written by Shane Portman (TUMBLE LEAF) and illustrated by Andy Alves (COSMIC CADETS), which explores the various ways that we allow grief to take root.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2025? For me, it was the persevering drive of the independent publishers and creators. The indie spirit could not be diminished this year, even in the face of tariffs, censorship and challenges against comics within libraries, and the loss of distribution via Diamond and Baker & Taylor. I will always look towards the indie comics community as the drivers of change.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2026? I think that 2026 will bring about a great deal of consolidation: of new releases, publishers, and distributors. To that end, I think that the folks at Power Pulp will be leading the way in establishing a successful model for consolidating creators’ resources into an effective and impactful publishing house.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2026? Reading! This year has been such a whirlwind that my to-read pile is bigger than I am! (I know…that’s not saying much.)
Katharine Kan, Librarian, Adult Graphic Novel Selector
2026 Projects: I’m working on a Will Eisner Week program (have been doing them for more than a decade), and figuring out how to do Free Comic Book Day in my library, now that there will be one. I’ve done FCBD every year since it started in 2002.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2025? The biggest story – or at least one of them – is the total collapse and bankruptcy of Diamond Comics Distributors. I was one of the first librarians to work with and for Diamond Comics Distributors, back in the early 2000s, so this hit hard.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2026? I’m hoping it won’t be about AI making inroads in comics creation.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2026? Hoping to travel home to Hawai’i to visit family and friends.
Do you have a local comics shop? What do you like (or love) about it? I’m lucky that our town has two fabulous comics shops – Arena Comics and Comic Emporium. Comic Emporium was the first store I noticed the day we drove into town in 2003, and I’ve been a customer ever since. Owner Greg Ray treated me with respect from day one, and has allowed me to do programs in his store. Arena Comics is a few years newer than Comic Emporium; the owner and his staff are always willing to support our library’s programs.
Rob Clough, Publisher, editor, critic, teacher, showrunner
2026 Projects: Fieldmouse Press will be publishing a number of new books and minicomics in 2026. Highlights include Keren Katz’s epic Parenthesis, Tinguu’s deluxe version of The Cannibals, minicomics from Rumi Hara, Jenny Zervakis, & Emily Zullo, and much more.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2025? The double whammy of the Trump-induced tariffs crippling publishing and the recent censorship from Chinese printers.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2026? Finding ways to combat the forces arrayed against publishing through mutual aid, sharing of information and resources, and building community from the ground up across the world.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2026? As always, All Elite Wrestling.
Randy Reynaldo, WCG Comics Cartoonist/writer-artist and 2018 Inkpot Award recipient
2026 Projects: I continue chugging along with my long-running globetrotting action-adventure series, Rob Hanes Adventures, with issue 27 coming in 2026. After a fun change of pace in issue 26 when Rob went into space, the series comes down to earth in issue 27 when Rob goes into Ukraine to rescue a CIA agent caught in the war zone. People can find out more about my work and order new and back issues (and trade paperbacks) at wcgcomics.com.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2025? The meltdown of Diamond Comics Distribution. It’s created a challenge for many small comics titles and publishers—the new main distributors don’t seem as committed or obligated to growing the market or ensuring access.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2026? Your guess is as good as mine, but the sale of Warner Brothers (and, by proxy, DC Comics) to either Netflix or Paramount, and how that will ultimately impact DC Comics, may turn out to be quite a ride in 2026.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2026? I hope to expand into traveling to other states and comic book conventions as an exhibitor, but we’ll see!
Do you have a local comics shop? What do you like (or love) about it? For better or worse, I have three shops local to me in my part of town in Los Angeles: The Comic Bug, Pulp Fiction and the newly opened/relocated Santa Monica Comic Book Company. I know the owners/staff at all—each store has their own distinct personalities and vibes, and I love visiting all of them.
Zack Quaintance, Writer
2026 Projects: I have two books due out in 2026, both of which continue self-published crowdfunded comics series I write. Death of Comics Bookcase, Vol. 2 is due out this summer, featuring art by Nick Cagnetti, Ryan Lee, John P. Golden, and more. And in late 2026, we’ll be continuing our grindhouse Texas horror series with Macabre Valley #2, written by myself, drawn by Anna Readman, colored by Brad Simpson, and lettered by Becca Carey.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2025? The continued success of DC’s 1-2 punch of the Absolute Universe and its compact comics series.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2026? Wishful thinking but wouldn’t it be nice if it was a resurgence of original creator-owned comics series without any licensed IP or celebrity co-signs? Led perhaps by the return of Vertigo.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2026? Just continuing to be a devoted weekly comics sicko and not giving up on reading single issues.
Do you have a local comics shop? What do you like (or love) about it? Anyone Comics in Brooklyn is a nice little community space.
Jimmy Aquino, Podcast Host/Producer
2026 Projects: Continuing to do the weekly podcast, attending conventions & getting as many interviews as I can! Also, working on a yet to be announced special project in the comics world. Stay tuned.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2025? I know this is more comics-adjacent, but nothing was bigger than K-Pop Demon Hunters! With a voice/singing cast of mostly unknowns, the gigantic success has rocketed them to stardom and I couldn’t be happier!
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2026? Sadly, probably more use of AI and the attempts to stop its use.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2026? More K-Pop!! Comebacks, concerts & more. :)
Glenn Hauman, The Big Guy
2026 Projects: Volume 3 of the Jon Sable Freelance Masterstroke Edition.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2025? Diamond bankruptcy. Duh. Nothing else touched everyone in the industry.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2026? PRH Distribution will raise prices to make up for the $9 million (!) that Diamond won’t be paying. It’s unclear yet whether they will soak vendors, stores, or both.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2026? Indulging my savior complex.
Steve Morris, Marketing Manager, 2000 AD
2026 Projects: 2000 AD is heading towards its 50th anniversary in February 2027, and along the way you’ll be seeing a Rogue Trooper movie next year! Directed by Duncan Jones, starring Aneurin Barnard, Hayley Atwell, Jemaine Clement, Matt Berry, Sean Bean and more. John Wagner is back on Judge Dredd for potentially the last time in January, writing “Death of a Judge” with artist Mike Perkins. Oh, and we already have at least three big publishing surprises which you’ll find out about this year.
Elsewhere, I run a comics site called Shelfdust, which publishes new writing about comics every week – each essay covers a single comics issue, manga volume, or webcomics chapter. Modular comics criticism over at www.shelfdust.com!
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2025? Switching to a UK focus, a huge story in 2025 was the sale of WH Smiths. Essentially a high-end newsagent, WH Smiths sells comics, magazines and books in all their branches, including the UK’s quartet of power players: Viz, The Beano, The Phoenix, and of course 2000 AD. Those branches are now owned by TG Jones, who changed the name and the branding. At present they haven’t made huge changes – but if the new owners decide to phase out the newsstand from stores, it removes one of the easiest ways for casual readers to pick up and try out new issues every week.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2026? Potentially we’ll see internationally-minded companies working out how they can escape the current American monopoly mindset.
We’ve seen Comic-Con attempt a show in Europe earlier this year as they set up camp at Malaga, and I think we’ll see more news along these lines in 2026. Publishers will find ways to address the wider audience overseas and do more for them – distributors will think about the best ways to work in other continents; event organisers will hype up shows outside of the States. Let’s see how the comics industry addresses the current state of America, and if they can comprehend the existence of other countries.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2026? Not guilty at all, but I’ve become a die-hard evangelist for The DC Finest line, and their collection of the original Doom Patrol comics continues in January, which I’m massively excited for. They’re also releasing collections of Sgt Rock (which I’ve never read but always wanted to) as well as Jack Kirby’s Fourth World.
Somewhat more guiltily, I am looking forward to seeing about how much Grant/Bisley energy we’ll get in Jason Momoa’s version of Lobo, coming this Summer in the new Supergirl film.
Do you have a local comics shop? What do you like (or love) about it? OK Comics are my local. I don’t visit anything like as often as I should, but it’s a fantastic place, always showing off new comics and getting people to try something different. They know what they’re talking about – I don’t think anyone reads more comics, and more variety of comics, than Jared and team.
Genuinely huge range of comics available there… and you’ll always find something weird and amazing in the longboxes they keep upstairs.
And that’s the wrap folks!
