We’re wrapping up this year’s survey with more thoughts and previews. 2025 is gonna be quite a banger year.
You can also read: Part One, Part Two
In going over this survey it’s pretty clear that for many people, the biggest story of the year was the ongoing distribution issues in the industry, with PRH’s purchase of Boom! Studios also ranking pretty high.
As for 2025 predictions: it’s gonna be a bumpy year. If you didn’t know what a tariff was before, you probably will soon.
As always, huge thanks to everyone for taking the time to give us their thoughts and share some art with us. Putting this survey togetehr every year is a lot of work, but it always starts the year off right – with a lot of excitement and curiosity.
Eric Reynolds, VP / Associate Publisher, Fantagraphics
2025 Projects: THE DEVIL’S GRIN by Alex Graham, HATE REVISITED! by Peter Bagge, NIGHT DRIVE by Richard Sala, BUFF SOUL by Moa Romanova, NANCY WEARS HATS by Ernie Bushmiller, LOVE AND ROCKETS by Gilbert & Jaime Hernandez, DOGTANGLE by Max Huffman, THE PAST IS A GROTESQUE ANIMAL by Tommi Parrish, THE CLOVEN by Garth Stein and Matthew Southworth, and other great stuff yet announced for the latter half of the year.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? I feel like a broken record at this point, but the ongoing destabilization of the direct market, as best evidenced this year by the biz’s largest distributor closing one of it’s two warehouses, is an ongoing existential threat to the ‘industry’ that we know — an industry built upon an increasingly anachronistic format (the periodical comic).
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2025? It depends on how many existential threats to comics publishing, retailing, and distribution come to pass. Will Trump engage in trade war with China and/or Canada and impose tariffs? Will Diamond be able to pivot to offset the loss of so many comics publishers? Will Lunar be able to scale up to pick up any slack? Will Disney or WB/Discovery realize that periodical comics are a financially unsustainable and anachronistic delivery device for their IP? Will a generation of comics retailers finally throw in the towel over the death by a thousand cuts that they’ve faced from distribution over the past several years? Will too many creators become so marginalized by the increasing need for individual patronage to want to continue making comics? Will everything collapse under its own weight?
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? Hopefully it’s not being right about 2025.
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? It’s a three-way tie between Gary Groth, Daniel Clowes, and Peter Bagge — each of whom has mentored me in important and inspiring ways for over 30 years.
Anthony Del Col, Writer
2025 Projects: In comics: Romeo vs. Juliet (Gemstone), Kill Shakespeare: Second Folio (Gemstone); in audio: Don’t Listen to This (BBC)
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? Is it too cliched to mention the continued drama at IDW Publishing? I really wish they’ve been filming everything there for the last couple years – it would make a really captivating documentary series.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2025? Will the Dog Man movie make the ubiquitous canine crime stopper even bigger?
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? I want to see Liam and Noel Gallagher fight on stage, and then adapt it into a graphic novel…
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? Michael Chabon. I finished reading THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER AND CLAY and immediately started working on my very first comic.
Tyler Chin-Tanner, Creator and Publisher at AWBW
2025 Projects: I’ve been busy putting together the latest YOUNG MEN IN LOVE anthology. This one is subtitled ‘New Romance’. The first collection won both the GLAAD Media and Ringo Award, and this one is shaping up to be even better! With some returning creators and new ones, we’ve got something pretty special here. I’m also finishing up the third volume of MEZO, the Mesoamerican-inspired fantasy epic. This completes the initial trilogy. And while I still plan on doing plenty more with this world, I’m excited to have all three volumes of this storyline for people to sink their teeth into!
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? Probably the acquisition of BOOM! Studios by Penguin Random House.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2025? I’m guessing it will be something to do with distribution. Let’s hope it’s good news for all our sakes!
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? This isn’t guilty at all, but I’m looking forward to the return of BITTER ROOT with the third volume ‘The Next Movement,’ by David Walker, Chuck Brown and Sanford Greene.
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? Without questions, it was Joe Kubert. I had him as a teacher at the later stages of his career, and he never stopped working. He was always an innovator. He taught us to continue to adapt to an ever-changing industry. He also gave so much of himself to others, inspiring the generations behind him to carry the torch.
Michael Perkins, Publisher, Invader Comics
2025 Projects: So many we’re doing a separate story but here are a few, below.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? We’re really excited about the relaunching of major superhero universes: DC’s Absolute and ALL-IN Initiative, as well as Marvel’s new Ultimate line. It’s bringing people back into comic shops again, same with the Energon Universe. We’re hopeful that this will have a similar effect as the New 52, an era that gave rise to a whole new indie resurgence with books like The Walking Dead, Chew, Invincibles and more. This is the exact thing that drives the reader market rather than the collector market, and we couldn’t be more excited.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2025? We’re loving the rise of the tankobon-style Companion Editions we’re seeing. These are fully accessible for new readers, look great on the shelf, and they’re perfect for carrying around. They’re really over-indexing on content and the format is just cool as hell. Let’s face it – the IP bubble has burst, meaning people will have to focus on building real publishing companies, not IP farms, and putting together compelling stories that exist beyond being sold to a new medium. These collections are a fantastic way to catch up curious readers, and keep them coming back for more.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? Gunn’s Superman. I’m ready to be hurt again. I’m ever hopeful to get another good Superman movie.
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? Tim Daniel has been a constant source of inspiration as well as a model of how to conduct yourself in business. He’s never treated comics like a zero sum game, and the relationships he’s built and careers he’s helped establish are a testament to that. Nicest guy in comics.
J.T. Yost, cartoonist & marketing manager for NBM Graphic Novels
2025 Projects: I’ve been reworking my out-of-print comics of yesteryear and reprinting them as color risograph comics. I’m also slowly drawing the last issue of ‘Losers Weepers’, a series I started in 2009 and had to abandon when my kids were born. It’s a fictional story based around (and including) actual letters, journal entries, and notes I found on the ground throughout the years.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? I feel like this question is designed to elicit an answer about something related to Marvel, D.C., Diamond Distribution, something like that, but I always end up thinking about more local events that actually impact me like Desert Island almost closing (but thankfully relocating after the comics community pitched in to cover the cost of moving) or Quimby’s leadership change announcement.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2025? I sincerely hope it’s not something to do with Trump tariffs causing chaos in the publishing industry, but I have my suspicions.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? Crossing my fingers Lil Dicky announces a new season of Dave!
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? Jeffrey Brown. He made comics seem personal and accessible when I first discovered “indie/alternative comics”. When I reached out to him for an endorsement of my first comic collection, he not only came through but kicked off a pen-pal relationship of trading minis through the mail. I had the pleasure of working more closely with him when NBM published “Kids Are Still Weird” this year, and I’m happy to report he remains an inspiring mensch.
Bon Alimagno, Senior Design Program Manager – T-Mobile; former Marvel artist talent scout and developer; and former e-commerce UX consultant
2025 Projects: Day job: continuing to improve the UX and customer experience of the (at one point) #1 app in the AppStore, T-Mobile’s T-Life app.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? The continued resiliency of the direct market. Despite challenges with everything from inflation to distribution hundreds of dedicated small business owners endure in an environment that never makes it easy, and is rarely rewarding enough. Hot books like with Ultimate and Absolute in the title help. But it’s the will to survive and support comics by these folks that keeps the heart of the artform alive.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2025? The continued development of technological solutions to the comics industry’ longstanding problems. In 2024 efforts and companies like Prana, Manage Comics and Bindings lay the groundwork for bringing the direct market the same sales and marketing tools, and frictionless customer experiences, so many other industries already long enjoy. In 2025 I look forward to seeing how these companies grow, what new companies emerge, and what partnerships comics creators and tech industry engineers can build together to improve how people market and buy comics, and track comic orders.
Rob Clough, Editor/Critic/Show organizer/ Publisher, Fieldmouse Press
2025 Projects: I edited four of the five books from what I’m calling Fieldmouse Press’ upcoming Festival of Nihilism–perfect for 2025! There’s The Ardent, an anti-quest from Carl Antonowicz; Totality, an account of the American Dream gone awry from Jeff Lok; Ambiguous Blu, a story of a teenager barely holding on by Noah Schiatti; Souvenir, a collection of short stories about grief, memory, and time lost by Sara Jewell; and Soften The Blow, by Bread Tarleton, the story of a retired trans wrestler struggling with isolation, addiction, and dysmorphia who desperately seeks community. All of these books may be dark, but there are moments of laugh-out-loud humor, genuine connections, and hard-won truths.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? The new wave of talented alternative/underground cartoonists who are under 25 and haven’t been influenced by anything published in the past 25 years.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2025? The new tariffs coming from Trump that will kneecap publishing.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? Deadlock Pro Wrestling!
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? Tom Spurgeon. He was an excellent writer and critic who gave me advice at the start of my career, promoted my work, and essentially set the standard. I miss him all the time.
Barbra Dillon, Editor-in-Chief, Fanbase Press
2025 Projects: Fanbase Press is currently in development on an all-ages series that can best be described as ‘Marcel the Shell with Shoes in’ meets ‘Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure.’ It highlights our collective experience with grief and demonstrates how we might find the tools that we need to grow and heal.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? I think that the biggest industry story of this year is the continued growth and community support for crowdfunding. At a time when distribution models continue to be consolidated, creating further barriers for many creators and publishers to reach new audiences, I am encouraged by the solidarity amongst publishers large and small and creators of all experience levels in their utilization of crowdfunding and, more importantly, their demonstration of support for one another.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2025? Solidarity. We are facing such immense uncertainty about the industry and the world around us that it will be of the utmost importance for us to find ways to collectively navigate and troubleshoot the challenges ahead of us.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? Reading! With twin toddlers, my to-read pile is much taller than I’d like it to be. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for some much-needed quiet time to catch up.
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? Mister Rogers. What I loved most about Fred Rogers was his belief that relationships are essential to child development, and, through TV, he modeled the kind of relationships that foster trust and offer support. I have tried to model those same kinds of relationships through comics with stories that build empathy and allow us to grow and heal.
Katharine Kan, Librarian, Adult Graphic Novel Selector
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? In the library world, more libraries continued to face book banning efforts across the country that included a number of outstanding graphic novels.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2025? 1) I know my two local comics shops are dealing with problems stemming from Diamond Comics Distributors’ difficulties. This is leading to some uncertainties in the market.
2) Book banning across the country continues, and graphic novels are still caught up in the mess. While some state governments have started to push back against book banning, many local government bodies are allowing book banners to control schools and libraries. As a working librarian responsible for ordering graphic novels for my system, this is a very worrisome time for my profession and for my own work. If book banning efforts increasingly target graphic novels, it could eventually have a chilling effect across the board.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? If all goes well, my husband and I will travel home to Hawai’i to celebrate his father’s centennial birthday.
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? One of my supervisors early in my professional library career, Sylvia Mitchell, actively encouraged me to use graphic novels when visiting middle and high schools. I can trace my work in sharing graphic novels and then actively selecting them for libraries wherever I have worked to her belief in what I was doing.
Kenny Meyers, Owner of Sweet
2025 Projects: We continue to work on adding features to our comic marketing software bindings.app including our new Shelves feature will go live early next year allowing creators to share a whole host of their books. See preview below.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? I think it has to be the Diamond warehouse/Amazon.com release kerfuffles. It’s getting harder to get comics out to consumers, and these feel like warning signs. It sucks.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2025? Selfishly, I hope the stuff we’re doing at Sweet. Realistically, I think we’ll see a huge influx of new ways for people to get comics, particularly in the physical space, as publishers and retailers do a bit of shuffling.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? I am always looking forward to a Detroit style pizza even though it is knowingly killing me.
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? Hard to pin a single person because I’m of two worlds. In tech it’s who I don’t want to be like… counter-inspirations. In comics, too many. Back of the house people whose goal it is to just lift up comics really inspire me: Bryce Gold, Lorelei Bunjes, Jazzlyn Stone and Avi Ehrlich are great examples.
Charlie Stickney, Writer/publisher
2025 Projects:
The long-awaited next Chapter of White Ash (09) should be out in early March. We will also be releasing Glarien and Thane, a one-shot about how White Ash’s very first couple met. We’ll also be wrapping up the inaugural arc of The Game and publishing our first creator-owned book outside the White Ash Universe.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? Random House acquiring Boom, leading to Boom leaving Diamond. While I hope this isn’t the final nail in Boom’s coffin, if it is, the downstream consequences of Diamond shuttering would have huge impact on the multitude of smaller publishers for whom Diamond is their only mass-market access point. That in turn would severely hamper the next generation of comic writers and artists trying to get their foot in the door with their first Direct Market job. It would also send even more creators into crowdfunding, a market that’s getting more crowded by the week. All which will change the landscape of comics in 2025.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2025? Creators finding innovative ways to market themselves and build a brand. I think one of the biggest problems facing the industry is market over-saturation. There are too many great (and not as great) books in the direct market and crowdfunding space. The creators who will thrive will be the ones who find ways to amplify their personal brand (see Zdarsky Comic News) or who band together to create an uber brand (see Ghost Machine). I think we’re going to see a movement in this direction that will also encompass the crowdfunding space. A movement that will be the defining quality of 2025.
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? Ben Edlund. I met Ben at a comic convention in 1990 and he hand sold me a copy of his comic series The Tick. At that point I was a total Marvel Zombie. Reading the Tick completely changed my perception of what comics could be and pushed me deep down the path of creator-owned books. An indie world I’m now very proud to be a part of.
Amy Chu, Writer
2025 Projects: Borderlands: Moxxi’s Mysterious Memento Mini Series (Dark Horse), Carmilla (Berger Books), Fighting to Belong 2 (Third State Books)
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? PRH buying Boom Studios
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2025? increase in printing and paper costs, followed by the move to smaller tpb digest size (DC) guessing Marvel will do the same
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? Recently obsessed with these Mini Brand mystery balls with miniature reproductions of branded goods inside. Trying to get the Squid Game doll right now…
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? Ramona Fradon – man, she just kept at it until the end. I think her hate for Trump kept her going through the final years.
Raina Telgemeier, Cartoonist
2025 Projects: The Cartoonists Club (with Scott McCloud), April 1st.
Facing Feelings: Inside the World of Raina Telgemeier, October.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? I was lucky enough to see the massive comics exhibition at the Pompidou in Paris, and that brought to light the global impact of the art form over the past half century.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2025? Hopefully we can hang onto free and independent media, but I see comics continuing to be a great tool for communicating challenging ideas and personal stories to a huge audience.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? I’m already working on my Halloween costume!
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? This feels like an appropriate moment to give Scott McCloud his flowers. Understanding Comics broke my BRAIN when I was just a fledgling teenage cartoonist, and Scott himself (aside from being a mentor and champion to so many of us) also demonstrated the power of presenting comics on stage. Even though it’s an intimate print medium, that performance aspect and connecting with an audience in person is especially magical. I still can’t believe Scott and I made a book together, and I’m so excited to channel all of that magic into something specifically for kids.
Ursula Murray Husted, cartoonist
2025 Projects: Botticelli’s Apprentice, my middle-grade graphic novel about an ambitious young girl’s quest to become a painter and a dog who makes very bad choices, is finally coming out on March 11 of this year.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? I see the increase of challenges and bans against comics and graphic novels in schools and libraries as the biggest story for both 2024 and 2025. We grownup readers and makers of comics must stand to defend not only the principle of free speech, but also the teachers and librarians who champion kids’ rights to read.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? My kid is nine and brings home 30-40 graphic novels a week from our local library. It has been, and will continue to be, my great privilege to chew through the pile and read any and all that catch my eye. Some of the kid’s selections have brought me renewed joy and wonderment at the level of humanity and craft in comics available to young readers. Others have greatly increased my backstock of fart jokes. A very select number have done both. All of these outcomes are excellent.
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? Oh wow. Tove Jansson? Walt Kelly? Lynda Barry? Rumiko Takahashi? Albert Uderzo? Will Eisner? Judy Hansen? Scott McCloud? Carl Barks? Garry Trudeau? Rien Poortvliet? My dad? I could keep going. This is an impossible question.
Melissa Meszaros, Publicist
2025 Projects: Don’t Hide PR
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? That the comics industry will thrive despite the potential tariff challenges.
Dean Haspiel, Cartoonist
2025 Projects: CHEST FACE, COVID COP, and THE RED HOOK.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? The death of cartoonist Ed Piskor.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2025? The profound impact of crowdfunded comix and creators newsletters.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? More unbridled love and punches in Erik Larsen’s SAVAGE DRAGON, please.
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? I often cite my mentors, Bill Sienkiewicz, Walter Simonson and Howard Chaykin, who own a piece of my heart and mind. My soul belongs to Jack Kirby, Alex Toth, and Frank Miller. The fanboy in me gives it to John Byrne, Michael Golden and John Romita Jr. I wouldn’t be making indie-comix if it wasn’t for Harvey Pekar, Chester Brown and Josh Neufeld. There’s a plethora of other creators I count on but this time I’m gonna give it up to RON WILSON who penciled too many memorable issues of MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE to enjoy and admire. The Tom DeFalco written issue between The Thing and Sandman, and MTIO Annual #7 remains evergreen.
