Part two of our annual creator’s survey is here with a wide range of thoughts from people all over the world of comics…and lots of news of 20205 projects including one pretty major news bit…..can you find it?
Part one of the survey is here.
Thanks to everyone who took the time to write to us, as always.
Masha Zhdanova, indie cartoonist
2025 Projects: I’m currently working on a 48-page colored pencil comic that came to me in a dream. Not literally, but I did literally come up with it and write the entire script in about an hour, which has never happened to me before and I need to finish it before the momentum fades. Also tinkering with the beginnings of a webcomic idea, but I don’t know when that’ll be ready to share with the world.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? Hm… Did Tiny Onion launch this year? Would it be too self-aggrandizing to say the launch of K-Comics Beat?
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2025? Hopefully a really, really cool comic comes out and a lot of people read it :)
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? Thai BL drama “The Ex Morning” that’s apparently partly based on the real lives of the actors playing the lead characters sounds like some wild drama I need to watch whenever it comes out. I love mess.
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? Right now, I’m thinking about Emma Hunsinger! She was my thesis advisor at CCS and an incredibly funny person and artist. I still haven’t read her new book HOW IT ALL ENDS, but I was definitely channeling some of her energy in my current project.
Sebastian Girner, Writer, Editor, Publisher!
2025 Projects: All of these books (+more!)
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? Uh…
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2025? Probably how the incoming administration’s promised (or threatened) economic policies coupled with an inevitable bursting of the AI investment bubble will cause another economic crash, further damaging the ability for any small-to-mid-sized publisher to make even the razor thin profit margins they’re already scraping by on in the atrophied direct market economy further calcifying Marvel/Disney DC/WB majority rule with ever-increasing auto-cannibalistic IP exploitation (though even those corporations are arguably in danger from the aforementioned economic tectonic shifts) making actually original comics without ties to an eventual film & TV hopeful/studio/production house, essentially, a financial lost bet and placing near 100% of the onus of keeping the medium vibrant on self-published/micro-published creative ventures. Or we all just read the same 3 shonen manga archetypes forever I guess until the pace of their production causes even more legendary artists to keel over.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? Working less for others and more for myself.
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? Everyone I actually looked up to while actually working in the industry ended up disappointing or exploiting me so I’m just gonna go with the GOAT Bill Watterson, who did it better than anyone and still had the fortitude to walk away from it all at his peak popularity. Not one ounce of thought given to comics as a product, only ever as art.
Peggy Burns, Publisher & Owner Drawn & Quarterly
2025 Projects: Too many to list so I’ll start with D+Q’s first release of 2025– KAMUI by Shirato Sansei edited by Tom Devlin, translated by Richard Rubinger with Noriko Rubinger. One of the great manga series that has yet to be published in English. For fans of samurai and ninja! manga and anime!
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? Jacq Cohen leaving Fantagraphics. A holy shit moment that I don’t think people enough paid attention to. An icon.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2025? Liz Mason leaving Quimbys, another holy shit moment, resulting in Eric Kirsammer looking for a buyer for the beloved institution. Please someone buy Quimbys!!!
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? D+Q returning to San Diego Comic-con; Listening to more episodes of Manga Chat perhaps the guiltiest of pleasures.
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? Lately, I have been feeling inspired the people in comics I have post Covid such as Kelly Froh, director of Short Run; Sally Madden of Thick Lines; Betty Bayer of Bettys Books; Gina Dawson of Partners and Son; Serena Dove of Risma; Cris Siquera and Shelly McClone-Carriere of Lion’s Tooth, everyone ushering in a new passion and enthusiasm for our medium and industry.
Andrew Neal, cartoonist, self-publisher
2025 Projects: I’m currently drawing No Raccoons In Hell, the third Val Cannon mystery. It’s a comedy mystery set in 1997 in which Val must solve the mystery of who kidnapped the punk house’s pet raccoon, Ranger Rick. Here’s the first page:
I’m also putting together the file for the third collection of Meeting Comics, which will be called Tina and Ellie Take the Case. It will collect Meeting Comics #13-19, and will include both The Case of the I.P. Freeloaders and The Case of The Executive Exorcism, as well as whole bunch of other stuff. It will be the second book in my new publishing empire, Added Value Books! Here’s a progress shot of the cover:
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? I’m going to go with the continued movement of comics toward the bookstore market and traditional bookstore publishers, even within the direct market.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2025? The end of Diamond Comic Distributors.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? There’s a new Jaime book coming out, man!
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? My friends Mike Wieringo (RIP) and Chris Pitzer (he’s still alive!) were people in the industry who inspired me in the way that I treat people. I’m far from perfect, so I still piss people off and burn bridges. Having said that, I’m kinder overall and I try to help people with less experience in life or in comics when I can, and a lot of that is due to Mike and Pitzer.
Kelly Sue DeConnick, Writer
2025 Projects: Continuing FML at Dark Horse, Pretty Deadly Book 4 at Image and, I think, finally, Bitch Planet returns.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? I have no clue. I dunno, I feel like we just cycle through the same headlines over and over again. Same stories, different names.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2025? We’re due for another distributor crisis, aren’t we?
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? I want to take another Risograph class.
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? The past tense in the phrasing of this question makes it difficult, but I am inspired by my collaborators. I work to impress them and their work makes me want to continually up my game.
Arpad Okay, critic
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? The passing of Ed Piskor. A significant cultural presence in preservation of comics history without shying away from its pop culture aspect, creating a bridge between the modern reader connecting to comics online and the old school world of flipping through a longbox for back issues. Piskor was an outlaw cartoonist of the alternative comix school in addition to being an amateur archivist, who thrived on being transgressive as well as respectful. His death broke a lot of hearts. It was amidst accusations about his actions from his peers, and he left a letter behind that was written in retaliation to his circumstances. The letter put people in danger, both individuals involved in Piskor’s life, and people not directly associated with him, sparking an anger and demand for accountability not met well by the people who cared for him and were consumed with grief. The divided communities within the broad world of comics readers all turned to their ill-maintained fourth estate, comics journalism, for some kind of objective consensus or factual basis for their arguments. First, the difficulty in writing about self-harm without unintentionally triggering more self-harm is not as easy as people seem to think. The complexity and immediacy of Piskor’s death went to show how the need for journalistic integrity wasn’t ready to be met by an industry primarily run as a hobby by enthusiasts instead of one with actual infrastructure. There are these big gaps between what we want and how it’s done, all over the comics scene. Ed’s work, his life, and his passing all force us to face different aspects of this.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? Lately I’ve been buying less stuff and traveling more instead. Not going anywhere exotic but places with cool museums or street art. But also arcades, I love a good arcade and try to find one in every town I end up going to. Not everything has to be the Electromagnetic Pinball Museum but that place sure was cool. I look forward to the arcade I have not been to yet, I don’t know if that’s a guilty pleasure but it feels like it.
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? My grandmother, Annette. When I was young she wanted me to be culturally informed and knew a way to get into the museum through the library. She was a beatnik when she was a kid, and grew up to work on furthering the arts in ways that were more hands on, running a culture shop and having a couple of Dover books of craft patterns, championing outsider art by getting outsider artists commissions. She didn’t end up being anybody that anybody would know, but that wasn’t the kind of difference she was trying to make.
Jimmy Aquino, Host/Producer
2025 Projects: Continue doing the weekly podcast COMIC NEWS INSIDER, attending conventions, conducting interviews, hyping comics and more.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? Sadly, the loss of legendary cartoonist and one of my closest friends John Cassaday. His incredible talent and influence will live on in his awe-inspiring work.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2025? More battles against AI. More rise of the small press/indie scene. The good and/or bad result of big book publishers buying up comics publishers.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? More K-Pop, Levain cookies and all the champagne.
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? I know this seems repetitive. But Cassaday was one of the ones who was always so supportive of the podcast, encouraged me to continue for years, gave sage advice and lended an ear when needed.
Josh Frankel, CEO, Zero Zero
2025 Projects: We are continuing to roll out new releases with The Metroverse and Ukemyths while actively developing five additional projects and partnerships. By the end of 2025, we anticipate launching a total of 8-10 new brands/partnerships.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? I often find myself critical of the comic industry, but in this instance, it feels like the Big Two have figured things out – for now. One of the biggest challenges I see with American comics is the difficulty of getting new readers hooked on Marvel and DC properties due to their overwhelming decades of mythology. However, the launch of the new Ultimate line from Marvel and The Absolute line from DC has created accessible entry points for newcomers to jump into these worlds.
What’s even more encouraging is that both lines have delivered fantastic quality, which makes the experience even more appealing. A few retailer friends have mentioned seeing an influx of new readers because of these initiatives. If Marvel and DC can build on this momentum, there’s potential for a broader resurgence in the industry. That said, I’m cautiously optimistic – it’s a promising start, but whether they can sustain it remains to be seen.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2025? If I had to speculate, I’d say James Gunn’s upcoming Superman movie has the potential to be a massive hit and could inject some much-needed life into DC. On the other side of things, Sony’s acquisition of Kadokawa could have significant implications for the manga industry, potentially shaking up the space in unexpected ways.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? Avatar 3 in 4DX….
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? Jim Henson- The GOAT
Calista Brill, Editorial Director, First Second
2025 Projects: Very very very excited about Andy Hirsch’s GOOD BOY – in my opinion, the perfect middle grade graphic novel.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? The continued dominance of web comics
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2025? The launch of 23rd Street Books – the new adult GN imprint from Macmillan and First Second!
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? Last summer I discovered the pleasures of the New England Summer Day at the Lake. Planning on a lot more of those this coming summer.
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? How can I narrow it down to just one? Karen Green. Chris Duffy. Tom Spurgeon. Steve Behling. Mark Siegel. Allison Verost. Jim Woodring. Andrea Colvin. Everyone who has ever had anything to do with Fantagraphics. Faith Erin Hicks. Judy Hansen. Crucially: Los Bros Hernandez.
Stuart Moore, Writer/Ops
2025 Projects: Captain America for Dummies! Everything you could possibly want to know about Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson, just in time for the new film (in February). Also still doing “Ops” for AHOY Comics – one day I’ll figure out what that title means. And a few other top-secret things.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? I think it’s only starting: some big shifts at Diamond Distributors. Runner-up is Absolute Batman. Third: just a record number of good comics coming out.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2025? Distribution changes. Not sure how all that’s going to play out.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? Is it time for more Strange New Worlds yet? That would have to be it.
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? I think it’s probably the late Steve Gerber, who brought a very personal viewpoint to the DC and Marvel comics he wrote.
Liana Kangas, artist
2025 Projects: I’m so incredibly stoked to work on a lot of creator owned series after a long stint of doing a TON of IP work in 2024. I have a new series with Scott Bryan Wilson that we’ve been holding close to the chest– as well as an unannounced project with Casey Gilly, some shorts with Janet Harvey, a reunion with Sarah Gailey, and some fun personal projects with David Andry and Blake Howard! I even am pitching a ton of fun work to collaborate comics outside of the publishing arm and more in the merch design arena, which I am excited to debut.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? I’m not sure this would count as a story, but I’ve been in the passenger seat watching Erica Schultz career take off after Hallows Eve, I can’t even keep track of what Marvel series she’s working on next! It’s so incredibly cool to see a lot of my friends like her and many others making really incredible stories in their career, but in a dense delivery! It’s almost like a lot of us were dormant for so long, that we were gifted a lot of work that was worth the wait!!! Some other folks I’ve been watching are Chris Condon, Julio Anta, Alex Segura, Sarah Gailey, Soo Lee, Sweeney Boo, etc!
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2025? I hope that it’s entirely ways that a ton of creators find unique ways to enhance the craft around the hurdles of publishing.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? Buying more books, and in turn probably another shelf because I’ve finally run out of space, which is UNHEARD OF.
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? Sweeney Boo, she’ll always be one of my favorite artists, but I am so incredibly floored at the work she’s creating and it always inspires me to find new stories to tell and have fun with it!
Zack Quaintance, Writer
2025 Projects: Macabre Valley #1, a new comic series I’m writing that’s coming soon
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? Chaotic direct market distribution
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2025? Ongoing changes to distribution, potentially due to tariffs or postal privatization
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? The resurgence of superhero comics (Ultimate and Absolute lines, etc.)
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? All my pals who give up their valuable time to write even a few words about comics.
Chris Miskiewicz, Writer
2025 Projects: Dance Gavin Dance Book 2 for Z2, HIDDEN IN THE HILLS with Sean Von Gorman, V-33 with Palle Schmidt…
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? How comics people keep asking Sean Von Gorman and myself where we’re staying at conventions so they can avoid having their hotel rooms burn down, which seems to be a thing that’s happening around us now. What can I say, we’re “hot” creator types.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2025? I’ll let you know when it happens to me.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? Attending Copenhagen Comic Con again for a special book I’m doing with Palle Schmidt
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? Dean Haspiel – Dean gave me my first shot at comics back in 2011 when he greenlit my web series “EVERYWHERE” on ACTIVATE-COMIX. It was a monthly webcomic that I got to do fifteen times with fifteen amazing artists, and it started my career. In the years since he’s been a solid friend and mentor to me, and dozens of others. I’ve always called it his “Batman School” despite how much he hates the name, but I’m glad to have been a Robin there for a little while.
Marie Enger, Cartoonist
2025 Projects: I’ll be self pubbin’ some SUPER SECRET MYSTERY COMICS, debuting Death to the Wizard Kings (rise up, kill your boss, leave the Bongcano and discover your SELF!), NOSFERATU HUNTER E, and a TBD amount of ceramics. I’m still workin’ on Controlled Burn.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? I hate to say, but I think when Bleeding Cool published that story about “IDW’s Page Rate.” A lotta folks believed that page rate gossip was real ’cause a lotta folks have been financially mistreated (abused) by their publishers. It was unbelievable while being totally believable. It sparked a lot of good public conversation about fair page rates between creators that will hopefully continue.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2025?… that that page rate gossip wasn’t really gossip at all. But hopefully I’m wrong and “Creators Receive Fair Wages for their Published Work” takes the top spot.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? I love weird zines, and who knows what weird zines await me in 2025! Bring on the weird zines! Do you have a comic in a stupid ridiculous format? This is your year.
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? RAY NADINE! Their 1000 Year Old Vampire newsletter is/was an inspiration. For the first time, in a long time, they got me feeling hype about creating something perfectly indulgent.
Danielle Corsetto, Cartoonist
2025 Projects: I’ll be finishing up the script for a secret project for Dark Horse in the spring, at which point I expect to return to my in-progress graphic novel, Elephant Town.
Elephant Town is halfway done (you can read all 300+ pages for free at https://elephant.town), but it should take another 3 years to finish – it’ll be a big thick book! It’s sort of a drama-mystery that follows four different main characters and takes place in my little West Virginia town of Shepherdstown. So far there are zero elephants, one cat, sexy yoga, and a lot of Peruvian food. I’ll be posting new pages on my Patreon as I make them.
I’ll also continue making daily comics every morning, which I’ve been doing since January 2023 and sharing on Patreon. I’ll have a new collection of my favorite dailies from 2024, and I’m working on a new collection of my figure drawings as well. I’ve soft-launched a new online store, so I’m looking forward to having a reason to make new books to sell.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? The passing of Ed Piskor, for sure.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2025? A flood of incredibly well-crafted comics about trans characters by trans creators that find unprecedented success in spite of the incoming administration.
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? Shuffling out to the garden to see if my seedlings have grown a millimeter since I last checked them an hour ago, instead of responding to emails.
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? I’ve probably given a dozen different answers to this question in the past, grasping at whatever cartoonist I think of first whose comics I read when I was a kid. I was inspired by everyone who had a gag strip in the newspaper, but there’s one book in the “comic strip” section of my bookshelf that stands out when I read this question: Randy Glasbergen’s “How to be a Successful Cartoonist.” I bought it when I was in high school, and just its existence made me think it might be possible, after being told it was virtually impossible, to become a professional cartoonist.
Rebecca Taylor, Editorial Director, Inklore
2025 Projects: One of my all-time favorite series is FLIGHT, the magnificent 8-volume anthology series that introduced some of comics most beloved creators, including series editor Kazu Kibuishi. You can only imagine my jumping-out-of-my-skin excitement at having the honor of putting the series back out into the world through Inklore! Beautiful new reprints will start hitting shelves this summer.
What was the biggest comics industry story in 2024? BOOM! Studios joining PRH is massive. I’m so excited to see what they do in the next year and how it ignites opportunities across the comics industry.
What will be the biggest comics industry story in 2025? After just watching the new Superman movie trailer, I hope that Krypto gets his moment in the sun. We all need a little Super Dog in our lives right now!
What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2025? I will use this opportunity to manifest Bridgerton Season 4 into 2025 because I must have it and cannot wait longer than that.
Who is the person who inspired you most in your career and why? Ryan Haddock and Nick Wyche, the creators behind THE BROTHERS FLICK, an incredible book I had the honor of editing a few years ago. I talk to them every month just to infuse their energy into my life and remember how amazing it is to be a part of comics.
