Over the last couple of weeks Tim O’Shea and I have been reaching out to various folks around the comics industry, asking them six questions about 2010 and 2011. And boy did we get an awesome response. My thanks to everyone who took time to respond to us today, not only for this feature, but for everything else we’ve posted over the last 16 or so hours.

So check out the responses (and lots of cool artwork) below … this is a mammoth post, and I apologize in advance for any formatting problems or other issues on my end

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KURT BUSIEK (Astro City, The Witchlands, Kirby: Genesis)

The Witchlands

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

Offhand, I’d say THE 6TH GUN, USAGI YOJIMBO, CAPTAIN AMERICA, THOR THE MIGHTY AVENGER, FABLES and SMILE.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

I don’t know what got attention and what didn’t, really. Hope Larson’s MERCURY, I’ll say. Whatever attention it got, it shoulda got more.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

Probably the shift toward digital distribution.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

More good comics!

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

Hopefully, a lot more of it will be legally available digitally, so more readers will have a shot at finding and reading it. That’s a simple-minded answer, but it’s pretty much how I look at it.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

More ASTRO CITY. THE WITCHLANDS. BATMAN: CREATURE OF THE NIGHT. KIRBY: GENESIS. Plus some prose fiction and some screenwriting. That ought to keep me busy…

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GAIL SIMONE (Birds of Prey, Secret Six)

Birds of Prey #1

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

I had a ton of favorite comics, but I think the two comics that I hoped to see more people latch onto were Northlanders and Unknown Soldier. Those are phenomenal books by creators at the top of their game.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

I think I answered this one prematurely…

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

I have a couple, but I think the deliberate price drop from DC is possibly the biggest. I think it’s going to take a while to see the true effect. A lot of smaller companies led the way on this, but for one of the big two to make this move is impressive, and I see now that Marvel is launching several titles at a lower price point. What the high price points did was train readers only to buy “essential” titles…it removed the notion of browsing and spontaneous purchases. That will have to be reintroduced. It won’t be easy, but I do think it can happen.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

It’s always about content. There is no problem we have that will be completely solved with any answer other than content. Marketing will do some good, distribution will do some good, but nothing keeps veteran readers and creates new ones like content that resonates.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I’m not sure that that is the right question…we’re still telling stories the best way we know how. At this point, digital is just the method to get more faces in front of the stories, and not so much a call for motion comics or other halfway approaches. Those things may come, but at this point, it doesn’t change the approach so much. If digital does what we are all hoping it will do, I would definitely like to see the “What happened before” pages that Marvel is doing come to the digital copies of all books that need them. And I want us all to be thinking of ways that digital can support and complement brick and mortar stores, rather than replace them.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

Still doing two of my all-time favorite books, Secret Six and Birds of Prey, as well as a big special project with the great Ethan Van Sciver. I’m getting asked to do a lot of movie, prose and video game work as always and this year, I’ve decided to actually do some more, but I don’t know what I’m allowed to talk about yet.

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FRED VAN LENTE (Power Man and Iron Fist, Chaos War)

From "Chaos War"

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

PLUTO by Urasawa I enjoyed the most.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

I’ll plug Sarah Oleksyk, writer/artist of Oni’s IVY, which is debuting in January. Of course, the fact we’re doing my next big indy book together, RENAISSANCE, has nothing to do with that.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

The debut of the iPad, an electronic device that replicates the experience reading of a physical comic to a T.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

I hope that even in this tough market the mainstream industry doesn’t lose its urge to experiment, which is where all future hits come from.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

Ask me in February. I should have a unique perspective.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

For Marvel, what can only be described as a “Dream Job.” And me and Sarah’s RENAISSANCE. And the usual stuff I can’t talk about.

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CHRISTOS GAGE (Avengers Academy, Area 10)

Avengers Academy #7, by Ed McGuinness

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

Gosh, that’s hard to say. I’ll just name some off the top of my head: SHIELD, CAPTAIN AMERICA, SECRET AVENGERS, JONAH HEX, UNRWITTEN, FABLES, LOCKE & KEY, SECRET SIX…I’m sure I’m forgetting about a million.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

I really enjoy WELCOME TO TRANQULITY, VICTORIAN UNDEAD and JONAH HEX. There are others I would have named, like MADAME XANADU, THOR THE MIGHTY AVENGER and WARLORD, but those came to an end. In general, I wish the market was more welcoming to new characters and non-superhero genres.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

The economy. Comics have traditionally been considered “recession-proof,” but it seems like the economy finally hit the industry pretty hard.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

An economic rebound. Also, I would love to see the expanding digital market appeal to non-traditional readers…more casual fans, interested in genres like westerns and war comics…the audience that allowed books like SGT. ROCK and JONAH HEX to last for many years on the newsstands but seemed to fade away with the shift almost exclusively to comics shops. I think there are a lot more people out there who would enjoy comics than are currently reading them, and I hope digital distribution is the way to reach that audience.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

No idea. I’m not smart enough to know. I’m just going to keep writing the best stories I can and hope people like them.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

AVENGERS ACADEMY, a second “season” of ABSOLUTION from Avatar Press, my “old man noir” miniseries SUNSET from Top Cow, a top secret ongoing series, wrapping up my run on G.I. JOE: COBRA, and a variety of things not yet announced from Marvel, where I’m currently exclusive. Also finishing up my work on the CAPTAIN AMERICA: SUPER SOLDIER video game and maybe doing some more things in the video game world.

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PAUL TOBIN (Spider Girl, Gingerbread Girl)

Gingerbread Girl

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

The three that most readily pop into my head are “Okko” by Hub, published by Archaia Press, “American Vampire” by Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque, at Vertigo, and then the “Miss Don’t Touch Me” albums by Hubert & Kerascoet, released by NBM.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

The above three… although I guess American Vampire is doing fairly well with attention, lately. And I’d also add in the works of Rick Remender and Jeff Parker. Rick’s work on Punisher and his other titles have been consistently full of dramatic surprises… and not cheap surprises either, but real storytelling. Likewise, Parker treads the boards between humor and drama… creating strongly crafted characters that feel like real people.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

The DC shake-up? Or maybe the industry’s overall half-hearted attempts to embrace a digital future.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

More strong indy material. A greater emphasis on the long term goals of story-telling, rather than “Extremely Violent Major Event That Won’t Matter In Two Months” publishing plans. Both serve their purpose, but I think we’ve swung too far in one direction. I’d also like to see comics work towards a digital future, allowing for a much larger reader base.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

My work at Marvel and DC… ? It’s hard to tell at this point. Depends greatly on the 2011 progress of that shift. I do have a graphic novel (Gingerbread Girl… with artist Colleen Coover) coming out from Top Shelf in May of 2011, and we’re serializing it online before the actual release. I’m curious to see how that goes, and it will affect how Colleen and I release our next OGN… Imbecile: A Love Story.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

Spider-Girl for Marvel, as well as my two Marvel Adventures titles… Spider-Man and Super Heroes. I’ll be finishing up my Arcade mini-series. There are some DC projects I can’t talk about yet. Some Conan work for Dark Horse, and finishing the Falling Skies online material for Dark Horse and Spielberg. The above mentioned graphic novels. A Marvel thing I can’t talk about. And I’d like to really begin looking for agents / publishers for a novel I’ve recently complete. I’m also thinking about learning ballroom dancing. Does that count?

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JASON (Werewolves of Montpellier, Low Moon)

Werewolves of Montpellier

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

Love and Rockets #3, Market Day by James Sturm, the Barney Google book and Captain Easy vol. 1

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

I enjoyed Eden by Pablo Holmberg, it’s a very nice little book. And also Macanudo by Liniers. I don’t read Spanish, but there are two collections of his work in French so far and he really deserves to be translated into English as well.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

I’m currently working on another collection of short stories in the same format as Low Moon. There should be six stories, the book around 180 pages. It should be out in English late next year.

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CHRIS SAMNEE (Thor the Mighty Avenger)

Thor the Mighty Avenger #8

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

Jeff Parker’s Thunderbolts and Hulk have been consistently great, Darwyn Cooke’s The Outfit, Criminal and Incognito by Brubaker and Phillips, The Sixth Gun by Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt. In the past year I’ve also really enjoyed getting caught up on some older comics and strips thanks to the amazing collections IDW has been putting out like Winterworld, Torpedo, Rip Kirby and Terry and the Pirates.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

Not sure if they’re “overlooked” but Declan Shalvey, Jason Latour, Cullen Bunn, Brian Hurtt, Tom Fowler, Paul Tobin, Jeff Parker, Gabe Hardman and Tonci Zonjic are doing amazing work and always deserve more praise. These folks should be on everybody’s Best Of lists if you ask me.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

Probably digital comics on the iPad.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

I’d love to see the industry focus on bringing in new readers (and younger readers), especially with more continuity-light, event-free stories.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I don’t really see it impacting my work in 2011, maybe further down the line though.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

I have a number of projects lined up for 2011 that I’m couldn’t be more jazzed about. So far word has gotten out that I’ll be doing issue #155 of Ultimate Spider-Man and a book for FCBD called Thor and Captain America: The Mighty Avengers which ties together the worlds of Thor: The Mighty Avenger and Captain America: The Fighting Avenger. Plenty more on the schedule but I’m afraid I can’t spill the beans on what they are just yet.

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STUART MOORE (Namor: The First Mutant, JLA/The 99)

Namor: The First Mutant #2

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

I got caught up on SCALPED and SCOTT PILGRIM, both of which were absolutely amazing, in two completely different ways.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

Marvel’s indy-themed books, like STRANGE TALES and GIRL COMICS, were very cool.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

Probably the changes going on behind the scenes of DC and Marvel. But that’s all very slow and unflashy. So I’ll say THE! REVOLUTION! IN! DIGITAL! PUBLISHING! (Even though it’s not really here yet.)

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

Creative solutions to a problem I hope will be short term: a sales decline that seems to be coming in the direct market. Everyone cites digital as the answer, and it probably is, long term — but it’s not ready yet. Very few people have devices they want to read comics on.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I’m hoping to use it to get some of my fringier, more personal work into print. The direct market has become very closed to new properties and new books, except for a very few projects, mostly by superstar writers and artists. I plan to explore a range of digital nooks and crannies, while still working largely for print.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

Ongoing from Marvel: NAMOR: THE FIRST MUTANT. A new storyline starts in January, as Namor is exiled to a very personal Hell. Current from DC Comics, in cooperation with Teshkeel Media: JLA/THE 99, teaming up two superhero teams from different cultural backgrounds. And then a lot of strange, crawling things that aren’t ready to see the light yet.

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JOE HENDERSON (White Collar)

Scene from White Collar's Midseason Finale

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

There were so many good books this year, but to single out a few standouts:

Fantastic Four—Hickman’s current run is my favorite FF in a long time, and I’m loving the current “3” arc.

Action Comics—Paul Cornell makes Lex Luthor a leading man and me hope Superman never comes back to the book.

Return of the Dapper Men—a beautiful and clever book, and especially smart of McCann to set himself apart as a writer by creating something unlike anything else on the shelves.

Prince of Power—I’ve loved the entire Hercules run by Van Lente and Pak, but I especially love this mini focusing on Amadeus Cho stepping up and becoming a genuine Marvel character in his own right.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

Mike Costa, whose excellent GI Joe: Cobra always deserves more attention/praise. Josh Fialkov, who just had a much-deserved sellout of his great new book Echoes and was brave enough to write a (hilarious) Batroc/Fantomex story. And Kyle Higgins, who wrote the awesome Night Runner backups in the Batman annuals.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

Affordable day and date digital release. Also more Darkhawk.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

White Collar season 2.5 starts up January 18th on USA (with my episode!), then season 3 in June. I’m hoping to get some comic book work going in the next year as well.

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SEAN MURPHY (Joe the Barbarian)

by Sean Murphy

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

I hope to see less superhero comics. But knowing that won’t happen, I hope to see a new focus on Vertigo. With all the changes happening and the rumors in the DC hallways, I’m hoping Vertigo comes into a different focus in the next decade. While keeping true it’s successful roots, I’d also like to see more sales, tighter scripts, edgier art, and better attention to delivering these properties into the Hollywood system.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I imagine the digital shift will continue to indirectly promote the use of digital inking. While I personally think digital inking is a crime, I understand that it’s here to stay. Which is great because there will be less original art for sale in the coming years. Thus, those of us who use pen and paper will be able to sell our pages for more money.

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JIM McCANN (Return of the Dapper Men, Widowmaker)

"Not quite ready to fly..."

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

I think everyone upped their game this year. From Marvel- the relaunch of the Avengers line to to the mystery and compelling story in Hickman’s FF, Amazing Spider-Man’s run with some really great writers and artists, so many great things. DC I enjoyed Flash, Birds of Prey, and am on the bus for Brightest Day. Indy books that really stood out to me were Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard and the stand-out book of the year that took me by surprise- Morning Glories.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

I think Nick Spencer deserves all the praise he is getting for Morning Glories, if not more. Same with Jonathan Hickman & his SHIELD book. I think people like Jeff Parker, Paul Tobin, and Fred Van Lente are guys that put out great work month after month and should be followed. God Machine was a great book from Archaia that folks should check out, and same with Mouse Guard: Black Axe, which just started. It’s been a privilege to work with David Lopeź and Chris Samnee and I am so happy they are hitting big time. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Janet Lee, the co-creator and illustrator for RETURN OF THE DAPPER MEN. She is getting a lot of praise from those who are discovering her work, but I think she is going to be a superstar now that she’s entered the world of sequential art.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

I’d have to say the reorganization of DC. It was a move that affected a lot of people and it will be interesting to see how a bi-coastal company works out.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

More support of the mid-tier and creator-owned titles. I understand budgets, but there are some amazing stories out there that people are missing out on because they think these books “don’t count as much.”

I would also like to see retailers commit more to all ages titles. The fan base is there and we need to have product in stores for this new generation of readers in addition to existing customers if the industry stands a chance of growing.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I think you’ll see it stay around the same for my Marvel work. As far as the DAPPER MEN books, due to the unique look and feel of the art, we want to make sure that the digital version is a special and different experience than the physical book. I think the technology is there, it’s just a matter of building something that will truly wow people the way the book has.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

I’m currently working on HAWKEYE: BLIND SPOT and ZOMBIE CHRISTMAS CAROL for Marvel, TIME OF THE DAPPER MEN- the second volume in the Dapper Trilogy, and another project that’s under wraps at the moment but one I am very excited about!

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MATT SILADY (The Homeless Channel, A Delta of You)

The Delta of You

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

The women really stole the show in 2010. Lynda Barry (Picture This), Cathy Malkasian (Temperance), Vanessa Davis (Make Me a Woman), Julia Wertz (Drinking at the Movies), Hope Larson (Mercury), Renee French (H Day), and Sarah Glidden (How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less) all put out great books this year.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

I never think Matt Kindt gets enough press. His work is always exceptional and this year’s major release (Revolver) was no different.

I also really enjoyed Top Shelf’s recent Swedish invasion. Bravo to Chris and Brett for introducing us to a whole new comic book scene.

But the real catch is Ben Costa’s Xeric-winning hardcover collection of Pang: The Wandering Shaolin Monk. This book is just beautiful and redefines what self-publishing can look like. Highly, highly recommended.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

I guess it had to be the 399 cent comic (a.k.a. the number of pennies it takes to put the serialized monthly comic companies out of the serialized monthly comic business).

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

I’d like subscriptions for serialized comic books by the Big Two sold exclusively through comic retailers. You visit a shop, pay for a digital subscription, the retailer gets a cut, and you get a little secret code that unlocks the monthly download. That’s right, a little secret code. I just saved the industry. Boom. Done. What’s next?

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

It only impacts me in that it impacts the direct market retailers. On a day-to-day basis, I just worry about making good comics and helping other folks make good comics too.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

I’ve got my spring graphic novel workshop to run at CCA and I’m co-teaching a brand new course with Justin Hall (True Travel Tales) that focuses on the history of the queer comics scene. I’m also chipping away at my next book and editing Kristin Olson’s beautiful series of graphic novels, Sick Bed Blues. Should be a fantastic year!

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JOHN ROGERS (Dungeons & Dragons, Leverage)

TNT's Leverage

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

The Boys, Secret Six, Irredeemable, Chew

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

The recent change in Vertigo residual structure is a pretty big development, and will force more young creators into self-publishing to protect their IP.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

A change in attitude toward piracy. There’s plenty of music piracy, and we’re still selling a couple billion a year in mps’s. Piracy doesn’t kill mid-list books — crossovers and events do. Piracys like the weather. Unavoidable and unmanageable. Just carry an umbrella and stop obsessing.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

The only new work I’ll be doing is self-published digital. So, a lot.

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CHRIS ROBERSON (Starborn, iZombie)

Stan Lee's Starborn #5

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

This was a GREAT year for comics. Particular favorites of mine, in no particular order, were THE WEIRD WORLD OF JACK STAFF, ATLAS, THOR: THE MIGHTY AVENGER, ALL of Grant Morrison’s amazing Batman books, KING CITY, GREEN HORNET: YEAR ONE, THE SIXTH GUN, ATOMIC ROBO, Paul Cornell’s ACTION and KNIGHT & SQUIRE, WITCHFINDER… I could literally go on and on and on.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

Brandon Graham’s KING CITY is a marvel, and should be on everyone’s reading list. Same for Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt’s THE SIXTH GUN. And I’m still amazed that Paul Grist’s Jack Staff books aren’t best-sellers. On the web, I think everyone should be reading (and sending money to) Lucy Knisley. And I’m ready for artists like Evan “Doc” Shaner and Dean Trippe to be superstars already!

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

The release of the iPad was completely game-changing. You couldn’t design a more perfect device for reading digital comics.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

I’m ready for publishers to do day-and-date digital releases at reasonable prices, say $.99 for a full issue. It’s a great idea for a lot of reasons, but not least of which because there are lots of folks who don’t live near comic shops, or who live overseas and have to wait forever for new releases, so there’d be this whole new market that would open up immediately.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I think the work will largely stay the same, at least for the foreseeable future. But with digital distribution, we could be reaching a lot of readers who either won’t or can’t go to a comic shop on a regular basis.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

Coming up in the next year I’ve got SUPERMAN from DC, the ongoing iZOMBIE and the miniseries CINDERELLA: FABLES ARE FOREVER from Vertigo, and STAN LEE’S STARBORN and ELRIC from BOOM! Studios.

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SAM HUMPHRIES (Fraggle Rock, CBGB)

Fraggle Rock

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

I won’t repeat my personal top ten list from elsewhere, so how about a special shout out: Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie’s SIEGE: LOKI was one of the most memorable single issues produced by the big two in years.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

Maybe it was a change in my surfing habits, but I thought there was more thoughtful, sustained discussion of works, outside of the news cycle, in 2010. The many incisive voices on Love and Rockets #3 and Grant Morrison’s Batman saga were a welcome change from the rapid blog churn. I hope to see more in 2011!

Daytripper was a remarkable book that got very little discussion.

Special Exits was indeed special and I felt got a little left behind by the news cycle. Which puzzled me, I thought the book came ready-made with all sorts of interesting angles and article fodder.

I think Fraction’s Thor is shaping up to be the equal or better of his Iron Man work and I can’t figure out if I’m alone in this.

Benjamin Marra’s Maureen Dowd book got some attention for its surface level LOLz but, I feel, not enough appreciation for its achievement as a genuine, multi-layered, stone-faced satire.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

The comic industry has lived to see another year!

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

I hope to see more bright individuals discovering ways to steal positive momentum for the industry despite the economy.

I’d like to see more experimentation in the business models of digital distribution.

I’d like to see the industry shift its definition of “success” and “failure.” Sometimes, it seems that nothing shy of a 100 issue run rates an automatic FAIL from the chorus of voices out there.

I’d like more beautiful English translations of European works. Hats off to the publishers already doing wonderful work on this front.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I see it opening a lot more options for distribution. But is it an overall improvement? Is anyone paying attention? Let’s find out.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

OUR LOVE IS REAL, a sci-fi love story with Steven Sanders.

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JUSTIN ACLIN (S.H.O.O.T. First, ToyFare)

art from "S.H.O.O.T First" by Ben Bates

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

I thought the Taskmaster mini by Fred Van Lente and Jefte Palo was one of the most unexpected and enjoyable reads of the year. Both that and Batman Inc. made me laugh out loud this year, which is one of the highest things you can ascribe to, as far as I’m concerned. I loved Thor: The Mighty Avenger, even though its cancellation broke my heart. Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour definitively answered by one niggling question about the Scott Pilgrim series, which was “Does O’Malley know Scott’s kind of a jerk?” And Axe Cop continues to demonstrate that no one’s imagination or sense of timing is as good as a 6-year-old’s. And I probably forgot a hundred other things I enjoyed the crap out of–I read a lot of comics!

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

I think the biggest story in 2010 was actually the lack of huge stories. There wasn’t really a Blackest Night-style monster that dominated, and instead you saw companies casting about trying to find something different, but not finding anything that really connected (or at least, that connected enough to offset the general economic malaise). Even digital comics, while certainly a favorite topic of conversation, didn’t really cross over in a way that indicates “The Future is here!” That, or Walking Dead being such a huge hit. All of my favorite storytelling right now that’s not in comics is on TV, and I hope we can see more of comics’ best cross over to that medium soon.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

One thing I’m sure we’ll be seeing, which I’m excited to, is the next generation of up-and-coming creators taking shape. I think in 2010 you saw a lot of the last wave of up-and-comers–your Jason Aarons and Jeff Lemires and Chris Robersons and Jonathan Hickmans–become the new establishment. It definitely seems like it’s time for some new voices to come in and fill that role.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I’m actually moving in the opposite direction – my story, S.H.O.O.T. First for MySpace Dark Horse Presents will be reprinted in MDHP volume 6, on sale in February from Dark Horse. That said, I would like to do more things in the digital space this year. The idea of not having to find a way to get anything printed is exceedingly appealing.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

Every day I sit at a desk and make more ToyFare. Other than that there’s nothing that can be announced yet, but I have recently gotten a bug up my butt to do a webcomic in 2011, as I mentioned above. If I could draw better than a 4-year-old I’d do it myself, but as it is I’m looking for collaborators.

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DARYL GREGORY (Dracula: The Company of Monsters, The Devil’s Alphabet)

Dracula: The Company of Monsters

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

My favorite new book of the year was iZOMBIE, by Chris Roberson and Mike Allred. They’ve created this wonderful, breezy tone, which is SO much harder than it looks. This year I jumped onto the IRREDEEMABLE and INCORRUPTIBLE bandwagon. Those books hit all my superhero fanboy buttons. And in the “late to the party, but what a party it is” department, I caught up on the UMBRELLA ACADEMY this year. Huge, huge fun.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I’m new to comics, with no built-in fan base, so any distribution channel that gets my books in front of readers is extremely valuable. In the prose world, my novels have always been available on the Kindle, and I’m seeing slow but steady growth there. Here’s hoping for another jump after Christmas. I was one of those thousands who I got an iPad this year (thanks, Santa!) and I prefer the reading experience on that device over the Kindle (though I’m using the Kindle app, and still like purchasing on Amazon). And of course, for comics, the Kindle machine is useless.

But allow me a moment for a rant. Marvel was offering some free comics as an inducement to try out their reader, and I happily took the bait. I downloaded the app, but then, before I could download the freebies, I had to create a billable account — which then failed on the iPad. I was so annoyed that I decided to skip the app. Come on, Corporate America! You’ve got to get these user experience issues figured out. You’re on an iPad, and the bar’s a little higher.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

I’m trying to straddle both worlds — one foot in science fiction prose and another in comics. My next novel, RAISING STONY MAYHALL, will be coming out in June 2011 from Del Rey. And later in the year Fairwood Press is publishing a collection of my short stories. I’ve started daydreaming about the next novel, but it’s too early to talk about.

And in comics I’ll be continuing with DRACULA: COMPANY OF MONSTERS for BOOM! Studios. I’ve been talking with the BOOMers about another project that I hope will get the greenlight soon. So I’m busy, but I’m having a blast.

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NEIL KLEID (The Big Kahn, Superman 80 Page Giant)

The Big Kahn

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

Dug into a new Cooke PARKER graphic novel with glee, stuck with perennial favorites WALKING DEAD, CHEW and GREEN LANTERN, but also hearted new comic gems like AMERICAN VAMPIRE, THOR THE MIGHTY AVENGER, Archaia’s FRAGGLE ROCK series, Jeff Lemire and Paul Cornell’s recent foray on SUPERBOY and ACTION COMICS.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

Man, I know everyone’s gonna ring the THOR THE MIGHTY AVENGER bell here, but I’ll point toward Kevin Colden’s awesomely disturbing I RULE THE NIGHT, Marvel’s all ages SPIDER-MAN comic as written by Paul Tobin, Dark Horse’s CREEPY COMICS revival, and Ben McCool/Ben Templesmith’s CHOKER. Also, though I haven’t read it yet but flipped through at the store, the recent release of Scott Chantler’s TWO GENERALS should have been on folks’ radar as should have been Kody Chamberlain’s SWEETS.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

Shall I choose the DC restructuring/relocation/removal of imprints? The anxious, hurtling move into digital distribution including day-and-date delivery? How about the media/television domination of Kirkman’s WALKING DEAD? You decide.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

A clear, viable, monetized plan for digital comics distribution and more original works—comics and graphic novels—being created in that space. Also? More comics about cops with axes.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I imagine I’ll get back to doing original webcomics again at some point, but for 2011 it looks like my hand in digital will focus on getting past, published work available at well-established digital providers like Comixology and such, taking some of my print work and formatting it for iPad/tablet release. Hoping that can include full graphic novels, as well, the way IDW plans to do.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

Dean Haspiel and I have a ten page Perry White story running in February’s SUPERMAN 80 PAGE GIANT I’m pretty proud of but apart from that, 2011 is a head down creative year—I’m scripting/illlustrating a graphic novel for one publisher which will see daylight in 2012, while shepherding the art on a second book for another publisher which may debut at the end of 2011. I’m also putting a second draft polish on a Big Boy novel, which will probably need a third. I’ve got a few smaller irons in the fires throughout the industry but the graphic novel I’m drawing is the focus for the year.

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CAANAN GRALL (Max Overacts, Celadore)

Celadore

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

In short order, without elaborating why, I enjoyed all of these comics in one way or another – Muppet Show, Mystery Society, Ultimate Spider-Man, Chew, Black Cat, Locke & Key, Marvel’s continuing Oz adaptations, Echo, Scratch 9, Beasts of Burden, the Walking Dead, Cul de Sac, the Stuff of Legend, and I’ll stop now.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

Keeping in mind, I read very little comics this past year, having moved to the country, I’d say from what I did see – Rafa Sandoval on the Ultimate mini series, Ultimate Mystery, does some fantastic art. He’s like a strange hybrid of Leinil Yu and Immonen. Once that story is wrapped, I’m sure he’ll be put on something big.

Also, I don’t know why Matthew Loux’s Salt Water Taffy books aren’t big by now. The Goonies is big. Why isn’t Salt Water Taffy? If you like one, you’re almost guaranteed to like the other. Maybe they are big? I’m no expert.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

DC’s restructuring. Sweep away some labels to make room for more ‘mainstream’ interchangeable heroes fighting the same fights, in the same tights? Sigh…

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

Less marketing hyperbole! Less comics that will “Change everything!” that are the “One you’ve got to see to believe!” – the one guest starring ‘Spider-Man/Deadpool/Wolverine/TakeYourPick!” – the one that’s “world changing!” – “Earth shattering!” – the one where “Someone dies! And you wouldn’t believe who if we told you.”

Man, calm down. The louder you shout, the more people will block you out.

I’m looking at you, Marvel.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I already distribute for free on the net. I’d love to get in on that iPhone/iPad business, but I don’t even have one to check if what I create would even work. Ah well. I’d like to see more comics released digital-exclusive, and then head to print if it’s successful. Not just if it’s finished and there has to be a book, but if its sales/popularity warrants it. That’s what I’m working toward.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

Currently, plugging away three times a week on my webcomic, Max Overacts is my only sure thing. In 2011, I hope for there to be a first print edition, collecting the first 120 strips or so. Hopefully in time for TCAF.

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B. CLAY MOORE (Battle Hymn, The Further Adventures of the Whistling Skull)

The Further Adventures of the Whistling Skull

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

SCALPED, PUNISHER (FRANKENCASTLE), BPRD, CHEW, THE SIXTH GUN, FANTASTIC FOUR

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

Hopefully people are beginning to notice the phenomenal work that Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt have done on both THE DAMNED and THE SIXTH GUN.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

The reshuffling of DC in the wake of the Disney/Marvel deal.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

A tighter focus on quality (rather than quantity), and more successful creation/marketing/distribution of independent books along the lines of CHEW and THE SIXTH GUN (get them done, get them promoted, get them shipped on time).

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I have no idea. I’ll be curious to see how the larger companies and the deals they’ve put together impact what I do. And I suppose I need to renew the focus on distributing my creator-owned work digitally. Hopefully I can just sit on my ass and the royalty checks will start rolling in!

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF THE WHISTLING SKULL (DC Comics), GREAT BIG HAWAIIAN DICK (Image), BILLY SMOKE (Oni), a new BATTLE HYMN book, and many more.

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MARK ANDREW SMITH (Sullivan’s Sluggers, Popgun)

Sullivan's Sluggers

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

I’ve been living overseas in Asia for a very long time. I didn’t read anything current. I made a choice to read prose for the year and I’ve done a lot of reading but regular books. I haven’t read a single comic book all year.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

I’m out of the loop.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

I’m drawing a blank. I can hardly remember a single major news story from this year, which I think makes it uneventful.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

It’s a secret.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I was reading a thread on Amazon about authors and their books, and most of them were published on the Kindle. Even though they’re printed, they’re not ‘printed’. I prefer my books made from the flesh of freshly killed trees. Anyone can digitally print. We’re going to have a planet with 6 billion authors and no one reading any of their books.

Reading digital comics is still exciting and something I enjoy as a reader and to be able to have a lot of books on one device. There is a conflict of the creator side of me versus the reader side. There is no one sided answer and it’s not that great of a conflict, it doesn’t keep me awake at night. The price point for digital comics is so high that I don’t want to buy any digital comics, but I’ll read digital books. There isn’t any massive campaign or organized effort to raise awareness about comic books on reader devices.

If someone goes in with an effective marketing campaign, they have a great graphic novel, and do the same marketing and advertising for a digital graphic novel that they would for a new release in the book market, that it might catch and we might see our first millionaire from digital comics in the next few years. I hope it’s me. I deserve it.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

I can’t discuss the specifics, but I’m working on a story that’s very BIG and LARGE SCALE. Literally.

——————–

CHIP MOSHER (BOOM! Studios marketing)

Irredeemable #21

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

Elijah Brubaker’s REICH by Sparkplug Comic Books is something I’ve enjoyed immensely. It’s up their with Lutes’ BERLIN in my book. Great historical storytelling. I really, really, really enjoyed AMERICAN VAMPIRE. I thought the first four issues of that series was terrific. And, if I could include a BOOM! series that didn’t get enough praise this year, that would be DRACULA: THE COMPANY OF MONSTERS. Busiek’s story mixed with Daryl Gregory’s script mixed with Scott Godlewski’s art just delivers the kind of unique story that you can only find in comics.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

DRACULA: THE COMPANY OF MONSTERS. DRACULA: THE COMPANY OF MONSTERS. DRACULA: THE COMPANY OF MONSTERS. Can I say that one more time? You need to be picking this up.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

The beginning of a viable digital marketplace for comics. The iPad has come down from Mount Cupertino and will save us all!

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

To smartly develop that viable digital marketplace into something that can attract a wider audience in the longterm. I hope to see the conversation move from “Digital is going to save comics” to “how do we smartly build a long-term audience in digital.” Brigid Alverson wrote a great article on Robot 6 here about the challenges of digital comics: I hope to see more of that in the coming year so we can all learn and grow and be better!

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

Since this is my department’s responsibly, for me it means… more work! Seriously, while I am as excited as the next person by emerging digital markets, there are challenges ahead for both print and digital that are not dissimilar to each other. Whether print or digital, we need to expand the audience for comics all around. Contrary to popular belief, digital does have challenges and is not an instant panacea to all our problems (See Brigid’s article above! ) But while I have tried to inject some real grounded reality into the discussion, it is very exciting time to be making and marketing comics.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

I can’t WAIT for people to see what we have coming down the pike for 2011. HELLRAISER with Clive Barker writing! ELRIC with Moorcock anointed Chris Roberson writing. And then in April we’ll have…. whoops can’t talk about that now. And then in May, we have…. whoops can’t talk about that either. Well, let me just assure you. This year will make you go BOOM!

——————–

MARK SABLE (Teen Titans: Cold Case, Rift Raiders)

Teen Titans: Cold Case

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

Casanova is not technically new, but it’s worth re-reading, not just because it’s a densely written book that embraces the medium like no other. Cris Peter’s colors really do make it a new book, and Matt Fraction delivers great back matter as always.

Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque’s American Vampire is the best new series I’ve read.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

No matter how many books I have out – and I think I had 3 or 4 this year – I always think the answer to that question is me and my work.

Seriously, with the success of Crossed and The Boys, Garth Ennis’ Battlefield gets overlooked, and it’s his best series to date. Similarly, I think with so many Avengers and GI Joe titles, Christos Gage’s work with Mike Costa on GI Cobra and his solo work on Avengers Academy don’t get the attention they deserve either.

Avengers Academy is a perfect superhero book – it’s got real, relatable teen characters and manages to tell a complete story every issue while keeping you coming back for more. I think it’s a great entry point into comics.

Although I’m biased, I’d say that Paul Azaceta is the most overlooked artist in the business. His work on Spider-Man proves he can handle mainstream superhero work as well as the darker stuff he made a name for.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

That the industry is putting out way too much decompressed, overpriced, inaccessible work Too many crossovers, too much writing for the trade…how do we ever expect to get new readers?

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

As a reader – more dense, accessible work. That doesn’t mean dumbed down. It means more creators and publishers taking Stan Lee’s maxim seriously, that every comic might be somebody’s first. It a;sp means giving readers a complete story for a reasonable price. When an hour long TV show is available for $2.99 online, why do comics that tell 1/4 to 1/6 of a story priced the same? Readers deserve an experience that’s longer than taking a crap.

As a creator – I love what the Hero Initiative is doing. But it’s ironic that some of the same people who are trying to help creators who were screwed over are continuing some of the bad business practices that put them in the poorhouse in the first place. I’d like to see creators, and freelancers in particular offered healthcare so there doesn’t need to be a Hero Initiative in the future.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I’m not sure. So far it hasn’t made me do anything other than buy an iPad, which is nice for showing pitches to publishers. But it hasn’t changed my buying habits, and I don’t see it doing so until digital comics are priced less than hard copies.

That said, I’m looking very seriously into the idea of doing a digital-only or digital-first book as an experiment. Warren Ellis’ Freakangels seems to be the model to beat.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

I’m creating two more books for Kickstart Comics, the new publisher I helped launch with RIFT RAIDERS this fall. I’m writing a motion comic tied in with a visually stunning blockbuster movie. But what I’m most excited about is a book called GRAVEYARD OF EMPIRES that re-teams me with GROUNDED artist Paul Azaceta at Image. I think it has the potential to be both of our best work to date.

——————–

PHIL HESTER (Godzilla, Wonder Woman)

Godzilla: Monster World #1

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

Oh, boy. I’m so behind on my reading. You know I didn’t start Starman or Y, The Last Man until their runs were over, right? I have to say 20th Century Boys, though still in progress, has made its way into my all-time top ten. I love all the new Hellboy stuff. X’ed Out. Loved Tumor from Archaia. Jonah Hex. I always read Walking Dead the day I get ‘em. Digging Action, Spider-Girl, FF, Bulletproof Coffin, Joe the Barbarian, Scalped, oh, man… so much stuff I need to catch up on. Uhhh… every last comic written or drawn by my friends!

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

The aforementioned Tumor by Josh Fialkov and Noel Tuazon, also Proof by Alex Grecian and Riley Rossmo. Eric Canete is a genius and gets a ton of praise form his fellow artists, but he’s not as appreciated by the general public as I’d like.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

The inevitable move to digital distribution. Comic shops, don’t go away!

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

Again, a useful model for universal digital distribution. I know there are a ton of cool comic apps out there, but it would be swell to wind up with an itunes of comics.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I plan to put all my creator owned catalogue online for free in the near future. I mean, why not? They’re already there. Why not create a hub where all my stuff can be found? As long as I can get high end hardcovers like The Coffin to be profitable (and it was), access to my library of work can only help expose my books to new readers, fans, and hopefully buyers. I may also try some of my concepts out online before moving to print. Some of my noncommercial ideas are REALLY noncommercial and I have a hard time landing publishers for them. Those will probably find themselves delivered as webcomics.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

Writing Wonder Woman, The Darkness, Firebreather, The Green Hornet, Golly, Warpaint for Strip Magazine, and some indie OGNs, and drawing Godzilla for IDW.

——————–

EVAN DORKIN (Beasts of Burden, The Simpsons)

Beasts of Burden #4

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

Market Day, Yotsuba!, Detroit Metal City, Hellboy, Polly and Her Pals, Kate Beaton’s online comics, Dustin Harbin’s Diary Comics (print/online), Prince Valiant vol 2, Afrodisiac, Rambo 3.5, Love and Rockets, Black Jack, Captain Easy vol 1, King Aroo vol 1, Thirteen Going on Eighteen, Four Color Fear, and some other stuff I can’t remember offhand, sorry. I mostly read comics from the library or stuff publishers send me for free. Who can afford these things anymore?

Because nobody asked, but they should, because kids are supposedly our future and all that crap: my 5-year old daughter’s 2010 favorites include Little Lulu from DHC, The Smurfs books from NBM, Bart Simpson Comics from Bongo, Tiny Titans from DC, various DC Silver-Age Showcase superhero collections, Johnny Boo from Top Shelf, Uncle Scrooge from Boom and the Felix the Cat book IDW put out, among others. She doesn’t pay for her comics, either. Except for Prison Pit and Tarot, I told her if she really wanted those we’d have to take it out of her allowance.

Ever hear a kid cry in a comic book store? It’s really kind of hideous.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez (and the Art of Jaime Hernandez book). Those two still tower over this medium, imho. Jim Woodring’s Weathercraft (I say this having only skimmed it, so, yeah, I’m part of the problem). Duncan Fegredo’s contributions to the Mignolaverse. Eddie Campbell’s Complete Alec (was this 2010 –?). Bongo, nobody talks about Bongo and they put out fun comics (Disclaimer: I freelance for them, but it’s still true). A number of excellent strip reprints, like Captain Easy, King Aroo, et al. Lots more, obviously. I mean, all kidding aside, who can keep up with the deluge of books these days? I hear good things about comics like King City, Orc Stain, Bulletproof Coffin, Pluto, Chi’s Sweet Home, Prison Pit, fill-in-the-blank, this, that and the other — I can’t gamble on them on my budget, the library doesn’t have them yet (if ever), and I don’t know how to download stuff off pirate sites (Hey, Kids — any help with the latter would be gratefully accepted, e-mail me!). I still haven’t read Wilson or Acme 20 or most of this year’s BPRD output or the latest Palookaville, and these are books I’m going to try to hunt down to read before most unknown titles, to be honest. I’m also clueless when it comes to web comics, on top of all that. So, yeah, lots of stuff gets overlooked. Publishers, creators and lunatics can all feel free to send me their books next year so I can make a longer and stronger list in 2011. I know the kids want to see that. So do it for the kids.

I will say this, though — somebody should’ve paid more attention to what Neal Adams was doing this year on Batman:Odyssey. Like, way before those books ever got into print. Holy. Crap. Batman.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

I dunno. Probably something to do with “apps” or falling sales or DC creating a lot of new Green lanterns and Vice Presidents. For me, it was FBI announcing the Complete Barnaby series for 2012.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

Health coverage. Ha ha ha! I almost typed that with a straight face, honest. No, actually, I’m just praying for more useless collections of lousy work, more licensed garbage from my childhood and yours, more variant cover overkill, more superhero violence and more one-issue stories stretched to six issue story arcs. It thrills me to no end to see these positive content-driven trends continue to support our healthy industry like Atlas holding up Earth-2. Oh, and Batman: Odyssey, more of that, please. It’s printed on blotter paper, did you know that? At least that’s my theory. Something has to explain the horrible freak-out I had after attempting to read the fourth issue. Either that or it’s a Cthulhu-related thing, like…there’s Cthulhu in the ink or something crazy like that. Involving Cthulhu. Raaargh.

Also, I thought the Spider-Man Musical was the best continuing storyline in comics in 2010, so I hope that sticks around to entertain and delight us all. The producers have a far more interesting handle on character setbacks and mutilation than most superhero comic book writers do. I’m amazed no one’s hired them for at least a Moon Knight or Aquaman mini-series by now.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I don’t expect it to do much for me, personally. I hope it increases the chances of other creators’ work to be read and enjoyed and made more profitable. But I’m doomed. I don’t believe anything can save me now beyond the intervention of the all-supreme being, the great creator. Of course, I’m talking about Jack Kirby.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

I’m writing three short Beasts of Burden stories for Jill Thompson to paint for Dark Horse Presents, drawing a 10-page strip for the Bart Simpson comic from Bongo, illustrating something for Mad…um, I dunno, I might do some other stuff, too. Maybe not. Things have been weird, lately. For some reason none of my calls to DC Comics get returned, which sucks because I have this really awesome idea for a Batman series where he, like, poses dramatically on all the covers and does all this really intense stuff in his never-ending war on crime. Also, it has the Joker in it. Anyway, in the past few weeks I’ve filled out a lot of employment forms at K-Mart, Target, Popeye’s and a few other places. Still waiting to hear back from them. Petsmart would be nice, if they got back to me. I like animals.

Thinking positive thoughts for 2011!

——————–

IVAN BRANDON (Viking, Doc Savage)

Viking: The Long Cold Fire (hardcover), by Nic Klein and Tom Muller

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

I’ve been trying to figure that out, but I have a terrible memory for that kinda thing. I know I really loved Daytripper. I know I loved Batman and Robin. I dug Frankencastle for how it pushed in the opposite direction of the current comics trend and dealt with what’s POSSIBLE in comics rather than what’s REAL outside of comics. I think that’s hopefully the next push, people really thinking of these characters as incredible moreso than credible. I love that Casanova came back. I love new KING CITY.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

The attention to digital comics, though I think the specifics of that attention have so far been largely misplaced, but it’ll all eventually lead to good things hopefully.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

Bigger things. People trying to surprise rather than shock. In superhero comics, people really understanding that these worlds are full of infinite possibility and maybe they should stretch their legs a little more.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I don’t see it as a shift, I see it as a balance. I don’t think digital has to kill print, I think right now they’re separate markets and that’s how I’m trying to connect with them. But I think you’re going to see some more work debuting digitally and for my part I’m thinking of ways to make that work unique.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

At the big 2: my biggest work for hire project ever, by far. But I can’t name it yet. Also a return to a couple familiar characters.

On the creator owned front: I’m working on 3 new ideas simultaneously… 1 sci-fi, 1 real-world and 1 original superhero thing.

——————–

ADAM BEECHEN (Batman Beyond, Wildcats)

Batman Beyond #1

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

Northlanders, Scalped, Amazing Spider-Man, Stumptown, R.E.B.E.L.S., Invincible Iron Man, all the “Oral History of the Avengers” stuff that runs through the backs of the Avengers books.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

Northlanders. “The Plague Widow” knocked me out.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

The restructuring of DC. It’ll be interesting to see how it affects the content going forward.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

More chances taken. Less concern over what will make a good movie, and more over what will make a good story.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I have no idea. I’m just going to keep on writing!

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

Batman Beyond, baby! That’s got my full focus right now, and I couldn’t be more excited!

——————–

TYLER JAMES (Epic)

Epic

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

The Stuff of Legend – This will eventually be considered a new American classic. Brilliant, brilliant work here. Can’t wait for more.

Nemesis – Millar at his filthy best.

Earth One Superman – I dug it, and I think JMS is making the right decision focusing on graphic novels. This would work as a movie reboot.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

CP Wilson III is doing amazing work on The Stuff of Legend.

Dexter Vines and Mark Morales need more praise for their inks. While I love McNiven’s pencils, his art on Nemesis just doesn’t compare to the fully polished look Vines and Morales give him on books like Old Man Logan.

Dan Slott writes one hell of a Spider-man and should be talked up more.

How about editor Nick Lowe? Nemesis, Shield, Astonishing Spider-man & Wolverine…Seems like every other book I pick up has his name in the credits.

And on the indy side, I feel like the work Cary Kelley and Harold Edge are doing on Dynagirl (dynagirlonline.com) needs more recognition. A quality superhero webcomic updating twice a week.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

Digital comics sales up 1000% from last year. They have arrived. The game is on.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

Less fear of digital. I’d like the big publishers to have a digital strategy that actually makes sense.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

Digital is opening up a new revenue stream and distribution channel for indy creators like myself, and I couldn’t be more thrilled about it. Last week, EPIC #0 went up for sale on Graphic.ly, and it was showcased in a new release pile sandwiched between an issues of POWERS and The Punisher. That’s big. While the major publishers are always going to have a serious advantage for eyeballs and attention, these new platforms give independent creators a shot at reaching a broader audience.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

On the comics front, it’s EPIC, EPIC, and more EPIC for me. We’ll be releasing an EPIC /Dynagirl crossover short soon, and artist Matt Zolman is hard at work on the first issue of the ongoing.

Also, ComixTribe, a new site I’m co-developing, launches the first of the year. ComixTribe’s mission is simple: creators helping creators make better comics. I’ve got big plans for the site, but it’ll start with just a few, focused columns that I think will be of high value to the comics creating community. I hope people check it out and join our tribe.

——————–

JOHNNY ZITO and TONY TROV (D.O.G.S. of Mars, Moon Girl)

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

JZ – All of Grant Morrison’s Batman stuff was just amazing. I read and re-read Batman and Robin. It was stellar.

TT – This was also the year, like everyone else, I read Scott Pilgrim. Which was really entertaining and super clever. It was refreshing in the way it blended genre and medium. Totes.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

TT – Hans Rickheit’s ECTOPIARY is the bomb dot com.

JZ – Did you guys see the Penthouse comic Sheldon Vella did? Very tasteful.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

TT – Comixology goes to the Droid.

JZ – Archie started dating the base player from Josie and the Pussycats and I was like what?

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

TT – High def comics. The 3D glasses pinch my nose.

JZ – Kindle, Nook, and all you other e-readers… comics are coming. Resistance is futile.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

TT – I would like to digitally distribute a “cyber high five” to everyone who enjoys our comics.

JZ – Everyone will be a super hero. Everyone will be a Captain Kirk.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

TT – We’ve got D.O.G.S. of Mars coming out in the next month, with the creep-tastic art of Paul Maybury.

JZ – Check out our cool T-shirts at the online store and Moon Girl is going to print thanks to Red5 just in time for Free Comic Book Day.

——————–

FAITH ERIN HICKS (Brain Camp, The Adventures of Superhero Girl)

Brain Camp

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

Saturn Apartments volumes 1 and 2 by Hisae Iwaoka, Smile by Raina Telgemeier (a book I think will end up being a touchstone for a lot of future cartoonists), and Beasts of Burden by Jill Thompson and Evan Dorkin. There was also the wrenching conclusion of Pluto by Naoki Urasawa and the continuing mindscrew that is 20th Century Boys (Urasawa again). A great year for comics, I think.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

I really wish Naoki Urasawa would get the mainstream attention I think his work deserves. As in, I think every adult who reads should be reading his comics. His work is mature and exquisitely well-crafted, and I think if any comics for adults deserves to be accepted by the mainstream reading population, his do. Urasawa is regarded highly within comic circles, but I wish his work would break out the way some graphic novel memoirs have.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

More great stand alone work (like Beasts of Burden or Smile) in lovely packaging, so I can buy many graphic novels from my local comic store. And more awesome manga, please! It seems every year I find another great Japanese series to follow, and that’s pretty thrilling. I want more variety too, more books about different types of characters and different genres.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

I’m currently slated to be working on two graphic novels: writing and drawing an adaptation of an unpublished Young Adult novel for First Second Books (I’ll be turning a manuscript into a fully formed graphic novel, basically. It’s a challenge, but fun so far), and drawing a young readers comic series for Kids Can Press, with J.Torres writing. I also have some fantastic web related stuff that hopefully I’ll be able to announce soon, and I’ll be continuing my indie/webcomic The Adventures of Superhero Girl. And somewhere in there I will also be sleeping.

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DAVID GALLAHER (Box 13, High Moon)

EXCLUSIVE Box 13 artwork

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

The comic that I look forward to reading month in and month out is AVENGERS ACADEMY. Really. That’s a seriously under-rated title that always delivers. I think the Batman and Spider-Man offices have also continually put out some very enjoyable and well-told stories.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

Well, aside from AVENGERS ACADEMY, I think books like THOR: THE MIGHTY AVENGER, BLACK WIDOW and HAWKEYE & MOCKINGBIRD didn’t really get the amount of love they deserved. They were all pretty damn fun books.

I think there are more than a handful of creators whose work warrants more attention in 2011 – Drew Rausch and Aaron Alexovich are some of the first couple of creators that come to mind. Whether it’s on a team project like ELDRITCH, or individual projects like SERENITY ROSE or SULLENGREY – I think their work really deserves wider recognition.

I also think creators like Danielle Corsetto (GIRLS WITH SLINGSHOTS) and Meredith Gran (OCTOPUS PIE) can NEVER get enough attention. They continually deliver stellar work.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

The iPad. With the iPad came more creators, publishers, and readers talking about digital comic content. It was THE game changer this year.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

I’m hoping 2011 sees more creators debuting original digital content for mobile and casual comic readers. I love what I’ve been seeing in projects like VALENTINE and MOON GIRL, but I’d love to see MORE of it! BONNIE LASS, by RED 5, I think is another step in the right direction.

I really am looking forward to seeing other advances in digital publishing move forward. I want to see more convergence, the implementation of subscription services, digital lending, sharing, trading, and the like. More importantly, I’d like to see the price point on digital titles become a little more reasonable.

What I would really like to see is a shift away from the marginalization of digital comics, webcomics, and their creators. It bothers me that ‘being printed’ is still seen as ‘legitimizing’ a creators work.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

Most of the work I do is in the digital spectrum as it is. I think we’ll find even more opportunities to get our work into readers’ hands. I also think we’ll see a greater opportunity to tell more self-contained stories and maybe create a new model of serialized storytelling. I think these things, coupled with an increased awareness of digital comics, work in everybody’s favor. It’s an interesting time to be in comics.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

Along with BOX 13: THE PANDORA PROCESS, Steve Ellis and I have two creator-owned projects we are developing – one is a Victorian period piece, the other is a modern-day sprawling epic. We have another project we just signed on to develop – with a top-notch team of creators and editors – but we can’t talk about it just yet. Right now, it looks to be a fun year.

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KODY CHAMBERLAIN (Punks, Sweets)

Sweets #1

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

It’s a tough call, but if I had to narrow it down to a small stack I’d go with “Lint” by Chris Ware, “The Outfit” by Darwyn Cooke, “Hellboy” by Mike Mignola and Duncan Fegredo, “Tumor” by Josh Fialkov and Noel Tuazon, “Joe the Barbarian” by Grant Morrison and Sean Murphy, and “Chew” by John Layman and Rob Guillory. There are plenty of others, but those came to mind first so I’ll stick with that.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

“Daytripper” by Moon and Ba was probably the second most overlooked book of 2010. Those guys have mad skills and it’s truly a gorgeous comic. But “Sweets” is probably the most overlooked.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

That one is easy. The rise of digital comic book distribution.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

I’d like to see our fan base grow in every direction. We desperately need to bring in fans of other genres and a lot more kids. I’m glad to see things moving in the right direction these last few years with new comic imprints for kids, I hope it continues.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

Most of my work tends to fall outside the superhero genre, so hopefully the addition of digital distribution will open the door to new readers and a bigger audience for every kind of story. We’ve painted ourselves into a corner with the superhero thing and the vast majority of entertainment consumers don’t associate comics with anything but superheroes. With a few notable exceptions, it’s been very tough for creators to earn a living doing anything but. I hope 2011 is the year comics become a mass medium again.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

We recently announced that we’re moving “Punks” over to MTV Geek as a digital comic and Josh Fialkov and I have been doing a lot of work behind the scenes to get that ready to roll. I believe the actual launch date is pushed back a few more weeks, so the comic line is set to launch the first quarter of 2011. I’m told “Punks” will be the first (or one of the first) comics to premier in that imprint. Besides that, I’m currently working on three original scripts. I plan to draw at least one of those starting in January, and I’ll probably collaborate with a different artist for the second. The third is an original screenplay that I’ve discussed a few times with a particular director, so hopefully that picks up steam early
in 2011. None of the scripts have a title yet except for the screenplay.

——————–

VITO DELSANTE (FCHS, Aquarian 7)

Aquarian 7

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

Hawkeye & Mockingbird, The Outfit, Tumor, Love and Rockets New Stories 3, Acme Novelty Library 20

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

Tumor was a great book, but I feel like Josh Fialkov really didn’t get the praise he deserved.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

Towards the end of the year, a few stores closed or shifted management. I think 2011 is going to see a lot of restructuring and redefinition for what the direct market could and should be in a changing marketplace where readers are downloading their comics. Also, without patting myself on the back too much, I think my “Big Giveback” initiative was grossly overlooked. Here’s something that could change the industry positively, and with a few exceptions, no one really took notice.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

More creator owned comics by big names. More avenues for education as it relates to comic book creation.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I’m already planning on doing free online comics on my site.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

As mentioned, I’m going to launch a few new comics on my site (so far, Aquarian 7 is the first to debut by the end of the first quarter or so. Dean Haspiel and I are going to finish Fallout at some point and Rachel Freire and I should have FCHS Volume 2 out by year’s end.

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JAMIE S. RICH (You Have Killed Me, Spellcheckers)

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

I enjoyed quite a few series from the mainstream companies this year. Vertigo had a really good year with new books like American Vampire and Joe the Barbarian. Sean Murphy’s work in Joe was just incredible. In fact, it’s been a really great year for Sean’s fans, what with his Hellblazer miniseries finally getting released. Peter Milligan’s revival of John Constantine in the main title has also been a real surprise. I was very skeptical of his bringing back Shade the Changing Man for it, because his Shade book is one of my all-time favorite comic book series. Luckily, the issues were strong, and it felt right having Shade hanging around the comic racks again. I’ve been rereading the old books since Vertigo is reprinting them finally.

At Marvel, I really liked Marjorie Liu’s arc on Black Widow with Daniel Acuna. I liked the emphasis on the espionage aspects of the character. I dropped the book as soon as they shifted teams. I also really got into Matt Fraction’s Iron Man run and really dug both Dave LaFuente and Sara Pichelli on Ultimate Spider-Man.

For indie books, I think my trifecta of favorite graphic novels is Koko Be Good by Jen Wang (First:Second), H Day by Renee French (Picturebox), and Lucky in Love by George Chieffet and Stephen DeStefano (Fantagraphics). All very different books…but then, that’s why you read creator-driven stories, because you don’t want the same old thing. My guys over at Oni know what I mean. Where else are you going to find Ray Fawkes’ Possessions and the Bunn/Hurtt Sixth Gun series in the same comp box?

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

Well, there are series that got cancelled or creative teams that moved on. Seeing Madame Xanadu get cancelled was just a bummer, and I wish Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Amanda Connor were still doing Power Girl. That and Detective Comics when Batwoman was the star were the only mainstream DCU comics I was buying monthly. Jimmy and Justin are also killing it every month in Jonah Hex, I wish that book was getting more praise. It’s such fantastic genre fiction, and their focus on single issue stories means just about every entry packs some kind of real punch.

One of my favorite manga titles recently published in North America also finished its run this past year, and I didn’t see hardly anyone talking about it or reviewing it. Viz published all nine volumes of Hinako Ashihara’s Sand Chronicles, and it is maybe the most consistent and overall satisfying dramatic series I have read. It’s not really a coming-of-age story, though it starts out as one. It’s a long-form serial where the characters actually grow into adulthood and change by the end of the run, and the narrative outcome is emotionally powerful.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

Digital distribution, especially with the new avenues opened up by the iPad. This will allow the concept of webcomics to evolve, as well as how print media deals with electronic reproductions, and hopefully open up the market even further. I also think it’s interesting to see how creators and publishers are dealing with piracy. The music and movie industries have all proven to have no idea what they are doing when it comes to that, and so far, outside of taking legal action against sites openly distributing material, I think comics have been a little smarter about it. You look at, say, the example of Steve Lieber actually engaging with people pirating Underground and working to make them understand what they are doing, I think that does a lot more than banging on a pulpit. I’m also curious to see more of the actual online community rallying together for one another the way they have when material is plagiarized or to fight the folks unfairly aggregating online content. There is certainly a far more rational community here than, say, the angry manga scanlators, who seem prepared to cut their own throats by letting some U.S. publishers take advantage of their fandom and get them to do the work they’d otherwise pay professionals for.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

Same thing I always hope to see: more diversity, more creative daring, smarter business practices. Less corporate line-wide events, less excuses for those events, more focus on just good, straight-up content. Less pissing and moaning from my fellow creators and more good work. For my friends in the journalism trade, I’d like you to realize that superhero porn movie parodies and celebrity bios aren’t news, and to finally figure out that many companies are faking these constant single issue sell-outs and stop acting like they are real, and instead let’s talk about the stuff that’s really good that isn’t shucking and jiving the audience. Oh, and did I say I want more cool comics? Less of everything sucky, more of everything awesome.

Specllcheckers

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I’d like to see my work actually available in that format. I’d like to see stuff I’ve written available on all platforms, I don’t want to be fenced in. That said, I am hoping there can be a greater synergy between all sides of the industry, more room for the many formats and cooperation on all fronts. I don’t see digital completely replacing print, nor do I see it cutting out that side of the business. I’d like to see greater thought given to the end package. Other entertainment industries are adapting to digital and streaming content by making that the temporary, on-the-go version. The better package is the CD with bonuses or the tricked-out Blu-Ray. I’d love to see some pilot tests where, say, you buy a comic and you also get a coupon for a free download of the issue to have on your portable device, or something along the same lines in reverse: if you downloaded this series, why not preorder the trade paperback at a publisher-funded discount from your local retailer? That kind of thing.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

Spell Checkers vol. 2 is the most immediate concern. Nicolas Hitori de and Joëlle Jones are in the middle of drawing it, and I think we’ll have a firm publication date set for sometime this summer very soon. I am about to start writing volume 3, too, so we’re really pushing ahead with the series. It promises to be more fun as it goes, with the humor and the plots getting more outrageous–the second volume lampoons the cross-over genres of horror and teen comedy, for instance–but the characters are also getting more well-rounded, as they are wont to do when you continue to write more and learn about your creations. I think the first volume needed to be the sparkly pop number, but now I have some room to stick a little more history and emotion into the proceedings since everyone has gotten familiar with our bitchy adolescent witches.

I’m also reconvening with Joëlle to start the follow-up to You Have Killed Me, though that will be a project that will take both of us some time. Joëlle has some amazing things in the pipeline herself, she’s got two graphic novels almost totally complete for two different publishers, and I am curious to see where here recent contribution to Ultimate Spider-Man will take her. You want to talk about something that didn’t get enough attention! Her being a part of that was a total highlight of 2010 for me.

The next thing you’ll see from me, though, is the short story I wrote for the Yo Gabba Gabba comic. Mike Allred drew it, and Han Allred colored it. We had a lot of fun, I tried to write a story that was very Snap City, but filtered through Gabbaland. Mike and I have two Madman specials cooking for Image, too, celebrating the character’s 20th anniversary. The first will be out in the very early Spring, and it will feature a new story by Mike & Laura, but also three short stories by talent we hand-picked last Spring: Matt Kindt, Tonci Zonjic, and Emi Lenox. The other special is going to have a pile of Mike’s favorite artists contributing and will be out later in 2011. Oh, and we’re getting the finished proofs for Madman Atomica, the second oversized hardcover omnibus as I type this. Over 1,000 pages! Not only did I edit, but I have a couple of stories reprinted in it, as well–one with Joëlle and one Mike, Dave Johnson, and I did for the CBLDF.

Not much else is scheduled to be out from me in the immediate future. I have two Oni projects approved and they have artists attached, including one I’ve teased about on my blog that I created with Natalie Nourigat. The other is with an awesome artist named Dan Christensen that Oni brought to my attention. That news will likely be winnowing its way out as we have more artwork to show. They are both right in line with the kind of stories people like from me, but they also go in whole new territories, they won’t just be the same old thing. I want to keep surprising my readers–and myself! That should mean an even bigger 2012!

——————–

THOMAS HALL (Robot 13, King!)

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

I really liked the Franken-castle stuff that Marvel did, but aside from that and maybe a few stray issues that someone handed me, I read mostly Indy comics in 2010. I really love everything that Jacob Chabot does, and he had some great Mighty Skullboy Army minis this year. I love Chew and Atomic Robo, but then again, most people do I guess or at least the people I talk to. Unwritten was pretty good as well- hopefully that will keep rolling along. And on the Webcomic side, www.monstercommute.com is pretty much all I think anyone needs to read. It’s got everything I like in a comic- Giant monsters, crazy steampunk warships, comedy and a society run by a Frankenstein/ Abe Lincon hybrid all wrapped up in some of the most insanely delicious artwork that you have ever seen. I have been reading it daily for years & 2010 was a VERY good year for Monster Commute.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

My stand-pat answer for “most overlooked” person is comics is always Larry Marder, because Beanworld is on a level of genius all it’s own. Other than telling people to buy everything Larry has ever done, I would say I really, really love Old Man by Rob Osborne because it’s the kind of Comic I think is great to read and share with pretty much everyone in the family.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

For me, the biggest story is how Digital Comics kind of went from an Idea of the Future to an existing thing that everyone seems to HAVE to have an opinion on, and for most people that opinion is based on what may happen ten years down the road. People forget that there is a very good chance that 10 years from now may, in fact, look EXACTLY like now except there will be more people buying Digital Comics and more Digital Comics available. Alot of Comic Shop owners are really vocal about hating Digital Comics, and that throws the larger companies into a weird situation where they know there is a market for Digital Comics but they are fearful of pissing anyone off. Small companies aren’t so worried, and in 2010 we saw alot of Indy Comics move serious amounts of Digital Comics simply because they made them available and were willing to promote them.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

IDW is bringing back Godzilla, who is my all time favorite character, period, so I know 2011 is shaping up to be an amazing year already. And aside from ME writing a Godzilla story, I would like to see more books that are fun to read. I am not talking just about comedy, but Sandman was fun to read every month and that’s about as far from comedy as you can get. I guess I love it when people create a Comic that surprises me as a reader.When I put a book down and say, “I wouldn’t have thought of doing that,” it’s a great Comic as far as I am concerned. There is a ton of talent out there in Comics today, maybe more now than ever, but the bulk of people are doing stuff that just isn’t fun to read. So I want that sense of fun in 2011. And lots of Godzilla.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I want as many people to read my work as possible, and Digital Comics helps make that happen. Alot of people know Robot 13 only because of Digital, to the point where we get emails all the time from all over the world from people who are discovering our work and don’t have any way of reading our print stuff. When a kid emails me from China and says Robot 13 is his favorite Comic, I know that Digital Comics made that happen. And unlike Print Comics, I have no way of knowing how far that will reach. Eventually, all of Blacklist Studios’ Print Comics sell out their print runs, but Digital is an infintely renewable resource. So KING! will be available Digitally in 2011, as will more Robot 13 because people want it, and we will expand into whatever Digital areas will give new readers a chance to read our books.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

The final issue in the current KING! storyline will come out in 2011, as will a new story arc for Robot 13 where we really get a chance to slow things down a bit. The first Robot 13 mini series was so jam packed with monster after monster that I think it flowed past some people too quickly. The next story will bring alot of the threads of ideas and really develop some of them, and we have some things planned that nobody will see coming. I also have a couple of projects that I am writing for other artists- one with AP Furtado that is a Science Fiction Spy Action book set in an Alternate History version of 1966, which is kind of Inception meets Scanners meets The Thing. Aside from that, I am also doing a Chinese Ghost Story type book with an artist that I have known pretty much forever & who I have been bugging to do something with me for years. And once 2011 gets rolling, I will probably find a few more things as well.

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IAN BRILL (BOOM! editor, Darkwing Duck)

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

This was a busy year for me and I must admit that I am only now catching up with so much work that was published recently. Of the tiny sliver of this year’s output that I was able to get my hands the following were favorites: Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim Vol. 6; Rick Remender, Tony Moore, Dan Brown, Joe Caramagna and various collaborators’ Franken-Castle stories; Grant Morrison’s and various collaborators Batman stories; the Casanova reprints by Matt Fraction, Gabriel Ba, Fabio Moon, Cris Peter and Dustin Harbin; Charles Burns’ X’ed Out.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

I think my fellow BOOMies Michael Alan Nelson, Francesco Biagini, Stephen Downer and James Dashiell did fantastic work creating a smashing urban horror story in DINGO.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

I’m trying to think of one but when I think of the big stories; the corporate changes at Marvel and DC and the greater premium on their respective IP as transmedia properties, the digital endeavors of major comic book companies, and the price wars over $2.99; I come away considering this zeitgeist that stories told in comics form are now predisposed to be realized and received in more ways than ever before by a sizable customer base, and those various realizations arise almost simultaneously.

Let me take the Scott Pilgrim franchise for example. Conceivably, a customer could have discovered the story from the film and its various promotions (including an Adult Swim animated short and a video game) and purchased all the volumes to read on their iPad. They have devoured every bit of Scott Pilgrim and never once touched paper. That’s just one example, there are many different ways these different permutations of comic stories can be put together by customers. Maybe someone bought volumes one through three years ago book form, then recently went and bought the rest for their iPad to so they can rediscover and finish the story.

I should note that I really do see film, video game, animation, etc. as other delivery system for comic stories. It’s not always the case but I think more and more comic stories being told in other media are still bound to their origins in comics. The biggest example I can think of is that the Marvel Studios film franchise is now using the trope of a shared universe, something that’s old hat to any one reading comics!

There is always going to be a thirst for comic stories. 2010 cemented the fact that the Pandora’s Box that is “option” has irrevocably been opened. There are different options for storytellers on how to deliver their ideas, and different options for customers on how to receive those ideas. The comics medium has to face what other entertainment industries have been dealing with for years, decades at this point, but in ways completely unique to the form and history of comics.

Again, that’s more of a zeitgeist than a story. Or maybe it’s more of a trend. Or more of a movement. Or…maybe all of the above are just the delirious ramblings of some dude who writes for talking ducks and chipmunks.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

More original works from talented and enthusiastic storytellers that are embraced by trustworthy and uncynical public.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I hope digital distributions has the affect that it makes more people enthusiastic to discover comic stories, whether that’s people who have been curious about comics but never indulged before because they never found a retail outlet that met their needs, a long time comics fan whose consumption of stories fell dormant until the convince of digital distribution, or whatever any individual customers’ story may be. I hope they find and enjoy stories that mean a lot to them in whatever form their discoveries may appear. Within the vast amount of work being produced today, if some of those stories that reach people on their particular journey happen to be mine, then I shall be most grateful and humbled.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

As of right now I am shaping the future of both Darkwing Duck and Chip ‘n’ Dale Rescue Rangers, trying to top what I accomplished in 2010. I edit Hellraiser (a 180 from the books I write in terms of content but a confirmation of the fact that no matter what the subject is good, clear and affecting storytelling should always be the main concern of all involved) and a soon-to-be-announced title I am very excited about.

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MEGAN KELSO (Artichoke Tales)

Artichoke Tales

My favorite comics from 2010 were Lynda Barry’s “Picture This” and Vanessa Davis’ “Make Me A Woman”

I’m very excited about the possibilities of digital distribution although I confess I have no idea what the particulars will be. But I think it will only work if it is ultimately artist driven in the sense that artists are happy with the aesthetic results of digital comics.
Artists took control of the whole digital production side of comics in the 90′s, so I am cautiously optimistic.

In 2011 I’ll be working on a new book of short stories. It will include a revised (and slightly longer) version of Watergate Sue, my strip that ran in the New York Times Magazine, and also 2 or 3 other “longish” short stories.

——————–

SCOTT WEGENER (Atomic Robo)

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

That’s hard to say. I read a lot of great comics this year. As usual, I’m way behind the curve on a lot of comics. I finally got to read Moore and Williams’ PROMETHEA and really enjoyed it. That book’s old news though I guess. Then there was the last volume of PLANETARY -simply amazing. I continue to love and adore books like HELLBOY, BPRD, and INVINCIBLE, MOUSE GUARD. I’ll put them in my “ongoing awesome” pile.

For stand-alone favorite books of 2010 I’ve got a three-way tie between Canales and Guarnido’s BLACKSAD hardcover, Darwyn Cooke’s PARKER: THE OUTFIT, and Mignola and Stenbeck’s SIR EDWARD GREY, WITCHFINDER: IN THE SERVICE OF ANGELS.

BLACKSAD hit me right in the Death Star exhaust ports with it’s gorgeous artwork and fantastic 1950′s detective noir stories. Cooke comes at you with more of the same wonderful dime novel pulp, but in his own unique and mesmerizing style. WITCHFINDER had all the creepy folklore you’d expect from Mignola coupled with the style and panache Victorian horror. How can you go wrong?

Technically BLACKSAD and WITCHFINDER contained material dated prior to 2010. But the graphic novels that I bought all had 2010 copyrights, so that’s close enough for me!

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

I’ve got to go with one of my favorite creators out there who nobody’s ever heard of; Dave Flora. Creator of GHOST ZERO and DOC MONSTER, Dave does most of his work in his free time and publishes it to the Web, though a few Ghost Zero stories are available in print. Dave seems to have bottled the essence of what was magical in pre-television radio drama and then he pours it out onto the pages of his Ghost Zero work. Similarly, his DOC MONSTER work seem to capture everything that was spellbinding about movies like Forbidden Planet and presents it in webcomic form.

Brian and I were lucky enough to scam Dave into drawing a short B-Side story for Atomic Robo. It’s the rare Robo story that isn’t full of bad jokes and things blowing up, and it’s one of my all-time favorites.

I don’t have an agenda to push, but my second guy is also mostly web-based. Haha. John Allison does a very engaging and humorous webcomic called BAD MACHINERY, which was proceeded by SCARY GO ROUND, which came after BOBBINS. His art is very loose and cartoony yet also very ‘real” looking at the same time. His work has the same sort of charm that sucked me into the Harry Potter frenzy, despite my loud protests that I had no fucking interest in a bunch of stupid kids learning to be wizards.

Atomic Robo V. 4

Finally, I need to give a shout out to a guy named Chris Houghton. He’s a great artist and the comic he does with his brother is called REED GUNTHER (A Bear, A Cowboy, & A Very Wild West!). It really needs to find a home with some publisher. It’s good stuff, and if no one wants his book they should at least be throwing lots of offers for work at this guy.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

Is it bad that I’m drawing a big blank here? I don’t know. Did anything super amazing happen in 2010? I can’t think of anything. . .

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

Besides fabulous increases in Atomic Robo sales? =)

I’m really curious to see the continued development of the digital market. I want to see the Internet and smartphone playing field expand. And I want to stop hearing from publishers, retailers, and creators about how digital comics and Internet piracy are destroying the industry, or their work, or their business. Because they’re not. Instead I want to see how they are going to adapt and evolve to cope with the new reality of what comics are. And that will be huge when they do. Individuals can make small impacts here and there, but it’s really going to take these larger organizations and the resources they can bring to bear to really make big meaningful changes.

I know for a fact that there are retailers, publishers, and creators who are jumping into all this Buck Rogers in the 21st Century stuff. They get it. Heck, if my comic had a bumper sticker it would say “Mark Waid Is My Co-Pilot.” I have nothing but great respect and admiration for all of them. But there needs to be more of it!

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

Oh . . .wait. Haha! I can say a bit more on that I guess.

Digital comics have been nothing but good for Atomic Robo. Since debuting on the iPhone I have not done a single convention where I haven’t met at least three people who come to our table and tell me how they found Atomic Robo on their phones and now they’d like to buy the TPB from us. I get random emails from people telling me the same thing. I really think that’s the new model in comics- digital issues paired with robust TPB sales. The average joe doesn’t want a bunch of long boxes crammed with back issues they won’t ever read again. That’s for the obsessive collector niche. It’s not a growth market. But put that mess on their phone or their laptop and it’s a different story. And then these same people go to the retailers and get their trades. Its win-win as far as I can tell.

Sort of related, let me say that people pirate the crap out of my work. Everyday I get a Google alert with more links to torrent sites than anything else related to Atomic Robo. We (Brian and me) do not care. As far as we can tell there is no direct correlation between that kind of thing and lost sales on our end. What I do know is that every now and then the Internet piracy actually leads to more sales for us. Because people are seeing our work. They are spreading it around and they are talking about it.

The Internet is funny. It supports the things it likes, even when it steals them first. My proof is anecdotal -just more people talking to us at conventions. But I’ve heard it enough that I believe at it’s worst the piracy is nothing but free advertising for us. If it was up to Clevinger and me we’d have at least the first volume of Atomic Robo up on the Web for free by now. We just need to convince Red5Comics that stores won’t start boycotting their product for doing that.

It just popped into my head as I’m writing this, but I’d love to work on some Digital-to-Retailer thing with some of my new local comic shops here in NYC. I have no idea what we could do, but the idea of starting something in the digital realm and then ending up at Jim Hanley’s/ Comic Book Jones/ Midtown/ or Forbidden Planet would be awesome.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

I’m declaring 2011 to be the Year of The Robot. And not the pantless sort that works in a car manufacturing plant. I’d really like to buckle down and put out more Atomic Robo material in 2011 than I have in the previous three years. Clevinger and I are also kicking around ideas for several new projects that we’d like to continue working on and maybe start showing to our publisher, or just put out on the Web. That might be more of a 2012 thing though.

Also with any luck, the first of several small Atomic Robo animated shorts will be coming out. There’s currently four studios messing around with what boil down to fan projects. Stuff that we all hope will lead to bigger and better things, but as of now are just hopeful gambles. The Fictory’s ATOMIC ROBO: LAST STOP is way ahead of the others guys and will likely be the first to drop. Cant wait!

——————–

RYAN CODY (Villains, Icarus)

Icarus

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

Hellboy and B.P.R.D are always a favorite, I also really enjoyed the Wednesday Comics hardcover that came out this year. It’s a beautiful package and had some of the best talent around working on it.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

Sean Murphy gets his fair share of praise but probably not enough. Same with Eric Canete. Some of my personal favorites who I think are going to have a bigger impact in the next year are Jason Latour, Robbi Rodriguez and Scott Godlewski. Each one of them brings something new and exciting and I look forward to seeing what’s next for them.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

Probably all the shake-ups and distribution changes at the big two. Imprints closing, editors being moved around, digital taking a big leap and price changes all around seem to show that comics are still in trouble in a down economy but there are always going to be people who want to read comics both traditionally and digitally. That and the success of The Walking Dead TV show, people still really love horror and zombies, and a good product doesn’t hurt either.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

Less event comics and a focus back to storytelling and art. I don’t understand why every 4-issue run by a creator needs an ad campaign or a tag-line and why every event needs a press conference or full court press roll out. It seems like every body wants to try to make the event bigger than the comics instead of focusing on the story itself. Also, less vampires and zombies.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

My work, which I typically self publish will rely a lot on digital distribution in the next year. I hope that those who read the comic for free online will think about buying a physical copy or purchase merchandise or the comic digitally. Free comics are great, I understand the appeal 100% but I think many readers fail to recognize that their support, financially, is what makes these comics available at all. I also think a lower digital price point may increase readership among kids and teens and expanding that customer base is critical to comics, both in print and digitally.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

I will continue to illustrate the webcomic Jesus Christ: In the Name of the Gun as well as produce my creator owned series ICARUS for both digital and traditional platforms. ICARUS is something I have been planning for years so I hope to be able to continue it for the foreseeable future. A film based on a book I co-created called Villains is still in active production so if that gets the green light and moves forward, I expect I will be returning to those characters sometime in the next year as well. Hopefully I can fit in some other projects at some other publishers this year as well. Editors, call me!

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ROB GUILLORY (Chew)

Chew #27

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

Mesmo Delivery, Afrodisiac, Walking Dead and Scalped. And Daytripper, though I’ve only read one issue.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

Rafael Grampa is absolutely brilliant and my favorite artist of 2010. And Kody Chamberlain’s SWEETS is something so subtly brilliant that I think a lot of folks will be giving it a second look in 2011.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

The end of Wildstorm and the unbelievable success of Walking Dead.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

More originality, more passion projects and less “events.” I’d love for companies to focus less on press releases announcing “The Next Big Thing”, and more on just making good comics that give the readers their money’s worth.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I think it’ll only help. As it is, we get tons of emails from readers who have bought the print versions of CHEW after loving the digital version. I see it as just another way to spread the love.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

I’ll still be working on all the art on CHEW, but there’s a good chance that I’ll be doing a solo one-shot in 2011. We’ll see!

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SHAWN CRYSTAL (Deadpool)

Deadpool #900

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

The 6th Gun.
BPRD
Jason Aaron’s Punisher Max
Scalped
Deadpool Max

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

Jason Latour is a cartoonist everyone should know. His work is truly unique and inspiring. He did a bunch of books for Marvel this past year, all of which are great.
Nick Dragotta is another cartoonist that deserves wider recognition. He’s has a classic super hero look, with a flair for the new. A nice combination. He’s been busy at Marvel, with more to come.

The 6th Gun. Great writing and great cartooning make for a GREAT comic. Why isn’t EVERYONE reading this book?
Goran Parlov is one of the best cartoonists in the industry. I’m not sure he’s overlooked, but i don’t feel he gets the praise he deserves.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

I think the release of the ipad did a lot to help the growth of the publishing world. As more years go by, i think we’ll all realize how vital that was for the future of comics.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

More great cartoonists coming in and shaking things up.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

Well, my first published work in 2011 will be released as a web comic for Marvel.com. Thats a first for me, and i think a taste of the future of publication.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

I wish i could say! I’m doing a mini series for Marvel. All i can say is it’s going to be a career defining book for me. It’s something truly unique at Marvel and very exciting for me to be a part of.

——————–

KEVIN COLDEN (Fishtown, I Rule the Night)

I Rule the Night

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

Colden: It was an unusually “mainstream” year for me, and by mainstream I mean more superhero and genre comics than usual. My typical tendency leans more towards literary or art comics. I bucked up for the Rocketeer Artist Edition from IDW, which was worth every penny, and is astonishing to look at. As far as new comics, I really dug Peter and Bobby Timony’s Night Owls, Kody Chamberlain’s Sweets, Thor: The Mighty Avenger, and all of the Batman titles. Bryan Q. Miller’s writing on Batgirl in particular is stellar. Also can’t forget Locke and Key, which is an insanely good read.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

Colden: Hmm. I guess I can say this now – I think during the run of Zuda a lot of the creators involved didn’t get quite the level of respect they deserved from the larger reading public due to a variety of factors, none of which had any bearing on the work they were producing. Some of these folks I’m now in cahoots with through Comic Social Club (Matthew Petz and Juan Salcedo), but guys like Drew Rausch, who is fantastic, didn’t even get to be on the Zuda site in the first place. I also think Dan Govar (another CSC member), didn’t get enough attention for his comic Azure being a top three seller on the DC App for all three of its issues. Valerie D’Orazio’s Punisher:MAX one-shot was one of the most brutal stories I read this year, but didn’t get the love its brilliance should have.

But other guys who are truly great, like Chris Samnee and Matt Wilson (from Thor:TMA), and Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie (Phonogram) are starting to get the love they so richly deserve.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

Colden: iPad comics. For years, those of us toiling away in the field of long-form narrative webcomics had been waiting for this thing, and had gotten the brush-off from the majority of the business when we said “Serialize digitally!” Welcome to the future, boys. I’m not going to say “I told you so.” Having a front-row seat in watching the Comixology guys explode from scrappy upstarts to being the most important people in comics literally overnight was pretty nuts. Ultimately, it’s the payoff for things a lot of people – myself included – have been working toward for years – making purely digital delivery as viable and respected as print.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

Colden: I’d hope that 2011 is the year that digital finally gets the respect it’s due. I think we’ve cycled back into an era where a lot visionary creators want to work for the big two, and I’d love to see readers really embrace books like Thor:TMA to the extent that it doesn’t get cancelled, and see the publishers be more supportive of innovative, visionary stories and storytelling, both creatively and from a promotion standpoint. Promotion is the big thing; if you want something new and interesting to do well in this day and age, it needs serious logistical support. The new Millers and Sienkiewiczes are out there, but I sometimes wonder if the fear of the new keeps us from hearing much about them.

Finally: the 4 D’s – Day and Date Digital Delivery.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

Colden: Not much. My whole career has been very involved in the digital realm, so to me it’s just business as usual. If anything, it might get more people to read I RULE THE NIGHT, which is only available through the DC App or Comixology.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

Colden: I RULE THE NIGHT should be finishing its run early in 2011 – six issues left, nine in total. I can’t talk about anything new yet, but let’s just say a project or three for a publisher or two that I currently work with, a project for a publisher I haven’t, and maybe the realization of a dream project.

——————–

ADAM FREEMAN (Hero Complex, Highwaymen)

Hero Complex

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

More comic companies judge a project’s potential for success in the comic medium, not just as an IP for a film.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

Debuting our Top Cow Pilot Season winner, “Genius” as a series. A yet-to-be-announced graphic novel and our illustrated novel, “Jake the Dreaming” for Radical.

Jennifer Van Meter (Hopeless Savages, Black Cat)

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

Hope Larsen’s _Mercury_; Kathryn & Stuart Immonen’s _Moving Pictures_

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

Structural shakeups at DC were the most profound on my radar, though I’m not the best judge of what’s going to have the greatest effect on the industry.

Amazing Spider-Man Presents: Black Cat 2

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I have to hope it puts my work in front of more people, gives my stuff more ways to find readers who’ll like it.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

Hopeless Savages, volume 4 is going to be a huge part of 2011 for me; also have a couple gigs coming up with Dynamite and Marvel.

——————–

OMAHA PEREZ (Holmes, Flash Gordon)

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

The Elephantmen series and The Odyssey graphic novel by Gareth Hinds.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

Well, Gareth Hinds for starters. There is this unfortunate schism between the book publishing world and the comics market. So while Hinds’s The Odyssey (Candlewick Press) is getting a lot of well deserved attention from the traditional publishing media he is virtually ignored within the comics community. I see the same thing with my friend Ted Naifeh. His 3rd volume of Holly Black’s Good Neighbors came out this year from Scholastic. The work is beautiful as always and coming from Scholastic I’m sure the books have a much higher print run than his Oni works yet Good Neighbors received almost no attention from the comics press.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

The Drude

I don’t see this happening in a year’s time but I’d like to see the market shift to more resemble the European market. I want to see less emphasis on the Big Two superheroes. Marvel and DC’s actions over the years are clearly responsible for the shrinking market. Having the comics racks dominated by X-Men, Batman, and “event” books, at the expense of diversity, is not healthy for the industry. You don’t see kids or teen-agers at comics shops, overwhelmingly you see guys my age (40) or older. It is not just the format, print vs. digital. Reading Spider-Man comics when you are a teenager is just not cool, you might as well be bringing a Transformers lunch box to school.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I know it’s not there yet but clearly digital and print distribution need to go hand in hand. I think eventually digital distribution will be more profitable than print. For the time being, having work available digitally serves as a very necessary way to promote your work.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

I adapted 2 chapters from Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur for an anthology featuring short adaptations of literary works called THE GRAPHIC CANON, coming from Seven Stories Press. I am writing a sci-fi/thriller called SUPER TERRE.R for a great young artist named Greg Hinkle (Parasomnia). And I will either be illustrating my sequel to Holmes, HOLMES VS. HOLMES or writing and drawing a new original project called THE DRUDE – or perhaps I should alternate between the two!

——————–

JASON McNAMARA (Martian Confederacy)

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

Glamazonia The Uncanny Super Tranny by Justin Hall. If you only read one super-powered tranny book this year, this is it true believer! I know what you’re thinking: “calling a tranny super-powered is redundant,” but just go with it, nerd. As a self-made woman, Glamazonia joyfully sticks her stilettos into tired comic book tropes by altering her mysterious origin story depending on whose pants she’s trying to get into at the moment. Gender-bending at its best, this book was the most fun I had on the page this year. I hope that sounded dirty.

The Outfit, adapted by Darywn Cooke. As if getting another Cooke-adapted Parker novel wasn’t enough to celebrate, he includes an abbreviated adaption of The Man with the Getaway Face as prologue. Cooke does such a great job of realizing Parker’s world that it’s impossible to read the novels now without imaging them with his visual stamp. I’m anxiously awaiting future adaptations of The Score, in which Parker and his associates rob an entire town, and Slayground, in which Parker is trapped in an amusement park with crooked cops moving in to steal his loot. If I ever get Cooke into the trunk of my getaway car, I might ‘encourage’ him to draw the entire series.

——————–

NATHAN EDMONDSON (Who is Jake Ellis?, The Light)

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

Turf, Mice Templar, and Fluorescent Black –to name a few. Hard to play favorites, but these stuck out.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

Brunswick and McDade’s Jersey Gods comes to mind.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

Who is Jake Ellis?

The iPad. Maybe The Walking Dead on AMC in second place.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

An integration of digital distribution in an intelligent way that benefits all levels of the industry.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I’m interested to see if the impact hits as quickly as 2011, but I think ultimately the majority of singles will go digital, and more focus will be given to the production of trades–which I hope to see embraced in a more significant way by mainstream booksellers.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

I have an ongoing and two minis in the grinder. We’ll see what else the new year brings!

——————–

VAN JENSEN (Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer)

Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer and the Great Puppet Theater

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

There were some great books this year. The Outfit was Darwyn Cooke being Darwyn Cooke. I have to mention the Alec omnibus and BB Wolf from Top Shelf. Dark Horse had amazing collections of Beasts of Burden and Blacksad. I continue to be hugely impressed by Sweet Tooth and The Unwritten from Vertigo.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

The single best thing I read from last year was Eden, the book by Argentinian cartoonist Pablo Holmberg that was translated by D&Q. It’s an excellent little collection of four panel cartoons. They’re this perfect blend of whimsy, fantasy, hope and despair. Really beautiful stuff. My publisher, SLG, also released a little book called Captain Long Ears by Diana Thung that was a powerful bit of comics.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

The main thing that stands out is the rise of the digital comics industry. Granted, I think we’re still a long, long way from figuring out how to make serious money from digital comics, e-readers, etc. (or, at least, I am). But this was the year we saw Marvel and DC jump into the digital waters, and comics apps performed pretty well compared to other books.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

Every year, my biggest hope is that comics people make every effort to expand the market. We’re making an incredible variety of comics, and a lot of them are remarkably well done. There are still people out there who would enjoy these books, but they only think of comics as superheroes. It’s getting better, but there’s still a long way to go.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

Both of the Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer books have been published digitally, and the net result is that a few people read the books who might not have otherwise, and I’m a few dollars richer. So I’m not planning Pinocchio 3 as a digital-only release just yet. However, I was contacted recently about writing a comic specifically for the iPad, and I’m excited at the very least to explore it as a medium and utilize the functionality of the device within the storytelling. I would guess we’re at least five years away from digital having a big financial impact in comics, though.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

I just wrapped up the script to the third and final Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer, so I’m moving on from that project for now. I’ve written two other graphic novels that I’m pitching around, and I have a pitch out for an ongoing series that I’m really excited about. Beyond that, I’m working on some prose for the first time in a few years, and I’ll have some new mini-comics (including at least one in my autobio Nebraska series) that I write and draw. Beyond that, potentially some work for hire stuff.

——————–

NATE NEAL (The Sanctuary)

The Sanctuary

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

Hans Rickheit’s online comic serial Ectopiary. It’s worth reading just to examine the drawings of the architecture, let alone the standard mindblowing Rickheit storytelling. I also liked Blammo #6 by Noah Van Schiver. The Bob Dylan comic in there is priceless and hilarious. And Derek Van Gieson’s World War 2 serial in the last several issues of the Mome anthology–the gestural drawings give Toulouse Lautrec a run for his money, plus it’s nice to see some grit in the alternative comics scene.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

What kind of question is this to ask a cartoonist who put a book out this year anyway? Am I allowed to say “my book is being overlooked” without coming off like a numbnuts? Screw it. My book. Go buy it. Ha!

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

Thank God I can’t think of anything to answer that question!

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

Better artwork and stronger stories. A broader perspective in subject matter.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I make work for people with book fetishes.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

I’ll be finishing a graphic novel that’s going to melt all of your brains. Beware…

——————–

JIM OTTAVIANI (T-Minus: The Race to the Moon)

T-Minus

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

In alphabetical order:

Afrodisiac, by Jim Rugg
Mercury by Hope Larson
Moving Pictures by Kathryn and Stuart Immonen
Mysterius the Unfathomable by Jeff Parker and Tom Fowler
The Outfit by Darwyn Cooke
Prime Baby by Gene Yang
Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour by Bryan Lee O’Malley
Smile by Raina Telgemeir
Trickster: Native American Tales edited by Matt Dembicki

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

I think some of the above could be included in that list — Smile and Mercury and Prime Baby in particular, since they were intended for an all-ages audience, and comics fans often don’t pay attention to such material.

And Scott Pilgrim. Why doesn’t anybody talk about *that* book? Trust me, it’s terrific.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

I think the release of the iPad made a big difference in terms of how people talked about digital distribution. To come clean: I don’t own one, and don’t plan to any time soon, but it certainly changed the way I thought about the viability of comics on a mobile device.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

More good books to read. That’s all…and that’s a lot to ask for!

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I have a contract to serialize a graphic novel on the web, so it’s definitely changed how I wrote my most recent graphic novel. I enjoyed thinking about the possibilities that the medium had to offer, and doing things that would have been hard, or even impossible, on paper. So it’s changed the way I think, and that’s a good thing.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

I’m not sure what I’ll be working on (there are a couple of things in the discussion stages right now, but nothing is settled, and I’m also working on some ideas just for fun), but things that will come out include “Feynman” with art by Leland Myrick and “The Imitation Game” with art by Leland Purvis.

——————–

JOEY WEISER (Mermin, Cavemen in Space)

Mermin

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

The comics I was most excited about this year were probably Set to Sea, The Unsinkable Walker Bean, and One Piece. All nautical!

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

Chris “Elio” Eliopoulos is one of my favorite cartoonists right now and has been for some time. I think he’s definitely on the rise having done a comic through Koyama Press, a Yo Gabba Gabba! book for Oni and with a book coming out from Top Shelf next year, but I mention him because I don’t think he’s a “household name” in the comics world just yet…

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

I’m sure this wasn’t THE BIGGEST news story, but the first that comes to mind is the cracking down on manga scanlation, with several of the biggest scan sites getting shut down. Scanlations and piracy are still huge, but I think it raised a certain awareness that had some effect on the general shift I see in internet culture back towards supporting things you care about financially or at least legally with sites like Hulu and Kickstarter.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

With the bulk of my work leaning towards younger readers lately, I hope to see comics for kids continuing to get support from the industry.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

While I do a weekly comic strip that appears on the web, I think that the more and more people read comic books and graphic novels on electronic devices, the more I will grow comfortable with the idea of serializing a longer work online.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

In early 2011 (late January or early February) the 5th issue of my mini-comics series Mermin will be printed. It’s the last issue of the first story arc, so that’s exciting. And I have much more Mermin planned after that!

Also, Monster Isle, my weekly webcomic, continues to update every Thursday at http://tragic-planet.com/monsterisle/ and I have written some SpongeBob Squarepants comics, which will be coming this year from Bongo.

——————–

BRETT WARNOCK (Co-Publisher, Top Shelf Productions)

BB Wolf and the Three LPs

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

Sadly, my growing pile of to-read books just gets bigger. (Not for lack of interest.) I REALLY enjoyed Matt Kindt’s Revolver, and Jeff Lemire’s Sweet Tooth is one of the only floppy comics i buy, along with Walking Dead, because i love them both so damn much.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

Well, it’s only a matter of time before Joseph Lambert is a household name amongst the comics cognoscenti.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

Digital.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

I’d love to see a thinning of the heard from the practitioners of dreck — less licensed crap, fewer big event superhero comics, and the umpteen million spin-offs — a some vital signs of life for us indies trying to add real cultural value to the world.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

We’ll see. Our big launch is this Spring.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

Lots of good stuff: Robert Venditti’s new book (drawn by the amazing Mike Huddleston) should turn some heads; more Incredible Change-Bots from Jeffrey Brown; we’ve got no less than nine kid’s graphic novels scheduled for 2011… geez, so many books. Stay tuned for our big 2011 Publishing Schedule announcement, which you should see in just a couple weeks.

——————–

DUSTIN HARBIN (Diary Comics)

Diary Comics

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

This one’s surprisingly easy, although I’ll stick to less obvious choices, just because maybe I’m more qualified to talk about those than the really BIG books. The three books that stick up right away are David King’s Lemon Styles, Michael Deforge’s Lose, and Sarah Glidden’s How To Understand Israel In 60 Days Or Less. All three were books I was floored by throughout, and which HUGELY informed my thinking about my own comics throughout the year.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

Probably all of them, honestly. Except, you know, the regular ones. Enough with those guys! I think Sarah Glidden is hugely underrated–I’m not saying her book is the best thing since Maus or anything, but using autobio comics to unpack and examine complicated ideas–as opposed to the more standard “why are relationships so hard” kind of thing–in a way that allows room for the reader’s own ideas, is an accomplishment. Not to mention a gorgeous one. I would maybe say this was my favorite book of the year, at least in terms of being surprised by it.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

Hm, I don’t follow the comics news that closely. Did someone get a new costume? Have they revamped any 70′s DC characters in an exciting way, maybe changed them to women? I think going forward the iPad–and comics on digital devices in general–will be the big news story of 2010, at least in terms of having deep ramifications for the future of the industry. All the other stuff kinda pales, I think.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

I would like to see comics grow up and take itself seriously in 2011. Stop acting like pissants in comments sections. Stop disagreeing with people because you’re bored at work. Stop trying to call every 80 page short story a “graphic novel” because you want it to sound more adult. Start blending all the genres together more, so there’s not “superhero” and “everything else” as much–I think that would help the health of the big companies a lot too. Stop seeing comics as content farms for possible movie pitches. Make great stories, great art, don’t listen to dummies in end-of-year bits pontificating about what you should do.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

Not at all! For most people publishing comics on the web, the shift to digital distribution happened in like 2002 or something, or way earlier maybe. But my business model is a boutique one, so the rules are a little different (and smaller).

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

Hm I don’t think I can say anything directly, but I’ll be doing some deep longform memoir stuff, plus I have some pitches lined up, and maybe one or two collaborations. Plus more DHARBIN! webcomics, not the diary ones, the entertaining ones.

——————–

DAN NADEL (Publisher, PictureBox)

H Day

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

(I’ll exclude my absolute favorites, which I published: H Day, Powr Mastrs 3, If ‘n Oof, and Puke Force. And yet I named then anyway. What a schmuck I am. But what a year!)

-Wally Gropius by Tim Hensley
-The Art of Jaime of Hernandez by Todd Hignite
-Crickets #3 by Sammy Harkham
-Jimbo (Party Ball) by Gary Panter
-Diary by Gabrielle Bell
-Wild Kingdom by Kevin Huizenga
-The Search for Smilin’ Ed by Kim Deitch
-Jesse Marsh’s John Carter of Mars
-Polly and Her Pals Vol. 1: 1913-1927 by Cliff Sterrett
-Denys Wortman’s New York
 by James Sturm and Brandon Elston
-Curio Cabinet by John Brodowski
-Weathercraft by Jim Woodring
-Steam Walkway by Carlos Gonzalez
-Acme Novelty Library 20 by Chris Ware
-Bodyworld by Dash Shaw
-X’ed Out by Charles Burns
-Silver Surfer by Frank Santoro in Strange Tales Vol. 2, #1
-It Was the War in the Trenches by Jacques Tardi
-King City by Brandon Graham
-Wilson by Daniel Clowes
-Love and Rockets Vol. 3
 by Los Bros Hernandez
-Afrodisiac by Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca
-Captain Easy, Soldier of Fortune: The Complete Sunday Newspaper Strips Vol. 1 (1933-1935) 
by Roy Crane

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

Tim Hensley’s Wally Gropius is at the very top of that list, and right underneath it is John Brodowski’s Curio Cabinet and hovering above them all is one of the best things Marvel has published in decades: Silver Surfer by Frank Santoro in Strange Tales Vol. 2, #1.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

Obviously: Ben Jones, Cartoon Network mogul.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

I have five words for you: Chester Brown: Paying for It. Whatever this industry is, it should shut down for a week and collectively worship Chester Brown. Secondarily, I would like to see a resurgent underground in the U.K., led by Will Sweeney, Leon Sadler, Jon Chandler, and others, which will bring shame upon the colonies. Also hoping for more many interviews with Pat Lee by Rich Johnston.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

Writing a book about comic book history during my “me” time, but mostly I’ll be trying to get someone in charge to allow CF to draw Magnus: Robot Fighter and Brian Chippendale to draw The Uncanny X-Men. When I’m not doing that, I’ll be publishing around 8 or 9 books and a variety of oddly formatted objects in and out of comics “proper”.

Some of ‘em:

Color Engineering by Yuichi Yokoyama (Ltd. ed. artists’ book, 200 pages, full color)

Garden by Yuichi Yokoyayma
(332 page graphic novel)

Tales of Greenfuzz by Will Sweeney
(All four issues plus tons of new stuff)

1-800 MICE by Matthew Thurber
(the collection, plus a liter of new MICE)

“Untitled Project” by CF
(Sorry, no peeking!)

——————–

DEAN TRIPPE (Power Lunch, Butterfly)

Power Lunch

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

Grant Morrison’s multi-title Batman epic is the story that has had me most excited to get over to my local shops, Comics Toons N’ Toys when I was in California, and Austin Books & Comics since the move to Texas. I don’t think anyone’s got a better handle on the Bat-Family characters than Grant. I’ve also been really into my pal Chris Roberson’s super-fun iZombie series (and more recently, Starborn & this week’s Superman/Batman!) and Kurt Busiek’s continuously astounding Astro City work (The Silver Agent two-parter was beyond wonderful).

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

As a DC fan, I’m pretty psyched for the new guard on the writing staff. Paul Cornell, Nick Spencer, Chris Roberson, Scott Snyder, Phil Hester, Jeff Lemire, and others, as well as the recent promotion and greater authority for Mark Chiarello, whose record of shepherding awesome comics is unmatched in recent memory.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

I’m doing the art for a new book with J. Torres for Oni Press called Power Lunch, and we’ll also have a Power Lunch short-story available at Free Comic Book Day that I’m incredibly excited about, and I’m working on the return of my webcomic character Butterfly, as well as a few currently secret projects with other friends.

——————–

TOM SCIOLI (Godland, American Barbarian)

Godland

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

That’s a tough question. I read a lot of comics. I fall in love with a lot of comics, but when people ask me what I’m reading, what’s good, I blank on it. Most of the comics I read are old comics, so I don’t know how up to date I am with this year’s offerings. A lot of the comics I’ve read from 2010 were my friends’ comics. A lot of my favorite comics were reprint projects.

Dreadstar “The Beginning” Hardcover by Jim Starlin- A lot of these stories I already have, but the first Metamorphosis Odyssey has never been reprinted before (except in an unreadably botched SLG volume), so it was my first time reading it. It is a cosmic disco masterpiece.

The Best of Simon and Kirby, and the Simon and Kirby Superheroes books from Titan- A lot of great rearities, never-before printed stories, nice production. I want this series of books to keep on rolling.

Dick Briefer’s Frankenstein- I read this one in the days leading up to Halloween. the humorous Frankenstein stories were good, but I’d never read any of the early horror ones before. It’s a really potent updating (for a 1940′s audience) of the Frankenstein comics. These are really pure revenge stories. The story is transplanted to 20th century America. It’s got a formula, but it’s a really good one. Frankenstein’s monster wants revenge on his creator, so he goes on killing rampages, yet goes out of his way to protect his creator from harm, so that he can live a long life of suffering, watching his creature destroy the world.

Galactica:1980 – This one’s a guilty pleasure. I love the old BSG series, probably for all the wrong reasons. It’s nostalgic, one of my earliest memories, the similarity to Star Wars. This comic wasn’t the greatest comic in the world, but that didn’t stop me from loving it. They never really did an ending to the original BSG, and this was a good capper for it.

I’m on board the Neal Adams Batman Odyssey train, and I plan on seeing it to its fiery spectacular crash. The thing that always disappoints me with the DC books is that something which would be a perfect self-contained thing, they usually end up giving it a non-ending and having it spill over into some new series by a different creative team. I’m thinking that’s not going to be the case here, since this is a singular work, by a singular talent in the Howard Hughes phase of his career. I love it.

Bodyworld by Dash Shaw- A great, thorough exploration of a sci fi idea, with a great cast of characters. Professor Panther is one of the great misanthropes of comics. It was a joy to read.

Bulletproof Coffin- I’m on the edge with this one. I’ve bought and enjoyed every issue of it, but I haven’t quite clicked with it yet, but it’s one of the few new comics from 2010 that I’ve been following in serial form.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

Starlin is a legend so it’s hard to put one of his books in this category, but I thought The Dreadstar: The Beginning collection was a pretty big deal, which passed with hardly a mention. None of the great comic stores in Pittsburgh carried it. I’m the only person I know who bought it.

I’d like to get the new Starlin art book, but none of the stores in Pittsburgh are carrying that either.

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

That’s easy, Marvel/Disney. Aside from that, there were a lot of industry shakeups at DC. The death of Wildstorm took a while to sink in, but man, they were the industry leaders for the bulk of this century. Kirby Family/Marvel Lawsuit is a story that’s just starting and will be a big one in the coming year.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

Keep up the good work. There’s more comics of excellent quality in print now than there ever has been. I’d like to see more of the money in comics going towards the creators in comics. My hopes for the industry are the same as my hopes for society in general. Access to free healthcare for all. Fewer middlemen.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

It’s changed the form my work takes. Here’s an example. My webcomic, American Barbarian, was intended to be a monthly comic book that would be collected into a series of graphic novels. I was unable to find a publisher willing to take a chance on a new, weird monthly comic. A completed GN would be an easier sell, but I didn’t want to toil away at it for a year in obscurity waiting to release it, so I launched it in webcomic form. Because it’s a webcomic, I’m not forced to fit each chapter into an artificial page length dictated by the traditions of monthly comics. Each chapter would’ve been around 20 pages. Now that it’s a webcomic, some chapters are well over 20 pages, some are well under it, 14 pages. Each chapter can be whatever length is appropriate, I don’t have to pad or prune.

Now that I’ve made the jump to webcomics, I’m seeing that it’s not much more of a jump to go into animation, so as soon as American Barbarian wraps up, my next creator-owned project will be animated.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

American Barbarian (ambarb.com). Joe Casey and I will be giving Godland it’s big grand viking funeral. I have a Captain America story coming in February. I don’t have any other work-for-hire books in the works beyond that, but these kind of things tend to fall in my lap when I least expect it.

——————–

ADAM HINES (Duncan the Wonder Dog)

What were your favorite comics of 2010?

Tim Hensley’s Wally Gropius, Pierre Duba’s Racines, Vincent Fortemps’ Par les sillons, Chris Ware’s Acme Novelty Library 20, Brian Maruca & Jim Rugg’s Afrodisiac, Dominique Goblet’s Les Hommes-Loups, and Grant Morrison & crew’s Batman and Robin.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

A few things, but all that really matters for me is Duncan the Wonder Dog: Show Two.

——————–

MATT KINDT (Revolver, Super Spy)

by Matt Kindt

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

Sweet Tooth, Sixth Gun, The Outfit (Darwyn Cooke)

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

Electronic comics — reading them on mobile devices, etc.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

Cheaper electronic comics.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

Hopefully bringing more people to my work by making it more accessible.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

Mind MGMT (Dark Horse), Strange Crimes (First Second), The Tooth (Oni Press)

——————–

THOMAS ZAHLER (Love & Capes)

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

I’m sure everyone’s saying it, but I think it’s the iPad. More and more, media needs a digital component, and the iPad finally created a place where comics could be consumed without losing a lot of their specialness. And, Apple design being Apple design, it’s launched a bunch of copies that will make it a kind of standard in the industry. It’s created the first new market for comics in a long time.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

I come from an advertising background, so I tend to think a lot of problems are marketing issues. Last year, my aunt, who knows what I do for a living, asked “Do they still make Batman comics?” The books aren’t where people can discover them anymore. I’d like to see more initiatives to get comics in front of people. FCBD is great, but we need to make them ubiquitous again. And that’s not something I as a small publisher can fix. But I’ll bet you that Disney and Warner Brothers might be able to figure something out.

Likewise, I’d also like to see more entry points for new and younger readers. I’m worried that we’re creating a walled garden for kids comics where they exist separately from comics in general. One of the things that helped me discover more books was that Green Lantern appeared with Superman in Action Comics and, hey, maybe I’d like to check that out. These days, if I read Brave and the Bold or Tiny Titans, there’s no second book to pick up without having to relearn the characters’ history all over. It’s not “for kids” as it’s “kid friendly”.

Star Wars was a film that was fine for seven-year-old Thom to see (even with Han shooting first) but 27-year old Thom found it to be a pretty great and satisfying movie. It takes a lot more work to make a book that can be enjoyed by generations, but I think it’s worth it.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

As things stand, it’ll remain the same. IDW has put my books online for some time, and they’re continuing to do so.

To my mind, the big thing that will take digital comics to the next level and me with it are the development of a subscription service where for a flat monthly rate I can access the entire library of a comic company. There are a lot of books I’d like to read without necessarily owning, and as a creator I’d love to be able to read the last year of stories of a character I’m trying to pitch on without needing to track down and buy old issues. That’s going to involve figuring out a royalty system for creators who are eligible, of course.

I’d also like to see a universal format for comics so you’re downloading a book, not a reader system. It’d make it easier to provide the file rather than have people have to get a proprietary player.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

More Love and Capes, that’s for sure. And I’m lettering the Stan Lee Guardian30 NHL project which is a lot of fun. Past that, I’m hoping that the success and glowing reactions to LNC helps encourage some other places to let me play with their toys. I promise I won’t break them.

——————–

JASON LITTLE (Motel Art Improvement Service)

Motel Art Improvement Service

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

In no particular order:

Crickets #3 by Sammy Harkham
X’d Out by Charles Burns
H Day by Renee French
Meanwhile by Jason Shiga
Weathercraft by Jim Woodring
Wally Gropius by Tim Hensley
Acme Novelty Library no. 20 (“Lint”) by Chris Ware
Picture This: The Nearsighted Monkey Book by Lynda Barry
The Wild Kingdom by Kevin Huizenga

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

If you happen to be a comics publisher in search of unexploited brilliance, I urge you to investigate the following cartoonists:
Polish-Minnesotan cartoonist Tom Kaczynski draws contemplative essay-comics about his place in the world and his position in space-time. He also runs the boutique mini-comics publishing concern Uncivilized Books. http://www.uncivilizedbooks.com/
Many like myself discovered Jon Lewis‘s True Swamp in the mid ’90s. The story is as lively as ever at http://trueswamp.wordpress.com/ , going up in two-color a page a week. Simultaneously, Jon has been working on his superhero team book Power of 6, and just published Klagen: a Horror with Uncivilized Books.

I got to know Damien Jay when he built an astonishing installation for a gallery show I curated. His website presently has yards of jaw-dropping sketchbook pages posted. His sense of design (particularly with type), color, and calligraphic cartooning is remarkable. Read all four issues of his medieval story The Natural World.

I love Dan Zettwoch‘s diagrammatic comics. You might think that this means cold and hard drawing, but Dan’s cartooning is deeply humanistic and loaded with personal charm. Buy his minicomics and those of his St. Louis colleagues at usscatastrophe.com

My favorite story from Kramers Ergot #7 (the really big one) was Josh Simmons‘s “Night of the Jibblers”, a funny, terrifying, and finally poignant horror story told in tiny panels. “The White Rhino” is being serialized in Mome. It’s a crazy, uninhibited psychedelic story, as rich and unrestrained as Jodorowski.
T. Motley immigrated from Boulder to New York a few years ago, and brought his brilliant formal playground “Tragic Strip” to The Brooklyn Rail. It’s worth subscribing to this paper for Tom’s comics alone. Read more at tmotley.com.

Eli “Hob” Bishop grew up in his parents’ avant-garde theater company. His compelling minicomics often exist in dream-space, hospitals, or both. Hob also runs the Global Hobo minicomics distribution outfit, where you can find his work including three issues of An Inside Job.

I remember meeting Hellen Jo at a cartoonists’ hangout at the Indian restaurant next door to Comic Relief in Berkeley. At the time her comics were really cute and charming. Suddenly though, her style changed completely and her pages were taken over by sexy, leggy teenage girls, vomiting, fighting, and doing other interesting things. You can bet my attention was grabbed. Buy her Jin & Jam no. 1 at Sparkplugcomics.com

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

I would like to see more graphic novels from visionary cartoonists chased by their own demons, and fewer collaborations arranged by editors. We do these for the paycheck, and the work is never anywhere near as good as the former category.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

I will spend a solid seven months working on my next book, The Sphere, which will be a 3d comic about intersections between English rock music in the ’70s and architectural drawing in the fifteenth century. If I’m lucky I might get some time in to continue work on Vlak, my Kafkaesque.

——————–

KAT ROBERTS (Fever Dream)

What were your favorite comics in 2010?
- Jaime Hernandez’s “Love and Rockets, New Stories 3″
- Darryl Cunnigham’s “Psychiatric Tales”. I originally found these on Darryl’s livejournal, but they’ve since been published.
- Jim Woodring’s Weathercraft
- Michel Fiffe’s contribution to “Twisted Savage Dragon Funnies”.
- Kentaro Miura’s “Berserk”. This has been one of my most favorite reads for a while now. I was glad to finally catch up on all of the available American translations this year.
- Joan Reilly’s “The Disconnect”. My favorite mini that I’ve read all year.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I love seeing my work published, but thus far, the web has been my primary means of getting my work out into the world, so the growing shift toward digital isn’t something that bothers me too much.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

I’m continuing to work on my shorter works under the umbrella title “Fever Dream” and will be starting on an adaptation of “Antigone”.

——————–

JANET LEE (Return of the Dapper Men, Emma)

Time of the Dapper Men

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

JL: I always feel like I should do as they say on America’s Top Model and pick my own work. But I won’t. J

Monthly series: Marvel’s “Ozma of Oz” and “Sense & Sensibility”; Vertigo’s “Unwritten”.

I think the adaptations of classic literature that Marvel is putting out are absolutely stellar. It’s one of the reasons I sent the geekiest email on the planet asking to be given a chance to work on “Emma”—well, that and my sad, Jane Austen obsession. And I love stories like “Unwritten” that turn beloved literature on its ear.

Graphic novels: “Koko Be Good”, “Castle Waiting 2”, “Parker: The Outfit”, “American Vampire”, and “Duncan the Wonder Dog”.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

JL: I like to read broadly, so my greatest wish for the industry in 2011 is that the diversity of comics published increases, that more people are able to find comics and love them, and as a result the market expands. Bit of a chicken-and-egg, I realize, but there is real opportunity if we can figure out how to harness it.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

JL: So far, in 2011, I’ll be working on Marvel’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma, “Time of the Dapper Men” (sequel to “Return of the Dapper Men”), a short for the next “Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard” anthology, a couple of projects relating the Jim Henson properties, and (fingers crossed) one or more children’s picture books.

——————–

JAMES KOCHALKA (Johnny Boo, Dragon Puncher)

Dragon Puncher

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

Forming by Jesse Moynihan http://jessemoynihan.com/
Leave it to Pet volume 4 by Kenji Sonishi
Invincible by Robert Kirkman
Weathercraft by Jim Woodring
Wilson by Dan Clowes
If ‘n’ Oof by Brian Chippendale
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass by Akira Himekawa
Walter Gropius by Tim Hensley
Billy Hazlenuts and the Crazy Bird by Tony Millionaire
Lose #2 by Michael Deforge
Sonic Universe
Sonic the Hedgehog
Acme Novelty Library #20 by Chris Ware
Palookaville #20 by Seth
Werewolves of Montpelier by Jason
Little O and Friends by Oliver Kochalka

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

Forming by Jesse Moynihan

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

I’d like to see more small publishers start up following the spirit of Koyama Press.  But is there anyone else on earth with the will to do that besides Anne Koyama?

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

I don’t know.  I guess my publisher Top Shelf is starting some sort of iPad comic app in the fall of 2011, I think.  I have no idea how that will affect me.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

I’m still working on the Glorkian Warrior videogame, and it’s starting to really get awesome.  I’ve also finished inking a Glorkian Warrior graphic novel, but that still needs to be colored.  I’m half done with Dragon Puncher Island and Johnny Boo Does Something.  I need to finish a movie script I starting writing for my friend, director Geoff Marslett.  It’s about two teenage boys who are building a mechanical battle suit.  I only wrote like 15 pages of that script in 2010 before I got completely derailed.  I have ideas for two TV shows that I might try to make on my own, if I have time.  I’ve been writing hip-hop inspired pop songs about partying… I hope to have an album of that stuff completed before the end of 2011, as James Kochalka Superstar.  I’m also working on a new Punky Brewskies album with my friend Jason X-12, in a sorta similar vein, but more rap oriented and probably less pop.  I guess I’m going to Hollywood to help Frederator pitch a SuperF*ckers TV series.  We’ll see how that goes!  Man, just trying to pitch that thing sounds insane… imagine if it actually got on the air.  Of course, it would be the best show EVER.

Glorkian Warrior videogame

——————–

M.K. REED (Americus)

Americus excerpt (Chapter 1/Page 17)

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

I was really happy to see Megan Kelso’s Artichoke Tales finally finished, I think my eyes might have actually bugged out of my head when I saw it at MoCCA. The end of Scott Pilgrim, Mercury, Smile- its been a great year for books by (or aimed at) ladies.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

Brooke Allen’s NBM book, A Home For Mr. Easter, was totally adorable. Phil McAndrew, Britt Wilson, Sally Bloodbath & Matt Wiegle have all been putting out comics that are totally beautiful and hilarious.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

Manners.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

This year my publisher asked me to start serializing my graphic novel on the web, a year before it came out, which has been pretty cool to test out, although people keep telling me they’d rather read it collected.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

In a few months, I’ll be kicking off a new comic, About A Bull, based on the Tain Bo Cualigne, an Iron Age Irish epic, and in the fall, Americus will finally be out in stores.

——————–

PAUL MAYBURY (D.O.G.S. of Mars, Party Bear)

from D.O.G.S. of Mars

What were your favorite comics in 2010?

Spera, an online web series edited by Josh Tierney and illustrated by various artists. King City by Brandon Graham. Yoshihiro Tatsumi’s Black Blizzard reprint by Drawn and Quarterly. Chi’s Sweet Home by Kanata Konami published by Vertical. Chi is seriously one of the cutest things I’ve ever read.

What works or creators got overlooked in 2010 that warrant more attention/praise?

Francis Sharp chapter 1 by Britt Sabo and Anna Bratton which was self published using the Xeric grant. I’ve seen a lot of books created and targeted towards younger readers put together by big publishers with a lot of money behind them, and they aren’t half as good as this book.

Rod Racer by Toby Cypress is one of those books that hurts to look at it’s so beautiful. To be fair, it’s not easily available yet. I had someone pick up a copy for me at NYCC, but keep your eyes peeled for the next larger print run.

Death Day by Sam Hiti. It’s pretty much a rule that I will by anything Sam puts out. He’s a fantastic artist and story teller, and I literally waited years for him to release this after reading Tiempos Finales. I once went into a crazy bidding war with Brian Wood on ebay over a Rambo drawing Sam did. After I realized who I was bidding against I jacked up the price to be a jerk, since he has DMZ money and all. In short, I lost…

What was the biggest news story of 2010, in terms of the comics industry?

I think the return of single issue comics that we all look forward to. King City and Orc Stain represent a kindred style and art movement that really gives me hope that quality comics can come out and grab the attention they deserve. It’s also great to see people successful and doing their own thing.

What do you hope to see from the industry in 2011?

I really just hope to see e-readers usher in a new accessibility to independent comics. I love browsing through used boxes of comics and finding rare gems or just crazy looking comics I’ve never heard of for a quarter from the 90′s or 80′s. I want the same sort of comics craze and ability to get your work out there to happen again even though the stores themselves are shrinking and comics aren’t necessarily looked at as a goldmine.

Where do you see the shift to more digital distribution impacting your work in 2011?

My next book is a digital exclusive. It’s also the first time I’ve been paid to draw a comic that doesn’t hit print for a while. This probably makes me extremely lucky. Even though there are technically less costs as far as printing, shipping and retailers, I don’t see much changing in the way of creator’s shares getting bigger anytime soon. The way I’ve seen the pie cut up in various examples of digital distribution, it’s the same game with a different name. I’m hoping for a third party revolution with the internet, and easier ways to download comics from different sources. My assistant Ricky and I were talking about how the music industry had to learn a hard lesson, hopefully comics won’t take as long to turn it around. I would like to see digital download codes given out for buying a print copy of X-men, so I can download it for free on my ipad. Similar to rewarding people that buy records and get mp3 downloads.

What projects will you be working on in 2011?

I’ve got D.O.G.S. of Mars coming out through Comixology, Crack Comics (Next Issue Project) coming out from Image and I’ve got about five different projects I’m playing the waiting game on with publishers and writers to see who moves first. While I sit around and grow my hair long, I’m also writing new books and editing and creating a mystery project with Josh Tierney that is so amazing looking it’s hard to keep to myself. I also need to find a publisher for Party Bear, hint hint.

Icarus

A few years back Ryan Cody caught my eye with a comic he illustrated called Villains. Published by Viper Comics, the book featured a former cubicle worker who blackmailed an ex-villain into teaching him how to be a bad guy. More recently, Cody has been drawing a mature readers title called Jesus Christ: In the Name of the Gun, and now the artist has decided to begin writing his own comics as well.

Late last year, Cody started posting pages of Icarus on his website, with plans to publish it using a print-on-demand company later this year. You can check out the first issue on Ryan’s website, but hurry — it comes down tomorrow. I spoke with Ryan about the project and his approach to getting it in people’s hands.

JK: Let’s start with the basics – what is Icarus about?

Ryan: Icarus is about how a career military man deals with his own conscious when it comes into conflict with direct orders. Major Robert Riley has served his country well and is the premier covert assassin. He has never failed a mission, never missed a target. A young girl named Delphi has had a premonition about the end of the Earth. She believes an alien force is coming with the goal of domination and enslavement. When she and other heroes go public with their story, chaos ensues including religious and financial upheaval. The church cannot control it’s parishioners and the government cannot control it’s people when they are being told a power greater than all of them is coming to destroy them. Global riots ensue and in the end, the governments of the Earth decide that these super-humans are causing more harm than good and put Riley in play to put an end to them. Heroes and villains must be put down in order for the populace to be put back in it’s place. The story focuses on Riley, Delphi and the various characters they encounter. There is much more to the story but I can’t go into it without blowing the cliffhanger at the end of the first issue.

JK: What’s the significance of the title, Icarus? Is there a character with that name, or is it more thematic?

Ryan: When I came up with the idea and general plot I knew I wanted to base the jumping off point on something real. So I did some research on close-earth objects traveling through space. There is an asteroid called Icarus that is expected to pass near Earth on June 16th, 2015. The secret governments and the men in charge are telling the public that is harmless and will pass Earth safely and harmlessly. Delphi believes the asteroid is concealing the invasion force that she has seen in her dreams.

JK: Right now you’re publishing it as a webcomic, with plans for print in the future, correct?

Ryan: Actually it’s not a webcomic in the traditional sense, it was always planned and designed as a print format comic. The first issue I did post all the pages online for a limited time, but they will be removed before the print version becomes available. I am a relatively unknown creator with a completely unknown book so I wanted to create some buzz and a following instead of just releasing it with no build up. I recently won a contest that was sponsored by Graphic.ly so I believe the digital release will be through them, while I release the floppy issues online through a print-on-demand service. When the first arc is released I will also compile the book in trade format. I wanted the book to be available to anyone who wants it in any form, and at an affordable price.

JK: How did posting the first issue on the web work out? Were you able to build some buzz? And how long do people have to go check it out before it comes down?

Ryan: I think posting only one page at a time, only two a week kind of stunted people and they may have had a hard time following along at first. I did recieve great feedback and I really appreciate everyone who took the time to check it out. I hope I was able to build a little buzz, the book has gotten some fantastic reviews in the past couple weeks that have really gotten me excited to continue the story of Riley, Delphi and all the other characters. This first arc will run about 100 pages and I have already started thinking ahead toward a second volume as well. The full issue will be available for free until Jan. 3, then I will post preview pages and order information. I hope people like the comic and preview enough to support it when the first issue is released digitally and in print.

JK: Did you pitch the book to publishers before deciding to go it alone? If so, what were some of the responses you received from them about the book?

Ryan: Actually Icarus has never been pitched to anyone. I decided to not even bother with that whole process. If the digital versions and P.O.D. versions do well then I hope that I may come to an agreement with a publisher for the trade release. In the past I have pitched books that had super-powered characters in them only to have them turned down for that specific reason. Indie publishers have had a hard time selling superhero books in the past. I believe that trend may be changing though, Image is putting out several superhero books and Invincible is one of their top titles month in and month out. BOOM! has their Stan Lee superhero line and while I am not saying that my work is necessarily always on par with those titles, I do believe there is an audience there. Comics with solid art and a good story will always find an audience and luckily I have a publishing model in place now where I don’t need to sell a ton of books to be profitable. Although that would be nice. That said, while Icarus does has super powered villains and heroes, it’s more of an action/intrigue book and less of a pow/blam typical cape and mask tale.

JK: Can you give us an update on the Villains film?

Ryan: It’s still moving forward at Universal, this past spring I was able to read two drafts of a script, one was very close to what we (the creators) were looking for and one was so far out of left field it was ridiculous. The studio passed on both those takes and are currently soliciting new writers. Universal has recommitted their option for another 18 months, so we are all excited about what 2011 may bring.

JK: What else have you been working on?

Ryan: I currently draw a weekly webcomic for Daggcomics.com that’s written by Eric Peterson. It’s a fun story about an adventuring and avenging Jesus who has time travel abilities. It’s definitely a more mature take on the character and not for everyone. I’m drawing the second volume of that. My plan is to continue my work for hire stuff and hopefully land some more freelance work going into 2011 as well as wrap up the first arc of Icarus. My goal is to make Icarus bi-monthly right now but if the financial support is there, I would love to focus on it full time.

–The Comics Reporter’s Tom Spurgeon, analyzing the ramifications of J. Michael Straczynski’s decision to depart his runs on Superman and Wonder Woman for the original graphic novel series Superman: Earth One and similarly formatted projects. “I think that’s where the business is going,” JMS said in his statement; will it go there faster now that one of its most high-profile writers has made the switch?

New York Comic Con

News from New York started pouring out last week before New York Comic Con even started, as publishers got a jump-start on press releases leading into the show, and ICv2‘s Conference on Comics and Digital provided plenty of discussion points about the current and future state of the industry.

• At Comic Book Resources, Kiel Phegley has a thorough report from the conference, where Milton Griepp of ICv2 shared that industry sales are down in 2010, as comic sales are only slightly up at 1 percent, with a 20-percent decline in the graphic novel category. Manga sales are also down 20 percent. The bulk of the conference focused on an area where the story isn’t quite so grim — digital comics. While ICv2′s 2009 report gave a $500,000 to $1 million sales estimate for digital, 2010′s number pointed toward a market of $6 to 8 million.

• Coinciding with the conference and the con, several companies, of course, had announcements regarding their digital plans. Dark Horse announced a new homegrown digital comics app that will work across the various Apple devices and on the web, offering single issues for $1.49. It will be available in January. BOOM! Studios made three announcements late last week, about its comics being available on the PSP and from MyDigitalComics.com. The publisher also announced the availability of Farscape through its comiXology app on the iPad and iPhone. Longbox announced that its comics app will be “the exclusive pre-installed service for purchasing, cataloguing and reading digital comics on all four of Notion Ink’s announced tablets.” And finally DC Comics announced Sunday that Hank Kanalz, former general manager of WildStorm, will head up the DC Digital Comics division in Burbank, Calif. Kanalz jumped right into his new role, leading a Sunday panel on DC’s digital initiatives.

• Both Marvel and DC Comics announced changes to their pricing strategies starting in January. Marvel plans to price new series at $2.99 vs. $3.99, while DC will cut prices (and pages) on its $3.99 titles. With both announcements coming out late last week, that left plenty of time for discussion.

So, lots of business news, but what about the con itself? What about publishing news? What about Moon Knight? There was plenty to talk about on that front as well:

Comic Book News

• Comic legend Stan Lee is still making comics, and headlines, at 87 years old, as his company, POW! Entertainment, seems to be signing deals with everyone. Just this weekend brought news that Lee and POW! have projects involving the National Hockey League, MTV and even William Shakespeare.

Art from Supergirl #57, by Bernard Chang

• Nick Spencer, the writer of Morning Glories and Existence, was also on a roll this weekend. Not only has he been tapped to write Supergirl (with artist Bernard Chang) but he’s also writing a new War Machine series called Iron Man 2.0, with artist Barry Kitson. His Jimmy Olsen co-feature in Action Comics, which could have been a casualty of the price wars, will find new life as a one-shot. And finally, he has a new miniseries coming out in January from Image Comics called Infinite Vacation, with artist Christian Ward.

• Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev, of Daredevil and Scarlet fame, are working on a new Moon Knight series. “We came up with a hook for this that you’ve never seen before,” Bendis said. They will continue their work on Scarlet at the same time.

• Bendis and his daughter, Olivia, are teaming up with Powers co-creator/artist Michael Avon Oeming on a new creator-owned, all-ages comic called Takio, about two sisters with super powers. Icon will publish the book, which starts in February.

• Bendis and Michael Gaydos will reunite for an Alias miniseries tied to developments for Jessica Jones in New Avengers. The title is expected to debut in the fourth quarter of 2011.

• Mark Waid and his CrossGen creation, Ruse, will be part of Marvel’s relaunch of the now-defunct comics line. Marvel teased the return with new artwork at the con.

• James Robinson’s upcoming Shade series will run 12 issues, with three three-part stories and some “Times Past” stories with different artists. Robinson is also doing a Congorilla one-shot and, apparently/possibly, a Hawkman series.

• Jason Aaron and Ron Garney will team up for an Ultimate Captain America miniseries in January. Andy Diggle and Adi Granov are working on an Astonishing Captain America mini, while Daniel Way and Jason Pearson will do an arc of Astonishing X-Men.

Xombi returns next year

• Two Milestone titles will see new life next year, as Xombi returns in February and Static Shock comes back in April.

• Marvel has tapped writer Kathryn Immonen and artist Phil Noto for the four-issue Wolverine and Jubilee: Curse of the Mutants. Marvel also teased a future X-Men event called Age of X.

• The Legion Academy, which will be introduced in Legion of Super-Heroes #6, will get its own series after a run in Adventure Comics.

• Stan Lee isn’t the only one working with a sports league, it seems. Marvel announced it is working on a project with the National Basketball Association and showed artwork that mashed up NBA players like Labron James with classic Marvel covers.

• Vertigo officially announced Anthony Bourdain’s Get Jiro!, Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly’s New York Five miniseries and a new project by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso.

• Dark Horse announced several new projects starring Steve Nile’s Cal MacDonald character of Criminal Macabre fame, including a Goon/Criminal Macabre one-shot.

• Marvel’s Onslaught character will return for Onslaught Unleashed in February, by writer Sean McKeever.

• Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning announced a one-shot that will follow the Thanos Imperative called Devastation Wave. Marvel is holding off on any announcements concerning the direction of its cosmic titles until after the Thanos series concludes.

• DC’s upcoming Weird Worlds anthology book will include a new Kevin Maguire character called Tonga.

• Disney Publishing revealed details on a number of projects, including an Epic Mickey graphic novel and a Pirates of the Caribbean anthology, with at least one story that serves as a prequel to the next movie, On Stranger Tides. They’re also planning to turn BOOM!’s Muppet Show series into motion comics.

• Dark Horse will publish print collections of the webcomic The Adventures of Dr. McNinja.

Who is Jake Ellis?

• Nathan Edmondson and Tonci Zonjic are teaming up for a new series from Image called Who is Jake Ellis? “This is the story of Jon Moore, a spy for hire, who for five years has been hiding out in Europe along with Jake Ellis, a man invisible to everyone except Jon; a man capable of seeing things that Jon cannot, of predicting things,” Edmondson said. “Jake is a mystery. All that we know – all that the protagonist, Jon knows – is that he is the only one who can see, hear and interact with Jake. Jake might be a figment of his imagination, an imaginary friend; whatever he is, he’s Jon’s guardian angel, his goose with the golden egg, his guide.”

• Dark Horse announced a follow-up miniseries to Baltimore: The Plague Ships called Baltimore: The Curse Bells.

• Several of IDW’s licensed titles will participate in a crossover called Infestation, as a zombie infestation spreads into the Transformers, GI Joe, Ghostbusters and Star Trek universes.

• Archaia Comics announced an anthology called BleedOut that “explores the fallout that occurs after one of the world’s most precious and coveted resources vanishes for good.” Written by Michael Kennedy, the stories will feature art by Howard Chaykin, Gary Erskine, Ben Templesmith, Tim Bradstreet, Trevor Hairsine and Glenn Fabry.

• There were lots of licensed comics announced this weekend. Ape Entertainment has picked up the rights to make Richie Rich and Strawberry Shortcake comics.

• Archie announced it acquired the comic-book rights to the video game Mega Man.

• And Godzilla will return to comics in a new series from IDW next February.

• IDW will also relaunch its Doctor Who comic in January.

• Writer Christos Gage has signed an exclusivity agreement with Marvel.

• A trilogy of The Walking Dead prose novels is in the works.

• DC will launch a Batman Beyond ongoing series after the miniseries wraps up.

Movies, Video Games and Television

Green Lantern Animated Series

• DC offered a first look at its upcoming Green Lantern animated series for the Cartoon Network. The company also announced the Red Lanterns will appear in the first season.

• DC also shared details and clips about its next two animated DVD projects, the Superman/Shazam! one and All-Star Superman.

• IGN has a thorough report from the Young Justice animated series panel, which includes descriptions of the “sizzle reel” that was shown.

• Activision announced a new X-Men game, X-Men: Destiny, that’s due next year. Written by Mike Carey, the game will feature “a rich, branching storyline that features a deep element of choice and gives players ultimate control of their destiny.” They also released a teaser trailer.

• Speaking of video games and the X-Men, the classic Konami X-Men arcade game will “soon” be available on the Playstation Network and XBox Live.

• MODOK and Magneto have joined the cast of Marvel vs. Capcom 3.

Comic-Con International

With Comic-Con International kicking off in a few hours, the media circus is in full swing. Here are a few links to read while you’re waiting for the doors to open:

• The Washington Post’s Comic Riffs talks to Stan Lee, Dan DiDio and Sergio Aragones, among others, about whether or not the con should move to another city. “Vegas, please. I’m advocating for all the hookers. All those fanboys would be like manna dropping from heaven. Honestly, some of those folks in the Storm Trooper suits REALLY need a little action. Now that I’ve said that, I should mention that I’ll be appearing for my Comic Con speech in a storm troopers costume. I take it back,” said Bloom County creator Berkeley Breathed.

• USA Today spotlights video games, TV shows and movies that will be featured at the con this year, while the Wall Street Journal has their own list. Which ones will kill? The Hollywood Reporter might have some thoughts.

Heat Vision, meanwhile, talks to several screenwriters about adapting comics into movies.

• A popular topic with the media is costumes at Comic-Con; this one, about a Nazi memorabilia booth that’ll be set up at the show, is a bit more serious than you’d expect.

• Sign-on San Diego looks at how the locals are making money during “San Diego’s annual Super Bowl.”

“This piece of business (from Comic-Con) is worth about $1.5 million to us through a combination of rooms, food and beverage and sponsorship vehicles like the building wrap,” said a gleeful Donovan Henson, area director of sales and marketing for Hiltons of San Diego. “A weekend in the summertime is going to be busy in San Diego, but with 125,000 people in San Diego exposed to our hotel who may come back, there’s real value to that.”

• SanDiego.com highlights several happy hours fans can hit after the show.

• And finally, the L.A Times blog Brand X Daily spotlights efforts by Rose & Isabel creator Ted Mathot and other creators to establish a new convention called Creator-Con.

“We found ourselves more and more frustrated with the direction [Comic-Con] was taking,” Mathot said. “It appeared to us that a dramatic shift was taking place, a move away from individual artists, creators, and comics… There are a number of folks that have decided to bow out this year.” They are still in the early stages of planning so there are no details yet on when and where the new convention will take place.

Jeff Robinov is based in Los Angeles. Diane Nelson is based in Los Angeles. Geoff Johns is based in Los Angeles. John Rood is based in Los Angeles. Jim Lee isn’t based in Los Angeles, but he is based down the road in San Diego. Dan DiDio was based in Los Angeles for years before he came to DC. Obviously Warner Bros. is based in Los Angeles. But DC Entertainment is still based in the historic capital of comics, New York City. For how long? I expect this will be a question that gets asked a lot as the first round of post-announcement interviews with the major players hits the Internet this afternoon.

Batman and Robin #1

Carla: So, after Infinite Crisis, DC was like “Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman leave!” and then proceeded to skip the time that they had left, probably because it would be boring not to see their star characters not in their books. 2009 only had Wonder Woman keep her post as Bruce Wayne and Superman have sort of ditched their titles. How’s that workin’ out for you? Excited to see “Bruce Wayne Reborn?” Think Superman even needs to be accessible to the new reader anymore?

Tom: We’ve talked before about the Dick Grayson Batman, and on the whole I’ve liked both the idea and the execution, but it is a weird balancing act. It can’t be too different, or it’ll be the ‘90s and Jean-Paul all over again — but it can’t be too much the same, because then what’s the point? Obviously Morrison has pulled it off most effectively in Batman And Robin, but I liked the Winick/Bagley issues of Batman too. I’m eager to see how Dick/Batman fits into the new Justice League.

As for the Superman books, they also remind me of the ‘90s, and particularly the days of the “weekly” Superman comics where the supporting cast was so huge that Superman was practically an afterthought. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing, because I do think Superman can be unnecessarily complicated. I mean, to me the basic Superman image is Clark ripping open his dress shirt and muttering “this looks like a job for Superman!” If Nightwing and Flamebird and Mon-El had been able to capture some of that over the past year, I think the books would have been better-received. Instead there’s this whole “the world hates the S-shield” plot wrapped around a pretty familiar government conspiracy. Parts of it have been good, but sometimes I hope it satisfies everyone’s need for big convoluted storylines. [CH: Good call!] And I am looking forward to the “Batman Vs. History” miniseries, because how can you not want to see Grant Morrison writing Pirate Batman?

CH: Two words: Final Crisis. Grant Morrison is a great drunken uncle; fun to be around when he’s on his game, just not a guy I’d trust to drive me to the hospital on time.

Do you think the comic reader is going to satisfied with a lack of Big Event books? Sure, we complain about the tie-in cost, the confusion over what happens when and the release schedule, but comic fans love to complain. Have we so lost the monthly serial that comics have to be written for the trade now, the “seven years in the making” ÜberPlot, the big convoluted storylines?

TB: See, I don’t think that a big convoluted storyline (or “BCS,” as it were) really works that well in trades. Invariably the main story is augmented with all these side stories and subplots, and some matter and some don’t. The problem is that when all the issues are collected, they tend to be lumped with their original series. Thus, of the seven Blackest Night collections, two are for the Green Lantern and GL Corps issues, although Green Lantern and Blackest Night have been pretty much sharing the same plotline and GL Corps may dovetail in eventually. I’d rather have one big omnibus (or series of books) which collects everything and therefore forces the editors to figure out how it all fits together.

CH: Can you imagine? A big Omnibus in reading order to make the story seem like a larger sweeping arc than a bunch of … well, tentacles on an octopus of a story? DARE TO DREAM, TOM!

But you’re right, sometimes the BCS turns into the kind of pacing an original comic should have and suddenly you’re buying a collection of TPs to get the whole story. And worse, you’ll sometimes buy a collection and find out it barely had that “banner” event label tacked on there! Don’t get me wrong, it made sense to have a Runaways/Young Avengers Secret Invasion tie-in but if you didn’t read it, you hurt nothing. But what actually makes the BCS work in trades, at least for me out on the comics selling floor, is that people will have heard of the Event and want to know what it’s about. I hand them a copy of the main Civil War TP, they like it and want more. Well, then we can go and look at the other trades, pick a character or thread of a storyline they liked and slowly, we take off the training wheels and they’ll be reading the regular titles in no time. It’s a good entryway drug and the more complicated the story, the more different facets of the general universe you can offer someone to later go out and learn about on their own.

Again, this may be just me.

TB: To me, when you read Blackest Night or Secret Invasion in single-issue form, you’re putting together the sequence yourself. More importantly, you’re accumulating information gradually, as opposed to reconciling big infodumps from a couple of collected editions. It’s arguably a more manageable way to learn, and it feels more interactive too.

CH: Or you work behind the counter at a comic shop and are diagramming what issue came out when and how that issue fits with a completely different title that actually takes place in a previous storyline that’s tying together with the current one and oy. For people who don’t pick up their comics on a weekly basis, it can get overwhelming to try and put those issues together on their own.

TB: That [interactivity] is part of the BCS’s appeal, although I’ve gotten tired of its dominance over the past few years. My sense of “event fatigue” is that it’s a style which has gotten played out, and fans are now ready for smaller storylines, or at least character-specific events.

CH: High five, man. I, too, am exhausted. I hope fans are ready to pick up an old fashioned done-in-one/three issue comic because that’s… well, correct me if I’m wrong, that’s how we got started. It’s familiar and endearing and I love sharing a copy of Amazing Spider-Man with new readers because it’s the closest thing I have to what I used to read when I first got into comics.

Amazing Spider-Man #583

Well, that and IDW’s fine selection of Star Trek comics.

TB: Okay, I think we are in the home stretch here, so time to start wrapping up. Do we need to say anything more about the Big Two’s big corporate dealings, or is it a situation where we readers won’t notice much of a difference? And because I’m sure we haven’t covered everything significant from the past year, what still needs addressing?

CH: Look up; we just got done talking about how the Green Lantern movie is being made on the credit of marketing and “the power of Geoff Johns.” I think corporate dealings are super important! Because Disney and Marvel still have a couple more hoops to jump through doesn’t mean the internet didn’t break in half when they announced it. By now, hopefully we’ve all regained our composure, realized a business dealing of that magnitude won’t really take any major effect for at least another year or so, it’s still a big pink elephant for 2009. It’s there, we can all see it but no one can really say anything for now.

Kind of feels like we covered everything, doesn’t it? Was 2009 not that big of a year? No new movies, no new video games or other outer media (aside from a huge gaffe by announcing that Steve Rogers would be returning as some sort of revolutionary event back in June), there was a lot of transitional stuff (Brother Voodoo becoming the new Sorcerer Supreme, X-Men settling out west, etc.), a lot of unresolved issues (Norman in charge of US superhuman security), a lot of change no one noticed all that much (Hey! Black Panther is T’Challa’s sister!), nothing seems all that settled or complete. We’re in a moment of flux that 2010′s going to blow the lid off of, so just wait. This has been seven years in the making (dear lord does that make me feel old!), so I can guess we’ll wait a little while longer.

How’s about you? Looking forward more than looking backwards? 2010 going to treat the DC fan better than 2009?

[... and later that night, in a separate e-mail ... --TCB]

*smacks her forehead* Watchmen! How could we miss Watchmen, Tom?

"Detective Comics" #857, by J.H. Williams III

TB: Oh sure, Watchmen was still selling like blue omnipotent hotcakes early in ‘09 — thus its place on our (shameless plug alert) Most Important Books Of The Decade list!

One last thing I wanted to mention (which we kind of touched on but not in detail) was DC’s experimentation with different formats. By and large I liked the co-features wherever I found them (in Streets Of Gotham, Booster Gold, Detective Comics, and Doom Patrol) and I’m glad to see they’ll continue, albeit shuffled around. I was also very glad to see Wednesday Comics do well enough to warrant talk of a sequel. I’m not anti-single-issue by any means, but I’m always glad to see one of the Big Two trying something out of the ordinary.

As for 2010 … well, I’ve been in wait-‘til-next-year mode for the past few years, so it may be too early to color me optimistic. There’s a good bit to anticipate, including Earth One, more Morrison Batman (and perhaps the Multiversity project), more Batwoman, the Robinson/Bagley JLA lineup, and Lord willing the new Flash series; but there’s still a good bit that seems seriously screwed up (the Milestone characters, Red Arrow, the Old New Teen Titans). Still, this year is DC’s 75th anniversary, and for once I think they’re in a commemorative mood. Maybe that means no one gets an arm blown off until next January.

So on that note, anything else before we jump into this shiny new year?

CH: I got a good feeling about 2010 too, so I’m just facing front, Tom. Excelsior!

Blackest Night #6

Over the course of New Year’s weekend, by way of dissecting the past year in DC and Marvel superhero comics, Robot 6 columnists Tom Bondurant and Carla Hoffman traded e-mail messages. This was the result.

Yeah, that’s right, e-mail. Why do things the easy way?

Tom: Okay, Carla — it’s the end of 2009, Blackest Night is in the home stretch, Siege is ready to start, and it’s our job to make sense of the past year.

First question: should Marvel be worried about the “Blackest Night surge” of the past two months?

Carla: Direct answer: no.

Longer, more thoughtful answer: Heck no.

“Okay, take this seriously Carla” answer: Last year, at this time, Marvel was hip deep in Secret Invasion tie-ins. The fact that DC has learned that slapping a banner on your books sells more copies is just proof we’re finally down to business. Whether that business is being bought by a multi-billion dollar entertainment corporation or learning that telling fans that one book is going to have catastrophic consequences throughout the entire universe catapults that book to superstar status, it all comes down to promoting the industry. Marvel’s been heralding big tent events for the past how many years with banner books and aftermath tie-ins, so for DC, it looks like they finally got the formula right.

TB: Well, DC has been doing “bannered books” since Crisis On Infinite Earths, but yeah — it seems like Blackest Night has hit some kind of fan sweet spot. Generally, though, I think that comes from a relatively simple premise plus the “power of Geoff Johns.” It seems to be enough, because previous DC crossovers sure haven’t had the coattails BN has.

CH: Oh yeah, tale as old as time and all on those banner books. But it seems if you give one guy control of the dog and pony show who’s known for being a more relatable writer (as opposed to, say, giving Grant Morrison the keys) and then, regardless of skill or interest, tell everybody that this guy is going to be in charge of a major plotline in your book, like it or no– wait, no, that’s Bendis for the past few years. OR IS IT? *dramatic music sting*

And really, I have to ask: is “green lighting” a Green Lantern movie before a Wonder Woman movie just a little hopping on a bandwagon? Yeah, Hal’s getting a lot of press now but isn’t it just putting all your eggs in one basket, hoping that the power of Geoff Johns will compel people to theaters?

TB: I don’t think the GL movie has anything to do with Johns’ popularity. Again, I think it’s a simple concept (more simple than Wonder Woman, evidently) which Warners apparently thought could be made more quickly. Remember, a Ryan Reynolds Flash movie was being talked up not too long ago. If the dominoes had fallen a different way, we might now be waiting for Flash 2: Speed Force Boogaloo.

CH: Uhm, really? A simpler concept than an American icon. A simpler concept than the first (and in some cases ONLY) female superhero that comes to anyone’s mind. A green energy imagination ring from space is easier than an Amazon. I, sir, am truly stunned. Good luck with all that.

TB: Not to get too far off track, but in terms of movie-marketing, I think a green space-energy ring is easier to sell than an Amazon. Not better, just easier.

CH: Embarrassingly, yes; it IS easier to market but Marvel’s done very well with taking some chances (the Daredevil movie aside) and Wonder Woman should have been a done deal this year. Just sayin.’

And yes, a Ryan Reynolds Flash movie, a Ryan Reynolds Deadpool movie, it’s all been talked of but seems a little convenient that the popularity of the GL books took off and now he’s Hal Jordan.

TB: But we digress. Do you think Siege will really be Marvel’s last line-wide event for a while? 2009 included all or part of Final Crisis, Blackest Night, Secret Invasion, and Dark Reign – but was it the last full year for Big Events?

CH: Hey now, that’s also War of Kings, Reign of Kings, the X-Men/Dark Avengers “Utopia,” Captain America: Reborn (technically showing up in other books now) and, er… Assault on Mount Olympus! Sure, they’re not line-wide per se by they are crossovers and this is where I think the fine print lies.

Joe Quesada has said that death would be permanent in the Marvel Universe. He also said there would be no more mutants. Point is, Joe Quesada says a lot of things that are totally what we want to hear at the time, then he tests our hearing later to make sure the words still sound good. If they don’t, well, we were obviously misquoting him!

Dark Reign, by the by, doesn’t count as a big event in my book because there was no beginning, middle or end to this story (ok, no end as of yet). Norman just got a job, people complained, ignored or moved secretly in the shadows against him and no discernible damage was done to the status quo. Dark Reign is more like an “Aftermath” book where we all take a break from starting something new and deal with the the ending of the last Big Event. The Siege is coming and will end probably by introducing us to a streamlined set of Avengers for a new Heroic Age(tm). Those guys will of course, do a tour-de-force through everyone’s book just to remind you that hey! Iron Man, Thor and Captain America are Earth’s Mightiest Heroes now! So of course it’ll be line-wide, Bendis wants to change the status quo again. But I don’t think we’ll be calling it a “line-wide Big Event.”

TB: Thanks for the clarification on Dark Reign. I love how we make these kinds of distinctions — Aftermath books, “red sky” crossovers, etc. Is the new Marvel thing officially going to be called The Heroic Age?

CH: Ehn. Who knows? It’s what they’re pitching it as, and I’m assuming it’s their official “new way of branding” particular Marvel characters, but by the time Siege is over they could have another scheme cooked up. I think it’s got a good ring to it, sounds pretty straightforward and I’m a sucker for heroes doing heroic things in my comics.

Oh! With this Earth One business, what’s going to happen to the All Star line? Did that ship just sink or what?

TB: From what I understand, the All Star line is all but kaput in favor of the Earth One books. If Dan DiDio could get away with the adult Dick Grayson waking up and declaring he’ll never again eat week-old pizza before bed, I think we’d see the last issue of All Star Batman scheduled so fast it’d leave those little lightning trails.

Superman: Earth One

CH: I heard Ryan Reynolds wants to play one of those lighting trails! I’ll call his agent.

TB: So do you, Ms. Comics Retailer, think DC is on the right track with Earth One? Should Marvel do something similar? And because you’re probably thinking the Ultimate line is already in place, why couldn’t Marvel use original graphic novels for the Ultimate relaunches?

CH: Original graphic novels are expensive. The end.

… more? If Earth One comes out at a comfy price point ($10 and under), it could do well. If they try and make me sell this thing at $14.99, I’m going to have to start suggesting something else. Good idea, great job with the risk-taking (though putting JMS on a book schedule he could possibly pull off within this new decade isn’t that risky), it’s the price of thing that going to kill me as someone who has to sell it at the counter. I mean, how many would you order? How do you know DC s going to keep these things in print considering their shoddy TP schedule? ASBAR (heh, ass-bar…) can be terrifically bad, and at the end of the day, you lost a few dollars. If an OGN just doesn’t catch on, turns out to be dull or long-winded or just loses something in the translation, why would you want a volume two?

Personally, I sell a lot of Ultimate Spider-Man trades. I sell a lot of Ultimates trades. Some people have started with Ultimate Spider-Man vol. 1 and have moved on through the series. Marvel’s… kind of already been doing this, just in a more traditional and “lab tested” format. No matter how many digital comics come out, no matter how many trades I sell, people like floppy 28 page $3 books. Easy, cheap and simple entertainment that’s not going to be going away as predicted by what feels like everyone and their mom some days.

TB: Well, Superman: Earth One will be a 128-page hardcover for $19.99, but it’ll be out in September, so you have plenty of time to figure out how to sell it.

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1

CH: “Kids, remember: Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends can be yours every month for just $3.99!”

Yeah, that’ll do.

TB: Oh, is that what’s replacing Marvel Adventures Spider-Man? And since you mentioned the $3.99 price point, has it made your job any harder? Do you think extra pages and/or backup stories helped DC sell their $3.99 books?

CH: No, it’s just a bad joke; Ultimate Spider-Man should in fact be retitled Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, as Bendis has realized his dream cast and storyline.

And as far as the $3.99 price point goes, yeah. Yeah it has. A lot of people have been tipped towards putting an issue back on the shelf once the price fluctuates. Asking around at the store, yeah, the added content and backup stories easily tip the scales back to a purchase, but sometimes it can be a detriment too. For personal experience, I’ve had customers who love Manhunter, they just don’t want to pay for the main Streets of Gotham story and so their pull list gets a new subtraction. It’s tricky.

* * *

Come back tomorrow for Part 2, including Dick Grayson, collected editions, and something called “the BCS!”

Jimmy Palmiotti

Splatterman

I am personally excited about what changes are coming at both DC COMICS and MARVEL COMICS. Most people look at change as a negative thing, but looking at the projects coming from both companies and the amount of multi-media projects coming our way, I cant help become excited to what the future holds. I think all these changes will help bring brand new readers to our industry and deliver some exciting projects to the loyal fans as well. see? a lot of positive vibes…there really is no reason to fear change. I believe in embracing it.

As far as what I have coming up… well , that would take a while, but the first thing that is coming to mind is the Image Comics one shot Justin Gray and I have in the works for this spring called Splatterman. Originally we were going to make this a few issues , but decided to go the graphic novel way and put it out as one book. It features beautiful artwork by Giancarlo Caracuzzo and Paul Mounts with a stunning cover by award winning artist, Tim Bradstreet. It’s the story of two comic creators [not us, lol] that create the ultimate horror comic character that comes back to haunt them. It’s crazy adult comics the way they were meant to be told. Anyone that enjoyed our Friday the 13th series and The Last Resort will understand what i mean.

Jimmy Palmiotti has done it all in the comics industry –writing, drawing, inking, editing — on titles for all sorts of comic companies. Some of his most recent writing, much of it with Justin Gray, includes Jonah Hex, Power Girl, The Last Resort and Wednesday Comics. Heck, just go look at his Amazon search listing …. it goes on for pages and pages. He’s also worked in video games and done some Hollywood stuff. And he blogs over at Blog@Newsarama.

David Gallaher

First, name something that you aren’t personally involved with that has you excited.

With the prospect of a new publisher on the horizon, I’m excited that 2010 could usher in a new digital era for DC Comics.

Also, I can’t wait to see the THOR trailer!

And second, if applicable, name something you are personally working on that has you excited.

The seventh chapter of BOX 13 debuts in January. It opens like this:

Box 13

Things only get worse from there.

And HIGH MOON SEASON FOUR concludes early this year – answering many questions about our hero and his place in the world. This is something we’ve been building to for a long time … it’s going to be incredible!

In addition to the projects David listed above, he also recently wrote the Winter Guard special for Marvel. He guest blogged with us last year, and also has pitched in on our Six by 6 feature.

Chris Schweizer

Set to Sea

I was a little bit worried a couple of years ago. I was in graduate school, trying to learn as much as I could about my chosen profession, and I had just landed a multi-book deal with Oni Press. The first book in the series was to be a pirate story.

Now that, of course, was wonderful news to me; the problem came when my friends at SCAD introduced me to THEIR friends. Incredibly nice guys, excellent cartoonists, folks whose work I was instantly drawn to, guys like Drew Weing, Chris Wright, and Aaron Renier. The worry came from these encounters, when I discovered that each of these wonderful artists was himself working on… that’s right… a pirate story.

I’d just begun work on mine; it was clear that I was going to be the last one out of the gate, a real Johnny-Come-Lately in the forthcoming indie comics pirate subgenre.

Well, it didn’t exactly happen that way. My book, Crogan’s Vengeance, hit shelves in 2008, and the books from these three gentlemen have yet to find their way into my library. Renier’s book switched publishers, Weing took a break from the project to ink wife Eleanor Davis’s awe-inspiring Secret Science Alliance, and Wright’s meticulous hatchwork simply results in a long gestation time. Nonetheless, rumor has it that all of these books are slated for 2010.

Drew Weing’s Set to Sea is a story about a brawny poet who is shanghaied and finds himself working on a clipper ship, fighting pirates and inclement weather. He’s been serializing it on his website and the art is just beautiful. Many folks have commented on the aesthetic similarities to Segar in this project, and it’s an apt comparison; the characters would look right at home in Sweethaven, but the inkwork is truly in a class by itself. The story is charming, but for me, the excitement I feel for this book’s release comes from the chance to pour over Weing’s pages, trying to figure out how he draws water so darn well. It’s coming out in July from Fantagraphics.

Aaron Renier’s Spiral Bound (Top Shelf) is one of my very favorite graphic novels, so I’ve been eagerly anticipating his new book, The Unsinkable Walker Bean. From what I can gather, it’s a story about a kid whose grandfather knows about a treasure, that there may or may not be sea witches, and that it might be the first in a trilogy. Vague details, I know, but given Renier’s nuanced ability to capture the essence of childhood so well I can’t help but be excited for this one. It’s colored by mini-comics mainstay Alec Longstreth, and is coming out from First Second Books, though I’ve been unable to find a shelf date.

Lastly, Inkweed cartoonist Chris Wright has a book that, according to Tom Devlin, should be out from Drawn and Quarterly this fall. Wright’s been working on this for years, and if you see his originals it’ll be clear as to why the slow trek. He might lay down a hundreds of lines in a square inch – no exaggeration – and the effect is truly remarkable. I only hope that D&Q have the good sense to print it as big as they can afford – the only complaint I ever read about Inkweed was that the art seemed to lose Wright’s fine detail when shrunk to print size.

Like most of Wright’s work, you can expect it to be heady, very much in the vein of Conrad or Melville, with layers of symbolism and a plot that brings out questions about the nature of life, the soul, original sin, etc. Like Weing’s, this pirate story features an academic shanghaied into nautical service, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Wright uses his ostensible protagonist as a pair of eyes for us to follow the behavior and grandeur of his captain, in the same manner that we meet Kurtz through Marlowe or Wolf Larsen through van Weyden. Wright’s book is called Blacklung.

As for me, I’m biding my time ‘til these books are released by researching for the third book in the Crogan Adventures series, Crogan’s Loyalty, which takes place during the American War of Independence. The second book, Crogan’s March, just came out in the final days of 2009. It’s a French Foreign Legion story, and, as far as I know, is NOT the first of some sort of indie comics foreign legion subgenre, though Craig Thompson IS doing that Moroccan book.

Tim interviewed Chris Schweizer last year about his Crogan Adventures series. He also designed my iGoogle theme.

Molly Crabapple

I’m incredibly thrilled to be working with comics legend Annie Nocenti on a sordid Typhoid Mary tale for Marvel’s Girl Comics. Nocenti is one of the giants of the industry, and its a true honor she chose me to bring to life her creation.

For projects I’m not involved in- dear lord but I cannot wait to see the Runaways. Kristen Stewart as teenage Joan Jett in all her swaggering rebellious babydyke glory- be still my aching heart. I’ve watched the trailer 50 times in preparation. This is going to be feminist anthem legend. March 19 cannot come soon enough

Molly Crabapple‘s graphic novel Scarlett Takes Manhattan hit shelves this past year, and Tim spoke with her about it back in August. She also contributed to 2009′s Activate Primer, an anthology by folks who contribute to the webcomic collective that ran her webcomic Backstage.

Mike Dawson

Troop 142

There are two comics coming out in 2010 that I’m eager to purchase. First up is Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca’s AFRODISIAC, which I believe is due out right in the beginning of the year, January 14th, from AdHouse books. I love Jim’s drawings, and the Afrodisiac stories are always a lot of fun. The other book I’m looking forward to, though I don’t know a lot about it, is Dan Clowes’ WILSON. It feels like it’s been a while since there’s been a new book from one of my favorite cartoonists.

As for myself, I’m currently focusing on two main projects: The Ink Panthers Show!, which is a weekly podcast hosted by myself and the cartoonist Alex Robinson. I’m looking forward to having new guests crouching in The Panther’s Lair with us, something we’re hoping to do a lot more of in 2010. And, I am also serializing a new book-length comic online, TROOP 142, set at a Boy Scout summer camp in 1995. This is updated pretty much as much as I’m able, which is normally at least once or twice a week.

In addition to the above, Mike Dawson is also the creator of Ace-Face: The Mod with the Metal Arms, Freddie & Me, and Jack & Max Escape from the End of Time. Tim spoke with him about his various comics projects earlier this year.

Andrew Farago

There’s a lot to look forward to in 2010. Personally, I’d say that I’m most excited about IDW’s upcoming King Aroo reprint series, plus the launch of Rick Marschall’s Rosebud Archives, and the continuation of great reprint collections from Peter Maresca’s Sunday Press, Fantagraphics, Drawn & Quarterly, and some unexpected gems from Marvel and DC.

I know that’s already more than one answer, but I’ll also mention that I’m looking forward to the convention season, especially San Francisco’s WonderCon and APE, Portland’s Stumptown Comics Fest, and the San Diego Comic-Con. No matter how big and crazy these things get, it’s always fun catching up with friends and colleagues at cons. And I’m just a little bit worried that some years I’m more likely to bump into Peter “Chewbacca” Mayhew and Herbert “Boomer” Jefferson than some of my closest friends and relatives, and that no longer seems like a strange thing.

As far as personal projects go, I’m writing The Looney Tunes Treasury for Palace Press, due for a fall 2010 release. If you’ve seen that great Hanna-Barbera Treasury that they released a couple of years back, this will be pretty similar in terms of replicas and reproductions. It’s my first book, so I’m really excited about it. I also contributed a couple of essays to Palace Press’s 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons, which will be available in May 2010.

On top of all that, I’m putting together a lot of exciting exhibitions for San Francisco’s Cartoon Art Museum, including spotlights on Batman, Ed Hannigan, Beetle Bailey, Jewish women cartoonists and a pretty wide array of other subjects, too.

Andrew Farago is the curator of the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco, Calif. When he isn’t doing that, he also makes comics of his own. Tim spoke with him about the museum earlier this year.

Donna Barr

Thank you for thinking of me! So pleased. Happy New Year!

Okay, scratching head. I have to warn you, I’m all wrapped up in my own stuff, and most of my reading is reference material, including cookbooks. Movies are whatever I find in the library stacks or on the return cart. I’m a simple soul, and not picky.

KIND of want to see “Avatar” (I like anime, a lot), but Dan’s described it as “Dances With Space Aliens.” (He also said, “Henry James chewed more than he bit off.” He calls the wireless modem “Oz” because it’s a little black box hiding in the shadows controlling the show.). Another wimpy American attempt to deal with our own invasion history BUT NOT REALLY because then we’d have to face it and who could afford all those Native American holocaust memorials? — but that’s the political side and you know what I’m like. I want to see it anyway.

Then again, I loved “Kung Fu Panda” because it was a send-up of “Kung-Fu Hustle” and the “Chocolate” ads had us on the floor: “Real fighting! REAL INJURIES!” My movie tastes are strictly High Concept + Low Brow. My favorite internet shows are Mr.Deity.com and BusPirates. Whadaya gonna do? You don’t want me to review anything because I have ABSOLUTELY NO TASTE.

Right now I’m just excited MY CAT MAY MAKE IT TO NEW YEARS‘.

Um… Other projects I’m not associated with…. um…. er…. I can get all of “Red Green” on DVD, now?

My own stuff:

Starting to collect stories for “This Mortal Coil.” I will never have enough to pay, just want a few lines of dialogue or ideas, people get to be anonymous or represent. Have had to tell one comics artist that his drawing the story is too much to ask for, for no money, but he wants to do it anyway, and I’m not going to stop him.

A lot of long-term slogging projects. Getting ready for that big world-wide publishing crash/leap that’s coming soon (was 5 years a year ago, so….).

I AM going to get all The Desert Peach up at http://www.desert-peach.com AND at Indyplanet.com and Comicsmonkey.com (search: Desert Peach).

IF I work very very hard I may actually get all the Stinz up, too.

AFTERDEAD running at Webcomicsnation.com (under “Alternate History”).

AFTERDEAD 2 finally re-loading at Createspace/Amazon

All of the Desert Peach on IPod at Comicsxp.com

Then I will start looking for agents for my prose books up at http://www.lulu.com/desertpeach

For more, check out the home site at http://www.donnabarr.com (Bookstore link very helpful).

Somebody hire me to write a mystery/novel/whatever of this area because now I have all the dirt. What? Huh? Who said that?

I better quit listing links. I may hurt somebody.

Donna Barr is the creator of Afterdead, Desert Peach and Stinz, among other books. You can read Tim O’Shea’s interview with her from last March right here.

Laura Hudson

What am I most excited about for 2010?

The project I’m most excited for in 2010 is whatever Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams III continue to do with Batwoman. My personal preference would obviously be an ongoing series, but since there’s been no formal announcement, we’ll just have to wait and see what we get. I hope, selfishly and unselfishly, that Rucka and Williams stay with this character for as long as they possibly can, because they are in the midst of creating a classic, and heaven help any creator who has to pick up the Batwoman baton after their definitive run.

So much of the last several decades has involved superhero comics slouching towards maturity in all the wrong ways, but this arc of “Detective” – which I’ve found myself just calling “Batwoman” – was the grown-up superhero comic I’d been waiting for. Or maybe on some level it’s the comic I stopped waiting for. Reading it felt kind of like falling in love after you’ve had your heart broken and stopped believing it’s ever going to happen for you again. It’s a book that makes me feel as breathless now, as a critical, cliche-weary adult, as I used to feel reading superhero comics when I was 12.

I can’t wait to see what they do next.

My own projects:

I run this site called ComicsAlliance? Probably I will write a bunch of stuff there.

In addition to being editor and lead blogger at ComicsAlliance“>ComicsAlliance, Laura also used to edit Comics Foundry magazine and contributed a piece right here at Robot 6 last year, “I ♥ Finder.”

Johanna Draper Carlson

After taking a break last year from most big conventions, I’m excited to go back to them in 2010, especially C2E2 and Heroes. After some time away, I think I’ll better appreciate the fun and excitement, and I’m looking forward to finding out about new comics and projects, seeing old friends, and meeting cool people involved in comics.

As for my own projects, I’m planning to keep on covering as many diverse comics and manga as I can.

Johanna Draper Carlson reviews and talks about comics, manga, the industry and lots of other stuff over at her blog Comics Worth Reading. She also told us what she was reading back in May.

David Brothers

The book I’m looking forward to the most is IDW’s release of Enrique Abulli and Jordi Bernet’s Torpedo in fancy-pants hardcovers, with translations coming courtesy of Jimmy Palmiotti. I love Bernet’s art, but I’ve never managed to check out one of his best-known works. Being able to pick up the series in nice hardcovers is just icing on the cake. I expect big things, but judging by the excerpts I’ve seen in various books about and by Bernet, I won’t be disappointed. Crime comics are my favorite genre, with war comics coming a close second. Considering that this year is going to feature Torpedo and Garth Ennis continuing his stellar Battlefields series… 2010 already rules.

On a person project note, I’m honestly elated that 4thletter! is celebrating its fifth anniversary this March. Sometimes I sit and think about it and it just blows my mind. We’re coming off the best decade in comics ever, with art and story and presentation and design all reaching incredible highs, and I’m looking forward to reading and analyzing the works to come. Being able to co-judge the Glyph Comics Awards is an honor, as well.

David Brothers runs the blog 4thletter!, where you can read a lot of great commentary on comics and related items. He did a guest post for us right after Comic-Con about his experiences at the convention. He also let us rerun some of his 4thletter! posts in February that he did for Black History Month.

Cameron Stewart covers the Montreal Mirror

Happy New Year, everyone! Typically the first day of the new year is a time for reflection, for looking forward and looking back. And you might think that I would be tempted to do that very thing, especially since we just wrapped up our first full year here at Robot 6.

But I’m not gonna do that. Y’see, Robot 6 officially kicked off on Jan. 2, 2009. And tomorrow we plan to celebrate our first anniversary by bringing you a lot of really, really cool stuff — interviews, exclusive previews, countdowns and much more — as we take over the home page of Comic Book Resources for the day. It should be a lot of fun, so be sure to stop by in between football games and TV marathons.

In the meantime, after the jump you’ll find some links to other bloggers looking at 2009 and 2010. Enjoy, and we’ll be back in full force tomorrow. See you then!

(Artwork above is Cameron Stewart‘s cover to this week’s Montreal Mirror, as seen on his blog.

Looking back | Rich Johnston is doing his annual Rumour Awards as a series of posts over at Bleeding Cool today.

Looking back | Bully the Little Stuffed Bull counts down the decade as only he can.

Looking back | The Daily Cross Hatch interviews Heidi MacDonald about the comics industry in 2009. And over on The Beat, Heidi pays tribute to those who left us in 2009.

Looking back | The staff of ComicsAlliance “has taken a cue from high school yearbooks everywhere” and hands out several “best” awards, like “Best Webcomic of Nonlinear Humor Deserving Wider Recognition” and “Best Appearance By a Real Person In a Comic Who Isn’t Obama.”

Looking back | In a similar vein, check out The Weekly Crisis best of 2009 power rankings.

Looking back | Don’t forget to check out CBR’s list of the top 100 comics of the year, which included contributions from Brigid, Chris, Sean and myself, as well as CBR’s news staff, reviewers and Comics Should Be Good! contributors.

Looking forward | Speaking of CSBG!, Greg Burgas looks forward to 2010, declaring “Comics rule!”

Looking forward | Tom Spurgeon talks about resolutions and some upcoming books for 2010.

Looking forward | io9 has a list of books to consider if one of your resolutions is to become a superhero in 2010.

Randal Jarrell

Oni Press sent out a news release today announcing that their current managing editor, Randal Jarrell, has resigned to enlist in the United States Army Reserves. He will serve as a medic while attending nursing school.

“This was easily the hardest decision of my professional life,” Jarrell said in the release. “I love this company and the people I work with, and I am so incredibly proud of the work we’ve done over the last six years. I just feel I have a calling to serve not just this country, but the men and women in uniform who have already sacrificed so much.”

He’s has been with Oni since 2003, where he edited such titles as The Damned, First in Space, Salt Water Taffy and Northwest Passage. Randy is one of several people I always tried to stop and say hi to at the Oni booth at various conventions, as he is a genuinely nice guy and has been very supportive of the blog. So best of luck to him in his new and noble endeavor.

Jarrell will be succeeded by new hire George Rohac, who will take over his managerial duties as Oni’s operations director. His editorial workload will be divided among Oni’s editorial department run by editor in chief James Lucas Jones. That same department will be adding new associate editor Charlie Chu, formerly of 20th Century Fox, and promoting assistant editor Jill Beaton to associate editor.

Dark Horse Publicity Coordinator Jim Gibbons

Meet the latest addition to Dark Horse’s stable: Publicity Coordinator Jim Gibbons. Recently tapped to handle PR chores for Hellboy, Buffy, Conan, the Goon, various Sith and Jedi etc. following the departure of Jacq Cohen for fellow Pacific Northwest publisher Fantagraphics, Gibbons is the latest in long line of former Wizard staffers whose exit from that company gave them an entrance elsewhere in the industry. The transition for Gibbons, however, was just about as seamless as it gets — cross-country move excepted, that is.

I had a quick email exchange with Gibbons — a friend and former coworker — that should be of interest to anyone who’d like to get to know the guy who’ll be helping you get to know Dark Horse’s comics in the weeks and months to come.

Robot 6: Jim, how’d you land this gig?

Jim Gibbons: A few days after I was let go from my job at Wizard, my good buddy — and CBR Staff Writer — Josh Wigler sent me a link to the jobs section on DarkHorse.com and suggested I apply. I believe the end date for resume submissions at Dark Horse was set for about a week after I had lost my job, so it seemed fate was smiling upon me and where one door had closed, another had opened… and numerous other cliches. But, in all seriousness, things had luckily lined up for me in an oddly fortuitous way. Not only was there an opening at an amazing comic company right as I’d lost my job, but I had just written Wizard‘s Book of the Month feature on one of my favorite Dark Horse titles, Conan the Cimmerian. I guess I was a victim of some of strange but really good timing.

So, I wrote my cover letter, sent in my resume, didn’t make an ass out of myself in the interviews, thankfully had some fantastic people I had met during my time at Wizard put in a good word for me and was lucky enough to become a publicity coordinator at Dark Horse Comics.

What do you dig most about Dark Horse?

You mean aside from being a huge Conan fan, an avid Buffy enthusiast and a fervent Fear Agent follower? Well, getting to work at a comic book company that you respected and enjoyed as a reader and journalist is quite a thrill. But I think the thing I enjoy most about Dark Horse — its comics, in particular, but all its products as well — is the level of quality they strive for in all their work. It’s high. I’ll go back to Conan, because it’s a good personal example for me, but that was a character that I could just never get into — until I gave the Dark Horse run a try. Long story short, the effort poured into that book (and still being poured into it), not to mention the strong creative work, attention to detail and reverence for the rich source material delivered what I came to see as the true and interesting version of a character who had previously just been shallow and cheesy in my eyes. That kind of pursuit of high quality work in every project is what I really love about Dark Horse Comics.

Are there any upcoming DH projects you’ll be particularly excited to get the word out on?

I’m quite jazzed about Mass Effect: Redemption. I think video games have become such rich venues for storytelling over the past couple of years, it only makes sense that comics covering those worlds would be enthralling. And I think Dark Horse is really kicking things off right with this book by getting the head writer of Mass Effect 2, Mac Walters, to play such an active role in the comic. I think that shows how serious and committed DH is to their licensed properties — something I think will help set this book way above other video game comics. Big Buffy fan that I am, as I mentioned before, starting at Dark Horse just as Season 8 is nearing its endgame is pretty extraordinary as well.

Also, I was a massive Star Wars fan as a kid, so working at a company that actually gets to tell stories in the Star Wars Universe is incredible and surreal in its own right.

Wizard alums and ex-pats are all over the place these days. I’m here at Robot 6, Kiel Phegley is CBR’s new News Editor, Rick Marshall edits MTV’s Splash Page blog, Ryan Penagos and Ben Morse are editors at Marvel.com, Alejandro Arbona is an editor at Marvel, Brian Cunningham is an editor at DC, Zach Oat is an editor at Television Without Pity, Rob Bricken runs Topless Robot, and the list goes on and on. How do you feel your time at Wizard impacted you or prepared you for the new gig?

My time at Wizard was pretty integral in getting to Dark Horse, I think. I met so many people, learned so much about the comics community and picked up many of the skills I need for my current gig while I was there. When I took the job at Wizard, I was a comic fan with a journalism degree who hoped that job would be the first step into a career in comics. Now I feel like I’ve taken the next step and it feels pretty good.

You had to schlep all the way from the New York metro area to scenic Portland, Oregon to take the job. How are you handling the move?

The move went pretty well. Portland is really a fantastic city, and the fact that my lovely girlfriend was willing to make the 3,000 mile cross-country trek with me has only made it all the more delightful (She’s amazing!). Given, pulling a U-Haul trailer from Atlantic to Pacific is a bit stressful and I’m glad all the box carrying is done, but the friendly people, good food and great beer I’ve already experienced here has been incredible. Growing up a Midwesterner, New York City was a great place to live and experience for two years, but Portland seems much more my speed. So far, so good!

Popeye, Vol. 4: Plunder Island

Thanksgiving ’09 is only a memory, Black Friday has come and gone, and here we are at Cyber Monday, which depending upon whom you ask is either the year’s biggest sales day for online retailers or a wonderful marketing gimmick for same. And sure enough, comics publishers and retailers are getting in on the act with one-day-only deals.

On the superhero-y end of things, Marvel is offering 30% off annual Digital Comics Unlimited subscriptions today only to those who enter the promo code CYBER09. Over in indie-land, Fantagraphics has similarly discounted nearly all its 2009 releases — over 75 titles in all. And of course retailers like Midtown Comics are offering major discounts in honor of the holiday and its attendant shopping sprees.

My advice to you would be to consult Tom Spurgeon’s epic Black Friday Shopper’s Guide — a deliciously deep annual advice column for comics-interested holiday shoppers, featuring tips on fully 100 books and bargains both off- and on-line — and get cracking!

I’d also advise you to share any sales or deals you’ve spotted with your fellow shoppers in the comments …

Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim Vol. 1

So let’s start by getting those complaints out of the way, since they’re the most subjective. The list’s own introduction cites a quartet of comics that just missed the cut — Scott Pilgrim, Astro City, The Walking Dead and the work of Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez — and I could see reasonable cases being made for three of the four, not that I’d necessarily agree with them. Given the mainstream-accessible tenor of the list, I also think you can get enough of a sense of the standards being applied to argue for several obvious oversights: David B.’s Epileptic, Phoebe Gloeckner’s The Diary of a Teenage Girl and Joe Sacco’s Safe Area Gorazde, for example. Moreover, the titles selected for particular creators can leave you scratching your head: One! Hundred! Demons! instead of What It Is, the gag/parody-centric Acme Novelty Library oversized hardcover rather than Jimmy Corrigan, Rick Geary’s The Mystery of Mary Rogers instead of, well, any of Geary’s other old-time crime books. Finally, in some cases, I think the selected books are bettered by other, similar efforts: I’d have picked B.P.R.D. over The Goon for quirky horror-action, for example, or The Walking Dead over Y: The Last Man for lengthy post-apocalyptic serials, or Shortcomings over Box Office Poison for slice-of-life drama.

Yoshihiro Tatsumi's A Drifting Life

But the list has far more fundamental problems than its individual selections. The one that’s getting the most attention around the comics Internet, of course, is the complete absence of manga. I’ll be the first to apologize if a separate, all-manga list is forthcoming. But as it stands now, the lack of a single Japanese comic on a best-of list for a decade during which such comics reached unprecedented popularity in the North American market — and during which an equally unprecedented number of acclaimed titles from nearly every time period and genre have finally seen the light of English translation and publication — is utterly egregious. Even if you put aside the treasure trove of reprints of classic titles that have reached our shores, recent work by Naoki Urasawa, Yuichi Yokoyama, Ai Yazawa, Makoto Yukimura, Yoshihiro Tatsumi, Junji Ito, Jiro Taniguchi, Taiyo Matsumoto and countless other creators surely merits at least one slot on the list. And that’s to say nothing of the rock-solid entertainment provided by mainstream hits from Naruto to Death Note — would they look all that out of place on a list that includes All-Star Superman, DC: The New Frontier and the Bendis/Maleev Daredevil run?

Kramers Ergot 4 cover by Mat Brinkman

Equally notable, to me at least, is the conservative nature of the list’s “alternative” picks. Yes, there are a couple of left-field choices — Geary’s inclusion was a surprise, as was Michael Kupperman’s weird, wonderful Tales Designed to Thrizzle. But in the main, the books and authors selected from the world of alt / art / indie / underground / whatever comics are a tastefully literary bunch, focusing on New Yorker-friendly storytelling modes like memoir, current events, biography, bildungsroman, and slice-of-life. By my count, Chris Ware, David Mazzucchelli, Charles Burns, Craig Thompson, Daniel Clowes, Alison Bechdel, Seth, James Sturm, Marjane Satrapi, Jason, Alex Robinson and even Kupperman have all either been published by a major New York book publisher or appeared in the pages of The New York Times. Meanwhile, just to name one example, the entire underground tradition emanating from Providence, Rhode Island, centered on the Fort Thunder collective, and spawning a lineage published at various times through Highwater, Paper Rodeo, Red Ink, Bodega, Buenaventura and PictureBox is totally missing; not even its representative landmark anthologies Kramers Ergot 4 and Kramers Ergot 7 made the cut. Plus, the Burns and Clowes books excepted, you’re also not seeing the wave of altcomix reclamations of genre fiction, from Paul Pope to Powr Mastrs to Prison Pit. From minicomics to markmaking, sequential art’s avant garde — not to mention its generational vanguard — is pretty much persona non grata here.

Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Vol. 1

This makes the list’s one attempt to spotlight a publishing subgenre, reprints, all the more frustrating. The A.V. Club’s separate Best Reprints list cites five noteworthy projects, none of which I’m about to quibble with — the one-volume Bone cemented Jeff Smith’s place in kids’-comics history, and Fantagraphics’ exquisitely designed Peanuts and Krazy & Ignatz collections put the two greatest comic strips of all time (your ranking may vary) at the forefront of the publishing agenda of the decade’s most important publisher, after all. But the ’00s were a true Golden Age of Reprints, during which reprinted material had an ongoing and active role in the here-and-now development of comics. I, for one, can still feel the breeze from all the eyes opened by Dan Nadel’s Art Out of Time anthology, Nadel and Glenn Bray’s Rory Hayes collection Where Demented Wented, and Paul Karasik’s two surprise-hit Fletcher Hanks books. DC did a sensational job with its Jack Kirby’s Fourth World Omnibus series, re-releasing arguably the great comics work by arguably the great comics creator at the precise time that its currency in comics was reaching an all-time peak. Manga’s sales-chart dominance was complemented beautifully by Drawn & Quarterly’s Adrian Tomine-overseen reprints of Tatsumi’s landmark short stories, and by the jaw-droppingly wide-ranging run of reprints starring the god of manga himself, Osamu Tezuka, from publishers like Vertical and Viz. with the unlimited real estate of the Internet at your disposal, capping your Best Reprints list at a mere five in the face of such an embarrassment of riches raises more questions than it answers.

Chester Brown's Louis Riel

So does a refusal to rank your selections. Look, I go back and forth on the utility and desirability of year- and decade-end list making — it can devolve into a parlor game, a pageant, and/or an easy way to throw all the publishers you work with a bone pretty easily, and frequently the arguments it engenders shed more heat than light. On the other hand, it’s the most direct avenue available for systematically separating the good from the great, and explaining the difference. That’s why, unless you intend your list to be a mere shopping guide — or unless you’re writing it in a far more idiosyncratic fashion than The A.V. Club’s traditional list-by-committee — ordinal rankings are a must. By simply listing 25 books in alphabetical order, this list avoids making difficult and absolutely crucial distinctions regarding quality, dodging the hard work necessary to back those distinctions up with considered criticism. I don’t know what good a Best of the ’00s list that sits The Goon right next to Louis Riel does anybody under any circumstances, but at least a countdown would provide context; juxtaposing two books like that through sheer alphabetical accident provides us with no window into its authors’ critical worldview(s), and actually may do more harm than good in terms of articulating what matters. Frankly, I feel like it’s a cop-out.

David Mazzucchelli's Asterios Polyp

This will get a little picayune, but that lackadaisical feel appears to have infected the writing itself, which is riddled with dubious factual claims. Superhero-comics sales went up this decade, not declined. Daniel Clowes contributed a substantial strip to The New York Times in addition to his two Eightball issues. Though Asterios Polyp was David Mazzucchelli’s first proper solo graphic novel, he’s been doing extremely personal work since the debut of Rubber Blanket in 1991 and can hardly be said to only now have “take[n] possession of his own voice.” And this could just be a typo and unclear wording respectively, but Persepolis did not come out in 2000, nor did it share a publisher with Fun Home. I can’t help but feel that an overall sharpening of the thinking behind the list might have whittled these errors away in the process.

The Onion and The A.V. Club have been covering comics for years, and not in the bang-pow sense, either. It’s clearly an art form they take as seriously as film, music, television, and prose literature. That’s what makes their list such a let-down. The first decade of the 21st century has been nothing more or less than the greatest creative flowering in comics’ history — the decade during which the concept of comics-as-art reached levels of public acceptance and internal confidence of which even the medium’s great visionaries could previously have only dreamed. The game was raised. Those of us who purport to crown the best of comics’ best-ever era need to raise our game as well.

Johnny Hiro #1, from AdHouse

Your wallet may still be smarting from the beating it received at the hands of SLG and Buenaventura’s big bottom-line-boosting sales, but there’s no rest for the weary: Now the impeccably designed comics of indie publisher AdHouse Books are getting in on the act.

Click over to AdHouse’s holiday-season sale (initially announced right here on Robot 6!) to find killer deals on comics ranging from Joshua W. Cotter’s book-of-the-year candidate Driven by Lemons to serial Eisner Award-winner James Jean’s lovely sketchbook The Hallowed Seam: Process Recess Vol. 3 to Fred Chao’s multiple Eisner-nominated “adventure-scifi-love story” Johnny Hiro.

And to get you in the mood for saving money, why not watch this preview video for Driven by Lemons, set to the unforgettable strains of Stan Bush’s “The Touch” from Transformers: The Movie? After all, if you buy that comic, you’re a winner, you’re nobody’s fool.

Siege #1

“Well, I’ve proved that talking smack on Twitter gets you press,” tweeted Marvel Executive Editor Tom Brevoort on Friday. And indeed, Brevoort’s Twitter account and blog have proven so juicy of late — witness his wager on whether Marvel’s upcoming Siege event will wrap up before DC Comics’ current Blackest Night crossover — that I’m thinking about awarding him an honorary Robot 6 membership.

Brevoort was in unusually fine form Friday night, though, even by his own standard of dishing (and taking) criticism. In a series of tweets regarding DC’s capture of the top six sales slots for October, Brevoort wrote:

I hear tell that folks up at the DC offices have been feeling pretty cocky this past week or so. To which I say … first off, good for them for having a good month. But also, don’t confuse having the top six books with winning the month. We still took both dollars and units. And too, that was in a month where a few of our big books slipped out of the month. I don’t think we have to worry at all about January, for instance, where SIEGE #1 is up against a BLACKEST NIGHT skip month. Cold Jan [for] DC. By that same token, enjoy the moment–because all of those books that missed [October] are in the November numbers.

In addition, Brevoort replied to a variety of reader responses to his trash-talk tweets, including an enthusiastic endorsement from Rob Liefeld.

And oh, yeah, he kicked it all off by teasing three major deaths in Siege, “at least one of whom will surprise you.” I’d encourage you to follow his Twitter feed yourselves, but as the middleman, I can’t very well endorse cutting myself out, can I?

New Moon

Move over, Joker and Green Goblin: Edward Cullen’s here to give you a real run for your money.

New Moon, the second in a series of adaptations of author Stephenie Meyer’s teen-vampire Twilight saga, stunned Hollywood and shattered box-office records this past weekend by taking in $140.7 million over its opening weekend. As best I can tell, the film is now the box-office record-holder for Biggest Advance Ticket Sales, Biggest Midnight Screening, Biggest Opening Day, Biggest Friday, Biggest Two-Day, Biggest November Opening, and Biggest Non-Summer 3-Day Weekend. The movie currently ranks third on the list of all-time opening-weekend box-office champs, behind only the summer superhero blockbusters The Dark Knight ($158.4mil, 2008) and Spider-Man 3 ($151mil, 2007).

In shattering all those other records, the movie leapfrogged claims previously staked by such fanboy-beloved franchises as Batman, Spider-Man, Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter, Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings. In particular, New Moon‘s dethroning of The Dark Knight as the reigning opening-day record-holder caused much agita among nerds of my acquaintance. Fortunately for them, the movie ultimately came up short for the weekend title — proving that when push comes to shove, audiences prefer serious stuff like billionaires who dress up as bats to fight evil clowns or young men whose spider-like superhuman abilities interfere with their love lives to all this emo-vampire-werewolf silliness.

Then again, when No. 3 in the series, Eclipse, hits this summer on June 30th, who knows what’ll happen?

Milk & Cheese #2, from SLG Publishing

Kramers Ergot 7, from Buenaventura Press

Unholster your credit cards, comics fans: Two publishers are currently holding nigh-irresistible sales in their webstores.

As we’ve reported, cartoonist Evan Dorkin notes that indie-comics stalwart SLG Publishing — home of comics by Dorkin, Jhonen Vasquez, Jim Rugg, James Turner and more — is slashing prices on its entire library by 40%. Meanwhile, art-comics trailblazer Buenaventura Press — the outfit behind books by Johnny Ryan, Jerry Moriarty, Lisa Hannawalt, and Matt Furie, not to mention Kramers Ergot — has announced that they’re offering an across-the-board 20% off sale. Both sales are designed to help their respective publishers weather these still-nightmarish financial times, so not only would taking advantage of them help score you some sweet deals, it’d be a mitzvah as well.

But these prices aren’t sticking around forever, so you’ve gotta act now. And if you’re ;ooking for a guide to help you do so, The Comics Reporter’s Tom Spurgeon has recommendations for both the SLG and Buenaventura sales, as well as a smidge of analysis as to what it all means. Beyond “great deals,” that is.

Full-scale warfare between convention promoters isn’t universal, believe it or not — some are giving peace a chance. In addition to the recent arrangement worked out by Heroes Con and Supercon to avoid a date conflict, Emerald City ComiCon‘s Jim Demonakos tells Robot 6 that following an unavoidable conflict with Orlando’s MegaCon the weekend of March 13, 2010, he and MegaCon’s Beth Widera collaborated on choosing dates for 2011 so that future overlap could be avoided. “We ended up on the same dates for 2010 and neither of us could move, but we’ve talked and coordinated and our mutual 2011 dates will not be on each other’s dates at all,” says Demonakos. “Con planning, always an adventure.”

Indeed. While it’s not quite “all quiet on the Con War front” in terms of open hostilities between the nebulous Gareb Shamus/Wizard Entertainment empire and Reed Exhibitions, things have at least died down to a dull roar at the moment. Shamus remains silent, Reed insists it’s business as usual regardless of Shamus’s confrontational scheduling moves, and about the closest you can get to one-on-one antagonism between the two rival convention promoters is a do-it-yourself comparison of their pre- and post-Halloween guest announcements: Hellboy creator Mike Mignola will be a guest of honor at Reed’s C2E2, while Batman TV star Burt Ward will be appearing at Shamus’s Anaheim Comic Con that same weekend.

But the lack of direct conflict doesn’t mean a few verbal grenades haven’t been lobbed Wizard/Shamus’s way over the past week by other parties, ranging from former employees to a pair of recent Wiz sparring partners, cartoonist Scott Kurtz and Marvel’s C.B. Cebulski.

One such explosion took place at the message board of Panels on Pages, a site founded by now-ex-Wizard Universe Message Board users-cum-Wizard website/magazine writers. With the shutdown of the WUMB last week, PoP has become increasingly required reading for dedicated Wizard watchers. Case in point: PoP message board user Foxy recounted a story of how earlier this year, Wizard employees Brett White and Adam Tracey used the WUMB to search for fan-owned Michael Turner sketches the company could publish in an expanded version of its Turner tribute hardcover. The staffers announced that a portion of the proceeds would be donated to the Sam Loeb Foundation, set up by comics superstar (and Turner’s friend) Jeph Loeb in honor of his late son, who like Turner died (too young) of cancer. But after White was fired, Tracey unceremoniously quit, and the book finally came out, Foxy and other WUMBers discovered that the promised donation was never made. The WUMB thread announcing the search for sketches and chronicling the subsequent demand for answers as to what happened to the charitable donation never received an official response and disappeared (as did two similar threads) with the WUMB itself — but not before PoP member Solstrom preserved and reposted it on PoP’s board.

The outcry attracted the attention of Rich Johnston, who since his Wizard-funded trip to the Big Apple Comic Con has emerged as the only writer able to get Wizard staffers to comment on the record (outside of press releases and the now-defunct WUMB). Writing both on the PoP board and his own Bleeding Cool site, Johnston said he got in touch with Wizard VP of Business Development Stephen Shamus (brother of owner and CEO Gareb Shamus), who blamed the disappearing donation on a communication breakdown caused by staff turnover, and said that now that they’d been made aware of the problem, the company would contact the Sam Loeb Foundation to make the donation — and to see if they’d be interested in setting up a donation drive at future Shamus conventions.

However, Shamus’s explanation, and Johnston’s subsequent statement that “it’s possible the right people did not read the right thread,” didn’t fly with the PoPsters, who point out that threads about the Turner book, customer service issues, and other problems went on for months with the clear knowledge of Wizard staffers. Indeed, the frequent intervention of Wizard higher-ups in ordering the deletion and banning of threads and users critical of the company appear to indicate that if anything, this sort of thread received extra attention from decision-makers within the Shamus organization.

Elsewhere on PoP, former Wizard staff writer, frequent WUMB pot-stirrer, and Political Power: Barack Obama author Chris Ward was a guest on the site’s weekly podcast. (Discussion of Wizard and the death of the WUMB begins at 1:04:20; Ward’s appearance begins at 1:09:38.) Ward minces no words for his former company, which he calls “totally mismanaged.”

“These guys literally have no fucking idea what they’re doing… They have neither the skills nor the insight to keep up, and the people that had that, they fired,” Ward says of Wizard’s upper echelon. [Full disclosure: I don't know from skills or insight, but I was one of the people the company fired.] Though he does praise managing editor Andy Serwin, Ward also reveals that he’s been blacklisted from the magazine for making a joke about a freelance check bouncing, tells tales out of school about the work environment, and takes some pretty vicious shots at Stephen Shamus (and, in passing, Rich Johnston). For their part, hosts Lee Rodriguez, Jason Kerouac, Tripper McGee, and Jason Knize describe the experience of being plucked from the WUMB to write for Wizard proper, only to watch their gigs disappear as the editors who hired them got laid off one after another.

But it’s not just ex-Wizard writers who have a bone to pick with the company. Fresh off his Twitter tirade against the company, PvP writer-artist Scott Kurtz really let loose after receiving a letter from Sales Manager Larry Ernst, addressed to “Kurt,” encouraging him to attend the Anaheim Comic Con, apparently sent without knowing that Kurtz had already made his feelings about Gareb Shamus’s conventions abundantly clear. In an open letter to Ernst and Wizard, Kurtz writes “Your conventions are total horseshit” and gets angrier from there, reserving his most undiluted fury for what he describes as the magazine’s ignoring of late artist Mike Wieringo, then its public about-face upon Wieringo’s passing. Kurtz’s sentiments echo those of Wieringo himself, as expressed in this impassioned defense of Heroes Con and attack on Gareb Shamus, written by ‘Ringo during Heroes Con’s initial scheduling conflict with Shamus’s never-realized Wizard World Atlanta. (Ironically, a gallery of Wieringo’s Wizard covers, which might offer proof that the magazine did indeed pay attention to the artist, has disappeared along with the bulk of Wizard’s website.)

Reactions to Kurtz’s post have varied. Marvel talent liaison C.B. Cebulski, himself no stranger to public disputes with Wizard, tweeted a link to the open letter in seemingly supportive fashion, indicating that a recent high-level meeting between Cebulski and Wizard editorial either didn’t produce a rapprochement or was subsequently undermined by the Big Apple/NYCC battle. Comics Alliance’s Laura Hudson’s defense of current and former Wizard employees against Kurtz’s blanket statements (coupled with a few shots at Kurtz’s self-described status as “a pioneer in my field” and “‘tastemaker’”) met with vehement comment-thread opposition from Kurtz’s fans (UPDATE: and from Kurtz himself), and with considerably more polite dissent from Tom Spurgeon, who argues that getting yelled at from time to time is the price of working for a company with divisive policies. And on his own blog, Chris Ward returned with the inside story of the incident Kurtz says turned him against Wizard — a “convention horror story” involving Kurtz, Ward, Ethan Van Sciver, a deaf fan, and “the world’s shittiest band.”

As Shamus/Wizard higher-ups continue to strategically distance themselves from the comics industry (even as seemingly contradictory moves are rumored behind-the-scenes); as decision time approaches for guests of the conflicting Reed and Shamus shows; and as sharper contrasts are drawn between the tactics used by Shamus and those employed by Reed and by regional con organizations like Emerald City and MegaCon, we may see more and more professionals and Wizard alums become comfortable publicly taking aim at the house that Gareb built.

(“Con War” graphic courtesy of Jason Erwin)

Heroes Con

Not every comic-convention conflict has to end in tears. So Heroes Con organizer and Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find retailer Shelton Drum discovered when he ran into a seemingly unavoidable scheduling overlap with Florida Supercon, the Miami-based show organized by Mike Broder. The two shows have announced that Supercon has voluntarily switched its 2010 dates to June 18-20 in order to accommodate Heroes Con, which will be held on June 4-6.

According to Drum, the increasingly busy convention season and a booked-solid schedule at the Charlotte, NC convention center during the June-July timeframe during which Heroes Con is traditionally held combined to limit his scheduling options.

“I had actually just about given up on doing anything at the Charlotte Convention Center in 2010,” Drum tells Robot 6. “Using a smaller venue was an option as well as just taking a year off.” But when Drum put out feelers in these directions at the Baltimore Comic-Con, he was met with such an overwhelming response that he feared hosting the show at a smaller site would lead to overcrowding.

Things changed last week, when Drum learned that the June 4-6 weekend had opened up at the Convention Center.

“The only problem was the already planned Miami Supercon that I had promised myself to respect,” he says. “I called Mike Broder actually to apologize that I was going to have to use that weekend if I was going to have a show at all in the summer of 2010. Mike’s response without hesitation was, ‘I love your show. I enjoy attending it. I think I have some flexibility with my center, let me see if I can reschedule.’”

The Florida Supercon mascot

Broder tells Robot 6 he wasted no time when he heard of Drum’s predicament. “He gave me a call to see what could be done on Thursday. I have the utmost respect for Shelton and Heroes Con, and I think they’re a great show, so [I told them if there's] anything I can do to help I will. I called my convention center and set up a meeting for Friday to see what our options were. They had the June 18-20 date open on the space I needed, so we moved things around to make it work. It was mostly a matter of pushing a bunch of different papers around.”

Both Drum and Heroes’ Creative Director Dustin Harbin report that they’ll try to return the favor by attending Supercon as a vendor, promoting the Florida show to their customers, and even helping out with its guest list. It’s a method of dealing with other shows they prefer, given their contentious history with Gareb Shamus’s Wizard Entertainment. “We’re sensitive to that sort of thing, having been on the David side of the David/Goliath metaphor before,” Harbin says.

Whatever their reasoning behind their confrontational recent scheduling against Reed Exhibitions-hosted events like NYCC, Wizard seems to have learned that their perceived bigfooting of regional shows like Heroes Con in the past has done their convention efforts more harm than good. In an interview with the Philadelphia Daily News (scroll down to the last item), Wizard VP of Business Development Stephen Shamus (brother of Gareb) calls the show’s past scheduling against Heroes Con in 2007 and 2009 “stupid” and lays the blame at the feet of unnamed former employees: “The people that did that are gone and I can guarantee Wizard Philly will never again be going head to head with Heroes Con. Ever!” Presumably Shamus is not referring to former staffers Adam Tracey or Benjamin De John, both of whom had spoken to Drum in order to ensure that no conflict would take place in 2010 after a last-minute 2009 date switch by Wizard led to their Philly show’s second overlap with Heroes Con.

It’s worth noting, however, that the surrounding article appears to have a rather dubious grip on the facts — avoiding any mention of the Big Apple/NYCC kerfuffle despite ostensibly being about con conflicts, referring to Big Apple as “the New York Con,” and claiming that the Philly/Heroes conflict “hurt both shows.” Nothing could be further from the truth, according to Heroes’ Dustin Harbin, who recalls how pros like J. Michael Straczynski, Greg Rucka, Tony Harris, Cully Hamner, and Brian Stelfreeze were among many who rallied to Heroes Con’s side following Wizard’s soon-to-be-aborted Wizard World Atlanta counter-scheduling in 2006.

“The upshot was that 2006 was one of our best years ever,” says Harbin. “It was just a great resolution to that story, to be honest. Does that sound petty? When someone does something bad and your entire community responds by lining up behind you, resulting in a hugely successful convention…well, how can you help loving turning that frown upside down?”

Is Wizard frowning or smiling lately? Their official and semi-official stance continues to emerge only in drips and drabs — a mainstream-media promotional piece here (like Stephen Shamus’s Philly.com interview), a message board post there (like the series of posts by staffer Mark Allen Haverty, which were since deleted from both the Wizard Universe message board and from Rich Johnston’s BleedingCool.com, per Haverty’s request).

Perhaps the most interesting indication of where Wizard’s coming from emerged through Johnston, who recently posted a seemingly Wizard-derived “origin story” for the current “Con War” with Reed. The story centers around some antagonistic promotion for a party hosted by retailer Chicago Comics during this summer’s Wizard-owned Chicago Comic Con and cross-promoted by Reed — but the explanation has been met with skepticism, most notably by Chicago Comics manager Eric Thornton.

Elsewhere, Heidi MacDonald’s epic Con War round-up chronicles a variety of problems Wizard/Shamus’s conventions arm has experienced, many of which predate or exist independently of the battle with Reed’s C2E2 and NYCC. And former Wizard convention staffer Brett White has posted a before-and-after photo comparison of Wizard’s 2008 staff in which only one of the pictured employees remains at the company today.

The ultimate source of the Con War notwithstanding, Drum, Harbin and Broder all agree that when it comes to comic conventions, communication rather than competition is key. “I’m very happy that we could do this with Heroes Con,” Broder says. “It’s great that it was so easy to fix the problem, and not cause any more drama in the con world. There are 52 weeks in a year, so there’s generally always another weekend to do a show when a date conflict arises.”

Conflicts can cause trouble not just for those promoting the cons but for those selling at them as well. “The fact is that most of us ‘regional’ convention promoters are comic retailers as well,” Drum explains. “I want to go to most of the shows as a vendor, or attendee. I can’t do it if I’m having a show on the same date. Plus a lot of the dealers at our shows count on making every one. They miss a ‘payday’ if they have to choose one show instead of another.”

“We are pretty close with our ‘sister’ conventions like Baltimore Comic-Con, Emerald City Comic Con, and others,” Harbin elaborates. “These are the shows that would be our competition if we weren’t such good buddies with Marc Nathan and Jim Demonakos. Instead we gossip, share information, promote each others shows; basically do whatever we can to help each other.” Indeed, both Drum and Broder report that Baltimore’s Nathan played a key role in facilitating communication between Heroes Con and Supercon.

“I mean seriously, this is comics, right?” Harbin continues. “It is not so small an industry that there isn’t room for everyone who wants a seat at the table.”