Yet another installment of our annual massive survey of the industry. Tons of preview artwork and opinions from industry movers and shakers. Please check it out all the way to the end—there’s a lot of thoughtful commentary on where we’ve been and where we might go next. Part One, Part Two


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David Steinberger
CEO, Comixology

2013 Projects:
The next phase of the comiXology Submit portal is extremely exciting. Comics have a long and great DIY history and we’re proud to bring this tradition into the digital age by letting creators submit their self-published work to comiXology ‘s worldwide platform. We’re currently in private beta but will be opening the comiXology Submit doors to the public soon!

What was the biggest story in comics in 2012? : The biggest story in comics in 2012 – that nobody’s really talking about – is the significant increase in sales of digital and print at the same time. Our great industry is breaking all the generally accepted trends of analog moving to digital requiring the demise of analog. I won’t shy away from writing “we told you so”: comic book distribution in print, while historically important to have formed the way it did, is limited enough so that wide digital distribution will only grow the industry (although, I will add, only with a great reading experience like comiXology, and not simply throw it up on the screen and forget about it, which just alienates new audience members).

Comic books are having a bit of an Apple moment, I think, where comic fandom – and “geek” fandom at large – is becoming the norm. It’s like coming into the iPhone era for an Apple fan. If you were an Apple fan even though (or maybe, if we’re honest with ourselves, slightly because) they were beleaguered in the 1990s and early 2000s, being an Apple fan became less special as it became the norm. This is clearly a time where fandom of all things “nerd” or “geek” is becoming standard. Comic reading is no longer as much of a precious, exclusive club that we try to educate others about (like the Apple faithful of the 1990s did). That may make comics feel less like a special club that only you and I can understand, but that’s something to celebrate!

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2013? The biggest story in comics will be even more record shattering growth for the entire comic book industry, with a greater variety of comics available to more people than ever.

Anecdotally, I talked with a few teenage girls at a neighbor’s holiday party this year. They were all huge Buffy fans and one was a Dr. Who nut, but none of them knew of the comic books. If we can connect that audience to the existing books, this will be a great year. That’s our job in 2013 and beyond.

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2013? The new season of Game of Thrones.


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Greg Pak  
writer, filmmaker http://gregpak.com

2013 Projects:

 

“Vision Machine” graphic novel and iPad app
“X-Treme X-Men”
“Los Robos,” a giant robot story drawn by Tak Miyazawa in the “SHATTERED” anthology
A secret collaborative project with Fred Van Lente

What was the biggest story in comics in 2012? The rise of Kickstarter and the crowdfunding of independent comics projects. Dozens of comics creators used Kickstarter and Indiegogo to raise thousands to pre-sell books to fans and enable independent comics creation without financial ruin. The number of dollars raised can be deceptive — typically, a huge amount of that goes to fulfillment and relatively little goes into creators’ pockets. But a handful of projects raised tens of thousands — a couple even more than $100,000. Very soon some creators will be making a living on direct sales via Kickstarter. And anything that enables readers to buy books and creators to make them is a great thing.

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Incidentally, I just checked back and saw that my answer to “What will be the biggest story in comics in 2012?” was “The recession and the exciting new risks creators will take as a result.” The crowdfunding revolution fits that prediction pretty well, if I do say so myself. ;-)

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2013? I’ve got my eye on Monkeybrain. Pretty soon an indie comic is going to break out, score some mainstream press, and nab massive digital sales. And that will help everyone who’s trying to reach bigger audiences through digital comics.

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2013? Macaroons. I learned to bake this last year. And although I’ve sworn off sugar during the week, I’m indulging on the weekends. And chocolate/peanut butter dipped macaroons are my latest triumph/vice.


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Shaenon K. Garrity
writer, cartoonist, www.shaenon.com

2013 Projects: Still drawing my webstrip Skin Horse with Jeffrey C. Wells.  This year I started Monster of the Week, my cartoon recap of “The X-Files,” which just wrapped up Season One.  And I’ve got a mystery project going with manga-and-Lovecraft guru Jason Thompson, which will launch with the new year.

What was the biggest story in comics in 2012? Kickstarter becoming a major force in comics publishing, especially for webcomics and indie anthologies.

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2013? Something with Spider-Man?  People like Spider-Man.

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2013? I don’t plan to feel guilt for watching all those Nicolas Cage movies.


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Jim Ottaviani
writer, editor www.gt-labs.com

2013 Projects: Coming in 2013, with art by Maris Wicks: Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas (First Second)

Also, if all goes well, The Imitation Game (a book about Alan Turing) with art by Leland Purvis

What was the biggest story in comics in 2012? Loss: Important people passed away, such as Kubert, Moebius, Spain. A lot seemed to be lost by the house that Superman built, especially with regards to respect shown to people who made it what it is today.

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2013? No idea. I’ve taken Nate Silver’s advice to heart, and realized in this area I can’t separate the signal from the noise.

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2013? Reading more books published by Hardcase Crime. Max Allan Collins has a book coming out called “Seduction of the Innocent” that looks just lurid enough.


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Stuart Moore
writer, editor pensivemischief.blogspot.com/, botfriendproductions.com/

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2013 Projects: Various book projects with Marvel; a very trippy series coming from Dark Horse next year; THE 99 continues, with the U.S. launch of the animated series; and assorted secrets. But I’m especially excited about two original projects I’m putting together: EGOs with artist Gus Storms (above), a futuristic super-team epic with HBO character dynamics; and HOT JUPITER with Jon Proctor, (below) a love story set in a fetish club at the heart of a red-hot planet. Both science fiction, but very different.

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What was the biggest story in comics in 2012? Both Marvel and DC had some pretty big launches and relaunches, showing the very different editorial and corporate philosophies at work. But I think the announcement of Karen Berger’s departure from Vertigo qualifies as the biggest news. It’s the end of an era.

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2013? Digital sales will reach a point where they’re a major factor, as they’ve become in books over the past two years. It’s going to be slow, though, because even the iPad isn’t quite big enough to read most comics on comfortably.

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2013? It’s gotta be STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS. Not a very original answer, I know. I’ve been reading Philip K. Dick’s EXEGESIS for more than a year, so that’ll continue to be a guilty pleasure for me, probably into 2014 as well.


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Ben Towle
cartoonist, www.benzilla.com

2013 Projects: I’ve been working mainly on my webcomic, Oyster War, which you can find at www.oysterwar.com. I’m in the home stretch now story-wise and I’m hoping to wrap this one up in 2013.

What was the biggest story in comics in 2012? Wow… that’s a hard one, given what I see as TWO big overarching stories in 2012: digital comics and creator rights/creator defections. I guess I’ll go with the former.

In 2012 I think we saw the scales finally tip in favor if digital comics as a viable comics-reading method. We’re not fully-there yet, but this year we saw some major “digital signposts” appear: at this point Marvel and DC are now “day and date” with their books, Fantagraphics–arguably THE biggest indie/alt publisher–has finally jumped in with Comixology, 2000 AD is “same week digital” in the US with their UK releases, and in January VIZ’s Shonen Jump Alpha goes same day US and Japan. These are all good things and bode well for digital comics in the long-term.

Now, if only we could get a common cross-platform format–an “MP3 for comics”–and get rid of this self-defeating DRM stuff. Maybe in 2013!

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2013? It’s kind of a cheat, but I’ll touch back on something I already mentioned: creator rights. There are always going to be people who want to draw and write Marvel and DC superhero books (including ME–where do I sign up to do an all-ages Inhumans book?!), but I think creators will continue in 2013 to realize that in the long-term they’ve got to build up a portfolio of work that they actually own–and we’ll continue to see a lot of high-profile folks branch out into creator-owned work. Look, for example, at what Image has been doing in 2012–and who they’ve been doing it with. The results of the Kirby and Shuster legal cases from 2012 may have favored the big superhero publishers in the near-term, but down the road I wonder if those cases aren’t driving creative talent toward other publishing outlets.

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2013? 2013 may finally be the year we (my family and I) vacation in Brussels. There’s so much comics-related stuff to see there—not the least of which is the Herge museum–and I’ve been wanting to visit forever. Also in Belgium, one of my other favorite things: beer.


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Dean Haspiel
cartoonist, cheerleader, http://www.deanhaspiel.com/
2013 Projects: Besides curating and creating free content for TripCity.net, I’m currently drawing a CREEPY story for Dark Horse Comics written by Josh Simmons, and remastering two of my Billy Dogma webcomics, “Immortal” and “Fear My Dear” into one new graphic novel called, FEAR MY DEAR, to be published by Z2 [formerly Zip]. I recently drew a post-coital pin-up for Bob Fingerman’s upcoming MAXIMUM MINIMUM WAGE, and an exclusive cover for FIONNA & CAKE #1 (an Adventure Time comic published by Boom! in conjunction with Marc Nathan’s Comics, Cards and Collectibles). I also wrote & drew a new story for THE MARIJUANA CHRONICLES, edited by Jonathan Santlofer, published by Akashic Books, and I’m working on various other projects, including an unannounced original graphic novel with Douglas Rushkoff and, possibly, a Kickstarter project.

What was the biggest story in comics in 2012? Digital comics proved they were here to stay as print comics found they hardly could sell themselves anymore. When Marvel & DC Comics have to practically start over every year just to keep their core fanbase excited, and a magazine like Jimmy Palmiotti, Steve Niles & Co’s CREATOR OWNED HEROES, which published fresh ideas at almost twice the regular page count, can’t get a break it’s almost time to throw in the towel on monthly comic books. Karen Berger leaving Vertigo is the end of an era as she joins the profound ranks of Harvey Kurtzman, Stan Lee, and Archie Goodwin, in terms of editorial impact, as the promise of Image Comics continues to develop new talent and woo heavy hitters like Brian K Vaughan into publishing their new creator-owned works. But, as long as DC cares about new creations and different ideas, and not just perpetuate their 75-year old perennials, I’m sure the current editors will keep Vertigo sexy and relevant.

And, speaking of Vertigo, bravo to Jason Aaron & RM Guera [+ company] for the awesome bow of their harrowing yet profound tour de force that was SCALPED, the best monthly comic book series of the last six years. I was excited to see new publisher Nobrow enter the alternative comix ranks with a book as exciting as A GRAPHIC COSMOGONY and other amazing publications. I’d like to give an honest high-five to Joss Whedon for figuring out how to make an AVENGERS movie work and a tip of the hat to Christopher Nolan for producing an ambitious BATMAN trilogy. Finally, author Sean Howe’s page-turning, MARVEL COMICS: THE UNTOLD STORY, told a heartbreaking tale of creation and commerce that would surely make for a compelling TV show adaption done in the spirit of MADMEN, complimented only by Chris Irving and Seth Kushner’s LEAPING TALL BUILDINGS.

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2013? The end of the monthly print comic as we know it.

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2013? More BATMAN, DAREDEVIL, INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK, THOR, CAPTAIN AMERICA, FF, and HAWKEYE, please.
Anything Darwyn Cooke writes and draws.
Paul Pope’s BATTLING BOY.
IDW’s JUDGE DREDD. I’m happy to see 2000AD give Americans another go at producing sanctioned JUDGE DREDD tales.


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2013 Projects: I’m presently working on Miniature Jesus., A 5-issue B&W series in the Golden Age format. Coming in April from Image/Shadowline.

What was the biggest story in comics in 2012? That we lost way too many creators and friends. Sheldon Moldoff, Al Rio, Marc Swayze, John Severin, Tony DeZuniga, Joe Kubert and my friends Ernie Chan and Jean Giraud. The magnitude of talent that will no longer give us new brilliance, as well as their warm welcome company, is sadly overwhelming.

 

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2013? With Karen Berger sadly “stepping down”, Vertigo should soundly, and rightly, be put to rest. For them to even attempt to replace her magic is . . . well,  bogus.

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2013? Being at the 2013 SDCC.  When I started going back to it 6 years ago, after a long hiatus, it was like being kicked in the nuts. But now I find it’s frantic energy, gonzo randomness, and impossible-to-navagate chaos actually inspiring.


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Jim Zub

writer, http://www.jimzub.com @jimzub

2013 Projects: Birds of Prey (DC, starting with #18 in March), Makeshift Miracle V2 (UDON), Skullkickers (Image Comics), Pathfinder (Dynamite)

2012: Comic-inspired content dominates mainstream pop culture with The Avengers, Dark Knight Rises and The Walking Dead at the top of the heap. Visibility is not the problem, but we have to turn that into new readers.

2013: The continued growth of the creator-driven market- Creators directly interfacing with fans via conventions, direct digital sales or funding projects from scratch through Kickstarter, side stepping traditional models.


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Dan Goldman
cartoonist, http://dangoldman.net

2013 Projects:  Red Light Properties (Monkeybrain Comics)

What was the biggest story in comics in 2012?  How the value in the creative community shifted to creator-owned works, by whatever means necessary. It feels like 2012 opened with the “Year of Image” trumpets (that haven’t really stopped tooting) and then the idea went digital, with the launch of Monkeybrain, Thrillbent, etc. With a few sparkly exceptions, the best big-name comics published this year were all original ideas… and it’s made the comics landscape so much richer.

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2013? Digital-first publishers partnering with print publishers for book collections will become the new norm while the single issue “comic book” continues to slowly fade out.

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2013? Immediately upon my return to NYC, buying my first tablet computer, mostly to read comics on. I moved down to Brazil right before the iPad was released and The Whole World Changed, and I got left in the dust while sucking on mangoes. Gonna fix that.


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Jennifer Hayden
cartoonist, jenniferhayden.com, http://www.goddesscomix.blogspot.com/

2013 Projects:  After the fun of getting my first book UNDERWIRE published by Top Shelf, I am finally finishing THE STORY OF MY TITS, a graphic novel about my life and my experience with breast cancer that started me drawing comix seven years ago.  I’ll be handing in all 330 or so pages, if the Goddess is willing, to Top Shelf this fall.  I’m also keeping a daily diary webcomic, now in its tenth month, called RUSHES, which I update every Saturday.  It’s a way to loosen my style and not only documents how I piss away my days but the process of working on my graphic novel.  Last, but certainly not least, I am honored to be a monthly contributor to Dean Haspiel’s multi-media website Trip City, which posts my 4-panel strip S’CRAPBOOK.  S’CRAPBOOK is autobiographical–though it is currently experimenting with fiction–and made the notable list of The Best American Comics of 2012.

What was the biggest story in comics in 2012?  Women!  I just have to give a shout-out to the ever-increasing number of women in comics, both the ones who have been holding down the fort for years, and the newbies like me. Each year there are more women at conventions, more women readers, and more female artists and writers.  And it makes me very excited about the future of the graphic novel as an art form.

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2013?  I will dig up a box in my back yard and in it I will find a long-lost graphic novel by Julie Doucet.  It will be a thousand pages long and the last page will cause me to forget what I have just read so that I can start reading it all over again immediately for the first time.  Yeah, man.

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2013?  Watching more Mary Tyler Moore–I finished my DVD’s of the first two seasons.  I ran out of Rhoda too, so right now I have to watch Bob Newhart, which is a little excruciating.


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Mark Siegel
cartoonist, publisher, First Second Books

2013 Projects:  Gene Luen Yang’s BOXERS & SAINTS magnum opus

What was the biggest story in comics in 2012?  Tom Spurgeon’s healthful shape-shifter magic

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2013?  The White House will host a comics authors dinner, to honor the medium’s contribution to the American cultural heritage

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2013?  Curiosity finding an ancient shoe on Mars.


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Sam Arthur
publisher, NoBrow, and www.flyingeyebooks.com

2013 Projects: John Martz – Destination X (graphic novella) a cool new/retro sci-fi comic by the canadian cartoonist – given the Nobrow Press treatment. And also our new Children’s imprint Flying Eye Books – with comics from Luke Pearson and some really cool kids comics and picture books.

What was the biggest story in comics in 2012? Building Stories by Chris Ware – art, narrative, production – what an amazing collection of work.

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2013? Luke Pearson – Hilda & The Bird Parade – The latest in the Hildafolk series, it just keeps getting better and better!

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2013?
Attending Uppsala Comics Festival in Sweden as a special guest… swedish meatballs and expensive beer… and comics!

 


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Frank Cammuso
cartoonist, www.cammuso.com

2013 Projects: Otto’s Backwards Day with Jay Lynch from Toon-Books, Fall 2013
The Misadventures Of Salem Hyde: Spelling Trouble, from Abrams, Fall 2013

What was the biggest story in comics in 2012? Successful movies from both DC and Marvel.

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2013? Not so successful movies from DC and Marvel.

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2013? Nova


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Serhend Sirkecioglu
editor in chief of Moxie; Under the pen name AACRO, I’m a cartoonist.

2013 Projects:  Moxie, it’s a hodgepodge comics anthology built around a unique pay-it-forward correspondence submission process. We’re trying to get the first volume published on our Kickstarter, so check us out and pledges before February 5th are more than welcome!

What was the biggest story in comics in 2012?  The Emily Carroll Factor, she’s the Lakshmi of comics crowd-funding.

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2013? Comics guilds and unions oh my!…OR gangs a la The Warriors with cools names and well coordinated outfits. In all seriousness, I predict more than one guild springing up and each one catering to a certain vein of cartoonist(i.e. a “mainstream” guild, “indie” guild, book publishing guild, etc.) and as a result the artist, not the IP will become more valuable.

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2013? Thickness #4


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Jim McCann
writer, @jimmccann

2013 Projects: MIND THE GAP; LOST VEGAS

What was the biggest story in comics in 2012? The rise in creator-owned books is certainly something I think took most people by surprise- publishers, retailers, and even fans.  I think it’s been amazing to watch people who have been solely “capes” readers discover some of their favorite super hero writers have OTHER projects out there; or for readers to find new or existing talent out there putting out just as great in quality books as the “Big 2”

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2013? I think there will a less “OMG! Did you read that” moment and rather a building movement or a growing Big(ger) 5 or 6, as “indie” comics start to become more mainstream.

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2013? 2-fold: January 10th (if this runs before then), if you tune into THE PRICE IS RIGHT, you MAY or MAY NOT see me make an ass of myself (those who know me can guess the answer.)  Then in April- the 50th anniversary of GENERAL HOSPITAL.  Any time a serialized medium hits a milestone like that, then bravo!


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Gary Tyrrell
journalist, Fleen

2013 Projects:  Nothing special

What was the biggest story in comics in 2012?   Top contenders:

1. Kickstarter, particularly the Homestuck videogame project raising multiple millions of dollars, the Ryan North-penned choose-your-own Hamlet raising half a million, and a few dozen other webcomics-related projects raising tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

2. Kaboom!’s partnership with Cartoon Network/Frederator Studios to produce Pendleton Ward-related comics, and showcasing the work of web-/indy-comics creators at the same time. The list of webcomics creators who’ve worked on Adventure Time/Marceline and the Scream Queens/Bravest Warriors (and the forthcoming Fionna & Cake) is staggeringly long.

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2013?   In a word: George. That would be George Rohac, who’s heading up so many projects for Oni (including works by Ananth Panagariya, Yuko Ota, Rich Stevens, Penny Arcade, and more), and the driving force behind the Benign Kingdom projects (art books and one-offs planned through 2014 at the least) and about three dozen other Kickstart’ed projects that have shattered every expectation for fundraising.

Oh, and he’s just uploaded a video (“You Can Do Good”) that just might become the next “It Gets Better”, relating his struggles with mental illness and setting up a conversation to for destigmatization.

In ten years, he’ll be running half the industry.

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2013?  Penny Arcade’s “Strip Search”. Except that I’m not guilty about it at all. I want to see who the next cohort of successful independent creators will be.


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J.T. Yost
cartoonist, publisher, birdcagebottombooks.com

2013 Projects:  Birdcage Bottom Books just released the mammoth “Digestate: a food & eating themed anthology” featuring James Kochalka, Renée French, Jeffrey Brown, Marc Bell, Noah Van Sciver, Box Brown and tons more.

We’ve also expanded our distro with lots of handmade minis, books & prints from the likes of Danny Hellman, James Kochalka, Victor Kerlow, Josh Burggraf, William Cardini, Sam Spina, Noah Van Sciver, Robert Goodin, Kevin Cannon, Jeff Zwirek and on and on…

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Personally, I’m working on or have finished comics for a variety of upcoming anthologies: Hic & Hoc’s “Unknown Origins & Untimely Ends: A Collection of Unsolved Mysteries”, Peter Conrad’s “Cringe!” and Josh Bayer’s “Suspect Device #3”. I’m hoping to squeeze in comics for Josh Burggraf’s next “Future Shock” anthology and Dane LaChiusa’s “Dadsville” before the deadline.

What was the biggest story in comics in 2012? It’s a tie between Chris Ware’s jaw dropping “Building Stories” box set (he continues to push the boundaries of the comics medium and gain recognition from some surprising media sources) and James Kochalka’s announcement that he is quitting American Elf at the end of this year (I’m hoping this is a publicity stunt along the lines of Snoop Dogg changing his name to Snoop Lion).

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2013? I don’t know if it will be the BIGGEST story, but I’m liking this trend of comics subscription services (Retrofit, Oily Comics, Grindstone Comics, etc.). Seeing how the Society of Illustrators deals with their acquisition of MoCCA and the MoCCA festival could be a big one.

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2013? Turning 40. Let’s just get this over with.


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Allison Baker
Co-Publisher, Monkeybrain Comics

2013 Projects: As a publisher, there are always a gazillion projects in the pipeline and like any proud parent, you want to show off the baby pictures to anyone who’s willing to slow down. So here’s a sneak peek at a couple of Monkeybrain babies coming out in the next few months.
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Let’s start with a sneak peek to the cover for a Monkeybrain veteran (a whopping 6 months old), Amelia Cole and the Unknown World #6! Written by Adam P. Knave and D.J. Kirkbride with art by Nick Brokenshire. Isn’t she a beauty?!

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And here’s one of the newborns. The High Score by Curt Franklin and Chris Haley! I fell madly in love with this cover the minute it hit my inbox. Can’t wait for you guys to see this book!

We will, of course, have more Monkeybrain favorites back in action for 2013, tons of new books, and news in March about print trade collections hitting store shelves!

What was the biggest story in comics in 2012? I think a strong case can be made for comic creators themselves being the big story of 2012. Whether you look at the number of successful Kickstarter projects, the multiple successes coming out of Image, the launch of any number of digital initiatives like my own Monkeybrain Comics imprint, Double Barrel, Thrillbent, or lots and lots of great web comics, it’s evident to me many writers and artists are ready to move the industry forward in every way possible. It’s a very exciting time of experimentation to see what can work. And I for one think it’s fantastic and can’t wait to see the fruits of everyone’s labor!

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2013? Funny animal superheroes are reborn for a new generation of comic readers. It could TOTALLY happen! I’m an optimist.

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2013? SDCC 2013. I love going to cons. I always have a great time, do a ton of business and get to see all my friends. But out of all of them, San Diego is still my favorite despite all the hoops you have to jump through just to find a place to sleep.  Where else can you take pictures of random TV and movie personalities accompanied by John Layman and Emi Lenox surrounded by zombies in the middle of a baseball stadium? Oh boy, that was a fun night!


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John Shableski
Library Project Manager for iVerse Media and occasional Beat contributor AKA @graphicnovelguy

2013 Projects: Launching Comics Plus Library Edition for iVerse Media, and developing the second phase of the Will Eisner Graphic Novel Prize for Libraries.

The Eisner project is designed to increase awareness in the library community about Will’s contributions to the growth of the gn format as well as raw attention to the Eisner Award-nominated books from Comic Con International each year. At the American Library Association’s summer onvention in Anaheim this year, we gave three libraries the entire Will Eisner library as well as a collection of the Eisner nominated books and cash for author/creator visits.

What was the biggest story in comics in 2012? Diary of a Wimpy Kid sales surpass 700 Million and DC Comics/Capstone partnership. Capstone will be producing kid centric graphic novels from the world of the DC superheroes at a time when the doors are really beginning to open in the education market.

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2013? Comics Plus Library service from iVerse Media. Why? Stay
tuned….

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2013? Watching Dexter, Homeland, Walking Dead…and The Mindy Project

 


ronald_wimberlyRonald Wimberly
cartoonist, D-pi.com

2013 Projects: Just put out Prince of Cats. I’m pushing to get Gratuitous Ninja out there in 2013, maybe some toys. Got something with the Homie Saul Williams that I can’t talk about yet. I may pick up a camera. Hopefully they ask me onto Black Dynamite season 2; first run was fun!

What was the biggest story in comics in 2012? For me, the biggest story was the death of one of the greatest artists in the medium ever Jean “Moebius” Giraud

What will be the biggest story in comics in 2013? I don’t know, possibly the death of some tightly costumed character. … I imagine Vertigo’s a wrap. Will that be news though?

What guilty pleasure (of any kind) are you looking forward to in 2013? I’m excited to see Wong Kar Wai’s new movie about Yip Man. I’m excited to see the new Evangelion remake. I’m excited to see more of Mignola on Hellboy.

7 COMMENTS

  1. With so many pros trumpeting the death or serious decline of print, what does that leave us for Free Comic Book Day?

    Shall it become Free Comic Book Digital?
    Free Comic Book Download?
    Free Comic Trade Paperback Day?
    Free Reading Copy Day?
    etc

  2. Sad, IDW chooses to plug My Little Brony above anything else here. Disney buying Hasbro deal goes through they’ll have a whole lot less of everything.

  3. Al, I’m one of the(many) folks who strongly believe that digital will do more to boost sales of hard copy comics. Smile(Raina Telgemier) and Diary of a Wimpy Kid(Kinney) along with many other books began their lives as web comics and went on to sell tons in hard copy. Digital is an awesome and very cost effective way of getting new stories out into the world. And, just like we used to with the Sunday Funnies, we wind up buying hard copy collections.

  4. Bro, if “print” could be “killed” so easily then it deserved to die.

    THAT SAID, nothing is getting killed, you can stop clutching your pearls.

  5. John, it’s good to hear confidence about print. To me, it has many (many) years left in it, but I hear such constant doom and gloom in these 2013 predictions. People think that print is a dinosaur, which I think is very shortsighted.

    I am excited about the potential of digital, but wary of the ever present “you buy the right to read the online copy of my comic but never own it” syndrome that seems to go with it.

    It is time for digital comic sales to mature to another level where buyers purchase and actually own a hi res file, as they can with music files.

  6. I think print will probably exist as long as I’m alive. I just question the lifespan of the $4 monthly for a 5th or 6th of story. A $3 HAWKEYE and/or DAREDEVIL goes a long way and if more franchise comics rocked it like that I’d see a sustainable future. The second you can buy a digital version of a print comic the same day it’s released for a cheaper price is the day the print periodical begins its spirals into oblivion. That’s not doom and gloom, that’s math.

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