Continuing with our annual "Looking Forward, Looking Back" feature for our big fifth anniversary, we asked various comics folks what they liked in 2013, what they're looking forward to in 2014, and what projects they have planned for the coming year. In this edition, hear from Tim Seeley, Amy Reeder, Pat Aulisio, Andy Hirsch, David Gallaher, Amanda Meadows and Geoffrey Golden, Joey Weiser, Ian Brill, Philip Gelatt and Dave Dwonch!
Check out part one here, and don't forget to come back Tuesday to read more!
Tim Seeley
Revival, Batman Eternal, Hack/Slash, The Occultist
Blog | Twitter | deviantART
What was your favorite comic of 2013?
It's a toss-up between Archer & Armstrong, Bandette and Nowhere Men. Daredevil and Hawkeye have been consistently great, too, as have the Dark Horse superhero books; X, Brain Boy, Captain Midnight, Ghost and Catalyst Comix!
Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2014?
I'm an old-school nerd for the Aliens and Predator franchise, and though I haven't liked any of the recent films, or Prometheus, I'm looking forward to Dark Horse's relaunch of those books, especially Predator!
The new Ghost Rider by Felipe and Tradd looks killer, too.
What personal project are you working on for 2014 that you're especially pumped about?
I'm pretty excited about Batman Eternal, the weekly Bat-book I'm doing with Scott Snyder, James Tynion, Ray Fawkes, John Layman, Mike Marts, Katie Kubert and a host of awesome artists. It's my debut writing Batman, a job which I was probably born for, and I get to work "writer's room style" with some great creators.
Amy Reeder
Rocket Girl, Halloween Eve
What was your favorite comic of 2013?
I really loved The Nao of Brown by Glyn Dillon. All water-colored, writing and art all done by the same person. It was beautiful and a lot of love was put into it. So I was overjoyed when I found the story was way awesome, too.
Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2014?
I've been reading more comics now than ever before, so I'm just excited to watch all these series unfold -- titles like Saga, The Wake, East of West, Pretty Deadly and Trillium. It's a good time for creator-owned comics and I'm looking forward to seeing what sort of new titles we'll see next year.
What personal project are you working on for 2014 that you're especially pumped about?
It's pretty much Rocket Girl! It's a lot of work -- I'm doing pencils, inks, colors, letters and design ... so I have my work cut out for me. You guys are gonna love where we are taking this. I've never been so happy!
Pat Aulisio
Bow Man, Yeah Dude Comics
What was your favorite comic of 2013?
My fav comic of 2013 is Copra by Michel Fiffe.
Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2014?
I'm most excited about Stray Bullets by David Lapham returning.
What personal project are you working on for 2014 that you're especially pumped about?
I'm going to finish up and collect my ongoing series, Bowman, to be released by Hic and Hoc Publications sometime spring or summer. ill also be editing/publishing a Yeah Dude Comics subscription anthology, with a semi-monthly schedule all through 2014.
Andy Hirsch
Regular Show, Varmints, Adventure Time!, Candy Capers, Garfield
What was your favorite comic of 2013?
Cannon, Cannon and Sievert's Double Barrel
Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2014?
Broken Telephone from Ryan Estrada and Co.
What personal project are you working on for 2014 that you're especially pumped about?
I'm going to be continuing my campaign to contribute to every book kaboom! publishes.
David Gallaher
The Only Living Boy, High Moon
What was your favorite comic of 2013?
For me, it’s a three-way tie between Marvel’s Daredevil and Superior Spider-Man, and Red Circle’s The Fox.
Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2014?
Silver Surfer by Dan Slott and Mike Allred looks like it is going to blow it out of the water this year. I’m so incredibly excited for this book. And Captain America: Winter Soldier looks like a Tom Clancy/James Bond lovechild. Thrilled to see this hit the theaters.
What personal project are you working on for 2014 that you're especially pumped about?
Steve Ellis and I will be broadcasting our Harvey-nominated series The Only Living Boy as a webcomic, which is going to be crazy-fun. There’s some other stuff — that I’m so excited for that I can’t talk about. But — oh, my goodness — 2014 is going to be sooo f——ing awesome.
Amanda Meadows + Geoffrey Golden
The Devastator
What was your favorite comic of 2013?
We read so many amazing comics this year! Between the two of us, we especially liked the latest installment of KC Green's "The Anime Club" and Jeffrey Brown's A Matter of Life.
Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2014?
2014 is seeing a big shift in conventions. Some markets are consolidating to fewer shows (See: Portland, Oregon) and some are expanding (See: the Midwest), so it's an exciting time for carpetbaggers like us to try out new shows.
What personal project are you working on for 2014 that you're especially pumped about?
We're working on the next Devastator book, which will be The Devastator #10: Apocalypse -- starring Paul Scheer, Michael DeForge, Jordan Morris, Todd Alcott, Danny Hellman and more. This includes finally releasing a second installment of one of our most popular comics: Cathair Apocalypse. It's going to be our 10th-issue blowout!
Ian Brill
Dracula World Order, editor at BOOM! Studios
What was your favorite comic of 2013?
Garth Ennis and Goran Parlov's Fury MAX: My War Gone By was a brilliant meditation on what a life of endless conflict will do to both man and country. Both the artist and writer turned in work masterful work. Ennis can tell a story that seems cynical at first, then proves itself to be wise, then further proves itself to be incredibly empathetic. Parlov's took an approach similar to Alex Toth and Jordi Benet, a style rarely seen these days, and crafted unforgettable character performances and high drama out of clean, striking line work.
Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2014?
Mike Allred doing a Silver Surfer comic sounds like it could something special. I'm looking forward to what he and Don Slott do there.
What personal project are you working on for 2014 that you're especially pumped about?
I'm very lucky to be working on a number of great properties, some of which have never been done in comics before, and helping bring them new life by putting them in the hands of some amazing creators. If anyone has ever read the 28 Days Later or Planet of the Apes comics I edited, I can say that it feels like I'm working on books that are on that level. Except now of doing one of those books happening a year, it's like three or four happening at once. Announcements will be rolling out in the next few months.
Joey Weiser
Mermin, Cavemen in Space, Spongebob Comics, The Ride Home
What was your favorite comic of 2013?
In last year’s article I mentioned that I was looking forward to Drawn & Quarterly’s collection of Shigeru Mizuki’s Kitaro, and man, it delivered! That comic is super great, and everyone should read it.
As for other comics this year, Akira Toriyama’s Jaco The Galactic Patrolman in Viz’s Weekly Shonen Jump was a nice read with some wonderful art. It was awesome to get a classic manga author’s series as it was serialized instead of in a collection years later. Also, I really enjoyed Hip Hop Family Tree by Ed Piskor. You can feel how in-depth Piskor’s knowledge of the material goes by how well he condenses the history of rap into the book. It really gets rolling after he establishes all the players and they start interacting, and I’m eagerly awaiting future volumes! Finally, I came across Sam Bosma’s Fantasy Basketball at SPX, and loved it! It’s a humorous manga-style D&D action basketball minicomic. As great as that sounds, it is extra great because it’s a full, satisfying read in one mini-comic, and that is something that is rare.
Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2014?
Already, I’m starting to stack 2014 comics that I can’t wait to read in my mind! First in my mind is Wook-Jin Clark’s Megagogo coming from Oni Press. A Power Ranger-esque team fighting racism in the American South with giant robots. Clark’s work is kinetic and funny, and that’s what I love in a comic! Fantagraphics is collecting a bunch of work from Eleanor Davis in How to Be Happy, which will also include a whole mess of new material that’s definitely going to knock everyone’s socks off. I’ve been looking forward to Box Brown’s Andre the Giant: Life and Legend for a long time, and in 2014 we will finally have it! Brown creates a ton of great work every year in minicomics, and I’m really looking forward to see how he handles this topic that he’s very passionate about. On the manga side, Viz recently licensed Ore Monogatari, a shojo romantic comedy about a big, burly dude, and that looks pretty great. I assume we’ll be seeing that in 2014, and I’ll definitely be checking that out. Finally, somewhat tangentially comics-related, I’m insanely excited for Discotek Media’s release of the first 5 Dr. Slump movies, based on Akira Toriyama’s manga series. Dr. Slump is the best, but unfortunately is often obscured by Toriyama’s Dragon Ball in the English-speaking world. I never thought we’d see any Dr. Slump anime released in America, and I was wrong!
What personal project are you working on for 2014 that you're especially pumped about?
2013 was a big year for Mermin, with the release of the first two graphic novels (Mermin Book 1: Out of Water and Mermin Book 2: The Big Catch) and the Free Comic Book Day issue from Oni Press. I’m hard at work on the third book in order to get it out in 2014. In the mean time, I’m looking forward to taking Book 2 around with me as I go to conventions, because it came out at the end of the year.
My wife, Michele Chidester, and I are also working on a big, top-secret coloring project which is really cool. So look for our names in some future announcements!
Philip Gelatt
Petrograd, The Europa Report, The Bleeding House
What was your favorite comic of 2013?
My favorite comic of 2013 was a webcomic called Outrunners. Yes, it's written by my brother, but hey- - even if it wasn't, I'd still love it. It's like a crazy mash-up of Akira, The Warriors and Streets of Rage. It's raw, bare-knuckled sci-fi. Well worth checking out.
Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2014?
Honestly, the thing I'm most excited about for 2014 is that there is a new comic shop where I live (Providence, Rhode Island), and I can't wait to go in and shop there. A close second is Bad Blood from Dark Horse -- Tyler Crook's artwork has only gotten better and better and can't wait to dive head first into his work on that book.
What personal project are you working on for 2014 that you're especially pumped about?
I've been writing this sci-fi book called Pariah for the past few years. It's about hyper-intelligent teens who get shot into outer space. It's been a blast to write, and Brett Weldele has done a great job with the art. It finally starts coming out in 2014 from Dark Horse.
Dave Dwonch
Action Lab creative director, Cyrus Perkins, Double Jumpers, Ghost Town, Vamplets
What was your favorite comic of 2013?
My favorite comic of 2013 was easily Ehmm Theory, and not because I published it. Brockton and Larkin are creating something wholly original and unexpected, much like BKV and Fiona are with Saga. They submitted the first issue to Action Lab, and I read it four times before demanding that we publish the book, and every issue since has been a joy to read.
Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2014?
Hopefully the Preacher TV pilot will premiere on AMC. I'm a huge fan of the series, and I think putting something so outside the box can only be a good thing. Unless it's terrible, of course.
What personal project are you working on for 2014 that you're especially pumped about?
I'm working on a book called Cyrus Perkins with a fabulous artist named Anna Lencioni. Without giving anything away, it's easily the most personal series I've ever written. The first issue alone will knock people on their asses. Completely heartfelt and unexpected. I think fans of mine will be surprised.
