Continuing with our annual “Looking Forward, Looking Back” feature, we asked some creators and other industry figures what they liked in 2014, what they’re looking forward to in 2015, and what projects they have planned for the coming year.

In this installment, hear from Hope Larson, Jason Latour, Jess Fink, Sophie Goldstein, Chris Schweizer, Shawn Crystal, Dean Haspiel, Andrew MacLean, Stephanie Cooke, Nolan T. Jones, Erica Schultz and Fred Van Lente!

Be sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2, and don’t forget to come back this afternoon for more.


Hope Larson

Four Points, SOLO

Website | Twitter | SOLO TwitterIce Cream Tumblr



What was your favorite comic of 2014?

Beautiful Darkness was my absolute favorite. It lives up to its title and is definitely the most viscerally disturbing comic I've read.

Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2015?

The problem with knowing so many graphic novelists is most of the stuff I'm excited to read just sold to book publishers and won't be out for over a year. I'll say I'm excited to see where this new wave of creator-owned books takes the industry, and I'm excited that books for young readers seem to be gaining some traction in the comics industry once again -- not just in traditional publishing.

What personal project are you working on for 2015 that you're especially pumped about?

I'm incredibly excited to see Rebecca Mock's pencils for book two of our graphic novel series, Four Points (Farrar, Straus & Giroux). We're just wrapping up the last odds and ends on book one and hope to have a release date soon. After several years when I thought I might never draw again, I'm back on the horse with my webcomic SOLO, which will continue to update until it's finished. I'm also working on selling another middle-grade graphic novel that I'll write and draw, so cross your fingers for me.




Jason Latour

Southern Bastards, Spider-Gwen, Burger Force (maybe)

Website | Twitter | InstagramTumblr



What was your favorite comic of 2014?

Pax Americana #1 by Morrison and Quitely was probably pound for pound my favorite single issue of the year. I've enjoyed a lot of the Image series, Lapham's Stray Bullets: Killers comes to mind. It's early but I've liked Jason Aaron & Co's new direction with Thor.

Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2015?

I'm a broken record, but HeroesCon in Charlotte, North Carolina. I just really look forward to having the comics world show up in my back yard every year. But I've also fallen in love with a few other shows that I'm already looking forward to like Thought Bubble in Leeds. I'm also looking forward to going to France for Le Salon du Livre de Paris in the spring. Which sounds really hoity-toity, but it's probably just a French way to say "We love comics." I'm no expert, though; the only French I know is my last name.

What personal project are you working on for 2015 that you're especially pumped about?

Southern Bastards, Spider-Gwen. I might break down and actually do Burger Force, a comic about burgers that bite back.


Jess Fink

Chester 5000, We Can Fix It, Kid With Experience

Website | Twitter |  Tumblr | Patreon



What was your favorite comic of 2014?

I really can't choose just one! I have three: The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal by EK Weaver; How to Be Happy by Eleanor Davis; and Through the Woods by Emily Carroll.

Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2015?

There will be some new comics in the Gus series by Christophe Blain, but I'll have to learn French to read them! I am also excited for Rutabaga: Adventure Chef by Eric Colossal! And I'm looking forward to more Oh Joy Sex Toy comics by Erika Moen.

What personal project are you working on for 2015 that you're especially pumped about?

Well I hope to have a book collection of the latest in my Chester 5000 series for 2015. I'm also working on some comics that will most likely be released in PDF form. I've got a Patreon campaign I just started! I'm excited that it will enable me to work on more comics of my own this year.


Sophie Goldstein

The Oven

Website | Twitter | Tumblr



What was your favorite comic of 2014?

I really loved Eleanor Davis' How to Be Happy. Besides being an accomplished and original illustrator Davis tells stories that are both personal, relevant and morally complex — without being didactic or heavy-handed. To say I was blown away by it would be an understatement: I was blown to pieces.

Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2015?

I'm very excited about the advent of Patreon and have been avidly following its acceptance and dissemination throughout the webcomics community. I hope it will continue to grow and help create a fruitful environment for independent creators much in the way Kickstarter has over the past few years.

What personal project are you working on for 2015 that you're especially pumped about?

My first traditionally-published book will be coming out from AdHouse this year! The Oven is a sci-fi graphic novel about a young couple escaping the restrictions of their city life to try and make a home for themselves in a renegade desert community. The book will be debuting at MoCCA in April.


Chris Schweizer

Crogan Adventures, The Creeps: Night of the Frankenfrogs

Website | Twitter | Tumblr



What was your favorite comic of 2014?

My favorite comic of 2014 was Jason Latour and Jason Aaron’s Southern Bastards. I doubt I’m the only person on this list to say that. It grabs you from the get-go and is one of the most unified and cohesive collaborative books I’ve ever seen. Aaron, Latour and Rico [Renzi] were able to mesh perfectly from the first panel in a way that even the best creative teams usually take an arc or two to manage.

There was so much incredible work this year, and Marvel especially impressed me with its embrace of idiosyncratic aesthetics from a variety of incredible storytellers, but nothing got me frothing half as much as Southern Bastards.

Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2015?

I’m really excited about Cartoon Crossroads Columbus in Ohio. The full, four-day festival won’t be until 2016, but there’s a two-day launch version in October of 2015. With the backing of the Billy Ireland Museum and other Columbus institutions, I feel like the event has the infrastructure, names, location and prestige to eventually become our country’s answer to Angouleme or TCAF, a comics (as a medium) symposium that could become the big thing for purists and enthusiasts of the form. To be honest, I know pretty much nothing about the show, but based on the people involved (Smith and Iyer, Lucy Caswell, Tom Spurgeon) I’m guessing that it will be an accessible but enthusiastically specific celebration of the medium, and I’ve got it circled off on my calendar.

What personal project are you working on for 2015 that you're especially pumped about?

I’ve got a couple of things that I can talk about. First, Oni is releasing color versions of the existing Crogan Adventures books to match the upcoming ones, and I’m excited about that. I’ve been working with Joey Weiser and Michele Chidester on the colors and they’ve been doing fantastic work. I’ve also got a new series coming out from Abrams Amulet, a middle-reader horror mystery called The Creeps. The first book, Night of the Frankenfrogs, comes out in the fall.




Shawn Crystal

Arkham Manor, Inkpulp

DeviantArt | Twitter | Tumblr | InstagramInkpulp Podcast



What was your favorite comic of 2014?

Stray Bullets

Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2015?

Cameron Stewart's Fight Club book, the continuation of Gotham Academy, The Chrononauts, more Black Science and some exciting Marvel stuff (not sure if any of it is announced yet).

What personal project are you working on for 2015 that you're especially pumped about?

The conclusion of Arkham Manor and whatever is next for me. Also, my Inkpulp podcast ("Conversations about the creative life") enters its third year, so please stay tuned for a lot more great guests in 2015!


Dean Haspiel

The Fox, Billy Dogma

Website | Twitter 



What was your favorite comic of 2014?

Little Nemo in Dream Another Dream (edited and published by Locust Moon Comics). Pound for pound you cannot beat that tome of greatness. The gift that keeps on giving every time you turn a page.

Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2015?

I'm looking forward to a second round of Bob Fingerman's Minimum Wage and, fingers crossed, a second round of Thomas Alsop from Chris Miskiewicz and Palle Schmidt, but curiosity has me wondering how Marvel is going to phase out Fantastic Four. Are they really going to cancel their inaugural comic series over some kind of bizarre intellectual property war (I abhor rumors, but they haven't been much denied) or are they going to read and greenlight my awesome FF pitch (co-written by Mark Waid, of course)?

What personal project are you working on for 2015 that you're especially pumped about?

The Fox in "Fox Hunt," and the potential for new Billy Dogma comix!




Andrew MacLean

Head Lopper, ApocalyptiGirl, Snip Snip

Website | Twitter | Tumblr | DeviantArt



What was your favorite comic of 2014?

I can never choose just one ... but a few of my favorites were Barbarian Lord (Matt Smith), Rumble #1 (John Arcudi, James Harren), This One Summer (Jillian Tamaki, Mariko Tamaki), The Wrenchies (Farel Dalrymple), The Hanging Tower (Sam Bosma), etc.

Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2015?

I cannot wait for more Rumble. I've been a huge fan of both John and James for years, and it's really exciting to see where they'll take something they drive themselves. Also, really looking forward to Space Riders from Alexis Ziritt and Fabian Rangel Jr.

What personal project are you working on for 2015 that you're especially pumped about?

I'm wrapping up work on my graphic novel at Dark Horse called ApocalyptiGirl: An Aria for the End Times in January, which will be released come May 2015. Then I'll be returning to work on the next chapters of Head Lopper. Should be a fun year.


Stephanie Cooke

Writer, podcast co-host for Talking Comics, host for The Missfits and Geek Trivia

Website | Twitter | Tumblr  | Podcasts | Patreon



What was your favorite comic of 2014?

I have to just pick one?! Oh man … that’s stupid hard. This past October, I spent the month trying to educate myself in the horror genre for movies, books and comics. Obviously only the latter is relevant but I was beyond surprised by how much I loved Emily Carroll’s series of short horror stories collected in Through the Woods. Her art style and the way she tells the stories genuinely leaves you feeling haunted. There were SO many great books that came out this year, but I think this one is at the top of my list because of how much it surprised me. Through the Woods is something that everyone should read.

Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2015?

ApocalyptiGirl: An Aria for End Times by Andrew MacLean. THAT wasn’t so hard at least. I’m always looking forward to new comics but more so than anything else, I’m looking forward to all the amazing indie stuff hitting store shelves, and this is my #1.

Conventions are great and all and I’m looking forward to what the 2015 con season has in store for us, but comics are why we do what we do.

What personal project are you working on for 2015 that you're especially pumped about?

YES. Unfortunately there’s nothing that I can really talk about too extensively at this point. People who donate to my Patreon page will get an insider look at what I’m doing and they’ll get exclusive updates. I CAN say that there’s a comic book in the works, a book-book and a cookbook. A very interesting/random mix of things. Plus I’ll be pushing my new Geek Trivia Podcast more and looking for victims, errr, guests to come onto the show and test their knowledge.


Nolan T. Jones

Colonial Souls

Twitter | Tumblr



What was your favorite comic of 2014?

I gotta choose one? Probably The Short Con, hosted at Study Group Comics. From Aleks Sennwald's angry pigeon on the very first page, I was in. I love the way writer Pete Toms plugs a sort of brightly-comedic-existential-dread (yes, I did intentionally string those four words together) into everything he works on, and by using a cast of kids here, he and Aleks accomplish an effortless Law & Order: Peanuts that has not ceased to amuse.

Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2015?

In 2015 I'm excited about the next wave of publishers pushing the next wave of talent. Wasn't so long ago that Image pushed the newest voices in the medium, which would then get plied off to go do Marvel work ... but now that trend has reversed with the talented names at Marvel peeling off to do things at Image. In 2014, I felt like a lot of new voices got trampled as that flow reversed for Image/Marvel -- yet, to quote Dr. Ian Malcolm, "life finds a way." I see solicitations for BOOM! Studios, Black Mask Studios, ComixTribe, and the like not only bringing in truly fresh talent but making a push to find new ways of approaching comics as a business. And that's rad.

Also, in a fit of excited jealousy, can I curse Paul Allor and Andy Kuhn for being lucky enough to relaunch the TMNT spinoff Mutanimals over at IDW? Hoping the best for those plankton-chips.

What personal project are you working on for 2015 that you're especially pumped about?

The fourth and final issue of Colonial Souls by myself and Andrew MacLean launching Jan. 7 is pretty pump-worthy, as it brings our little "Giger's Alien on an apology tour as a Ghostbuster" concept to a rip-roaring conclusion. But there's a tease for something else in the back of the book that I'm also pretty excited about...


Erica Schultz

M3, The Unauthorized Biography of Winston Churchill, Revenge: The Secret Origin of Emily Thorne

WebsiteTwitter



What was your favorite comic of 2014?

In terms of regular runs, I really dug Velvet, C.O.W.L., Captain Marvel, Black Widow and Batman. I was kind of scared to check out Bitch Planet, but after that first issue, I’m jazzed to see what happens next!

If we’re talking “Special Events,” I’m enjoying the new Thor and Batman Eternal.

I always enjoy the yearly anthologies from Red Stylo Media. This year it was Killer Queen, all original stories inspired by the band Queen.

Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2015?

I’m really interested to see what’s going to happen at the end of Batman Eternal. I’m also intrigued by the apparent “relaunch” of Secret Wars.

Hero Cats of Stellar City will be out in a trade in January, so I’m excited to pick up two copies: one for me and one for my niece. Chris Giarrusso is coming out with a new G-Man book in February. That’ll be another two copies.

What personal project are you working on for 2015 that you're especially pumped about?

Unfortunately, I don’t think I can talk about any of my 2015 projects that are with publishers just yet.

What I CAN talk about is M3 Vol. 2 coming out. It took us a bit to get this last arc done, but it’s on its way and will hopefully be in Previews in February. Vicente and I have worked on M3 since 2008 (for me) and 2010 (for him). To see it come to an end is sad, but it also means I’ll have more time for even more stories.

I will ALSO be teaming up with Claire Connelly again for a new book. We’ve desecrated Winston Churchill, and now we’re taking on Shakespeare. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t hate the British.

I’ve got some pitches here, there and everywhere, so, fingers crossed, you’ll see more of me in 2015.


Fred Van Lente

Ivar Timewalker

WebsiteTwitter | Tumblr



What was your favorite comic of 2014?

I read and enjoyed a lot of stuff, including RASL, Battling Boy and David Hine's adaptation of The Man Who Laughs. I thought my buddy Greg Pak and Robert Gill's last arc of Valiant's Eternal Warrior, Eternal Emperor, was beautiful.

Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2015?

The best thing any artform can do is surprise you. If I knew what was coming in 2015 I'd be excited for, it'd be the wrong answer.

What personal project are you working on for 2015 that you're especially pumped about?

It'll be announced in the first few weeks of the new year. Hint: The first word is "Action." Until then, buy many copies of me and Clayton Henry's Ivar, Timewalker, out Jan 21.