Continuing with our annual “Looking Forward, Looking Back," we asked 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, we hear from Jimmy Palmiotti, Mike Norton, Kurt Busiek, Caleb Goellner, Shawn Martinbrough, Benjamin Bailey, Greg Pak, Brandon Montclare, Eric Haven, Justin Greenwood, Natalie Nourigat and Dave Scheidt!
Be sure to check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5, and then come back later today for even more.
Jimmy Palmiotti
Paperfilms, Adaptive Studios, Con Job, Harley Quinn
What was your favorite comic of 2014?
Honestly, I enjoyed the work of certain creators like Jeff Smith, Terry Moore, Frank Tieri, David Gallaher and so many more, but to be specific, that's just not me. The thing I really enjoyed this past year was all the different oversized original art collections put out by IDW, Graffitti, and whoever else jumped into this craze. Being an original art collector myself, and loving the process of making comics, these are a real treat for me.
Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2015?
I am excited that we are having many more female voices and more ethnic voices in comics and look forward to a time when the industry is balanced to reflect the world around us.
I have no clue what is coming in comics in 2015. Not a single project is on my radar, so like most of the comic collectors out there, I make the trip to my local store, Emerald City, every Wednesday and see what new and exciting things are available. What I am avoiding is big company-wide crossovers and events because, in the end, they are meaningless to me. What I am focusing on is creators, artists and writers and supporting their personal projects wherever they may be published. I am also looking forward to seeing what other creators go to crowd funding for their projects.
What personal project are you working on for 2015 that you're especially pumped about?
A couple of things come to mind. The Paperfilms.com website has been reworked and we will now be offering all of our books in digital form, paper copies, art prints and more. My partnership with Adaptive Studios and working with them to create new graphic novels. With BOOM! we have a book I co wrote with Matt Brady that is called Con Job coming in March and with DC Comics we have a few miniseries coming and a brand-new series. Amanda and I will continue to put out Harley Quinn for as long as people want to buy it.
Mike Norton
Battlepug, unannounced Marvel work
Website | Battlepug | Four Star Studios | Twitter
What was your favorite comic of 2014?
Kinski by Gabriel Hardman. In a year of really unique comics, this stood out to me. Sure, being about a dog hooked me … but I was constantly on edge through the whole thing. You can really sense Hardman’s love for film in it, too.
Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2015?
I’m excited to see what friends are going to be doing. I know a couple of guys coming up that I think are gonna have big stuff happening soon. Evan Shaner, Robbi Rodriguez, Brian Level, Daniel Warren Johnson … I wanna see what they’re gonna do in 2015.
What personal project are you working on for 2015 that you're especially pumped about?
I’m doing a couple of things for Marvel that haven’t been announced, but I’m psyched to work with the writers who work on some of my favorite superheroes.
Also, 2015 is the last year for Battlepug, so I’m excited to see if I’m able to pull it off. And maybe take a break after that.
Kurt Busiek
Astro City, The Autumnlands
What was your favorite comic of 2014?
Tough call. I think it comes down to Saga, Sex Criminals or Satellite Sam. Maybe I should just pick the one that starts with S. All of 'em fascinating, different, with interesting characters, terrific artwork and I have no idea where they're going.
Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2015?
I'm really looking forward to Dylan Horrocks's Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen. What I've read of it online is wonderful, and there's nowhere near enough Dylan Horrocks work in the world.
What personal project are you working on for 2015 that you're especially pumped about?
My two current series are Astro City and The Autumnlands: Tooth & Claw, and I'm pretty pumped about both of them.
We're dancing around the beginnings of another long-term arc for Astro City -- and when I say "long-term arc," I don't mean a single story like Tarnished Angel or The Dark Age, but something that'll feed into and inform many stories, as we shape the world of Astro City and watch it grow. Brent and Alex and Alex and JG and crew are all doing wonderful work, and Kristy's keeping us honest, more or less -- it feels like a very good time for the book.
And The Autumnlands is new and exciting and stunningly gorgeous -- the art combo of Ben "The Cajun Sausage" Dewey and Jordie "Jordie" Bellaire is astounding, and JG makes it all look wonderful and like I know what I'm doing. Image has been hugely supportive, and the readership's pretty excited, so it feels like we're doing something right. Which is good, because we've got a long road ahead ...!
I've got other things in the works, too, but I can't talk about them yet, so I will be silent. Silent!
Caleb Goellner
Pressure/Sensitivity, Task Force Rad Squad, Dark Horse Presents, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: New Animated Adventures, Birch Squatch
What was your favorite comic of 2014?
My favorite comic of 2014 was Akira Toriyama's Jaco the Galactic Patrolman. Even if it weren't a Dragon Ball prequel, it stands alone as another of Toriyama's charming comedy stories. It just makes you feel good reading it.
Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2015?
There's a lot of cool stuff coming next year. Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen's Descender looks like my kind of thing. I also hope Viz or another publisher brings ONE's Mob Psycho 100 manga to the U.S. It's my favorite manga series right now.
What personal project are you working on for 2015 that you're especially pumped about?
2015 is kind of a wild year for me. For my day job at Wacom I got to edit an awesome comic book anthology called Pressure/Sensitivity. It's available digitally in January, featuring creator-owned stories by Giannis Milonogiannis, Ben Sears, Ming Doyle, Meredith Gran and Mike Holmes, plus a cover by Ulises Farinas and Ryan Hill. As for my own comics, artist Buster Moody and I's Task Force Rad Squad #3 [previewed Friday by ROBOT 6] is on the way in the spring, and we'll be debuting a Dark Horse Presents story called "Slothed in Space" around then, too. I've got a comic I drew with writer George Schmitz for his band Stick to Your Guns out this spring, as well. To top it off, I've been writing some Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: New Animated Adventures stories. My first eight-pager with artist Dave Alvarez is out this month! If all goes according to plan, I'll be wrapping up my Mermaid: Evolution trilogy in a pretty cool way by the end of the year and concluding Birch Squatch with writer Jim Gibbons, to boot. It's gonna be busy, but righteous!
Shawn Martinbrough
Thief of Thieves, The REN
What was your favorite comic of 2014?
In no particular order: Southern Bastards by Aaron and Latour; Starlight by Millar and Parlov ; MPH by Millar and Fegredo; Fear My Dear by Dean Haspiel; and Outcast by Kirkman and Azaceta. I was also happy to discover Nobrow Publishing this year as well.
Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2015?
Even though DC Comics snuck it out at the end of the year, I am most excited about the epic Twilight miniseries written by Howard Chaykin and illustrated by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez finally being released in trade paperback. Every creator should have this series in their library.
What personal project are you working on for 2015 that you're especially pumped about?
Very excited about taking my series Thief of Thieves in a new direction with Andy Diggle and Robert Kirkman. Strong female protagonists really drive this fifth arc of the series. I'm excited about The REN, the Harlem Renaissance-based graphic novel project for First Second Books that I'm co-writing with Joe Illidge and will be drawn by artist Grey Williamson. We've been working on the script for over a year and have some real momentum going into 2015. I'm also excited to see additional characters that I co-created with writer Greg Rucka during our run on Detective Comics make their way to the small screen on Fox's Gotham television series. That's fun stuff.
Benjamin Bailey
Unnamed outlandish sci-fi project with Taylor Stauft, Rise
What was your favorite comic of 2014?
I absolutely adored the new Flash Gordon series over at Dynamite. Tons of fun and stunningly beautiful. It's basically the perfect superhero comic book. Shaner and Parker are a real comic book dream team.
Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2015?
There's tons of amazing stuff coming out in 2015, and it's hard to not just be excited about all of it. I'm pretty pumped for the new wave of Valiant titles, including Ninjak, a character very near and dear to my heart. I can't wait to see what Matt Kindt and Clay Mann do on that book.
What personal project are you working on for 2015 that you're especially pumped about?
I'm most excited about a new series I'm working on with Uncaged artist Taylor Stauft. It's big, outlandish science fiction. I'm also really proud of the fact that I contributed to the Rise anthology. It was an amazing project and I was very honored to be a part of it.
Greg Pak
Action Comics, Batman/Superman, Storm
Website | Twitter | Tumblr | Store
What was your favorite comic of 2014?
Roz Chast's Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? is a devastating and hilarious account of her experiences caring for her parents in their final years and months. I've always loved Chast's weird New Yorker cartoons -- I absolutely loved this long-form comics memoir. You can check out a pretty big preview here.
Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2015?
I've talked with Geoff Johns about what's coming up in his Superman book, and it's going to be incredible, y'all. Get on that.
What personal project are you working on for 2015 that you're especially pumped about?
I have some hugely exciting news about creator-owned work coming soon, but that's all I can say about that for the moment. And I'm thrilled with what we've got coming for Action Comics, Batman/Superman, and Storm. But here's something totally new for me -- I started an online store where you can buy signed books!
Brandon Montclare
Rocket Girl
What was your favorite comic of 2014?
Starlight by Mark Millar and Goran Parlov. An easy hook with it's nod to Flash Gordon nostalgia mashed with current, more cynical sensibilities. When Millar is locked in, he's always been as good a writer as anyone. And Parlov looks like he's having a blast. A million great Image books crowded the shelves in 2014 -- this wasn't the most-hyped or most-buzzing, but it was the best.
Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2015?
I'm excited about the Bat-books under editor Mark Doyle. Nothing that's been announced -- just the shape that line's going to take. Specifically, how it'll all balance out: You've had a lot of diverse new directions in 2014, but can't forget Snyder and Capullo lead the superhero pack. So I'm interested in seeing how the "mainstream" (in the comic book industry's unique sense of the word) Bat-books flesh out.
What personal project are you working on for 2015 that you're especially pumped about?
I'm jazzed to see Rocket Girl coming back in May. Amy Reeder and I will unwind a lot of publicity -- genuinely new approaches to promotion -- in the spring. We've got an issue in the can already, and are continually working to ensure a monthly schedule for the second arc after the relaunch.
Eric Haven
UR, Unnamed sexy, hyper-violent psychedelic sword & sorcery graphic novel, MythBusters producer
What was your favorite comic of 2014?
Fatima: The Blood Spinners, by Gilbert Hernandez: With each graphic novel he creates, we readers gain access to the inner brain of a supremely weird comics creator. I thought this book was brilliant and awful and totally fun all at the same time.
Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2015?
I'm not as aware of upcoming comic releases as I should be. Lately, I've been more interested in collected reprint work from decades past. For example I look forward to checking out Spawn of Mars, a collection of Wally Wood EC sci-fi.
What personal project are you working on for 2015 that you're especially pumped about?
I'm working on a sexy, hyper-violent psychedelic sword & sorcery graphic novel. It features a barbarian superhero with a flaming sword (see below).
Justin Greenwood
The Fuse, Stumptown
What was your favorite comic of 2014?
The comics I was most pumped about this year was the return of Stray Bullets, and I was not at all disappointed. Probably one of the most influential books for creators in my generation and still continues to inspire with the same brazen storytelling I remembered from the first round.
Some other ones I was pretty hype on? I thought The Auteur was one of the most original comic books I read this year. The design work in Deadly Class really bowled me over too, really fresh page layouts and fantastic sense of motion. I feel that same way about The Bunker too, really inventive storytelling.
Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2015?
I'm pretty excited for Emerald City Comicon this year; it's the one event that I think I will be able to catch up with damn near all my current collaborators in one place. I only do a handful of shows and that one is shaping up to be the one I look forward to every year.
What personal project are you working on for 2015 that you're especially pumped about?
2015 is looking to be another exciting, busy year for me. The Fuse continues to take us to new places as the second arc, "Gridlock," progresses into the new year. This next arc of Stumptown will show us a side of Dex we've only seen hinted at up until now, and I'm really looking forward to digging into that. And I also have one more project that has yet to be announced but has long been in development, and I think it will finally be seeing the light of day as well! You guys will be sick of me by the end of 2015, count on it.
Natalie Nourigat
Tally Marks: Eurotrip Sketchbook, Over the Surface
Website | Twitter | Tumblr | DeviantArt
What was your favorite comic of 2014?
Seconds by Bryan Lee O’Malley, It Just So Happens by Fumio Obata and Archer Coe by Jamie S. Rich and Dan Christensen. (Wait, you did say three favorites, right?)
Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2015?
I am excited to go back to TCAF for the first time in three years, and I’m generally just excited to see more people becoming comics readers (and artists, and writers). I see 2015 bringing us even more series with broad appeal among young readers, and easier access to digital comics that will help bring some new readers in.
What personal project are you working on for 2015 that you're especially pumped about?
I get to write and draw a creator-owned series at Oni Press called Over the Surface. It has all of my favorite things in it and I’ll be working with some fantastic people on a story I believe in. It’s going to be a good year!
Dave Scheidt
Slice, Spooky Sleepover: Volume 2
What was your favorite comic of 2014?
So many great comics came out in 2014 but the Hellboy/Mignolaverse stuff has been incredible this year. Everyone involved with those books has been doing the best work of their careers so far. I love everything all those guys do. I also have been loving God Hates Astronauts by Ryan Browne. It makes me laugh a lot and jealous of all the funny jokes Ryan is able to pack in and his insane imagination.
Comic-wise, what are you most excited about for 2015?
I am really looking forward to all the awesome comics my friends are making. I am incredibly lucky to surround myself with such talented people and nothing makes me happier to see them do really cool stuff!
What personal project are you working on for 2015 that you're especially pumped about?
I am working on an '80s-style horror comic called Slice with Aaron Pittman (Grimfish). It's scary and it's about pizza and it rules. I'm also doing more stories for Aw Yeah Comics with dudes like Eric Roesner (Yeti Press) and Kevin Budnik (Our Ever Improving Living Room). I am starting to write Spooky Sleepover: Volume 2 early next year that I'm doing with Jess Smart Smiley! I am pumped about every project I work on! Pumped, man!