The last day of my creator-driven end of the year content is here, as the focus largely turns inward and to the future. That’s right: we’re talking 2020 already. Each creator was asked:

2020 is right around the corner. What has you excited about the new year, whether it’s a comic, something else that’s coming up, or even something you’re working on?

A whole lot of what came out here is each person excited for the assuredly brilliant work that’s yet to come from them, but there’s some excellent perspective from them about what they hope to see in comics both this upcoming year and beyond. It was a great decade, but we’re building somewhere even more exciting, and everything these fine folks had to say speaks to that.

Come back next week, as my takes on the year that was get started, and this time, I’ll be focusing on the creators that made this year such a good one. But for now, enjoy the perspectives of these fine folks!

John Allison (Giant Days, Steeple)

I’m working on something I’m excited about. But I just want to be surprised. I feel like new, distinctive voices are appearing and I’m ready for some decade-defining works to appear.

Dave Baker (Night Hunters, Fuck Off Squad)

I’m most excited about making Forest Hills Bootleg Society, the graphic novel that my partner Nicole Goux and I sold to Simon & Schuster. I know it’s a little self-promo-y, but man, I’m over the moon. After the better part of a decade self-publishing and slugging it out in these trenches, I’m so excited to work on a project that is going to have a life beyond the people from high school that I begrudgingly added to my Facebook friends list. I can’t wait to see how far this goes and how it will impact our lives. There’s nowhere to go but up, and that’s a wonderful, and probably fleeting, feeling… so I’m going to enjoy it… while I can. 

Terry Dodson (the upcoming X-Men/Fantastic Four, Adventureman)

Selfishly, Adventureman!, my 3 years in the work creator owned project with Matt Fraction and Rachel Dodson – ships in April, with a 60 PAGE first issue! REALLY excited about this coming out finally.

Maria Frantz (The Chancellor and The Citadel)

My friends Aud Koch, Caitlin Like, and I just published a 79 page collection of spooky romance comics called Hide & Seek – while I was working on it I was more excited to sit down and draw than I had been in a long while! It made me really want to look into doing more little collaborations with friends, and publishing short comics as PDFs. Online publishing just feels like such a good space to experiment and expand the limitations of what the medium – to blur the lines between comic, picture book, and zine. I’ve got several shorter stories lined up that I’ll be working on throughout this next year alongside bigger projects, and I’m really excited to play with that more this upcoming year. 

Tadd Galusha (Cretaceous)

I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was massively excited for Daniel Warren Johnson’s new Wonder Woman project. If that guy’s work doesn’t make you want to make comics, than best just get out of the room.

As a creator I’m excited for what’s happening with my GN, Cretaceous. A card game is coming among possibly other things are the works. Probably shouldn’t of said anything, but now you know, whoops! I’m also working on some very cool stories that I think people will really like and that’s all it’s really about. Just making stories people enjoy. Also as an artist I feel like I recently “leveled up”, so hopefully people can look forward to that as well from me.

Nicole Goux (Shadow of the Batgirl, Fuck Off Squad)

There are two major things next year that I’m very excited about. First, my YA book for DC, Shadow of the Batgirl, which I’ve made with writer Sarah Kuhn, colorist Cris Peter, and letterers Janice Chaing and Saida Temofonte comes out in February. And second, all of next year I will be creating a YA book called Forest Hills Bootleg Society with my partner Dave Baker for Simon and Schuster. I’m so excited to get working on it and to share our girls’ story with the world.

Faith Erin Hicks (Pumpkinheads, The Nameless City trilogy)

I have a new version of an old graphic novel coming out from First Second Books and that’s really exciting. A comic I drew 10 years ago that was originally published by SLG Publishing as The War at Ellsmere is now being reprinted by First Second as One Year at Ellsmere. I’ve updated the artwork, completely re-inking the entire book, and it has gorgeous new colours by Shelli Paroline. I’m really thrilled for this older work to find a new readership.

Liana Kangas (She Said Destroy)

I’m working on a personal project with Scott Bryan Wilson and a few friends that we’ve mulled over for a few years, I can’t wait to show you!

Stephen Mooney (Web of Black Widow, Half Past Danger)

Man, it’s just a great time to be in comics. So many new (genuinely new) and original voices are coming to the fore, and at the same time some of the really big hitters like Sienkiewicz and JP Leon are producing sequentials again. Personally, I hope to have another year where I can marry working with the ‘Big 2’ with working on my own material. I definitely want to make a start on the final chapter of Half Past Danger; that’s still the thing that’s closest to my own heart. I’m looking forward to reading the new crime OGN Bog Bodies from Dec Shalvey and Gavin Fullerton. Ireland is producing professional standard creators at a frightening rate these days, which warms the old heart and makes me excited to see what’s coming from people like Tríona Farrell, Nick Roche, Nate Stockman and loads of others. Too many to list! 

Phillip Sevy (Triage, Tomb Raider)

Man, right now, I don’t even know what’s happening in 2020. I think there’s an election? The prospect of that is exciting and anxiety-inducing all in one. What I’m most excited about is just making more comics. I’ve got two really cool projects I’m putting together that don’t have a home yet, but fingers crossed for this next year. Beyond that, it’s hard to say! The Triage collection will be out in April, so that’ll be amazing to see after 14-15 months of work on the series. Source Point Press/Comics Experience will be republishing my sci-fi one-shot from 2017 called Paradox. Canto volume 2 from IDW. And more awesome people in comics doing cool stuff!

Declan Shalvey (Injection, Bog Bodies)

Personally. I have a new Marvel miniseries coming out next year, looking forward that that coming out. A favourite character with a favourite writer and will be my longest Marvel run since Moon Knight. I also have a new creator owned graphic novel I’ve written, following on from my Savage Town that came out a couple of years ago. I’m considering I may even finally write and draw a project next year, maybe something short, but I feel it’s the next thing I need to be doing, creatively. I feel really lucky to be able to do both creator owned and work for hire projects in the last few years and it’s exciting to have more of both out in 2020.

As for books coming out next year, I’m really looking forward to 20XX by Jonathan Luna and Lauren Keely, Protector from Simon Roy and Artyom Trakhanov and a few other Image books that I know are in the pipeline. Also curious to see how the new Dawn of X line develop over the next year.

Come back tomorrow for more perspective on the year that was from these same creators (and maybe more!). And if you enjoy this content, consider subscribing to SKTCHD for all of this and more.