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Creators' Year in Review Part 2: Creators We Noticed in 2024

We all pretend we don't have favorites, but we do.

Cover by Stipan Morian.

One of the pieces I most looked forward to at the end of every year was Multiversity's Creators' Year in Review. Brian, the man behind the curtain, would send out questions to comics creators all the around the comics world and come back with a list of answers that was every bit as eclectic as the people answering them. You never knew what comics or other creators would be reified en masse and which ones would bubble up from the underground, catching you completely off guard.

It was fun and I always got some excellent recommendations.

As is my wont, I wanted to fill that hole with my own Creators' Year in Review. and that's what you're reading now! Thank you to everyone who responded, whether that was to say they were so swamped they couldn't make it this year or whether they gave me five mini essays to format. Y'all are great!

So. Five Questions. Five Posts. Let's go!

Which creators caught your attention in 2024?

Rodrigo Vargas (“The Do-Over,” “Walking to Do”): If I wasn’t already following the best manga in the world, “Skip and Loafer,” I would totally be getting Shinzo Keigo’s “Hirayasumi.” I’m always late with everything, but his work just popped into my Instagram feed and I was immediately hooked.

Evan Dahm (“3rd Voice,” “Island Book”): I have gotten really into Plastiboo. I am pretty excited about what Aftermath is doing, in terms of the broader pop-cultural space we're all swimming in here.

Sebastian Girner (“The Dead and the Damned,” “Scales and Scoundrels”): My favorite discovery this year is a French artist who goes by Coozilpm on social media. He self-describes his art as 'something that was drawn by a very talented but quite disturbed 5th grader.' which is apt. He does short fantasy and extreme metal album concept zines that are like a cross between Johnny Ryan and Benjamin Mara but somehow even rawer, almost blood-red raw. I love it. I hope he does a longer book soon, and I'd love to publish him at Goats Flying Press too. It's the energy we need more of. Unwavering. Joyous. Defiant.

Harry Bogosian (“A Better Place,” “Angel’s Orchard”): I'm afraid I've fallen into the "grab new creators and shove them into my social media feed across multiple sites" trap. It makes it harder to really pay attention to who I'm following, even as I get to enjoy their works. It's unsettling to realize that although I'm looking at more artwork than ever before, I am totally failing to keep track of who is making what. This question will hopefully prompt me to be more mindful in 2025.

Thom Zahler (“Love and Capes,” “Time & Vine”): Same as above, for sure. Dan Mora’s art has been amazing and is a great modern-yet-classic look. And there’s nothing by Dan Panosian that I don’t want to look at all day. Michelle Lodge is an artist that I met a couple years ago and have been following for a while. She’s got a Frankenstein-styled Kickstarter that’s coming out that looks like a lot of fun.

Pat Shand (“Destiny, NY,” “Private Dance”): When it comes to writers, Chris Moses broke out in a big way with “I Summoned a Demon and She's Kinda My Type.” I can see that being a long-running series that defines who he is as a creator at this point in his career. Kat Calmia and Phil Falco also built a powerful force with their Everafterverse.

When it comes to artists, I try to work with everyone who catches my attention if they're willing. Nabetse Zitro, Manos Lagouvardos, OthalaM, Yishan Li, Valeria Del Gatto -- the list goes on.

Ryan Holmberg (“The Translator without Talent,” Translator for Yoshiharu Tsuge Library): Old horror mangaka.

Taylor Robin (“Never Satisfied,” “Hunger's Bite”): Alex Cara, particularly the comic “Fancies,” which I awarded first place in the Auto-bio category of the Comics Co-op's Minicomics Contest earlier this year when I was a judge. I would have given it the overall grand prize if there'd been one, I loved it.

Tri Vuong (“Lego Ninjago: Garmadon,” “The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn”): Conor Hughes art really blew my eyeballs off. He must be the industry's best kept secret or something. Check out his instagram!

Also, the re-emergence of Derek Kirk Kim was personally really exciting and special for me. Twenty years ago, his indie comic "Same Difference" really opened my eyes to what type of stories were possible with the medium. I was really excited to see him to return to comics with "The Last Mermaid"

Blue Delliquanti (“O Human Star”, “Across a Field of Starlight”): Many of my fellow SBCF participants really blew me away this year, including Bennizone (“Stagnation Seed”), Stevie Barot (“Dr. Limos Plays God”), Ver (“Sacred Bodies”), Erin Roseberry (“The Maker of Grave-Goods”), and Nahla Hambazaza (“Your Blood is Light”). I'm looking forward to what other comics they make in the future!

Grover (“Deeply Dave,” “Jake Spooky and the Wolves Within”): Adam de Souza. I discovered “Blind Alley” late, and loved blasting through the archives.

Meredith McClaren (“Black Cloak,” “Hinges”): Saint Monster and Sumiko Arai.

Cover by Sumiko Arai.

Kay Davault (“Misfit Mansion,” “Oddity Woods”): Jes & Cin Wibowo's debut GN “Lunar Boy” came out this year, and it was super good! I'm excited to see their next works!

Joe Corallo (“Dahlia in the Dark,” “The Never-Ending Party”): I’ve been impressed with artists like Lucas Meyer, Gavin Guidry, and Gavin Smith as they’ve really all been building up momentum and becoming bigger names in the industry. It’s also been incredible seeing Soo Lee become a force in comics as well. Bradley Clayton is another talented artist, and I’m looking forward to his upcoming graphic novel with Sina Grace, “West Hollywood Monster Squad,” out early next year through Abrams.

Michael Moreci (“Barbaric,” “Dick Tracy”): Matthew Rosenberg continues to do great work on everything he works on, and I'm so proud of where Hayden Sherman--my “Wasted Space” collaborator--has gone this past year. Alex Segura, in my opinion, is on the verge of breaking out in a major way. Rick Douek, too.

Petra Nordlund (“Prague Race,” “Tiger Tiger”): This time I want to drop this whole collective here, called Chimera Comic Collective, CCC!

A bunch of super talented creators got together and built their own website and I'm really excited to see where they go from here. I feel like this is definitely one of those things that people interested in comics should keep an eye on!

Mike Henderson (“Nailbiter,” “The Forged”): Bilquis Evely and Michael Walsh have both had big years, in my opinion. Putting out some next level work. And, having seen his work up close on so many aspects of my own book, Inaki Azpiazu.

François Vigneault (“Titan,” “Orcs in Space”): As a fellow Montrealer, I had been aware of Walter Scott's series “Wendy” for a bit now, but 2024 was the year I really dove into his work and I'm a bonafide fan now. I just finished reading the latest (and possibly final) installment, “The Wendy Award,” and it was not only laugh-out-loud funny but also surprisingly moving and tender. Highly recommended and I can't wait to see what is coming next from Walter.

Boum (“The Jellyfish,” “Boumeries”): I got my hands on the French version of Léa Murawiec’s “The Great Beyond” and I was floored. I am absolutely going to watch for what this author does from now on.

Coni Yovaniniz (“The Do-Over,” “Walking to Do”): I’ve been slowly catching up with my pile of unread Shortbox Fair comics, and I keep running into really good artists I didn’t know about! Some of my favorite comics were from Tan Juan Gee, Madita Schwenke and Violet Kitchen. Also, Audra Stang’s “Valley Valley” comics!!

Vera Greentea (“Grimoire Noir,” “The Idols of Solanşehir”): A dear friend and collaborator, Miyuli, wrote and drew an incredibly popular comic called “Morgana And Oz” on Webtoon. It’s been collected and the first book has just come out this October, and I’m so happy to re-read the physical version! It’s been wonderful. And ok, so not a comics creator, but I just discovered an incredible illustrator called Jon Klassen. His work is hilarious and irreverent and truly special. I would recommend anyone to check out his picture book “Hat Trilogy.”

Reed Hinckley-Barnes (“Hero of Legend,” Letterer on “Wild Wisps”): Deniz Camp is a writer that really caught my attention this year, with “20th Century Men” and “Ultimates” both being fantastic, political super heroes stories. Excited to see what he does with “Ultimates” going forward, and what his next creator own project is.

Zach Clemente (Bulgilhan Press): A bit of a cop out, but Bea Ritter! Also Vivian Ng who has delivered some amazing comics in the Short Box Digital Fair the past couple of years.

Vimeddiee (“Under the Aegis,” “The Ocean Soul”): The aforementioned Hazel, Emily Cheeseman, Dan Schkade, C. Larsen and Olivia Sullivan!

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