Creators' Year in Review Part 2: Creators We Noticed in 2025
It's not nice to pick a favorite...but no one ever said comics creators were nice.
Welcome folks to the second Creators' Year in Review here at House of Ideas, Powers of Secrets, keeping the Multiversity tradition alive and well. The gist for anyone new is I send out five questions to comics creators from all the around the comics world. They come back with a list of answers that is every bit as eclectic as they all are and I compile them into articles. Part of the fun is: you never know what comics or other creators will be reified en masse and which ones will bubble up from the underground, catching you completely off guard.
For anyone who would like to see what 2024 held in store before diving into 2025, check out last year's lists!
So. Five Questions. Five Posts. Let's get this started.
Which creators caught your attention in 2025?
Meredith McClaren (“Black Cloak,” “Hinges”): Kei Urana.
Blue Delliquanti (“O Human Star”, “Across a Field of Starlight”): Surprisingly, a lot of the ones that caught my attention seem to be UK-based. I joined Karenza Sparks on a panel at SLICE (St Louis Independent Comics Expo) this year, and her graphic novel The Corus Wave was positively delightful! ShortBox Comics Fair discoveries include Freya JN (Dead Horses), Chereen Francis-Roberts (Fashion Intervention) and Lily Vie (Ornithomancy). Though I did also love Randall Rossi’s love letter to transmaculinity and the Italian coast, Guts of the Crab God.
Jose Pimienta (“Halfway to Somewhere,” “Suncatcher”): Nathan Olson, Rachel Wada, Guojing, Zoey Abbot, Forrest Burdett, Aron Neks Steinke, And Nikki Smith.
Michael Grover (“Deeply Dave,” “Jake Spooky and the Wolves Within”): Shannon Spence has a really fun style, and an infectious enthusiasm for comics. Just as impressive is the way she is building a community of cartoonists with the Comix Accountability Club.
Rodrigo Vargas (“The Do-Over,” “Walking to Do”): The first one that comes to mind is Adam Koford and his cute cats comics, but if we can include non comics artist, I have to say Wojtek Nowak’s statues are cartoony and so full of movement and life. It’s really something I wish I had more of in my own work. But in cartoons. Check them out on the Instagram!
Reed Hinckley-Barnes (“Hero of Legend,” “Countless Little Deaths”): I hadn't read any of his work before, but with “Drome” this year I've been diving into Jesse Lonergan's work, and love what he is doing with the comics form. “Drome” is a huge book that takes all the formal experimentation Lonergan has done on previous projects and uses it to create something truly epic. I can't wait to see what he does next!
Jade Armstrong (“Scout is Not a Band Kid,” “Food School”): Zoot! Saw Zoots work for the first time at TCAF this year and was absolutely floored. so stylish and hilarious and sexy comics. I'm particularly happy with Zoot's fujoshi zine that i got at zine dump.
Joe Corallo (“Dahlia in the Dark,” “The Never-Ending Party”): Luke McGarry I discovered this year, and thus, feel like a fucking idiot for not having done so sooner. He really knows how to attack your funny bones. I don’t even take his dislike of Italian horror movies personally! I also happened onto comics by writer Ryan Oliver at First Aid Comics while I was in Chicago in early November and really liked them! I’m going to have to look more into his body of work.
Zach Weinersmith (“Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal,” “A City on Mars”): I didn't come across anyone new in 2025. I'm afraid I've grown fairly cynical of the instagram-ification of the whole business. There are clearly talented people, but it's so hard to get heard now.
Clayton Cowles (“Die: Loaded,” “Wonder Woman Historia”): I’m late to the party, but I finally sat down and read something by Deniz Camp (Absolute Martian Manhunter and Assorted Crisis Events). He’s the king of writing high-concept comics about something being very, very wrong here. Matías Bergara, Erica D’urso, Caitlin Yarsky, and Nabetse Zitro kept me glued to my socials--which I wanted to get away from this year, but alas.
Adrian Bonilla blew my socks off on Star Trek: The Last Starship. Becca Carey and Tom Napolitano have both demonstrated lettering innovation that's downright frightening. And finally, while these two have had my attention for several years now, I want to highlight two artists whose books I got to letter--Belén Ortega and Carlos Gómez not only get better with each passing year, but they can seemingly draw anything and draw it beautifully. Even gross stuff, like goopy alien symbiotes and runny little kid noses.
Zack Quaintance (“Death of Comics Bookcase,” “Macabre Valley”): Eamon Winkle. I missed his Magma book, “Principles of Necromancy,” when it first came out, but I worked with him on a pin-up for “Macabre Valley” and went back through all his work to date. He's a future star artist.
Brian Gonsar (“Dracula’s Brunch Club,” “Twisted Tales of Scary Stories: Werewolves”): 2025 was my debut year, so I got to meet a lot of other debut graphic novelists. It’s an awesome community and we all gleaned knowledge from each other. People like Stan Yan (“The Many Misfortunes of Eugenia Wang”), Cassandra Federman (“Story Spinners”), and Amar Shah (“Wish I Was a Baller”) all released memorable stories with a lot of their heart poured into it.
Kyle Starks (“Rick and Morty,” “Assassin Nation”): I mean, I think it's the new classics right? KELLY THOMPSON, JAMES TYNION IV, KIERON GILLEN. Throw in a little SCOTT SNYDER throw in a little GEOFF JOHNS. I'm always behind the curve though on this stuff. Who was the break out this year? I don't know. Deniz Camp? Probably Deniz.
Caroline Cash (“PeePee PooPoo,” “Adventure Time: The Bubbline Special”): Nick Bunch - his comic “How to Stop Smoking Cigarettes” did not help me stop smoking but you should read it anyway.
Michael Conrad (“Plague House,” “Wonder Woman”): David Crispino is a very talented writer from Baltimore. He’s been doing comics for quite some time, but I seem to have missed his work. He has a robust selection of books available through his website and is a delightful person, whose love for storytelling is infectious, and that love shines on the page. His work is charming, and dreamy, and filled to the brim with brilliant ideas. David has a way of delivering big ideas while not missing character moments that I find enviable. As much as I'd like to work on more “Doom Patrol,” I'd almost rather see someone like Dave show up and knock it into the nosebleeds.
I think I stumbled across the beautiful art of Alex Eckman-Lawn in 2024, but let’s count that as 2025 because I just really wanna say that he’s creating some really special work. I highly suggest you take a look at his stuff and join me in being a fan. I’d be remiss not to mention that he provided a mind blowing cover for “Plague House,” the trade of which will be available from Oni in early 2026. Check it out, Dave Chisholm did the art for the series, which should make it an automatic pickup for folks with taste.
Derek Charm (“Toxic Summer,” “The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl”): Kaare Andrews, Dan Mora, Evan Cagle, Leo Romero, Russel Dauterman.
Ben Kahn (“Mr. Muffins: Defender Of The Stars,” “Heavenly Blues”): Definitely have to shout out Joey Esposito and Sean Von Gorman for their work on “The Pedestrian.” Patrick Horvath proved himself an instant dynamo with “Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees.” And Keezy Young's work on “Hello Sunshine” is spellbinding.
Murewa Ayodele (“Akogun: Brutalizer Of Gods”, “Storm” (2024)): I’ve always been a fan of Gail Simone. Her run on “Red Sonja” is still my favorite run to date. But she caught my attention in a new way as I became a fan of her work, not only as a reader but as a creator too. Her current run on “Uncanny X-Men” (2024) does some unique things with its episodes (issues), which I had to do a surgical analysis of and try to learn how to implement it in my work too. Gail is awesome.
Adedotun Akande (“Akogun: Brutalizer Of Gods,” “I Am Iron Man”): Letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. Hassan actually caught my attention before 2025, but this year, I gained a deeper appreciation for his skill. I believe lettering is a key part of the story and art. They’re the visual representation of not just sound but the story as well. Hassan constantly reminds us that lettering is art AND story too. I love that. This is the medium that gets to flex that muscle really well. (Well, except if you’re the amazing Edgar Wright directing “Scott Pilgrim vs The World.” Lol.) I love everything Hassan touches. He’s a fantastic letterer, artist and storyteller.
Matt Hotson (“Wild West C.O.W.-Boys Of Moo Mesa”, “MMPR: The Return”): The too-many-to-name here Canadian comic creators continuing their non-hostile infiltration of the biggest and best comics on the shelves! Ryan North on “One World Under Doom” and Chip Zdarsky on “Captain America” are chief amongst the many examples. Also, in 2025, comic book royalty like Joe Quesada and Jim Lee back doing interiors is a gift not to be taken for granted!
Rye Hickman (“Hey Mary!”, “Bad Dream: A Dreamer Story”): Bayleigh Underwood's art has had my attention for a couple of years now, but this year she's been doing some very fun experiments with her inks to add texture and depth, and every time one pops up on social media my jaw drops. And then, Stephan Franck continues to astound me. He's a powerhouse. Pick up “Palomino.” I've never read anything quite like it, it feels very classic in its storytelling and yet is a totally fresh take on a western. The series will wrap up next year, so this is a perfect moment to get on board.
Cullen Bunn (“Autumn Kingdom”, “Harrow County): I’ve been talking to a bunch of up-and-coming creators this year who have really gotten me excited for the “get your hands dirty” creative process of indie comics.
James Parrish has been creating something really special with a book called “Detonator.”
Nandor Fox Shaffer is doing a bunch of cool comics, not the least of which is “Seasons,” which I really dig.
Pierre Casey is a fantasy author and comic writer who is building a shared world all his own.
Luis Catillo Silva is a comic creator, writer, and puppeteer who is doing some exciting indie books and web comics like “Witch-Slayer.”
John Avina is a comic writer who absolutely hustles at comic conventions and who has developed an entire line of comics all on his own.
And my good ol’ pal JimmyZ Johnston caught my attention when he did a comic (“Wanderers”) with his son Ian.
All of these creators (and a few more I’m sure I missed) have really fueled my fire to create in a very unexpected way!
Zac Thompson (“Cemetery Kids Don’t Die”, “Come Into Me”): Oh jeeze, too many to count really. I love everything that W Maxwell Prince and Martin Marrazo get up to over in the wacky world of “Ice Cream Man” - that deck of cards issue is such a brilliant idea. Deniz Camp continues to elevate the medium with everything he touches. Scott Snyder for advocating for a new generation of readers to find comics they connect with. I love everything Matt Emmons and Simon Roy are doing in the crowdfunded space - they make books that feel tailor made for me.
Andrew Wheeler (“Hey Mary!”, “Cat Fight”): I'm fortunate to be editing an anthology for release in 2026 that's brought a lot of incredible creators to my attention, as well as giving me another chance to work with old friends like Anthony Oliveira, Rye Hickman, and Katie Shanahan. “The New Hotness” is a collection of stories about hornfolk, tieflings, demon kin, and it's brought the enviable talents of Reina Sato, Shin, Vivi Partridge, and too many more to list. It's going to be a great anthology, full of heart and humour and horns.
Triple Dream Comics (Lauren Davis, Mel Hilario, Katie Longua) (“Agent Cupcake”, “Debian Perl, Digital Detective”):
LD: I hadn’t read any of Ben Sears’ comics until this year, but I plan on reading a lot more! I picked up Hearing Things to read with my kid and was instantly charmed by his foregrounding of sound effects, his squiggly lines (even as his cartooning is so clean!), and the combination of sweetness and spookiness. Then I nabbed one of his Young Shadow comics through the Shortbox Comics Fair. The characters and setting have a retro quality, and the eponymous hero can both punch a bad guy and treat his friends gently. The results feel timeless.
MH: I am not a parent but I’m an auntie many times over, and “Cry When the Baby Cries” by Becky Barnicoat had me crying with laughter. This is a great example of how your unique perspective on and interpretation of a familiar topic is valuable. (Also, don’t tell Lauren but I’m getting her a copy.)
KL: It might be a little biased, but two of my coworkers had debut graphic novels this year! Donna Alamendrea with “Becoming a Dog Person” and Mary Shyne’s “You and Me on Repeat.” They’re both juggling a full time job with cartooning, and it’s so impressive what they’ve accomplished. I love both books, they’re both using a limited color palette in a creative way that adds to the narrative.
Jorge Corona (“Transformers” (2024,) “Middlewest”): Pablo Tunica from the “Godzilla: Escape the Deadzone” book, was an artist I wasn't familiar with but is really doing some cool things in that series.
Taylor Robin (“Never Satisfied,” “Hunger's Bite”): I read Hari Conner's “I Shall Never Fall In Love” this year and enjoyed it, it really scratches the Jane Austen but queer itch. Very well researched and very well paced, I remember being stunned at how much story they managed to fit within their pagecount without every feeling cramped or rushed.
Colleen AF Venable (“Junie B. Jones,” “Kiss Number 8”): Jessie Lonergan. I've been a fan forever since his “All Star” days and dancing characters Tumblr, but I'm so glad the rest of the world has finally caught on and “Drome” is STUNNING.
Der-shing Helmer (“Mare Internum,” “Quail Party”): This is, perhaps, a silly answer, but anyone who was able to put out comics in 2025, from entire books to an update or two. It's been an exceptionally difficult year for creators and I love everyone who locked in and made comics in spite of that.
Violet Kitchen (“Allodynia,” “Crawlspace”): The first to come to mind is Annie LeFevre, whose new book “The Sign” introduced me to their lush and introspective pencil-and-watercolor comics.
Earlier this year I discovered Joyce Gao, whose piece for Crucial Comix, “Connecting Through Closed Doors” really stuck with me as a heartfelt and nuanced exploration of the limitations of mental health research, particularly the serotonin theory of depression.
I also attended an excellent talk by Ben Wickey, the author of the newly released “More Weight: A Salem Story.” I felt a real kinship in his approach to history, and how he spoke about having empathy for figures from the past and resisting the sensationalism and commodification surrounding the Salem witch trials.
Up Next:
Elias Rosner
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