Fan Expo Boston 2025: The Culture Shift Within Creator-Owned Comics
by Tito W. James
At Fan Expo Boston 2025, I had the opportunity to chat with several creators at Artists Alley. Because of the casual nature of the conversations, I will not be naming the artists but rather summarizing the general sentiment. Everyone is taking stock of how readers’ tastes have shifted towards manga over the last five years. There are a lot of questions about how American publishers and creators should respond to the post-2020 manga boom.
DC’s digest-sized line of compact titles appears to be a smart way to introduce new readers to their greatest hits and, hopefully, create new fans. Still, there is a strong desire for more diversity within the comic book marketplace. Indie comics, especially, could do more to create books that appeal to a four quadrant readership — male, female, young and mature. If the comic landscape only caters to middle-aged males, younger readers will turn to other sources of entertainment.
That’s not to say that things are dour or that there is animosity between generations. On the contrary, there is a palpable cultural shift happening within creator-owned comics. Seasoned professionals are passing on their wisdom via podcasts and newsletters. Aspiring artists are creating their own characters and worlds different from those we’ve seen previously. Perhaps in the next ten years we could have the next Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Hellboy, or Scott Pilgrim — creator-owned characters who take the world by storm.
