Cartoonists Dave Kellett and Brad Guigar make their predictions for 2026 and share their goals for the new year. Also — they offer their annual reminder to shop the Comicraft New Year's Day sale on January 1st.

Brad's Predictions

Syndicated comics reach the tipping point
Creator identity becomes prominent
Substack pulls through
Webtoon bubble bursts
Patreon expands “community” and “discovery” tools.
AI gains acceptance

Dave's predictions

If you want a stable career in comics, produce Dog Man.
NCS will continue to grow its membership to numbers it hasn’t seen in decades.
If Funko Pop indeed goes bankrupt — and that’s still a big if — there might be SDCC space available for the first time in years.
I’m predicting a good-sized market correction in the second part of the year.

Brad's Goals

Shifting from survive to thrive.
This will be a two-Kickstarter year.
Spice Rack was a moderate success. Uncensored Artists is the next step
Repackaging, re-releasing, and rebranding my archives for a new and evolving audience.
20% email list growth on the Evil Inc Substack and the free-membership tier on Patreon.
Start doing monthly assessments so I can improve my annual assessments.

Dave's Goals

Kickstart one new book, “Double Dog Dare”
Exhibit at WorldCon in LA for the first time in a decade.
Successfully navigate the first of the last four years of DRIVE.
Get more “Tales of the Drive” in the works.

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Brad Guigar is the creator of Evil Inc and the author of The Webcomics Handbook. He is available for personal consultations. Dave Kellett is the creator of Sheldon and Drive. He is the co-director of the comics documentary, Stripped.

Predictions and Goals for 2026