Karen Berger, executive editor, DC Vertigo

I think this is a great time for comics, and I think practically for most publishers. Speaking for myself, Vertigo is having a really strong year with a lot of new launches from people like Grant Morrison on THE FILTH, which I think will explode off the shelf and get so many people excited about what Grant's doing.

We have the Vertigo Pop series - the Tokyo book, which is fabulous, the London book which is incredible, the Bangkok book which we're just starting to work on now, which is really wonderful; FABLES, Y THE LAST MAN, tons of graphic novels.

I think what's so great about what Vertigo does is that we're really helping to evolve comics to the next plateau, which has always been our mission. Next year we're celebrating our tenth anniversary, and in those ten years we could really see how we've helped comics grow up and diversify, and we've influenced a lot of other publishers, and I think it's a great thing, and I'm really proud of everything that we've done and grateful to the people who've done it.

Jamie S Rich, editor-in-chief, Oni Press

Is there anything exciting in comics at the moment? Nothing's coming to mind that's, like, 'whooo!' I think the thing that everyone's excited about is SPIDER-MAN [the movie], and I think that's going to be an amazing pain in the ass by the end of the year. I think there's going to be a horrible feeding frenzy in Hollywood yet again on comics, and in about a year's time we're going to wish it had never happened because there's going to be a lot of broken, bloodied bodies lying around.

I am excited that more and more cool people seem to be doing more and more cool projects. I'm excited that SPARKS by Lawrence Marvit's finally going to be finished this summer. I'm excited that Chynna Clugston-Major's going doing different things. I'm just excited by the creation that seems to be abounding throughout the industry, and regardless of what's going on in the mainstream, that there's an outside influence and an outside army that won't go away.

Sean Phillips, penciller, UNCANNY X-MEN

The most exciting thing in comics is Grant Morrison's girlfriend. Oh yeah, that rubber outfit she had on last night...

Comics-wise, I'm hoping the next good thing in comics is original graphic novels, but I don't really see it happening. It would be nice if publishers would exploit people who can do a lot of work. I could quite happily do 300 pages a year. So why doesn't someone ask me to do it in one great big chunk and then see what happens? ... I think within a lot of comic creators there's still a good chance to do something totally new. I don't know why I shouldn't be able to do it as well as anybody else might.

William Christensen, editor-in-chief, Avatar Press

The most exciting thing in comics right now is of course Garth Ennis and John McCrea's DICKS series, and the forthcoming DICKS 2, with the DICKS condom. From what I've seen at this show - I've talked to a couple of people who apparently have used them - it's a wild success already. How can you go wrong? It's the first condom in comics, the first publisher that's actually stupid enough or insane enough to use condoms as a promotional tool.

Rodney Ramos, inker, TRANSMETROPOLITAN

What gets me out of bed in the morning? You know what? Shockingly enough, nothing. The industry's a little bit predictable. It needs to break out of that shell a little bit.

Eddie Deighton, editor, Com-X

I think the most exciting thing in comics at the moment is the general attitude that a lot of writers and artists have. There's a lot of creative stuff coming out, and it's going against the grain of traditional comics.

There's a lot of variety, and I think the important thing is that it's really bringing a new public in, a new readership, and I think with the onslaught of all the new movies coming out - good quality movies as well - there's a lot of enthusiasm for our industry. So I think, as a whole, there's a lot of really good creative talent that is starting to effect the industry in a different way.

Chris Staros, editor, Top Shelf Productions

Being alive in comics, that's what excites me today. Thanks to the collective comic book community and the power of the internet put together, keeping Top Shelf alive this month, I'm the happiest man on earth. We're back on track, we've got six books coming out this summer, and we're just ready to steamroll ahead now.

Mike Carey, writer, LUCIFER

Next year is Vertigo's tenth anniversary, and they're getting back all of the original creators to work for them. They've got Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, Pete Milligan, Grant Morrison, they're all coming back to do projects for Vertigo. That's pretty exciting, isn't it? Will I be part of the celebration? Of course!

Duncan Fegredo, artist, TANGLED WEB

The usually loquacious Mr Fegredo had lost his voice by the time Ninth Art reached him. When asked what the most exciting thing is in comics, he pulled out a marker, grabbed a sheet of paper, and wrote that the most exciting thing in comics today is...

A SECRET STASH OF ALEX TOTH, NEVER SEEN.

Roger Mason, artist, 2000AD

I think the most exciting thing in comics right now is DK2 [DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN]. I think the colouring's fantastic. The artwork's stylised, but very good, but it's the colouring which is awesome, and I think that a lot of people are very shocked by it, and therefore they're not sure what to make of it. But it's quality, definitely.

Axel Alonso, editor, Marvel Comics

What's exciting in comics? The fact that people are talking about them, and that a six, seven or eight year downward trend has been stemmed and reversed in the last year.

I think that it's wonderful to know that more and more people are talking about this medium and realising its applications in other mediums, and recognising the vitality of these characters. I think that comics are back in a major way.

People will pine for some glory days of twenty years ago - I don't. I think there's more quality comics being put out right now than any time I can think of.

Andrew Wheeler is a London-based entertainment journalist.

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