Introduction
The indie comic market is shifting, and I think it’s shifting for the better. If you want to ride this wave into 2026, let’s talk about three trends that I think you should stay on top of.
For those who are new here: I’m Adriano. I’m a comics creator, publisher, writer, and letterer. I kind of do it all, and I’m always trying to find the best ways to get my stories out to more readers.
One of the things I’m always keeping an eye on is: trends.
Now, when I say trends, I’m not talking about changing my writing style or the type of stories I’m going to do. I’m going to write the stuff that I want to write. However, there are things around the edges that are a little more malleable. Things you can stay on top of to make sure your stories are actually finding an audience.
Today, I want to talk about three trends coming in 2026 that will get you ahead of the curve…
Trend #1: The Vertical Revolution
On the digital side: there is a revolution happening.
Webtoon and Tapas have been around for a long time now. Vertical scrolling comics aren’t new; even the bigger publishers like Marvel and DC have been pushing vertical comics to drive readers to their own platforms.
That is where I think the revolution is coming: The Platforms.
Now that we’ve trained readers to read vertically, I think people will be a lot more comfortable going to your site to read your self-hosted vertical comics.
It’s akin to the mid-2000s webcomic era.
If you wanted to read Penny Arcade, you went to Penny Arcade. You didn’t go to an aggregator site; you went direct to the creators you wanted to follow. I think we’re getting back to that way of doing things - but now with vertical comics.
This is a great opportunity for indie creators because you won’t be subject to the algorithms of Webtoon or Tapas to get to the top. Those platforms cater to specific genres, and if you aren’t writing in those genres, good luck cutting through the noise.
The best way to succeed is to control your own real estate - your website or mailing list - and drive readers directly there.
Trend #2: Digests and Compacts
Trend #2 is something the Big Two have also been experimenting with: digest-sized comics.
This is something I’ve been testing for a while, and I think it’s going to become even more popular in 2026. Being able to print something that fits well on a shelf next to manga collections can only help you as an indie creator.
However, there is a right way to do this. You can’t just take your comic and print it smaller. You have to manipulate the lettering so that it looks right at that size. You don’t want people squinting and struggling to read your book; you want them to flip through it as easily as a full-size comic.
This means catering your art and your writing to smaller formats. Like most trends, it’s not something you must do, but it’s something that will certainly help.
Trend #3: Manga-fication of Storytelling
If we’re talking about adjusting your writing and art to fit a certain style, we have to talk about trend #3: the manga-fication of storytelling.
I’m a huge fan of Western comics, and I write in a very Western style. I’m not saying everyone should write manga, but we should look at what they’re doing and why it’s working.
Text Density: One big lesson is letting the art tell the story. We kind of got away from this with the decompressed style of storytelling, but this becomes critical as an indie creator.
Completeness: As an indie, your readers don’t always know when the next issue is coming. You need to give people enough with each entry that they feel satisfied. You need a beginning, middle, and end with each book.
Finite Endings: It’s good to know where the end is coming. Readers want to know there is a plan in place, rather than a story that meanders until people stop buying it.
Letting people know that you have a plan for the series is going to get people in the door and build trust.
Summing It Up
Those are just three trends I think are coming in 2026. I’m sure there are quite a few more, and I’ll be talking about those in future posts.
Let me know in the comments if you have any trends you’re seeing, or if you think I’m way off base!
One more thing I’m going to ask you to do:
If you haven’t checked out Snip on Kickstarter, please do so.
You can find it at bit.ly/snip1comic. Just click “Notify me on launch”.
We are doing something we’ve never done before: If you back in the first 48 hours on any of the physical tiers, you will get a free copy of Crazy Latte Thing Called Love in your package.
Please don’t miss it.
Click “Notify Me” so you are there on Day 1 to make this one of our biggest launches ever and kick off 2026 with a bang.
Thank you for your support, and I’ll talk to you next week.
Snip #1-2
Crimson Frontier 1 & 2
Naked Kaiju Woman #3 & 4
Prime Cut #1-2
Super Secret Epilogue
Thanks for sticking around! I have a bit of an update on the future of this newsletter and the videos.
With the big production timeline we have for 2026, I’m realizing that I am falling behind on content creation. I want to put real thought into these posts, not just throw things together last minute. I’m trying to write comics, keep the Instant Ink Comic Book podcast going, and handle fulfillment (if you backed Naked Kaiju #2, those boxes are going out this week!).
I want to remain consistent and do better by you. So, we will be cutting the newsletter back to a bi-weekly schedule in February.
Here is the timeline for the next few weeks:
Next Week (Jan 22nd): The Huge Announcement. I’ve been teasing this for a few weeks, and I will finally fill you in on everything happening with Pesto Comics in 2026.
January 29th: The launch for Snip. We’ll talk about why we’re doing two issues in one campaign.
In the meantime, I’m retooling things to make sure you get the most out of your time. I want to keep the main content concise and clear, while keeping these epilogues free-flowing for those who like the “behind the scenes” updates.
And one more overdue change…
I am creating a secondary newsletter called The Pesto Vault.
This is where all the post-mortems, financial deep dives, and nitty-gritty production details will live.
It won’t have a strict schedule—I’ll post when I have a deep dive prepared—but it keeps the main channel broad and accessible while giving the “hardcore” stuff a dedicated home.
If you are a paid subscriber: You will be added to The Pesto Vault automatically. I’m going to unlock a huge portion of time for you as a thank you.
The Content: This is where the paid posts will move. There will still be free portions (I’ll keep doing free post-mortems), but the archive and deep data will live in the Vault.
I appreciate you being here. If you’re reading this far, you are the person I’m meant to be talking to. We’ll talk again next week for the biggest announcement!
I honestly can’t wait.
Have a good one!
