24 Hopes for 2024

Folks, to kick off this year I’m going to start with something fun and a little loose, I’m just going to list 24 hopes I have for my personal 2024, and twelve months from now we will circle back and see how many of those things happened. I jokingly made predictions for 2024 with friends and that’s what inspired this post. Don’t be a New Year’s Scrooge, have some fun with me. Hell, send me some of your hopes for 2024, and let’s support each other in our bizarre hopes and dreams.

1. By the end of the year I hope I can say I wrote a healthy number of short stories, single issues, annuals, and other professional comic writing assignments of various lengths.

2. It would be awesome to expand my professional relationships and work with at least two comic book publishers I have never worked with before.

3. Everything I have done so far is solo writing. I have never had the experience of co-writing and I would be happy to have that experience. Whether it was with a more seasoned writer showing me the ropes, or a contemporary/friend of mine.

4. I have largely written in the comic writing style known as full script. I would love to try to write something plot/marvel-style. I am always looking to surrender more control in the creative process. Also, I think it is good to be able to do things in a variety of different ways.

5. Teaming up with an artist I have worked with previously on a project would be awesome. There are quite a few folks I have worked with before I would be eager to team up with again and give them an even better script with everything I know now.

6. It would be a thrill to write a story for an artist I grew up loving. I got to do that with Scott Kolins, David Lafuente, and Mike Norton previously. I think it really made me step my game up. I have no shortage of comic artists I grew up loving I would leap at the opportunity to work with them.

7. Writing comics is my first love and primary goal, the vast majority of my effort is going into that. However, I had dreams of screenwriting at one point too but I got scared of it. I would love to try and write some short scripts and build my screenwriting confidence back.

8. To date, everything that I have published is in the superhero genre. It’s one of my favorite genres and one I know intimately. However, getting to write a project, or projects, in other genres I love would be a lot of fun.

9. I need new artistic influences. This year I am going to try to read more books by authors I have never read and see more films by filmmakers whose work I don’t know at all or don’t know very well.

10. Since 2006, I have been a podcast listener. I am a voracious listener and fan of interview podcasts and I would honestly love to be on some. I hope my comic writing projects this year lead me to do a few podcast interviews.

11. The Boston Celtics…2024 NBA Champions.

12. In 2023 I had the great pleasure of talking at a comic book writing class. I have an itch to teach and share what knowledge I have. It would be great to speak to more comic writing classes or writing students in general.

13. Growing up I went to a lot of punk shows. Live music was a big part of my life and that has faded away, unfortunately. This year I want to go to at least one live music show.

14. The other day I was eating lunch near Shawn Ryan, creator of the amazing TV show THE SHIELD. I have been very fortunate and met many of my comic writing heroes. It would be fun to meet one of my screenwriting and or comedy-writing heroes.

15. I have never had a table at a comic convention. This year I would like to do that for the first time. Sign some comics, meet readers, and just start getting used to that type of experience.

16. I want to see the Jeff Nichols movie The Bikeriders which was delayed from 2023 to 2024 and I hope it was one of my favorite movies of the year.

17. Having the ability to do at least three unassisted pull-ups would be a nice fitness goal.

18. There are so many people from around the world I have worked with in my comic career, and the number of them I have met in person is smaller than it should be. Meeting more people I have worked with in person would be a thrill.

19. I want to meet a Boston Icon in person. Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Chris Evans, etc. I want to take a picture with someone like that, send it home, and have my family and friends freak out.

20. I would love to be asked to work on a project that is creatively exciting and out of my comfort zone.

21. To write a comic for a property I love that is not currently a comic or has not been one for a long time.

22. To get a few creator-owned comic projects off the ground.

23. I truly hope that this is an incredible year for comics. For creators, for fans, for retailers, for all of us. We could all use a winning year.

24. I would be grateful to get to pay all my bills on time for another full year as a freelancer.

Stay safe!

—Dave Wielgosz