News

[Yesterday Diamond announced their plan to team with iVerse to offer digital comics downloads for sale in comics shops. Gievn the hot button nature of this discussion, and the big picture nature of the announcement, Dave Bowen, Diamond's Director of Digital Distribution, was eager to talk to us to explain more about it. This is a long interview, but Bowen goes into welcome detail on the thinking behind and motivation for this plan. Short version: retailers deserve to be brought into the process.]

Hiroko Tabuchi of the NY Times has alengthy piece Japan's recent legislation banning sales of adult material to minors. Along the way there's a lot of "Only in Japan!" stuff:

Bam, the other shoe has dropped: as long anticipated, Diamond is starting a program to offer digital comics sales. Comics will be offered day-and-date exclusively through participating retailers -- with a 30-day exclusive for these stores. Products offered include regular downloads for $1.99 with "Digital Plus" comics -- extras offered with a print purchase -- for $.99, all in hopes of becoming a revenue stream for stores and publishers alike.

This year's Stumptown Comics Awards are going to a juried format, and to do this...you must have a jury. The five judges form a...

With all the changes at Wizard over the last year or so, CEO Gareb Shamus has been a tough interview to nail. Our own requests have gone unfulfilled for months, although everyone involved -- including Shamus himself -- has been friendly and professional about the matter. Thus it's a great get for Valerie D'Orazio at MTV Geek to finally sit him down for a chat that covers the positives and negatives of recent Wizard moves. The entire interview is recommended but many observers are unlikely to be swayed by these kinds of statements:

In her 72 years, Tura Satana learned karate, dated Elvis Presley, tracked down the men who raped her when she was 9, starred in FASTER, PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL!, was a noted burlesque dancer, broke her back, was married three times, had two daughters, and inspired the entire canon of gothabilly. Who knows how much of it is true, but she was pretty damn cool.

There's been a lot more chatter on the internet about the ideas touched off last week by Eric Powell and Steve Niles. Here's one...

Following the departure last year of Director Karl Erickson, MoCCA has just announced two new hires; Cartoonist Doug Bratton will fill the role of...

The winners of the 2010 Webcomics List Award have been announced -- fittingly -- in a webcomic. Winners were chosen by a panel of judges: Although there is not a text list of winners, Brigid Alverson at Robot 6 made a print list:

According to Bloomberg, Borders is inching towards bankruptcy, to the surprise of no one. They are looking to file next week and close as...

Apple's app stores -- the middleman of all middlemen -- have been the target of a stampede of old media magazines, newspapers, books and comics as the vehicle for sales in the new digital era. But several recent moves make it clear that Apple isn't in this game as a helping hand for anyone. Or, to put it in a more neutral light, Apple is a PARTNER, not a platform. The uh-oh feeling started yesterday when it was revealed that Apple had rejected Sony's e-reader app. This app like the Kindle, Nook, and other "storefronts" sent buyers to a website where they could make purchases without incurring Apple's 30% fee.

The SPACE Prize, given to the best publications presented at the SPACE indie comics show held yearly in Columbus, OH., have just been announced, and they are: