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With the cancellation of CW's Vortexx cartoon block, broadcast television has ceased showing cartoons on Saturday Morning. With it, a cherished memory and ritual vanishes,...

Beginning at 8am artists were busily drawing, inking, writing, painting, and eating boxes of pizza in an effort to complete a 24 page story in 24 hours. Forcing themselves to stretch the limit of their stamina, hoping to string comic panels into a coherent narrative without the benefit of preparation, pre-planning or a script. If the artists complete their projects, they'll earn the satisfaction of achieving something neither Neil Gaiman or Kevin Eastman (Teen-Age Mutant Ninja Turtles) could in the 24 hour continuous time frame. Additionally, if they finish, they are given cover letters and invited to send a copy of their comic to the national 24-Hour Comic Book Day archive, which is hosted by the Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum. The 24-Hour Comic Day event began simply as an exercise in 1990 by Understanding Comics cartoonist, Scott McCloud, to challenge himself and his friend Stephen R. Bissette. With comic industry big names taking part and spreading the word, metamorphosising into an annual event in 2004. (You can read the history here). Meant to help artists shake off cob-webs, push through blocks, limber up their story telling abilities and push creativity. Examples Scott McCloud and friend's own attempts at a 24-Hour Comics (including Eastman's and Gaiman's) are archived here.

There's been a bunch of scuttlebutt going on around APE, the Alternative Press Expo now unfolding in San Francisco, and it is being announced today that CCI, which runs APE, the San Diego Comic-Con and WonderCon is returning ownership of the show to founder Dan Vado starting next year. Vado founded the show in his home base of San Jose in 1994 as part of the then-burgeoning scene of indie comics events that included the Small Press Expo in Bethesda and SPACE in Columbus. CCI took it over in 1995, eventually moving it to San Francisco. Vado has been mostly uninvolved with the show in recent years, while expanding SLG, his comics company, to a storefront and event space. And of course, CAFs have blown up everywhere, with TCAF, SPX, MoCCA, CAB, MeCAF, Thought Bubble, Short Run and many more showcasing the indie comics side of today's comics world. ape2013_guest_vadoThe Beat had a chance to speak briefly with Vado about taking the show back.

Welcome to Go FOC Yourself, a weekly column at The Beat about comics on Final Order Cut-Off (FOC) and bits of the retail process...

SF's sole remaining comics show, the Alternative Press Expo, aka APE, kicks off tomorrow at Fort Mason. Guests include Bob Fingerman, Spike, Robert Williams and...

DC enjoyed its traditional September sales bump thanks to the "Future's End" lenticular covers event, beating Marvel by 4 points in dollars and 6...

You gift giving problems are solved—some of them anyway. Guardians of the Galaxy comes out on Digital HD and Disney First n...

Nothing says Halloween like Charlie Brown, Linus and the Great Pumpkin. Fantagraphics, which has been publishing all of Charles Schulz's Peanuts strips in chronological order,...

We all know that William Moulton Marston, the creator of wonder Woman, was a bit odd. He had two "wives" and he was heavy...

This week had its up and downs for Rovio, the Finnish company that makes Angry Birds mobile games. On the plus side the...

Want to read a 96 graphic novel about a young woman and a time travelling ghost for FREE? You can read about the making of the book at the Under the Apple Tree webpage and download it here. Cartoonist Sarah Winifred Searle created it as part of a Children’s Writer-in-Residence at the Boston Public Library. here's the logline:

The day kicks off with Ralph Macchio and ends with Carey Elwes for all your 80s movie needs. Cruel autumn, indeed. Along the way it's kids day and such traditional Sunday fare as the Women of Marvel Panel and Run-DMC. WHAT WHAT?