Legal | In their largest raid ever, police departments across Japan arrested 40 people between Feb. 17 and Feb. 19 on suspicion of copyright infringement for illegally sharing anime, manga, music and live-action film and television dramas online. The suspects, all men ranging in age from 21 to 65, are accused of uploading such materials as Detective Conan, XXX Holic, The Wind Rises and the Mobile Suit Gundam UC soundtrack. In Japan, such unauthorized uploads are criminal acts punishable by up to 10 years in jail or fines of about $84,000. [Crunchyroll]
Creators | Duane Swierczynski talks about being the first writer to use the f-word in an Archie Comics publication: "I'm sure my parents are very proud of that." It's not the flagship title, of course, but The Black Hood, one of the new Dark Circle titles, and it's set in Philadelphia, which Swierczynski thinks is "underrepresented." "If it is represented, it's the most lame things: It's the Liberty Bell or City Hall," he said. "I try to set things in odd corners, like in the Northeast. 'The Black Hood' is around the El, and the Badlands." [Philadelphia Daily News]
Creators | Writer G. Willow Wilson talks about her new Marvel series A-Force, as well as her other characters, Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel and Singularity. [NPR]
Creators | James Romberger interviews artist Tonči Zonjić. [The Comics Journal]
Creators | The local newspaper interviews Tim Daniel, who launched a second career as a comics creator in when he was in his 40s; Daniel left a job at Amazon to work in the IT department of the University of Missoula, Montana, and that gave him enough spare time to pursue his passion. His comic Enormous has just been picked up for adaptation into a live-action TV series. [Missoulian]
Creators | Rocket Girl artist Amy Reeder explains how she spends her Sundays. [The New York Times]
Publishing | David Betancourt explains the importance of Marvel's Spanish-language Free Comic Book Day comic. [Comic Riffs]
Publishing | I interviewed Bill Campbell of Rosarium Publishing, which has recently added comics to its line of speculative and science fiction novels. [Publishers Weekly]
History | Comics historian Michael Barrier talks about his latest book, Funnybooks: The Improbable Glories of the Best American Comic Books, and the delights of vintage comics by such creators as Carl Barks, John Stanley and Walt Kelly. [Arkansas Democrat-Gazette]
Manga | A Japanese nonprofit has created a manga specifically to educate teenagers about the dangers of sexual exploitation. Paid for by a crowdfunding campaign, the manga includes three stories based on actual incidents. [The Japan Times]
Retailing | Jim Drucker explains how his online used-comics sales platform NewKadia.com works, and he gives some interesting numbers: The average customer spends just over $400, the best-selling comic is Amazing Spider-Man, 1963 series, and revenues are in the "low seven figures." Drucker started out selling a couple of comics online and has developed it into a full-fledged business. [The Philadelphia Inquirer]
Conventions | MGA Con, the Middle Georgia Comic Convention, included films, cosplay, someone who makes superhero figures of people using a 3D printer, and a lecture by Prof. Bob Pendarvis from the sequential art program at Savannah College of Art and Design. [WMAZ]