Manga | Lynzee Lamb lists seven manga that have been banned in different areas, including Ultraman (banned in Malaysia for alleged misuse of the word "Allah") and Dragon Ball, removed from all school libraries in Wicomico, Maryland, because of nudity and "sexual content." [Anime News Network]
Retailing | Joe Field, owner of the Concord, California, comics shop Flying Colors, talks about how he markets children's and all-ages titles, with a staff that is ready to make recommendations special area in his store that is easily recognized as safe for kids. "Besides what we’re doing right in that corner though, I think it’s the approach that we take to the entire store, and that is that I’ve never hung up a poster that has blood splatter on it or that has sexually suggestive stuff. We keep the store very family-friendly for everyone," he said. "It’s not that we’re not selling things for a mature audience, we just don’t push that in the face of people who come in because we are in a suburban area. It is an area with a lot of families and we want the store to be accessible to everyone." [ICv2]
Political cartoons | Boris Kachka goes in-depth about why 35 writers have signed a letter to the writers' association PEN protesting the decision to honor the staff of Charlie Hebdo with the 2015 Toni and James C. Goodale Freedom of Expression Courage Award. [Vulture]
Business | While he's happy with DC's new Super Hero Girls initiative, David Perry argues that single-gender toy lines perpetuate the myth that boys won't play with toys that have a girl on them. [Salon]
Creators | Jillian Tamaki talks about the characters and stories in her webcomic SuperMutant Magic Academy, which will be published this month by Drawn and Quarterly. [The Hairpin]
Creators | Ben Hatke, who recently completed the Zita the Spacegirl trilogy, talks about the new series he has in the works, Little Robot. [Comic Riffs]
Creators | Georgia Webber discusses her self-published comics project Dumb. [Paste]
Conventions | Spurred by successful events in nearby Grand Rapids and Detroit, the Capital City Comic Con in Haslett, Michigan, took place over the weekend, with an expected attendance of between 2,000 and 3,000. The con coincided with Free Comic Book Day, and Lansing's nine comics shops helped to promote it. [Lansing State Journal]
Conventions | Don Aines pays a visit to a small comic con in the Martinsburg (West Virginia) Public Library and chats with a cosplayer. [Herald-Mail Media]