Publishing | Calvin Reid looks at Archie Comics' growing book-market presence, which has exploded since the publisher signed Random House as its distributor in 2010. [Publishers Weekly]

Creators | Matt Kindt, author of Red-Handed, writes about how becoming a comics creator has made it impossible for him to enjoy reading comics for their own sake. [The Huffington Post]

Awards | Animal Land, by Zatch Bell creator Makoto Raiku, took the Best Children's Manga honors in Kodansha's 37th annual manga awards. The sports manga Gurazeni won the overall award for best manga. [Anime News Network]



Publishing | Tom Spurgeon talks to Ryan Sands, whose Youth in Decline imprint debuted over the weekend at Toronto Comic Arts Festival. [The Comics Reporter]

Publishing | Casey Burchby traces the rise of Fantagraphics and the publisher's recent move to add digital editions to its line. [Publishers Weekly]

Retailing | The local newspaper pays a visit to Fantasy Realms, the only comics shop in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. [The Pittsfield Eagle]

Conventions | Organizer Zack Kruse talks about his plans for this weekend's Appleseed Comic Con in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Attendance is expected to be up to 2,000 from last year's total of 1,800. [The Journal Gazette]