Manga | Eiichiro Oda's One Piece, the bestselling manga in Japan, is getting a spinoff: Starting with the January issue, which ships in December, the manga magazine Saikyo Jump will carry a series focusing on Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates. There doesn't seem to be any information yet on who the creators will be. [Anime News Network]
Publishing | In a business-oriented interview, Mark Waid talks about the strategy behind his digital comics site Thrillbent, especially its appeal to diverse groups of readers. The key is flexibility, Waid said, in terms of platforms and content. His goal is to make the comics readable on any digital device, which he says is not difficult once the site is set up. In terms of content, he says, "Pay attention to the audience, let them tell you who you’re clearly not serving, and go after them." [The Wall Street Journal]
Creators | Writer Jason Aaron explains how he "hammered out the groundwork" for the female Thor. [Comic Riffs, The Wall Street Journal]
Creators | Simon Hanselmann, who stole the show at Small Press expo as the "bride" who married comics in a mock wedding, talks about growing up as "a lonely, weird kid obsessed with comics" in Tasmania, Australia, how he developed the Megg, Mogg and Owl stories, the big teen-drama graphic novel that will never see the light of day, and how comics have been his therapy over the years. [The A.V. Club]
Creators | Artist Trevor McCarthy chats about Klarion, which debuts next week from DC Comics. [13th Dimension]
Creators | James Perry II discusses Orange Crows; the first volume was published by Tokyopop and he self-published the second volume. Among other things, he talks about how the hiatus between the two volumes affected his work and what he learned from self-publishing. [Tokyopop]
Publishing | Ken Parille talks about his work as editor of The Daniel Clowes Reader. [The Comics Grid]
Retailing | Specialty comics and gaming shops are doing a booming business in Central Florida. [Orlando Sentinel]
Retailing | Krypton Comics, which opened its doors two weeks ago in Nampa, Idaho, is something of a labor of love for owner Robert Mobley; he opened it for his brother Adam, who owned a comic shop for several years but is currently battling cancer. [Idaho Press-Tribune]