Auctions | Bids for the $412 check from Detective Comics to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster that includes a $130 line item for the rights to Superman have already surpassed $31,000 in less than three days at auction on ComicConnect.com. The auction ends April 16. [ABC News, The New York Times]

Creators | Akira creator Katsuhiro Otomo is working on a new series that will run in a Japanese shonen (boys') magazine. [Anime News Network]

Comic strips | Richard Thompson is back on the job at Cul de Sac, with some help from Stacy Curtis, who will be inking the strip. [Cul de Sac]

Publishing | Sue Carter Flinn profiles Drawn and Quarterly, interviewing Publisher Chris Oliveros, Associate Publisher Peggy Burns, Creative Director Tom Devlin and cartoonist Seth. [Quill & Quire]

Creators | Derek McCulloch and Colleen Doran discuss their latest graphic novel Gone to Amerikay, which tells the story of three Irish immigrants to the United States in three different time periods. The book started out as an adaptation of the Pogues song "Thousands Are Sailing," but McCulloch and Doran ended up taking it in a very different direction. [Wall Street Journal]

Creators | Here's a charming story with a bit of a twist: Back when they were in college, Big Nate creator Lincoln Peirce offered some helpful advice to aspiring cartoonist Jeff Kinney. Twenty years later, the roles were reversed when Peirce asked Kinney, creator of The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, for some advice, and Kinney invited him to post Big Nate on his Poptropica website. That led quickly to a book deal for Peirce, who has sold more than 4 million copies. [Los Angeles Times]

Comic strips | Kent State University on Tuesday unveiled a comic border mural in the student center honoring the 40th anniversary of Funky Winkerbean. Creator Tom Batiuk and his Crankshaft collaborator Chuck Ayers, both Kent State alumni, were on hand for the ceremony. [Akron Beacon Journal]

Reviews | Andy Oliver takes a look at two comics from British publisher Blank Slate, both of which are available in the United States: The Accidental Salad, by Joe Decie, and Dinopopolous, by Nick Edwards. [Broken Frontier]

Recommendations | Paul Gravett picks his favorites from the latest Previews. [Paul Gravett]