Passings | Bermuda-based cartoonist Peter Woolcock died Wednesday after being struck by a car as he was walking to the office of The Royal Gazette to deliver his weekly cartoon. He was 88. Born and raised on a farm in Argentina, Woolcock served on a British tank crew in World War II (during which time he also kept a sketchbook) and worked as a cartoonist and illustrator for almost 60 years, first for children's magazines in the United Kingdom and then, after moving in 1981 to Bermuda, as an editorial cartoonist. Both his editors and the politicians he depicted have kind things to say in this lengthy obituary, which notes that his final cartoon was about San Diego losing the bid to host the America's Cup. [The Royal Gazette]
Creators | Candorville cartoonist Darrin Bell talks about the political cartoons he drew in response to the non-indictments of the police officers in the Michael Brown and Eric Garner cases, as well as his own experiences as a black man who got "the talk" when he was 6 or 7 years old and will some day have to give it to his own son. [Comic Riffs]
Creators | Olivier Schrauwen discusses his graphic novel, Arsène Schrauwen, and his other work. [Paste]
Manga | Not only is Attack on Titan the second bestselling manga in Japan, it's also the top-selling manga in used bookstores, according to a list released by the Book-Off chain. The No. 2 slot is held by Thermae Romae, and the third bestseller is One Piece. [Anime News Network]
Libraries | Columbia University's Rare Book and Manuscript Library has acquired the Dennis Ryan editorial cartoon collection, which includes more than 2,100 works of original cartoon art dating from the 1880s to the early 1990s by creators such as Thomas Nast, Winsor McCay and Frederick Opper. [Columbia University Libraries Information Services]
Education | Students in Ryan Claytor's visual narrative class at Michigan State University and the University of Michigan-Flint create a complete graphic novel in the course of a semester, starting with blank paper and ending up with a finished minicomic. The semester concludes with a minicomic convention at the local comic shop Hollow Mountain Comics. Claytor says the class focuses more on visual storytelling than on artistic niceties: "It’s all about clear, concise storytelling. If you’ve got the gumption to create comics, you can (tell a story)." [Lansing City Pulse]
Retailing | Tate's Comics of Lauderhill, Florida, is putting its own spin on a Christmas tradition with "Ugly Sweater Sunday": Anyone who wears an ugly sweater to the store this Sunday will get a 10 percent discount, although staffer Anthony Ruiz cautions, "The sweater has to really be horrific to count." Don't have an ugly sweater? The store has created an ugly-sweater T-shirt, and they will even print the design on one of your T-shirts for free. [Broward/Palm Beach New Times]
Conventions | Frank Santoro writes about the great time he had at Cleveland's Ghengis Con, tabling next to John Porcellino. [The Comics Journal]
Conventions | Grant Stoye files a final report on this year's Grand Rapids Comic Con and finds that it was good. [WOOD]