Retailing | The complete set of Marvel comic books offered for sale by B-Bop Comics of Kansas City has been sold to an anonymous buyer for for the asking price of $200,000. "The first guys who came to look at it bought it," said B-Bop owner Frank Mangiaracina. [ICv2]



Awards | It turns out the Grand Prix d'Angouleme isn't totally unwanted: Belgian creator Hermann told the French website ActuaBD that he would indeed accept the prize, were he to be declared the winner. The other two nominees are Claire Wendling, who has asked people not to vote for her, and Alan Moore, who has previously said he doesn't want the award. Hermann said if the award were given to him he would accept it to please his friend François Boucq, a comics artist and previous Grand Prix honoree, who has campaigned for Hermann. [ActuaBD]

Publishing | Tom DiChristopher looks at how three indie comics publishers, IDW, Dynamite and BOOM! Studios, have not only stayed alive but grown, largely on the strength of licensed properties that tie in to movies and TV shows. [CNBC]



Retailing | Viz Media's Kevin Hamric provides some details about the expansion of manga and graphic novel offerings at mass-market chains Walmart and Best Buy. Walmart never stopped selling manga and graphic novels, but in the late 2000s, around the time of the manga slump, the retail giant did away with a dedicated manga/graphic novel section in its stores. Following strong sales over the holiday season, Best Buy is planning new floor displays featuring the Naruto and Assassination Classroom manga and DVDs, and Viz is negotiating with Walmart to increase its offerings and perhaps bring back the special sections. [ICv2]

Political cartoons | Cartoonist Abdullah Jaber was suspended from Saudi Arabia's media after publishing a cartoon gently making fun of the country's unquestioning acceptance of its leaders; it showed a crowd of people cheering news of a budget surplus and then of a deficit. No new Jaber cartoons have appeared in Saudi newspapers since Dec. 28, and he was silent on social media as well. Fearing the worst, his peers started a hashtag campaign (in Arabic) #WhereIsAbdullahJaber, which prompted him to tweet the news of his suspension; since then, cartoonists have been drawing cartoons in solidarity with him. [BBC News]



Retailing | NPR interviews Ariell Johnson, the owner of the newly opened Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which places an emphasis on diversity but also on simply being a great place to hang out once you've chosen your comics. [NPR]

Retailing | The Ohio toy store The Toys That Time Forgot recently purchased a collection of 14,000 comics that were acquired by local collector Ed Minnett between 1964 and 2004. The store paid between $5,000 and $10,000 for the collection, which includes such notable comics as Incredible Hulk #181, in which Wolverine made his first appearance, but most are in good, not great, condition, which will affect the value. [Canton Repository]

Creators | Inspired by the wildlife of the Florida Keys, Erich Decker-Hoppen has created a set of superheroes based on local fauna, the Florida Five, to raise awareness of environmental issues in the area. [Florida Keys Reporter]

Conventions | Charleston, South Carolina, had its first comic convention, the Holy City Comic Con, over the weekend. Guests included Batgirl artist Babs Tarr, who is from the area. [The Post and Courier]