Conventions | Ross Lincoln gathers up the threads of a story that's been unfolding over social media for the past few days: A cosplayer expressed concern that the Facebook cosplay gallery for the inaugural Cherry City Comic Con in Salem, Oregon, featured significantly more women in costume than men. Displeased by the dismissive reply from the administrator of the Facebook page, she sent a private message asking for a refund of her convention registration fee, explaining, "I don't think this will be a safe place for female cosplayers." Organizer Mark Martin posted that request on his personal Facebook page with the response, "despite the no touch policy, the family friendly policy, the 3 security guards at all times, and the fact that you're bat-shit crazy? Refunded!"
Several prominent cosplayers picked up on that, and it became a cause celebre on Twitter and Facebook for a couple of days; meanwhile, things got more complicated with sock puppets and a possibly fictitious con representative getting involved. In the end, Martin apologized; to give organizers their due, the convention includes a harassment policy in its official rules and policies. The con will take place on May 10-11. The Daily Dot has more. [The Escapist]
Crime | Thieves Indianapolis, Indiana, broke the back window of Brendon Dravet's SUV on Monday night and stole a comics collection numbering in the hundreds of issues. Dravet, who had just moved to a new neighborhood, has been collecting comics since he was 8 years old. "You stole my childhood," he said. "When I have a son in the future, that was going to be his college fund, so you stole his childhood, along with his college fund." [WTHR]
Free Comic Book Day | Retailer Joe Field, the founder of Free Comic Book Day, discusses his original idea and how it has evolved over the years. [Naperville Sun]
Free Comic Book Day | Selena Fragassi talks to Chicago retailers about the changing comics scene and what Free Comic Book Day means to them and their stores. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Creators | Jason Aaron and Jason Latour discuss their new Image comic, Southern Bastards. [Hero Complex]
Creators | Dave Stewart talks about his work as a colorist. [OPB]
Creators | Matt Kelly interviews Mark Schultz, the creator of the Eisner and Harvey award winning Xenozoic Tales. [Comics Creator News]
Creators | Bill Kohlhaase drops in on a meeting of 7000 B.C., a New Mexico comics organization that brings local creators together for comics jams and other collaborative work and will produce an anthology for Free Comic Book Day. [The New Mexican]
Creators | Mike Gavazzi is a high school teacher by day, graphic novel creator at night. [The Sentinel]
Conventions | Julio Ojedo-Zapata's preview of this weekend's Wizard World the Minneapolis Comic Con is a good primer on cons in general, and it also touches on the controversy Wizard World has engendered by scheduling its cons so close to other local events. [St. Paul Pioneer Press]