Conventions | A group of 21 events companies, including New York Comic Con and BookExpo America organizer Reed Exhibitions, are opposing a plan by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to tear down the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. In a letter to the governor that was also distributed to 600 other officials, the Friends of Javits said they would not patronize the much larger venue that's to be built in Ozone Park, Queens, primarily because of its distance from Manhattan. [Crain's New York Business, via ICv2]

Conventions | Comic-Con International is just six weeks away, and you know it's coming when Tom Spurgeon posts his annual list of tips for enjoying the convention. It's a wealth of information, compiled over 17 years of con-going, so go, learn. [The Comics Reporter]

Conventions | Kristin Bomba files the first part of her con report from Dallas Comic Con. [Comic Attack]

Retailing | The blockbuster success of Marvel's The Avengers has led to a "three-fold increase" in the sales of Avengers comic-book merchandise at one store in Brisbane, Australia. [Brisbane Times]

Publishing| Joyce Man profiles the Hong Kong comics industry, which after a decade of falling revenues is experiencing a resurgence largely due to the Internet. [Los Angeles Times]

Creators | Jules Feiffer talks about drawing cartoons for Playboy, his friendship with Maurice Sendak, and the graphic novel he's working on now: "For this kind of Chandler-Hammett noir thing, you need shadows, rain. So I had to learn how to do it. Fortunately, I have Turner Classic Movies. I record all this film noir, The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, and hit pause on my remote. That's been my research medium. It will not be drawn (in a) traditional Feiffer style. I stole from Eisner. I hope it will be finished by the end of next year." [Chicago Tribune]

Cartoons | Bob Mankoff, the cartoon editor of The New Yorker, talks about desert-island cartoons — how they have changed over the years, when they reached their peak, and why they have remained popular when other, lesser gags have faded away. [Vanity Fair]

Creators | M. Alice LeGrow dispels some lingering doubts and says that she is indeed getting paid for Vol. 8 of her OEL manga Bizenghast, just like the other volumes. This final volume is being co-published by Tokyopop and the online anime/manga retailer RightStuf. [ICv2]

Comics | Ng Suat Tong discusses several comics adaptations of the works of H.P. Lovecraft. [The Hooded Utilitarian]

Comics | Matt Brady picks up on an oddity from 1993: Two Topps comics featuring characters created by Jack Kirby, part of an unsuccessful attempt to launch a Kirbyverse of their own. [Warren Peace Sings the Blues]

Comics | Scott at Polite Dissent looks back briefly at "the Golden Age of Medical Comics." [Polite Dissent]