Creators | Frannie Jackson talks with a handful of prominent creator couples -- Mike Allred and Laura Allred, Kelly Sue DeConnick and Matt Fraction, Colleen Coover and Paul Tobin -- about sexism within the comics industry. “I’m occasionally invited to participate in panel discussions about ‘women in comics,’” Coover says. “I’m usually emotionally torn by those invitations, because, yeah, I want women in comics to thrive and be seen as thriving, but I’d much rather be part of a discussion about ‘awesome creators in comics’ that’s stacked with awesome women and men.” [Paste]

Retailing | Andrew Wyrich visits several comics shops in the North Jersey area and finds they rely on a friendly atmosphere and incentive programs to keep customers coming back. "People who buy comics tend to have a $40 weekly budget," said Len Katz, co-owner of The Joker's Child in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. "We hear of people who love comics, but eventually just hit a wall with expenses. The key for us is to get customers coming back. The reality is we are not a necessary item; we aren't milk, bread or cheese." [The Record]



Graphic novels | Chris Duffy has edited two anthologies for First Second, Fairy Tale Comics and Nursery Rhyme Comics, but the project he is working on now is very different: Above the Dreamless Dead will collect graphic adaptations of trench poetry written by soldiers during World War I. The comics creators who will be involved include Pat Mills, Garth Ennis, Peter Kuper, Hunt Emerson and Isabel Greenberg. "A lot of people know war poems featuring horrific scenes of trench warfare and gas attacks," says Duffy. "But World War I poets also wrote about everyday life in the trenches, including daily run-ins with rats and lice. Some wrote from the point of view of the home front. Much of the poetry has a topical satirical edge; some of it feels timeless and mythic." [USA Today]

Comics | Jon Proudstar, the creator of Tribal Force, billed as the first Native American superhero comic when it first appeared in 1996, is bringing the series back after a long hiatus. And it's aimed at kids, he says: "My dream is to give Native American kids heroes. I didn't have that." [High Country News]



Creators | Writer Steve Orlando talks about his new Image series Undertow, which debuts this week. [13th Dimension]

Creators | Vanessa Davis gave a gallery talk recently at The Jewish Museum, which is hosting the exhibit "Art Spiegelman's Co-Mix: A Retrospective." She discussed how the part of the exhibit dedicated to Maus "adds something that the book couldn't do," setting up a timeline, and she also talked about her own work and her identity as a Jewish artist. [Jewish Book Council]

Creators | Mike Rhode interviews writer and filmmaker Joe Carabeo, creator of Black Magic Tales (with artist Carolyn Belefski). [Washington City Paper]

Comics Culture | Bill Baker interviews Jackie Estrada about her photo book, Comic Book People, which she is funding on Kickstarter. The campaign ends on Saturday, so now's the time to check it out. [Comics Creator News]

Manga | Viz Media has announced a new addition to the lineup of its Shonen Jump digital magazine: Stealth Symphony, written by Ryohgo Narita (Durarara!!) and illustrated by Yoichi Amano, a former assistant to Gintama manga-ka Hideaki Sorachi. [Crunchyroll]

Academia | Reginald Stuart talks to Rep. John Lewis about his graphic memoir March and discusses it in a scholarly context with several teachers and academics. [Diverse: Issues in Higher Education]

Comics festivals | Jessica Lee talks to the organizers of this past weekend's Paper Jam Festival in Brooklyn. [The Beat]