Manga | Four older manga series are making a comeback in digital format: School Rumble, Alive, Nodame Cantabile, and Princess Resurrection, all originally published in English by Del Rey, will be available in the iTunes Store beginning on July 26. The Del Rey manga imprint became defunct in 2010, when the Japanese publisher Kodansha stopped licensing its manga to them and started publishing the books directly as Kodansha Comics. [Anime News Network]
Passings | Chester "Chet" Krause, who was the owner of the Comics Buyers Guide from 1983 to 1991, has died at the age of 92. Krause, who also owned a number of other papers catering to special interests (Numismatic News, Sports Collectors Digest), hired Don and Maggie Thompson as the editors of CBG, and under their leadership it became an important gathering point and communications channel for comics fans in the days before the internet. [ICv2]
Political Cartoons | A German newspaper profiles the Malaysian cartoonist Zunar, who recently spoke at a conference in Berlin. "It is quite clear the Malaysian government is suffering under acute Cartoon-o-phobia," Zunar said; he has been charged with nine counts of sedition and faces up to 43 years in prison if convicted. However, an expert on Asian politics notes that the corruption of Prime Minister Najib Razak, a frequent target of Zunar's cartoons, has weakened the Malaysian government and raised the possibility of a movement toward democracy. Zunar is convinced that humor is "the best kind of protest," and he says he's not going to stop: "Responsibility is greater than fear, and I bear responsibility for my country and its future generations. I am going to continue drawing until the last drop of ink." [Deutsche Welle]
Politics | Scottish cartoonist Peter Herron reacts to the UK's vote to leave the European Union, which had an immediate effect on his livelihood: "My commissions come from all across Europe including the UK and the money I earn allows me a comfortable life here in Bucharest. But now the pound has in one day turned from the most stable currency in the world to free falling into uncertainty. The validity of my passport is now in question and most importantly I am unsure of the Romanian government’s stance on my living here. Important questions expats need answers to are not even on the table." [The Courier]
Creators | The Indian cartoonist Surendra talks about his 20 years drawing cartoons for the national paper The Hindu. [Telugu360]
Comics | With a comic con going on in Stuttgart and a major exhibit of comics art in Frankfurt, a German paper takes a look at the history of comics around the world—and in Germany. [Deutsche Welle]
Conventions | Rob Salkowitz test-drives some new software that maps the interests of Twitter followers; in this case, he creates a map of the interests of the over 800,000 followers of the official Comic-Con International Twitter account. [ICv2]
Retailing | As children, brothers Devin and Tyler Petitclerc used to have to travel from their hometown of Cochrane, Alberta, into Calgary on weekends to buy comics at the nearest comic shop; now that they are in their 20s, they are hoping to open their own shop in Cochrane. The brothers make their own comics, and they are also running a GoFundMe campaign to finance the new shop. [Rocky View Weekly]