Politics | Framing the controversy as part of a larger political battle between South Carolina's lawmakers and its public universities, The Washington Post wades into the ongoing saga surrounding the House of Representatives' vote to reduce funding to two schools after they selected gay-themed books for their summer reading programs. The newspaper uses as its entry point the Monday performances in Charleston of Fun Home, the musical adaptation of the Alison Bechdel graphic novel that was chosen last summer by the College of Charleston, drawing the ire of a South Carolina Christian group and conservative lawmakers. The Post reports that several state legislators suggested they viewed the staging of the musical as "a deliberate provocation," and will seek to cut even more funding in response. The South Carolina Senate has yet to vote on the state budget, which includes the cuts to the schools.  [The Washington Post]



Comic strips | Big Nate cartoonist Lincoln Peirce gave the term "long-running comic strip" a new meaning when he pieced together Big Nate strips drawn by schoolchildren to make a 3,920-foot-long comic. Peirce was featured on NBC's Today when Guinness World Records certified that this was, indeed, the longest comic strip made by a team. [The Daily Cartoonist]

Creators | Grace Bello interviews cousins Jillian and Mariko Tamaki, creators of This One Summer, which follows two almost-teenage girls on vacation with their families. "The book is an anthropological study of adults from the perspective of these two kids," Mariko said. "I think a lot of books about kids give them their own, separate, hermetically sealed world, especially books about teenagers." [Publishers Weekly]



Creators | Ed Brisson talks about his IDW miniseries 24: Underground, which follows the doings of Jack Bauer between seasons of the television show 24. [Hero Complex]

Creators | Liz Ohanesian presents WonderCon Anaheim through the eyes of one of the participating artists: Shing Yin Khor, who draws comics and works in other media. [LA Weekly]

Creators | Dan Greenfield talks with Batman '66 artist Ruben Procopio. [13th Dimension]

Creators | Writer Steve Orlando discusses his Image Comics series Undertow. [Comicosity]

Creators | Dario Carrasco Jr. got his start as a comics artist working for Marvel from his native Philippines; now he lives in Canada and is working on his own stories about Filipino superheroes. Carrasco also runs Comics for a Cause, which raises money for people who are ill. [ABS-CBN]



Creators | Author Marc Tyler Nobleman interviews Ross MacDonald, the illustrator of his book Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman. [Noblemania]

Manga | Joe McCulloch takes a look at the early manga Tank Tankuro, which gives a sense of what manga was like before Tezuka. [The Comics Journal]

Retailing | James Frazier, owner of Cyborg One in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, was never satisfied by the comics shop of his youth, so he set out to create a more inclusive, customer-focused store. Now one of his greatest frustrations is not having enough space to accommodate his customers' needs. [Bucks County Courier Times]