Digital comics | Vertical Inc. becomes the latest manga publisher to take the plunge into digital, beginning with the release of three series: Twin Spica, Drops of God and 7 Billion Needles for Kindle, Nook and iBooks. [Anime News Network]

Conventions | Fables creator Bill Willingham is the host of this weekend's Fabletown and Beyond convention in Rochester, Minnesota, focusing on "mythic fiction." He and organizer Stacy Sinner give a preview of what is to come. "I'm the host of the event, which means I get a lot of people to do the actual hard work, while I sit back imperiously on my throne and say 'Yes,' to this, and, 'No,' to that," Willingham said. "The downside is, of course, I also have to write the checks." [Rochester Post-Bulletin]



Creators | Ed Piskor, in Columbus, Ohio, for a three-week residency at the Thurber House and Columbus Museum of Art (and finish his graphic novel on the history of hip-hop), talks about art and comics: "I’m real nervous about the fine art world and comics. They’ll rape and pillage different mediums of work, and when they’re through with it, they’ll leave it a husk. … I don’t think about it. I’m not going to get caught up in coke and whores because I got into galleries. It’s the work that matters.” [ColumbusAlive]

Creators | Joe Casey talks about his work on GI Joe: America's Elite. [Biff Bam Pop]

History | Was Fredric Wertham right? Jeff Trexler takes the road less traveled in a thoughtful essay that gets to the heart of what Wertham was really talking about. [The Beat]

Exhibits | "Signals from the Unknown: Czech Comics 1922-2012" features everything from a toothpaste ad to Communist propaganda and the uniquely Czech genre of "club comics." It's on exhibit in Prague right now, but if you can't make it there, check out the preview at the link. [The Prague Post]

Publishing | Megan Purdy hosts a roundtable of women bloggers and creators on the state of Marvel comics. [Women Write About Comics]

Retailing | Two Michigan comics retailers talk about their shops and their clientele. [Central Michigan Life]

Retailing | The local press has a brief feature on Trinidadian comics collector and retailer Dion Herbert, who will hold a comics event in San Fernando this weekend. [The Guardian]