Awards | Dotter of Her Father's Eyes, by Mary and Bryan Talbot, has won the Costa Book Awards (formerly the Whitbread Awards) in the biography category, marking the first time a graphic novel has received the literary prize. "Just being shortlisted was amazing and hearing we'd won the category was stunning," Mary Talbot said. "We're delighted of course, both personally – it's the first story I've had published – but also for the medium, I can't believe a graphic novel has won." [The Guardian]
Awards | Jacques Tardi, the acclaimed creator of West Coast Blues, It Was the War of the Trenches and the Adèle Blanc-Sec series, has refused France's highest honor, the Legion d'Honneur medal: "Being fiercely attached to my freedom of thought and creativity, I do not want to receive anything, neither from this government or from any other political power whatsoever. I am therefore refusing this medal with the greatest determination." [AFP]
Censorship | Beverly James, the executive director of the Greenville (South Carolina) County Library explains why she overruled her own committee and opted to remove Alan Moore's Neonomicon from the library: "It was disgusting." While she acknowledges that other books in the library contain similar subject matter, James said the pictures disturbed her. The Greenville library is the only library in South Carolina that carried the book. The book was shelved in the adult section of the library but was challenged after a 14-year-old checked it out using an adult library card. [Greenville Online]
Manga | Noah Berlatsky discusses themes and gender issues in Moto Hagio's Heart of Thomas, one of the first yaoi manga, which was just published in English this week. [The Atlantic]
Creators | Dean Haspiel goes into depth about the challenges of being an independent creator in an interview with Tom Spurgeon. [The Comics Reporter]
Creators | In a video shot at this year's American Library Association convention, Eva Volin interviews Tales of the Beanworld creator Larry Marder. [Good Comics for Kids]
Awards | The Indian Comic Con is accepting nominations for its awards, to be given at the 3rd Annual Indian Comic-Con in February, and they announced that the late Mario Miranda will be honored posthumously with this year's Comic Con India Lifetime Achievement Award. [India West]
Best of the year | Publisher and blogger Erica Friedman lists her picks for the Top 10 yuri (lesbian) manga of 2012. [Okazu]
Publishing | Writer Jim Zubkavich explains why publishers prefer to work with writers they already know, rather than give the new kid a chance. [Zub Tales]