Creators | Pickles creator Brian Crane, who was recently named Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year by the National Cartoonist Society, talks about how he was ready to give up on his dream of being a cartoonist after his pitches were rejected by three syndicates, but his wife wanted him to keep going: "To prove her wrong, I sent it to The Washington Post Writers Group. She proved to be right. Since then, I’ve learned: She’s almost never wrong." [Comic Riffs]
Comics | Chicago City Council recently passed an ordinance, which takes effect in July, regarding wage theft, and Interfaith Worker Justice, a Chicago organization, has put together a 32-page comic explaining workers' legal rights and what recourse they have if their employers illegally withhold their wages. [Crain's Chicago Business]
Creators | Brian Buccellato and Francis Manapul discuss The Flash's dark doppelganger, Reverse-Flash. [MTV Geek]
Creators | Colorist Dustin Evans talks about the challenges of working on Sesame Street comics: "Everyone knows the characters, and if they're not perfect, they will call you on it. I knew I needed to give the Muppets a fur-like texture as well as color, so that was a challenge and a lot of fun to come up with just the right look." [News OK]
Creators | The local paper profiles a young man with autism who is determined to have a career in comics despite the challenges he faces. Judging from the samples, De-Vante Mosby is a talented artist, and his uncle plans to bring him to New York to make the rounds of comics publishers. [Merrillville Community]
Comics | Tom Spurgeon guests on the "Deconstructing Comics" podcast to talk about Carl Barks. [Deconstructing Comics]
Graphic novels | Craig Fischer explains why Michel Rabagliati's Paul graphic novels are so awesome. [The Comics Journal]
Retailing | Sean Kleefeld visits the soon-to-close Atlas Comics in Chicago, and gets insight into the perilous nature of retailing. [Kleefeld on Comics]
Retailing | Business must be booming in Port Richey, Florida, because Yancy Street Comics has just relocated to its third location, a spacious store in the local mall — with a bit of aid from their customers, who showed up to help with the move. [The Suncoast News]
Retailing | Meanwhile, Most Excellent Comics & Collectibles, of Enfield, Connecticut, has seen business grow so much that it just moved into an old roller rink, which allows much more space for gaming as well as retail. [Enfield Patch]
Retailing | The staff at Lifeline, a thrift shop that benefits suicide-prevention efforts in Wollongong, Australia, seem to have been delighted but a bit flummoxed when they got a donation of over 500 comics, including Hellboy, Poison Elves, and a scattering of Vertigo titles. [Illawarra Mercury]