Digital comics | Amazon has removed the manga Younger Sister Paradise 2 (Imōto Paradise! 2) from the Japanese Kindle store, two days after the Tokyo Metropolitan Government declared the manga a "harmful publication to minors" because of its "glorification of incestuous acts" and restricted its sale to customers over 18. As a result, beginning Friday, brick-and-mortar bookstores in Tokyo must keep the manga in a separate area for adults only. Whether because of all the attention or because it was unavailable elsewhere, the manga was the top-selling comic in the Japanese Kindle store before Amazon removed it. [Anime News Network]
Crime | The arrest of a regular customer at the Seattle comics shop The Dreaming is leading to some concern that he may have been preying on teenagers at the store. Federal agents arrested Robert L. Baugh, a registered sex offender, on child-pornography charges last week. He began going to the store about two years ago with a teenager he was mentoring in Narcotics Anonymous. Cory Sober, who works at The Dreaming, knew of his past but said, "I believe in second chances and since he was a Narcotics Anonymous member I know that he was trying to make up for a poorly spent past, so I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt." What's more, Sober said, "He was friendly to everybody and he never seemed creepy or (inappropriate) to anyone." Nonetheless, when he realized Baugh was spending time with a young customer outside the store, Sober warned the teen's mother. The woman filed a police report, but Baugh wasn't charged with any crimes a that time. His arrest last week stems from a separate investigation by the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI. [KOMO News]
Marketing | Loot Crate, a monthly surprise box of comics and gaming products, has reached 100,000 subscribers. The last two crates have featured Attack on Titan and Bravest Warriors themes; each has six to eight items, and the price is less than $15. [ICv2]
Creators | Art Lortie remembers artist Dick Ayers, who passed away earlier this month. [The Comics Journal]
Creators | Ben Katchor describes his work, which includes a regular strip for Metropolis magazine and his recent book Hand-Drying in America and Other Stories, as "a form of social activism" and adds, "You could blow things up too, but I don't really relish the thought of being in prison. I'd rather make comic strips." [Curbed]
Graphic novels | Paul Gravett recounts the history of the graphic novel; the term is 50 years old this year. [English Pen]
Manga | Doraemon has only been available in English for a few months, and it's only digital, but the property is about to get a much higher profile as Disney has picked up the anime for its Disney XD channel. [Good Comics for Kids]
Comic strips | In the wake of the New York Post's abrupt removal of its entire comics page, editorial cartoonist Daryl Cagle outlines six reasons why newspapers cut comics. [The Cagle Post]
Conventions | ELCAF, the East London Comics Arts Festival, unveiled a poster by Chris Ware and a guest list that includes Seth, Anouk Ricard and Tom Gauld. [Comics and Cola]
Retailing | After 18 years in business, Comics Unlimited in Evansville, Indiana, will close on June 15, a move owner Matthew Hawes apparently blames on the Internet. He'll continue to sell comics online and at local flea markets. [WTVW]
Retailing | Natalia Galbetti pays a visit to the Clearwater, Florida, comics superstore Emerald City Comics. [Tampa Bay Times]
Competitions | Westword is inviting Colorado creators to submit short comics about any aspect of life in Colorado for their June 5 comics issue. The deadline is May 28, and there are modest cash prizes. [Westword]