Passings | Retailer, creator, superhero fan and occasional crime-fighter Geoffrey Patterson Sr. died Sunday at age 72. The owner of Geoffrey's Comic Shop in Gardena, California, Patterson created the character Captain Greedy, who appeared on local access TV and in the shop, as well as in comics. "Patterson was well-known for his eccentric love of super heroes," writes Jordan England-Nelson. "His home in Torrance is decorated inside and out with super-hero statues, wooden cutouts and other comic book memorabilia. The home would get hundreds of visitors on Halloween, when Patterson would hand out comic books with candy and let people check out his superhero-themed graveyard." And Patterson chased down purse snatchers and other wrongdoers on several different occasions, at least once while wearing his Captain Greedy costume. [The Daily Breeze]

Conventions | John Wentzel looks ahead to this weekend's Denver Comic Con, which is expected to attract 75,000 attendees. [The Denver Post]

Conventions | Jef Rouner writes about the fall and rise of comic cons in Houston, culminating with Comicpalooza. [Houston Press]

Creators | Syrian political cartoonist Ali Farzat, now living in exile in Kuwait, was once on friendly terms with Syrian President Bashar Assad and even pitched him on his satirical publication Addoman; Assad greenlit a pilot issue. But the relationship chilled quickly when Farzat published a letter critical of the regime in the first issue, and Assad had it shut down after two years. In 2011, Farzat was attacked and badly beaten — both hands were broken — by armed men who berated him for criticizing Assad. Despite initial reports that he had been killed, he survived the attack and continues to work as a cartoonist. [The Times of Israel]

Creators | Adrian Tomine, creator of Optic Nerve and Shortcomings, talks about his comics, his New Yorker covers, and his creative process. [Granta]

Creators | I talked to Viz Media/Perfect Square editor Joel Enos about writing the latest Ben 10 book and how being an editor has affected his writing. [Good Comics for Kids]

Digital comics | The first South African comics app, Snake Eye Comix, has launched on Google Play. The app features a monthly anthology of comics by South African creators. [htxt.africa]

Events | Hannah Means-Shannon attended "3D Comics Alive," a live and screened performance about the history of 3D comics, which was part of Brooklyn's Comic Book Theater Festival. [Bleeding Cool]

Retailing | Gary Clark, owner of Clark's Comics, has just moved from Brandon to Seffner, Florida, in the Tampa Bay area, and he sees his store as a destination for customers: "People will drive from Lakeland or Tampa if you've got fair prices." He's holding video game tournament featuring old-school Nintendo games like Mortal Kombat and Super Smash Bros, and he has also set up a program that allows kids to share and trade comics for free. [Tampa Bay Times]