Legal | Ryan Matheson, who was stopped at the Canadian border in 2010 and charged with criminal possession of child pornography because of a manga image on his computer (which even the officials who arrested him couldn't agree was child pornography), talks about his ordeal in a personal statement on the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund site. The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund announced Thursday that the Canadian government has dropped all criminal charges against Matheson. [CBLDF]

Comics | Leah Moore sees two things: a huge number of women who like comics, and a comics industry that is in serious trouble, and thinks it's time to connect the dots and start making comics that appeal to the other 50% of the audience. "Okay, well, let’s say, instead of jumping in and writing comics designed to attract women readers (Minx comics discovered this is harder than it looks), how’s about writing comics which don’t actually put women off? How’s about a bit less objectifying, a bit less sexualisation, a bit less pervy gusset shots and tit windows? Just a bit? Make some of the regular mainstream big name books everyone enjoys reading a bit less eyewatering and weird about women. That would be a great start." [Warren Ellis]

Commentary | Anika Chin argues that nerds and superheroes are two sides of the same coin: Individuals who don't quite fit in with society and have special qualities that make them stand out. The difference between the two, she says, lies in the way the individual handles their special abilities and quirks. [Geekout]

Creators | Riley Rossmo talks about the inspiration for his zombie comic Rebel Blood -- his wife's experiences as a nurse in an intensive-care unit: “She sees a lot of disease and viruses like H1N1 and West Nile and it got me thinking about that. Why would animals not suffer from some mutated version of a zombie virus? That hasn’t been properly addressed.” [Calgary Herald]

Creators | The earthquake of March 11, 2011, interrupted manga-ka Jiro Taniguchi (The Walking Man, A Zoo in Winter) at his work, and for a while he questioned whether he should continue to make manga, but in the end, he drew new inspiration from the determination of his compatriots as they dug out from the disaster. [Asia One]

Creators | Marc Silvestri talks about his creation The Darkness as it reaches its 101st issue for Top Cow: "We don't have the Darkness coming out of us and physically manifesting like he does, but it's within us. It's a struggle that everyone makes every day — the decision to do the right thing. With Jackie, his decision unfortunately physically manifests and tears through things." [USA Today]

Creators | Katie Haegele talks to Eliza Frye, who has just published her first graphic novel, Regalia, with funds she raised through Kickstarter. [The Comics Journal]

Real-life superheroes | In the Slovak Republic, one Zoltan Kohari has endeared himself to his neighbors by dressing in a Batman costume and acting as sort of a one-man neighborhood watch. [Reuters, via Comics Alliance]

Graphic novels | Artemis Fowl writer Eoin Colfer gives a quick rundown of his five favorite graphic novels. [The Telegraph]