Comics | Almost half the attendees at this year's Comic-Con International in San Diego were women, writes Yael Kohen in an article about the growing importance of women to the comics industry. He cites statistics showing that young women are the fastest-growing segment of the comics audience, talks to Image Comics President Eric Stephenson and a woman who works in a comic shop, and mentions the enduring popularity of manga and Marvel's recent introduction of more interesting female characters. With all that material to work with, it's too bad he started with a lead right out of the 1950s, something about a fashion show at Comic-Con, as if that's what all those women were there for. [BloombergBusinessweek]

Creators | Writer Jen Van Meter discusses her newest project, Valiant's first female-led series, The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage. [Hero Complex]

Creators | Dan Greenfield interviews Ian McGinty, who in addition to BOOM! Studios' Bravest Warriors comic is working on a "cooking/adventure/pirate/monster graphic novel" that will be published next year by Top Shelf. [13th Dimension]



Creators | Jake Parker, who's appearing this weekend at Salt Lake Comic Con, talks about his short comic The Robot and the Sparrow, which he describes as "sort of a love letter" to Calvin and Hobbes creator Bill Watterson. [The Salt Lake Tribune]

Creators | Nate Cooper discusses his instructional graphic novel Build Your Own Website: A Comic Guide to HTML, CSS and WordPress, illustrated by webcomics creator Kim Gee, who used to work with him at an Apple Store. [Technical.ly Brooklyn]

Creators | Forced to read by his grandmother as a punishment, Julian Jay Burton actually got to like it and ended up becoming a writer himself; his first comic, Salta, debuted last month at Boston Comic Con. Perhaps not coincidentally, it features a strong female lead. [The Springfield Republican]

Exhibits | The show of New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast's work at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut, includes not only a selection of her original art and prints but also painted eggs and hand-woven rugs. [ctpost.com]



Conventions | About 500 comics creators will be at Baltimore Comic Con this weekend, up 200 from last year. The show added a third day this year as well, and the exhibit floor has been reconfigured to accommodate the crowds more comfortably. “What we’ve seen overall is that Baltimore Comic-Con has grown to the point where it’s considered in the industry as one of the major shows out there,” says Dan Manser, director of marketing for Diamond Comic Distributors. [WMAR]

Museums | Joe Wos is stepping down as director of Pittsburgh's Toonseum to pursue other projects, including a maze book. [The Daily Cartoonist]

Retailing | Longtime retailer Brian Hibbs has debuted new logos for his San Francisco stores Comix Experience and Comix Experience Outpost. [Savage Critic]

Blogosphere | Dara Naraghi hit a milestone this week with the 200th installment of his "Indie Cover Spotlight" series. [Dara Naraghi]