Publishing | Deb Aoki notes that within hours of the announcement last Wednesday of a March 16 release, Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 1, rocketed from No. 230 on the Amazon.com sales chart to within the Top 10. As of this morning, the Yen Press adaptation hovers at No. 7. The current issue of Entertainment Weekly features a 10-page preview of the hardcover, which will receive a staggering first printing of 350,000 copies. [About.com]
Passings | Tom Spurgeon pens an obituary for French cartoonist Jacques Martin, who passed away on Jan. 21 at age 88. Martin, who collaborated with Herge on several Tintin books, in 1948 created the series Alix, which centered on the adventures of a young Gallo-Roman in the late Roman Republic. [The Comics Reporter]
Sales charts | Viz Media's accelerated release schedule for Eiichiro Oda's One Piece -- five volumes a month through June -- seems to be paying off, as two volumes vault onto The New York Times' graphic books bestseller list. R. Crumb's The Book of Genesis Illustrated remains atop its perch on the hardcover chart, while Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen reclaims its paperback throne. Meanwhile, the fourth volume of Naoyuki Kageyama and Kazuki Takahashi's The Yu-Gi-Oh! GX 4 debuts at No. 1 in the manga division. [The New York Times]
Creators | Writer Kieron Gillen talks about Phonogram, his Marvel work and how he prepared for the cancellation of S.W.O.R.D.: "In the current market, it's not easy and assuming that it's going to even get twelve issues is a recipe for readers being left hanging and unsatisfied. AND THE READERSHIP MUST BE SATED. As such, I went for a telescoping structure. The first 5 issues were always planned to be a self contained plot. However, in the process of doing that, it also sets up where I'd would have been going next. The pieces in place aren't obviously loose ends – I doubt anyone will realise what they are when issue 5 finishes – but it's something I'd have picked up and span out the rest. In other words, I haven't changed a single panel of SWORD after its cancellation. It's a lovely little five-issue mini and hopefully people will like it." [Multiversity Comics]
Creators | Brian Heater wraps up his four-part interview with Frank Santoro. [The Daily Cross Hatch]
Creators | Alex Ness chats with Von Allen about his graphic novel the road to god knows. [Trouble with Comics]
Graphic novels | Educator Peter Gutierrez recommends 10 graphic novels for use in the classroom. [Good Comics for Kids]
Fandom | A reporter for the Miami Herald discovers there are still comic-book fans, even if they are a "dwindling breed." [Miami Herald]