Publishing | Gary Tyrrell reports that publishers have begun receiving payments for the second quarter of 2008 from long-struggling e-book site Wowio. All publishers are expected to be paid by Nov. 15. [Fleen]

Awards | When the National Book Award nominations were announced Wednesday, some wondered why David Small's graphic novel Stitches: A Memoir was included in the young people's literature category. It turns out the publisher nominated it as a young-adult title. [GalleyCat]

Business | Former DC Comics President Jenette Kahn and ICv2.com President Milton Griepp have joined the board of advisers and directors of comiXology, which produces the Comics by comiXology digital comics application. [press release]

Conventions | Remember that ad incorrectly announcing Warren Ellis as a guest at Toronto Comic Con? It turns out they totally meant Dollhouse star Eliza Dushku. Not Warren Ellis. Eliza Dushku. [Bleeding Cool]



Conventions | Chinese comics and creators are being showcased at the 61st Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany, which opened Wednesday, through Tokyopop's "Beijing: Ten Faces of One City" exhibit. Also, a graphic novel by Michael Jackson and Gotham Chopra, set to be released by Villard, reportedly is generating a lot of talk at the fair. [Xinhua News Agency, AFP, Publishers Weekly]

Legal | Matt Blind attempts to put the cartoons-as-child-pornography debate in terms Alaska lawmakers and prosecutors might better understand: "Claiming that seeing offensive comics (which aren’t people) will lead to someone doing nasty, nasty things to real people is like saying shooting and field dressing animals (which aren’t people) will lead to someone doing nasty, nasty things to real people." [Rocket Bomber]

Comics | Kristy Valenti, assistant editor of The Comics Journal, talks about comics as art and literature. [Spectacle]



Creators | Did you know Jack Kirby and Frank Zappa were friends? "Jack would come over and smoke cigars and Frank would smoke cigarettes, and they’d talk and talk," says Ahmet Zappa. [Royal Flush, via Hero Complex]

Creators | Cartoonist Marisa Acocella Marchetto discusses Cancer Vixen, her health and the Cancer Vixen Fund. [Village Voice]

Art and design | Todd Klein wraps up his study of DC Comics' Robin logos. [Todd's Blog, Todd's Blog]

Comics | How that Archie wedding storyline should end (at least if Riverdale is located in Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts or Vermont). [Precocious Curmudgeon]

Fandom | Mike Romo wonders whether he can afford comics: "What would happen if I found myself in the position to spend no more than 2-3 comics in a month.  If I were unemployed or going back to school, I might have to drop to even less of a budget -- I mean, my average weekly comic book bill is $20, which translates into a good number of tacos." [iFanboy]

Blogosphere | Just in time for Halloween, The Daily Cross Hatch is playing host to an indie-comics costume contest. [The Daily Cross Hatch]