Publishing | BOOM! Studios has acquired the rights to Disney's Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse comics previously held by the financially troubled Gemstone Publishing. The July edition of Previews lists Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories #699, by Riccardo Secchi and Stefano Turconi, and Mickey Mouse and Friends #297, by Stefano Ambrosio and Lorenzo Pastrovicchio, under the BOOM! banner.

The two titles will join the publisher's BOOM! Kids imprint, already home to comics based on The Muppet Show and Disney/Pixar's The Incredibles and Cars. The Disney Comics Worldwide fan blog has information about format and content.

Gemstone, which is owned by Diamond's Steve Geppi, had held the Disney comics license since 2003. In February the company closed its offices in West Plains, Missouri, and laid off five employees. That was followed in late March by rumors that Gemstone wouldn't be renewing its Disney license. July's Previews also includes cancellations for seven Disney titles originally solicited by Gemstone. [BOOM! Studios]

Publishing | U.K.'s Tripwire magazine is the latest casualty of Diamond's minimum-order policy. [Forbidden Planet International]

Publishing | Riichirou Inagaki and Yuusuke Murata’s football manga Eyeshield 21 ends its seven-year run today in Weekly Shonen Jump. The manga, whose 25 volumes have sold more than 16 million copies in Japan, is credited with a dramatic rise in the number of children playing American football. [Anime Vice]



Publishing | A woman in North Caronlina was shocked -- shocked! -- to discover that the copy of Batman Confidential #18 she bought at a library sale for her 12-year-old son ... isn't really appropriate for a 12-year-old. In the 2008  issue, Batgirl tracks Catwoman to Gotham City's Hedonist Society where, according to the solicitation, "costumes are optional!" Yvette Spivock and husband Bill weren't amused, but they're not calling for a book burning. (They even posed with their children for a humorous newspaper photo.)

A DC Comics spokesperson says the series is for ages 16 and up, but the cover doesn't sport a rating. [Charlotte Observer]

Conventions | The exhibitor list has been released for Comic-Con International, which is just a month away. [Comic-Con 2009]

Conventions | Oni Press will hold an artist talent search at Comic-Con, and some time beyond. [Oni Press]

Conventions | I think the big story out of Wizard World Philadelphia is that people pay $30 to have their photo taken with Lou Ferrigno. [The Philadelphia Inquirer]



Creators | A full-page comic by Art Spiegelman and Holocaust historian Dr. Rafael Medoff appeared in Sunday's edition of The Washington Post. The comic marks the 70th anniversary of the voyage of the St. Louis, a ship carrying more than 900 Jews fleeing Nazi Germany that was denied entry to Cuba the United States. [The Washington Post, History News Network]

Creators | The home of Steve Leiber and Sara Ryan was burglarized, with the thief (or thieves) making off with their laptop computers. The burglary comes at a particularly bad time for Lieber, who's trying to promote Underground, his upcoming Image Comics collaboration with Jeff Parker. [Steve Lieber]



Creators | Tom Spurgeon interviews cartoonist Kevin Cannon, creator of the arctic sea adventure Far Arden. [The Comics Reporter]

Creators | Liz Kersjes chats with Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist Jim Borgman, creator of the comic strip Zits. [The Columbus Dispatch]

Creators | Sean T. Collins compiles a list of dozens of Twitter accounts for alternative-comics creators and publishers. [Sean Collins]

Fandom | Convention floors as the fields of wheat through which geeks glide as they lock eyes with Mister/Miss/Captain Right. [Penthouse]

Fandom | How dare you leave your table to attend a panel, Brian Michael Bendis! [Cable & Tweed]

Fandom | Comedian and author John Hodgeman questions the nerd cred of President Obama. [NBC Philadelphia]