Legal | A federal judge in Madison, Wisconsin, heard testimony Monday from Neil Gaiman, Todd McFarlane and Dark Ages Spawn writer Brian Holguin, but didn't rule on Gaiman's claim that he's owed royalties from the characters Dark Ages Spawn, Domina and Tiffany.

In 2002, a jury found that Gaiman co-owned the copyrights Medieval Spawn, Angela and Cogliostro, which he created in 1993 for McFarlane's Spawn series. Since then the two creators have attempted, with little success, to determine how much money Gaiman is owed for the three characters.

On Monday, Gaiman testified that he thinks Dark Ages Spawn is merely a copy of Medieval Spawn, while Domina and Tiffany are copies of Angela. Holguin, who created Dark Ages Spawn, said any similarities to Gaiman's character were unintentional, while McFarlane argued that all of the versions of Spawn share certain features. The judge gave both parties until June 25 to submit additional arguments. [The Associated Press]



Awards | Today is the deadline for comics professionals to vote online for the 2010 Eisner Awards. [Eisner Awards]

Conventions | Robot 6 contributor Brigid Alverson previews the graphic-novel elements of this year's American Library Association Annual Conference, being held June 24-29 in Washington, D.C. [Publishers Weekly]

Conventions | Florida Supercon, which kicks off Friday in Miami, gets a spotlight. Comic guests include Pat Broderick, Paul Gulacy, Greg Horn, Clayton Henry, Georges Jeanty, Jason Latour, Jim McCann, Ariel Olivetti, Khoi Pham, Rafa Sandoval, Bill Sienkiewicz and Fred Van Lente. [The Miami Herald]



Publishing | If you can overlook "Pow! Splat!" and "Holy technology, Batman," this is actually a pretty decent snapshot of the comics market for a general, local audience, with a focus on recent moves toward digital delivery and the reactions of retailers and fans. "The Marvel download is an unknown in the business," said Scott Croft, owner of Heroic Adventures in Edwardsville, Illinois. "Some retailers are afraid it will siphon sales off. Others think we will reach customers we're not reaching now. My hope is it will generate interest in the comic itself." [Suburban Journals]

Publishing | NBM Publishing founder Terry Nantier discusses the company's early years, format decisions, erotic comics, and more. [Comic Book Bin]

Publishing | Editors John Jennings and Damian Duffy talk about the upcoming anthology Black Comix: African American Independent Comics, Art and Culture. [Publishers Weekly]



Editorial cartoons | Michael Cavna rounds up 10 of the best cartoons about the BP oil spill. [Comic Riffs]

Retailing | After nearly eight years in Tacoma, Washington, Comic Book Ink is moving just outside the city limits, to a larger, and less expensive, storefront in the Lakewood Cinema Plaza. [Weekly Volcano]

Creators | Ted McKeever talks about his new Shadowline miniseries META 4, which he describes as "a journey of self-discovery on a road trip of bizarre nightmares, twisted romance and scientific comedic insanity, spanning from Coney Island to the desolate Midwest." [Publishers Weekly]

Creators | Artist Cliff Chiang chats briefly about his work on Human Target, Doctor 13 and Neil Young's Greendale, and teases an upcoming issue of DMZ and an as-yet-unannounced book with writer Brian Azzarello: "One of my friends told me it was the book I was born to draw, and I’m really excited for it." [JoBlo.com]

Creators | Tom Mason spotlights cartoonist Roy Crane, creator of Buz Sawyer and Captain Easy. [Comix 411]