Business | Platinum Studios has sold webcomics community DrunkDuck to e-book publisher WOWIO for an undisclosed sum. WOWIO was purchased in 2008 by Platinum and then sold in July 2009 to a holding company formed by Platinum President and COO Brian Altounian.

The DrunkDuck acquisition follows the announcement last week that WOWIO has raised $1.7 million in private financing and purchased WEvolt.com, an online community for creators to share and promote their work. Established in 2002 by Dylan Squires, DrunkDuck provides free hosting for webcomics, as well as forums and a feedback/review system. The site was purchased in December 2006 by Platinum. [press release]



Publishing | Sean Kleefeld considers reactions to Marvel's decision to release Invincible Iron Man Annual #1 simultaneously in print and on the iPad: "There are people who are legitimately scared because they don't know what's going to happen to their livelihood and have no control over where the industry as a whole heads. I can't begrudge them for that fear. But what doesn't help their situation is ignoring the reality of what's going on and acting as if the status quo will remain." [Kleefeld on Comics]

Digital comics | So maybe Steve Jobs didn't call Mark Fiore a liar after all. [The Daily Cartoonist]

Conventions | Tom Spurgeon and Ben Towle report on last weekend's HeroesCon. [HeroesCon]

Retailing | Sadie Mattox offers pointers on comic-store etiquette for retailers and for customers: "... There was one comic store I entered that the guy barely looked up. Um, ok, fine he was reading a comic ... forgiven. Then when I asked where the manga was, he pointed in a vague directions. Um, ok ... found a very small manga section which is ok, I don’t expect a comic store to carry anything they don’t want to. Picked up the latest Shojo Beat. Then, I went to pay. Another guy had come out from the back and after patiently waiting for them to finish their conversation, I laid my magazine on the counter. They both exchanged a look and, I swear to god, actually smirked. Yup, I left the pretty Shojo Beat right where it was and walked out." [Extremely Graphic]



Creators | Christopher Borrelli profiles Daniel Clowes, with an emphasis on his connections to his native Chicago. [Chicago Tribune]

Manga | Tiffany Martin looks at Walt Disney's early influences on manga. [The Escapist]

Fandom | Shannon Des Roches Rosa solicits advice from "three comics-loving feminist mentors," including Lea Hernandez, for helping her comics-reading 11-year-old daughter to "bypass the underwear suits and find the feminist heroes." [BlogHer]