Publishing | Abraham Riesman looks at the revival of Valiant, which was once the third-largest comics publisher in the United States and now, under new management, aspires to reclaim that position. The article covers the rise and fall of the original company, its rescue by now-CEO Dinesh Shamdasani, and the strategy the new Valiant has used to quickly build an audience for a different type of superhero comic. [Vulture]

Conventions | San Diego officials had to do some shuffling to accommodate the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, which will be played in the city in 2016, but they didn't move Comic-Con International, which is only a few days later. "Their attendees are such a unique group that they don’t take well to change," said Joe Terzi, chief executive of the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau. "They plan their year around this event." [U-T San Diego]

Manga | Out magazine spotlights Massive: Gay Erotic Manga and the Men Who Make It, the recently released anthology from Fantagraphics designed by Chip Kidd and edited by Anne Ishii and Graham Kolbeins. There's also a gallery of art from the collection. [Out.com]

Creators | Kelly Sue DeConnick discusses her new Image Comics series Bitch Planet, and also touches upon Captain Marvel: "I don't sit down to write feminism, you know? Bitch Planet is certainly overtly feminist and so is Captain Marvel, but I would argue that Carol Danvers as Ms. Marvel was overtly feminist when I was seven years old. I had nothing to do with that. And honestly, if you think my books are unsubtle, you should read the 1977 version, because they are subtle like a sledgehammer. Bitch Planet is very clearly feminist, but I don't sit down and I don't approach it like I'm writing a flier. What's important to me is the characters and the story. [io9.com]

Best of the year | Creative Loafing's Andy Smith offers up his choices for the best comics of the year, and then slips in one "worst." [Creative Loafing]

Best of the year | The staff of Geek Sushi post their picks for the best all-ages comics of 2014. [Geek Sushi]

Conventions | Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, retailer Drew Johnson is launching Myrtle Beach Comic Con in late March. [The Sun News]

Events | Nick Keppler spotlights "Comic-Tanium: The Super Materials of the Superheroes," an exhibit that runs through Sunday at the ToonSeum in Pittsburgh. [Pittsburgh City Paper]