Manga | Roland Kelts looks at the international popularity of One Piece, whose sales number 300 million volumes in Japan and 45 million in the rest of the world. The piece includes an interview with creator Eiichiro Oda -- he says he writes what he imagines his 15-year-old self would like to read -- as well as editors from Viz Media, the American publisher of One Piece, who discuss the reasons for its popularity overseas as well as the global impact of manga piracy on these manga pirates. [The Japan Times]

Conventions | Which shows are money-makers for creators, and how much do they make? The answers, broken out into a handy infographic, may surprise you. [The Devastator]

Publishing | Heidi MacDonald talks to several retailers about whether serial comics are a better format than original graphic novels, and a fascinating discussion, with participation from readers, creators and more retailers, ensues in the comments section. [The Beat]

Webcomics | Kevin Tang delves into the early days of webcomics with a look at T.H.E. Fox, Sluggy Freelance and other pioneering strips from "the odd and lovely nerd utopia of the 80s and 90s interweb." [BuzzFeed]

Creators | Robert Crumb talks about his taste in music. [Red Bull Music Academy]

Creators | The rock band Rush gets its own comic next year, when BOOM! Studios publishes Clockwork Angels, based on the concept album of the same name. Brian Truitt talks to writer Kevin J. Anderson and Rush lyricist and drummer Neil Peart about how they turned Rush's songs into a sequential story. [USA Today]

Comic strips | Andrew Farago, curator of the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco, discusses the Library of American Comics collection of classic Popeye comic strips, for which he wrote the introduction. [Westfield Comics]

Comics | Former DC Comics Publisher and President Jenette Kahn talks about her experiences in the comics world in a video interview recorded as part of the Chicago Humanities Festival. [Forbidden Planet]

Gift guides | The Good Comics for Kids bloggers present their 2013 gift guide. [Good Comics for Kids]

Retailing | Owner Eric Kirsammer is looking to expand Chicago Comics, in order to display even more comics and toys. At the moment, part of his extensive selection of back issues is stored in boxes in the basement, which can present a problem "Sometimes we have customers ask for a comic and we say, 'Sure, we’ll go find it.' By the time we do, they might already be gone," Kirsammer says. [Lakeview Patch]