Passings | Tom Wilson Sr., creator of the long-running comic strip Ziggy, passed away Sept. 16. According to a press release from Universal Uclick, Wilson, 80, had suffered from a long illness and died in his sleep. For more than 35 years, Wilson served as a creative director at American Greetings. Wilson first published Ziggy in the 1969 cartoon collection When You're Not Around. The Ziggy comic panel, syndicated by Universal Uclick (formerly Universal Press Syndicate), launched in 15 newspapers in June 1971. It now appears in more than 500 daily and Sunday newspapers and has been featured in best-selling books, calendars and greeting cards. Wilson's son, Tom Wilson Jr., took over the strip in 1987. [Universal Uclick]
Awards | The Chill by Jason Star and Mick Bertilorenzi won an Anthony Award this weekend at Bouchercon, the annual mystery convention. The Vertigo Crime selection won in the Best Graphic Novel category, while Birds of Prey writer Duane Swierczynski took the Best Original Paperback category with his novel Expiration Date. [Examiner]
Comic strips | Ken Paulson, president of the First Amendment Center, comments on last week's choice by The Chicago Tribune and other papers to not run a series of Doonesbury strips that featured excerpts from author Joe McGinniss’ upcoming biography of Sarah Palin. "The First Amendment guarantees that a newspaper can decide what to publish — or not publish. The Tribune is entirely within its rights, but it’s certainly an uncomfortable position for any news organization that aspires to reflect the full marketplace of ideas." [First Amendment Center]
Creators | The Montreal Gazette profiles Maus creator Art Spiegelman, covering the upcoming MetaMaus, his stint at the New Yorker and the state of the comic book industry. [Montreal Gazette]
Creators | Terry Moore discusses his latest comic Rachel Rising. [Suicide Girls]
Creators | Box Brown talks about his new publishing venture Retrofit Comics. [The Morton Report]
History | E. L. Bell explores the sources for the giant typewriters, cash registers, and other huge props that used to pop up in Batman comics (particularly those written by Bill Finger). [Oz and Ends]
History | Letterer Todd Klein looks back at a 1950s Famous Artists College cartooning lesson, specifically the chapter on lettering. [Todd's Blog]
Conventions | Sean Kleefeld recounts his adventures at the Cincinnati Comic Expo, including meeting Jim Steranko and chatting with a retailer who is concerned that sales of DC's new 52 comics will plunge in January, when the story arcs all slow down at the same time. [Kleefeld on Comics]