Conventions | Organizers of the growing Asbury Park Comicon have announced that, after three years, they're relocating the New Jersey convention to the Meadowlands Exhibition Center in Secaucus and renaming it East Coast Comicon. Founders Cliff Galbraith and Robert Bruce say the nearly 40-mile move was triggered by a sharp increase in rates at the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel in Asbury Park, but the hotel's manager thinks it's because the venue couldn't accommodate the dates requested by organizers. The inaugural East Coast Comicon will be held April 11-12, 2015. [Asbury Park Press]
Passings | Amadee Wohlschlaeger, who drew the comic strip Weatherbird for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for 70 years, has died at age 102. Weatherbird, which debuted in 1901, is the oldest continuously published comic in the United States, and Wohlschlaeger (who went by just his first name) is one of just four cartoonists to draw it. He was named one of the top 10 sports cartoonists in the country, and his drawing of Stan Musial inspired the statue at Busch Stadium. [KSDK]
Creators | Zack Smith looks at the creator-owned comics landscape, and along the way he talks with Jonathan Hickman, Ed Brubaker, Kieron Gillen and other prominent creators. [Paste]
Creators | Chew co-creator John Layman talks about the frustrations of working with Showtime, which had a three-year option on his comic series, but never produced a television series: "Everyone wanted Chew when it was new and it was hot. And then Showtime got it and it didn't really know what to do with us. Every time there was an iteration -- a script iteration -- more notes came back and they got further and further from Chew." The comic is now being adapted into an animated feature by Heavy Metal. [The Motley Fool]
Creators | Writers Tim Seeley and Tom King discuss Dick Grayson's new role as a spy in DC Comics' Grayson. King brings a bit of real-world experience to this, as he worked in a CIA counter-terrorism unit for a while. [The Daily Beast]
Creators | When Vikram Balagopal conducted research for his graphic novel adaptation of part of the epic Ramayana, he discovered that different versions of the story were tailored to their audiences and their times. [Outlook India]
Digital comics | Mike Williams reviews BDReader, an open-source digital comics reader for Windows that offers a panel-by-panel view option. [BetaNews]
Retailing | Chicago-area chain Graham Crackers Comics is teaming up with a local cinema, Hollywood Palms, to create some comics/movie synergy with free comics for moviegoers and other activities, including what seems like a mini-comic con for the Guardians of the Galaxy premiere in August. [Comic Vine]
Retailing | Chapel Hill Comics in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is changing hands, and current owner Andrew Neal says they will celebrate with an amazing party on July 12, with special guests Jim Rugg, Ed Piskor, Tom Scioli and Chris Pitzer. [Chapelboro]
Conventions | Michael Smith reflects on the Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con and lessons learned. [Liberty Voice]