Creators | Attack on Titan creator Hajime Isayama estimates that the blockbuster manga series will end in three years. “I’d like to end things quickly, with a tight pace of story developments," he told Japan's Da Vinci magazine, "and then I always end up feeling like I should qualify that with a ‘but,’ so for now, I can’t say anything more specific.” [RocketNews 24]
Conventions | Nigeria, the largest economy in Africa, has a thriving entertainment industry, and comics are blossoming there as well. At The Beat, Deji Bryce Olukotun interviews Ayodele Elegba, co-founder of this past weekend's Lagos Comic Con, about the popularity of comics, what makes the Nigerian comics scene different from others, and the ever-present problem of piracy. [The Beat]
Creators | Comics fan and former NPR producer David Rector was left unable to speak or walk after a health crisis — he could only move his thumb — but his fiancee Roz Alexander-Kasparik and creator Batton Lash are working with him on a comic, Recall and Given, about a superhero whose spirit travels the world dispensing justice while his body lies in a hospital bed. [NPR]
Creators | Jeff Lemire talks about why he is now no longer exclusive to DC/Vertigo, and about working with Matt Kindt and Paolo Rivera on Valiant's big crossover, The Valiant. [Comic Riffs]
Creators | Robot 6 contributor Chris Mautner interviews the British creator Luke Pearson, whose Hilda books (published by Nobrow Press) are those rarities that make superb, sophisticated reading for all ages. [The Comics Journal]
Publishing | Editor Calista Brill discusses the origins and history of First Second Books. [Fanboy Nation]
Education | I talked to education expert Meryl Jaffe about the educational uses of graphic novels; the interview includes an extensive list of recommended reading, both graphic novels and books about them. [Good Comics for Kids]
Libraries | The Carnegie Library of Homestead, Pennsylvania, has a remarkable graphic novel club for teens — they read books like Art Spiegelman's In the Shadow of No Towers and make comics and other artwork in response to the readings. [TribLive]
Conventions | Rob Clough gives his take on this year's Small Press Expo, looking at the different "generations" of cartoonists as well as what the audience seems to be tuned into. [High-Low]
Conventions | This past week's Mid Con Comic Show, in Iowa City, was a great place for fans to meet creators and get sketches, and it's also a sign of how "geek culture" has proiliferated. Iowan Phil Hester, one of the guests at the show, remarked, "When I was a kid, there were three conventions: New York, Chicago, and San Diego. Now, there are three conventions every weekend.” [KCRG-TV]