Publishers | DC Comics have released details on the midnight release of Flashpoint #5 and Justice League #1 on Aug. 31. The publisher is offering a free over-ship of Flashpoint #5 for retailers who order 125 percent of their order for Flashpoint #1, and the publisher has noted that that these are the only two DC titles shipping that week that can be sold at midnight. The promotion is only available to U.S. and Canadian accounts; due to the Aug. 29 bank holiday, the midnight sale option will not be available to UK retailers. [ICv2]

Legal | Michael Dean looks at the recent ruling by New York federal judge Colleen McMahon that the family of Jack Kirby has no claim to the copyrights of the characters he co-created for Marvel. Dean notes, "Some legal observers were expecting Marvel to be the second major comics-publisher domino to fall when Toberoff filed on behalf of the Kirbys, but there is a key difference between Kirby’s comics work and Siegel’s: It was well established that Superman already existed as a full-blown character concept before Siegel and Joe Shuster pitched him to DC, whereas Kirby, who died in 1994, did most if not all of his Marvel work on assignment from the publisher. In the case of work for hire, the Copyright Act defines the instigating employer/publisher as the Author of the work." [The Comics Journal]



Creators | Former Marvel Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter recounts his first meeting with writer Steve Gerber, which involved a "low key" argument about mature content in mainstream comics. In a second post, he talks about working with Gerber later as his editor. [Jim Shooter, Part 1, Part 2]

Creators | In a video interview with Wired, Grant Morrison says publishers need to "let the artists go crazy, let the writers go crazy" and get back to big ideas in order to address declining print sales. [Underwire]

Webcomics | The entrepreneurial side of webcomics is the focus of this Boston Globe story featuring five Massachusetts artists who are making it on their own, without newspaper syndication. [The Boston Globe]

Creators | Khursten Santos takes a long, fond look at manga creator Iou Kuroda. Only one of Kuroda's works, Sexy Voice and Robo, has been translated into English and that's out of print. As you will see from this article, that's a shame. [Otaku Champloo]

Conventions | Michael Bonesteel previews the upcoming Wizard World Chicago show that runs Aug. 11-14, stating that comics are "still holding their own amid the hoopla and Hollywoodization of the event." He talks to two comic artists who will attend, Don Kramer and Ivan Brunetti. [Chicago Sun-Times]

Conventions | Erin Finnegan posts the audio of her Unusual Manga Genres podcast from Otakon; she has a slide show to go with it, too. [Ninja Consultant Podcast]

Conventions | Physics Today reporter Charles Day shares what he found when he attended the San Diego Comic-Con with the intent to "hunt for physics in and around the conference hall." [Physics Today]

Appreciation | Ben Morse sings the praises of 1602: Fantastick Four, a comic he dubs "underrated." [The Cool Kids' Table]

Reviews | Robert Colvile looks at Grant Morrison's new book Supergods. [Telegraph]

Reviews | Aaron Zenz and his 11-year-old daughter Gracie review Fantagraphics' The Complete Peanuts collections. "My goal is to read all of the Peanuts comics ever made. That's my dream," Gracie said. [Bookie Woogie, via 4thletter!]

Craft | Fluffy creator Simone Lia explains how to draw bunnies. [The Guardian]