Passings | Steve Roper and Mike Nomad artist Fran Matera has died at the age of 88. Matera, who worked briefly in the Quality Comics bullpen, where he worked on Doll Man and other titles, before enlisting in the Marines during World War II, also drew such comic strips as Dickie Dare, The Legend of Bruce Lee and Nero Wolfe. His comic credits also include the "Chuck White and Friends" feature in Treasure Chest, and issues of Marvel's Incredible Hulk and Tarzan. [Rip Jagger's Dojo]

Publishing | Dark Horse manga editor Carl Gustav Horn takes the long view and refuses to give pat answers to questions about trends and hot properties: "This August, the longest-running manga in the North American market, Kosuke Fujishima's Oh My Goddess!, turns eighteen. We started OMG! during the era of manga marketed as comic books, continued it into the era of manga marketed as graphic novels, and transitioned into the era of manga marketed as tankobon (Japanese-style GNs). Now we're moving ahead into the era of manga marketed for e-reading." [ICv2]

Publishing | The publisher Rizzoli has responded to complaints about the quality of its new edition of Hugo Pratt's Corto Maltese: The Ballad of the Salt Sea. The essence of the statement is that the changes many people are complaining about were approved by the artist himself. [The Beat]

Retailing | Des Moines, Iowa, comic and coffee shop Cup o' Kryptonite will move in May from 4521 Fleur Drive, Suite F, to its new location at 2608 Beaver Ave., dropping the coffee-shop element in the process. [Des Moines Register]

Digital comics | Erica Friedman does a thorough review of the JManga digital manga site, looking at their subscription model, image quality, and a number of individual selections. [Okazu]

Exhibits | The Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute Museum of Art is hosting an exhibit of graphic novel art, "LitGraphic: The World of the Graphic Novel," featuring works by Will Eisner, R. Crumb, and Brian Fies, among others. [Syracuse New Times]