Conventions | Nearly 10,000 people flocked to the Lexington (Kentucky) Comic and Toy Convention over the weekend, far exceeding expectations. [Kentucky.com]

Piracy | This is about movies and music more than comics, but it's an interesting perspective: Thorin Klosowski explains why he gave up on illegal downloads. The short answer: It's now easier to stay legit. [Lifehacker]

Commentary | Julian Darius takes a hard look at last week's removal of Persepolis from Chicago classrooms and what that says about our society's attitude toward torture. [Sequart]

Awards | Dave Brown received the Cartoonist of the Year award at the Society of Editors' UK Press Awards. [The Independent]

Creators | In an interview done at Emerald City Comicon, Cheryl Lynn Eaton talks to Jeff Parker about his writing — how he interacts with artists, what he finds most difficult, and how his inner fan affects his writing: "My fan has this teeny tiny attention span and will wander off into his own story if you don't keep things interesting and compelling. Parkerfan (he just got a name!) expects humor to show up somewhere, especially in a serious subject, because that's true to life for him. And he gets really excited when he can't tell where a story is going, which believe it or not, is a quality I've seen many people complain about online." [Comics Alliance]

Creators | Miriam Katin discusses her new book Letting It Go, due out this week from Drawn and Quarterly. [Dig Boston]

Creators | Writer James Vance talks about On the Ropes, the follow-up to his 1985 graphic novel Kings of Disguise, and how his late wife, Omaha the Cat Dancer writer Kate Worley, was part of his decision to do the sequel: "Whenever I would start to get snarky and dismissive about whatever I was doing at the time, she would drag out 'Kings in Disguise' and say, 'You did this and it was good.' So when this opportunity arose, it seemed like something Kate would have wanted me to do." [Tulsa World]

Creators | Troy Little discusses Harvest of Revenge, the sequel to his Eisner-nominated teen story Angora Napkin. [Journal Pioneer]

Retailing | Owner Brad DeRosier shows off some of the more interesting items at his Lansdale, Pennsylvania, vintage comics store Comic Archive, including The Amazing Spider-Man #28, which features the first appearance of Molten Man. [Patch.com]