Editorial cartoons | Ahmad Akkari, one of the leaders of the protests in 2006 against the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad published by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, now says he regrets his activities and has even apologized in person to one of the cartoonists, Kurt Westergaard. "I want to be clear today about the trip: It was totally wrong," Akkari said in an interview with The Associated Press. "At that time, I was so fascinated with this logical force in the Islamic mindset that I could not see the greater picture. I was convinced it was a fight for my faith, Islam." [The Guardian]

Passings | The body of Ramen Fighter Miki creator Jun Sadogawa (real name Mutsumi Kawato) was discovered early Tuesday hanging from a tree in a park in Ibaraki Prefecture's Kitasōma District. According to police, evidence at the scene suggested suicide. The 34-year-old manga creator had been serializing Amane Atatameru in Weekly Shonen Champion magazine at the time of his death. [Anime News Network]

Passings | Bob Stuart, editorial cartoonist for the Santa Fe New Mexican and several Texas newspapers, has died at the age of 81. [Austin American-Statesman]

Conventions | The Bucheon International Comics Festival opened today in Bucheon, South Korea. Guests will include Jean-Marc Rochette and Benjamin Legrand, creators of the French graphic novel Le Transperceneige, and director Bong Joon-hoo, who made it into a movie, Snowpiercer. [Global Post]

Creators | Georgia Rep. John Lewis talks about his lifelong love of comics, and the comic that inspired him to pursue the path of nonviolence during the turbulent civil rights struggle; the first part of his memoir, March, is out this week. [Comic Riffs]

Creators | Writer Jim McCarthy and artist Brian Williamson discuss their new graphic novel Gabba Gabba Hey: The Graphic Story of the Ramones. [The New York Times]

Creators | Richard Gehr interviews The New Yorker cartoonist George Booth. [The Comics Journal]

Publishing | Annie Koyama of Koyama Press discusses how she got into the comics business and what makes Koyama Press special, and she also has some advice for retailers: "Please order books from places other than Diamond! You’re missing out on so many good books. From Koyama Press alone, Diamond doesn’t even carry the two Eisner nominated books, LOSE #4 by Michael DeForge and The Infinite Wait & Other Stories by Julia Wertz. What the hell!!! Even from a purely commercial point, you are missing sales here." [Sequential Highway]

Digital comics | Justin Stroman has an exhaustive list, with details and links, of all the places you can legally read digital manga. [Organization ASG]

Digital comics | Meanwhile, Johanna Draper Carlson takes a look at a couple of DC's digital-first comics, with an eye toward value and content — and the possible audience. [Comics Worth Reading]

Retailing | Captain Bengal's Comic Cove of Pocatello, Idaho, is unusual in that its owner, Bob Beason, is also a creator: He makes his own self-published comics and his work has been featured in Wizard magazine and in Idaho newspapers. The store recently moved to its own space; before that, it was a display of comics in a local art store. [Idaho State Journal]