Manga | The shoujo manga magazine Nakayoshi will announce this week that the manga collaborative CLAMP will produce a sequel to their classic series Cardcaptor Sakura. It's been 20 years since CLAMP launched the original series, which was one of the first shoujo manga to become popular in North America. The sequel will follow the title character, Sakura, in her first year of junior high school. [Anime News Network]
Awards | The finalists have been announced for the 2016 Hugo Awards, which are intended to honor the best in science fiction but have been wracked with controversy for the past few years. Two groups, the Sad Puppies and the Rabid Puppies, have pushed for their own slates to be nominated. Last year, those slates dominated, but voters chose "no award" in several categories rather than allowing a Puppy choice to win. The Puppies are back this year, and as John Scalzi explains, their strategy has shifted a bit. Controversies aside, the nominees in the Best Graphic Story category are The Divine, by Boaz Lavie, Asaf Hanuka and Tomer Hanuka; Erin Dies Alone, by Grey Carter and Cory Rydell; Full Frontal Nerdity, by Aaron Williams; Invisible Republic, Vol. 1, by Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman; and The Sandman: Overture, by Neil Gaiman and JH Williams III. [The Guardian]
Legal | Iranian cartoonist Hadi Heidari has been released from prison. Heidari was arrested in November, shortly after he published a cartoon expressing sympathy with the victims of the Paris attacks. His image of a weeping man with the Eiffel Tower as his nose quickly went viral. He announced his release Tuesday on Instagram with a cartoon and the statement, "Hello to freedom! By the grace of God, I was released from Evin Prison tonight after serving time. Thank you all for the kindness. I am extremely grateful to all my friends who supported me and my family during this time. Thank you. I hope I am worthy of your kindness." [Global Voices Online]
Creators | JumpStart creator Robb Armstrong talks about his new memoir, Fearless: A Cartoonist's Guide to Life. [Ebony]
Creators | Hazel Newlevant, who wrote a story about Prince's collaborators Wendy & Lisa as part of her graphic novella If This Be Sin, goes into more depth about that story in an article illustrated with excerpts from the comic. [The Wire]
Creators | Mariko Tamaki answers questions from her fellow Canadian authors. [CBC]
Creators | Simon Hanselmann talks about the overlap between his life and his comics. [i-D]
Manga | Gregory Smith reviews Casey Brienza's Manga in America, a history of the medium and a look at how it is localized for English-language readers. [Pop Matters]
Conventions | I went to Kids Comic Con in The Bronx last weekend, and chatted with organizer Alexander Simmons, who has been running the show for 10 years. [Publishers Weekly]