Passings | Comics journalist and commentator Bhob Stewart died Monday at the age of 76. Stewart kicked off his career in 1953, at the age of 16, by publishing an EC fanzine; the following year, as Carol Tilley documented in a recent talk, he sent a copy to anti-comics crusader Fredric Wertham, along with some tart commentary. Stewart went on to become an influential voice in the conversation about comics; he wrote several books, taught classes at the School for Visual Arts, and curated the first exhibit of comics art in a major American museum. Heidi MacDonald credits him with inventing both Wacky Packages and the term "underground comics." [The Beat]

Editorial cartoons | German cartoonist Burkhard Mohr has apologized for a cartoon depicting Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg with a hooked nose, an image that critics said was reminiscent of Nazi propaganda. The cartoon appeared in the early editions of the Munich newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, but Zuckerberg's face was replaced by an empty hole in later editions. "I'm very sorry about this misunderstanding and any readers' feelings I may have hurt," Mohr said. "Anti-Semitism and racism are ideologies that are totally alien to me" [ABC News]



Creators | Gail Simone, who will be doing a signing today at the Portland, Oregon, comics shop Things From Another World, talks about the Lara Croft comics she is writing for Dark Horse. Simone initially turned down the gig, but after playing the game she changed her mind. [The Oregonian]

Creators | Kate Leth, creator of the webcomic Kate Or Die, talks about writing the Adventure Time graphic novel Seeing Red. [The Mary Sue]

Digital comics | Shaun Huston muses that digital media have brought back an old-fashioned value to comics: disposability. [PopMatters]

Manga | Shoujo, shonen and seinen manga are all popular among non-Japanese readers, but why is no one talking about josei (women's) manga? Khursten Santos reflects on the question from several angles. [Otaku Champloo]



Manga | What are we not seeing? A mysterious insider suggests five manga that should be licensed for American readers. [RocketNews 24]

Publishing | Johanna Draper Carlson critiques a publisher's press release that raises questions it probably didn't intend to. [Comics Worth Reading]

Galleries | Sarah Lawson profiles Charlottesville, Virginia's Telegraph Gallery, which specializes in comics and graphic art. [C-VILLE Weekly]