Awards | Roz Chast has won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Best Autobiography for her graphic novel Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? Chast's tale of taking care of her parents in their declining years seems to be one of those books that crosses the usual boundaries, winning recognition not only in comics circles but in general book awards such as the Kirkus Awards and the National Book Awards. [Comic Riffs]

Retailing | ICv2 continues its focus on manga with a profile of Boston's Comicopia, where they stock a lot of manga (4,000 volumes) and the staff really understands it. Most of the manga is simply shelved by title, reflecting the fact that readers often cross the target demographics (i.e. a lot of girls read Shonen Jump), but Comicopia also has sections for yaoi, all-ages manga, and "Manga for People that Don't Like Manga." [ICv2]



Creators | Ryan Holmberg writes an obituary for manga creator Yoshihiro Tatsumi that considers his career as a whole, including his works that have not been translated into English. [The Comics Journal]

Creators | Art Spiegelman and Philip Johnson discuss their live show "Wordless!," in which Spiegelman shows images from the wordless graphic novels of Lynd Ward and Franz Masereel, who worked mostly in woodcuts, and Johnson plays music to accompany Spiegelman's commentary. The interview covers not just the graphic novels but movies and and Spiegelman's newfound love of Jack Kirby's romance comics: "I've found that every woman he's ever drawn looks like she could beat me up, which is a great accomplishment." [Vulture]

Creators | James Kochalka discusses his new graphic novel The Glorkian Warrior Eats Adventure Pie. [Bleeding Cool]



Creators | The black history site Black Then profiles legendary cartoonist Jackie Ormes, creator of Torchy Brown. [Black Then]

Retailing | Mike Camp, owner of Heroes and Villains in Tucson, Arizona, says Star Wars comics and other merchandise are the most popular items in his store. [KGUN]

Retailing | This piece about the Bellingham, Washington, store The Comics Place focuses on the two alumni of Western Washington University, who graduated 15 years apart, who work there. [The Western Front]

Conventions | Atlantic City Boardwalk Con is coming in May, with a guest list that will include a number of Marvel writers and artists and the iconic Stan Lee. [Press of Atlantic City]