Publishing | Egmont Publishing House has issued a warning to Danish readers that last week's issue of Donald Duck & Co. (Anders And & Co.) includes a fingerprinting set that contains a toxic iron-based powder. The publisher is recalling all unsold issues, and has advised parents to immediately throw out the fingerprinting set. [The Copenhagen Post]

Publishing | Tokyopop announced Wednesday in a webcast that seven series that were placed on hiatus last year during the company's restructuring will resume publication in mid-2010. The publisher also will add several new titles to its lineup. [About.com]

Publishing | First Second's Calista Brill offers her perspective on what an editor is and isn't. [Doodles and Dailies]

Webcomics | Sean Kleefeld critiques the Zuda Comics interface, and points to "a larger problem with using Flash to deliver web comics." [Kleefeld on Comics]



Digital comics | Archie Comics trumpets that its Freshman Year #1 is "the most-downloaded comic in iTunes history."  [press release]

Sales charts | The seventh volume of Matsuri Hino's Vampire Knight was the No. 1 graphic novel in bookstores in August, leading a Nielsen BookScan list that featured 11 manga in its Top 20. Viz Media held eight of those 20 spots, followed by DC/Vertigo with five and Tokyopop with three. [ICv2.com]

Events | The Decatur Book Festival, which kicks off Friday in downtown Decatur, Georgia, will feature comics-related programming, including a writer's workshop by Chris Schweizer (Crogan's Vengeance), a minicomics panel, and a slideshow by Keith Knight (The K Chronicles) focusing on race, censorship, politics and the media. The Temple of Cartoon Mojo spotlights the comics schedule. [Decatur Book Festival]



Organizations | The Hero Initiative is among the charities that can benefit from the Ralphs supermarket chain's Ralphs Rewards card. Jim McLauchlin provides details on how your purchases can help the comics-industry group. [The Hero Initiative]

Retailing | Blogger Alan David Doane responds to retailer Ilan Strasser's grim assessment of the effects of Marvel and DC's policies on the direct market: "As much of a critic as I am of the policies of corporate comics publishers Marvel and DC, I have to call bullshit on Strasser here. He is asking the "Big Two" to change their policies so he can continue to operate his business as he always has, when in fact, it is the responsibility of the retailer and the retailer alone to adjust to changing market forces in his or her own retail establishment. In other words, if Marvel and DC believe what they are doing is working (and in the case of Marvel, clearly Disney, at least, believes it's four billion dollars worth of working), then they have no obligation to change their policies." [The ADD Blog]

Retailing | In sunnier direct-market news, Time Warp Comics and Games in Boulder, Colorado, is marking its 25th anniversary with a monthlong celebration. [Daily Camera]



Creators | Chris Marshall posts a podcast interview with Terry Moore. [Collected Comics Library]

Creators | Tucker Stone highlights five artists who are doing quality work at Marvel and DC Comics. [Comixology]

Fandom | U.K. readers voted Batman as the greatest superhero ever in a poll conducted by SFX magazine. The publication's website breaks down the Top 50. [Herald Sun]

Fandom | Can't some characters just stay dead? [iFanboy]