Digital comics | The digital comics publisher Thrillbent has launched its own iPad app, which allows users to read Thrillbent comics and also load in their own comics in PDF, CBR and CBZ formats via Dropbox. [iTunes]

Publishing | Diamond Comic Distributors is dropping the price of its monthly Previews catalog from $4.50 to $3.99 with the January issue (in stores Dec. 24). That, as the company notes, is "the average price of a standard monthly comic book." [PreviewsWorld]

Publishing | Dark Horse plans to publish the historical graphic novel Nanjing: The Burning City, by Ethan Young (Tails). [The Beat]

Creators | Jennifer Holm, writer of both the Babymouse graphic novels and the new picture book The Fourteenth Goldfish, talks about her writing in an interview done in comics format. [A Fuse #8 Production]

Creators | Junko Mizuno was in the United Kingdom last week for the Lakes Comics Festival and another appearance, so Paul Gravett posted a 2013 interview he conducted with her for ArtReview Asia. [Paul Gravett]

Manga | Ryan Holmberg looks at komaga, one of the precursors of gekiga manga. [The Comics Journal]

Graphic novels | Food security expert Evan Fraser has written a graphic novel called #foodcrisis — yep, the title is also the hashtag— about the possible human consequences of projected food shortages. The first three chapters are available online. Fraser, who holds a research chair at the University of Guelph, has also made a webseries, Feeding 9 Billion, on the topic. "I believe it is very important for academics to work to translate their research into forms that can be appreciated and understood by nonspecialists," he said. [Take Part]

Commentary | Noah Berlatsky compares Gary Groth to GamerGate: "Groth was in some ways, and for decades, a one-man rolling #gamergate flashpoint, spitting on cape comics with a seemingly endless supply of saliva, and gleefully enjoying the resulting outrage." But without the sexism and death threats. [The Atlantic]

Retailing | Joe and Sherri Abbulone quit the restaurant business to open up Hero Time Comics in Southgate, Michigan, because that's a more kid-friendly career: "We decided on a career change that was more supportive raising two seven-year olds who love toys and superheroes," says Sherri. [The News-Herald]