Manga | Next week's issue of the Japanese "Shonen Jump" will announce the impending conclusion of Tite Kubo's fantasy-adventure manga "Bleach." This comes as no surprise to readers, as the nearly 15-year-old series entered its final story arc in 2012. [Anime News Network]



Publishing | Marvel alum Bill Jemas talks about his first year as publisher of comics startup Double Take. There are a lot of interesting nuggets, such as insight on the company's decision to use writers from "The Moth" (the storytelling radio program): "I don’t think we could have launched with any success without The Moth writers. We had fun, kinetic-looking stories, for the most part and didn’t really have A-level dialogue. Mostly what we got from the writers was characters talking about what the artist had already drawn. So people walk into the room and turn to the light, and the conversation is 'Hey, where’s the light switch? It’s dark in here.' That kind of horrible, wincey-type dialogue. And then these really fun narratives from The Moth guys got us a soundtrack to go with some nice visuals." Interestingly, Jemas has identified the 12-18 age group as the "sweet spot" of the market, and he has some interesting insights into that: It's OK to show all kinds of violence, and nudity except for "the exact naughty bits," but everyone freaks out if you show people smoking weed. [ICv2]

Passings | Fred Wagner, who drew the newspaper comic "Grin and Bear It" until 2015, and whose work on "Animal Crackers" will continue to appear until later this year, has died of pancreatic cancer. He was 74. Wagner studied at the Memphis Academy of Art, and while he was a cartoonist for the Orlando Sentinel in addition to his syndicated work, painting was his first love. [Orlando Sentinel]



Publishing | David Steinberger came to New York to be a singer and wound up founding comiXology instead. [Crain's Houston]

Creators | Lucy Knisley talks about "Something New," the story of her wedding: "Marriage is the greatest experiment of your life," she said, "so I try to tell the story of this process." [Comic Riffs]

Creators | Lisa Hanawalt discusses her comics, her sense of humor, and her latest book, "Hot Dog Taste Test." [Rookie]

Creators | Chattanooga, Tennessee-based creators Tara Harris and Ali Burke talk about their post-apocalyptic graphic novel "Arro," which is set partly in their hometown. Their Kickstarter campaign to fund the comic has reached its goal and is heading toward the stretch goals. [Nooga.com]

Graphic Novels | The AV Club has a roundtable discussion on the significance of Raina Telgemeier's "Smile" and the way it has changed the industry. [AV Club]

Comics | There's a petition on the internet to save the endangered language of the Smurfs. [Forbidden Planet]