Legal | The general affairs committee of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly has approved the government's revised amendment to the Youth Healthy Development Ordinance, clearing the way for a vote by the full assembly on Wednesday. The controversial bill would further restrict sexual content in manga, anime and video games. A breakdown of the legislation can be found here. The Mainichi Daily News provides commentary. [Anime News Network]

Legal | In a surprise move, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has decided that the DC superhero- and Wizard of Oz-themed drinking glasses recalled last month because of high lead content aren't children's products and, therefore, not subject to recall. [The Associated Press]

Passings | Bluegrass musician and comic-art collector Don Lineberger, 71, died Dec. 5 after being pulled from a house fire in Valdosta, Georgia. Smoke inhalation is believed to be the cause of death. A banjo player who performed with the likes of Bill Monroe, Glen Campbell and Steve Martin, Lineberger was also known for his extensive collection of EC Comics memorabilia. Posters in this thread at the Collectors Society message board are attempting to compile a list of original EC work likely lost in the fire. [The Valdosta Daily Times]



Publishing | DC Entertainment is looking for an associate art director for its Burbank, Calif.-based digital department, and a direct-sales representative for its New York City-based sales department. [Comix 411]

Conventions | Gwendolyn Ng wraps up Reed Exhibitions' Singapore Toy, Games & Comic Convention, which "appeared 'on track' to meet its target of about 30,000 to 45,000 visitors" for the weekend event. [AsiaOne]

Conventions | Siblings Regina and Mario Carpinelli are planning Comikazee, a comics and pop culture event to be held Nov. 5-6, 2011, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. [Girl Gamer]

Creators | Niki Smith, creator of the digital comic In Maps & Legends, is one of 20 Cuyahoga County, Ohio, artists awarded 2011 Creative Workforce Fellowships by the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture. The one-year, $20,000 fellowships are funded by a cigarette tax. [The Plain Dealer]



Creators | Joe Simon talks about The Kirby and Simon Superheroes, and his legendary partnership with Jack Kirby: "I’m especially proud of having created the romance comics, the most successful line of comics ever produced – each issue of Young Romance and Young Love sold a million copies and up. Those titles took a smaller publisher, Prize Comics, and gave them a huge hit. We were sitting on top with the big boys inside of a year, and they were stealing our ideas in an attempt to copy our success. Jack and I were on the way to see my wife in the hospital, where she had just given birth to our first child. We stopped in a candy store to pick up a card and saw a cluster of girls crowding around the comic book rack for the very first issue of Young Romance. That was when we knew we had a hit. We loved all of the different genres in which we worked, but the romance books hold a special place for me. It’s a shame that so much of the diversity we once had in comics has practically disappeared." [Big Shiny Robot]

Creators | Grant Morrison discusses Batman Incorporated: "I want to do Batman like Othello. I don't mean as beautifully written, but in terms of a proper tragedy about watching someone and seeing things going wrong. It's not going to be who people think it is, I hope, but that's the plan." [USA Today]

Creators | As part of a profile of Louisiana's comics scene, Alex Woodward interviews Chew artist Rob Guillory. [Gambit]

Blogosphere | When Fangirls Attack has come back to life. Meanwhile, WFA founders (and former Robot 6 contributors) Lisa Fortuner and Melissa Krause have launched "a weekend supplement" Dispatches From the Fridge. [When Fangirls Attack]