Creators | A U.K. researcher argues that Marie Duval was the real creative force behind the wildly popular 19th-century British comic Ally Sloper, which is largely credited to her husband Charles Ross. Duval, the pen name of French cartoonist Emilie de Tessier, drew the character at the height of his popularity in the 1860s and '70s, but historian David Kunzle now questions what role Ross actually played in his creation. [The Guardian]

Commentary | Chase Magnett pushes back on Chris Suellentrop's statement, made in a column about GamerGate, that comics are "a medium that has never outgrown its reputation for power fantasies and is only very occasionally marked by transcendent work (Maus, or the books of Chris Ware) that demands that the rest of the culture pay attention to it." [Comicbook.com]

Comics | Sarah McIntyre chronicles her experiences making a 24-hour comic at the Lakes International Comics Festival last week. [Jabberworks]



Creators | Michael Cavna talks with Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher and Babs Tarr, the new creative team on Batgirl, about the comic's new look and direction. [Comic Riffs]

Creators | MAD Magazine editors John Ficarra and Nick Meglin reminisce about working with Don Martin on the eve of the release of MAD’s Greatest Artists: Don Martin: Three Decades of His Greatest Works. [Comics Grinder]

Creators | Darryl Cunningham makes nonfiction comics about complex subjects — his latest is on the factors behind the 2008 banking crash — but he still applies the basic principles of cartooning to his work. [Waterstones Blog]

Creators | Jim Woodring talks about his hallucinations and his work. [NPR]

Creators | Robin McConnell and Brandon Graham chat with Simon Hanselmann, Michael DeForge and Patrick Kyle in a panel recorded at the Small Press Expo. [Inkstuds]



Creators | Shawn Kittleson talks about writing DC Comics' Mortal Kombat X digital-first series, which is a companion piece to the video game: "You’ll be able to understand the game independently and the book independently, but when you put them together you’re going to get this really rich take on the MK mythology." Dexter Soy will be doing the art. [Crave Online]

Creators | Todd Luck started drawing College Follies in the 1990s, when he was in college; he printed one issue, then set it aside until last year, when he put it on comiXology. He talks about the economics of print vs. digital, and how comiXology made it possible for him reach a wider audience. [Camel City Dispatch]

Graphic novels | The Ypsilanti, Michigan, District Library is putting together a collection of graphic novels on health issues, based on recommendations from the Graphic Medicine website, and they are kicking it off with a talk by MK Czerwiec, who blogs as Comic Nurse. [The Ypsilanti Courier]

Conventions | Lexie Houghtaling covers the Bakersfield Comic Con, which in seven years has grown from 400 attendees to more than 2,500. "We keep it at a $5 admission, so families can afford it. This is cheaper than going to McDonald’s and getting Happy Meals! It’s a day of fun with actors, artists, and panels," says promoter Steve Wyatt. Next year the con will move to a bigger venue, the local fairgrounds. [Bakersfield Now]

Conventions | Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the country, cosplayers chat about what they like about Vermont Comic-Con. [VPR]