Awards | Witch Hunts: A Graphic History of the Burning Times, written by Rocky Wood and Lisa Morton and illustrated by Greg Chapman, won the Bram Stoker Award for superior achievement in a graphic novel, presented over the weekend by the Horror Writers Association. Winners with a comic-book connection in other categories include Caitlin R. Kiernan (novel, The Drowning Girl), Jonathan Maberry (young-adult novel, Flesh & Bone), and Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard (screenplay, The Cabin in the Woods). [Horror Writers Association]

Graphic novels | Heidi MacDonald looks at Dark Horse's plans to expand its Originals line of creator-owned graphic novels this year; upcoming releases include print editions of Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover's Bandette and Cameron Stewart's Sin Titulo, as well as a new graphic novel, Bad Houses, by Sara Ryan and Carla Speed McNeil. [Publishers Weekly]

Digital comics | Starting with DC Entertainment President Diane Nelson's comment that a million DC comics are downloaded each month, John Jackson Miller makes a rough calculation of the size of the digital comics market: 40 million paid downloads a year. [Comichron]



Creators | Matt Kindt discusses the genesis of the characters and the strange crimes in his new graphic novel Red Handed: "I really just pull most of the characters from people in my real life. The fur-trader character was based on my neighbor's father - who actually was a smuggler -- so I end up pulling real stories from here and there and even personalities. And then it's easy to sort of expand and imagine and daydream what those people and those characters are like. What does a fur-smuggler think about? And what are their regrets when they're older and they've 'made it?'" [MTV Geek]

Creators | Tom Spurgeon talks to James Vance, author of the pioneering graphic novel Kings in Disguise and its sequel On the Ropes, recently released after a 25-year hiatus. [The Comics Reporter]



Comics | The teen-oriented blog ReachOut profiles Archie's first openly gay character, Kevin Keller, and Paul Kupperberg, the writer of the Life with Archie comic (in which Kevin gets married) and the new Kevin Keller novel. [ReachOut]

Creators | Andrew Griffith talks about his evolution from longtime Transformers fan to artist for the IDW Publishing series. [Siebertron]

Creators | Matt Moreci talks about his Hoax Hunters, which he describes as "The X-Files for the reality TV generation." [Previews World]

Comics | "We'd like to become the 'Marvel' comics of the faith market" says Art Ayris, founder and CEO of the Christian comics publisher Kingstone Comics. The company has about 30 writers and artists on staff, and it's hoping to break out to a larger audience with the publication of the graphic novel Eternity, by bestselling novelist Randy Alcorn. [Orlando Sentinel]

Retailing | Retro Rocket Comics in Cambridge, England, aims to be a kid-friendly store, which makes sense given its location across the street from an elementary school. A gun shop had originally been planned for the site, but local officials stepped in and persuaded the business to relocate elsewhere; everyone seems to agree that the comics shop is a better alternative. [The Record]

Cosplay | Cosplay photographer Dan Morrill has some advice for photographers and cosplayers in the wake of the recent cosplay pillow incident at AnimeNEXT. [Comics Forge]