SPX

Conventions | Executive director Warren Bernard said attendance at this year’s Small Press Expo in Bethesda, Maryland, was up 10 to 15 percent, with exhibitors reporting strong sales and many sell-outs. “A great line-up of new material was partially responsible, but the region itself is also a factor — the economy around metro DC has remained relatively stable even in the recession, and a lot of people with good jobs seem to save up their money for the whole year just to spend at SPX,” reported Publishers Weekly’s Heidi MacDonald and Calvin Reid. Because of the growth, next year the show will move to a bigger room with about 50 percent more space. Daniel Clowes and Chris Ware scheduled to attend. [Publishers Weekly]

Organizations | The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, meanwhile, reports that it raised $12,500 at SPX, thanks to efforts like the Jeff Alexander Memorial Benefit auction and fundraising activities involving Craig Thompson, Roz Chast and Sara Varon. [press release]

Michael George

Legal | Instructions and opening statements are expected today in the second trial of former comics retailer Michael George, charged with first-degree murder in the 1990 shooting death of his first wife Barbara in their Clinton Township, Michigan, comic store. The five-day jury selection process wrapped up Tuesday. George, 51, was convicted in 2008, but a judge set aside the conviction, citing prosecutorial misconduct and the emergence of new evidence. [The Detroit News]

Sales charts | John Jackson Miller, who yesterday posted commentary on comic and graphic novel sales in August, has additional information about sales of Justice League #1 thus far. He notes that North American orders for the book came in at 186,000 — a figure that only includes preorders Diamond Comic Distributors actually shipped to North America for sale on Aug. 31. It does not include orders for the United Kingdom or late-placed pre-orders that couldn’t be filled until September. He also notes that many of the best-selling comics of this century continued to sell for months, not weeks, “with the best seller of the 2000s, the Obama Spider-Man issue, getting nearly half its sales in the second month with a later printing,” Miller writes. “A report on a single day’s sales should be regarded like the opening day of a film: illustrative of enthusiasm, but on its own just a portion of the picture.” [Comichron]

Jack Kirby Museum

Organizations | The Jack Kirby Museum and Research Center, which has existed as a virtual organization since 2005, is looking for a temporary physical location in New York City’s Lower East Side, in addition to funding to pay for it. They plan to display original artwork and Kirby artifacts, and feature prominent guest speakers and educational programs. Ultimately organizers hope to have a permanent location. [Kirby Museum]

Organizations | The Hero Initiative reminds California residents that if they designated the organization as the beneficiary of supermarket chain Ralph’s reward-card program, which allows users to select a charity that Ralph’s will donate money to whenever the card is used, it’s time to re-register your card. Ralph’s wipes the slate clean every September. [Hero Initiative]

Retailing | CNN’s Geek Out! blog talks to Zack Overton, a clerk at Atlanta’s Oxford Comics, about DC’s “New 52″ relaunch, Marvel’s counter programming, digital comics and the store’s outlook for the rest of the year. [CNN Geek Out]

To highlight the New Chicago Comics exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art, NBC Chicago ran the above segment, which features creators Jeffrey Brown and Paul Hornschemeier talking about their work. The exhibit features their work, as well as that of Lilli Carré and Anders Nilsen.

Via Flog

Legal

Legal | A former middle-school teacher in Idaho has pleaded guilty to possession of obscene visual depictions of the sexual abuse of children for downloading 70 cartoon images of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Many of the images depicted characters from The Simpsons. Boise resident Steve Kutzner, 33, faces up to 10 years in federal prison, supervised release of up to three years, a maximum fine of $250,000 and … a special assessment of $100. Sentencing is set for Jan. 5. [Idaho Statesman, press release]

New York Comic Con | Tom Spurgeon settles in for a lengthy, bulleted look at the news and announcements from last weekend’s big convention. Gareth-Michael Skarka, meanwhile, offers commentary on the digital-comics arena. [The Comics Reporter, The Designer Monologues]

New York Comic Con | Ruth La Ferla uses the convention as a chance to look at the intersection of comic books and fashion, spotlighting both cosplayers and noted designers. [The New York Times]

Midtown Comics

Retailing | Chuck O’Donnell profiles Gerry Gladston, co-owner of Midtown Comics in New York City, and notes a third location will open on Nov. 3 near Wall Street. [NorthJersey.com]

Retailing | Elizabeth City, North Carolina, comics store Earth 383 will celebrate its eighth anniversary on Saturday with game tournaments, a sale and a cookout. [The Daily Advance]

Events | Two looks at “LitGraphic: The World of the Graphic Novel,” an exhibit running through Jan. 30 at the James A. Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. [The Morning Call, CentralJersey.com]

Lynda Barry

Creators | Lynda Barry is interviewed ahead of her appearance this weekend at the Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival. [Straight.com]

Creators | Eva Volin posts a video interview with Terry Moore from New York Comic Con. [Good Comics for Kids]

Creators | Hideous Energy posts a podcast interview with Alex Robinson. [Hideous Energy]

Creators | Bestselling author Diana Gabaldon discusses her wildly popular Outlander series, and the spinoff graphic novel The Exile. [Charleston Daily Mail]

Comics | The copy of Superman #703 in the photo accompanying this brief article about the Man of Steel’s visit to Cincinnati bears a $7.99 price tag. The issue, which was released just yesterday, has a $2.99 cover price. Crazy. [Kentucky Post]

Filled with them, from floor to ceiling, all in alphabetic order, to simply remove from the shelves and read to your heart’s content. Books all the way back from the 1940’s, comics you can only see in reprints or expensive collections, and no one scolds you for daring to get your fingers on something expensive or for reading for too long. Some magical school where you can read comics from 10am until 6pm (admissions close at 5:30).

I have seen the future and, unsurprisingly, it’s in Japan. My tens of readers (Hi Mom!) might have noticed a short absence from my musing duties here at The Fifth Color, and I am proud to report to you that I took a short trip to the Land of the Rising Sun, mostly to get rid of some of that fat Comic Shop Employee cash you just get laying about from selling comics all day. Secondly, to enjoy the adventure of traveling somewhere that wasn’t the San Diego Comic Con, to live where hot dogs are for breakfast and waffles are a dinner dessert. To see the great green expanses, to marvel at historical landmarks and to fly at 150mph on a bullet train. To have a public toilet entertain me with music.

When the Kyoto International Manga Museum was but a short walk from my hotel, there was no way I could resist.

You might miss it a couple times when walking by or have to squint and take out your map just to make sure, but some orange-colored flags help you confirm that this is the museum you are looking for; it blends in so well because the grounds started as an elementary school. The Tatsuike Primary School was founded three years before the modern Japanese education system, opening its doors in November 1869 (the second year of the Meiji Period for those playing at home). Created from the donations of the community, it makes sense that this building would later be converted into a public museum to continue to give back to the people.

Heading inside, past the adorable Museum Cafe where manga artists have scribbled signatures and artwork on the walls, you’re hit with the gift shop. Okay, then after that is the Manga Expo, celebrating “manga around the world.” Shelves of translated works from across the globe are carefully arranged to show what One Piece would look like in French or Korean. They do also showcase a small sampling of other countries forays into manga so Mr. Bendis? Congratulations, you’re museum worthy.

After this comes live demos from artists or a little workshop for hands-on displays (since I went during their salute to model kits, dolls and pop sculpture, the workshop was for painting models). There are some great displays regarding the school and its history, how classes were taught and the illustrious principals that led the school when it was active.

Now you’re going to have to trust me because there was a certain point at the Manga Museum where cameras were not allowed. There is a hallway of drawings of maiko-san (a sort of apprentice Geisha) by 174 different manga artists. As you might already know, copyright issues are rather important in Japan right now so from this point I didn’t get a lot of photos in but each of these very humble little drawings was fascinating. A friend of mine keeps a Flash convention sketchbook, taking it with him to cons and getting his favorite artists to draw their version of the Speedster. I figure if you take that, frame each and every one then line the walls with them, there would be a sense of the two floors of maiko illustrations.

Keep in mind, the manga doesn’t stop. It starts with the Expo then keeps going, cataloging titles alphabetically and by genre. Three floors of a district school of manga books, some donated from personal libraries, others by former shop keepers. Plus, there’s a kids’ library (looking much like your public library’s carpeted jungle), a section that’s specifically organized by year and research libraries I couldn’t even get into. Nearly 500,000 manga books with no velvet rope, no limit and an open invitation. People casually sitting the halls on little chairs, on steps with a stack of manga books next to them, mothers and sons, all reading. Most of the museums I’ve been to aren’t big on the “Hey, put your hands all over this!” theory of education, but most libraries allow you to check books out and take them home. Most likely to be lost by Yours Truly. So this whole building is a mix of both, educational and informative without being austere or too reverent.

Which makes my favorite part even more interesting. Again, I wish they’d allowed cameras because in the center of the second floor is the Main Exhibition Room, which according to the brochure handed at the door, answers all your questions: “‘How is manga made?’ ‘Is manga the same as animation?’ ‘Are manga artists rich?’ We will answer various questions related to manga happily and seriously. The huge book shelf in which selected classic manga books are displayed in rows is a must-see!” Personally, I think the must-see is the display itself. Blessedly in English, it’s an honest and … well, there’s no other way to put it: a museum quality exhibit on illustrated stories and how they are an integral part of popular culture. See? I can’t even do it! I have to say ‘illustrated stories’, where in Japan, they straight out call it what it is: manga. Comics. There is no forced enthusiasm or shameful rewording of what we’re all here to see: the comics.

While elements of Japanese Manga expression have been found in picture scrolls produced in the Heian period (794-1192 for those playing at home), the exhibit takes a strong stance on manga being fully realized at the point of modern printing, where the stories and pictures were made available in mass to the public. From there they show how manga not only grew as time passed, but how people grew with the manga as well, showing what types of books are read as the readers grew up. They did indeed explain the process of publishing and printing in their ‘Are Manga Artists Rich?’ display, they touched on elements in artwork that make the manga style distinct (speed lines, sound effects, etc.), how manga made up certain types of animation techniques (watch the Powerpuff Girls) and how manga is produced in other countries.

Proudly standing in for the USA in the sections relating to cost effectiveness was an Absolute Watchmen and in the section regarding page count were issues of the Incredible Hulk and Legion of Super-Heroes. They talked about cosplay, video games and other marketing tie-ins, even dōjinshi, and its effect on the manga culture. The display admitted that dōjinshi was indeed a double edged sword, that a lot of work could be used to make money with the originator of the property never seeing a cent from their hard work. They also said that a lot of manga artists catch the public eye and go on to be great creators of their own work by starting in dōjinshi. And, what stuck with me the most was the displayed idea that, while pirating manga is illegal, those pirated works are all that some overseas audiences can get. Once a property or title is taken across to the international market, sometimes those pirated books have helped pave the way for Japanese manga to gain acceptance in foreign markets.

I could write about the Kyoto International Manga Museum for hours… and someone did because that place is full of information and analysis I only hope we could get to here in the United States. Maybe there is; maybe Scott McCloud has finally opened his “Understanding Comics Museum” and we’re all invited. More importantly, maybe it’s not there at all and we have to start taking the books over the shelves, learning for ourselves and teaching others how wonderful the comic medium really is.

Wizard World Chicago Comic Con

Conventions | Wizard World Chicago Comic Con drew a lot of attention from mainstream media for the appearance on Saturday of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who charged $80 for photos and $50 for autographs (more than Star Trek: Deep Space Nine star Avery Brooks, the Chicago Sun-Times points out, but less than William Shatner). Blagojevich, who was convicted last week of lying to the FBI, told Fox News he didn’t receive an appearance fee, and that the event wasn’t all that lucrative for him: “I didn’t really get any money from any of the photos I took, because I took probably hundreds of them and couldn’t bother to ask anybody for any money for that. Those were free. I did sign some signatures. I was there because I was invited at the last minute by the promoters, and it was an opportunity to get out there among the people.”

For non-Blagojevich convention news, turn to Maggie Thompson, who posted daily coverage (noting the event was well-attended, with a lot of first-time attendees), and Rich Johnston, who rolled out video after video. Time Out Chicago has a report from the floor, as well as photo galleries from Friday and Saturday. [Wizard World Chicago Comic Con]

Manga | Critics in Denmark are calling for an exhibit of manga at the Kunsthallen Brandts media museum to be banned “for depicting children in an overtly [sexual] manner.” [The Copenhagen Post]

Friends of Lulu

Awards | Today is the last day to submit nominations for the Friends of Lulu Awards. [Occasional Superheroine]

Publishing | David Brothers talks to representatives from Dark Horse, Tokyopop and Vertical Inc. about the state of the manga industry in the United States, focusing on the economy, piracy and digital distribution. [Comics Alliance]

Retailing | Melissa Dex Guzman pens a tribute to Vancouver’s The Comic Shop, which is moving locations, and to direct-market stores in general. [Beyond Robson]

Creators | Tony Harris is profiled by his hometown newspaper. [Macon Telegraph]

Creators | Brendan Wright talks at length with Stumptown artist Matthew Southworth about his theater background, his early comics work, and collaborating with Greg Rucka on the Oni Press series. [The Wright Opinion]

Dark Rain

Creators | Mat Johnson and Simon Gane discuss their new Vertigo graphic novel Dark Rain: A New Orleans Story, which debuts this week. “When I first read the full script, I was gripped, moved, I laughed at points, and felt choked at others,” Gane said. “I think I was most struck by Mat’s dialogue and the chemistry between his characters and also how passionately he felt about those subjects — that’s inspirational to me as his collaborator.” Gane walks through his process on the Vertigo blog; The Huffington Post has a preview. [News & Observer]

Creators | D.J. Kirkbride, editor of Popgun, Vol. 3, is briefly profiled. [The Columbus Dispatch]

Comics | Tom Spurgeon, with assistance from his readers, takes a first run 25 comics that were emblematic of the 1970s. [The Comics Reporter]

Ex Machina #50

Comics | Joe Vince marks the end of Ex Machina, by Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris, with a list of six reasons he would vote for Mitchell Hundred as mayor. [OC Weekly]

Comics | Steve Miller spotlights Chew, by John Layman and Rob Guillory, as it makes its initial moves toward television. [The Boston Phoenix]

Comic strips | Antonia Zerbisias rounds up feminist reactions to the end of Cathy Guisewite’s 34-year-old comic strip Cathy. [Toronto Star]

Manga | A 12-year-old girl from Los Angeles was the millionth visitor to the Kyoto International Manga Museum in Japan, which opened in November 2006. [The Mainichi Daily News]

Pop culture | Eric McKean looks at the popularity of the Incredible Hulk persona — DrunkHulk, LonelyHulk, BuddhistHulk, etcc. — and “Hulkspeak” on Twitter: “Short simple structures, use of ellipsis, and nonstandard capitalization: These are the very same characteristics that researchers have found to be typical of text messages, making Hulk a great fit for Twitter’s 140-character limit.” [The Boston Globe]

The Snoopy license plate

The California Association of Museums has launched a campaign to have a Snoopy drawing by Charles Schulz appear on a special California license plate. Proceeds from sales of the plates would establish a sustainable grant program to support state museums.

But for that to happen, at least 7,500 California drivers have to register interest in a Snoopy plate. Once there are enough interested Peanuts fans, the state will begin collecting a $50 fee from those who want the plate (more if you want it personalized). Curiously, The Snoopy Plate website doesn’t seem to list a deadline for registration.

The Snoopy plate is being made possible by Jean Schulz, the Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates and United Media Licensing, who are granting royalty-free rights to the California Association of Museums.

Smokey Stover's automobile

… is to see Smokey Stover’s car, apparently built by creator Bill Homan hisself.

Anyone else out there doing something similar? Let us know.