§ Two from Inkstuds: Audio of Kevin Huizenga and Jim Rugg talking to Frank Santoro at PIX in Pittsburgh.

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AND Robin McConnell‘s trip report, part 1, has visits with Al Columbia, Steve Bissette, and Jen Vaughn. Full of pictures of smiling cartooners! Above, Vaughn and Columbia.

§ Links from Comics Comics, scene of a fascinating culture clash. Comments at the infamous post where Tim Hodler outed the Onion reviewer who reviewed a book that never came out, has now been filled with immigrants from the A.V. Club Peanut Gallery. The result — measured, intelligent people attempting to interact with message board mobs — is the most entertaining train wreck since The Fugitive,

§ Not comics but it affects comics economics: Graeme McMillan wonders What Was Wrong With 2010′s Movies?

This year looks set to be the first in four years not to break records in terms of box office receipts, despite price hikes for IMAX and 3D movies. How did this happen – and what can be done to make sure it doesn’t happen again next year?

§ The Secret Acres crew reports from BCGF.

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§ As does D&Q’s Chris Oliveros. With lots of pictures! Above, Lynda Barry with a fan-made Sock Monkey.

§ Roland Kelts looks at the difficulty foreign comics material has getting accepted in Japan and the success Felipe Smith has had at the nearly impossible.

When she surveyed the US comics industry, she found plenty of diversity: Titles by non-American artists are commonplace on the shelves and at conventions, and numerous non-native born artists and employees work for US publishers. So why not create a similar scenario in Japan?

It hasn’t been easy. The language barrier, Shiina says, is huge, “much bigger than I thought.”  In addition, the domestic manga business is strongly driven by fads and trends with rapid turnover. The Internet may provide the illusion of greater proximity and transparency for overseas fans and aspiring artists, but so-called ‘trend spotting’ from thousands of miles away doesn’t really cut it.

§ Interview: Laura Hudson chats with Nicholas Gurewitch, who is off doing other things now:

NG: It might have been a combination of wanting to distance myself from the internet and wanting to distance myself from the solitude of making comics. It can be a very quiet and lonely activity. I think the thing I do most lately that makes me feel alive is working with people on films. I’m working on a Western [movie] right now with a couple of my friends. It’s kind of fantastical, and we’re shooting on actual film stock. It’s so much work and it’s a headache in every way, but it also has this wonderfully tangible, material environment I can immerse myself in. We do a lot of hand-painted sets and a lot of model making. I get to see these things grow, with friends, which is kind of what I need right now.

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§ Celebrity of the day: Chicago Bear Lance Briggs is not afraid to be seen reading comics.

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