§ That special on Herge and Tintin that aired on PBS is available onGoogle Video until someone catches on. Hurry up and watch.
[Via Lucy Anne]

§ Cartoonist Matthew Diffee has an immense three part interview with New Yorker cartoon editor Robert Mankoff here, here and here. If you ever wanted to win that caption contest, this is the Rosetta Stone.

Bob: It’s a little too manipulative of reality and I think humor shifts sometimes and maybe that’s where it’s going. I mean a lot of the cartoons where people just say what they’re thinking are a little bit like that too, you know? I think they work not because they’re all that clever. It’s just the surprise of someone saying the truth that works for cartoons like that. I personally like a little bit more indirection where there’s just a little bit more of a gag. Not too much more. You know what I mean?


§ CBR has a long interview with Top Cow’s new marketing man, Filip Sablik which offers a fairly frank look at the challenges facing a mainstream company that is not Marvel or DC:

Even with top quality content, the comics marketplace is relatively small and therefore fiercely competitive, which presents Top Cow with the additional challenge of making their message heard. “Too many times in the past, we’ve suffered when we had great content but didn’t get the word out in a timely and effective manner,â€? Sablik said. “We’re a small company compared to DC and Marvel, but our editorial content and production value is second to none. I’d put our artists head to head with any of the fine creators Marvel and DC have working for them, which is one of the reasons we were able to set up our current deal with Marvel. You see Tyler Kirkham on ‘Phoenix: Warsong’ or Mike Choi on ‘X-23′ and there is no doubt these guys are of the same caliber as artists Marvel has on other books.â€?