Although Tokyopop editor Tim Beedle has titled his advice So You Want to Be a Manga-Ka?, his list of considerations is essential reading for any creator who wants to work in comics. Number 6, “You must be collaborative” (where he talks about working with editors and marketing), and number 7, “You must be patient”, are too often overlooked in terms of building a career instead of simply drawing for money.

Tim O’Shea interviews Jeff Parker about humor, drama, and collaboration, discussing both his Marvel and creator-owned comics (The Interman). I wasn’t aware Parker was writing a Fantastic Four/Spider-Man miniseries drawn by Mike Wieringo — sounds terrific!

T Campbell, webcomic pioneer, puts out a Bitpass eulogy. Bitpass was the micropayment provider that was going to make it easier for webcomic creators to make money, allowing small payments to aggregate into larger sums. It was best known for being endorsed by Scott McCloud. Now it’s shutting down.

Ragnell remembers Raquel Ervin, one of the great modern comic characters, and talks about how difficult adult decisions can be.

The San Antonio Express-News has its own comic awards, for some reason. You can view the video podcast or simply read the winners list. It’s very Marvel-centric, with overwhelming love for Daredevil. (Really, if you want to see evidence of why awards shouldn’t represent only a few viewpoints, this list is it.) DC only gets mentioned when 52 wins both Worst Industry Event and Worst Comic Series … and yet Dark Horse won Best Publisher, go figure. So, do you think the Eisners or the Harveys should add a Worst Series category? Might liven things up.