ICv2 Graphic Novel Conference
The influential pop culture news site ICv2 will once again host its annual Graphic Novel Conference at New York Comic Con on Thursday, February 5, the day before the comic convention opens to the general public. Intended for comic and manga industry professionals, retailers and librarians, the conference will be primarily focused on the business side of graphic novel publishing. The schedule features The centerpiece of the conference will ICv2 CEO Milton Griepp’s annual White Paper on the state of the graphic novel market in 2008 and projections for 2009. The conference will also include an industry summit panel featuring such influential professionals as comics librarian and author Robin Brenner, Marvel president Dan Buckley, Diamond Comics v-p Bill Schanes, Viz Media v-p Liza Copolla and others Pulitzer Prize winning comics legend Art Spiegelman, creator of Maus and In the Shadow of No Towers, will be the conference keynote speaker.

Gaiman's Graveyard Book wins Newbery
Bestselling author, screenwriter and revolutionary comics creator Neil Gaiman, best known for his epic Sandman comics series, has won the Newbery Medal for The Graveyard Book.The Graveyard Book, patterned after Kipling's Jungle Book, is an illustrated collection of stories about a boy growing up in a graveyard and raised by supernatural creatures. The Newbery Medal has been given by the American Library Association since 1922, and is widely held to be the greatest honor awarded to childrens books in English. Gaiman will be the eighty third author to receive the medal.

Online Comics Art Exhibits
Greylock Arts, a Massachusetts art gallery which also curates online exhibitions, is hosting two online exhibits of comics art. .Comics is a collection of web comics chosen and curated by art and comics journalist John Mitchell. The other, collects the Hourly Comics Day 2008 work of the Massachusetts based Trees and Hills Comics Group. Hourly Comics Day is an event in which comic creators are challenged to create a biographical comic documenting, hour by hour, what they did on February 1 of the year in question.

Stinky Wins Geisel Honor
Stinky, a childrens graphic novel by newcomer Eleanor Davis and published by Toon Books, has been selected as one of the 2009 American Library Association’s Theodor Suess Geisel Honor winners. Stinky is the tale of a young monster who lives in a swamp and learns to accept friendship. The Geisel Award and the Geisel Honors are awarded annually to authors and illustrators of the year's best books in English for beginning readers. Toon Books is a new line of graphic novels for young children started in 2008 by Francoise Mouly and Art Spiegelman.

Yatterman Premiers at NYCC
Japanese fan favorite director Takashi Miike (Iichi the Killer, Audition) will be appearing in person at the 2009 New York Comic Con to present the world premiere of his new movie Yatterman alongside the movie's star Sho Sakurai. NYCC attendees will see the live action giant robot movie at the convention, despite the fact that Yatterman will not be released in Japan until March. Yatterman is based on Tatsuo Yoshida's classic anime about two teenagers who use their high-tech toy store to cover their masked superhero identities. A limited number of free tickets to the world premiere will be available at the Nikkatsu booth at New York Comic Con on Friday, February 6, and the first screening will be shown at 8 p.m. that night at the New York Directors Guild Theater, at 110 West 57th Street. A free encore presentation open to all NYCC attendees will be presented at the con's IGN Theater on Saturday, February 7, at 8:30 p.m.

Watchman Tie-in Hits Second Printing
Watchmen: The Film Companion, a book that will not go on sale until February 10, has already gone into its second printing in both hardback and paperback editions due to overwhelming demand. The book is based on upcoming movie adaptation of the bestselling graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Watchmen, the movie, will not be released in theaters until March 6.

Golden, Texeira Tabbed GoH at NYCC
Comics creator Michael Golden and painter and comic artist Mark Texeira will be joining the list of Guests of Honor for the 2009 New York Comic Con. A veteran comics artist, Golden was co-creator of the X-Men character Rogue, Bucky O'Hare, and Spartan X, among others. A fine art painter, Texiera is particularly known for his work on Ghost Rider and Moon Knight. The 2009 New York Comic Con will be held from February 6-8 at New York's Javits Convention Center.

NPR Reviews Buffy Comic
NPR's Laurel Maury reviews Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer vol. 3: Wolves at the Gate. The collection is part of Whedon's “Season 8” of Buffy comics from Dark Horse that pick up where the seventh and final season of the popular television show left off.

2008 Election Campaign in Comics
Michael Crowley, senior editor at The New Republic and coauthor, along with artist Dan Goldman, of 08: A Graphic Diary of the Campaign Trail, a new work of graphic nonfiction that documents the past election, is making the rounds of the media to promote the book. The book is out this month from Three Rivers Press. Crowley was a guest on the TV show Morning Joe and discusses the making of the book. And both Goldman and Crowley appear on NY 1 with City Hall reporter Dominic Carter to discuss the book. .