Kittyhawk (SGVY) joins in on this week’s webcomic and comic news discussion! This last week’s comics news is brought to you by Thomas Revor, Eric Kimball, and Alex Heberling.
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Top Stories
2012 NCS Award Winners
Description: Rosenberg’s Scenes from a Multiverse wins online comic
Original Source: The Beat
Additionally: Fleen
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Buzz
Goodbye impulse buy?
Found via: Comics Alliance
Original Source: Shifty Look
WSJ on Comics: Worst Comic Book Ever!
Found via: Robot 6
Original Source: Wall Street Journal
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Business
NY Comic Con Absorbs NY Anime Con
Found via: Robot 6
Original Source: Comic Book Resources
Claws Are Out for The Eagle Awards
Original Source: The Beat
WETA alum Tim Gibson breaks out with webcomic Moth City
Original Source: Robot 6
Is a new distribution war looming with Digital Exclusives?
Original Source: The Beat
PayPal’s pretty words
Description: In response to a backlash from its customers over the blacklisting of erotic fiction, Anuj Nayar, Director of Communications at PayPal posted a statement that PayPal does not censor erotica.
And then he backtracked his statement to say that Paypal was going to focus on books that contained “obscene images of rape, bestiality or incest” and was going to use the US Supreme Court’s definition of obscenity. Furthermore that things would be done on a product-by-product basis, not by seller account.
Unfortunately, these statements appear not to be the official policy. In Paypal’s acceptable use document they still state that PayPal prohibits the sale of “(f) items that are considered obscene.” It does not mention illegal nature or rape, bestiality, or incest.
A call to Paypal’s Brand Risk Management Department (the department in charge of enforcing the acceptable use policy) muddied the waters futher. The paypal representative stated:
• www.thepaypalblog.com is not part of paypals official corispondence and anything posted there is not company policiy EVEN if it is posted by the president of communication.
• Paypal’s pollicies have not changed and they will ban any account for selling “(f) items that are considered obscene.”
• Brand Risk Management investigator is the sole arbiter of what is considered obscene.
• Any image containing a nude figure is considered obscene not just one with “ rape, bestiality or incest.”
• Specifically Paypal’s Paypal’s Brand Risk Management department defines obscene as anything that could offend. So basically if someone reports your site complaining that they were offended they will shut you down.
• If a seller sells any product that violates the obscenity rules their entire account will be permanently suspending.
Things will not be done on a product by product basis.
These statements are particularly confusing since www.thepaypalblog.com states it is “The Official Place for All Things Paypal” .
In short we have two stories coming out of paypal with two different standards for what is acceptable products and the way violations will be handled. Since the legal documents have not been changed and still contain the broader definition of obscene it seems the official policy is not as Mr. Nayar presents it.
A request for further information was sent to both Nayer and PayPal Brand Risk Management department but they have not replied at the time of this broadcast.
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Education
Sometimes I Think About Reinstating The Comments System
Found via: The Beat
Original Source: Warren Ellis’ Blog
The Shape Of The New Webcomics
Original Source: Warren Ellis’ Blog
NY Times’ analysis of page layout:
Original Source: New York Times
How to Pitch your Comic
Original Source: Bleeding Cool
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Tech
Keeping Your ComiXology Comics (UPDATE)
Original Source: Bleeding Cool
Additionally: Comixology shut down the distributilon of this solution AND tracked everyone who used it
The Problem of Spectrum Crunch
Original Source: Penny Arcade
Interview with Square
Original Source: GiGaOM
Google’s domain land grab
Original Source: Paid Content
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Tidbits
One Million Moms Condemns DC Comics And Marvel Superheroes For Gay Characters
Original Source: Huffington Post
Review time! With Templar, Arizona Vol. 1-4
Original Source: Comic Book Resources
Webcomics missing from Comics: Philosophy & Practice
Original Source: Mtv Geek
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Oddities
The Gotham Street Preacher – Batmanism in Birmingham
Found via: The Beat
Original Source: Oh My Geek Blog
Behold, the violent comics Frank Miller wrote for his high school newspaper
Original Source: i09
Movie and comic characters in historical photos
Found via: The Beat
Original Source: Flickr
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Things that make us cry
Every Day is like Wednesday”>Reactions to Kurtz on the Avengers Movie
Original Source: Every Day is like Wednesday
The ‘Situation’ Comic Gets Real
Original Source: ICv2
Topless bodypaint cosplayer asked to leave Con
Original Source: Bleeding Cool
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