ReadersVoice.com has posted an interview with Kazu Kibuishi that delves a bit into the history of Flight and also touches on all of his other projects in the works — Amulet, Copper, and the return of Daisy Kutter.

Wow, has it really been a whole year already? Scott McCloud and his family have finished their Making Comics 50 State Tour, and this Saturday, September 1, everyone is invited to join them at their wrap party at Golden Apple in Los Angeles! The party runs from 4-7 PM, and there will be a Q&A, autographs and FUN.

Visit Golden Apple’s website for the full details.

This short documentary of Hayao Miyazaki during his North American promotional tour for Princess Mononoke in 1999 recently hit YouTube, and in the many snippets of his interviews, he touches on quite a few interesting subjects. His thoughts on sci-fi anime and the importance of creating entertainment for children and future generations are especially interesting.

The documentary has been split into two parts on YouTube, and you can watch them here: Part One and Part Two.

Congratulations are in order for Becky Cloonan, who was recently recognized by the government of Japan for being one of the 19 finalists of the International Manga Award!

The first annual International Manga Award was envisioned by Foreign Minister Taro Aso as a “Nobel Prize for manga” to promote Japanese cultural diplomacy. Out of 146 entries from 26 countries and regions, 19 finalists were selected.

Find out more about the award from Becky’s blog or from the website of the Consulate-General of Japan in New York. Congratulations, Becky!

Sonny Liew has completely revamped his website, which now showcases more of his comics- and illustration- related works. If you’re not familiar with Sonny’s incredible art, now would be a good time to explore his site!

Visit Sonny’s Secret Robot Spy Factory.

For the past year, Michel Gagné has been quietly working on a video game based on his own designs, and it looks absolutely fantastic. It is called Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet, and they are currently seeking a publisher.

View the Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet trailer here.

Steve Hamaker has just posted his first of a series of video podcast/tutorials that focuses on colouring comics in Photoshop, and the opening animation was created by none other than Bannister! Watch the video tutorial on YouTube.

And in the event that you may have missed it, Steve has also started a new webcomic about a couple of zombies working in Corporate America, Still Dead! You can check out the comics at his blog.

Quite a few Flight artists attended the Toronto Comic Arts Festival this year. Thanks again to Chris Butcher for putting together the event. Here are some photos from the event: From Azad Injejikian. And from Raina Telgemeier, who also has a Con report.

Vera Brosgol has just contributed a short comic Aside, “Keeping Occupied,” to Jenn Manley Lee’s fantastic Dicebox serial. Give it a read.

And while you’re there, you should really check out Dicebox if you haven’t already done so. You’ll also find that quite a few of the Pants Pressers (Bill, Dylan, Erika and Vera) have contributed stories and art in the past.

KTVU has posted a video interview with Derek Kirk Kim, where he talks about cartooning and his latest graphic novel with Jesse Hamm, Good as Lily. Accompanying the interview is a slideshow of stills showcasing some of the art seen in the interview.

This weekend (the 18th and 19th), the Toronto Comic Arts Festival returns to Toronto! With special guests like James Jean, Paul Pope, and Canadian power trio Chester Brown, Joe Matt and Seth in attendance this year, TCAF continues to grow in leaps and bounds. Flight will once again have a presence at the festival, along with some of our friends: Bryan Lee O’Malley, Jeff Rowland, rstevens, Paul Rivoche, Michael Cho, Drew Weing and Eleanor Davis… the list goes on and on.

Admission to the festival during the day is totally free, so really, there’s no excuse not to miss this if you’re in the area! This is where you’ll find the various Flight artists, past and present, in attendance this year:

The OwlKids Tent
- Dave Roman
- Raina Telgemeier

Old Victoria College, first floor
- Matthew Forsythe
- Joey Weiser

Old Victoria College, second floor
- Becky Cloonan
- Hope Larson
- and the FLIGHT table, with Vera Brosgol, Azad Injejikian, Johane Matte and Kean Soo.

For full details on the festival and its many events, visit the TCAF website.

This coming Saturday heralds the arrival of Nucleus‘s second ninja gallery show: Ninja Show 2: Revenge of the Ninja! The opening reception will be held on Saturday August 11 from 6-11 PM. There will be a raffle, giveaways, and if you show up dressed as a ninja, you’ll receive 15% off all instore merchandise!

Artists with pieces in the show include (click on the following links for a preview of their gallery pieces): Alex Fuentes, Scott Campbell, Vera Brosgol, Becky Cloonan, Clio Chiang, Israel Sanchez, Jake Parker, Justin Ridge, Kazu Kibuishi, Khang Le, Phil Craven, Rad Sechrist, Chris Appelhans, and many many more.

Tomorrow (Friday the 10th) at noon Pacific time, the DVD “single” of Don Hertzfeldt’s award-winning film, everything will be ok will be available for pre-order! From the Bitter Films website:

the DVD will feature a restored and remastered high def film transfer and a brand new 100+ page archival area of never-before-seen deleted scenes, sketches, production notes, alternate takes, abandoned ideas, embarrassing asides, and all the usual nonsense.

+ All pre-orders will receive a free “everything will be ok” FILM STRIP, clipped from a 35mm print from Don Hertzfeldt’s collection.

There are also more benefits to placing your pre-order, so pop over to the Bitter Films website to find out more, or if you’re reading this and it’s already Friday, head over to the Bitter Films Shop and place your pre-order now!