News came down the wire today that comics and animation writer Dwayne McDuffie had passed away. The news was a shock to me, and an incredibly sad thing to hear. McDuffie's work on Icon and the rest of the Milestone Media characters in the early '90s was incredibly pivotal to me.

While True Blood is of course a bona fide television hit on HBO, and the Charlaine Harris novels the show is based on are huge too, so too is the IDW graphic novel adaptation of the hot property. True Blood fans in Los Angeles are in for a real treat this week when the cast of the hit show will make an appearance at the Barnes & Noble store at The Grove at Farmers Market, 189 Grove Drive. Cast members (including Sam Trammell, Rutina Wesley, Nelsan Ellis, and Deborah Ann Woll will appear to sign volume one of the graphic series, All Together Now.

Like everyone else, we’re big fans of New York City’s Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) around these parts. For the benefit of our East Coast readers, we try to keep you informed of what’s going on at the museum, especially the amazing classes. Beginning February 28, MoCCA will be offering four new classes aimed at comics fans, all of which are organized through its Adult Education Department. Check below for details on all four.

I'm late in reporting this, but there's still plenty of time to enjoy a great exhibit at the New York Public Library on 42nd St. and Fifth Avenue. "Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie, A Tale of Love and Fallout" has been on display at the library since January 14, and it will remain there until April 17. It comes from creator Lauren Redniss and ties in with her recent graphic work of the same name, which tells the story of how the two scientists met and fell in love as well as how they worked on atomic radioactivity research.