It’s not just the weekend, it’s a long holiday weekend into a whole new year. Have a happy one with a few links to read.

Beau Smith writes a wonderful tribute to his friend and frequent collaborator, Eduardo Barreto.

If you’re tracking the future of digital comics, Appy Entertainment’s Paul O’Connor has an interview with the guy behind Operation Ajax, Daniel Burwen.

The writer Lance Mannion goes to see Tintin. There have been lots of reviews over the internets already, but I’m partial to this one. “In fact, The Adventures of Tintin [is] as good an Indiana Jones movie as Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade. In parts, it’s as thrilling and new as Raiders of the Lost Ark. Throughout, it’s much better than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and a reminder that as great as the young Harrison Ford was what made the movies was the spirit of adventure that infused them, and that spirit was a boy’s (and girl’s) spirit.”

Alex Van Helsing reviews Robert Tinnell and Neil Vokes’ Flesh And Blood graphic novel. “If there were a perfect Hammer Movie that captured the look, feel, the horror and urgent eroticism of the strange universe that tied all the Hammer gothic horrors together, Flesh And Blood may be as close to it as you will ever see.” Now you want it, don’t you?

If you’ve ever asked yourself which artists influenced Howard Chaykin, one of them was J. C. Leyendecker. Leif Peng at Today’s Inspiration has a nice selection.

MTV Geek takes its Star Wars questions about the Knights Of The Old Republic to my pal John Jackson Miller.

Over at Bleeding Cool, Mark Allen Haverty interviews comics historian Peter Sanderson.

I usually shy away from “Best Of” lists, but there’s a lot of good to be found at Bookgasm.

One of Alan Cranis’ best books of 2011 was The Cowboys by Gary Phillips and Brian Hurtt.

J.T. LIndroos loves him a pile of Euro comics.

And Bruce Grossman loves a bunch of comics-related 2011 stuff, including Carl Barks and Kamandi.

And finally since I will always link to a story that involves one or both of The Two Ronnies, here’s a nice piece on Ronnie Corbett. He’s about to be awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Honours.

Now go have a most excellent 2012!