So, anything weird happen this week? Oh that! As you well know, Paul Levitz has stepped down from DC Comics, the company’s now called DC Entertainment and Paul’s going to be writing comics again. You don’t need me to link to any of that, it’s all over the news. But my favorite bit of speculation comes from Rich Johnston over at Bleeding Cool. He ponders the future of the direct market now that one of its major champions - and strong retailer advocates - has stepped down.

David Small: My old pal Tom Heintjes is the editor and guiding hand behind Hogan’s Alley, one of the best magazines about comics published today. In between issues, he regularly posts content on the internet and sends out email newsletters to subscribers. The latest newsletter has a terrific interview with David Small discussing his graphic novel Stitches.

Gus Grimly: The gothic-themed children’s illustrator is working on an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and he’s got a blog documenting his process and progress. It’s a must-read because he talks about how he works and even better, shows off some of that work. Great stuff.
(thanks, Frankensteinia)

Shel Silverstein and Paul Krassner: Krassner’s putting issues of The Realist online and this one’s got an “impolite” interview with Shel Silverstein, from issue #28, August 1961. Most people think of him as the author of those quirky children’s books like Where The Sidewalk Ends, but there’s a lot more to him than that as the interview makes plainly obvious.

Fishhook Girl: Don’t mess with Fishhook Girl. Don’t even think about it. She’ll mess you up and turn you into bait or chum. But wouldn’t you want to read a book that looked like this?

Jacques Tardi: The writer James Reasoner discovers Jacques Tardi and Jean-Patrick Marchette’s West Coast Blues...and he likes it.

Alan Grant: One of the better Batman writers has a new comic book out called Channel Evil. Curt Purcell over at The Groovy Age of Horror likes the first issue quite a bit.

Steve Holland: Over at Bear Alley, British Comics Historian Holland posts a list of upcoming UK books of comics that are due this month and well into 2010. The ones for September and October are probably the most accurate, but there’s a lot of great stuff to look forward to if you’re a UKer. Stuff I want: The Best of Battle Volume 1; Flesh by Pat Mills; The Misadventures of Jane and The Phantom Patrol by Willie Patterson & Gerry Embleton. Thank goodness for Amazon!

Bat-Fail: When things don’t go Batman’s way, even Batman needs a beer.

Justice League: Over at Dadcentric, they show how the Justice League animated series can teach kids everything they need to know about life.

One final thought before I sign off. If Paul Levitz is going to return to writing comics, I’ll gladly rush to read whatever he writes. There’s at least a couple of generations of comic book readers who might not be familiar with his work, but take it from a stranger on the internet, he’s worth reading.

[Artwork: Justice League of America, ©DC Enterprises]