Welcome to the Labor Day edition of Weekend Reading, with a few extra links to help you cope with the extended weekend. Let’s get it started; I’ve got to make the rounds of quite a few barbecues.

Comic Books For Kids: You know who everyone should thank for the influx of great graphic novels for kids? Jeff Smith, creator of Bone. Robin Brenner at Early Word explains, and also points out that while a number of librarians are nuts about graphic novels from NY’s publishing icons, they are somewhat ignorant of the kid-friendly graphic novels actually produced by traditional comic book publishers.

Vince Colletta: I don’t think there’s an inker around who polarizes people as much as the late Mr. C. Scoop reviews The Thin Black Line, a new biography of the inker who “saved the bacon of many an editor.”

Gene Roddenberry: Frederik Pohl remembers his time with the “great bird of the galaxy.”

Superman: Randy Johnson, the writer not the retired baseball pitcher and mustache-worshipper, reviews Jeff Mariotte’s 2007 DC Universe novel Trail of Time. “The real fun for me were the chapters labeled May, 1872. They detailed the gradual coming together of four DC western characters, Jonah Hex, Bat Lash, El Diablo, and the Scalphunter, along with an able assist from Johnny Thunder.” Needless to say, he liked the book, and who among us wouldn’t? I’ve already ordered my copy.

Tim Hamilton: Best known lately for his graphic novel adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 411, my old buddy has an art blog. Since he’s currently working on some kind of new and secret project, this will be a site to bookmark and check out regularly.

Cheapjack Shakespeare: Another pal of mine, animation producer/writer/all around good guy Shaun McLaughlin, is profiled by the Buffalo News as he prepares to debut his graphic novel on the theater stage.

Zombies!: James Reasoner isn’t normally a zombie fan, but he read the first two collections of The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore/Charlie Adlard and he gives them a lively thumbs up.

Don Heck: Daniel Best has a most excellent appreciation of the underappreciated Heck at 20th Century Danny Boy. Bonus: Lots of great black and white Heck art.

Dick and Jane: See Dick. See Jane. See Dick and Jane run from the Vampire. Run, Dick and Jane. Run!

Hit Me!: Rod Lott at Bookgasm doubles down on Black Jack Volume 12, calling it “the craziest compilation of Osamu Tezuka’s medical manga I’ve read yet.”

Mad Love: The Forbidden Planet blog has mad love for Paul Dini and Bruce Timm’s Mad Love, and also a welcome shout out to the late Mike Parobeck.

Robert McGinnis: He painted some of the greatest paperback covers of all time. Joe Ackerman has a selection at Two-Fisted Tales of Weird Life Romance, and some of the images are not safe for work.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Political blogger John Cole at Balloon Juice has figured out why he likes Torchwood so much.

I’ll Get The Ice Cream: I love this animated cartoon short that Drawn! posted from Bird Box Studios. Impeccable slapstick timing.

Set To Sea: Drew Weing is selling his original art for his webcomic. As an added bonus, the viewer that enables you to see each page in order is also a great way to read the entire story in one sitting. It’s also out now in book form from Fantagraphics. Highly recommended.

And finally, Batman fights the Joker, Superman fights Lex Luthor, and DC Comics fights…barbecue? The Consumerist has more.

Enjoy your weekend, comics fans!

[Artwork: Cover to Jeff Smith’s Bone from Scholastic, © Jeff Smith]