Coming directly off of my weekend at SPX, as well as recently reading a string of excellent, engrossing non-superhero graphic novels like Skim, Swallow Me Whole, and Alan’s War, picking up a comic book like Nightwing #149 feels a lot like shutting my hand in a car door. And I’m thinking — I’m thinking I should stop doing that.

(Above: page detail from Nightwing #149, written by Peter J. Tomasi and drawn by Don Kramer and Jay Leisten; ©2008 DC Comics.)

The motion cites statements Smith made to the media after Biernat overturned the guilty verdict and a protest rally in front of the Macomb Circuit Court on Sept. 17 that he ordered his county employees to attend.

“The fact that the prosecutor would go to the lengths that he did displays that he has an emotional and personal bias in this case that goes beyond his duty to seek justice, rather these statements indicate that he was seeking a conviction above all else in this case,” according to the motion.

Judge Biernat denied the motion, instead issuing the gag order.

(Right: Michael George.)

A few more reactions from the grapevine, including a publishing exec who told us, “Fred made it pretty clear to us that buying ad pages and getting editorial coverage were very much related.”

You don’t say?

We also get a Kaanga, White Lord of the Jungle tale by Crandall, this time featuring dumb depictions of Africans, though not quite as bad as fuckin’ Chop Chop. (Above, first image: sequence from Military Comics #17, ©1943 Quality Comics. Above, second image: sequence from Jungle Comics #42, ©1943 Fiction House.)