Shooting War co-creator and illustrator without borders Dan Goldman unfurls an excellent San Francisco SMITH mag party report here. Check out the Flickr stream here. Thanks to co-host Mo Clancy as well as Max and his excellent crew at Mr. Smith’s bar & lounge.

Our rockets red glare got a little brighter when we saw that USA Today’s Angela Gunn called Shooting War a “special Great Big Read” for the holiday weekend and said:

If you’ve ever gotten in on something important at the very beginning, you understand what’s in store for you — and even seven chapters in, I think this is just the beginning for this project and this creative team. Expect greatness.

If you’re new to SMITH and/or Shooting War, and, like us, not at the beach, crank up the AC and check out Shooting War from the beginning. Have a terrific 4th and remember: it’s thoughtful readers like you and bad-ass go-getters like Jimmy Burns who make this country great.