Yesterday Hitfix‘s Drew McWeeny announced he’s been cut loose, and that he’s starting a new fiction-driven site. (I pasted the URL somewhere but now I can’t find it.) Last year McWeeny got mad at me for suggesting that Hitfix had lost its soul by canning Kris Tapley, Daniel Fienberg and Gregory Ellwood. McQueeny’s view at the time was that “a difference in editorial direction doesn’t make it a bad place to work.” Uh-huh.

I just sent an email to Drew’s Hitfix address (Drew@hitfix.com), and it bounced right back. The courteous thing would have been for the Hitfix guys to keep his email address live for a month until he’s given everyone fresh contact info. But Hitfix can’t be bothered with that stuff.

I wrote McWeeny a portion of the following message this morning: “Despite your unrelenting ugliness towards me, I am not going to match your assholery by celebrating the loss of your Hitfix gig or wishing you ill. You are a gifted, hard-working, passionate writer, and I want to see you back in the swing of things because the discussion will be richer for that, despite your continuing allegiance to Comic-Conery and general fanboy crap.

“Your new site is apparently about fiction and not doing your usual thing. Are you thinking about bailing on criticism or what’s the plan? In the meantime keep breathing that hot breath through your nostrils. I admire your angry, cup-runneth-over spirit. Out of respect for your writing, I hope you get back on your feet quickly. I was where you are now in July of ’04 when Kevin Smith cut me loose. It was scary and traumatic, but I bounced back. If you have the moxie, you’ll be okay.”