A world of art

A recent issue of Publisher's Weekly reported on the amazing growth -- and amazing artistry -- of comic books. I'm an art lover, so I jumped at the chance to attend the Wizard Convention in Philadelphia with Joe. You might think 'comic book show' would be a strange place to find me, but let me tell you: get to one if you can. The artwork in these drawings is truly breathtaking: the capture of the human form, muscles in perfect succession, unmistakable movement and speed conveyed with pen and paper. Some of those images stopped me in my tracks...

But then again, so did the sight of someone dressed as The Flash who REALLY should have worn underwear under his tights.

What a phenomenal scene: endless collections of comic books, people walking around dressed as StormTroopers and Darth Vader who are only too happy to stop and take a photo with you. (I really wish I'd done a kiss shot with Darth Vader -- something to show my niece and nephew that would further cement my status as 'Coolest Aunt Ever.') We missed film legend Kevin Smith by one day, but one of the first things we did was get our picture taken with Lou Ferrigno and with WWF legend King Kong Bundy who was incredibly sweet about his camera misfires and said to Joe, as he had his hands around my throat wrestler-style: "I hope you don't mind me touching your wife like this." Second person, after the waiter in AC, to say something similar.

I must admit, I was like an over-sugared kid at a carnival -- "Ooooo, look at that!" "Check THAT out!" I'm sure Joe considered one of those kid leashes (that I'm against, actually) to keep me from running off to look at a Wonder Woman tee shirt or a Strawberry Shortcake tee shirt, or the retro Archie and Veronica tumblers, the photo and paycheck from The Wizard of Oz's tin man. And I flipped out when I saw a Donovan McNabb figurine for my mom -- she's a big fan.

The best moment of the day -- seeing Joe's eyes light up when he found a comic book signed by the creator, from his own personal collection. My man likes things of value and sentiment. It was a great moment for him, and I loved seeing him that happy after he'd searched for hours for just the right collectible. The prices on those first editions floored me: $2,000 for some of the classics. Amazing that the nickel comics my Mom collected as a child were going for so much.

Just a terrific time in a world of art and value, with my favorite person, and fun photos to tell the tale. Plus fabulous banana berry smoothies. A gorgeous ride along the Delaware River, a gorgeous day with a beautiful sky, and gorgeous cuddling time. The perfect anniversary weekend. I'm listening to the music mix CD Joe made me ---I've never heard some of these songs and am just swooning.

Today is an errand day -- the usual Monday morning routine: bank, post office, office supply store, dry cleaners, heading over to my parents' place to drop off their food shopping, and then I'll write an article for Bride and Groom Magazine on thank you note inserts, follow up on procurement orders from Bed Bath & Beyond, follow up on some book proposal pitches, type in the three chapters I wrote longhand for What's Your Bridal Style? and then get ready for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Taste of the Town dinner tonight. I'm emceeing, so I have a script to go over. It's a beautiful morning, coffee's on, and the To Do list is a pleasant one.

Check out www.linsner.com for the print "Inflammatory Pages." It's my image of a writer superhero, and I love the quote: "The books that the world calls immoral are the books that show the world its own shame." -- Oscar Wilde