A birthday shout-out to my longtime friend, artist extraordinaire Wendy Pini…who with her hubby Richard created Elfquest, one of the great enduring comic art creations of the last few decades. I have known Wendy for mumble-mumble years — since before she met Richard, even. At my first comic and science-fiction conventions, she was the individual that everyone followed about…the ideal mate insofar as most attendees were concerned. All the other attendees were guys, after all, and what more perfect life-partner for a fan than a beautiful, smart woman who could draw?
Wendy was nice to everyone but every guy she refused to marry — which at the time was all of them — wanted to go out and throw himself off the roof of the Sheraton. When she met Richard a few years later (yes, via a comic book letter page), they forged an important and perfect partnership in all ways visible to their amigos, and she remains among the sunniest presences on this planet. If you love Elfquest — and everyone who's read it sure seems to — you have only to meet the people responsible to know why. I just phoned Wendy to wish her a happy Wendy day but she's not answering. Hope she's out doing something fun and will accept a blogged birthday greeting instead of a personal howdy.