I have backlogged so many tidbits from the world of comic books I had planned to share with you in this month, but I'm afraid it'll all have to wait. You see, on Thursday Morning, February 7th, my Mother-In-Law passed away.

    As I noted in this space two months ago, she had been suffering the physical and mental decline that Altzheimers Disease brings. Looking back on more than a decade, my wife, Karen, can trace the timeline when her mother was beginning to show subtle signs of this progressive disease. Karen is pretty sharp. One of the sharpest people I know. The way some marry into money, I married into intelligence for things beyond comics. And as they say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Taluna was also an extremely sharp individual.

    Margaret Taluna Woodward, known to most as simply Taluna, was a working woman before it became commonplace, waiting until the ripe old age of thirty-eight to marry, which was almost unheard of in her day. In the meantime, she worked a variety of trades, from an office worker for Ford Motor Company to an executive secretary of a bank. Two years into her marriage to Robert McMullen, they had thier first child, Karen and their second, Sheri. Girls have always been prominent in the McMullen clan. Later, Karen would work at the same bank as her mother, who'd always kept her checkbook balanced. Once, there was an accounting error that caused Karen to bounce her first check, but it was quickly corrected, much to Karen's relief, as Taluna taught her how to always know where your money is, and would've come down on Karen like a ton of bricks! This was back when a little healthy dose of fear of your parents was not neccesarily a bad motivator.

    Taluna is an unusual name, and often her name would be misstated as "Talula", due to the fame of Talula Bankhead. I never saw her get annoyed despite the commonality of this confusion. Ever self-effacing, Taluna would always politely correct someone who said her name wrong, and make a joke to assure others that she didn't offend easily. In other words, she was classy.

    It's hard for me to keep referring to her by her actual name, as she became known to me solely as Nana, a name she acquired once the grandchildren made the scene, predating this crazy Yankee's courtship with her first-born daughter. If you've ever seen Steel Magnolias, you can get a sense of the fun, fellowship and kindness I was privileged to experience with Nana.

    I tend to be chock-full of cynicism, but one of the more positive things I can cling to in life is that my In-Laws have been the best I would ever hope for. If I could've pushed a button to special-order what kind of family I would marry into, I couldn't have done better. Another positive aspect of this extended family was the fondness my parents had with them. There was never a "Us vs. Them" attitude from my folks or Karen's (that many married couples suffer through), and the times we'd all be together were some of the warmest moments of my adult life.

    From day one, I've been treated as one of the family, and Nana was always a delight to spend time with. Nana loved to laugh and enjoy life's simplest pleasures. She'd traveled to many of the continental United States and Europe, which informed her worldly opinions. She was a voracious reader, and would do puzzles while watching Atlanta Braves Baseball, cheering loudly during the Braves amazing dynasty of the 1990's.

    As for my 'professional family', I'd like to thank Editors Ben Abernathy & Eddie Berganza for allowing me to adjust my schedule so I could be at my wife's side in Georgia. A lot of times, deadlines can be unforgiving, and old school editors used to not be so sensitive to a freelancer actually needing time off to cope with real-life tragedies. I know some older artists who had to work during honeymoons and other important occasions, for fear of losing work in the future. Fortunately, I'm in a rare position that I can choose to work only with editors I actually like on a personal level. Ben & Eddie, as well as Assitant editor Adam Schlagman and Gen13 penciller Carlo Barberi expresssed profound sympathy for Karen and I during this time of great sadness. Thanks again, guys, for your collective patience and understanding.

    Nana's passing was the first parental loss for both Karen and I. I no longer need to guess how grown children endure through such loss. I can't honestly say we're more prepared for such an event in the future, but we all did the best we could to honor the wonderful woman that was Nana.