[ MAUKA MAKAI ]
My low- I'VE BEEN LONELY TOO LONG. I'm so tired of being alone, won't you help me, girl, just as soon as you can. It's time to tap into my Power of Attraction.
maintenance love
life was ruined by
romance comics!
DRAWN & QUARTERED
Graphic Arts as LiteratureBy Gary C.W. Chun
gchun@starbulletin.comThis was the title of a free introductory class held last month, that I thought would help me gain the skills to transform myself into a superhero l'amour and find a soulmate to accompany me in the great adventure of life.
The two professionals who led the workshop were opposites in appearance; she, Angelina Genie Joseph, a personable, easy-to-approach woman in an everyday "secret identity" look; he, George Sousa, a slickly-dressed man-of-the-world with the gift of gab in full hero garb, but without the Spandex. I could tell they REALLY wanted to help me and the rest of my eager classmates to improve the quality of our lives by improving the quality of our connections.
Of course they later wanted $110 from us to take their "advanced" weekend workshop, but they were certainly exuding their own superpowers of attraction. I so wanted to be like my instructors -- to be able to express myself confidently and join their exclusive League of Master Communicators.But, first, I had to get, in their words, into "personal alignment" with myself. I had to adjust my mindset, change how I perceived people, find more opportunity to agree with others than to be unduly judgmental. Like the song says, "accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, don't get caught up with Mr. In-Between."
So as part of my heightened "love strategies" -- and cleverly sidestepping the problem of paying for the weekend workshop -- I bought this book of comics titled "Truer Than True Romance," written by Jeanne Martinet, yet another prime communicator in relationships, who used as her inspiration the line of DC romantic comics published in their heyday of the 1950s through the '70s.
I admit that, like many a man, I was not raised a romantic, so I thought, with the easy-to-grasp comic book form, I could glean some knowledge from Martinet.
And, I must say, I have learned much about women after reading this book. Martinet has added a refreshing and much needed spin on these comics, rewriting them for a readership of a 21st century sensibility, while maintaining the charm of the comics' original art. These are truly "classic love comics retold!"
It was great to see the artwork by veteran comic artists like Mike Sekowsky and Irv Novick paired with storylines with titles like "My Heart Said Yes -- But My Therapist Said No!" and "Carry-on Girl."
The latter was originally titled "Flight to Heartbreak," published in the first issue of "Falling In Love." It told the story of a teary-eyed woman who gets stood up at the airport by her supposed boyfriend, only to find true love with the pilot of the plane she was just on.
Martinet's revisioning is much more realistic and convincing. The woman is now deeply concerned that she be able to take her designer luggage on board with her , so's not to be shabbily handled in cargo. The pilot's amorous advances to convince her that check-in is the only way to go adds such palpable tension to this all-too-common story that I actually got goosebumps reading it!
You'll find other torrid tales in this collection, like "Too Dumb for Love," "I Hate My Hair!," "The Narcissist Heart" and "Loving Gay Men!" Plus helpful advice columns that realistically assess problems of the lovelorn by professionals akin to those that led the local workshop, like this response to a concerned writer named "Hopeless" by Dr. Mary, licensed therapist (in some U.S. states), who loves "this cute guy," but only from afar because she's too shy to talk to him:
".. I think trying to dialogue with him would impact the situation enormously. You could try some rigorous role-playing and/or some inner-child interaction. However, it sounds most of all as if you suffer from very low self-esteem, probably due to being raised by substance-abusing, narcissist parents. You need some intensive one-on-one ego enhancement therapy, and you may want to ask your doctor about medication for Social Anxiety Disorder as well. Have fun! These are your carefree years!"
Such wise and sage advice.
I no longer am motivated by fear and neediness in my search for Ms. Right. I am well-served by this book. Me and my paradigm are ready to take that great leap. I am my own superhero.
So do you think there are any scantily-clad babes out there that I can save with a committed relationship?
"Truer Than True Romance" is published by Watson-Guptill Publications. Inquire about the "Power of Attraction" workshops at 949-8255.
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