Picks with Anthony Verombeck
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SOCCER STAR'S NEW COMIC BOOK
He may be the most famous soccer star in the world. He's married to a Spice Girl. And now soccer player David Beckham has become a comic book hero. This September, Beckham will star in Fame: David Beckham from comic book Vancouver-based publisher Bluewater Productions.

Beckham is the first sports star that has been featured in a Bluewater comic. Writer Pete Rogers and artist Pablo Martinena bring Beckham's career to life, from his earliest days on the soccer field, when he dreamed of playing for Manchester United, to the challenges of his soccer days in the United States.

Rogers said. “Telling someone's real life story was quite a challenge, and I tried to find as many ways as possible to ensure that it was visually interesting and not just a case of 'he did this and then he did that'.” When researching his script he also spoke to a wide range of people about what Beckham means to them and the sport of soccer.

Fame: David Beckham retails for $3.99 (great bachelor party gifts) and can be found online at Amazon.com.  To contact your local comic book store click here www.comicshoplocator.com.

Groom's Guide, by Peter van Dijk, first congratulations you on your engagement, and then welcomes you to a world for which you are sadly ill-equipped. You have entered a new dimension. A dimension of china patterns, ice swans, and boutonnieres. You're planning a wedding, and your fiancee expects more from you than a diamond ring. And far more than you should ever rightly know about weddings.

There are some very good tips in the book such as: Choosing your best man and his duties including getting you to the church on time; your wedding outfit and why it will take several turns; why engagements of over two years are justified only by extended commitments to the armed forces and/or unusually long jail sentences; how to pick groomsmen gifts and groomsmen who almost deserve them; the prenuptial celebrations including your bachelor party - as if you haven't heard enough about this already.

Among other writing credits and receiving advertising industry awards, author Peter van Dijk is a battle-scarred veteran of a joyful wedding in Ogunquit, Maine.

The Clueless Groom's Guide by Peter van Dijk (Contemporary Books/The McGraw-Hill Companies $16.95).

Barbara Smith is a Los Angeles based wedding and portrait photographer who specializes in creating photography-based stationery products and teaches workshops on alternative photographic processes and paper arts. The Art and Craft of Keepsake Photography Engagements and Weddings: How to Take Perfect Photos and Make Stunning Invitations, Announcements, Albums and Thanks You Notes, and More (AMPhoto Books $21.95 U.S. www.amphotobooks.com). Visit Barbara Smith’s website at www.bsmithphotography.com.