Best route for control creation in the future

[Dale]

I am an experienced developer but have not done any C++ programming in
several years now. What I have done was with MFC 5. I want to learn how to
develop small and fast custom windowed controls - for instance my own version
of a text box or combo box; things unique enough to not be worth deriving
from the Windows.Forms controls.

What is Microsoft's official recommendation for the best route or tools for
this type of control development in the future? ActiveX done in ATL? Win32
API? It seems clear enough that MFC or the CLR aren't the way to build the
smallest and fastest controls, yet I do want to build controls that will
integrate into C# and Visual Studio .Net.

Can anyone suggest the best approach? Perhaps some good books? What
technologies are appropriate and any good samples, sites, or MSDN references?

Thanks,

--
Dale Preston
MCAD C#
MCSE, MCDBA