Custom WebParts as UserControls

Hi - I've been able to create my own webparts as a custom control, by
compiling as a class library and then importing the dll on my asp.net
page. However, I do appreciate the convenience of the html support
that a user control (instead of a custom control) provides (design and
codebehind). Is there a way to make a user control web part that
allows me to override functionality of the WebPart class? Or is the
only way to derive from the WebPart class to make a custom control?

I've seen how to wrap user controls in a generic web part, but i'm
interested in making my own custom verbs and other functionality. I'm
using .NET 3.5, VS 2008.

Thanks in advance for the help!

Shane Niebergall