Now that I'm back from the west coast, I thought I'd take a few minutes and address a couple of subjects before getting back to inking SONIC #89.
First off, I'm very happy Lara-Su met with the approval of the vast majority of you. Talk about creating under pressure... I had a very good idea how I wanted to depict her, but it wasn't until T2 asked me for a sketch that I actually committed anything to paper. The glasses were the final touch I was missing, and Noele herself provided the inspiration for that.
Then there's the matter of Julie-Su. Even though she has less cybernetic implants later in life than she does now doesn't mean it implies she became some domesticated housewife. Granted, I open up the story with a doctor telling her she's pregnant, but that was simply to tip off the readers immediately that this story is going to be unlike any other Knuckles story they've read. She's every bit Knuckles' equal regardless of her condition, a point I make abundantly clear. As for whether or not they're married, that's a separate topic, and one I really can't address in plain english.
Regarding the Dark Legion, I think everyone will be quite intrigued to see how they're portrayed in this. (On the flip side, I think events in Albion -- see SONIC #88 through #90 -- will paint a different picture than readers expect.)
At the moment, I'm also inking the covers to SONIC SUPER SPECIAL #15 and SONIC #91, as well as sharing inking chores on SONIC #90 with Andrew Pepoy. Karl and I will be gearing up for SONIC #100 very shortly. One other note: while inking the pages for SONIC #89, I was stunned when I saw what Karl wrote, and I think no Sonic fan is going to want to miss this. (I suspect page 15 will be very sought after by original art collectors.)
Hi Ron,
Here's a news flash for you and all other Sonic fans. I've [decided] to retire my brush from the pages of Sonic. My stay was a long and [pleasurable] one and maybe I'll slap ink to some of the pages of #100 for old time sake.
I'm now an Art Director at one of the major Video game companies. My time is being taken up by many of my other tasks.
I'll be attending the San Diego ComiCon and I'll have every single page of Sonic art I have for sale at blowout prices. I'll have most of the covers and splash pages plus tons of interiors. I'll only be there on Friday and Saturday so if anyone attending the Con would like some Sonic art at a great price come and see me in artist alley. I wish to thank all my fans over the years that have stuck with all our crazy antics I hope to see you on the little screen.
Thanks you guys are the best - Harvo!
SONIC SUPER SPECIAL - There are rumblings #15 may be the last, which puts a damper on seeing KNUCKLES: 20 YEARS LATER or the SUPER SECRET SONIC project Spaz and I were working on anytime soon, if at all, should this come to pass. If I felt it would save the book, I'd encourage everyone to buy up every copy they could, but I've been down that road before, and I haven't seen the efforts amount to enough justification to change the publishers' minds. It's not that they didn't see increased sales, just not enough to overcome all the costs associated with licensing, printing and distributing the books.
SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON - I will be doing original sketches. A simple rendition of SONIC or PARTICLE is $10. Everything else is $20 and upwards, depending on whether a full figure drawing is requested or not, how many characters and so on. For example, if someone wanted Knuckles or Lara-Su from the chest up, it would be $20, whereas if they wanted a full figure, it would be $25. I'll also have original art for sale. If there's any covers or pages available at my website that anyone attending the convention is interested in, please let me know so I'll be sure to bring them along. To make life easier, I'll accept cash, Mastercard, Visa and American Express. If you wish to use a personal check, I'll have to get it cleared first before you get the artwork, as I have been burned by a couple of people this way.