Fathers and Sons of the War/ Thanks Archie Writers

Top marks to and for their awesome as always work. Be sure to check out their pages and see some more top notch Sonic the Hedgehog work.  

The title might intrigue you a scoch (or not), so allow me to explain from left to right. 

The first half of the title refers to the parents of some of the the main and their respective sons. I really dug the Tales of the Great War arc. I only wish it had gone on longer. I've always enjoyed reading about the parents of heroes. I mean, what is it like to the be the parents of legends? 
Heck, I wish we could've kept these characters even longer, but for the time we had, I am grateful. 

At any rate, let's go over the pic:
We have Rotor Walrus switching hats with Sherman. Rotor is yucking it up while Sherman has a look that reads, "What silliness is this?"
Tails was born after the Great War and didn't meet up with his pop-pop till many years later, so I opted for Rosemary to still be carrying him while Amadeus listens in. 
Jules is introducing an infant Sonic to one of the greatest friends life has to offer: the chili dog. 
King Max Acorn lets a young Elias try on the crown that was to be his had life not gone in another direction. 
Armand D'Coolette is showing his boy Antoine some choice fighting moves. I love the look on their faces. Antoine is pure focus and Armand is absolute pride. 
Ian St. John instructs Geoffrey on how to do a proper salute. Not the most fun of activities, but they always seemed to enjoy just being around each other. 


The second half is a bit more sentimental for me. This might be TL;DR, but I'm going ahead with it anyway: I thank Archie Comics for not only expanding my imagination, but also helping me get closer to my father. 

I can't tell you how much I loved the games growing up, but when I found out there was a cartoon and a comic, I couldn't have been more excited. And a bit mystified.

The idea that a simple concept like "Run right and free animal friends" could be expanded on in a cartoon or comic just blew my mind. This was my introduction to extended universes and world building.

That it was possible to take something simple and make it grander. That my imagination, which I always wanted to use for a living, could not be limited. And when you're a lonely kid growing up in the backwoods of Arkansas with an itch for the arts, you need all the creative outlets and sources you can get. And sometimes, you need a reprieve when life gets too tense. Which was sadly the case concerning my father and I.

My pop and I didn't exactly "get" each other growing up. He was a staunch outdoorsman and I was happier inside with a book or comic or game. I can't help but think this bugged him. He tried to include me in his activities and God bless him for trying, but I just didn't take to them. His hair trigger temper didn't help things either. Believe me, this man could go off. He knew it too. He'd talk about it in church and lament it, but nothing seemed to change. I was sure I'd never have a relationship with him the way other kids my age did with their dads. And then something unexpected happened: Sonic got parents. 

My favorite video game and comic character suddenly had a mom and dad of his own. And soon the other characters did too. And what's more, they enjoyed being around each other. I can't tell you how great it was just seeing these characters interact with each other. It gave me something other than just entertainment and a fun read. It gave me hope.

Hope that I could experience that joy too. The way Armand scooped Antoine up in his arms, the way Ian ruffled Geoffrey's hair, the way Jules ribbed Sonic about his real name. Maybe if I was lucky and could hold out, I could have those moments too. It took some time, understanding, and communicating, but eventually it happened. My father and I can actually hold a conversation together and listen to each other.

There are many things I attribute to this, but in the interest of giving credit where it is due, let me say thanks.

Thank you Archie Comics, Aleah Bake, Angelo DeCesare, Benny Lee, Bill Freiberger, Dan Slott, Danny Fingeroth, Frank Strom, Ian Flynn, Jay Oliveras, Joe Edkin, Joey Esposito, Karl Bollers, Ken Penders, Michael Gallagher, Mike Kanterovich, Paul Castiglia, Scott Fulop, Scott Shaw!, Tom Rolston, and Tracy Yardley!.
You guys did more than you will ever know. 

And extra thanks to for taking time out of your insanely busy schedule to answer my questions and hear me out. That was very kind of you and I will never forget it. 

Sonic @ Sega
Rotor, Amadeus, Rosemary, Acorn, and Antoine @ Archie Comics
Sherman, Elias, Armand, Ian, and Geoffrey @ Ken Penders