Ken Penders' recently released A TON of information concerning the latest developments of the Sonic The Hedgehog comic after the Knuckles cancellation, along with bring up the old topic of just WHY he planned on killing Princess Sally at the end of “Endgame”:
- Future Knuckles Lineup – Okay, now for some good news. I wrapped up work on the script to KNUCKLES: THE BEST OF TIMES, THE WORST OF TIMES and turned it into Archie's offices earlier today. It's 26 pages long, and features just about every major character you can think of, including the only Guardian who has never been seen or mentioned in the series before. It's got romance, drama, action, suspense, humor and one walloper of an ending. It is currently scheduled to see print in SONIC SUPER SPECIAL #14, and Steven will begin drawing it probably the start of next week.
The final caption in the story reads: “The adventure continues in the pages of SONIC #86, as we and KNUCKLES embark on… THE ROAD TO ALBION.” (News Note – “The 3 part “Road To Albion” trilogy was originally due to take place in Knuckles 35 before the cancellation.)
So those of you who think Knuckles is only going to make token appearances in the SONIC series are mistaken. The stories will feature the same continuity and style of stories you've been following all this time. Sure, it's only eight pages a month, but it's better that than nothing at all, wouldn't you think?
As for KNUCKLES: TWENTY YEARS LATER, now that I've wrapped production on THE LOST ONES #1, I'm spending the next couple of weeks concentrating exclusively on that one, and it is scheduled to see print in SONIC SUPER SPECIAL #16. (If we can move it up, we will, but for now, this is the best we can do.) Again, this one has some major surprises and revelations.
- Sonic Super Special And Super Secret Special – I can't compare writing Sonic with Knuckles because both experiences have been so different, that anything I say would sounfd more in favor of Knuckles. However, I've never lost my fondness for Sonic as a character, and i have some major league plans for him. Let's just say that when the Super Special, Spaz and I are working on finally does see print, that should finally put to rest any questions on what my feelings are for Sonic. it'll be the wildest Sonic story yet, in more ways than one. The approach further defines the character as an iconic hero. To say more at this time would really spoil a lot of surprises at this time.
SSS#12 was supposed to be a part of the Sonic Adventure adaptation, but that's been pushed back to #13, and now #12 is just a collection of stories we've been waiting to use, including the Comic Shop News 14-parter. #14 leads off with KNUCKLES: THE BEST OF TIMES, THE WORST OF TIMES, which is 26-pages in length. As for the rest of that issue, we haven't decided what to fill the rest of the pages up with. #15 or 17 will feature the SONIC story Spaz and I have been working on, and #16 will feature KNUCKLES: TWENTY YEARS LATER.
- Sonic Adventure In The Comics – In the SA crossover, Sonic and Knuckles will be sort of sharing the spotlight, and this game adaption won't be like the last (i.e. Sonic & Knuckles, Triple Trouble) where Sonic does very little at all. Both characters are very much in the thick of the action. Also, the segments with Knuckles are not only an adaptation, but also continue the regular Knuckles continuity as well. (You're finally going to see the Mysterious Cat Country mentioned in the Brave New World Special, for one thing.)
Usually, the most we ever see of a game BEFORE it comes out are a few pieces of production artwork and an outline of the story. That's it. We were lucky Spaz had a Japanese version of Sonic Adventure for us to work from, and even that wasn't as much help as we would have liked. We have asked Sega to supply us with all the necessary material to do the stories right, but nobody outside of the Licensing Department seems to think it important enough to do so.
- Future Tales Of The Great War? – When asked on the concept of Sonic's parents getting married in the comic book, Ken had this to say:
The Great War took several years, allowing Bernie and Jules the time to court (albeit a short time to do so) and get married. That just happened to be one detail I overlooked. Reading your post however gave me the inspiration to do a story about that very subject. I now just have to figure where and when it'll see print.
- Why Ken Wanted To Kill Sally – Sega wanted to spare Sally Acorn on the premise they might still market her as a video game character aimed at the female market. Simple as that. As for why I felt Sally was holding back Sonic, it's more due to the inherit flaw in the premise of her being Sonic's superior. If he goes against her wishes too many times, he comes off as petulant and disobedient. On the flip side, if he tows the line too much, he risks being called a wuss. The name of the book is SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, not SONIC & SALLY, and so the hero has to have a certain amount of autonomy in order for the series to work.
Part of the problem with writing Sonic (as well as Knuckles) is that he's a lone wolf, much like Spider-Man was in the early days, and yet the readers like to see him interact with friends and family. Lone wolves don't have much of an edge if they spend too much time with friends and families, y'know.
Source: Ken Penders Webpage