Sunrise

I’m feeling guilty about the sparseness of actual comics around here lately (and it’s not my fault,  honest!  I’ve just been busy) so I thought I’d post some bonus content as a consolation prize.  Don’t worry,  this is not a trend.

I’m responsible for the existence of these characters,  and as such I try to treat them well.  I like all of them,  but that is not to say that I love them equally.  That’s right–I’m playing favorites.

There are a few characters I like better than others,  and there are a few that I like less than others.

Raven is one of the latter.  Raven is the one character for whom I’m beginning to develop an actual dislike.  I’m not even sure why I don’t like him.  I think he’s just not a very interesting character to me.   Sure,  he’s got a little bit of backstory,  he’s got a personality,  and I know how he’s going to react in most scenarios,  but there just seems to be less of him somehow.  He’s also the most archetypical of all the characters.  He’s your Jim Kirk,  he’s your Han Solo,  he’s that character who’s always ready to jump into action.  I’ve tried to break this mold somewhat by occasionally referencing his softer side,  but this has done little to help matters.  No matter how I cut it,  he’s still little better than being a typical Action Dude.  This wouldn’t be too bad,  except that Raven has a tendency of being an integral part of the storyline.  That’s how he’s managed to get onto the front cover of all four issues.  The Captain’s place is on the bridge,  so when something important needs to be done,  Raven does it.  As a result,  my ambivalence toward him has begun to evolve into some sort of antipathy simply because I have to work with him more than I’d like.  If he was a less important character,  I could just sideline him for awhile whenever I got tired of him.   I can’t do that,  though,  because he’s too important.  I wish I liked him better,  but he’s just not my favorite.  Sorry,  Raven.

So,  it follows that I must have favorite characters as well.  I do.  My favorite character right now is Candace Albee.  Why I’m not sure.   She hasn’t been a member of the cast for very long,  and yet I really like working with her.  I can’t say much without unearthing potential spoilers,  but she’s a complex character.  She’s conflicted in ways that even she herself doesn’t realize.  At some point I hope to work more of her backstory into the comic.  It’s been suggested that she had a hand in designing the ship,  even,  although the specifics have never been revealed.  (I also might like her just because she replaced Aaron Blanchard,  who was pretty depressing to work with because he was so miserable all the time.)  I have yet to work with Albee as much as I want to.  She fascinates me.

I also like Kindler and Ritchie.  I like them because they’re both just plain fun to work with.  Kindler’s fun because he’s so abrasive and because he flies off the handle so easily.  He’s fun to draw when he’s angry,  and I like playing off his prejudices (which are many).  Ritchie I like for similar reasons.  He’s an idiot but he doesn’t know it.  He’s despised but he doesn’t know it.  He thinks everyone loves him.  He’s fun to work with for those reasons.  I love to insert him into scenarios where he thinks he’s in charge,  but in reality everyone is studiously ignoring him.  He’s kind of an archetype,  too,  in a way,  but I like him anyway.  I know I would hate Ritchie in real life–and that’s why I have so much fun working with him,  I think.

And there’s that one character who I simply haven’t had time to explore yet:  Nigel Kuruschov.  It’s a shame,  too,  because I think I’d like him.  He’s a fun guy.  The trouble is that there hasn’t been a storyline so far that’s really needed a doctor.  I still hope to incorporate him eventually,  though…so stay tuned!