Many people see the above image and see a homage to my favorite band of all time. The cover art of their album MEET THE BEATLES! (US Release) was iconic and also one of my favorites. Thus, I thought this would be a positive way to introduce my characters to a general audience.
But the above illustration isn’t just a homage. Far from it. It’s also a family portrait of blood relatives.
Right now, most of you are asking who is the character in the lower right corner. As I’ve been telling everyone who asks, his name is Xero, and how he’s related to the women pictured above is part of the narrative of THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES.
Chances are I may reveal hints of his backstory by the time SHATTERED TOMORROWS comes to a close. Then again, I may leave it up to the readers to guess until a follow-up novel is released.
The plan is for 7 books to comprise the complete saga of THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES, which I have mapped out an overall arc while leaving room for surprises to spring up along the way.
Among those surprises are amazing backstories for characters such as Lien-Da, Director Remington, Spectre, Sabre and Geoffrey St John. Equally surprising is the direction the future takes for Lara-Su, Salma, Rutan, Jaker and many others.
My point in calling attention to the sublimal detail in the illustration is that the storytelling in THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES is told in layers. There are many details planted along the way that don’t necessarily call attention upon first reading, but they’re there to go back to as the story unfolds.
I couldn’t do this during the original run on SONIC and KNUCKLES as I never had full control of both story and art, but I do now. Breadcrumbs are already being laid.
I know from the reaction I received from those who saw my approval copy of THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES: BEGINNINGS is the book will sell itself when people see the real deal. What I’m waiting to hear are the reactions to the story, especially the new material.
Those who pre-ordered should be able to express themselves by the end of June / beginning of July. It’s now less then 2 months when the San Diego crowd will have their say.
The first who can guess Xero’s backstory will win an original pen & ink drawing of Xero signed by me. Guesses can be sent here. Take care.
The link to put the guesses doesn’t work for me, so it’s okay if i put my guess of Xero’s backstory here? i have a theory about him
Absolutely. I look forward to hearing your theory of Xero’s backstory.
Alright, i’m probably 100% wrong here, but here we go
If i had to guess, Xero is somehow connected to Lien-Da.
back in 2017, when somebody asked you about Lien-Da you said she was going to be a big player, but not just her, her son Rutan was going to be a big player as well.
However, you mentioned “Sons” as in plural, so, maybe Xero is one of those “Sons” you mentioned back then?
In that image, Xero is the only new character alongside JS, LD, and Lara-Su, so….
Yeah, that’s my theory, i do have second theory about him though, but i think it would be cheating to post two theories so this one will be my shot.
It’s a great guess, as it will be revealed Lien-Da does indeed have two sons. However, Xero is not that son. Nor is Xero the only new character introduced. There’s Commander Mykhal Taelor, Dr Zephur and Ensign Brownie among others yet to make their debut. And Rotor has been swapped with Artemis.
Oh well, worth the shot
No one wins without trying.
That will be nice to see the backstories of those charectors.
I didn’t realize there was more to these charectors but a lot makes sense, that you couldn’t go into more depth with them for reasons when they were in the comic.
Hello Mr. Penders. I just wanted to say, I’m glad you’re finally making headway on the Lara-Su Chronicles and I can’t wait to read Beginnings and the rest of the books as they come out.
As someone who read Archie’s Sonic comic from the mid 90’s until it ended in early 2017 I can say It’s nice to see some of the characters I grew-up reading returning in some form. Personally I still really miss the Archie Sonic comics and still resent SEGA of Japan for ripping the license away from them, despite Archie having a good relationship with SEGA of America for near 25 years
I was wondering though, what is your take on SEGA being so controlling of the Sonic franchise these days? It seems like writers for Sonic cartoons, comics, & games just don’t have quite the same level of creative freedom they had in the 1990s and early 2000s. Personally I think this hurts Sonic as a series/franchise more than it helps it, but I was curious to see what your take on the subject was.
Anywho. Sorry for rambling and I’m really looking forward to reading the various Lara-Su Chronicles book as they’re released.!
Best of luck.
I had the freedom I did because nobody at SEGA thought the comics were anything more than advertising for their games as they never cared about story during my entire run with Archie. Personally, I’m not sure how controlling SEGA is with the story these days, especially when it comes to the SONIC films and the KNUCKLES series. Those projects alone are bringing in considerable money to SEGA’s coffers so I highly doubt they’re going to rock those boats. As for the IDW comics, I believe they can do more than they are. I believe certain creators prefer to stick more to the games than introduce the SatAM or other elements.
I am still wondering if these creations by you will have roles in your Lara-Su Chronicles:
Dr. Quack
Leeta and Lyco
Saffron Bee
Matilda Armadillo
Elias A.
Darryl, I don’t foresee any immediate role for any of those characters, but I never say never. If a good idea pops up that improves the story by including these characters, I will.
This piece is a favorite of mine, so it’s surprising to learn it’s a family portrait of sorts! I’m very happy that, even with how many of these comics I’ve read, you can still surprise me – and that more surprises await!
I’ve been keeping a very open mind about Xero ever since I became aware of him. If and when I get a good idea of how he’s connected to the family, I’ll be sure to send it along. 🙂