It is my sad duty to inform Sonic fandom that Vickie Williams, who lettered so many Sonic classics, had passed away on December 18, 2015. I didn’t know that myself until I started assembling the biographies of the various creators whose work is featured in THE SHADOW FILES.
Surprisingly, the one source I thought I could depend on for details, the Sonic Wiki, turned out to be just as misinformed on a number of details as the rest of the internet, and not just about Vickie Williams either,
For instance, Vickie, as well as a number of Sonic freelancers, are listed as being staff members of Archie Comics, which is certifiably 100% incorrect. Freelancers were never staff members. If anything, freelancers are private contractors, but the term freelancer will suffice. After seeing DC Comics’ Wiki page for Vickie, I can understand why fans have some confusion over the correct terminology.
DC lists themselves as well as Marvel, Archie, Malibu, Dark Horse and other companies as employers when they should be listed as clients. None of those companies were ever employers to Vickie in the sense they collected taxes from her pay, contributed to an unemployment fund, provided health insurance and a 401K. None of those items was ever a consideration. What the term “employers” serves when it comes to describing comic book publishers is the implied ownership of anything a freelancer creates is automatically theirs.
Other things the Sonic Wiki gets wrong is what’s listed among Art Mawhinney’s most famous works while omitting classics like PRINCESS SALLY’S CRUSADE from the SONIC IN YOUR FACE SPECIAL as well as the ENDGAME saga, in which he not only depicted the death of Princess Sally but also the splash page showing Sonic kissing Sally for the first time ever.
Manny Galan’s Wiki page doesn’t even state he was the main artist on the KNUCKLES THE ECHIDNA for almost two dozen issues before leaving Archie to work for Nickelodeon.
Not to take away anything from Dave Manak, who illustrated the entire run of the ALF series for Marvel that was written by Sonic’s 1st writer Michael Gallagher, but unless we’re talking cartoons on the Letters Pages, Dave had absolutely nothing to do with the KNUCKLES THE ECHIDNA series. He did, however, draw the very first story, featuring Sonic meeting Knuckles for the 1st time in a story written by me that was recently collected along with other stories in KEN PENDERS’ KNUCKLES OMNIBUS VOLUME ONE.
Speaking about the KNUCKLES OMNIBUS, not to mention the other Floating Island Productions releases THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES: BEGINNINGS, SCOTT SHAW!’S SONIC DAYS and the soon-to-be released THE SHADOW FILES, but it’s like they don’t exist as far as the Sonic Wiki is concerned. Could it be their existence doesn’t fit the narrative they try to convey where I’m persona non grata as far as the fanbase is concerned?
The fact is not only do the books exist, but by the reaction of the people purchasing copies, they’re the best versions of previously released material, period. Even more relevant, none of these books would exist were it not for the willingness of the fans to support my efforts in the publication of these collections.
Unlike the Sonic Wiki, other comic creator wikis are already including my books when listing the credits of various creators included be they writers, pencilers, inkers, letterers and/or colorists.
If anything, THE SHADOW FILES alone deserves mention for its inclusion of an unpublished story that takes place right after the events of SYSTEM REBOOT as seen in the pages of SONIC THE HEDGEHOG issue 159.
Even more notable, THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES: BEGINNINGS not only collects for the first time the entire run of MOBIUS: 25 YEARS LATER chapters originally featured in SONIC issues 131 thru 144, but the final page from issue 144 has been revised to allow the story to continue into the all-new material that advances the story, featuring the same cast of characters they’ve known, loved and followed with the notable exception of Sonic and Knuckles.
And if people wondered how popular a character Lara-Su is in her own right, THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES: BEGINNINGS has been my biggest seller beyond question. That’s why my next Mobian Adventure Series release is going to be THE LARA-SU CHRONICLES: SHATTERED TOMORROWS. The reprint material won’t resume until after this book has been released.
As for future releases, the next three books will be HER MAJESTY SALLY, THE ENDGAME SAGA and KEN PENDERS’ KNUCKLES OMNIBUS VOLUME TWO. A KEN PENDERS’ SONIC OMNIBUS VOLUME ONE is somewhere on the schedule after that, but I’m interested in doing something different with the release of GEOFFREY ST JOHN ON HIS MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE. Namely, I’d like to feature a mix of reprints with all-new adventures illustrated by promising new young talent with stories written by me. But that’s a way’s off at this time.
My point being that if they’re going to list the SONIC ARCHIVES, SONIC SELECT, SONIC LEGACY, BEST OF SONIC and KNUCKLES ARCHIVES, the Mobian Adventure Series should be included as well.
While I could offer numerous other additions and corrections to the Sonic Wiki pages, it’s not my place to do so, especially since doing so would betray the confidence of the other creators with me. The authors of those pages will have to get the facts elsewhere.
On the other hand, my Wiki page has numerous errors as well. The only thing I was able to get them to correct was the suffix after my name. They originally listed me as a Jr when it really was the Roman numeral II. Neither of my parents wanted a Junior. More important, I never, ever go by my full legal name for a variety of reasons. Most importantly, Kenneth Penders was my father, so my preference was always Ken. I’m always tempted to get my name legally changed, obliterating my middle name Walter as my grandfather from whom I derive that part of my name was a total scumbag who abandoned his family when my father was but eight years old and his younger brother was only an infant at the time. But the part of me that dearly misses my father feels changing any part of my name is a rejection of him. So I’ve settled for not changing what isn’t broke.
And setting the record straight for the sake of posterity. The haters are definitely not getting the last word.
That’s sad. That’s neat she did lettering. She must have had neat writing and used tiny small writing to fit in those word balloons.
That’s good she accomplished so much before she died.
I’ve definitely noticed a number of errors on that wiki where you’re concerned myself, so I can only imagine how many you can spot.
Thanks for writing this all out. As always I appreciate getting to read your thoughts.