This has literally been over a decade in the making. I recently reached out to my favorite artist from the Archie Sonic the Hedgehog series, Steven Butler. To my amazement not only did he reply, but we corresponded for a few days. It was great having a down to Earth back and forth with someone whose art always inspired me. (I actually emulated a panel of his that got published in the fan art section of one of the comics!) Through our messages it came up that he did commissons for people during his free time. I had an idea of something I had always wanted to see him draw, a Princess Leia/Sally crossover. I nervously asked if he would humor my idea and he graciously agreed. He said it would be fun and was happy to do it. A few days later he sent me a rough sketch and I nearly fell over.

Admittedly, this may come across as self-indulgent and perhaps a bit strange to some, and rightfully so. However, two things happened. I got to see this image I had imagined in my childhood materialize. If you asked me at 10 years old what my two favorite things were, it woud’ve been Archie Sonic and Star Wars. To finally see those two forces (pun intended) collide was incredible. The next came a bit off guard. I sheepishly asked Butler if he would mind if I colored the line art. (Obviously not the original but a copy.) He said, “Go for it!” That’s when this story took an even bigger turn.

I found a way to print his line art onto a piece of midtoned paper and before I knew it, I was about to start. I took a small moment beforehand to ponder. I wondered what it would be like if I could tell my 10 year old self that in a little over a decade, I would not only be talking to Steven Butler, but I would have the privilege of coloring one of his pieces. In that moment I was filled with excitement and dove in. The process took me two nights and got a bit tedious sometimes. Yet, my enthusiasm never died. I was able to (in a way) go back in time and pull 10 year old me into that moment and let him share it with me. It was emotional but overwhelmingly gratifying.

This is a result of those efforts, the icing on the cake being when I got to put my signature next to his.

I’m happy to say that I’ve shared this with Steven Butler and he approved greatly. It’s moments like these that remind me how sometimes we must take a leap into the unknown. You never know what can happen.

Line Art by Steven Butler
Colors by Me