#ben hurst

Woulda

For this section, I am going to focus on what is likely the biggest question people have: are there any signs that the Freedom Fighters will be returning? We will also be answering many other related questions. If they were to return, how would it work and where would they appear? Was it ever close to happening, and what Sonic media have they been included in since their inception? We will be talking about the comics first which, given their long long history in Archie, seems like the most likely option, but there is the outside possibility that they could also appear in the games or in some other form. After all, as we established in our previous section, not including them is a deliberate choice someone up the ladder seems to be making. 

Before we continue, in the interest of trying to play devil’s advocate with myself and hear all opinions on a situation, since we are going to be talking a bit more about Flynn and the IDW series, I should note that there is a contingent of fans who do not like Flynn or believe what he is saying. A group that believes that not only is he personally responsible for the Freedom Fighters not appearing, but that he actually hates the characters themselves and has simply been lying to us all about it. A good example of this was a Change.org petition made to request the characters return. It would be easy to dismiss it if it wasn’t for the fact that it got a pretty impressive amount of signatures for a niche comic book. 

I find some of the assertions made in this post to be absurd on their face, mostly because despite stating that there is “overwhelming evidence,” the post does not provide any. Flynn is not infallible. Nor is he a decision maker for SEGA. He just so happens to have answered hours worth of Sonic questions on a podcast. If SEGA asked him to include the Freedom Fighters, as he has with every other mandate, he would have little other choice but to comply. And I find the idea that Flynn hates the characters he spent a substantial number of years writing for to be bizarre. To hear his response on the matter, here is a good quote. That being said, while I do not believe that there is much evidence supporting these claims, in the interest of being objective, I also cannot disprove them either. There is a lot we simply do not know and whatever crumbs Flynn gives us are one of the few ways we see what goes on behind the scenes at IDW and SEGA. 

"I wouldn't champion Rally4Sally if I hated Sally."

Having spent entirely too much time researching this topic and listening to his podcast, Flynn always comes off to me as well-meaning, patient regardless of what fans ask him a question, and consistent in his responses. But he is still human, and when you answer some variation of the same question numerous times, eventually there may be a slip up or inconsistency. So personally, this blogger does not put much stock into the idea that he is the actual villain in all this. 

Just as a reminder of the timeline, IDW’s Sonic series started in 2018, one year after Archie Sonic’s cancellation, and retained many of the same team members, notably Ian Flynn and Evan Stanley. Despite being a new publisher, IDW kept most of the team members, including many artists. Flynn was the head writer for the series until 2020, where he transitioned into a more consultative role, and Evan Stanley took over as head writer. Though he is still very much part of the team, Flynn has also been a part of other SEGA projects, helping to write Sonic Frontiers and Shadow Generations. Despite not showing much concern over the Archie comics or its cast, SEGA certainly seems to like the team responsible for it. Flynn often comments about how non-influential and replaceable he is, and maybe that is the case, but he certainly feels less inconsequential now to the product then he may have been prior. 

The big difference between IDW and Archie is that the IDW comics are part of the unified canon. Some fans apparently still doubt this claim, despite all the evidence pointing to the fact that this is the case. In a relatively recent development, SEGA even went so far as to establish a unified lore team, with fans seeing certain positions appear on websites, and several prominent figures (including Ian Flynn and Evan Stanley) being part of this group. The goal of this group is to unify the brand and ensure that everything is appropriately connected. 

Now that being said, canon does not necessarily mean consequential, as it seems doubtful that SEGA will acknowledge many events from the IDW comics in their games (including the metal zombie apocalypse that nearly happened), so the relationship remains very one-sided. I have seen some folks argue about whether or not it is canon to this day though, so if that is a sticking point for you, that is fine, but we are in disagreement. This blog is not centered on that argument.

Newer fans may not recognize how big of a chance this really is. This means that the DIC cartoons, each of which really existed in their own world, could not have existed with these current practices in place, at least not in the same forms. Even something as recent as Sonic Boom, which ended in 2017 (more on that later) seem to no longer be considered to be representative of the current Sonic brand. 

Just to quickly offer my opinion as an aside, I overall feel that from a storytelling perspective, this is a good change, despite my love of the SATAM cartoon and the Freedom Fighters. When these different worlds were created, with the exception of the more recent Sonic Boom, the world was a far less interconnected place. You could have very different takes on the Sonic brand in different regions. In the world of the internet and social media? Probably not. However, where I am personally frustrated is with the non-storyline aspect in all this: the need to protect the brand, and how certain properties are no longer considered to be part of it. But that is a topic we will discuss more in another section. The only current exceptions to this unified canon are the Paramount movies. 

That being said, given the long, long history of the Freedom Fighters in the comics, having them included in the IDW line seems to be the most obvious place for them to make a return. Despite that fact, this has obviously not occurred. Regarding the possibility of the Freedom Fighters returning to IDW, Flynn gives pretty similar responses each time. I listened to every clip I could find regarding the Freedom Fighters from BumbleKast. For the most part, everything that he said on the podcast matched his statements on X, so don’t go looking through his old podcasts like I did like a miner shifting for gold. You won’t find much (but hey, that’s the cost of blogging). 

I won’t go through every single clip I found, but suffice to say there are some key points that he makes repeatedly. The first, as emphasized before, is that were they to return, it would most likely be as entirely new versions of the characters. The lore, and likely the designs, from Archie would likely be discarded entirely in favor of new characters. This is a point I made earlier, but felt it was important to reiterate. Maybe SEGA would use the old designs and have more ownership than we thought? Ultimately we do not know 

Another key point that comes up time and time again is that Flynn is not the only one who has made a push (or is making a push actively) for their return, he is just more publicly vocal about it (in part because of his platform). He is also, compared to many others, fairly new to this “debate” if we want to call it that for the characters to return. Many of the people who grew up fans of the franchise, including the media including the Freedom Fighters, are now higher-ups within the company. 

He also makes it clear that, even if they were to return, they would be side-characters. This should not really be a shock, but there was a point in time where Sally was regarded as basically a dual protagonist in SATAM especially, and to more varying degrees in Archie. Were they to return they would not push current game characters aside to assert their spot. The same, to be clear, also goes for IDW creations. Archie and SATAM, where these characters were often the focus, was, as he describes it, an anomaly. Which I think is fair, wanting the characters to return or be used is not the same as wanting the Archie comics or SATAM to be revived. 

As reiterated before, and will likely be reiterated again, these would  most likely be new versions of the characters. However, while he does acknowledge that changing the character’s look, or making tweaks to the cast may upset fans, he still consistently notes that he still feels it would be worth doing. I particularly like those quote. A common criticism of them being brought back is “well, it would just be fan service” (a debate we will discuss more later) and that he still feels it would be worthwhile as Sonic is a franchise that heavily relies on, well, fan service to function, pandering to nostalgia and pleasing folks they ultimately want to buy their product. Because, ya know, it’s a business. That being said, the characters would be reinterpreted to fit the canon, not the other way around. 

In general, he also repeats the point over, and over, and over, Flynn never says that he feels that their return is particularly likely, but also feels it is an appropriate thing for fans to ask for provided they are respectful. When asked what we can do to show support, he says that sending respectful emails, sharing fanart and other content, to show a sustained interest so that, when he makes the pitch, he has data he can use to make his point. He even indicated support for the #Rally4Sally fan movement (more on that later) provided they, once again, remain respectful. IDW as a company is aware of the interest in these characters. After all…why not use them?

There are, however, a couple of interesting possibilities that are not quite reflected in these tweets. As we mentioned when discussing Rotor, and he is a topic that came up quite a bit on the Bumblekast, not every Freedom Fighter has the same shot. Rotor and Bunnie, while popular among fans, don’t quite have the star power to make a push unless the entirety of the Freedom Fighters were brought in as a unit. The one who would be a possible exception, as he often alludes to, would be Sally, who has some advantages due to her prominence in SATAM, the comics, her use in the SEGA World Sydney theme park, and her overall popularity. If only one character “broke out” and entered the comic on their own, it would likely be her. The strong leader archetype is one that has not really been filled by other characters either. 

That being said, that is not Flynn’s ideal. He does state multiple times that, if he had full control, if it was a decision he could make, he does personally feel that it would be best to bring them in as a unit. He thinks that would be the most satisfying for fans and would be their best use in the story. Flynn also states that he has gotten the sense that the unit is what would have the most appeal. 

Another possibility, and this has to do with another topic (Sonic Spinball) that we will eventually get to is that they would be included as “classic” Sonic characters. Remember how modern Sonic has a unified canon now? Well, the classic world, as revealed in Sonic Generations and Sonic Superstars, and as far as we are aware, these two canons are meant to be separate. There was a point where Flynn alluded to this possibility, which I imagine may have been a topic on his mind as it was not part of the original question, but it has not really come up since. 

To briefly give my opinion, I would not be a fan of this for two reasons. First, it would feel somewhat disingenuous, as the Freedom Fighters (outside of one) were not a part of classic Sonic games. Second, SEGA, for reasons I don’t quite understand, keeps the modern and classic continuities entirely separate, outside of plots such as those featured in Sonic Generations. This means that characters deemed part of the “Classic Sonic” universe, such as Fang the Hunter and Mighty the Armadillo, are unlikely to appear even in crossover games like Sonic Rumble and Sonic Crossworlds (some fans argue that we may still see those characters eventually, in which case hey, prove me wrong SEGA). 

That being said…I think for the time being, we have exhausted discussion about what Flynn has shared. Let’s focus on some of the other developers. There is not a ton to include, but what we have is at least worth discussing. However, before we do, there is one interesting quote I found that stood out, where Flynn talks about his efforts, and alludes to the idea that maybe he would share some of his story ideas that he never got to write if the Freedom Fighters never return, and he alludes to the fact that he has not personally given up, and as far as I am aware, that time where he would share those ideas has not come to pass. 

Easter Eggs in IDW

While we have not been made aware if there is any change in the official position on whether the Freedom Fighters could be included in the IDW comics, there have been a few “easter eggs” thrown into some of the various issues that either include the characters in the background or have look-a-likes that resemble them. Flynn has been pretty clear that he personally is not a fan of this sorta thing, but ultimately, artists seemed to throw them in anyway. As Flynn shares, it is still a pretty raw nerve for fans, and including these easter eggs is not helpful from his perspective. He also generally implies that SEGA would not be happy about references being included. 

In the Sonic Forces prequel comic, we have a shot of Rouge at her desk with small pictures of Sally and Bunnie being featured. These comics were released in 2017 to tie-in with the game. It has been speculated, but never officially stated, that people got in trouble for this little easter egg, and since then, we have not gotten anything quite as clear. 

In IDW Sonic #17, released in 2019, there is a pair of individuals in the crowd that somewhat resemble Antoine D’Coolette and Bunnie Rabbot. Honestly, I think this one is the most debatable if it even is an easter egg, as to me they only vaguely resemble the characters. 

One other easter egg is a mugshot for one of the Babylon Rogues, referencing Knothole Village, a possible nod to the location of the same name from Archie and SATAM. This was in issue 31 of Sonic’s IDW run. 

And finally, in the Chaotix 30th Anniversary Special, released most recently in 2025, we got a pretty wide page with alleged cameos of Sally in the background, referencing both her Archie and Fleetway designs, and some other easter eggs as well, featuring Johnny Lightfoot. 

Overall, are these pretty harmless? Sure, it shows that the people who work on the comic still remember these characters and for some fans that is nice to see, but I do think Flynn has a point when he says it may also touch a nerve for folks. For me? It doesn’t really do much other than remind me that it really only seems to be the higher ups at SEGA who care about keeping these characters out. If the artists and writers had their way, this would not be a discussion.

Some fans have gone so far as to use these pics as proof that the characters are canon and…that seems like a stretch, and even then, being canon is not the same as being used even if that were the case. 

Are they redundant?

Based on what we were told, it seems pretty clear that IDW was asked specifically not to include the characters from the Archie comics. It is somewhat ironic that what seems to hurt their chances the most was their inclusion in Archie, while what may save them is the fact that they were also included in other, more short-lived media, such as SATAM. Regardless, it was clear that IDW, without the Freedom Fighters, had roles to fill, which is something that he discusses on one of his podcasts. 

Now, I have heard some people misconstrue this quote as him saying that the Freedom Fighters were ‘redundant,’ and I really don’t see how anyone got that unless they had a huge bias against Flynn (which some people have). But the point is, someone was going to be leading missions, and it wouldn’t be Sally, and other individuals were going to be going on them in the battles against Eggman, and it wouldn’t be the Freedom Fighters. There are characters who have some resemblance to previous ones, while also very much having their own identity, such as how Tangle and Bunnie are both brawlers. 

A while back, these pictures became pretty prominent, replacing the IDW character Lanolin with Sally. 

To be clear, this is not a critique of the creator’s work, as the art for Sally is quite strong. But the point is obvious: the artist feels that Lanolin replaced Sally and took a role that could have been meant for her. However, my first reaction after looking at the panels was pretty straightforward. It doesn’t sound like Sally. The reaction on her face doesn’t resemble Sally, even in her most vulnerable moments. This feels like a disservice to both characters. 

While I have not read IDW, I have heard comments about Lanolin, and how Flynn describes her as an overwhelmed woman trying to do her best to lead, while Sally was very much born for that role. Would I have rather had Sally back in IDW? Absolutely. But that was a SEGA decision, and it seems unfair to compare new characters to old ones. 

By the same token, none of the characters from Archie were truly replaced either. There is no cyborg quite like Bunnie Rabbot, or a swordsman like Antoine. Yes, other folks stepped up to be leaders, but Flynn is quite dismissive of any attempts to compare Sally with other characters, as she is by far the one better suited to the role. Rotor is in a different group because he has competition from Tails for the title of engineer, but that can’t be helped. 

Besides, is redundancy really an issue when Sonic has several other hedgehogs that look a lot like him?

Structure of IDW

One thing that should be noted for fans is that, beyond the characters, there are other differences in IDW that may be frustrating for older fans. IDW is very strictly controlled by SEGA, to the point where entire scripts can be changed, with their main cast being especially tightly controlled. 

On the topic of SEGA’s oversight, during the aforementioned reboot of the Sonic franchise, there was more involvement. The character had to be adopted to fit SEGA mandates (including Uncle Chuck not being formally related to Sonic). One person, AlextheHedgehog shared emails with anonymous employees as a source, that SEGA was aware of and involved with Archie, and actually requested changes. As with any source that uses anonymous emails, take it with several grains of salt. 

The sort of freedom that the Archie comics had (for better or worse), to tell longterm stories that were completely separate from the game’s lore, is gone. And that was what allowed the world of the original Archie comics to become so distinctive. I recognize that it was not everyone’s cup of tea (to put it lightly), but it was simply a different type of comic.

It is also notable that SEGA often was credited as a cover artist during the reboot period, so they were certainly aware of what was happening in Archie at the time. 

Beyond that, if they were included in IDW, the current structure of the comics is centered on short-term stories. That means that were they included, they may have an arc, and then not be used for some time. Some have speculated that maybe the Freedom Fighters could have their own series, but that seems unlikely given the rigorous reviews each IDW issue has, which has led to delayed production. 

Once again, the point here is not to debate whether one approach is better, but just to make clear that if they were to return to IDW, it would not be a return to how things were in Archie for these, and many other reasons. That does not mean that I do not think it is unfair for fans to want to see their return, but that realistic expectations should be kept for what that would potentially look like if that day were to come. 

How would they be added to the comics/canon?

Unfortunately in this area, we have been given very little information. Flynn, as would be expected, is very tight-lipped on this topic, and when asked this in his podcast, generally answers that there are so many variables to consider (such as what timeline they would be a part of, SEGA’s requirements, etc.) that it is hard to really consider specifics. Plus, as a writer, if his pitches were approved one day, he doesn’t want to give away his ideas. As has been stated before though, he is very consistent that he does not believe any of the lore or history from the Archie comics would be accessible, and the SATAM cartoon would likely be used as a base if it were to ever happen. 

What is clear, from his many answers, is that there are ideas the writing team has considered for IDW. Those ideas remain a mystery for us. That being said, there have been a few interesting topics that have come up. One is how Nicole could potentially be tied to the relatively new character, Sage, as an ai counterpart. Will we ever see these concepts play out? Maybe. The main takeaway I would have is that, while some detractors argue that there is no way that they could possibly be modified to fit the current canon, that does not seem to be a concern of the man who would very likely be the one doing the writing. Not once has he said “nah, I got no ideas” on how it could be done. He does often allude to an idea from a peer which he quite liked about how they could be introduced,, so maybe someday we will see that idea manifest. 

As one final snippet, artists from the IDW team apparently also, either for fun, or maybe even as a pitch, contributed art, including this piece which was believed to be contributed as a possible redesign by Adam Bryce Thomas. Take it with a grain of salt as I had trouble finding the true source, but still, it looks nice (though I don’t think the tomboy works with a skirt). 

I do want to acknowledge that, in the absence of official pitches, fans have made their own, and some are quite interesting. One that intrigues me, and has come up a few times, is the idea that they are from the underutilized Sol Dimension. But hey, with multiple dimensions and time travel being a key part of Sonic’s world, one thing there is not a shortage of is options. Curious what else is out there? Just type “how could the Freedom Fighters be added to IDW” to see several threads on the topic.  

Anyway, that is about all that I have to say about IDW. Let’s talk about the meat and potatoes of Sonic, shall we? The video games. 

Videogames

So remember that “everything is canon” quote, and how the goal is to tie all of the games together? Well, by that logic, that means that Sonic Spinball is included. The Freedom Fighters appeared in one of the minigames, where Sonic is able to free them from pods through the power of pinball. This includes Rotor, Sally, and Bunnie (Antoine was not included, and Nicole as we know her now was not created yet). 

Spinball is an interesting game in Sonic lore, even beyond the inclusion of some of the Freedom Fighters, as it definitely leans more on the aesthetic and designs of the western properties, while still being made by SEGA. So by their own logic, this is sort of a backdoor way of them being included in the canon. 

What has Flynn said on this topic? His answers have somewhat varied. He goes from saying they were more of an easter egg in 2021 to also acknowledging that it is a way that could be used to make them canon in 2024. So obviously, there has been some inconsistency in terms of how this idea is portrayed. Does this mean that, if they were canon, it would be part of the classic Sonic brand? After all, Sonic Spinball even features a roboticizer. 

The other appearance, though it is not even as characters in the game, is in Sonic Mega Collection which was released in 2002. In this game, the player is able to collect various covers from Archie as bonus content. Outside of that, the Freedom Fighters have never once been referenced or included in the games. Check it out for yourself. This game was made by Sonic Team, so it is a bit notable. 

There is one other brief detail. In the Sonic CD manual, which as most fans are aware included Amy Rose’s debut, in the American manual she was referred to as Princess Sally. Kinda a fun detail if nothing else, but was likely just an oversight. Some people theorized that this was actually intentional, that SEGA of America deliberately chose to make it their creation, Sally, over Amy, but there is little evidence that this was actually the case, at least that I could find. 

And unfortunately, that is it. Not once, in their twenty five year history, were these characters ever referenced in the games. And while this was not new information, reading about it, and how it was not something that SEGA ever really considered, bugged me. As a kid, it annoyed me that characters I loved were never acknowledged by other parts of the franchise. As an adult? This…feels like a lack of business sense on SEGA’s part.. Yes, they allowed Archie comics to continue for some time with very little oversight, but even something as basic as “cross promotion” was not something the company had any interest in doing for, what, spite about the brand? Yes, the comic was expected to frequently do tie-in with games (usually with very little info to go on according to Penders), but that relationship was completely and utterly one-sided, so different from what Sonic and IDW currently have (more on that later). 

Even when the comic team put a lot of effort, in conjunction with SEGA, to make the Freedom Fighters more in line with the games, even when they had a plot that seemed like the perfect opportunity to introduce them, they ignored it. 

It's not a decision that, in my opinion, was good for the fans, or designed to make the most money possible. Though I suppose that the comics and SATAM would not have become what they were if SEGA was not so hands-on. Regardless, what’s done (or not done) cannot be changed. 

Cancelled Freedom Fighters Game

It is notable that, while those were the only official times the Freedom Fighters were shown in Sonic games, there were a few times where they just barely missed the mark. For the SEGA Saturn, a console that was absolutely disastrous for the company, there was one Sonic game that was in production that was never released, Sonic X-treme. Despite my attempts, outside of this blurb on the wiki, I have not found any official sources on their rumored presence, but the game was at one point apparently intended to be based on the cartoons, but it is unclear how long this concept lasted.

Perhaps the best evidence that this was the intention was that we do have concept art for one character from the game, Tiara Boobowski (Yes you read that name right) who bears more than a little resemblance to Sally Acorn. Apparently the resemblance was unintentional, which may be possible, but seems very hard to believe from my perspective. Regardless, the game never was released. 

One other possible project, that I will make only brief mention of, is that according to Ken Penders (not a reliable source), once upon a time a Sally Acorn game was being considered. Seems so wild to even imagine that sorta thing nowadays. What could have been, at least if we take what he said at face value. 

“What SEGA probably never told Archie was that they were entertaining releasing a PRINCESS SALLY video game, which they were promoting at the 1995 Toyfare in New York City. I myself was surprised to see the SEGA display as a result of getting free passes to the event.”

Apparently, prior to Sonic Xtreme, there was apparently another game in development in 1993, under the name of Sonic Mars. This game would have been based on SATAM. While obviously this title was not released, it did get far enough to be a tech demo. The game would have had a very slow pace (by Sonic standards), including stealth elements.

Now before anyone asks…what about that other, more recent video game? We will get there, but that warrants its own section. 

SATAM

Let’s take a brief detour to the cartoon, Sonic SATAM which, despite its age, is probably how most folks know these characters due to just the size of the audience cartoons have as opposed to comics. Yes, as weird as it may sound, the Freedom Fighters were part of two creations that felt as though they lacked a proper ending, with their creators and a hardcore fanbase wanting so badly to see them return that they went on to spawn numerous fan creations (more on those later). 

I know I have shared this video before, and will likely do so again, but I wanna be upfront that it is exceptionally well done, and a lot of the information I am going to provide is mostly me regurgitating a lot of the information here, so I will not take any credit for the research. Groovy Jake, aka the SATAM historian, did a phenomenal job here detailing the work of Ben Hurst who, before Flynn, worked tirelessly to bring the Freedom Fighters back. 

I spoke in a prior blog about how much the show SATAM means to me, despite its flaws (the biggest flaw’s name is Antoine), but it was an uncanny feeling watching the show, especially those I remembered having on VHS, and remembering the plots and the dialogue pretty much word for word. SATAM is still my favorite piece of Sonic media ever created. 

SATAM means a lot to many fans. Some folks may find it off-putting because of how different it is than the current Sonic product, presenting a darker world, a unique cast of characters, and allowing for plots that SEGa now is worried about tackling, like an actual romance for the main character. And while the Archie comics were certainly owing a lot of inspiration to SATAM, the fact is that the two were not the same. They were very much their own products. 

And in the documentary, Ben Hurst does a great job of showing how he tried making pitches many times to try and get the show back on the air in some capacity, the annoyance of working with DIC at the time, and how his life connected to his work. Once upon a time, Ben actually had a discussion with SEGA about continuing his story as a movie, and he said the conversation went well until…enter the biggest heel in company history…

Ken Penders. 

Yes, Ken managed to basically screw over not just the Archie comics, but also SATAM, a double whammy of stabbing a fanbase in the back, all to make his own pitch for a notably worse sounding project, Sonic Armageddon, which never happened. Now, granted, it should be noted that Ben’s conversation may never have actually led to his product being greenlit, but it certainly did not help. 

Ben also describes how he did consider doing a comic, as part of a special for Archie, but he did not feel that the length he would be constricted to would allow him to finish the story (nor did the pay for comics seem to match up to his expectations). SATAM exists as an anomaly, loved due to its differences from the source material, in the Sonic fandom, but one that still has many hardcore fans to this day. Not bad for a show that only had two seasons and was released over thirty years ago. 

“Gotta Juice!”

This wouldn't be Pat and Ben's last time working on such a project. They ended up being the lead writers, conceptual designers, and would provide voice overs for the Museum of the Cherokee Indian in Cherokee, North Carolina. They would also write a new script for the 2007 performance of "Until These Hills," a critically acclaimed play going over the history of the Cherokee of the Eastern region up until they were forcibly removed by US forces in 1838 via the Trail of Tears. Find out more about the works and lives of Ben Hurst and Pat Allee, along with the many works and people which influenced SatAM, in the upcoming book! --- Firstly, hilariously enough, wrong name; the play is called "Unto These Hills," which is easily found via Google search. While looking for sources describing the extent of Hurst and Allee's contribution, I found a thesis paper detailing the history of the play. Despite the tweet suggesting otherwise, the play was not "critically acclaimed" due to Hurst and Allee. Instead, credit goes to Kiowa playwright Hanay Geiogamah, and later Linda West, who is not Cherokee herself but who works directly with the Cherokee Nation. In fact, Hurst and Allee's version seemed to have bombed with critics. Unto These Hills has a long and storied history. It premiered in 1950 as a white pastiche of Cherokee history and culture, where white people would literally dress up in redface and act stereotypically Indian. Nonetheless, the Cherokee were interested in reappropriating the play to reflect their stories more accurately, while also appealing to the general public as a piece of performance art that generates revenue for the nation. In 2006, the Cherokee Historical Association hired Kiowa playwright Hanay Geiogamah to rewrite the original script written by white playwright Kermit Hunter, whose version was characterized as "schoolbook history," and whitewashed. Critics lauded Geiogamah's script for being literate and for reintroducing Native sensibilities, but general audiences found it difficult to relate to and follow. Due to this, as well as somewhat exaggerated issues with tardiness and plagiarism concerns (as in, he... somehow plagiarized his own work), the CHA wound up dropping his version. And in spite of their apparent goals of reappropriating the play for Cherokee sensibilities, they hired Ben Hurst and Pat Allee to punch up the script for the 2007 production. The pair basically got introduced as "Hollywood writers," despite the paper noting that neither Hurst nor Allee had had any writing credits to their names since 1999. Furthermore, the guy who vouched for them, John Tissue, claimed the two had had ten years' experience of writing Cherokee history, but conveniently neglected specifics.

Choice quotes include:

"The CHA replaced Geiogamah the following year with Pat Allee and Ben Hurst, who made their living writing cartoons." "Choosing Allee and Hurst to write the new script showed that the CHA sacrificed its desire for a fully Cherokee story, to use 'veteran Hollywood writers.'" "Their credits, however, consisted of mainly children's cartoons such as 'Tiny Toon Adventures' and two separate 'Sonic the Hedgehog' series. Neither one had any writing credits to their name since 1999." "Tissue, defending his choice, wrote [...] that 'Ben and Pat did write cartoons among many other things including the TV show Taxi but they also have [ten] years experience writing about Cherokee history. I needed that mix.' Tissue did not divulge the details of their work on the Cherokee [...] or strangely enough to newspapers." "Their background in cartoons showed in the very childlike script that played for laughs. The play is more a series of vignettes than a cohesive story with a unified thread running throughout." "Whereas [the original white playwright] Hunter denied the Indians any sense of humor, Allee and Hurst made the Indians cartoonish, filling the script with bad jokes in English." "Instead of using the Kanati and Selu [Cherokee sacred figures] as narrators, Allee and Hurst used a grandmother and grandfather telling bedtime stories to their grandsom and granddaughter, an idea more accessible to white audiences." "Allee and Hurst also added the Cherokee Sequoyah to the script. Though they do address his achievement of creating the Cherokee Syllabary, they also play the situation for laughs. In Sequoyah's first scene, Cherokee warriors mock him for his 'talking leaves': "Junaluska: And how go your efforts? Sequoyah: My writing system? (sighs) It is proving to be most difficult. Junaluska: Well, my friend, I have no doubt you will succeed with the talking leaves. Warrior #3: (laughs) Talking leaves? (picks up a leaf) Hello? (to Sequoyah) There must be something wrong with this one. It doesn't answer. (Warrior #3 shakes the leaf) Hello? Warriors: (laugh)" "After soldiers remove a family from their house, white men come in, bag Indian belongings and take over the property. The main focus of removal here, however, does not occur in Cherokee, but in Nashville, Tennessee. White citizens line the streets to watch the Indians pass through their town. Upset by the occurrences, they bring out blankets, food, and clothing, and some begin crying. Kamama, a small Indian child, mentions this to her grandmother, who responds 'never forget Kamama, there are always good people, no matter what color they are.' Throughout this scene, Cherokees sing the hymn Amazing Grace, and 'after a few stanzas, all the whites join in. The orchestrated score swells, filling the house, and the song is sung in full harmony to a huge dramatic finish. This picture of harmony between the races took the focus off of the impact removal had on the Cherokee people, and showed how the playwrights imagined whites and Indians interacted." "The Association believed that audiences would overwhelmingly enjoy the play."

"Very few newspaper articles or other sources exist detailing the success of the 2007 season, but the few that do discuss the show do not paint a positive picture. The reviewer that felt Geiogamah's piece literate felt that with the return of the traditional stories from the Hunter script present in Allee and Hurst's version brought with it 'the trite storytelling, static staging, and grade-school history lessons' of the original show." "In summation, he called the drama dull, and ended his review saying 'personally... I would rather have watched 'Sonic the Hedgehog.'"

faceclaims suggestions (14/?)

BOLD & BUZZED, MEN EDITION. (from top left to bottom right) #discover

lee tae kyun, corey baptiste, brandon browne, paulo spencer, curraun, isaac irvine, ben hurst, jean chang, vincent marc.

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❀ made by/credits: kawaiinekoj (instagram)

has insulted Ben Hurst, despite the man having passed and unable to defend himself 

and also insulted Yuji Uekawa's art

and last not forget, his rampant art theft lack of respect towards cosplayers 

The time where he tried to semi-defend why he wanted an adult character to have sex with Sally (a minor!)in the comic and defended that in some states 13 year old girls are at the age of consent that is creepy red flags everywhere

oh and let’s not forget his acephobia  he blocked and/or ignored people who were trying to explain what their asexuality is about

oh yeah he also stated on his twitter that he wants to go into the NFT business. SO. yEAH.