Bollers Renounces Morgan, "one of his least favorite characters"

by James Calhoun (CoyoteNet)

MAMARONECK, NEW YORK, 11-JAN-2001: In a recent statement to the Sonic fandom, Archie Comics writer Karl Bollers addressed various issues concerning upcoming events in the Archie comic plotline. He also stated that Nate Morgan, long believed to be an "author avatar" for Karl, was "one of his least favorite characters in the book".

The statement (which can be read here in its entirety) was first issued on Ron Bauerle's Sonic mailing list, then forwarded to AFSH. In it, Bollers is quoted to have said; "I freely admit that Nate Morgan has turned into a walking plot device. About a year ago, I confided in Ron that Nate was one of my least favorite characters in the book, and perhaps because of that, I haven't used him to the best of my ability."

This dispells a long-standing rumor about the nature of Morgan; originally created as a character for the ABC Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon but later scrapped, it was widely believed that Bollers had used the design of the character as a personal avatar in the Archie comic like Geoffrey St. John is believed to be an avatar for Ken Penders, also an Archie comic writer and yet another target for fans' rage.

Bollers also stated that he had "plans for the ol' geezer now", but gave no hint as to the nature of those plans. There has been speculation that Nate Morgan might be the Issue 100 "Ultimate Villain" which the comic writers have been mentioning continually, but exactly what Morgan's role will be remains yet to be seen.

[Photo (C) Archie Comics]