(Originally posted July 9, 2010)

My brother Jon is getting married this Saturday (July 10). He is the oldest of my siblings and the first to make that leap. The entire Rishel family has been a buzz with excitement as the date draws nearer. Friends and relatives from all over the country are flying or driving to Pittsburgh to witness the blessed event. Who knew that my brother is so well liked?

I would feel like I was disrespecting the importance of this occasion if I didn’t pause and write a few words about Jon. However, Jon is a rather private person and would probably want me to keep this entry light and superficial. Of course, I don’t think he actually reads my blog so I dish out whatever dirt I like and he’d be none the wiser Ha ha HA!

No, I have decided to go the high road and show some respect for my brother.

He is a pretty decent guy. Good with computers, keeps up on current events.

I don’t think he really gets my comics though. However, this has made him a pretty reliable resource when I need an unbiased outside opinion on character design or something. Jon probably does not even remember this, but the current color schemes for Dynamite and Detonator are the result of some comments he made back in 1994. Originally, Dynamite wore all blue clothes and Detonator wore only red. Jon had been reading this article about how characters with eye-catching color schemes are usually easier for fans to get attached to. Back then, Jon was too cool to help me out with my projects directly, but when he wanted to give me some advice he would “happen” to come across some interesting article on cartooning or that he wanted to share with me.

More recently, I have asked for his opinion on some of the Draconis Wicked characters and he has made some suggestions in a more straight-forward manner. (Being a teenager was such a tremendous hassle.)

My brother’s fiancée, Erin, already feels like a part of the family. The more I am around the two of them, the more I notice how perfectly matched they are. They share certain qualities that I have never seen in anyone else before, like they are already part of a set.

I think that what they have is the best that any of us can hope for: Someone on your wavelength who compliments your strengths and weaknesses, and can plan a major event for a hundred relatives without strangling you.

May we all be so blessed. And un-strangled.

-Marj