Name: 
Dale Aranuke (pronounced Ara-new-key)
Age: 52
Occupation: Tower Command, Director of Operations, Taurus Enterprises
The Son Also Rises: Aranuke’s father, also a former corporate executive, was ruined when his firm’s CEO embezzled everyone’s retirement funds. It led to the demise of Aranuke’s family. He vowed to himself to never let that happen to him. Aranuke, despite his ascension through the corporate ranks, is inherently distrustful of those who employ him. And perhaps for good reason.
Pilot Love: Aranuke finds love in the most unlikely of places. But once again, a relationship he holds dear meets a challenging circumstance. It’s impact on him is significant.
The Character: I admit to having a particular fondness for Dale Aranuke. He comes across as a typical ‘evil corporate bastard’ type, and he is. But there’s so much more to him. He’s not exactly what you’d call touchy-feely, but he’s a hard-case who gets things done, and despite his aggressive nature, may actually be far more ethical, noble — and romantic — than one might expect.
The Illustration: Rich and I struggled a little bit to get this right. At one point we had him with his hair slicked back, almost like a gangster, but that was a bit too much. Here he’s well dressed, but looking fierce. And he’s holding a big red button, which is crucial to the plot. I also really liked Rich’s use of color against the white background, giving it a bit of a samurai feel.
