Jump to content
Awoo.

The BumbleKast Topic of Archival (And Discussion)


Your Vest Friend

Recommended Posts

Welcome to the thread regarding all things BumbleKast, the fortnightly podcast from Ian Flynn and Kyle Crouse!

BumbleKast-Logo.jpg

Every two weeks (if things go to plan; that's not always a case), a new part of the BumbleKast is uploaded and we get more chatter from the comic writer and the music man over whatever they like discussing that week. All videos are uploaded onto their channel here

This topic, however, serves a very specific purpose in regards to these; on the Bumbleking forums there used to be a dedicated sub-forum for the show, and with each episode release I would write up the cliffnotes version of the Sonic, Mega Man and misc question Q&A. With the Bumbleking forums shut, there's no dedicated place for the information to be archived, and this is where this topic comes in. The first 8-9 episodes are still able to be seen on the site, but I'll probably still migrate the info over time just in case. 

Next episode is due out tomorrow, so content hopefully will be coming our way soon!

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Past episodes; 

Episode 1;


Secret project - Will be very vocal about it when revealed (main site, Twitter, Bumblekast)
Back-up of TMNT AA#5 written by him - loved Michelangelo as a child
Flynn4Sonic thingy - Does not get to dictate what story is, would be writing script for finer details, would aim for balance of plot and comedy, buck of tone would ultimately lie with SEGA
Sally and Nicole - Ian thinks it would be fun, nothing against it personally, issue is that it's politics, made stance clear on LGBT before, Sally is stigmatised as Sonic's girlfriend, large part of comic fanbase would not accept anything other than Sonally, if he didn't think it'd derail things he'd push for it further [my wording wrong??], but thinks if they tried the fan backlash would be detrimental to book, think shipping conflict drags down book anyway, not to say he doesn't support a Sally/Nicole pairing, just done with pairings in general
Please prove Ian wrong Dubs
Archie probably wouldn't have resistance against it, but might only reject on the basis that it's basically a 20 page glorified ad, not a social platform. SEGA might not notice as its NA-exclusive and a niche product, but not sure, doesn't know for them.
Fave style of egg if he's cooking is scrambled, touch of milk, butter for pan, plenty of salt, doesn't know how to cook eggs any other way, screwed up scrambled before [wow that's bad], fave anywhere is mother-in-law's eggs benedict
Story of guy he knew from 2nd grade who got married to his partner, went to cafe for brunch, eggs benedict on fried chicken [that's just excessive chicken factor]
5 questions answered per episode for Bumblekast
Voices - When writing for Sonic, Ian imagines mixture between Jaleel and Roger; dry confidence of Roger, higher pitch of Jaleel (or maybe Ryan's voice with Roger's delivery)
Kyle doesn't imagine Kath Soucie for Sally or Nicole [and I completely agree with him], totally thinks more epic Rob Paulsen voice for Antoine would be great, Ian doesn't imagine Rotor with original voice, "Mike Pollock is Dr Eggman", still hears Charlie Adler for Snively but a bit more sinister post-reboot, Tim Curry still imagined for King Acorn but with ham turned from 12 to merely 10, just goes with current Tails voice [Colleen technically only voice in Boom so far, also was Kate Higgins from Colours to Lost World but they're nigh indistinguishable], likes Cindy Robinson as Amy after she wasn't made to sound Minnie Mousey.
On Sticks; he doesn't if she's allowed to cross over or not know due to stuff happening.

Lost Hedgehog Tales - Finding work takes priority, knows that fans want to know about it ("effectively glorified fan-fiction at this point")

Episode 2;


Kyle forgot Mighty appeared after reboot already. Tut tut. 
Hesse doing an original book called Diesel.
"Eggman going around with jewels spilling out of his bellybutton" - I thought he was gonna say something else.
Fave TMNT - I think I heard this convo on Twitter, Michaelangelo Ian's favourite, Donatello for Kyle. Newspaper publisehed new figure shipment, missing Mikey for complete collection, clerk carries box out, mosh pit of people around, clerk pointing around at kids asking which one, scared at time, got him. 
I still don't particularly like TMNT just as a side note so this is going over my head.
Old design returns - New designs are there for a reason, make them look like Sonic characters and not generic furry character, no basically. 
Storyline coming up, Ian wanted four part [triptych? I thought it was connecting but it sounds off???] cover with Rafa's renders, editor thought it'd be amazing but impossible as she would have to have started it last year, 
Who is the purple guy? Discussion about Grimace as a villain, FNAF purple guy, not a fan of FNAF as he's not a horror game person, reading wiki on FNAF4 and just reading about the gameplay elements scared him.
East Side Island for a hip-hip battle - Something he'll be getting to in the comic, not be editor approved yet (but unlikely to be rejected); Kingdom of Acorn and Mobotropolis on West Side Island, but dominion of Kingdom on a series of islands known as the Acorn Archipelago [inc. South Island, North Island, East Watch Islands, whole smattering of tiny but clustered together islands], West Side Island biggest, South Island place of Sonic 1, nothing's happened on North Island, East Watch not been addressed yet either.
Treating Sonic's place of origin a mystery.

How involved SEGA were with Chaotix during reboot - Haven't gotten involved insofar as he hasn't given them reason to. Pretty clear that Iizuka-san doesn't consider Knuckles Chaotix part of the game canon, but Ian working under assumption it happened in comic universe, "fun little tap-dance of what can Ian not say but still imply and get it past all the people looking at it." As far as he's concerned, Mighty already knows Chaotix, went on adventures together, Mighty does his thing, Chaotix do their thing. Doesn't know when they'll get to put that in print.

Episode 3;


-Actual explanation to Amy's hammer - It's whatever SEGA says it is, easy to work with in the old continuity as it stemmed from Ring she wished on. More tech-based in Boom based on observation.
-Possibility of Dub becoming editor - Laughter that devolves into crying, isn't sure if it will actually happen, they get along but not in a rush to change editors, works well with Vince but Vince makes him feel old. 
-If he could bring back any pre-reboot characters who would it be and how would they fit - Even I spotted that one couldn't be answered because Ian can't say who was cut. Bit like double speak because LHT can be used to work out who, but it's not a direct statement so it doesn't count as confirmation.
-If he could bring back/in characters not linked to the cut - Gone through those he wants to bring in already, wants to delve into thing set up already after Shattered World crisis, huge sub-plot involving Dulcy to go into, wants to get into each Freedom Fighters' personal stories, has an idea on how he'd bring Sticks into it but would depend on whether SEGA would let the Sonic branches cross.
-Manga/Anime - Enjoys them, not been following any closely (or most things) due to work, top anime is Cowboy Bebop, didn't like Samurai Champloo (had moments but felt it didn't come together as well), top Manga is Full Metal Alchemist, likes Brotherhood (aka the second anime adaptation), doesn't like the original FMA anime (deviates too much, "will fight you on the street over it"), Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann is a guilty pleasure, Mobile Suit Gundam 08th MS Team (treats the units as machines of wars, so there's more technical aptitude with it), FLCL (nuts, deeper if seen as an allegory for adolescence), Kyle has seen the Bayonetta animation, Chrono Crusade, Ian recommends reading the Manga of it, and Akira (not the movie so much, he thinks it's okay but weird).

-Top 5 favourite Robot Masters (go) - Guts Man is favourite, others are Splash Woman, Quick Man (had a lot of stuff to work with in comic), Anchor(??) (likes design, deflecting staff, direct rival), Sunstar (Ian wishes he'd gotten to him in comic) (bent on domination, but sees the good in Mega Man and changes), Napalm Man, Centaur Man, Toad Man, Skull Man etc (likes a lot), Kyle's are Tempo, Splash Woman, Roll, Plant Man, Quick Man.

Episode 4;


-Happy with how aquatic mobians came out overall, they'd not been given the Sonic treatment before, Aleah responsible for Razor, Coral, Angelica, Pearly, Ian for King Puff "but not difficult because he's all circles [and Charmy]", mysterious fish character [*ahem*] also Aleah. Really likes how Dulcy came out; taken something that really did not fit, kept general gist (size, power) but now looks like she could fit and not a disproportionately bloated bottom kangaroo dragon, more in new design harkening back to old design than people give credit for eg gold bands on design are nods to gold ring in her nose, black outline that outlines her top a nod to the harness, old form had feather ankles that was incorporated into clothing [to be fair, I noted that one when I first saw the design], talks about how the comic came about in the period between Sonic 3&K and Sonic Adventure where there was no world established and all that you had were Chaotix and 3D Blast [I'd throw Triple Trouble and Tails Adventure into that at the very least], doesn't know who fave one is design-wise.
-Grown to enjoy writing Sonic, Sonic is the guy who always has a comeback on time and can roll with it, Eggman a delight to write. Always fun writing the Chaotix, been fun re-establishing Knuckles' voice, getting game version and fleshing it out so it isn't just arrogant rival, his secludedness paired up with Relic's giddiness and motormouth, Relic's voice is envisioned like Jane from Disney's Tarzan.
-Freedom Fighter group and member numbers - Only one freedom fighter group, the ones we follow (Sally, Rotor, Bunnie, Antoine and Nicole, with Sonic, Tails, Amy, Cream and Big), there are other groups inspired by them, Desert Raiders name used for team seen in #278 preview (and which Ian mistakenly calls #282) and are one of those groups, also Lupe and the Wolf Pack, Dulcy's group (which he didn't want to get into for spoiler sake), Mordred talked about Bow and his team, Mighty, Moss and Ray not really an organised unit but room for them to expand, so for now there's about five (although there are other Egg Bosses and other heroes in his mind), but peace keeping other mostly handled by G.U.N. 
-Raiders of the Abyss graphic novel possible (demand and reception withstanding) - If it had taken off he would have looked into it but it'd be daunting due to the Choose Your Own Adventure format, perhaps just do illustrations on some key scenes [ala the Steve Jackson Fighting Fantasy CYOA books...you guys know them, right?], all pie in the sky as of now, those waiting on chapters will get 2nd chapter and bonus material, but a bit delayed due to recent minor surgery and travelling for Thanksgiving, hoping to do by end of the year. 
-Sonic comics script writing timeline and change frequency - FAQ on site for the process, scripts usually done about 6 months in advance, next year roughly plotted (can change a lot due to licences etc) eg had an idea for an arc next year, but weighing it against what he wanted it to accomplish and where it fell against other material he decided to move it somewhere else, so revised it with editor, changes from script to rough draft to final draft are usually not much, a bit tinkered for pacing maybe, if big changes are made it's cutting huge swathes of content and rewriting, 
-Goddangit I was tricked into notewriting before I could BSOD.
-Heavy and Bomb potentially showing up - beyond a cameo, not especially, seemed to be cursed as whenever he tried to use them they'd end up blown up or destroyed, such minor characters doesn't think he'll make them full-on supporting cast, but thinks he knows where they are and what they're doing, so wants to establish what's happened with them, manual says they betrayed Eggman to help you but even that casts doubts on that.
-Question for Kyle - who are the picture girls from his podcasts, his OCs do not steal (he'd actually be flattered), came from 2005 and made them with Aleah [I remember her work from before 2002 so I knew that], they are Arianne and Maxine (both Reploids originally but not necessarily now), him and Ian are planning something maybe potentially I dunno.

-Favourite comic character design (turned out best, furthest from imagined) - Usually dabbles in new designs or redesigns at very early stage, not much further, has to be filtered through other artists. Core FFs had several bits from different artists, Rotor was bone of contention (due to shape change), Ian brought that up, met in the middle with current design [wait, so someone wanted him smaller-sized???], "he's thick all over", still has feel of big guy, Sally was always going to be biggest due to her role, a lot of intention was freeing up the baggage from old stories for her, look more sporty so she'd look like she could keep up with Sonic, better game-fit look.

Episode 5;


-Stuffing in the bird or cooked in the pan - new to stuffing, only became a fan a year ago, shamefully admits to having a turkey and stuffing burger from the leftovers [but turkey and stuffing sandwiches are popular in the UK at Christmas. :/], no preference due to inexperience but his past ones have been in the bird, Kyle prefers in the bird, but doesn't mind cooked on its own or instant [NB: There are health warnings about stuffing cooked in the bird as it means the turkey is cooked but the stuffing may not, so it may still be filled with harmful and deadly bacteria. Happy eatings]. 
-Which TMNT incarnation is his favourite - Tie between first live action movie and current animated series, honourable mention for the 2007 TMNT film, thinks the first film holds up well, balance between light-hearted and serious, effects and athletics neat, memory about Casey Jones vs Raphael, Kyle agrees, also likes the second, but very cheesy, memory about Super Shredder figure being shorter than the turtle figures and in a goofy pose, not to say other incarnations were bad.
-Can Madonna have a crush on Sonic despite being human - refers to new incarnation where she's a GUN agent, crush refers to her concept art, one of the ideas in concept art was as Eggman's Fort was blown up Sonic jumps out, grabs talons of an Eagle [Sharps the Parakeet actually] to safety which also included the female love interest [wait, Madonna wasn't there was she? I have the book with that sequence, I only remember the band members being there], in Sonic '06 we got Elise and grabbing an eagle, wonders if its coincidence, falls under blanket of not getting into shipping wars, implied 'bonus' of bestiality means he really doesn't want to go there, realises it's a cartoon series but still beings up questions he's not cool with, might be a great admirer of his heroism as a substitute, confirms that she/the name is a reference to Topaz, part of a greater plan to get into looking at GUN.
-Thinks folks have calmed down on difficult questions over the years, learned what he will and won't answer for the most part.
-Would you rather press X to Jason or to Shaun [it's a reference to Heavy Rain, for those who don't know] - Ian gets reminded of the reference, goes with Shaun because it sounds like a bleating noise more and is therefore more entertaining [hey, there's a series called Shaun the Sheep, he's not wrong], Jason has too many syllables to sound fun, mentions the uncle in the second Assassin's Creed game who makes a Mario phrase reference/joke, Kyle would rather hold X to pay respects, Ian then chokes off mike.

-Sonic, Shadow and Silver adventure - Question borderline not what should be asked, it'd make sense for them to go on an adventure together, maybe *shrug*, nothing planned but it'd be fun to see the interaction, caution about that sort of question.

Episode 6;


-Has Ian thought of resolutions to game cliffhangers eg Sonic 4 E2 or Sonic Chronicles even if they don't appear in the comics - from a fanon approach he supposes, shouldn't go into what he knows of Sonic 4 E3 because it's kind of dicey, Chronicles pretty clearly like some sort of Empire Strikes Back story, Eggman's taken over and you have the party, you'd save the world, not much chance of using any details in the book, not something he's thought about seriously.
-Eggman's relationship with Gerald possibly explored - Ian would love to, but SoJ doesn't want them exploring backstories or showing the game characters as having aged, there are ways around it in other situations but overall probably wouldn't get opportunity to do so.
-Inspiration for Sonic/Mega Man writing - Stories that are told in a good way, immediate and long-term payoff, wide variety of influences, examples like Full Metal Alchemist (original manga & Brotherhood), Steven Universe, TMNT 2012, Star Wars (??).
-Control over artists on arc - bad Chewbacca impression here, no control over artists assigned to a given story, can ask, particular arc coming up where he asked if one particular one could do it and would love it if they could do it, so far working out that way, but doesn't have that sort of clout. 
-Championship was happy happenstance, Kaminski threw her into Champions, did a (stop it!) amazing job, bad Chewbacca impression here eventually.
-Sonic comic world building - Look at game content, what it would mean for the world, try to answer unanswered questions, take elements from two cartoons and see how they would fit, "what do games provide or not", can flesh out bits they haven't eg Meropis, Breezie's Casino shows economy, world tour show cultures, lands, politics, situations.
-Series overview/bible - does have one for himself that he's fleshing out, hasn't submitted to editor dues to rambles and bits and typos (planned very far ahead, 3+ years), what it means for the world and characters, how they weave into each other, can't have any concrete growth of characters or expansion of land due to licence, has to find a way of having growth without growing. 
-Excited about end of Shattered World because he'll have set up so many regions, characters, plot threads etc that any one could go for a while, like months of prologue up to now, bad Chewbacca impression here.

-Explanation for how Mobians were created/came to be in the new universe - they are there, treating like Tolkien, they exist, official word is that the anthros are from different world and interact with earth through portal, Ian not taking that approach himself but seeing how it goes, bad Chewbacca impression here, old continuity explanation does not apply.

Episode 7;


-Other SEGA stories (like anthologies) - Would be cool, might be licensing nightmares, creators were cool during Worlds Unite, doesn't know if Archie is interested and is ultimately up to them.
-Plans for Cream - Key role in plans for Shattered World, focus on smaller teams and character-driven stories after that where she can have time to shine.
-Relic the Pika Amiibo hypothetical compatability - Explorer games like Captain Toad's Treasure Tracker to help find, put her in Tomb Raider/Uncharted style game and she can do climbing, sleuthing, useless in gun play, can walk around in Assassin's Creed style game and say stuff out loud, when Relic was created thought went into who she would be and how she would complement Knuckles' character, Knux became clean slate after reboot, wanted someone who could complement him in a way not done before, treasure hunting seemed neglected part of character so they made Relic an Archaeologist to complement that and made her a non-combatant so not competing on screen with Knuckles in a fight scenarion, Pika because they're semi-obscure like Echidnas are.
-Podcasts listened to - not really any, sometimes Rooster Teeth or Slowbeef, doesn't really have free time. Kyle has a lot; Critical Hit, Major Spoilers Network, Trends Like These.
-Sonic CD before or after Sonic 2 - Would have to check notes again, after Sonic 2 due to making more sense in comic continuity; Sonic 1, Sonic 2, other little adventures, Sonic 3&K, can be subject to change, not game canon anyway, understands why people put it before, but Sonic not tied down to continuity as some people think he ought to be, Ian hasn't really played Sonic CD, didn't enjoy it as much as other classic Sonic titles he had played because of the different feel. 
-Sonic 3&K has a cat in 'eck's chance of being remade...okay, that's me saying it in response to them, they'd never be that callous.

-Sticks usage, new or dimension hopped - depends on what SEGA would allow, for brand differentiation would likely try to introduce an Archie Sonic version, already has an idea, follow SEGA's cue if otherwise happens.

Episode 8;


-Size of armies for Egg Bosses - Egg Soldier unit is relatively small, fleshed out by Badnik Hoarde, not put extensive thought into it, not US Army size, a problem if faced directly, large enough to encroach local defences and maintain Eggman's presence in a territory. 
-Purple bird of royal guard name - she has none, just like the foreman, not in the era where everyone with a speaking line is a character that has to be remembered, neither was anyone else in the scene, were there to be beat up by Metal Sonic, no specs in the script, "Let the Bodies Hit the Floor" reference here. can appreciate the other approach as it can make the world richer, but you don't really need all the named extras.
-Future Universe arc for Hooligans and/or Babylon Rogues - Possibility? Yes. Plans? Maybe. 
-Southern Baronies existence and whether Cream and her mom were from there - No Southern Baronies as they were tied to the long term plans for Kingdom of Acorn [Hi Trey] based off stories established in old continuity, since history has been tossed out, can't have it based off that, Cream and mom live on West Side Island near Mobotropolis. 
-[For history] If it's pre-reboot backstory for characters, toss it. Exception - Armada and Babylon Rogues possibly, if he wants to use it he's in the clear, but otherwise don't go looking for it.
-Ian doing something for Image or other creator-published comic - Working on things, announcing in Summer if things go to plan, excited for them but too soon. 
-Poor Kyle.
-Godzilla vs Gamera - Godzilla longer lineage, notoriously resilient, Gamera is friend to all the children - Decides that Godzilla looks like he's about to win, Gamera starts to pull off a comeback, then evil space aliens disguised as humans call down King Ghidorah so have to team up and beat that. Both win, KKM loses. Toss in Mothra because she always shows up, kind of sick of Mothra but looking forward to next showing, apologist for last Godzilla film, explanation (actors underutilised, Godzilla in 20 minutes, but slow build to appearance was good and fight was good for him), Godzilla talk here that I stopped being able to follow because it sounds weird, figure and display experiences.

Schedule for closing as a recap;

Now - Feb 7th - Active but no new accounts
Feb 7th - End of June - Closed down and Archived (the latter is a new update).

-SecretAgentYay--Nope, I'm out already. Again.

Episode 9; 


-Is LHT dead - No. Wanted to release it until done but changed plan due to some people nagging, so he did it episodically. Still needs work to be done, real life still dominant factor, LHT is what he what he would have liked to have done and would likely have not seen the pages or been heavily modified by the editors/SEGA, REAL LIFE COMES FIRST, LHT lesser priority, profiting off it would have legal ramifications, chapters 2 and 3 are drafted.
-Any questions helped influence comic direction - Not particular one, but the general Q&A and stuff, seeing people react on the fly has a general effect on work, in-character Q&A forced Ian to look at characters in new perspectives, some influence.
-Can someone pitch a Sonic Dreams Collections adaptation to Archie horror line - Free to pitch whatever, but will be attached to your name and you have to own it (just like Ian's friendship to Dub)
-Future ranks that weren't reached - Said way, way in the past, probably something silly like BumbleAccolade or BumblePope, at one point it was medieval style.
-Any comic Sonic character Ian has vivid gameplay ideas for aside from Relic - Not so vivid but some ideas, Antoine like Sonic and the Black Knight but better (Metal Gear Revengence tempting for swordplay, but part of the charm is the OTT violence so not sure if something would be lost if toned down), Bunnie in Zone of the Enders style, full range of 3D motion and blowing stuff up, Tails for NiGHTS into Dreams style with platforming/exploring, doesn't know how many comic characters would fit gameplay-wise, would love to see a Knuckles Metroidvania set on Angel Island, would play full Big the Cat fishing game as they were very explorable on multiple levels, Cream's Chao Rancher [basically bring back Chao Garden but he never says it].
-Sonic game with best story IHO - Engaging and interesting was Sonic and the Black Knight, music was spectacular, controlled better than SatSR, Merlina warns Sonic of the result of him taking down Arthur and he's just apathetic to it since he just wants to do what he thinks is right, Merlina twist where she want's to keep time eternally still so they don't get to Mordred (the person)'s betrayal is a believable desire, Sonic's point is also valid, deeper and more interesting than fluffle like Sonic '06, then you get the epic boss fight with Crush 40 theme, more conventional would be Colours as it's very old-school and back to basics, no fluff, Sonic 3 & K due to how it presents itself with no text and dialogue but still with a lot to it, Knuckles was presented so cool there [ehh], dumbed down in 'modern' era, Piccolo syndrome.
-If Worlds Unite hadn't basically retconned itself, what would be the lasting effect - Not a fair question as that was never going to be a possibility, always going to be the cosmic reboot due to the nature of the event, never was going to be canon. 
-Any nuggets of info for Mega Man's plans ala LHT but not on the same scale - Doesn't want to talk about that sort of thing in depth as Mega Man's situation is completely different to SOnic's situation, still holding out hope that he'll be able to follow up on his plans in some capacity, no idea when, how or even if but the door hasn't closed yet. Kyle wants more Quake Woman.
-Like the Wild Thornberries - Not especially, didn't see much of it, not fond of the Klasky-Csupo art style, King Acorn lines more of a Tim Curry reference than a character reference, joke took life of its own and we'll be seeing a little bit more of it down the line.
-Would the Underground comic have wrapped up the story or potentially led into other future stories for it - Talks about the history of the plan and the cartoon, would have been a finale with bits for the fans, rug was pulled from under them and they had to change plans for reasons, will be detailing more of what would have happened in LHT.
-Bean Strongbad reference noted, any process for what references are made or is it spontaneous - Doesn't set out to actively use references, but if something pops into his head, he'll see if it fits, one line he keeps trying to fit but has had to cut every time (Red vs Blue, [There's no 'i' in team. Well there's no 'u' either. So I'm not on team, you're not on team, there's nobody on the [lightsabre swoosh] team]. Kyle's favourite quote is the Megas [band] reference, Ian thinks that band rocks [man], thought one of the songs provided good insight into the Mega Man and Dr Light relationship, asked the band for permission to use the chorus, one guy said yes, he didn't tell the rest of the band, they turned the page into a Twitter icon and gave a shout-out to Archie in their next album. 
-Character voices for pre/post-reboot comic cast or game cast without voices - Doesn't have specifics for most, Rob Paulsen has to be Antoine, Jane from Tarzan is Relic, nothing set in stone for rest although would get those still alive for SatAM cast to return, would want Andrea Romano as voice director.
-Where is Bivalve and what is he planning - Bivalve is nowhere and everywhere. Bivalve watches, Bivalve listens, but most of all Bivalve plans. Do do-de-do.
-What did Ian have planned for green biker dude on off chance that X got spin-off - Introduce early on as support character, another hunter working alongside heroes, not necessarily high ranking, so when it came to bike scene where he became robo-scrap it would mean something during intro of Mega Man X2. Some names tossed about, like derived from bike puns or green or his initials.
-Naming the United Federation president ala the Commander - He has but can't settle on a name, wary about Tower because he is a SEGA character and his name is whatever they say it is, keeps waiting for them to name him and thus cause trouble, doesn't want to set himself up for double-whammy later.
-Setting up Metal Sonic - Not within context of rebellious robot because 1. already did that with Metal Overlord [and Free Riders], 2. Official SEGA word/canon is that when Eggman repaired him, he got rid of that rebellious streak so 100% loyal, comic version not as patient as game version, game version is totally loyal, comic version can get testy because Eggman is a doofus, still loyal, not room for rebellion because he can't.
-Why residents both human and anthro in Station Square rescue - his idea, to show that they live side by side, very big divide pre-reboot, humanity and animality and overlanders, easy shorthand for the fact that's not the case any more, later found out officially that there's two separate worlds so there wouldn't be that intermingling, comic continuity does it a little differently [in a connotation I can't represent here], overlanders not a thing.
-Fave Sonic characters growing up - Kyle; Knuckles (hence why he's disappointed that he's been sidelined). Ian; Knuckles was his favourite, original rival (comparable to Mega Man and Proto Man), Fave Worlds Unite story was the one with Knuckles and Proto Man, second was the one with Sticks and Roll. 
-Who/what is responsible for the French used in the comic - Aleah grew up in French immersion (real French), knows enough about the language to look at him from the side, ask what he was trying to say and react in a suitable manner when he tells her, once had a Russian fan on Twitter who he thinks was trying to say hello or ask something, he doesn't know any Russian, so put simplest sentence in Google Translate to say thank you, hopes it came through right [protip: for common generic phrases, don't use a translator, look for online phrase guides. They have it all worked out for you], Ian studied Latin because he knew it was a dead language so if he got it wrong noone could correct him [protip: WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT], story about Street Fighter engrish track, literally was Japanase fed into 90's English translator.
-"Meliden - We've heard that name before" "We have" - Goddangit now they're making the retreat word even more emphasised.
-How Sonic Rivals 2 went down in the comic - Rivals games are lost gems to him, like the Sonic 3 multiplayer but more robust, writing was pretty good, in regular gameplay (for SR2), there were four stories (Sonic and Tails, Knuckles and Rouge, Shadow and Metal Sonic, Silver and Espio), tweaks depending on the character played as, Sonic and Tails have most superflous story as they end up doing one minor bit of good in the saving the world thing not realising how little they contributed, whereas there's a character moment where Metal Sonic rips a Chaos Emerald out of his own chest so Shadow can escape back home, not much cross-over in the endgame, so comic version is slightly different, doesn't have a beat by beat story planned out but all the characters contributed a little differently in defeat of Ifrit than in game version, Unleashed adaptation should make it clear they're not being 100% faithful to the game canon.
-Trick to maintaining reader interest while keeping to required status quo from licence - tricky balancing act as primary cast can't really advance in terms of personality or character arc, can never fully succeed as Sonic always has to be in conflict with Dr Eggman, did try it back then (aka pre-reboot I guess), but book then was under very different circumstances, illusion of change and progression comes from extended cast, Freedom Fighters, friends from around the world, Egg Bosses, all have their own personal stories, by the you reach any one conclusion with them you've spent so much time and so many years with them, since reboot there's been 2 years of world building, arguably only introduced first chapter of their arcs, come for familiarity of Sonic and him fighting the fat man, stay for the meat which is the character development of those around Sonic [I came for the Charmy, I stay for the Chaotix].
-If you were able to bring back one character from old continuity who would it be - Doesn't like the idea of only picking one, so many were fun and had potential, wants to say Shard because he was fun to write, kinda like Sonic though, Matilda who broke hearts in her last appearance by breaking arm on a missile, shame because he had high hopes and long term plans for her as well as the Baron, Scourge turned out to be a crazy success story, took a character who wasn't the most robust in execution, reinvented for thematic and meta purposes, what if scenario as well as joke, same trap as Shard, loves them all because they were like his children, Kyle misses Julie-Su, Ian's reaction; "Eh", had more fun building up/tearing down Lien-Da.

-Personal favourite moment on the forum - Ask Ian where he wrote them all in character, most fun but exhausting.

 

Some of these auto-starting at a specific time despite the URL being clear of time cues, I don't know how to fix that. 

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

40 minutes ago, Detective Reptiles said:

Anchor(??) (likes design, deflecting staff, direct rival)

You mean Enker. He's named after enka, a Japanese style of music. Because musical theme naming :U

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That comment was made like a month ago, I forgot about that weird thing I couldn't hear properly. You can tell Mega Man is not my thing. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This seems like a useful resource for Archie Sonic fans, so it's been pinned. Thanks for gathering this information!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • The topic was pinned

I'm surprised that Ian answered the "which character from the old continuity would you most like to return" question, since I thought he was forbidden from talking about that kind of thing?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Didn't I say the next one was due today? Because I was bang on the money!

Episode 10;

Let's not dawdle with this one, it's the first ever SSMB BumbleKast cliffnotes!

-Thoughts/ideas on canon pathway for Shadow in self-titled game - In game, dabbles in all three of the plotlines (hero, neutral, dark) [but there's at least five with the different semi-dark and semi-hero???] to find out who he is because it's theme of the game, ultimately takes hero path because final story is him beating devil doom and saving world, but would go to Black Arms for answers which would bring him into conflict with Eggman and bringing in android idea, coming into his own on hero, realising that he is his own hedgehog.

-If Ian had the ability to completely dictate a Sonic game story, how would he do it - Mentions relation to Flynn4Sonic Twitter thing, some people under false impression that Ian would have more control than he would in that scenario, if he was picked up, SEGA would have him write the flesh for the bones (plot, themes, characters etc), in hypothetical scenario where he did have more control he would go all out and do an RPG, based on B-N's Tales Of engine, travel to multiple regions, interact with a whole slew of characters that don't have to be gameplay balanced, part of it goes to Mobotropolis where they talk to Sally, Nicole, Antoine etc, Meropis and their folk etc etc, journey around the world allows them to explore the comic characters and the game characters, maybe if you find one island off to the side there's Mighty who's been training on his own and he becomes that special bonus boss fight, references cameo battles in Tales Of, cameos would be Mario characters, some system with Chaos Emeralds that would let your character go super (he'd ignore the male hedgehog only thing), alternatively empowered or something, story would be search for the Chaos Emeralds, Fang steals one at one point to turn 7 lands into 8 lands, side chapters to delve into extra characters, final showdown on not-Death Egg, fully voiced skits.

-Other classic Mega Man characters he would have liked to have used - If they'd have gotten through 4 would have had Cossack Bot show up more often, more mileage out of Proto Man, would have liked to have introduced Waltz, would have liked to bring back the Light Robot Masters (classic and MM9), Bass.

-References in comic that went completely unnoticed - There have probably been on several occasions, but would have to go back and re-read himself to recall them and see what got picked up on.

-If you could write a proper end to the old continuity how would you do it - Two joke answers; Wait for LHT or Rocks Fall, Everybody Dies, if he had the opportunity we would have wound up similar to where we are now, wanted to bring things to a cataclysmic finale and bring things closer to game canon but so long term he doesn't have specifics, if he has opportunity to do it all over again, he would have brought the old continuity to something of a closure or big victory instead of everyone being torn down and launched things closer to official SEGA bible of the series, lemons to grenades to bringing houses down.

-If he had to kill off one main character, why and how - Probably wouldn't be of his own volition (aka from editor or SEGA), whatever reason they had, right now there's nobody he'd want to kill off, hates revolving door of death in comics so they'd stay dead. Kyle wouldn't either.

-Ever made a decision in the book he later regretted - Yes, can be said about anything creative because you have power of hindsight for ideas, went too far with the 100-gun salute to Tommy Turtle where he was turned to ash as it was pretty graphic for a kids book, signified how evil ADAM was, how powerful and yet powerless Super Sonic was so it was strong emotionally, still pretty happy with where we are now.

-What he'd most like to see in a new Sonic game - Would love to see Generations 2 or Colours 2 because he thought it was the right way to do Sonic - longer levels to enjoy without tedium, smaller levels to play with gimmicks, 2D sidescrolling that felt close enough to classics without being pixel-perfect, ridiculous and OTT high-speed sections in 3D with twitch reactions, red star rings, simple stories that were charming and did what they needed to do, thing he'd like most would be to take those formulae and dabble in Generations idea of extended cast being power-ups of sorts and playing with that more, phase out Wisps in favour of that maybe eg hit item bubble and turn into Tails briefly and fly, turn into Knuckles and have a few seconds of instant invincibility to tear through wall and badniks, have them like that instead of fully playable because at this point it's like 30 extra characters [more like 12-14 at most], just really likes his speedy platforming, some lip service for the extended cast, Kyle wants to see an original game with the Hedgehog Engine [Retro, Kyle. Hedgehog is a lighting engine unrelated to the following titles!] that was used for the classic remakes of 1, 2 and CD. or true Sonic 4, very disappointed with the music most, discussion about Sonic 4's music compared to the other classics, Ian expresses idea of Sonic Lineage, HD remake of Sonic 1 that leads into 2, then CD, then S3&K, then Sonic 4 which has episodes 1, 2 and 3 [obviously that would have to be made first. But it got cancelled], Sonic Advances and Battle done same way for encore [note: None of what is expressed here is necessarily my opinion. In fact, I quite disagree on a lot of it. I just write what I hear]. 

-Opinions/thoughts on characters he changed, before and after writing them - Definitely Sonic, big challenge when he first got on book because he bored Ian the most; good guy, jock, that was it, everyone seemed to have more interesting angles, "How do I make this character interesting to me so that my interest and enthusiasm carries over into the book and thus everyone else's entertainment?", as described before, he compares it to driving and being cut off, Sonic would always have the perfect one-liner, epitome of right thing at right time, jerk to those who deserve it, not to those who don't, once he realised that and put it against Eggman who is meticulous and smart who can't keep up on multiple levels, dynamic developed and became a lot of fun to write, otherwise not really on other characters, with Sally he set out to repair her character because she'd been through so much by the time he got on the book and gotten so far away from what made her interesting to begin with, get back to the point where she could be on par with Sonic and be an interesting character next to him, all went out the window with reboot so just started with how he wanted her to be from get-go.

-Story for Sonic/Mega Man where end result wasn't as good as he planned - Doesn't know if Worlds Unite came together perfectly but didn't have as much control over as other stories, didn't necessarily tell the best story, could explain it away but in the end didn't make it shine, still fun especially in the end, nothing else comes to mind too much, House of Cards was going to be multi-parter, not just Sonic and Tails but other Freedom Fighters and where they stood with loyalties to each other and the kingdom and ideals, wanted big exploration of team and their dynamic, then was told to make it two issues and move onto Enerjak, not all messages came through but end message was that Sonic cares for Tails but isn't thoughtful about how he does it and learns from that, friendship is stronger for it.

-Most difficult transition from fan to professional - Learning how to regulate fan expectation and desire, personal desire and licensor/editorial desire, into something that can please a majority, sometimes skewed too much towards fans, sometimes skewed to be too safe with those in power and sometimes sacrificed what he wants to see but that's part of the job, would like to think he had a decent enough balance early on, and found that balance now. 

-Character easiest to get in the head of and connect with - Not gotten as deep as question asker describes, not really anyone who's taken over, taken to treat it like method acting but never really taken the wheel for themselves, slips rather comfortably into Sonic and Eggman having written them for so long, fun to write.

-Goes back to previous question about character he'd being back (see episode 9) - Dr Finitevus; unique voice, villain, goal, fun to write for, cool creepy sinister, commanded respect, had most ease writing that. 

-Why Mighty is considered to be so strong when Knuckles is said to be as strong as Sonic is fast and Mighty was never shown as strong in the games he appeared in [SegaSonic the Hedgehog disagrees with that] - Makes sense for his character, name is Mighty, don't name him that and then not make him mighty [you don't name a character Charmy then make them a brat...wait a sec], existed across various incarnations, thinks it was in early Chaotix manual material [I checked. It does in the Western ones, not in the Japanese one. Again though, SSH], gives him some diversity where everyone else is speedy to have him mountain-moving strong and not big the cat [ironically power was the only class that would have overlapped in Chaotix, so it wasn't for the group], Kyle goes back to earlier question (see episode 9) to say that Mighty was one of his favourite characters, joke about sharing colour scheme with Shadow.

-Have Sonic X and Sonic Underground universes been erased following SGW - Tricky matter since it's not Mobius prime any more, for now discount them but not entirely because where the worlds where Secret RIngs and Black Knight fall could be considered parallel words but nature of multiverse in this incarnation of the series is up in the air,for reasons he can't get into, wouldn't worry about it right now.

-Favourite cookie and why - Girl Scout Mint cookie, thin mints, Kyle's is White chocolate macadamia, caramel delights, Ian doesn't like white chocolate [throw him in the dungeon], can still agree on Oreo [PS none of these are cookies in the UK bar the Chips Ahoy they don't like].

-One story they'd turn into an animated feature - Sonic Universe #3 where Shadow finds Gamma, Omega tries to hunt Gamma down, Shadow learns that Gamma has developed his own soul, when the bots battle they're evenly matched though uneven in abilities and power, Gamma beams his free will into Omega, which is why Omega rebels against Eggman and joins team Dark, loves Tracey's drawing of it, could see it shot for shot as he was writing, #175 just for visual spectacle, Kyle mentions Champions, Spark of Life, Pirate Plunder Panic, Ian also mentions Babylon Rising (for Lord Kukku scene).

-Why he let the fundies make the place so miserable for some people and get away with it [oh shit, religion, brace yourselves] - Kyle doesn't get it at first, one of the things that made him happy about the farewell thread was that some of the more fundamentalist members had their world view expanded, one in particular who was resistant who Ian heatedly, passionately and personally disagreed with to the point he had to remove himself from any kind of administration because he knew he couldn't look at it in a fair point of view because he was so displeased with their stance, but they weren't outright attacking anyone so within the rules to say their stuff, debate happened, believes the person was told to knock it off, they did, when they tried to bring it up again, very quickly and decisively told to knock it off again (not necessarily publically as to not make it a big event), fundies weren't necessarily the only ones who brought down the fun of the forum, could go on at length about some fold did to make things not as enjoyable [for example, I existed], not one particular group or person, especially those who stood in the rules for years but still made things unpleasant for everyone else, everyone was given a fair shake, some were given more than a fair shake because some were able to turn it around, that's why three strike system existed, after 10 years of controlling people, trying to get them to play fair and have an open mind he's tired, for every fundie who caused a ruckus, there were two or three people who lost their minds and couldn't approach it objectively and in a mature way, no one innocent or guilty party in any case, they did what they could, thought they did a good job in the end. 

-How would Other M have ended if continued - More or less would have ended with everyone dying or moving on, Sonic returning to the main universe, Bean and Bunnie would have had a happy ending otherwise everyone dies, Other M Sonic would go Super for the final battle against evil Pails, not only would be gold but whatever he wore would turn into a cape, mechanical shoes got bigger into Gundam-style boots with harley-esque exhaust pipes coming out of the straps, Other M was an invaluable learning experience for him, it had lots of help from generous artists and such, got 30 issues, translated into three other languages [you can bearly hear Aleah correcting Ian on one of them], so preparation really. 

 

 

...If it means anything, I never got striked.

 

...Um.

  • Thumbs Up 9
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Augh...

I do wish Ian took a more firm approach there. Many people got driven away by the "fundies". Heck the only reason I was still going back there was out of principle, even though just being there felt like a chore.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm surprised Ian didn't voice regret in what he did with Pre-Reboot!Charmy. Of all the things he had done in the book, THAT was possibly his most controversial. I guess he didn't want to bring any attention to it, especially since it's now completely irrelevant, but still.

That said, I loved the revelation that House of Cards was essentially going to be "Marvel Civil War: Sonic Edition" :lol:

  • Thumbs Up 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Detective Reptiles said:

Didn't I say the next one was due today? Because I was bang on the money!

Episode 10;

Let's not dawdle with this one, it's the first ever SSMB BumbleKast cliffnotes!

-Why Mighty is considered to be so strong when Knuckles is said to be as strong as Sonic is fast and Mighty was never shown as strong in the games he appeared in [SegaSonic the Hedgehog disagrees with that] - Makes sense for his character, name is Mighty, don't name him that and then not make him mighty [you don't name a character Charmy then make them a brat...wait a sec], existed across various incarnations, thinks it was in early Chaotix manual material [I checked. It does in the Western ones, not in the Japanese one. Again though, SSH], gives him some diversity where everyone else is speedy to have him mountain-moving strong and not big the cat [ironically power was the only class that would have overlapped in Chaotix, so it wasn't for the group], Kyle goes back to earlier question (see episode 9) to say that Mighty was one of his favourite characters, joke about sharing colour scheme with Shadow.

 

(I'm the one that asked this question) What I meant was that Mighty wasn't shown to be THAT strong in the games he appeared in. Yes, he flexes his muscles in SegaSonic Arcade, but that's about it. My question was mostly about why he depicts Mighty as stronger than Knuckles (or at least, why he emphasizes Mighty's strength more), but that was apparently not noticed or overlooked...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The End of Forum thread on BKC somehow got lost in the forum closing, and with it went the farewell posts of plenty of people, and also the link for the download of the forum backup. I was the one who made the backup, and I have managed to recover all the posts from my backups. Here is the link to the backup: http://1drv.ms/1JCHbIL

Note that I placed the lost posts also in a separate file, for the sake of convenience. I also noticed that that the images uploaded to BKC were also lost, but I can recover most of them through a backup of January 7th 2016, that I have on my computer. I will upload them to the above backup once I have finished digging them up :).

  • Thumbs Up 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/9/2016 at 8:11 PM, Sparky said:

(I'm the one that asked this question) What I meant was that Mighty wasn't shown to be THAT strong in the games he appeared in. Yes, he flexes his muscles in SegaSonic Arcade, but that's about it. My question was mostly about why he depicts Mighty as stronger than Knuckles (or at least, why he emphasizes Mighty's strength more), but that was apparently not noticed or overlooked...

This is just a theory, but maybe the reason why Mighty appears to be depicted as stronger than Knuckles is because Knuckles has several other powers - gliding, climbing, a connection to the Master Emerald. Mighty, on the other hand, is basically just super strength, so if he were only as strong as or weaker than Knuckles, he might seem somewhat underwhelming and redundant.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, Monkey Destruction Switch said:

This is just a theory, but maybe the reason why Mighty appears to be depicted as stronger than Knuckles is because Knuckles has several other powers - gliding, climbing, a connection to the Master Emerald. Mighty, on the other hand, is basically just super strength, so if he were only as strong as or weaker than Knuckles, he might seem somewhat underwhelming and redundant.

That mentallity, in my honest opinion, is RIDICULOUS. Gliding, Climbing, and Digging are not powers, at least not in Knuckles' sense. I mean, under this line of thought, Tails' IQ and technological capacity means that Ray should be a better flyer. And because Sonic has the Chaos Emeralds and stuff, we might as well introduce a new character to be a better speedster than Sonic. I don't see how Gliding, Climbing, and Digging, basically Treasure Hunter abilities, interferes with what Knuckles' actual POWER is. Yes, Knuckles can use his dreads to glide, and his spiked fists to climb walls and dig, but his SUPERPOWER is Super Strength. His core ABILITY is "Power". Tails has super intelligence and technological tinkering that rivals Eggman, but his core ability is "Flight".  I think something needs to be done about Mighty and Ray, because being those same colors with ONLY those core abilities and no other skills and stuff interferes with what makes Tails and Knuckles Tails and Knuckles.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay, maybe some things are "abilities" and others are "powers", but in this context, it hardly matters, as I'm just talking about an out-of-universe narrative perspective. Knuckles has multiple capabilities to make him interesting, whereas Mighty just has super strength. Ian Flynn doesn't want Mighty to come across as boring or redundant, so he makes that super strength extra enhanced. But it's certainly not some strict 1-to-1 relationship where, if one character has less abilities than another, they always need to compensate or something. I think that would be stupid, too. It's just that, in this particular instance, Ian Flynn wanted to have Mighty be distinguished by his super strength, for reasons he clearly outlined in the podcast. And frankly, I think it's a pretty sensible decision. It's appeared in other media, it's what people expect, and, well, his name is Mighty.

And as a Knuckles fan, I really don't think it ruins (or even seriously harms) his character to have a very small selection of other characters be stronger than he is. He's a lot more than just his super strength. For example, I feel he's not just raw power; he's more of a martial artist who can throw incredible punches thanks in part to his spiked knuckles. And I mean, is he even indisputably the strongest character in the games? In the Olympics games, Vector has a higher power stat than he does (though yeah, not the best source of canon ever). In Sonic Adventure, Big can lift cars, but he can't. In Sonic Riders, it was implied that Storm was at least a serious rival to his strength (at least I think so, it's been a long time since I've played it). I think Bark the Polar Bear is also physically stronger than (or at the very least on-par with) Knuckles in Sonic the Fighters. So yeah, I don't really see why Knuckles has to be the very strongest for him to be "Knuckles", which it sorta seems like you're implying, particularly since Knuckles has several advantages over many other super-strong Sonic characters (e.g. he's faster, more lightweight and more mobile than most of them). I don't even see why any character has to be the best at their most defining aspect to be who they are; heck, isn't Metal Sonic said to be faster than Sonic sometimes?

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 hours ago, Monkey Destruction Switch said:

Okay, maybe some things are "abilities" and others are "powers", but in this context, it hardly matters, as I'm just talking about an out-of-universe narrative perspective. Knuckles has multiple capabilities to make him interesting, whereas Mighty just has super strength. Ian Flynn doesn't want Mighty to come across as boring or redundant, so he makes that super strength extra enhanced. But it's certainly not some strict 1-to-1 relationship where, if one character has less abilities than another, they always need to compensate or something. I think that would be stupid, too. It's just that, in this particular instance, Ian Flynn wanted to have Mighty be distinguished by his super strength, for reasons he clearly outlined in the podcast. And frankly, I think it's a pretty sensible decision. It's appeared in other media, it's what people expect, and, well, his name is Mighty.

And as a Knuckles fan, I really don't think it ruins (or even seriously harms) his character to have a very small selection of other characters be stronger than he is. He's a lot more than just his super strength. For example, I feel he's not just raw power; he's more of a martial artist who can throw incredible punches thanks in part to his spiked knuckles. And I mean, is he even indisputably the strongest character in the games? In the Olympics games, Vector has a higher power stat than he does (though yeah, not the best source of canon ever). In Sonic Adventure, Big can lift cars, but he can't. In Sonic Riders, it was implied that Storm was at least a serious rival to his strength (at least I think so, it's been a long time since I've played it). I think Bark the Polar Bear is also physically stronger than (or at the very least on-par with) Knuckles in Sonic the Fighters. So yeah, I don't really see why Knuckles has to be the very strongest for him to be "Knuckles", which it sorta seems like you're implying, particularly since Knuckles has several advantages over many other super-strong Sonic characters (e.g. he's faster, more lightweight and more mobile than most of them). I don't even see why any character has to be the best at their most defining aspect to be who they are; heck, isn't Metal Sonic said to be faster than Sonic sometimes?

Metal Sonic being faster than Sonic is fine because he is Metal Sonic.

Sonic Heroes' Speed, Fly and Power classification system comes from Sonic, Tails and Knuckles. So if Sonic is the Fastest Thing Alive, wouldn't Knuckles be the strength equivalent of that? He doesn't need to lift heavy stuff to show that, because Knuckles has always been about breaking through barriers and stuff.

Edit : Mighty and Ray feel like back up members for Team Sonic/Heroes. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As much as I think Ian would be good, probably one of the best, at writing a story for the Sonic games, after hearing this I think having a bit of a leash on his exploits might be a good idea. I like the idea of tackling an RPG setting again but the idea of putting the SatAM and Comic characters in there makes me shiver a bit. It's a more personal thing, I know, but one of the downsides to these comics to me has always been that the Freedom Fighters are the main characters. It's because of this that the spotlight rarely stretches out far enough for everyone to get their due in the main book. Shadow isn't even in my top 5 but it's hard not to notice that he literally only ever appears in Sonic Universe now. Not to mention, the games have trouble giving focus to any character past the limit of 4 or 5 people now. I'd like to hold out hope for more development and expansion on those who are in more need of it; which I'm certain he could pull off fine.

I don't agree with the thing about Mighty. I already didn't like Mighty because of yet another personal vendetta against him for being so popular without him having to do shit as far as I've been concerned but finding out that he was this strong when I got to the comics confused the hell out of me. The name thing is odd too. I mean, I suppose it's commendable to try and make the character fit the mold of what they're called. If Charmy comes off like a brat instead of a charming kid then whoever's writing him is just fucking up a lot then. Though in Mighty's case, I've never known what to make of his name. "Mighty" as in a strong personality? "Mighty" as in a strong conviction? The last thing I thought of was "Mighty" as in literally stronger then everyone. Even then, I get making him strong but him coming off stronger then or as strong as Knuckles and Vector just really bugs me. It might just be that I don't like him though. That could be it.

Also, about Sonic, I'm sorry but I don't think he managed to succeed with him completely. He's not a "jerk to those who deserve it, not to those who don't" to me. He really does just have a humongous ego and comes off as just a complete jerk. At least to me. I've always liked the versions of Sonic who have the ego thing be a more playful not-too-serious thing rather then something that's almost all encompassing of the way he is. 

  • Thumbs Up 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Eh, he knows he's got a leash already, that's why it talks about it as pie-in-the-sky fantasy. You think SEGA would ever let anyone run this wildly again given how Sonic Chronicles turned out?

While I'm definitely not a fan of making Mighty the strongest of all characters because that veers into unwarranted merit, it is backed up by what little SegaSonic the Hedgehog gives us - he is a guy who flexes, which is shorthand for someone for someone with a lot of strength. In fact, given how the game assigned no concrete personalities there, it makes the most sense for it to be strength. 

Charmy...I think was always intended to embody some sort of brat archetype, at least from Heroes onwards. The Manga he came from seemed to have him called that because he was literally charmed with magic of some sort, and the Japanese Chaotix bio doesn't seem to hint at him being charming (prideful, sure). Heroes has Vector become extremely annoyed with his antics, and this only gets even more played up in Shadow onwards. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, I know. Just expressing my thoughts on why the leash is a good thing in this case. Never asserted that he didn't know he had it, just that I don't fully stand by what he'd do if he didn't.

I read that there probably are things to back it up. Finding out so much later after the fact where the idea has settled with me as something I don't like does nothing to make it work for me though. At this point, it's just a personal preference he not be that way.

The notion of him being annoyed gets lost on me because I just don't find him annoying. I admired the fact that in Heroes the roles they shared had him on equal footing with the other two. I  recall Vector being annoyed with Charmy two or three times but all those moments made me laugh. I'd probably be more inclined to fall under that bar if he were more like Marine. She breaks stuff while Charmy's finding top secret disks in a dangerous acid invested war zone. She calls herself the captain when Charmy can happily call Vector "Sir" (or Boss in Sonic X). She's jumps to weird conclusions when Charmy can at least bring up how odd it is that their client knows so much about Dr. Eggman. His team has use for his flight abilities and he fights along side them with confidence while Blaze wanted to leave Marine behind on the island. I feel there's a distinction between how you make a character an awful brat and a fun one. You know, if he's indeed supposed to be a brat. It's kind of hard to tell since he's barely ever being written nowadays.

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I say he's a brat, I mean in-universe as opposed to how he seems to the outside. Heroes didn't have Charmy exactly on equal footing, he kinda got isolated out of a few conversations because he was being his kid self (although it's a lot less extreme than later games), while Charmy was looking for something he didn't know but should have he was also getting in the way of the hacking and rammed the computer while ignoring the voices telling him to stop, Charmy has a lot less respect for Vector than Marine for Blaze despite her ego-centric disposition, Charmy is explicitly called scatterbrained in his bios (well, Generations uses the alternative of bee-brained, and Sonic Runners is outright contradictory to Charmy spotting that, or at least treats it as rarity) and Charmy hasn't had chance to put his fighting or other physical skills to the test since...well, Heroes (which is extra egregious in Shadow).

 

Remember, I do like Charmy, but in terms of how he's seen in-universe, brat really does fit him. I think half of it came from Heroes, half is what's been made of him over time. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, on the outside, it didn't carry itself that way to me. If Charmy truly was isolated in Heroes, I didn't notice it. I only recall one or two moments where he was off to the side to observe something or to be a child for a bit. He was looking for something he didn't know about but recognized it instantly when he saw it. Getting in the way of the hacking doesn't really matter to me either since in the first scene with the hacking he never got a chance to do anything because he was held back and in the second scene his getting in the way was the thing that solved the problem. Now, I'm not saying that doesn't mean it's not something a brat would do. There's also a chance it couldn't have worked (although it worked when Shadow did it so I guess him and Charmy are compatible in brain power). However, the line I'm making is more about how I appreciate the way he's been portrayed enough to recognize that his status as just a straight up brat is something that carries too much negative weight to it. I can deal with his portrayal in universe being that of a brat (I guess) but I'm one of the people who hasn't been fully bought into it yet. He just seems like a normal hyperactive kid to me with a bit more a helpful streak to him. If he's supposed to be worse then that, then they need to try harder to make him a complete fuck up like Marine.

Also, the point I was making about Marine with her always calling herself captain wasn't completely about how they show respect towards the other person. It's more about how the ego works it's way into what she says and does as opposed to Charmy who just teases the guy on occassion despite all the other things he does to actually help. 

But again. That's just me. In universe, I get what he's supposed to be but I don't feel it completely. I don't think any of it came from Heroes. When I think "brat" I think a kid that's either particularly mean or some nuisance that literally only gets in the way. When it comes to that game, he made a crack or two at Vector and that's all I remember. But people define brat differently. Maybe Shadow the Hedgehog would fit a bit better since that scene where he's begging to help with the hacking might fit the criteria more of getting in the way despite what it actually did in the end.

I'm sure, in universe, the way the characters are supposed to be doesn't translate well into what we actually feel they're being portrayed as often. Like I'm certain that in universe, Princess Elise was supposed to come off as something much more positive then she was but... 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8.2.2016 at 10:20 PM, Detective Reptiles said:

-Story for Sonic/Mega Man where end result wasn't as good as he planned - Doesn't know if Worlds Unite came together perfectly but didn't have as much control over as other stories, didn't necessarily tell the best story, could explain it away but in the end didn't make it shine, still fun especially in the end, nothing else comes to mind too much, House of Cards was going to be multi-parter, not just Sonic and Tails but other Freedom Fighters and where they stood with loyalties to each other and the kingdom and ideals, wanted big exploration of team and their dynamic, then was told to make it two issues and move onto Enerjak, not all messages came through but end message was that Sonic cares for Tails but isn't thoughtful about how he does it and learns from that, friendship is stronger for it.

 

Very very interesting. I always knew House of Cards could have been something bigger, would have loved to read that version he described. Oh well... (Enerjak Reborn was cool).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So he answers questions he get from the viewers? Very intersting! 

I figured there are restrictions on what they can answer, but do they edit people's questions? I looked at the newest video and there are people saying their question was changed.

EDIT: Whoops I looked back and there was only one person saying that. The other ones were saying they phrased it wrong or someone edited their own question.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Kyle was sick, so we've had a bit of a delay. But now it's here, let's get to it!

Episode 11;

Today's episode discussion is about the new Smash Bros DLC and Deadpool with a smidge of Star Wars thrown in (topics which I cannot contribute to as I haven't bought the DLC and I'm definitely not seeing Deadpool). 

But I'm here to do cliffnotes, and for that we've got to go to the Q & A!

-Quake Woman design process - Decided that the design should contrast her character, bright colours and pigtails juxtaposed against morose/reserved/stoic nature, contrast is red flag for readers to realise that something is wrong and make them more interested in her story, fits into her back story of being a different person (not literally) before she was stripped of it, working her way back to that state [weirdly enough I don't associate those colours or pigtails with happiness and...childishness, I guess].

-Plans for Mighty and Ray - A few stories he specifically wants to tell with them, doesn't have a long term end game for them, treating them the same as the rest of the game cast even though in some ways they have more freedom with them, in some ways have less freedom with them, knows how they react to each other, what kind of adventures they would have, some stories he'd like to tell with them.

-Discussion about the unreleased SegaSonic Brothers, reactions to characters post-reboot (not enough characters so he should do world building, then bringing in all these characters and not doing anything with them so there's too many), 

-Influential writers - Stephen King (early stuff) for characters and concepts, Orson Scott Card (just the fiction) for ensemble pieces and world building, George R.R. Martin for what he's managed to do with A Song of Ice and Fire [he said Game of Thrones but the book series is called A Song of Ice and Fire. :/] and how the intricacies feel organic, Hiromu Arakawa for how it manages to fit together, Akira Toriyama for how fun his series is, how the characterisations play off each other and how easy it is to get invested, Jeff Smith for Bone, Michael J Straczynski and Ed Brubaker for how they've revamped so many stories, Brian Michael Bendis (mostly on Powers) early stuff was hokey but comic book-y, Robert Kirkman's Invincible work, Don Rosa's Scrooge stuff, just a small selection listed off the top of his head.

-Would Neo Metal Sonic be boss if Ian rewrote Sonic Heroes - Thinks there's nothing wrong at the story's core, could be fleshed out in certain areas and how things fit together is weird (eg How Sonic is shown in the newspaper), Metal Sonic is essentially taking all the biodata he needs from everyone due to his chip and he likes that angle, likes to think that Eggman upgraded his chip and the first thing Metal Sonic did was copy Eggman's data which gives him the evil attitude [Which isn't right considering that Metal Sonic only ever copied data from those with connections to Chaos and the usage of Chaos Emeralds. Eggman's never had that] and makes him throw Eggman in the closet and claim himself as Eggman, the fit together and the warehouse of Shadow Androids bridging to Shadow has a nice continuity to it, didn't mind the star shape head design on Neo Metal Sonic, didn't like the Metal Overlord dragon look [again, probably from that Chaos data, although that's not an unpopular opinion], game felt like Chaotix 2.0 to him; large cast of characters who are tethered together with unique abilities to go through levels, big tube special stages [but that's Sonic 2, is Sonic 2 Chaotix 0.5 now?], fight a giant version of Metal Sonic, Chaotix actually being there, would have liked Metal Overlord more akin to Metal Sonic Kai, doesn't have an issue with Metal Sonic making that big push but felt he wasn't Metal Sonic by the end, parts of the boss fight were cool, thinks it's a wasted opportunity that Tails and Knuckles get Super Shields and don't actually turn super [well, it was rendered non-canon before this game so they didn't see it as an opportunity for anything. :V], slippy controls, interesting soundtrack, details in textures and level design (eg the Eggman statue at Hang Castle), Chaos Emeralds achievable across all four teams (although just Team Rose is most viable due to convoluted unlock method), but it brought back Chaotix sans Mighty so it's a mixed bag, I think we lost the question somewhere around the halfway point.

-Would he create parents for game cast if allowed - He would keep them parentless, one of Sonic's core aspects by narrative and design is that he has freedom to whatever whenever, family complicates that by bringing up questions of why he would go help them if they were in trouble, do they worry about him, does he have a residence, why doesn't he stay there etc, could argue that all the family are free spirits but adds baggage that doesn't necessarily need to be there. Spitballing; Sonic - Maybe if family were condusive to his free spirit and would probably base it off the 1992-1993 Manga, Tails - No because being an orphan and alone was the point of him meeting Sonic and Sonic teaching him to be independent and strong, Knuckles - No, last of his kind is his defining feature, would like an answer to who came before him but still shouldn't have family, Amy - Maybe, but raises question of how events that led her to being in Sonic CD (aka running off alone to Little Planet) could have happened etc, Vanilla is all that is needed because she explains where Cream goes when not adventuring but still begs the question of why she lets Cream go adventuring since she's 6, let the characters do their stuff without familial baggage, for explaining parents absence uses an example; if Vanilla trusts Sonic and Amy enough to look after Cream, or sees how Tails has turned out under Sonic's wing and figures it'd be a good learning experience for Cream, but not needed every single time, wouldn't explain why she doesn't have a father, doesn't miss it in the Sonic series now that the comic has been revamped, was working towards wrapping up and closing it off in old continuity but is glad he doesn't have to deal with it any more, extended cast have more freedom to have them as they create the illusion of progression in the narrative while main cast whereas game cast don't change so they interact with things that change so it feels like they're moving forward when they're really not [in his defence, he only ever created two parental figures for game characters in the old continuity; Vector's "dad" and the Bride of Constant Vigil].

-Was he a fan of the video games before starting on the comic professionally - YES. /end question

-Okay, no there's more. Genesis was first real console after Atari, bought a Nomad, saved up a lot of lunch money (unit was $200, battery pack was $50), it allowed his younger brother to play Genesis cartridges and experience what he had (but then deleted Ian's 100% Sonic and Knuckles run), wanted to get proper controllers and wires so you could just plug it into any TV and play it on the go, Kyle expands on modding market for Nomad and Game Gear consoles/accessories, always been a big Sonic fan, weird looking back to when he was a fan getting onto the book to now, sometimes asks himself if it's time to move on, a part of him professionally says yes, another part going "Nah, I'm good", still enjoys writing it and coming up with stories, still has ways of branching out the narrative, could contently write Sonic for the rest of his life, as much as the past 10 years have been his run, Sonic isn't his, it's just his take on it, never going to say it's his book or vision.

So there we go, It's back to only a few questions, but there's always a lot of tangents. 

  • Thumbs Up 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

You must read and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy to continue using this website. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.