Megathread IDW's Sonic the Hedgehog - Megathread

[Pengi]

14 hours ago, Rabbitearsblog said:

I agree that Sonic X was more successful compared to the other Sonic the Hedgehog shows.  So far, it's the only one that has ran for 3 seasons while most of the other Sonic shows ran for 1 to 2 seasons at best.

It wasn't produced as 3 seasons. It was a 52 episode order before the first episode aired. It was successful enough overseas that they did a second series of 26 episodes.

[Rabbitearsblog]

3 hours ago, Pengi said:

It wasn't produced as 3 seasons. It was a 52 episode order before the first episode aired. It was successful enough overseas that they did a second series of 26 episodes.

So technically speaking, it's really only 2 seasons, even though overseas it was stated as having a 3rd season?

[Empire88]

24 minutes ago, Rabbitearsblog said:

So technically speaking, it's really only 2 seasons, even though overseas it was stated as having a 3rd season?

Yes. 

What we call Season 1 and Season 2 overseas aired continuously without an in-between season hiatus in Japan. Episode 26 (the last of what we call season 1) came out September 28, 2003 in Japan. The next episode came out October 5,2003. Besides ending a story arc, the show continued as usual.  The episodes were ordered all at the same time as 52 episodes (usual for Japan) and are one season. Then there was a gap with more episodes made for the Metarex Saga (Season 2).

In the US though for example, there was a 6 month gap (off season period) between episode 26 and 27. A lot of networks in the US don't order 52 episodes at once for a cartoon (especially dubbed) before proven success. After the first season then they probably approved the remaining episodes as a "second season" to start back in fall.

[KoDaiko]

Someone got their hands on some previews for Bad Guys #3:

Spoiler

Source: 

ttps://twitter.com/IDWSonicNews/status/1328811168664838146

ttps://tailschannel.com/idw-sonic/sonic-bad-guys-3-previews/

 

 

 

sooooo...

Spoiler

• The Starline listening to the journal is Mimic (doesn't have the tricore, and why would the real one take the risk to play it?)
• Starline is a darn idiot for recording his plan 

 

[Kuzu]

Spoiler

Pfffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffft.

 

So both Mimic and Zavok are in on Starline's plan. 

 

[Ryannumber1gamer]

Spoiler

Man, it sure is lucky that Starline - master genius who surely doesn't repeat Eggman's mistakes decided to be kind enough to explain his exact plan to the letter, his device that lets him beat Sonic, Tails and Knuckles in a fight, and on top of that, also happen to mention striking out his allies once they served their purpose.

I've said it once, I'll say it again, I'm getting really damn sick of Starline and this shit ain't helping much.

 

[Kuzu]

14 minutes ago, Ryannumber1gamer said:

  Hide contents

Man, it sure is lucky that Starline - master genius who surely doesn't repeat Eggman's mistakes decided to be kind enough to explain his exact plan to the letter, his device that lets him beat Sonic, Tails and Knuckles in a fight, and on top of that, also happen to mention striking out his allies once they served their purpose.

I've said it once, I'll say it again, I'm getting really damn sick of Starline and this shit ain't helping much.

 

 

Hmm, what problems are you having cuz I'm kind of enjoying him.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

8 minutes ago, Kuzu said:

 

Hmm, what problems are you having cuz I'm kind of enjoying him.

I've said it all before, so I don't feel like repeating it all again. Short version is I don't like how the comic portrays him. I think it's really annoying how Starline's shtick is constantly criticising Eggman for his own flaws, and yet Starline keeps repeating said flaws in dumber, and even more ridiculous ways, and then he has a tendency to blame it on someone else when it blows up in his face.

Spoiler

He did the same shit in Issue 1 when he assumed that Eggman would be absolutely dumb enough to not remove him from the Eggnet servers, and he's doing the same thing again by literally recording his own damn plan, and his plans of betrayal when he knows there's someone who's an active shapeshifter on the team. It feels contrived, and it keeps knocking Starline's character down a peg. You can't make this character who's meant to contrast off Eggman when he just keeps doing dumb short-sighted shit, when the whole point is Starline is meant to think things out, and plan for every eventuality, while Eggman is much more fluid and able to adjust to things in the moment.

 

[DabigRG]

32 minutes ago, Kuzu said:

  Hide contents

Pfffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffft.

 

So both Mimic and Zavok are in on Starline's plan. 

 

That was evident on the recent cover

[Diogenes]

I think it feels kind of fitting. Starline and Eggman ultimately aren't so different, and that's why Starline was so enamored with him in the first place. He believed in Eggman's flawless genius because he believed in his own flawless judgement, and he's struggling to accept that both of them are self-sabotaging and not quite as clever or in control as they think they are.

That said this particular series of events may be pushing it a bit further than they should've.

[Ellipsis-Ultima]

Spoiler

Meanwhile I'm just sitting here snickering over the fact that his logo/symbol is the toothpaste hair strand with five stars on it.

 

[Kuzu]

23 minutes ago, Ryannumber1gamer said:

I've said it all before, so I don't feel like repeating it all again. Short version is I don't like how the comic portrays him. I think it's really annoying how Starline's shtick is constantly criticising Eggman for his own flaws, and yet Starline keeps repeating said flaws in dumber, and even more ridiculous ways, and then he has a tendency to blame it on someone else when it blows up in his face.

  Reveal hidden contents

He did the same shit in Issue 1 when he assumed that Eggman would be absolutely dumb enough to not remove him from the Eggnet servers, and he's doing the same thing again by literally recording his own damn plan, and his plans of betrayal when he knows there's someone who's an active shapeshifter on the team. It feels contrived, and it keeps knocking Starline's character down a peg. You can't make this character who's meant to contrast off Eggman when he just keeps doing dumb short-sighted shit, when the whole point is Starline is meant to think things out, and plan for every eventuality, while Eggman is much more fluid and able to adjust to things in the moment.

 

 

I feel like that's the point though; Starline's entire character is built on assumptions and hubris in his own genius. It's like you said, he thinks he's smarter than he actually is. I like it, because it serves a great contrast with Eggman, and lends credence to the fact that the only reason Eggman loses is because Sonic is just that good, rather than incompetence on Eggman's part (most of the time). 

I don't know where the character is going to go, but I like how we have a villain who's just as arrogant as Eggman, but nowhere near as competent and how it's blowing up in his face. 

[KoDaiko]

Yeah, I am not fond of Starline here. There is a way to write a character as intelligent but also self-sabotaging. But in this case, it feels less of a mistake and more...stupid? Like for the sake of the plot. 

Spoiler

We did have a scene of Starline talking to himself as a "progress log update" back in #1. But after forming the team (later part of #1 and all of #2), Starline was keeping everything inside his head as a thought bubble. It feels redundant to reiterate everything he thought in that issue & re-spell out word for word his entire plan into a video log, especially since he was reminding himself not to be like Eggman and to be careful. I was expecting him to at least be more ambiguous, since he already (briefly) talked about his plan in the #1 update log. 

The scene also feels sudden, like we have some pages missing. We only have a preview, but along with the "make it ambiguous" point above I was expecting some build-up or a different method of finding out his plan. Perhaps a panel of Zavok glancing over at Starline, or Mimic sneaking into his lab and accidentally see/hear him smugly working on the tricore thing & figure out how to login to learn more. Then he becomes more suspicious, observing Starline until he is convinced & confronts the platypus.

Basically, the comic is not doing well at convinving me Starline is supposed to be smart. Maybe that's the point, and it's my fault I saw him as something he isn't supposed to be, but I am not enjoying it.

 

[DaddlerTheDalek]

I think Dr. Starline is amusing in that regard. He thinks he's better, but doesn't realize that he is not in in the same league as Dr. Eggman.

[bingboomer]

the only part of the bad guys mini series i like or care about is rough and tumble. they r the best part. 

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

Starline is basically the kind of character Snively used to be, but far more prone to mistakes due to also having a fatal flaw of pride that rivals Eggman while lacking the resources and manpower.

I mean, I don’t know, kinda hard to hate a character for the flaws he’s made to have. By that same token, he has to cover different bases for the things he lacks, as he’s a lone villain in a world where the heroes outnumber him and the main antagonist is far too powerful for him to maneuver around on his own.

Seems about right to me. It’s like a small criminal group trying to best Lex Luther while avoiding the wrath of the Justice League, if that makes any sense.

[KoDaiko]

We now have some previews for IDW #35:

Spoiler

 

[DabigRG]

I haven't had time to really comment much lately, so I'll touch in some things briefly as they come to me:

Spoiler

 

Yes, Bad Guys is starting to rerail Zavok while also allowing him respites of mingling. While obviously downplayed and a different ballpark, this is the sorta thing I might have expected more of from TSR's storytelling.

Neat to see Rough and Tumble get fun little moments again. Noticed that they distinguished out Rough as mostly tagging along for the fun of it, which you can take as a parallel for Tails' dynamic with Sonic while obviously being more in line with the latter.

Mimic is honestly kinda boring, straightforward motivation accompanying him or not. It's fine since he's the last character I would look forward to in this group and he's due to get something out of this, but it stuck out even with how lax reading much of this issue was.

It occurred to me what an oddly designed group this is. They're all villains, yeah, but it really sticks out when you see Zavok and Tumble create a fake SpinDash hole(cool bit of subterfuge there). Points for Tumble being the taller, btw.

Anyone else notice the dipping birds around the base?

 

 

Chao Race Lap 2

Spoiler

This issue was kinda dull, honestly.  I can talk more later, but following up on sorta biding my time with the first part, I felt like the way the Beta Rose situation played out felt inherently rushed, indirectly unfocused, and not very interesting.

What was the deal again?

The Clutch situation was flat, allusion to not being defenseless possibly included. Him keeping the Chao in cages makes sense though, as it wouldn't otherwise given his inclination towards collecting Chao and the hoard of "treasures" suggests he's been there for a while.

Don't know why, but I expected the Shadow Chao to be a plant by Shadow for some reason.

What animal is Belle supposed to be? I assumed she was either a dog or a generic kritter, but she has a specific tail as well.

I'll have to agree that i fully get Sonic attacking Belle here. The touch that he's basically play fighting with her helps a bit, but she also doesn't quite look or really seem menacing in even a Motobug type way. 

What exactly is Belle's so called ability? She just dodges his attacks with no indication of any of power beyond being kinda limber and scared.

I'm wondering if their being detected while Tails is distracted examining Belle is gonna affect Bad Guys in any way. 

Once again, I forgot this was a three parter, so we'll see if the third part does anything with what space it'll have.

 

And on the preview for Bad Guys 3

Spoiler

Not sure how I feel about Mimic just happening upon a recording at the start rather than finding out in a different, more narratively precedent way.

Zavok seeing the message too is pretty unnecessary, since it breaks away from the factoid of him quietly being aware that Starline is playing them and just seeing it play out, hence the detail of him simply gesturing the Skunk Bros stay back while Mimic goes off. 

 

And ultimately, wouldn't it make more sense if the log was what it appeared to be--an immersive recap that may or may not be happening in story--and then maybe come back into play as  when Mimic goes slashy? In essence, it could've been a surprise Chekhov's gun.

18 hours ago, CrownSlayer’s Shadow said:

Starline is basically the kind of character Snively used to be, but far more prone to mistakes due to also having a fatal flaw of pride that rivals Eggman while lacking the resources and manpower.

I mean, I don’t know, kinda hard to hate a character for the flaws he’s made to have. By that same token, he has to cover different bases for the things he lacks, as he’s a lone villain in a world where the heroes outnumber him and the main antagonist is far too powerful for him to maneuver around on his own.

Seems about right to me. It’s like a small criminal group trying to best Lex Luther while avoiding the wrath of the Justice League, if that makes any sense.

I think that just hammers in what's odd about it.

 

He's leaning hard on being another less snide Snively when he should be a bit more like a less pyrrhic Finitevus or Nega: someone who over thinks things to the point that their failings come from not being able/willing to stray from their logic without falling apart or at least tripping over their own feet.

And this many careless mistakes on his part doesn't look good, with

Spoiler

the video being a highlight of "Are you friggin high right now?" Rough and Tumble are one thing, but he should know that Zavok and especially Mimic are the type to take any advantage they can.

 

[Mauro Fonseca]

"What animal is Belle supposed to be? I assumed she was either a dog or a generic kritter, but she has a specific tail as well."

 

A wooden doll. Not a specific animal, just a wooden doll. Earlier in concept she was more based on a mouse, but that's been removed since. Check Evan's tumblr, she talks about this stuff sometimes

[DabigRG]

36 minutes ago, The KKM said:

"What animal is Belle supposed to be? I assumed she was either a dog or a generic kritter, but she has a specific tail as well."

 

A wooden doll. Not a specific animal, just a wooden doll. Earlier in concept she was more based on a mouse, but that's been removed since. Check Evan's tumblr, she talks about this stuff sometimes

So a mouse, like a jerboa or desert rat. Gotcha.

10 hours ago, KoDaiko said:

We now have some previews for IDW #35:

  Hide contents

 

Spoiler

Had to look again to realize she laughed herself by yanking her tail.

So she's a Chain Chomplet.

 

[Mauro Fonseca]

10 minutes ago, DabigRG said:

So a mouse, like a jerboa or desert rat. Gotcha.

 

No, that concept was specifically removed by the end. The "animal" literally is just meant to be "wooden doll", it's like asking what animal an Eggrobo or Cubot is. You see remnants of the early mouse concept in stuff like the tail, but it's not meant to be a wooden mouse in any way. Just wooden doll.

[DabigRG]

2 hours ago, The KKM said:

No, that concept was specifically removed by the end. The "animal" literally is just meant to be "wooden doll", it's like asking what animal an Eggrobo or Cubot is. You see remnants of the early mouse concept in stuff like the tail, but it's not meant to be a wooden mouse in any way. Just wooden doll.

How did I know you might follow that up? I just wanted an easy reference for the tail.

[Razule]

5 hours ago, The KKM said:

No, that concept was specifically removed by the end. The "animal" literally is just meant to be "wooden doll", it's like asking what animal an Eggrobo or Cubot is. You see remnants of the early mouse concept in stuff like the tail, but it's not meant to be a wooden mouse in any way. Just wooden doll.

What's next? Metal Sonic isn't a hedgehog? /jk

[KoDaiko]

I'm guessing it's this? From Evan's tumblr:

(This is the link to the post, and this is the Huldra link in her answer)

 

 

Tbh Belle doesn't look that "strange" if that was Evan's intention. Sure you wonder what animal she's based on, and her puppet features is unique, but aside from that she looks pretty similar to everyone else. Kind of wish the characters pointed it out more in the comic? For me Sonic seeing her as a badnik/robot was more surprising.

[Sonictrainer]

We have a Cover for #38

Spoiler