Megathread IDW's Sonic the Hedgehog - Megathread

[Iko]

38 minutes ago, Sonictrainer said:

Never did I ever think we'd get some Toy Kingdom Zone Artwork.

I love how Badniks from different Advance Games are sprinkled in the background

I wish the locations of the Advance games were revisited more often in games and other medias.

I was a bit disappointed that Ice Paradise was not shown in the Metal Virus arc (it was mentioned a few times but never shown), though this Toy Kingdom artwork is great.

[Meta77]

Just read BG 4. LOVE starline even more. I hope they continue to build on him learning from mistakes. He seems to get down easily but he admits he can be brash at things he does. I hope he continues to learn what to do and not do in the future and not just a instant never makes mistakes or small miscalculations. Not eggman sized ones but a tad smaller.

[MetalSkulkBane]

Well in around 24h we should get last issue of this year, Sonic 36

How about a little game. Everyone tries to guess how story will go (I suggest putting it in spoiler boxes) and tomorrow we shall see who was the closest.

Winner gets, IDK, a thumb up from all the other contestants.

[bingboomer]

pass

[Kuzu]

1 hour ago, MetalSkulkBane said:

Well in around 24h we should get last issue of this year, Sonic 36

How about a little game. Everyone tries to guess how story will go (I suggest putting it in spoiler boxes) and tomorrow we shall see who was the closest.

Winner gets, IDK, a thumb up from all the other contestants.

Its been pushed to January 6th. 

[caitash]

It was re-pushed back to 6 January BUT confusingly they have just released the additional 2 preview pages as if it were indeed releasing tomorrow:

 

[StaticMania]

Well, that's something I guess...

But the more important thing is "he's getting awaaaaay!!!"

[Zaysho]

Oh, okay. So Shadow really is just Rouge's horrible, moody teenaged son.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

I'll still wait til the full issue, but if the redeeming aspect to this silly thing was Rouge just saying "c'mon Shadow!" and Shadow going "don't tell me what to do", it doesn't really do much to help.

[Zaysho]

6 minutes ago, Ryannumber1Santa said:

I'll still wait til the full issue, but if the redeeming aspect to this silly thing was Rouge just saying "c'mon Shadow!" and Shadow going "don't tell me what to do", it doesn't really do much to help.

This version really just comes off as a moody child who needs someone to tell him what to do all the time it feels like and even then he doesn't always listen and it just makes things worse. I don't even think game Shadow (though I'm sure Sega is preparing to prove me wrong with their next disaster) is this callous or selfish or fucking stupid. I'm sure they have some plan in place but even then this all feels unnecessary when this isn't 2005 anymore.

And it's extra baffling because these issues weren't present in his debut in #6 but immediately after he becomes the most obnoxious fucking thing in the book.

[Kuzu]

To this day, I still cannot fathom exactly why they're doing this, but its neither here or there at this point. Let's just hope he actually contributes something for once.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

I really don't even get it, even in Sonic Forces, Shadow wasn't this much of an asshole. I mean yeah, he no-sells Infinite, and takes down Jackal Squad, but he still shows care and concern for his teammates, to the point his nightmare illusions created by Infinite was a strange version of Rouge, and Omega being trashed. 

It's such a weird character change for no reason. Team Sonic Racing was the start of this personality, but that was at least in a lower stakes game where both Sonic and Shadow let their rivalry and competitiveness get out of hand.

[Wraith]

If this ends up being about Shadow's attitude being put in check, then I'm fine with it. 

[Kuzu]

I figured the epilogue of the Metal Virus arc would have had him change his attitude somewhat, but apparently not since he's still as moody as ever.

So I'm inclined to believe this won't really change anything in the long term, and Shadow will be just as uncooperative and confrontational in future appearances.

 

I could tolerate that a lot better if they actually let him do something significant, but he hasn't really accomplished much so I'm having a hard time trying to understand what his role is?  To be as much of a contrararian as possible, and to what ends?

 

I honestly don't mind Shadow having a more antagonistic nature to him, but without a clear goal, or motivation he just feels so directionless as a character, like he's just here to put up appearances. We thought he was here to help fix Omega, but no he's just here to punch people in the face except he hasn't actually done that, so he just kind of...exists I guess.

 

 

I honestly hope they just bench him for a while; not only because I'm over him, but so they can actually figure out what they want this character to be. Its annoying because he had clearly defined goals and motivations for his actions in issue #6 "Get rid of Eggman while he's vulnerable to prevent any further harm". Concise and consistent with his hard-edged nature. But after that, they just lost all control...really hope they sort this out.

[Meta77]

2 hours ago, Ryannumber1Santa said:

I really don't even get it, even in Sonic Forces, Shadow wasn't this much of an asshole. I mean yeah, he no-sells Infinite, and takes down Jackal Squad, but he still shows care and concern for his teammates, to the point his nightmare illusions created by Infinite was a strange version of Rouge, and Omega being trashed. 

It's such a weird character change for no reason. Team Sonic Racing was the start of this personality, but that was at least in a lower stakes game where both Sonic and Shadow let their rivalry and competitiveness get out of hand.

He KILLS jackal squad and whips infinite into the state that he becomes well infinite. Shadow has always been a morally grey character (it will be a date to die for) He saved the earth once in SA2 remembering what maria told him and people act as if this is the written in the moon path/mood shadow should always be in. She said give them a chance to be happy, she never told him he had to save them. Even in shadow when the city is being attacked he did not really care. Even in 06 he is out to complete a mission and not till the end of the world roles around does he care to step in and help save people.

Even in this issue its being shown he wants to stop starline. And I agree. He let eggman go though back then eggman was corrupted by this very person, this person was the reason the MV started, taking them out could save everyone a lot of trouble in the future. Hell starline set off the avalanche cause he KNEW the goody good sonic and company would leave him alone to save the people while shadow sees this and is like f that I am taking you out now before you get away. Cause if its that easy to move the good characters out your way then i expect starline to pull this card out EVERY time. Hell next time he has a plan and it fails just find some random village to destroy or attack and give the heroes the option to either save the people or stop him.

[SBR2]

So...I know I've already been branded as being happy with Shadow's characterization but like if you ask me from a view point of not really thinking Shadow is that deep of a character this just looks like a character arc to me.

Like it seems to me like Shadow's attitude is being used to try and develop him a bit by having him deal with his intense focus on the end goal instead of just having him be grumpy. He's being called out for his pissy attitude and the look he shoots to Rouge makes it seem like he's consideringher words.

[Razule]

14 minutes ago, SBR2 said:

Like it seems to me like Shadow's attitude is being used to try and develop him a bit by having him deal with his intense focus on the end goal instead of just having him be grumpy. He's being called out for his pissy attitude and the look he shoots to Rouge makes it seem like he's consideringher words.

Can they develop him from this if this is how SEGA wants him to be though..?

[Kuzu]

That's the thing; we literally just had an entire arc of the cast going through so much emotional and physical turmoil...and that didn't really lead to anything significant as the status quo went right back to normal after it was all said and done. I really have no reason to assume that Shadow will actually learn anything from this, and they'll just continue with his character as it is. 

[Zaysho]

It seems weird to have him have a character arc that isn't relevant to where the character has been for the past fourteen years, honestly. This would be fine if this was along the lines of Shadow in Heroes and he's still finding himself but now? After Sega was just fine with what this same creative team did with him in Archie that did continue from where Sega ended the character's development? This book doesn't need to sell you characters because they already established that you probably know who they are and what their deal is.

I mean, it's fine if that's the intention since I sorta figure the team are building up to something from small things I've seen but we don't really get his perspective at any point. He just looks like he flies off the handle and acts like a belligerent jackass despite the fact that he's been called out on this in the narrative and by other characters already. At least in Archie we could see things from his point of view, but even the times IDW tries to showcase this he's just "I'm gonna beat the shit out of this person/ I don't need anyone/grrrr"

[Red Hot Jack]

Are we gonna pretend like all Shadow is doing is "I work alone, don't care about anyone" when he actually saved them multiple times in this very arc? He sure acts arrogantly and rebellious but deep down he also cares.

I am not sure if this is an arc that will go anywhere. Not just with Shadow, in general only comic originals get character development. If anyone else gets something like that it would be minor to help them stay "in-brand".

I wanted to wait for the end of this story but okay, I will list my pros and cons from my perspective, so far:

+ Smaller focused and fun story involving fewer characters but sets up the next big arc

+ Action, fun interactions and mystery with the hooded figure which ties into the miniseries

+ Belle's introduction and set up for her future stories

+ Continuity following Omega's rebuilding

+ Various bits of fanservice with the winter costumes and the Shadow Chao

+ More Sonic and Shadow action, including a team up

- Shadow's arc seems to be going now here

- Clutch didn't really contribute to anything in the story

- Too many subplots maybe that were entwined not correctly.

It's a great arc IMO. So far. Because it's exactly what I wanted after the Metal Virus. Shadow will probably remain the same but better than having no Shadow at all, I think that would make fans even more upset and would bypass the problem altogether.

[Kuzu]

Nobody isn't saying that Shadow doesn't care or that his heart isn't in the right place. We're saying that this belligerent and more aggressive interpretation of him doesn't even make sense within the context of the story that its in, let alone when compared to where the character's development left him.

If I was a newcomer and this was my first introduction to Shadow, I'd wonder why is he so aggressive and grumpy? Every other character is properly established in knowing who they are and what their deal is, but with Shadow there's not a lot of elaboration on who he is as a character or his motivations.

 

Now granted, that's generally because Shadow is a pretty closed off character in general; he's not very expressive with his feelings and keeps to himself for the most part, but that's all the more reason the reader needs to understand what exactly his deal is. I'm assuming Sega want to keep that mysterious wild card aura around him, but that only works when his goals are clearly laid out.

 

If Shadow's goals aren't laid out, we're just left wondering why is he acting like a dick.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

I'd probably care more if Shadow's attitude actually had a reason that fitted in line with his character - IE he is so closed off from others because he doesn't want a repeat of what happened with Maria, but even that doesn't fly because it's long since been confirmed that Shadow doesn't really give a shit about her anymore.

[Red Hot Jack]

Then probably yeah, I would opt for a story starring him, since clearly we aren't seen his point of view and he is being treated as an aggressive rival character, if they want young readers to feel sympathy for the character, focus on a story where he deals with his shit. It's the only solution, writing him out doesn't solve anything.

[Kuzu]

If they want keep him as a grumpy rival for Sonic to butt heads with, fine. I have no issue with that, but at least respect the character's personalities and motivations for doing so. I'm not saying Shadow needs to be this multilayered, three dimensional character but making him antagonistic just for the sake of it really isn't doing his character any favors, and it's insulting to the intelligence of the older fans who understand what the character has gone through. 

It really does feel like Sega want people to forget that everything he's gone through just...never happened, and he's like this…just because. At least act like you audience has a brain. 

[SBR2]

6 hours ago, Razule said:

Can they develop him from this if this is how SEGA wants him to be though..?

I mean there can be a balancing act. I'm not going to pretend it'll be easy to do but they could find a medium between Wolverine bullshit and what people want him to be like.