Megathread IDW's Sonic the Hedgehog - Megathread

[Zaysho]

32 minutes ago, Korke said:

It was like requesting a commission for someone and never actually paying for it, according to her. So yeah, if she was american and had signed an actual contract, she would had the measures to sue them. Since she's brazillian (iirc) though, she can't be protected either by our own worker laws, much less by american laws. So, yeah, she has no means to reclaim...

What is truly intriguing though is... why? Why scam that artist at all? What is the reason behind that? I can't imagine the price being high.

Also, most alternative covers after #4 really, really sucked. Looking worse than dA stuff. I wonder if there is a connection...

True. My understanding, and unfortunately most of those posts were deleted (iirc) but the way she told it months ago on Tumblr was that IDW was really badly organized and stuff with Sonic was rushed so she basically got screwed somehow. I'm hesitant to say the word "scam" since I got the impression it was a really glaring oversight but the publisher just doesn't care enough. I don't know how it never got resolved. I'm not really sure what's left to do other than IDW just removing the art from print editions.

My point was even if she could sue, it may not be worth it. The price of that commission versus however long she'd be wrapped up dealing with IDW/Sega in court. At this point I think she's just speaking out for other artists to be aware that even IDW can be pretty shitty.

[Meta77]

Just remove the art from future prints problem solved. And as  zay said court fees hugely outweigh the scope of the issue

Also why did metal even transform.  all he did was get rammed by a ship.  bad why the downgrade when he stated eggman physically upgraded to his neo form

[kimplix]

Another great Retail Incentive cover as always

 

[SBR2]

https://mobile.twitter.com/calebandrew/status/1068586302990237696

Caleb has some words on how excited he is to write Sonic comics.

[Red Hot Jack]

I still prefer this approach to the reboot Archie, it's definitely more casual, but more fun and dynamic, more simple direction but still full of action, a bit of darkness, fun dialogues and awesome character moments and interactions. What would I want more than this comic already offers? Probably a better story, year 1 was quite linear in my opinion. But they managed to move on from the dull "one companion at a time fighting badniks" formula, it was getting boring, and I don't get how somebody would want a slower comic, with few characters, when we just had that and it felt boring. I remember Archie being full of problems, every issue was filled with: Freedom Fighters as protagonists, massive world building and a bunch of new characters introduced. It was simply too much, and it tried to please everybody and failed... because it was not entertaining. That's the taste reboot Archie left me with. This comic is a lot more entertaining, it just needs a more original storyline and a more focused cast, that's what I want for next year. I'm comparing the current arc to "Panic in the Sky" which was filled with cameos, too much crowd and it was predictable, "Battle for Angel Island" is a lot more interesting in comparison, it already has a more focused cast that was reunited once everyone was introduced in 8 issues, so I don't see any problem. It just didn't culminate into a big bang, an explosive finale, which it lacked, plus other issues such as Shadow not contributing much, Neo not accomplishing much, but still he managed to transform twice and I appreciated his new forms. And I still liked Shadow because he wasn't passive, he was aggressive, tough, edgy as usual, and kicking ass.

Mega Drive also wasn't much better, it was a glorified visual game playthrough, basically. Yeah, few characters was a nice thing, but can you say it had a better story? Not really. Just better drawings because Tyson Hesse is the best artist.

Sad thing about this arc is that not everyone managed to have great moments, like the Chaotix, Rouge, Tangle and Whisper, I hope some of them take a break and don't show up next year, I would like a smaller cast of heroes, such as the mains Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy, plus Silver since he seems confirmed and involved in the storyline, have Cream and Big show up for a couple of issues, add a new hero like Tangle, maybe introduce Sticks (as Ian confirmed her for the future), and that's it, only 7 heroes, I don't count Cream and Big in the main party, in contrast Ian should add more villains for various issues, in my opinion, smaller arcs which make a cohesive storyline.

[Korke]

5 hours ago, I Love Sticks said:

I still prefer this approach to the reboot Archie, it's definitely more casual, but more fun and dynamic, more simple direction but still full of action, a bit of darkness, fun dialogues and awesome character moments and interactions. What would I want more than this comic already offers? Probably a better story, year 1 was quite linear in my opinion. But they managed to move on from the dull "one companion at a time fighting badniks" formula, it was getting boring, and I don't get how somebody would want a slower comic, with few characters, when we just had that and it felt boring. I remember Archie being full of problems, every issue was filled with: Freedom Fighters as protagonists, massive world building and a bunch of new characters introduced. It was simply too much, and it tried to please everybody and failed... because it was not entertaining. That's the taste reboot Archie left me with. This comic is a lot more entertaining, it just needs a more original storyline and a more focused cast, that's what I want for next year. I'm comparing the current arc to "Panic in the Sky" which was filled with cameos, too much crowd and it was predictable, "Battle for Angel Island" is a lot more interesting in comparison, it already has a more focused cast that was reunited once everyone was introduced in 8 issues, so I don't see any problem. It just didn't culminate into a big bang, an explosive finale, which it lacked, plus other issues such as Shadow not contributing much, Neo not accomplishing much, but still he managed to transform twice and I appreciated his new forms. And I still liked Shadow because he wasn't passive, he was aggressive, tough, edgy as usual, and kicking ass.

Mega Drive also wasn't much better, it was a glorified visual game playthrough, basically. Yeah, few characters was a nice thing, but can you say it had a better story? Not really. Just better drawings because Tyson Hesse is the best artist.

Interesting. You say that this arc is very different from post-reboot, while I was saying exactly the reverse. To me, it repeated a few exact same mistakes from the past, one of them, hooking your point about cast size, it did the same thing of adding characters to the arc that added absolutely nothing to the narrative. Still, it didn't irritate me as much as the post-reboot did, so I'll keep reading for now (I still haven't read from 280 onwards, lol).

Anyway, I agree about Mega Drive. It surely has a great art, but I really couldn't care less about the story. I have no idea why people use it as a reference. It's pretty mediocre.

[Heckboy]

5 hours ago, I Love Sticks said:

Mega Drive also wasn't much better, it was a glorified visual game playthrough, basically. Yeah, few characters was a nice thing, but can you say it had a better story? Not really. Just better drawings because Tyson Hesse is the best artist.

30 minutes ago, Korke said:

Anyway, I agree about Mega Drive. It surely has a great art, but I really couldn't care less about the story. I have no idea why people use it as a reference. It's pretty mediocre.

One thing that will always fascinate me about Mega Drive's story is how Ian Flynn thought it would be funny to dedicate an entire page to awkwardly referencing a meme as dated as GIANT ENEMY CRAB.

[caitash]

I really liked issue 11, while I wasn’t keen on Master Overlord I did like the ‘feelgood’ at the end of the battle. There were some points in the early issues where I felt it was a bit repetitive, but those issues came out in much quicker sucession than 1-a-month so I was a bit more forgiving than I would have been if it took 5 months or so for them to come out.

Looking forward to the next set of issues. While I like how ‘clean’ the story is (by that, I mean it builds off the back of a single game rather than being off the back of a hundred or so issues of baggage) I do want things to start ramping up a little now. I’d like an established smaller group of core characters to be the ‘norm’ so we can get some good and steady character interactions going for the most part, and include the wider cast as and when needed rather than change the (usually-sole) companion every issue for a string of issues. Basically I want more of this without a repeat of the very early issues, so I guess they got me sold.

[Silvereyes]

My copies of #10 and #11 just arrived. I must admit, since I've been trying to stay away from spoilers, it actually took me by surprise that episode #11 is when the titular Battle for Angel Island ended. I know that #12 is meant to be the end of the arc, but I assumed the actual battle would end in #12. So I guess #12 is going to be a bit of an epilogue and some setting up for next year? Still, neat surprise for me when I read #11.

I don't feel like there is much to talk about either issue really. At the end of the day, most of it is action scenes so it is all pretty straight forward, but considering how we've spent 8 issues building up to this, I think that is perfectly fine. It's just nice to see the Sonic extended cast all getting to do their thing and each have their own moments, I think the comic crew do their best to try and give everyone similar screentime and to get some kind of moment. I might have to read it again but it did feel like the Chaotix perhaps got the least amount of stuff to do, but otherwise, I think it worked very well.

If someone asked me about why Sonic's extended cast are good characters, I'd honestly point to issues #9-#11 as a general example of showing their personalities and their abilities working in cohesion with everyone. I must admit, as a Tails fan and a Blaze fan, it was pretty satisfying seeing those 2 show just how utterly capable they are. I mean for goodness sake, Tails rams a flipping flying aircraft carrier into a monster Star Trek: Nemesis style. I'd love this Tails to be in the next Sonic game than Sonic Forces Tails, that's for sure. Tangle is also just a big bundle of fun, and Whisper is a great counterpoint to her. Will never happen but I'd love for them to cross into the main Sonic universe.

I guess to copy other users, since this is basically the end of the first saga of the IDW comic, I might as well throw in my tuppence about what I would like for the future of the comic. Overall I've enjoyed the first saga. Yes, there are some minor issues, but honestly, I'm pretty happy with it. To be honest, even with many valid critiques in this thread about the IDW comic so far, honestly I have very few issues. Each issue is fun, well drawn, and has lovely colours. The writing is spot on with every character in my opinion, and has genuine wit, and can be genuinely funny.

My only real problem is that it just feels a little, well, slow. The first 8 issues have basically been introducing the existing cast and 2 new characters, and 2 minor henchmen, with an overarching plot that is really pretty simple and straightforward. "Linear" is definetly the best way to describe it, since it doesn't feel like there are any major sub plots or anything else going on in the world aside from what is happen on Angel Island in the climax. I echo a lot of people in hoping things get a little bit more complicated in future now that it seems like all the major players of the IDW Sonic are here.

I guess to get more specific, I actually agree with Caitash above in that it might be a good idea to have a core cast established. As it stands, it does feel like Sonic is the main cast member, and basically everybody else is on the same level as secondary cast members for whatever the plot of the issue is. I feel like it would be beneficial if even just Tails, or maybe Tails, Knuckles and Amy were a more constant prescence. It doesn't mean they have to all do something every issue, but I feel like it would help maybe ground the series a bit.

I find it interesting actually how it really feels like there are no supporting characters. I really feel like it would be nice if there were some more characters who were in the comic but wern't big players. Not new Tangles or Whispers, but rather just say unique town folk or just people that exist just to add a bit of colour to the place. I think it would help too if the IDW world didn't just feel like it was filled with nothing but empty towns and Eggman bases, with Angel Island really being the only landmark. I feel like we could use places that Sonic and co could return too at some point, with some interesting gimmick or architecture. Like say for example, a town where the populace actually loved being ruled by Eggman, or a Wild West town filled with nothing but scandrals and bandits but you can get useful plot info.

I think it would definetly help if Sonic and some others were maybe residents of a town so that they can protect it, and use it as a home base. I think there is a good reason why Station Square, The Unnamed Village and Knothole were used in their respective series, it gives a bit of grounding so that you don't have to start every issue somewhere else. Or hell, maybe have a skybase like The Blue Typhoon so that it can just be wherever the plot needs it. I am curious about what future issues are going to be like. I feel like after getting everyone together in one big battle, it'll feel a little awkward going to back to issue #1-#8 style stories of Sonic being somewhere and then running into a friend to help them with the problem of the day.

I guess to put it simply, I essentially want a middle ground between what we have now, and the Archie comics, where it was often hard to remember and follow are the plot lines and characters happening with sometimes continuity coming back from over a 100 issues ago. Archie could get very complicated but it also felt like the Archive-verse was alive, where there were heroes, villians, factions and cities all having their own agendas and doing their own thing at any given moment. Currently in the IDW-verse, it feels like nothing exists outside of Sonic, his friends, Eggman and his allies, and Angel Island. If IDW could hit a sweet spot between those 2, I think IDW will go from being pretty good to being pretty great.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

17 hours ago, I Love Sticks said:

. I remember Archie being full of problems, every issue was filled with: Freedom Fighters as protagonists,

Now, when people say this I’ve always been curious to the crux if what the issue is, but what exactly is the problem with the Freedom Fighters as protagonists?

Because the Freedom Fighters were a small group compared to the full cast Archie had for them to be singled out (the Egg Bosses by contrast rarely get directly singled out by comparison), and quite frankly a lot of what IDW is doing has some similarities even without their presence.

[Sonic Fan J]

It is a good question @Conquering Storm’s Servant. While I'll admit I didn't originally like the FFs due to how they changed the world and game characters to fit them, after the soft reboot the way they were shown to be able to play off of more game accurate versions without giving up themselves actually endeared them to me in their own way. It was the first time I ever saw them handled in a way that made me believe that they could work alongside the game characters without either side having to compromise who they were for it to work.

[DabigRG]

I think it's just stubborn principle, from what I can tell.

[Sonictrainer]

Some Tracy Yardley Fanart of Sonic & Amy as Joker and Harley Quinn

[DabigRG]

1 minute ago, Sonictrainer said:

Some Tracy Yardley Fanart of Sonic & Amy as Joker and Harley Quinn

Cheese and Rice!

[Shadowlax]

4 hours ago, Conquering Storm’s Servant said:

Now, when people say this I’ve always been curious to the crux if what the issue is, but what exactly is the problem with the Freedom Fighters as protagonists?

 

For a lot of folk, the real answer is  " I want to see the video game characters do shit, who are these people I do not care for them "

 

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

1 hour ago, Shadowlax said:

For a lot of folk, the real answer is  " I want to see the video game characters do shit, who are these people I do not care for them "

 

They still see the video game characters regardless. So I’m pretty sure there’s more to it than that.

[Shadowlax]

14 minutes ago, Conquering Storm’s Servant said:

They still see the video game characters regardless. So I’m pretty sure there’s more to it than that.

No its that.

They wanted video game characters more frequently scene in the main comics with sonic. Instead they got ... well characters from an old cartoon who a lot of the audience, even someone who is like me now an adult was too young to watch the cartoon they were from and had no context or connection to the characters

You think this new comic being formatted as " character hangs out with sonic" is a coincidence?

[Red Hot Jack]

7 hours ago, Conquering Storm’s Servant said:

Now, when people say this I’ve always been curious to the crux if what the issue is, but what exactly is the problem with the Freedom Fighters as protagonists?

Because the Freedom Fighters were a small group compared to the full cast Archie had for them to be singled out (the Egg Bosses by contrast rarely get directly singled out by comparison), and quite frankly a lot of what IDW is doing has some similarities even without their presence.

Are people allowed to dislike them? I just don't want to see them on screen. Personal opinions, I'm sure a lot of people feel that way about Sticks anyway.  So yes, I mention them being protagonists as a reason to dislike the book.

I love the game cast, and I would like a comic based on Sonic as the protagonist, maybe Tails, Knux and Amy and Eggman as mains as well. That's all, obviously you can't have a book without a larger cast and brand new characters, so I welcome them too.

[Heckboy]

7 hours ago, Sonictrainer said:

Some Tracy Yardley Fanart of Sonic & Amy as Joker and Harley Quinn

She was fearless and crazier than him. She was his queen, and God help anyone who dared to disrespect his queen.

Gamers rise up.

[Diogenes]

4 hours ago, Conquering Storm’s Servant said:

They still see the video game characters regardless. So I’m pretty sure there’s more to it than that.

I don't want to just "see" the characters, I want the comic to be about them, and not also about some other characters that I don't care about.

[Heckboy]

3 hours ago, I Love Sticks said:

Are people allowed to dislike them?

No, this isn't allowed. If you dislike the Freedom Fighters, well, buckle up buckaroo, cuz you're going to get an essay on why you're wrong and how these characters from a dead 1993 spinoff TV show are totally relevant to the franchise in 2018 and deserve to have the spotlight on them every issue even though their constant presence as main characters makes the cast so bloated that most of the time the ones not named Sally just stand around in the background and punch robots occasionally.

Also while typing this I just realized that I think IDW is the first time Sonic and Shadow have interacted with each other in a Sonic comic since like 2008, outside of the Mega Man crossover.

[Korke]

At this point, I don't even want the FF's back. Especially with Flynn still on control. This intensified feeling of hatred towards those characters is a byproduct of his writing on the post-reboot.

People cheered on their permanent death, but in the end it was all for nothing. This arc still had several characters that added nothing to the narrative.

[DabigRG]

Still speakin in slanted absolutes, I see.

[Wraith]

6 hours ago, Conquering Storm’s Servant said:

They still see the video game characters regardless. So I’m pretty sure there’s more to it than that.

They weren't seeing them enough. This is a well documented complaint with the old series that they even tried to adjust to fix.

[JosepHenry]

52 minutes ago, Korke said:

At this point, I don't even want the FF's back. Especially with Flynn still on control. This intensified feeling of hatred towards those characters is a byproduct of his writing on the post-reboot.

People cheered on their permanent death, but in the end it was all for nothing. This arc still had several characters that added nothing to the narrative.

... Ian worked a long time with these character and he made them the best as he could. Saying that he "hated" the characters is just absurd when he did a better job with them than any person before. You didn't have to add "intensified".