Megathread IDW's Sonic the Hedgehog - Megathread

[MetalSkulkBane]

Read the first issue and it's... 100% standard.  Some action, some badniks, some mandatory references, Tails being competent (I'm surprised that people were surprised by it).

Overall I must agree with Ryan1, there is nothing wrong here, but I was hoping for more. A bit too predictable for my taste. Only scene I enjoyed was Sonic-Tails talk after battle.

As for mystery man, here are my guesses.

Spoiler

1 I'm 90% sure it's not Eggman. That's bad mystery-making.

2 Ironically most Forces "generals" are good candidates. Zavok has power, Metal has access, while Infnite is fresh. But again, I think, they would be too obvious.

3 Even better idea would be Lyric. Villain from Boom, no one would see it coming. We know he could easily reprogram Eggman army, plus he kidnapped Amy in the past. Only drawback? I don't think he would fit on that chair.

4 But I think Flynn will go for someone even older. So my money is on one of Smart Badniks from older games. Mecha Sonic, Egg Robo, Zero, SCR-HD, maybe even Tails Doll.

 

[Marco9966]

2 minutes ago, MetalSkulkBane said:

Read the first issue and it's... 100% standard.  Some action, some badniks, some mandatory references, Tails being competent (I'm surprised that people were surprised by it).

Overall I must agree with Ryan1, there is nothing wrong here, but I was hoping for more. A bit too predictable for my taste. Only scene I enjoyed was Sonic-Tails talk after battle.

As for mystery man, here are my guesses.

  Hide contents

1 I'm 90% sure it's not Eggman. That's bad mystery-making.

2 Ironically most Forces "generals" are good candidates. Zavok has power, Metal has access, while Infnite is fresh. But again, I think, they would be too obvious.

3 Even better idea would be Lyric. Villain from Boom, no one would see it coming. We know he could easily reprogram Eggman army, plus he kidnapped Amy in the past. Only drawback? I don't think he would fit on that chair.

4 But I think Flynn will go for someone even older. So my money is on one of Smart Badniks from older games. Mecha Sonic, Egg Robo, Zero, SCR-HD, maybe even Tails Doll.

 

Spoiler

SCR-HD controlled robots armies from distance!

 

[Big Panda]

Didn't Ian say before it'd be a callback to something really obscure?

[Razule]

4 minutes ago, Ernest-Panda said:

Didn't Ian say before it'd be a callback to something really obscure?

Nikki Parlouzer's lizard bully?

[Your Vest Friend]

Anton couldn't make his kid siblings effective bullies, let alone set up a secret gambit to target Sonic and Amy. 

[SBR2]

Well I liked it. Sure it's just Sonic and Tails bashing robots making quips and call backs but it gives you a good feel for the series. It's light, fun and adventureous. I'm sure later on it'll be heavier with the lore and all but I had fun reading it.

[Multikaris]

An upgraded and updated Captain Metal who eschews resemblance to Metal Sonic once and for all?

[Dantemustdie00]

I'm just glad to see Modern era Tails being useful outside of Nerd stuff.

[Razule]

54 minutes ago, SBR2 said:

Well I liked it. Sure it's just Sonic and Tails bashing robots making quips and call backs but it gives you a good feel for the series. It's light, fun and adventureous. I'm sure later on it'll be heavier with the lore and all but I had fun reading it.

Reveal secret language and origins of Sonic's Worldians' species by year 2, or bust

[shdowhunt60]

I have to agree with VEDJ-F's take on it. Objectively speaking, it's really, really average. Countdown to Chaos hit the same beats, and did it far better. Divorced of external context, it is a pretty typical issue that wouldn't stand out.

But given how awful the writing and how badly written a certain character has been for years at this point... It really is quite cathartic. Tails is actually Tails again, and that alone feels fantastic. I know it's kinda cheap, but given the state of the franchise, I'll take what I can get.

[Shadowlax]

6 hours ago, VEDJ-F said:

 

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I honestly don't know how I felt about this issue. It was...kinda pedestrian, not an issue I'd remember in a hurry. Countdown to Chaos had a similar set-up, but the memory plot kinda worked to its advantage in terms of memorability because you had such things as Naugus basically flinging himself out a window, Sonic being utterly confused at his place in time and space and the start of Eggman's trek. This doesn't really have a hook.

 

I agree, but I get it . Simple set up because you can't overhwhelm people in issue one. 

Its boring, but I get it. 

7 hours ago, PC the Hedgehog said:

I find it amusing how many people are surprised that the writing is faithful to the characters. This is Ian Flynn, people. This ain't his first rodeo.

And Jim Amash is back! His return might please me more than anything. I said it before, and I'll say it again; Terry Austin replacing him as inker on the Archie comic was one of the worst creative decisions of the book's final years. Good riddance--though I wish him the best in future endeavors. If he's such a "legendary" inker, he probably had no problem finding more work. Anyway, welcome back, Jim!

If Ian has anything down , its character to character. Its time to get worried when other writers come on and Ian starts doing more and more other stuff and not the comic, then its time to worry. Also its time to worry when he starts writing a long overarching story

1 hour ago, SBR2 said:

Well I liked it. Sure it's just Sonic and Tails bashing robots making quips and call backs but it gives you a good feel for the series. It's light, fun and adventureous. I'm sure later on it'll be heavier with the lore and all but I had fun reading it.

I thought it was a bit boring, tbh. I thought the art was kind of basic too. 

I'm not expecting some " LAST TIME ON DRAGON BALL Z " type shit, because I get you can't overwhelm your audience in issue one. But its kinda basic and boring

[DabigRG]

4 hours ago, Diogenes said:

There's no reason they couldn't have started telling the story after he got out and built himself a new mech to ride around in or something.

Guess they wanted to take advantage of the hole Forces left for them and give a brief taste of a world that's certainly been touched by Eggman, but doesn't have Eggman himself for a bit.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

I suppose it was a good thing I kept my expectations low for this. 

[Heckboy]

yeah it was... fine, i guess.

I'll wait until the first four issues are out before I do any proper ""review"", but I will say this issue was a little boring. I've always wanted a Sonic comic to be about Sonic freely roaming and just getting caught up in adventures instead of basically being Captain America, and I am glad that IDW seems to be going that route. Buuuuuut with this issue in particular the story is just kind of boring. Sonic goes to a generic town, meets some generic NPCs, meets Tails, they beat up some robots, the end. There's some nice character interaction with Sonic and Tails, they're well-written enough, but otherwise there's nothing super memorable about any of it. The mystery mastermind at the end has me a bit curious, so I'm hoping that once we're past the obligatory "quickly introduce the core Sonic cast for new kids"/Forces follow-up arc things get a bit more engaging. But I'm keeping my expectations on the lower side personally until I have a better idea of what direction this comic is going to take.

Art-wise it was... okay? I dunno, I feel like Yardley's output during the last few years of Archie was a bit weaker than his earlier work (though obviously the inking didn't help much, as far as the main book goes), and I have the same issue here. It looks rushed at some points. Aside from that, inking's good, coloring's good, etc. Not much more to say. Looking at the solicits for upcoming issues, I see a lot of familiar Archie Sonic names. And while I am really glad they're getting work, I do hope we get some new artists doing the interiors on this at some point.

Minor note, but I'm glad that we got good ol' Egg Pawns instead of the bland robots from Forces.

[PublicEnemy1]

I kept my expectations low, but I thought it was a pretty good start, but I do agree it was a tad boring, but it was pretty good for what it is: a first entry.

[Razule]

Yes, it's just fine for what it is. No reason to be too negative about it. I mean.. there are only so many ways the first issue of a Sonic the Hedgehog comic can go.

[RedFox99]

I think Ryan said it best:

 

[Diogenes]

I'm not asking for "a masterwork of continuity and drama", I'm asking for, like...any kind of hook. The first issue should be working its ass off to draw the reader into it, but I really don't feel anything from this. The action feels flaccid, the tension is minimal, there's a weird amount of continuity/expected knowledge for a first issue (and it feels less like setup to be elaborated on later and more like "I sure hope you played Sonic Forces before reading this!"), and neither the mystery antagonist nor the mystery of the antagonist are compelling yet. It feels like it's exclusively for people who are already Sonic fans and are starved for Sonic content, and I'm not sold on its appeal or value outside of that.

[Zaysho]

1 hour ago, RedFox99 said:

I think Ryan said it best:

 

That's nice. Now how about you try addressing actual fucking criticisms in this thread instead of reposting something trying to invalidate any critique because "lol Sonic fans are never happy"

This book shouldn't get a free pass because it's a first issue. If you liked it, fine, but I'm not going to allow this crap to drag down this thread.

[Wraith]

I actually agree with the criticism that there' s nothing really here for you if you aren't a Sonic fan, but I liked the issue anyway just because i enjoyed how the characters were written. It's not very different from post reboot archie, but if it ain't broke, I guess.

[PublicEnemy1]

I'm almost definitely sure it will get interesting at least after the first four. However, there is one MAJOR critique I have with the series itself:
There's only 20 pages of story. That's not a very good length to tell a big story with. I hope it'll be extended for more pages as time goes on.

[Badnik Mechanic]

Did someone post the full issue or something?

[Count Mario]

12 minutes ago, Mayor D said:

Did someone post the full issue or something?

Yes, a few pages ago.

https://imgur.com/a/Ms6vA

[Marco9966]

I love how

Spoiler

They made the robots not so easy to beat! They are threatening and Tails even said it'd be faster if Knuckles was here, to that Sonic replies "nah we're doing fine". Sonic-Knucnkles friendly rivalry is still here :D.

Spoiler

About the mystery, could it be another villains, or is it just Eggman who trying a new approach?

 

[MetalSkulkBane]

9 minutes ago, Marco9966 said:

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I love how they made the robots not so easy to beat! They are threatening and Tails even said it'd be faster if Knuckles was here, to that Sonic replies "nah we're doing fine"

 

Obligatory Sonic Heroes reference.

5 hours ago, RedFox99 said:

I think Ryan said it best:

 

Anyway, biggest problem with this issue is that I can summarize it with 3 sentences "Sonic saves city from badniks. Temporarily teams with Tails. Might be new villain."

Let's argue that Flynn wanted this to be a stand-alone story. That before he starts 12-isue long storylines and introduce bunch of characters and lore elements, he just wanted a simple issue that focuses on the fun. If I'm right, then it's nice but

1) That is very simple fun. One that anyone can enjoy, the same way anyone can enjoy a piece of bread.
2) I'll just point out SU #1. Same amount of pages, 4 characters, no super long storyline. But enemy was bigger challenge, some hilarious jokes, same amount of serious talk, much more unique setup. It was first issue, also written by Flynn. But hey, I guess we need to do 'mandatory' stuff first.