Megathread IDW's Sonic the Hedgehog - Megathread

[NikoS]

9 hours ago, Marco9966 said:

Some of them look cool! (it's not a spoiler)

Oh, i really like these characters designs.

Spoiler

 

[NegaMix]

29 minutes ago, Jack the Maniac said:

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It's someone obscure according to Ian. It's definitely from Sonic's past, but... technically they are not in a limbo, only Mighty and Ray are in that because they appear in Mania.

 

Spoiler

I see. To be honest, I'd argue that Nega is obscure enough to still be a possibility, though I suppose we'll find out soon enough.

For now, my money's still on him being our mystery villain.

Anyway, I should probably see if my local comic store is bringing in these comics...

[Ellipsis-Ultima]

Right, speaking of Eggman Nega, I wonder if the team can use him in this comic now? I never understood why they couldn't use him in the Archie comics, save for one off panel and a cameo appearance.

[Heckboy]

He was apparently off limits because Sega didn't know what to do with him after Rivals muddled his whole backstory. He didn't even have a Sonic Channel profile until recently. Now he does have a profile (which firmly established him as Eggman's descendant), got his own comic strip, and was a playable character in the last Mario and Sonic game, so they appear to have figured out what to do with him now. Maybe?

[Multikaris]

1 hour ago, NikoS said:

Oh, i really like these characters designs.

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Nice to see them finally break from the Forces aesthetic with new characters. And I speculate that this is a new character, and Nega will be his pawn.

[Marco9966]

This warrior looks like this guy

[NegaMix]

17 minutes ago, Miragnarok said:

And I speculate that this is a new character, and Nega will be his pawn.

I dunno. Nega's never really struck me as the kind of guy who would be someone else's pawn. In the games, he's always either been an equal player with Eggman, or the mastermind behind the curtain. I think it would be odd to see his potential first appearance in a comic, and have him only be a pawn to some new threat.

1 hour ago, Ivo the Coldsteel said:

He was apparently off limits because Sega didn't know what to do with him after Rivals muddled his whole backstory. He didn't even have a Sonic Channel profile until recently. Now he does have a profile (which firmly established him as Eggman's descendant), got his own comic strip, and was a playable character in the last Mario and Sonic game, so they appear to have figured out what to do with him now. Maybe?

Possibly. Seems like the route they're going with is that he's from the future, but often antagonises Blaze and her world.

[DabigRG]

2 hours ago, NegaMetallix said:

But aren't Classic characters kind of in a state of limbo currently, or something? Since it's now seen as a separate branch from the Modern series?

Oh snap, I really stepped in that one, didn't I?

Just assume a variation of the Classic Games happened if you're one of those people who are really hung up on the dimension thing.

1 hour ago, Fusion-Ellipsis said:

Right, speaking of Eggman Nega, I wonder if the team can use him in this comic now? I never understood why they couldn't use him in the Archie comics, save for one off panel and a cameo appearance.

So I guess we're just saying F@(# it to spoilers then?  

Hopefully, they can.

1 hour ago, Ivo the Coldsteel said:

He was apparently off limits because Sega didn't know what to do with him after Rivals muddled his whole backstory. He didn't even have a Sonic Channel profile until recently. Now he does have a profile (which firmly established him as Eggman's descendant), got his own comic strip, and was a playable character in the last Mario and Sonic game, so they appear to have figured out what to do with him now. Maybe?

To be fair, he was in the Mario and Sonic games since the 2nd one.

And Rivals' story apparently had input from SEGA.

Also, I thought I heard the reason had something to do with licensing/trademark issues at one point? 

[NegaMix]

13 minutes ago, DabigRG said:

Oh snap, I really stepped in that one, didn't I?

Just assume a variation of the Classic Games happened if you're one of those people who are really hung up on the dimension thing.

Of course. I'm just referring to something I recall hearing, about Mighty and Ray being unavailable for the comic (or something like that) at the moment. So I didn't know if it meant other "classic-only" characters were off the table for the time being, which could narrow down the possibilities of who the mystery villain might be.

I think for now, they may just focus on the Modern side of history in terms of characters, and look at branching out later in the comic's run.

[Marco9966]

They can always introduce Mighty and Fang later.

It's not like we don't have Chaotix who first appeared in a classic game!

[Multikaris]

5 minutes ago, Marco9966 said:

They can always introduce Mighty and Fang later.

It's not like we don't have Chaotix who first appeared in a classic game!

I’m pretty sure that due to the separation that they are completely off-limits. If anything, it’ll be Flynn’s own past characters who can be re-introduced later on.

[superman43]

I believe the villain would be Metal Sonic. The reason: SM Adventures. He will show up in SM Adventures Part 2 and IDW #5. At the same time. I see that as the main plan from SEGA. Think about it... IDW 1 is basically like if Sonic Team was apologizing for making Tails freaked up shit in Forces. IDW 2... kind of the same with Amy. 

[Zaysho]

1 minute ago, Miragnarok said:

I’m pretty sure that due to the separation that they are completely off-limits. If anything, it’ll be Flynn’s own past characters who can be re-introduced later on.

Didn't Ian say his Archie originals are off-limits?

I think Mighty, Nack, et al could probably be transferred over--they wouldn't be like they're Archie incarnations, but I can't imagine their being "classic" characters is a non-starter unless Sega's getting even more stringent about that kind of thing.

[Celestia]

Spoiler

Okay yeah I'm pretty sure the one currently in charge of the badniks (and even Orbot and Cubot) is Metal Sonic, what with the dialogue being a dark blue and everything. Unless that's what Ian wants us to think... 

 

[Silvereyes]

To be honest, I think it would be a bit of a lame reveal if the mystery person was Eggman Nega. "Who has taken command of Eggman's army? Another Eggman!" I dunno, I don't think that's terribly interesting to me. Not to mention I think it would be a bit weird to bring in an alternate version of Eggman before you introduce the proper Eggman in a new comic run.

I think it's more likely to be the likes of Metal Sonic, or maybe a past comic villian I've never heard off.

[DabigRG]

29 minutes ago, NegaMetallix said:

Of course. I'm just referring to something I recall hearing, about Mighty and Ray being unavailable for the comic (or something like that) at the moment. So I didn't know if it meant other "classic-only" characters were off the table for the time being, which could narrow down the possibilities of who the mystery villain might be.

I think for now, they may just focus on the Modern side of history in terms of characters, and look at branching out later in the comic's run.

Wait, but Mighty and Ray were on the list of characters expectable within the first two years.

[Your Vest Friend]

10 minutes ago, Zaysho said:

I can't imagine their being "classic" characters is a non-starter unless Sega's getting even more stringent about that kind of thing.

This is probably the case, unfortunately. Even back when classic Sonic was off-limits, they were far more liberal about his use and relation to the 'present' Sonic in Archie. Now, they've outright deemed anything exclusive to that Sonic's side as classic-only due to the difference in how classic works. Even Ian up and said that Mania Plus changed his plans for Mighty and Ray, and that's likely because he was going to reintroduce them like before but now can't.

3 minutes ago, DabigRG said:

Wait, but Mighty and Ray were on the list of characters expectable within the first two years.

1. Was that list before or after Mania Plus changed things?

2. He said that some of the characters on that list would appear in that time, not all of them. 

[DabigRG]

4 minutes ago, VEDJ-F said:

This is probably the case, unfortunately. Even back when classic Sonic was off-limits, they were far more liberal about his use and relation to the 'present' Sonic in Archie. Now, they've outright deemed anything exclusive to that Sonic's side as classic-only due to the difference in how classic works. Even Ian up and said that Mania Plus changed his plans for Mighty and Ray, and that's likely because he was going to reintroduce them like before but now can't.

1. Was that list before or after Mania Plus changed things?

2. He said that some of the characters on that list would appear in that time, not all of them. 

I guess before I learned Mania Plus was a thing, which was a few weeks ago.

[Multikaris]

19 minutes ago, Zaysho said:

Didn't Ian say his Archie originals are off-limits?

I think Mighty, Nack, et al could probably be transferred over--they wouldn't be like they're Archie incarnations, but I can't imagine their being "classic" characters is a non-starter unless Sega's getting even more stringent about that kind of thing.

Yes, for the time being. 

 

Oh, and if those do get in, it’ll probably be via a classic comic. 

[MetalSkulkBane]

I think everyone is forgetting veeeeeeery important thing

On 27.03.2018 at 9:42 AM, MetalSkulkBane said:

Well, let's check if worst case scenario is real. I'm going to try to predict the whole issue based on solicitation alone.

1 Enemies will be badniks and that giant spider-thing from Forces.

2 Sonic will easily beat smaller badniks, but will need Amy help to destroy spider, to emphasize power of friendship/team-work.

3 Amy will act like she did in Archie. Some casual flirt, maaaaybe hug or two, 70% chance she will talk to locals how awesome Sonic is, to inspire them.

4 Amy will ask Sonic about joining resistance early on, so point 2 can prove to him that he can't do everything alone. He'll probably aggress, but in a way that lets him leave her behind. He still have his meetings with Knux and Tangle in later issues. There is a chance that Sonic will say "Resistance doesn't need me. You're doing fantastic job."

5 Mystery villain will show on last page too announce Rough and Tumble for next story.

6 Literally nothing else will happen.

That's my worst case scenario. Plot so predictable I can write it without my morning coffee.

11

GOD DAMN CALLED IT! Flynn, you had a good run, but now you can hand your job to me.

Ok, I didn't get everything right, but you must admit I was pretty close.

Overall, I'm not that impressed. More detailed thoughts.

Spoiler

Several pages ago someone compared this arc to "Countdown to Chaos" and I agree with that person. Only add the fact that I didn't like the original story either.

This story just lacks meat. Yes, artwork is really sweet, but it's wasted on a plot which is almost identical to issue 1.

The only substantial difference is Amy instead of Tails. I'll give Flynn that, characterization is pretty good. Yeah, Archie Amy was competent and stuff as well, but I do like that this issue focuses on her crush and shows it in positive way, something which is essential to Amy being Amy. Archie just preferred to sideline her crush-thing.

And mystery villain remain mysterious and kinda bland in that mysteriousness. I would say that Nega and Metal are highest suspects, if it wasn't for Flynn saying somewhere that it's gonna be obscure character. So I stay with my "old Badnik" vote. Maybe Egg Robo from Sonic 3, mutated by Phantom Ruby into totally-not--Heavy-King (Look Sega, we're listening to mandates). Also I still say Lyric would be the awesomeness choice, but highly unlikely. (No that I like the snake, it just would make a great twist).

 

 

[Marco9966]

Quote

Even Ian up and said that Mania Plus changed his plans for Mighty and Ray, and that's likely because he was going to reintroduce them like before but now can't.

When did he say that??

4 minutes ago, MetalSkulkBane said:

I think everyone is forgetting veeeeeeery important thing

GOD DAMN CALLED IT! Flynn, you had a good run, but now you can hand your job to me.

Ok, I didn't get everything right, but you must admit I was pretty close.

Overall, I'm not that impressed. More detailed thoughts.

  Hide contents

Several pages ago someone compared this arc to "Countdown to Chaos" and I agree with that person. Only add the fact that I didn't like the original story either.

This story just lacks meat. Yes, artwork is really sweet, but it's wasted on a plot which is almost identical to issue 1.

The only substantial difference is Amy instead of Tails. I'll give Flynn that, characterization is pretty good. Yeah, Archie Amy was competent and stuff as well, but I do like that this issue focuses on her crush and shows it in positive way, something which is essential to Amy being Amy. Archie just preferred to sideline her crush-thing.

And mystery villain remain mysterious and kinda bland in that mysteriousness. I would say that Nega and Metal are highest suspects, if it wasn't for Flynn saying somewhere that it's gonna be obscure character. So I stay with my "old Badnik" vote. Maybe Egg Robo from Sonic 3, mutated by Phantom Ruby into totally-not--Heavy-King (Look Sega, we're listening to mandates). Also I still say Lyric would be the awesomeness choice, but highly unlikely. (No that I like the snake, it just would make a great twist).

 

 

We're still in issue 2, not issue 20. I don't understand the complaints about lack of meat.

[dbzfan7]

5 minutes ago, Marco9966 said:

We're still in issue 2, not issue 20. I don't understand the complaints about lack of meat.

Well it basically is the same story as 1 for the most part, except with Amy instead of Tails. Though really it depends on what sort of attention you want for the comic. Fans of the series should be plenty happy at character portrayal. Just like Super Episode 1 it's just a relaxing laid back kind of story without real stakes yet, which is fine for fans who already love the characters (Though Beerus in the background does present a more understandable looming threat). If you're not a fan of Sonic...then nothing really is gonna convince the casual audience to either pick up the book, or want to continue reading. It's not particularly exciting or a must read comic. For fans I think this works, but for non fans to get into the new Sonic comic, I don't think it does.

[Your Vest Friend]

21 minutes ago, Marco9966 said:

When did he say that??

The interview he had with Jason for Sonic Stadium just before Wondercon. 

[Ryannumber1gamer]

23 minutes ago, Marco9966 said:

We're still in issue 2, not issue 20. I don't understand the complaints about lack of meat.

It's not really about lack of meat, but rather giving something interesting and engaging. Sonic running around beating various mooks with friends isn't very engaging and the only stand-out thing is the character interactions. 

A comic's job is to hook you and make you wish to purchase later issues - if your opening stories is relatively dull and by the books, it's not going to do much to hook you into buying more issues beyond having a prior establishment with the characters and willing to go through more to finally get something engaging out of it.

Countdown to Chaos had the exact same issue. 252 was interesting because we were as confused as Sonic was with this new world and it was about him figuring out what on Earth happened after Worlds Collide. The following four issues were boring and inconsistent because while interactions were on point - it was the same boring formula of Sonic runs to place, beats badniks/Eggman mooks, find FF member, repeat. Even then, that still had the lingering effects of Worlds Collide as a potential hook while here, we just have random villain who may or may not be Metal Sonic trying to act menacing when literally ALL he's been doing is flinging badniks Sonic's way, the exact things he deals with daily, and then acting super surprised when Sonic does what he usually does. It's a boring formula, that's beyond "no meat to the story".

[MetalSkulkBane]

9 minutes ago, Marco9966 said:

We're still in issue 2, not issue 20. I don't understand the complaints about lack of meat.

Too put it most simply, watching Sonic trash badniks is lack of meat to me. It's a bone, around which actual meat should be. Both #1 and #2 have only one kind of meat: Sonic messing with his friends. Cute, but unsubstantial. I read 130+ Archie comics of Flynn's Sonic interacting with his friends. So far IDW fails at giving me anything new to chew on.

And don't give me this "only issue 2" excuse. I'm a hardcore Sonic fan, I'll read this series even if Pender comes back. please don't bring Penders back. But casual reader buys single issue, maybe two and based on that makes the choice whenever he wants to read this series or not. Single issue should be worth something on it's own. FIRST issues should be interesting on their own.

Compare it to Archie Sonic #160-161. In two issues we were introduced to new funny villains (Bean, Bark), remaindered worthless villain into something cool (Scourge), have Sonic bounce of one of his friends (Shadow), seeded 2 plot points for future (Fiona, FInitevus), and throw Crocto-bot just for fun. All all this, while there was still room for that lame Blaze back-up story (which BTW, wasn't written by Flynn).

All IDW gave us so far is bashing badniks, stupid talking chair and admittedly nice interactions with 2 friends.