Megathread IDW's Sonic the Hedgehog - Megathread

[VO.SUPER]

The JP release of Volume 2 is out on the official SEGA shop. Wish we had options for multiple covers too, but alas.

Spoiler

Here are the alts.

 

[Zaysho]

I'm curious if they're pushing the bullshit scarcity with the covers on these trades as well.

[VO.SUPER]

1 hour ago, Zaysho said:

I'm curious if they're pushing the bullshit scarcity with the covers on these trades as well.

Probably. They might be using Japan as a test market for this sort of thing since they don't have to print as many copies as in the US.

Or maybe because the printer is local to Japan, they have more ready access to the resources to pull this off without being too costly. 

[Zaysho]

It admittedly probably won't be handled on trades the same way they're handled on monthlies, which is where a lot of my distaste for the practice comes from. I don't like variant covers on principle when they're designed to inflate sales numbers and give shops an excuse to overcharge people for already overpriced books because certain covers are printed in smaller quantities compared to standard covers. I'm just skeptical of it being a thing at all at this point, especially with IDW's track record of doing this crap in the first place.

[MetalSkulkBane]

I realized something funny. Remember when in #28 Sonic tells Silver he needs specifically his help otherwise future is doomed?

Yeah, that's a bull.

1) Yes Silver is a only new element that  CAN help, but it doesn't mean he MUST be a solution. What if time traveler was Joe Scratchybum, loser with no powers or skills? Would Sonic try to desperately find use for him?

2) Silver already changed the past. Even if you're going to ignore Butterfly Effect and every small thing he did, in #11 he saved most of cast from falling to their doom. As far as we know Amy, Espio and maybe more guys would die, thus not being there to fight Deadly Six (and that's not counting lack of Rouges and Silver himself). Heck, he saved Sonic in #20.

I mean Super Silver was kinda necessary at the end, but that's just coincidence.

[Wraith]

Sonic's guess that Silver was the one factor that would lead to their victory was a fair one, and even without that logic it just makes sense to partner up with the only other guy who has a super form while Shadow is out of commission.

[Razule]

How does Sonic even know Silver can go Super in this timeline? Unless it happened some other time off-screen aside from 06. Or maybe Sonic is aware of the "male hedgehogs only" rule

[Kuzu]

Silver's future didn't have the Metal Virus until after the Metal Sonic fiasco iirc.

So Eggman went ahead with his plan and everything got fucked after Silver left in the original timeline. 

Silver coming back was the butterfly effect as it made Sonic aware that everything had already occurred, so it's easy to decide that Silver was needed if he was going to win.

[Diogenes]

5 hours ago, MetalSkulkBane said:

1) Yes Silver is a only new element that  CAN help, but it doesn't mean he MUST be a solution. What if time traveler was Joe Scratchybum, loser with no powers or skills? Would Sonic try to desperately find use for him?

I mean...yeah, probably? Sonic lays it out pretty clear, they lost in Silver's timeline, the only new factor in this go-around is Silver being present, so if there's any way out it'd make sense that it's got something to do with him. Same logic works whoever the time traveler is, regardless of what powers or abilities they may or may not have. Granted, what Silver changes so they can win could've been anything, butterfly effect and all, but they hadn't brought up the idea that Silver's presence could've been the deciding factor before, and it'd be lame to bring it up and then just say he's already done whatever was necessary.

That said I don't feel like the idea really pays off, because Silver doesn't do anything that's especially impactful or uniquely "him" aside from the out-of-nowhere ability to hoover up the virus.

[Your Vest Friend]

It also doesn't quite make it clear why the future Silver saw was completely barren. If everyone got infected, wouldn't there be Zombot bodies shambling around? Nothing about the conclusion suggests they'd all disappear.

[Diogenes]

6 minutes ago, Your Vest Friend said:

It also doesn't quite make it clear why the future Silver saw was completely barren. If everyone got infected, wouldn't there be Zombot bodies shambling around? Nothing about the conclusion suggests they'd all disappear.

I think it was mentioned that the virus is evolving in a way that meant the zombots would eventually disintegrate.

[SBR2]

16 hours ago, Rouge_Witchy said:

i bet Ian Flynn wishes he never wrote the metal virus saga at this point.....feels extremely awkward during the covid-19 situation if you ask me

 

There is a part of me that wonders if it wouldhave been better if it had been done in Archie as originally planned so now it'd just be awkward in hindsight instead of uncomfortably timely. 

[Your Vest Friend]

Ah okay. 

I suppose that would be over decades then, would have been awkward if that happened fast enough to see the characters start disintegrating. Would be funny though.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

Honestly, I can see why the future is totally barren in Silver’s timeline. The zombots would be more or less exact to The Silver Saga’s Prelates, the only real difference is the Zombots have evolved to a point where they’re beyond control compared to Enerjak Knuckles controlling the Prelates, and obviously how they infect others. Ian might’ve gone this road to differiate it a bit.

[Diogenes]

13 minutes ago, Your Vest Friend said:

Ah okay. 

I suppose that would be over decades then, would have been awkward if that happened fast enough to see the characters start disintegrating. Would be funny though.

Yeah I just looked it up, it's in issue 25, Eggman says it'd take about 200 years. Silver shows up right after and basically says "yeah that's my time".

Coincidentally, I also noticed Silver wondering if his failures are dooming his time, so they were kind of maybe setting up him being vital to fixing things there, but it gets lost in...everything else.

[Kuzu]

The lack of buildup for Silver's involvement definitely could have been better. He's sidelined for most of the arc and he isn't given much focus for the payoff.

It's a pay off to an arc that never happens.

[Iko]

I find it funny how the infection seems to go through shoes and gloves too.

I mean, didn't Silver go into the future where everything was covered up by the metal virus? By using that logic, he landed on the grass so he should have been infected... unless he landed on some rock or something, or the virus mutated in a way that simple contact is not enough anymore to be infected.

Wouldn't have been cooler if Silver went back from the future as made of actual silver lol... also didn't Tails have a cure at some point? If silver can time-travel, couldn't they have just time-traveled to when Tails had a cure and protect the computer until it's done? Wouldn't it have been a way more interesting development than the magic trick that illogically ereases all the problems from the world all of a sudden?

[MetalSkulkBane]

The more I think about it "Zombots will disintegrate" is very strange plot point. It has absolutely zero importance to the story other than clearing up how Silver's future came to be. It kinda looks like Flynn had different plans (or just messed up) and had to add this as band aid solution.

4 hours ago, Diogenes said:

I mean...yeah, probably? Sonic lays it out pretty clear, they lost in Silver's timeline, the only new factor in this go-around is Silver being present, so if there's any way out it'd make sense that it's got something to do with him. (....)

Yes I said that. I'm just pointing out it's pure coincidence that Silver's power just happened to be useful. And 'buttery effect' is probably how he works in every minor appearance. Take Sonic Forces: Silver came from the future to fix thing. He didn't do much, but his fight with Infinite caused dropping of Phantom Ruby Prototype. It doesn't' need to be said out loud to work.

1 hour ago, Iko said:

 If silver can time-travel, couldn't they have just time-traveled to when Tails had a cure and protect the computer until it's done?

From what I can tell, Silver doesn't work like that. He time hops between decades, not "I'll tell my past self to don't do this". He probably can't change events that he was part of already. That's the idea I get from all of his appearances.... ok, Sonic 06 sliiiighty bend it one time.
When Sonic saved Elise from Egg Carrier, there had to be 2 Sonic in 1 time (one saving Elise, other watching from afar) but events didn't changed.

[calamityCons]

I really think y’all are splitting hairs here. The reasoning for Silver not doing this or that is because Silver’s character is naive and inexperienced, he doesn’t know what will happen in the future nor does he know for certain how time travel affects the future. If the characters all knew exactly how things will turn out the same way we the audience knows thanks to hindsight, then we will not get the kinds of action packed desperation fueled fight scenes and cool feats of superpowered heroism we achieve in comics like this. It is boring to have characters just know everything will be fine so they don’t bother going all out or trying anything and everything in hopes of succeeding. 

[DabigRG]

The Zombots disintegrated also means the original mobian is dead and can't be cured, for the record.

[MetalSkulkBane]

18 minutes ago, DabigRG said:

The Zombots disintegrated also means the original mobian is dead and can't be cured, for the record.

But it will happen in hundred of years, so it's arbitrary information for current events. It only shoehorns connection to Silver's future.

[DabigRG]

34 minutes ago, MetalSkulkBane said:

But it will happen in hundred of years, so it's arbitrary information for current events. It only shoehorns connection to Silver's future.

It's there to say this is the only shot y'all get--if you don't stop the virus here, then Silver's future will come to past.

[shdowhunt60]

1 hour ago, MetalSkulkBane said:

But it will happen in hundred of years, so it's arbitrary information for current events. It only shoehorns connection to Silver's future.

I mean, I thought it was a pretty excellent piece of foreshadowing, but I guess the IDW comics can't do anything right so whatever.

[Red Hot Jack]

Meanwhile the Sonic livestream quite explicitly said the wicked witch and her munchkins are dead. Finally some good news.

[Silvereyes]

36 minutes ago, Jack out of the comics! said:

Meanwhile the Sonic livestream quite explicitly said the wicked witch and her munchkins are dead. Finally some good news.

Who are they?