Megathread IDW's Sonic the Hedgehog - Megathread

[BlueSky]

4 hours ago, Ernest the Snowpanda said:

We've got our first graphic novel listing!

Sonic the Hedgehog Vol. 1: Fallout!

Well, colour me slightly interested. Slightly.

I just can't read it trough without noticing this'll be a world tour kind of thing yet again. Going around, searching/suddenly bumping into some guys and all that jazz. It's funny how this came out before the actual solicits were even really hinted.

I dunno about that Forces thing. This'll prolly be something akin to "Eggman did somethig, Sonic stopped hin, cucle continues till the eternity and beyond that" thing. But well, I dunno, whatever.

Gee, they've said already this is their own continuity, any hopes for this being anything connected into the Archie stuff in any real level is pretty much long gone. There might be some tiniest ray of hope for some characters to get into this train but I suppose it'll happen only if it's not for just the 1st class. They really can't afford for that class tickets you know. And I hate it. And even more I hate the fact they refuse to spill the beans so that I could either sigh in relief or try to go on with my life. This anticipation is not helping me to want to buy any of this thing. Clock is ticking IDW, the unavoidable time is coming (wasn't it April) and I really hope you open your mouths before it so I don't get any mental health issues over one freaking comic book.

The wording in there is meant to be vague as prolly all of us already know. Surprising won't mean anything before we see the product unless they tell about it before which I suppose won't happen. At this point surprising could mean there's actually more Sonic characters than the most core cast already mentioned by names. This is market talk, it's practically nothing. And I'm growing disgusted over the fact how they want me to set my hopes up way too high. The living's really in the way the interests I have for this thing die.

Hundred thousand changes, everythings the same... exept not.

Just please freaking tell me are the characters I've grown prolly too attached into going to make it into this piece of literature and art combined or not!!????!!

END MY MISERY AND SPILL THE BEANS ALREADY!!! The more you avoid this the more I want to get rid of this all! You're pushing me away from your product with this marketing technique of yours! You're about as bad as Archie and Sega were when they told nothing to public about the fact they'd already pretty much cancelled the comics months before announcing ONE SINGLE TWEET!

AAAAAAAAAAAARGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

...

And the page count; well, if we assume an issue would be about 20 pages full of actual comics, 96 pages would go into 4 issues and 16 pages. Of course, if yhe comics are a tad bit shorter, there would be space for at least 5 issues I suppose. But really, who would even know at this point.

Also; I hope if that GN comes to the market in here it'll be around 15 € at most. If I -in some crazy scenario I manage to keep my interest in this thing up for long enough- decide I'll rather wait for GN's I'd love to save money by waiting, you know.

Gee, now that the ASO has finally started rolling I've starting to grow into the idea official products aren't needed anymore as far as I'm concerned. At least if they've got nothing better for me. And that's how I guess the thing is until they tell otherwise. I'm on the verge of losing all of my hope for ever seeing thoe characters in official material anymore.

[RedFox99]

6 minutes ago, BlueSky said:

I just can't read it trough without noticing this'll be a world tour kind of thing yet again. Going around, searching/suddenly bumping into some guys and all that jazz. It's funny how this came out before the actual solicits were even really hinted.

Hopefully not because this caused the reboot comics to feel like a mess at times.

[Salamander]

1 hour ago, Miragnarok said:

Yeah, but Fleetway Bean IS a straight villain. 

...Bean was in Fleetway?

...Ah, according to my research, he showed up in an StC Online story?  I don't think that really counts.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

1 hour ago, GentlemanX said:

My guess is it'll be like IDW's Disney graphic novels and collect three issues instead of four. If these sell well enough, we'll probably then get hardcover editions that collect six issues - again similar to the Disney "Timeless Tales" collections.

Seeing as it's Sonic, I could see them possibly reviving Universe since they adopted the format for TMNT, even calling it TMNT Universe and allowing it to focus on characters other than the turtles. In that regard, I could see hardcover "IDW Collections" that collects a set amount of issues (usually 12) in recommended reading order.

[Heckboy]

38 minutes ago, RedFox99 said:

Hopefully not because this caused the reboot comics to feel like a mess at times.

A series focusing on Sonic and co. traveling the world, meeting people familiar and new, and having adventures with a rotating cast is actually a good approach to a Sonic comic. The big problem with the Shattered World arc is that it was essentially a boring fetch quest that was too focused on introducing like four new characters and their backstories in every issue in order to quickly build "lore" (all during a mediocre, multi-year snoozefest of an adaptation of a then-six-year-old game), rather than just telling interesting stories that also expand the world gradually and naturally over time. 

[RedFox99]

5 minutes ago, Mister X said:

A series focusing on Sonic and co. traveling the world, meeting people familiar and new, and having adventures with a rotating cast is actually a good approach to a Sonic comic. The big problem with the Shattered World arc is that it was essentially a boring fetch quest that was too focused on introducing like four new characters and their backstories in every issue in order to quickly build "lore" (all during a mediocre, multi-year snoozefest of an adaptation of a then-six-year-old game), rather than just telling interesting stories that also expand the world gradually and naturally over time. 

I have a question relating to this: have Ian and the other writer acknowledged these criticisms?

[Zaysho]

It's weird that we already have a pre-order and summary (generic as it is) for the first trade. Have we even gotten the solicits for April yet?

[QuantumEdge]

9 minutes ago, Mister X said:

A series focusing on Sonic and co. traveling the world, meeting people familiar and new, and having adventures with a rotating cast is actually a good approach to a Sonic comic. The big problem with the Shattered World arc is that it was essentially a boring fetch quest that was too focused on introducing like four new characters and their backstories in every issue in order to quickly build "lore" (all during a mediocre, multi-year snoozefest of an adaptation of a then-six-year-old game), rather than just telling interesting stories that also expand the world gradually and naturally over time. 

As much as I thought stuff like Champions and Mega Drive were worth all the reboot's downsides, I really can't be bothered to reread a good chunk of its material these days.  Fortunately the fanbase has a loud enough voice that Ian likely heard us out and, if I'm reading into this correctly, he might well be trying to change things for the better.  Just please don't let this be some continuation to Forces.  Just let this be a totally clean slate.

[Ryannumber1gamer]

6 minutes ago, Zaysho said:

It's weird that we already have a pre-order and summary (generic as it is) for the first trade. Have we even gotten the solicits for April yet?

Not yet, but it makes sense, given the first four issues are planned to be weekly.

[Zaysho]

8 minutes ago, Ryannumber1Santa said:

Not yet, but it makes sense, given the first four issues are planned to be weekly.

I don't think I've ever seen trades get pre-orders/summaries ahead of even the first issue coming out/being solicited.

 

Though if there's one upside to all this, it's knowing we won't have to wait three years for issues to get collected (and then probably get cancelled for legal/financial reasons).

[BlueSky]

58 minutes ago, RedFox99 said:

Hopefully not because this caused the reboot comics to feel like a mess at times.

I think the "mess" wasn't because of just one thing but because of a sum over multiple factors.

And then again I felt more like the plotline being something akin to a railroad system timetables in Switzerland, always on time with nothing too strange ever happening. Everything happened too orderly for me. It wasn't bad really but it was too resembling between different stories considering the structures.

I think the biggest problem in the writing on that time was the fact Mr. Flynn and whoever upper the food chain in charge of scriptwork didn't stick to do stuff the way the whole "crisis" storyline started. That was good and all. I suppose they wanted for some reason or other pick up the pace and this train table thing happened as result.

I think Mr. Flynn should just stop trying to please everybody, considering how divided we all are about what we want. It could work maybe better for all of us if he'd try and do stuff more like what he'd enjoy to read himself than listening to us all ranting over what we want and getting confused over it all. But then again I suppose he does write what he'd love to read himself in a way already so, well, whatever. At worst he writes okay enough when it's about my opinion so I dunno, he could just try to pick up a pace he thinks works best and could try to go with that pace as well as the industry will ever let him.

Industry prolly says no chance. And who am I to give advices? Nobody really. I just think listening's good and very important, but please take down the pleasing factor a bit, if there's a real problem the shouts are consistent enough to notice, small fries are small fries. That'd keep your brains from exploding. I don't want his brains to explode from sheer pressure caused by divided fanbase after all.

Merry Christmas by the way, I got way better presents than what I anticipated for.

[NikoS]

Since solicits are monthly this means we'll get solicits for the first four issues in January right? and this means all the summaries, covers and their variants (if variants will be a thing) will be revealed next month, if that's the case we will get A LOT of stuff pretty soon.

[Big Panda]

23 minutes ago, NikoS said:

Since solicits are monthly this means we'll get solicits for the first four issues in January right? and this means all the summaries, covers and their variants (if variants will be a thing) will be revealed next month, if that's the case we will get A LOT of stuff pretty soon.

This is IDW. Variant covers will, most definitely, without a single shadow of a doubt, be a thing.

[PublicEnemy1]

I just hope the comics will be solid. Also, I've been on Ian's livestreams on BumbleKast, and I asked him if he takes constructive criticism into account, which he said he does. 

[RedFox99]

58 minutes ago, PublicEnemy1 said:

I just hope the comics will be solid. Also, I've been on Ian's livestreams on BumbleKast, and I asked him if he takes constructive criticism into account, which he said he does. 

He does seem to be a nice guy, so maybe he'll read over some things people didn't like about the reboot comics.

[Razule]

3 hours ago, PublicEnemy1 said:

I just hope the comics will be solid. Also, I've been on Ian's livestreams on BumbleKast, and I asked him if he takes constructive criticism into account, which he said he does. 

Did it go like this

[Your Vest Friend]

The cover suggested a link to Forces to me to begin, so I wouldn't exactly be shocked.

[Ellipsis-Ultima]

The sonic print is a part of IDW's giveaway!

[MetalSkulkBane]

11 hours ago, PublicEnemy1 said:

I've been on Ian's livestreams on BumbleKast, and I asked him if he takes constructive criticism into account, which he said he does. 

What else would he say?

"No, I hate people complaining at my work. Everyone who doesn't like my stories is wrong." ?

Just saying, kinda silly question to ask.

[King Scoopa Koopa]

On 12/24/2017 at 6:47 AM, RedFox99 said:

So I was reading this guy's post about why he doesn't like Ian's writing and he brought some pretty good point criticisms about the reboot. 

https://whitefox55.tumblr.com/post/168879508567/why-shattered-earth-is-a-mess-or-why-i-dont

Eh, I can't say I really agree with this, but to each their own.

14 hours ago, RedFox99 said:

He does seem to be a nice guy, so maybe he'll read over some things people didn't like about the reboot comics.

Probably, and besides that, the reboot was really trying to fit a very specific sort of niche that arose from a very unique situation, and direction from above led him to have to do further things he wasn't quite into there, so I don't think his approach to IDW will be the same at all.

Unless the editor at IDW just REALLY loved how that reboot went and wants Ian to do more of that, I guess.

[Red Hot Jack]

I have a feeling these new comics will be for more casual readers and game fans, like Mega Drive, the short lived Boom comic and Genesis of a Hero. I still find it annoying that most game fans ignored the reboot which was meant for them, they ignored it just because the Freedom Fighters were in it. It will never be a 100% game centric, there will always be twists to the storylines and new exclusive characters.

[Multikaris]

1 hour ago, Dr. Jack said:

I have a feeling these new comics will be for more casual readers and game fans, like Mega Drive, the short lived Boom comic and Genesis of a Hero. I still find it annoying that most game fans ignored the reboot which was meant for them, they ignored it just because the Freedom Fighters were in it. It will never be a 100% game centric, there will always be twists to the storylines and new exclusive characters.

If this is the case, hopefully the release an alternate comic for the more comic reader oriented types.

[Razule]

7 hours ago, VEDJ-F said:

The cover suggested a link to Forces to me to begin, so I wouldn't exactly be shocked.

Really? I don't think it gets much vaguer than Sonic, Tails, Amy, and Knuckles in standard action poses on an abstract background.

[Your Vest Friend]

35 minutes ago, Razule said:

Really? I don't think it gets much vaguer than Sonic, Tails, Amy, and Knuckles in standard action poses on an abstract background.

Notice parts of the abstract background though; two stars in one area, slanted stripes in another, not dissimilar to the Forces logo itself. 

[RedFox99]

4 hours ago, VEDJ-F said:

Notice parts of the abstract background though; two stars in one area, slanted stripes in another, not dissimilar to the Forces logo itself. 

You make an interesting point. Hopefully, Tails doesn't retain his Forces personality.