Megathread IDW's Sonic the Hedgehog - Megathread

[NikoS]

Fair enough, we have news, it's not substantial but it's news. Also, first five issues? i thought it was just the four issues, one per week in April, do we have a fifth release date?

[Flyinpenguin117]

2 hours ago, Dr. Jack said:

We are almost at 100 pages of discussing no news.

Take out all the Freedom Fighters discussion and it probably goes down to about 5.

[Big Panda]

1 hour ago, NikoS said:

Fair enough, we have news, it's not substantial but it's news. Also, first five issues? i thought it was just the four issues, one per week in April, do we have a fifth release date?

I just remember them saying it'd go monthly from issue 5 onward. I misremembered if there was an actual date attached to it.

[Chaos Incarnate]

I'll be picking up the first issue when it comes out. Looking forward to having a fresh place to start with Sonic comics.

[knuckles20]

On 12/30/2017 at 12:42 PM, Flyinpenguin117 said:

If Sonic can't be "bogged down" by the Freedom Fighters, I don't see why Amy and Knuckles (esp. Knuckles who has no reason to be tagging behind Sonic the whole time) should be given a pass. I'd rather have it focus solely on Sonic and Tails with regular appearances by Amy and Knuckles as necessary than have them shoehorned in 100% of the time for nostalgia.

Is that what the games are doing: Sonic and Tails focus with little involvement from anyone else? The main reason the comics are the last thing I care for Sonic is because I wanna see more than just Sonic and Tails.

[Multikaris]

1 hour ago, knuckles20 said:

Is that what the games are doing: Sonic and Tails focus with little involvement from anyone else? The main reason the comics are the last thing I care for Sonic is because I wanna see more than just Sonic and Tails.

Forces did have a custom character, and some decent interaction from the others as a group. There’s also Mania and the now-moribund Boom.

[Flyinpenguin117]

1 hour ago, knuckles20 said:

Is that what the games are doing: Sonic and Tails focus with little involvement from anyone else? The main reason the comics are the last thing I care for Sonic is because I wanna see more than just Sonic and Tails.

That's not at all what I'm saying. The games' problem is that the focus is solely on Sonic and Tails with nobody else being involved period (though as of Forces, even Tails' involvement is becoming more limited). The comics should rotate in characters as needed per story arc, which even the games fail to successfully do.

[DabigRG]

I forgot who/if it was mentioned, but I'm honestly kinda hoping some issues/arcs follow Universes example.

[Red Hot Jack]

9 hours ago, Flyinpenguin117 said:

That's not at all what I'm saying. The games' problem is that the focus is solely on Sonic and Tails with nobody else being involved period (though as of Forces, even Tails' involvement is becoming more limited). The comics should rotate in characters as needed per story arc, which even the games fail to successfully do.

I wouldn't mind this, something like Universe as it's been said, the only problem is that there isn't a story progression or flow, but various arcs which proceed slowly every year. Or maybe it would be Sonic with different groups of characters every mini-arc, so the story can continue. Well, I'm sure Sonic will be in every issue, but if the Freedom Fighters were everywhere in the reboot comics, I don't see why Tails, Knuckles and Amy can't be a full time presence in the new ones.

[NikoS]

Again regarding the FF being full time presence, well, they were in the middle of a major arc, the SWC, before the cancelation the next issues solicitations (#292, #293, #294) indicate they were clearly moving away from this team structure, with branching paths in #292 establishing this new structure, continuing on the FF universe arc, and in the main book we would have Sonic in studiopolis with Honey in #293 and hanging out with Mighty in #294. (but again, even during the SWC they were not together all the time, e.g the Champions arc, where the FF were basically cameos and in #272, where we got a solo Sonic/Antoine story in Apotos, and Bunnie and Knuckles showed up only at the end as reinforcements)

[Flyinpenguin117]

14 hours ago, Dr. Jack said:

Well, I'm sure Sonic will be in every issue, but if the Freedom Fighters were everywhere in the reboot comics, I don't see why Tails, Knuckles and Amy can't be a full time presence in the new ones.

The Freedom Fighters were mainstays because their whole role, since their inception in SatAM, is they were Sonic's team, following him around and supporting him in the fight against Eggman. Conveniently, this dynamic also gave Amy, Cream, and Big reasons to appear regularly since they were members of the FF. That said (disclaimer: only read post-reboot), the Freedom Fighters were rarely in the same place at the same time. The Chase and Panic in the Sky are the only times I can recall when all of them were together. Bunnie, Antoine, and Rotor never got a real spotlight arc. And it regularly showed that A: Sonic's still not a real team player (ie, ignoring Sally's plan in the arc that had Lupe in it) and B: They are completely and utterly screwed without him (Ambushed).

Its the same reason I'm weary about the Freedom Fighters coming back as secondary/background characters completely separate from Sonic. It defeats the purpose of the characters and the dynamic they brought, and I'm not really confident they can pull off a revamp like that. I'd rather just have them retired, and maybe IDW decides to pick up where Archie left off in the future (Ian's said this is a possibility, albeit a remote one).

I never said Tails can't be a full-time presence- quite the opposite, he'd be the second main focus besides Sonic. He's always been Sonic's sidekick, so he has a reason to appear almost all the time. Its mainly Knuckles, who already suffers enough from shoehorning (even the comics didn't bring him in if the story didn't directly affect him), and Amy, albeit less so (she'd likely seek out and cross paths with Sonic often, but she has her own life outside him as well). I'd still expect them to appear regularly- probably more often than any other supporting characters- but I just don't see them being stuck to Sonic the same way the Freedom Fighters were.

[King Scoopa Koopa]

11 hours ago, NikoS said:

Again regarding the FF being full time presence, well, they were in the middle of a major arc, the SWC, before the cancelation the next issues solicitations (#292, #293, #294) indicate they were clearly moving away from this team structure, with branching paths in #292 establishing this new structure, continuing on the FF universe arc, and in the main book we would have Sonic in studiopolis with Honey in #293 and hanging out with Mighty in #294. (but again, even during the SWC they were not together all the time, e.g the Champions arc, where the FF were basically cameos and in #272, where we got a solo Sonic/Antoine story in Apotos, and Bunnie and Knuckles showed up only at the end as reinforcements)

Plus, the FF weren't operating as a unit before the SWC, either -- the new normal had them split up and doing their own things before Sonic and Tails rounded everyone up.

[BlueSky]

Guys, in the middle of my sulking, I think I've made a discovery.

I think I’ve managed to pinpoint one thing from this topic; it seems we define characters differently.

Some seem to define them based on their origins and the actual placing considering their environment of which they’re interacting with.

Some, like me, define characters by what their personality-affecting character traits are.

I suppose this is one of the reasons why the discussions go nowhere, we haven’t got even an agreement about the fact what we consider makes a character the same character in different media.

Game characters are vague enough that they can be understood as the same characters by both groups, unlike (usually) more strongly defined “other” characters. And I think this is where the problems begin.

Since the first group could have a bit of a problem with understanding where the second one’s coming from and the other way around when we’re talking about these characters.

The presentation's over, feel free to elaborate.

 

In regards of what's iconic, well, that can wary from person to person if you ask from me. And considering the context, for the comics, the caracters who've been in the comics for quite some time are pretty iconic for me when talking about the comics.

The reason the comics kept my interest is the fact these characters existed in on it.

As a matter of fact, I went trough some old Pre-SGW issues and the atmosphere hit me with a hard fist of emotion-triggering stories. Gee, that's the stuff I've been yearning, I felt pretty much alive back then. And inspired, man I felt awesome!

Well, I suppose the possibilities for effects like that are pretty thin now. I'm not saying it'll be bad. It's prolly being epic and awesome, and by no means do I hold any ill will towards IDW, the only thing I don't really appreciate from them is the fact they don't drop the bomb already. I just prepare for the fact I'll "officially" lose the stuff I really enjoyed about this franchise, these characters, forever.

Oh, well, I suppose I'm being somewhat unfair, but still, it can't be helped. Maybe it's time for me to start falling back into other franchises I felt awesome. And the fan material of course, I suppose I shouldn't be ruining other people's parties like this. Just have a nice time with the stories, and thanks for tolerating my stupid opinions, I tried to explain myself the best way I could. I should've known better, really, I knew this world sucks and all... There're nice things too, one just needs to appreciate and enjoy about them as long as they have those since everything's in flux, forever until it all stops. You know, particles moving aka heat and all...

[Dr. Detective]

Well hey, all I can say is what I desire from this comic is all the stuff I can't get from the games. Sonic and Tails going on adventures together with the rest of the gang appearing  when their own subplots and development lead credence to the overall plot. That doesn't necessarily mean we have to force a "rotation". I just tend to imagine a plot where everyone has something to do and everyone has a point of development that'd be comfortably focused and expounded upon when the time comes for their position to be given time and focus. 

Like a normal story just with a bigger main cast than usual. 

After Forces I've given up on ever getting something like that from the games again. 

[Shadowlax]

I would much rather have a rotation. Them going on the same adventure makes the world seem small. Let everyone else be doing their own shit

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

Really, I don’t care for either a rotation or a more recurring cast as long as the characters show up when their circumstances and plot calls for it.

Ever since Ian took over, that has never been an issue. And he often did it and used those moments to develop new circumstances to affect them in future plots instead of bringing characters around because fans expect them like Sonic Team all too often does with Knuckles  by disregarding his guardian role.

[Red Hot Jack]

I think the problem with the reboot is that it focused too much on world building and introducing new characters to populate the world, everything was done too fast, with little plot (find the emeralds, find the keys), it's something I actually wanted since the comic was left with half of the minor cast gone and all the lore gone, but it was built in 247 issues, not so rushed. So I don't think a game centric comic this time would be a bad idea, it will never be exactly like the games, the vague solicit says there are new and surprising allies, I don't mind that, and I actually loved the Freedom Fighters, especially in the reboot, so I want them to show up, but, like most people, I'm way more attached to the game cast, so they should be the focus, but the only ones I think should be main are Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy and Dr. Eggman, the main series is built around them, not because they are the eldest, but because they are main characters, Ian can find simple loopholes for Knuckles, like the Master Emerald being shattered for 100 issues (for example), or him shrinking the rock to fit his pockets, or having a back-up guardian like he did with Relic, or having him hide the emerald on Angel Island like in Runners, it's very easy to find a solution. But other than those exceptions, I'm all for characters being recurring and only showing up when the plot calls for them, or being in side stories with different characters and interactions, the Freedom Fighters group felt too crowded in the reboot, as much as I liked the rotation between missions, plus most of them were on the ship all the time (not Sonic, but others like Cream). I get that the Freedom Fighters are iconic comic and cartoon legends, they are as old as Amy, so it's not just a nostalgia thing for me, they can appear just fine. And I do want more adventures and mini-arcs, not the same thing over and over, I'm talking about pre-reboot arcs, the Shattered World Crisis was more like a status quo for a while.

[PublicEnemy1]

3 hours ago, Dr. Jack said:

And I do want more adventures and mini-arcs, not the same thing over and over, I'm talking about pre-reboot arcs, the Shattered World Crisis was more like a status quo for a while.

Such a shame that they cancelled the comics not too long after the SWC, because it looked like it was going somewhere. Anyways, we are most definitely going to have at least SOME worldbuilding, since this is a new continuity altogether. I do agree that there was too much in the Post-SGW, as well as the rest of your points.

[Shadowlax]

I think Sonic , Tails, Knuckles, Amy egg man and Shadow as the " white ranger " is the best working thing for that sort of formula. Shadow's an extremely popular character and has essentially wormed his way into being a main character. And he has the bonus that most other sonic rivals don't have of " not really giving a shit about sonic" so you could essentially just have shadow stories that... don't connect to anything and just expand the world. Kinda frequently because he's popular and he doesn't need sonic around to function. And him working for gun... or whatever the shit he works for as of sonic forces he can just be going on missions and just interact with other characters if you want to introduce new concepts but don't want to yank Sonic and The Technicolor crew from whatever fat doctor based sceme they are squashing

[Multikaris]

4 hours ago, Shadowlax said:

I think Sonic , Tails, Knuckles, Amy egg man and Shadow as the " white ranger " is the best working thing for that sort of formula. Shadow's an extremely popular character and has essentially wormed his way into being a main character. And he has the bonus that most other sonic rivals don't have of " not really giving a shit about sonic" so you could essentially just have shadow stories that... don't connect to anything and just expand the world. Kinda frequently because he's popular and he doesn't need sonic around to function. And him working for gun... or whatever the shit he works for as of sonic forces he can just be going on missions and just interact with other characters if you want to introduce new concepts but don't want to yank Sonic and The Technicolor crew from whatever fat doctor based sceme they are squashing

From Boom, it seems Shadow’s more of the Lord Zedd/Lokar/Master Vile to Eggman’s Rita, but this is the main series.

[Dr. Detective]

12 hours ago, Shadowlax said:

I would much rather have a rotation. Them going on the same adventure makes the world seem small. Let everyone else be doing their own shit

I didn't say they were all going on the same adventure. What I have in mind is always something that branches out, despite having one or two characters with a central focus. That doesn't necessitate rotation, just bringing in characters when it's time for them to act. I don't see how that would make the world feel small either since this doesn't have to restrict them to one location. Explaining what I have in mind is a bit of a fool's errand of course since what my words mean undoubtedly conjure up a different image than what's intended most of the time. 

[DarkRula]

I think the White Ranger analogy works better. Tommy as a character was meant to be done after he first left the team, but the popularity of the character allowed him to come back, and not only come back, but remain for quite some time where others were replaced.

[MetalSkulkBane]

10 minutes ago, DarkRula said:

I think the White Ranger analogy works better. Tommy as a character was meant to be done after he first left the team, but the popularity of the character allowed him to come back, and not only come back, but remain for quite some time where others were replaced.

...oh thanks god.

For second I though you were talking Tommy the Turtle XD

Anyway, I would be good either way. Would love to see Shadow with his own a bit longer storyline, but pseudo SU would be cool too.

[BlueSky]

3 hours ago, Dr. Detective Mike said:

I didn't say they were all going on the same adventure. What I have in mind is always something that branches out, despite having one or two characters with a central focus. That doesn't necessitate rotation, just bringing in characters when it's time for them to act. I don't see how that would make the world feel small either since this doesn't have to restrict them to one location. Explaining what I have in mind is a bit of a fool's errand of course since what my words mean undoubtedly conjure up a different image than what's intended most of the time. 

The way you put it makes me to picture a tree.

That'd be an interesting story structure actually. Dunno if that's what you have in mind though, but still...

[PublicEnemy1]

I for one, (after some time has passed) think that we should have a Universe-like comic to go alongside the main comic to focus on the rotating adventures.