Rabbitearsblog's Sonic the Hedgehog IDW Comics Thoughts Thread

[Rabbitearsblog]

Hey everyone!  I'm Rabbitearsblog and in this thread, I talk about my personal thoughts about the Sonic the Hedgehog IDW comic book series as I read each issue / collection and give out my thoughts on each issue.  Now, the reason why I wanted to make a separate thread about this is because I'm way behind in the IDW comics and I didn't want to slow down the main threads discussing this series with me just talking about the older issues, even though we are 40 issues in now.  If you want to talk about the current issues from the IDW series, then check out the IDW Megathread.

But now, let's get started!

 

Sonic the Hedgehog IDW: Issue #1

 

*Originally, I was going to review each collection of the Sonic IDW series.  But, I realized that in doing so, it would keep this thread dormant due to having to wait months just for a new collection to come out.  So, I decided to review it issue by issue instead to keep the thread going.  So, let's talk about my thoughts about the first issue of this series.

Spoiler

Title: Sonic the Hedgehog

Writer: Ian Flynn

Artist: Tracy Yardley

Issue  #1

So, when I heard the announcement about the Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Comics being cancelled, I must admit that I was very upset about that because I grew up reading the Archie Comics and I was wondering if Sonic the Hedgehog would ever make an appearance back in the comics again.  Thankfully though, SEGA decided to give IDW the license to their Sonic the Hedgehog franchise and now we have a brand-new comic book series on our hands here!  And what's even better, some of the older writers like Ian Flynn, Evan Stanely and many others who have written for the Archie Comics are coming back to this comic book series!  So, let's see how the first issue of this brand new Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series hold up.

So, the issue starts off with Sonic the Hedgehog going to a village that is being invaded by Eggman's robots and he tries to stop the robots, but isn't able to stop all of them, until his friend Tails arrives in the nick of time to help him out.  It was then that Sonic and Tails noticed that Eggman's robots have been attacking various villages after the events of "Sonic Forces," despite the fact that Dr. Eggman has since then disappeared from the scene.  So, Sonic and Tails try to help out the villagers, while trying to solve this mystery regarding Eggman's robots.

So, I will admit that I was very surprised that this series is taking place after "Sonic Forces," of all games.  Since "Sonic Forces" wasn't that well-received by the fanbase, I thought that SEGA would try to distance themselves away from that game and focus on telling an all-new and original story for Sonic the Hedgehog in the comics.  But, after reading this issue, I was actually glad that they made this series take place after "Sonic Forces." There was a lot of missed opportunities in "Sonic Forces" that I wished were tackled better; but the IDW comics did such a fantastic job at tackling those issues and actually expanding on them or making those concerns legitimately worrisome to the characters.  In "Sonic Forces," I felt that there was a lack of urgency to the situation of Dr. Eggman taking over the world as that rarely happened in the previous games and it was a situation that should have been quite life threatening to the main characters.  However, Ian Flynn actually tackled the issue of Dr. Eggman taking over the world and what that would mean for the characters who have to fix everything that happened during the war.  Here, we get to see the townspeople still fighting off Dr. Eggman's robots even though the war is over and this shows that even though the war is over, that doesn't mean that everything will go back to normal at the drop of a hat.

Now, let's talk about the characters themselves.  So, the main characters in this issue are none other than Sonic and Tails themselves and we get to see how they are trying to help the townspeople out with fighting off Dr. Eggman's robots after the war has ended.  So right off the bat, I really enjoyed Sonic and Tails' friendship in this issue as we get to see them fighting off robots together and it was a breath of fresh air for me because for the past decade or so, we haven't really seen Sonic and Tails fighting together in the games (at least, in terms of making Tails a playable character since Sonic is currently the only playable character in the recent games). 

I also loved how Ian Flynn actually attempted to address Tails' behavior in "Sonic Forces" (you know, where Tails started to suffer a meltdown after Sonic was captured by Dr. Eggman and when Chaos comes to menace Tails, Tails ended up cowering in front of Chaos)?  Well, that wouldn't have been a problem if it wasn't for the fact that in the previous game "Sonic Adventure," Tails actually fought against Chaos with no fear.  So, seeing Tails act this way definitely riled up the fanbase (me included, although I was more upset with the fact that when Sonic got captured in the game, he actually acted like nothing happened).  So, in order to fix this, Ian Flynn had Tails talk to Sonic about how worried he was when Sonic got captured in "Sonic Forces" and Sonic starts acting like the big brother that he is to Tails and reassures him that everything will be alright and then asks Tails if he would like to go with him.  But Tails decided to stay behind because he wanted to help out the villagers.  This shows that Tails has matured as a character in this series (something similar to how he starts maturing as a character in the "Sonic Adventure" series when he stated that he needed to start doing things on his own without Sonic being there) and this is the type of characterization that I really missed from the games. And as usual, Tracy Yardley's artwork contributed pretty well to this issue.  I really loved the way that the characters' expressions show a lot of range like from happiness to sadness, especially the artwork of Sonic looking genuinely concerned about Tails' situation.

Now, if there was a problem that I had with this issue, is that I felt that the world could have been developed a bit better.  If this is a reboot of the Sonic the Hedgehog comics, then we need to know more about how things work in Sonic's world or heck, just give us a name for Sonic's world!  For years now, SEGA has been pretty insistent on not really developing Sonic's world and it's painfully obvious in this comic book series.  If you are new to the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise or you never played "Sonic Forces," chances are you will be totally lost on what's going on in this issue and you will probably be wondering about how Dr. Eggman even took over the world in the first place.

Overall, I really enjoyed this issue.  Even though I wished that they developed Sonic's world a bit more, I found this issue to be a really fun read and I loved the fact that they managed to address some of the more controversial moments from "Sonic Forces" and fix them.  So far, this is a pretty good start to IDW comics and I can't wait to dive into the second issue of this series!

[charmsb]

I hate to say it, but the first collection + metal virus was the series peak for me, and I haven't enjoyed the comics as much since. I guess I can somewhat credit that to being able to binge them all, but I also don't really get excited for the next issue nowadays.

[Rabbitearsblog]

15 minutes ago, charmsb said:

I hate to say it, but the first collection + metal virus was the series peak for me, and I haven't enjoyed the comics as much since. I guess I can somewhat credit that to being able to binge them all, but I also don't really get excited for the next issue nowadays.

I still need to get into the Metal Virus arc, but I'm definitely excited to dive into that!  I'm hoping that the series continues to do well.

[Red Hot Jack]

10 hours ago, charmsb said:

I hate to say it, but the first collection + metal virus was the series peak for me, and I haven't enjoyed the comics as much since. I guess I can somewhat credit that to being able to binge them all, but I also don't really get excited for the next issue nowadays.

Same, 100% agreed, but I'm not giving up, hopefully they pick up steam again.

Also, about the opening post opinions, I think this is a different take from this forum's users because you opinions are a bit more those of a casual Sonic fan than most people here. Anyway, I agree, season 1 was solid and I too wish the characters were written like this in the games!

[Rabbitearsblog]

5 hours ago, Jack-al said:

Same, 100% agreed, but I'm not giving up, hopefully they pick up steam again.

Also, about the opening post opinions, I think this is a different take from this forum's users because you opinions are a bit more those of a casual Sonic fan than most people here. Anyway, I agree, season 1 was solid and I too wish the characters were written like this in the games!

Yeah! It's a shame that the games themselves can't get any good writers to write the stories. If the stories from the games were written better, then the games would be a bit better off.

[Ricochet]

I never bothered reading sonic comics  until IDW Sonic was released.

At first, I gave it a chance because one the perks IDW promoted was about not diverging much from the source material. However, as new exclusive characters were introduced: say Tangle, Whisper, Starline, etc.  and develop as they get through the comic's plot events, is pretty hard to ignore how most of the game canon characters get stale in comparison. 

And It's not like the comic-only characters are better, in fact, all of them are quite silly, just like the main cast. Yet when they are on the spotlight doesn't feel like they just put them out of the fridge for a while, and then put them back in after they served their purpose. Now I believe If the comic becomes more Its own thing, It would be for the better, also more ambitious plots, instead of derivative arcs for fanservice and end up being a glorified promotional brand's content.

Nevertheless, now that are engaged in, hope you find it entertaining. For me, I think right now IDW sonic is a waste of time.

[Rabbitearsblog]

4 hours ago, Ricochet said:

I never bothered reading sonic comics  until IDW Sonic was released.

At first, I gave it a chance because one the perks IDW promoted was about not diverging much from the source material. However, as new exclusive characters were introduced: say Tangle, Whisper, Starline, etc.  and develop as they get through the comic's plot events, is pretty hard to ignore how most of the game canon characters get stale in comparison. 

And It's not like the comic-only characters are better, in fact, all of them are quite silly, just like the main cast. Yet when they are on the spotlight doesn't feel like they just put them out of the fridge for a while, and then put them back in after they served their purpose. Now I believe If the comic becomes more Its own thing, It would be for the better, also more ambitious plots, instead of derivative arcs for fanservice and end up being a glorified promotional brand's content.

Nevertheless, now that are engaged in, hope you find it entertaining. For me, I think right now IDW sonic is a waste of time.

Awww...sorry you're not enjoying it.  Maybe over time, the comic book series will become more creative with the story lines, if SEGA let's the writers do what they want.

[Ricochet]

It is what it is. I don't expect them to get out of the "villain of the week" story loop, like most 90's cartoon shows.

[Red Hot Jack]

I want to point out the difference, 90s cartoons or shows didn't have an ongoing plot (unless you mean Power Rangers), this has tight continuity that focuses on big villain arcs, yeah. It's a choice, it's more similar to anime sagas or graphic novel formats.

I just want a cartoon/book that wastes more time on fun interactions and episodic plots.

[Rabbitearsblog]

41 minutes ago, Jack-al said:

I want to point out the difference, 90s cartoons or shows didn't have an ongoing plot (unless you mean Power Rangers), this has tight continuity that focuses on big villain arcs, yeah. It's a choice, it's more similar to anime sagas or graphic novel formats.

I just want a cartoon/book that wastes more time on fun interactions and episodic plots.

I wouldn't be surprised if they decided to do that type of storytelling somewhere down the line.

[Rabbitearsblog]

Sonic the Hedgehog IDW: Issue #2

 

Spoiler

Title: Sonic the Hedgehog

Writer: Ian Flynn

Artist: Adam Bryce Thomas

Issue  #2

So, after reading the first issue of this series, I wanted to dive into the second issue and see more stories from Sonic and his friends.  It seems like the series is starting off with Sonic meeting up with a different character in each issue.  The first issue had Sonic meeting up with Tails and now the second issue has Sonic meeting up with Amy Rose.  So, before I get into my thoughts about the second issue, here's a brief summary of the issue.

The issue starts off with Sonic running to another town and it was at this town that Sonic meets up with none other than Amy Rose.  Amy is now one of the leaders of the Resistance who are still fighting against Dr. Eggman's robots and she asks Sonic to join the Resistance.  Sonic, of course, refuses to join since he's all about being independent, but towards the end of the issue, he is still helping out Amy with fighting the robots.

So, to start off with, let's talk about how Amy Rose is being portrayed in this issue.  For many years, Amy was written as Sonic's love interest who sometimes go crazy over her love for Sonic and would chase after him in most of her appearances in the games.  Although, depending on who was writing her character at the time, Amy would be portrayed as being a nice girl who would try to help out people as much as she can.  Here in the IDW comics, Amy is being portrayed as a capable leader of the Resistance and seems to have matured quite a bit as a character.  While she still has a crush on Sonic, she is much more relaxed in this series than how she had been portrayed in previous Sonic the Hedgehog games (with the exception of "Sonic Boom" where she is also portrayed as being a bit more mature).  Now, I know that there were a few fans who were upset at Amy's portrayal in this issue since some people thought that Amy Rose was acting a bit too much like Sally Acorn from the Archie Comics, who also happened to be the main love interest for Sonic in the Archie Comics.  But personally, I actually liked this portrayal of Amy's character.  I'm honestly not the biggest fan of Amy Rose being a crazed stalker towards Sonic and that being the only thing that defines her character.  I like it whenever Amy's character gets explored in different ways and the fact that she's one of the leaders of the Resistance brings more depth to her character.

I also really liked how Sonic and Amy's relationship is being portrayed in this issue.  Normally, whenever Sonic and Amy are on screen together, Sonic always seem to feel uncomfortable around Amy due to Amy constantly trying to chase Sonic.  But here, we get to see a much healthier relationship between Sonic and Amy as they are shown to be very comfortable around each other and Sonic even lightly teases Amy at times.  Now, their relationship may seem similar to Sonic and Sally's relationship in the Archie Comics as Sally and Sonic sometimes tease each other too, but it's just nice to see Sonic and Amy actually get along with each other.  Another thing that I liked about this issue was Adam Bryce Thomas' artwork.  Honestly, his artwork is becoming my all-time favorite artwork in the IDW series as the characters look so expressive and the action sequences are drawn in such a hyper-stylized and beautiful way!

Overall, I really enjoyed this issue!  Honestly, I thought that this issue was much better than the first issue due to the gorgeous artwork and Sonic and Amy's fun dynamic with each other and I'm definitely looking forward to checking out the next issue!

[Rabbitearsblog]

*Originally, I was going to review each collection of the Sonic IDW series.  But, I realized that in doing so, it would keep this thread dormant due to having to wait months just for a new collection to come out.  So, I decided to review it issue by issue instead to keep the thread going.  So, let's talk about my thoughts about the third issue of this series.

Sonic the Hedgehog IDW: Issue #3

 

Spoiler

Title: Sonic the Hedgehog

Writer: Ian Flynn

Artist: Jennifer Hernandez

Issue  #3

 

Man!  This series just keeps getting more and more interesting!  It's clear at this point that the first few issues are focused on Sonic meeting back up with his friends, as well as introducing the readers to Sonic's friends and in this issue, we get to meet Knuckles the Echidna, Sonic's friendly rival!  But, before I get into my thoughts about this issue, here's a brief summary of this issue.

The issue begins with Sonic running to another town and it was there that he meets up with Knuckles the Echidna, who is busy destroying some robots.  Even though Knuckles doesn't like the idea of being the leader of the Resistance, he and Sonic still have a nice chat with each other about everything that's going on.  But at that moment, Sonic and Knuckles discovers that the town that they are in is overtaken by these two skunk mercenaries named Rough and Tumble and worse yet, they have possession of the Wispons.  Now Sonic and Knuckles have to find a way to save the village, as well as the wisps from the skunk mercenaries!

So, when I found out that Knuckles was in this issue, I was beyond happy!  Knuckles is one of my all-time favorite characters from the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, alongside Tails, and I was excited to see his appearance in the IDW comics and see how he was being portrayed!  So, Knuckles is being portrayed pretty well in this issue!  I always loved it whenever Knuckles is being portrayed as the tough guy but has enough respect for Sonic to help him out when he needs it.  Also, I'm just glad that Knuckles isn't being portrayed as being unintelligent in this series.  One of the biggest issues that I've been having with the recent Sonic the Hedgehog games was how Knuckles was being portrayed as being unintelligent, when in the past games, Knuckles had been portrayed as being cunning and serious, but can be gullible at times.  Heck, there was a brief moment in this issue where Sonic was laughing at the Skunk Brothers and made a joke about them and Knuckles was taking everything so seriously.  I also really liked Sonic and Knuckles' relationship with each other in this issue as even though they are usually portrayed as rivals at times, they are still pretty friendly with each other.

I also found the story in this issue to be pretty fun as it's the typical "Sonic and Friends fight of bad guys" plot and it was interesting seeing the Wisps make an appearance in this issue, even though I still haven't played "Sonic Colors" yet and I'm not too familiar with their characters or their abilities.

One of the problems that I had with this issue were Rough and Tumble themselves.  While it's interesting seeing new villains come to this franchise, they didn't really bring anything new or unique to story and they were pretty generic villains compared to the likes of Metal Sonic.  Another problem that I had with this issue was the artwork itself.  The artwork was a bit too blocky compared to the previous two issues and it felt a little too out of place with this series.

Overall, I really enjoyed this issue!  Even though the artwork contrasted heavily from the previous issues and Rough and Tumble weren't quite that interesting as antagonists, I still have a fun time seeing Sonic and Knuckles working together again and I was glad that we got a better portrayal of Knuckles than we had over the last few years.  Now, it's time to get to the next issue that will introduce the newest member, Tangle the Lemur!

[Rabbitearsblog]

Sonic the Hedgehog IDW: Issue #4

 

 

 

Spoiler

Title: Sonic the Hedgehog

Writer: Ian Flynn

Artist: Evan Stanley

Issue  #4

 

Well, this is it!  This is the issue where we get introduced to some new characters in this comic book series!  So far, we actually get to meet Sonic's main friends (Tails, Amy and Knuckles) and now, we are going to be introduced to IDW Sonic's newest star character, Tangle the Lemur!  So, before I talk about this new character, here's a brief summary of this issue.

The issue begins with Sonic running yet again to another random village and he discovers some badniks attacking this village.  Once Sonic gets inside the village, he ends up meeting an energetic lemur named Tangle, who is already taking down the badniks by herself.  Once Sonic and Tangle introduced themselves, they continue fighting off badniks until suddenly, Blaze the Cat makes her first appearance in the comic and she ends up helping Sonic and Tangle take down the badniks

Wow! I really enjoyed this issue!  It was great to meet Tangle the Lemur in this issue as I've been hearing so many good things about her character and when I finally read this issue, I can see why many people like this character.  Tangle was such a hilarious and interesting character who was very energetic and is also very friendly towards anyone she meets and I really liked her relationship with both Sonic and Blaze.  I also loved Tangle's overall design as she's wearing a sports outfit, which perfectly matches with her roughhousing personality.  Also, even though Tangle is a new character created exclusively (so far) for the comics, she fits so well into the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise with her design and her personality.  I also like the fact that Blaze the Cat has returned in this series since it's been awhile since she last appeared in the Sonic franchise and I'm glad that this issue gave Blaze some time to shine.  Another aspect of this issue that I really loved was the artwork.  Evan Stanley has done a fantastic job with this artwork as she is able to give the characters the best facial expressions that ranged from being hilarious to being energetic and I think that she is one of my favorite artists from this comic book series, alongside Adam Bryce Thomas.

The only problem that I had with this issue was that I wished that Blaze got a bit more development.  As someone who has never played the Sonic Rush games that introduced Blaze the Cat, I'm still not that familiar with her character and I wished that we got some more information about her character, besides the fact that she's a princess in another dimension.

 

Overall, even though I wished that they developed Blaze's character a bit more in this issue, I still really enjoyed this issue, especially with the introduction of Tangle the Lemur and how she fits in so well with the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise.  Definitely looking forward to more issues in the future!

[Rabbitearsblog]

Sonic the Hedgehog IDW: Issues #5 and #6

 

 

Spoiler

Title: Sonic the Hedgehog

Writer: Ian Flynn

Artist: Tracy Yardley

Issue  #5

 

So, after spending the past four issues having Sonic reunite with his friends, as well as meeting new allies, I was wondering to myself if we would ever get an overarching story arc for this series and lo and behold, issue 5 marks the first time that we finally get to meet Dr. Eggman (or Mr. Tinker as he is known in this issue), since Dr. Eggman went missing after the events of "Sonic Forces."  So, before we get into my thoughts on this issue, here's a brief summary of this issue.

 

 

The issue starts off with Sonic and Espio fighting off some badniks and it was then that they came across a peaceful village.  It turns out that the Chaotix contacted Sonic to tell him something really important and the news turns out to be that Dr. Eggman is now living in the peaceful village as a kindly inventor named Mr. Tinker.  After the events of "Sonic Forces," Dr. Eggman ended up losing his memories and he believes that he is a kind hearted inventor instead of the mad scientist that he once was.  At first, Sonic was suspicious about this whole thing, but then decided not to turn in Mr. Tinker due to him not doing any harm to anybody.  But unfortunately, Shadow and Rogue come in and demand that Dr. Eggman pays for his crimes.

 

 

Even though I've been loving the fact that Sonic is reuniting with his friends and even meeting up with new allies, I was still curious about what happened to Dr. Eggman after the events of "Sonic Forces."  Well, when we find out what happened to Dr. Eggman in this issue, I must admit that I was quite surprised by the direction they took with Dr. Eggman's disappearance as he turned out to be an amnesiac Mr. Tinker.  I found this direction to be pretty interesting because it's rare that we see Dr. Eggman be the good guy and the fact that losing his memories made him into a good guy was an interesting story direction for Dr. Eggman's character.  Another thing that I liked about this issue was the moral dilemma that Sonic found himself in.  Even though Sonic had a rocky history with Dr. Eggman (what with Dr. Eggman being Sonic's main nemesis), it was interesting seeing what Sonic would do with Mr. Tinker: should he leave Mr. Tinker alone since he lost his memories and is not considered a threat to anyone or should he turn him in anyway since he still caused a lot of mayhem as Dr. Eggman and there's a chance that he could regain his memories again?  I'm actually surprised at how this situation was handled in a pretty mature way as both Sonic and Shadow have good points about what they should do with Mr. Tinker.  And as usual, Tracy Yardley's artwork is great to look at.  I always loved Tracy Yardley's artwork since the artwork is so good at showing the characters' emotions and I found the clothing style of Mr. Tinker (donning green overalls and a pink shirt) to be really interesting.

 

 

The only minor problem that I had with this issue was with how Shadow was being portrayed here.  I mean, he's not portrayed too badly in this issue, since he does bring out some great points about why it is necessary to take in Mr. Tinker since Mr. Tinker could regain his memories and become a threat to them again.  But, Shadow here seems to be a real jerk, where in games like "Sonic Adventure 2" and "Shadow the Hedgehog," he can be harsh at times, but he still tries to help out the people he cares about.  Of course, this wasn't the worst portrayal of Shadow in this comic book series so far and I will get more into that much later on.

Overall though, despite Shadow's characterization in this issue, I do like the fact that this issue tackled a complex situation about whether or not you should spare someone who has done horrible things in their past life, but is now living a life of peace, without harming anyone.  I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next issue soon!

[Rabbitearsblog]

So, I might have made a mistake in the numbering of the issues.  I had reviewed issue 5 before, but I mistakenly thought that the whole introduction with Shadow was in issue 5.  But, the rest of the story was actually in issue 6 and I had misnumbered it as only issue 5.  So, the previous post is my review for both issues 5 and 6.  Sorry for the confusion.

[Rabbitearsblog]

Sonic the Hedgehog IDW: Issue #7

 

 

 

Title: Sonic the Hedgehog

Writer: Ian Flynn

Artist: Adam Bryce Thomas

Issue  #7

Spoiler

So, now that we are introduced to most of Sonic's friends at this point, we are now getting into the main mystery of the series so far: who is taking over Dr. Eggman's robots when the good doctor himself is out of commission?  Well, let's find out!

So, the issue starts off with Sonic and Tails coming across an Eggman Empire airship and they decided to go inside the airship to see what Dr. Eggman is up to.  But once they get inside the airship, Sonic finds out that the real Dr. Eggman is not in the airship since a few issues ago, it was established that Dr. Eggman had lost his memory and goes by the persona of Mr. Tinker.  Well, it turns out that it was none other than Metal Sonic himself who was actually responsible for sending out the badniks towards everyone and he makes it his goal to carry out his master Dr. Eggman's orders, with or without the good (evil) doctor.

WOW!  I really enjoyed this issue!  Metal Sonic is finally introduced in this issue and this is really exciting because it's been awhile since we last saw Metal Sonic in the games (well, technically he showed up in Sonic Forces, but eh) and I was really excited to see what they were going to do with Metal Sonic's character in this series.  I really loved the way that Ian Flynn wrote Metal Sonic as Metal Sonic is portrayed as being a truly dangerous threat to Sonic and his friends and I really loved the mystery surrounding the person who was taking over Dr. Eggman's badniks after the events of "Sonic Forces."  Another highlight of this issue were the interactions between Sonic and his friends as this issue shows just how close they are to each other and how they are willing to get each other's backs when the going gets rough.  But the biggest highlight for me in this issue was of course Adam Bryce Thomas' artwork (man, this artist knows how to draw)!  The fight sequences between Sonic and Metal Sonic were very detailed and I just loved seeing Sonic and Metal Sonic fight each other again!

The only slight problem I have with this issue is that it was long enough and I would have liked to see more fight scenes between Metal Sonic and Sonic because I just love the dynamic between those two characters.

Overall, even though I wished that this issue was a bit longer, I really enjoyed the fight sequences between Sonic and Metal Sonic and I really enjoyed the relationship between Sonic and his friends. I hope to see more Metal Sonic in future issues!