Megathread Archie Sonic Main Discussion

[Mustard.]

On ‎24‎-‎07‎-‎2016 at 8:55 AM, PC the Hedgehog said:

Speaking of our good buddy Ian:
 

Make of that what you will.

Well there goes my desire for the game.

[Your Vest Friend]

Funny you should bring that up again, there's a sequel tweet.

 

[KoDaiko]

I'm kinda worried if he is actually writing for the game. He may be capable and should be comparatively better than Pontac and Graff, but I personally think he isn't really the best option for doing the game series.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

...so then who is?

[Soniman]

I can literally think of no better person currently to write a Sonic story then Ian Flynn 

If it sounds like I'm biased, it's because I am

 

[QuantumEdge]

If Mega Drive was any indication, Ian might actually be the writer the games have been needing for a long time.  Of course the process would be different and it's not a classic game story (sort of), but for god's sake it's time he got his one chance after all these years.

[PC the Hedgehog]

 

Oooh, he's relishing teasing us...

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

I absolutely refuse to get my hopes up until we're told straight up if he is or isn't writing the game. Not gonna risk the crashing burn from getting excited and being wrong with all this teasing.

31 minutes ago, Soniman said:

I can literally think of no better person currently to write a Sonic story then Ian Flynn 

If it sounds like I'm biased, it's because I am

 

I'll be open to the idea that there just might be someone out there, but again, the question is who?

For me, what makes it difficult to think of anyone other than Flynn is that this man made me like and rethink everything about Big the cat of all characters for not having much to him - people kept saying it's not the character, but the writing, and he showed us just that with the least used character in the franchise.

So who else specifically does anyone know can do that other than Ian? Serious question, because I really want to know.

[Sean]

Ian would make a great fit for the games, but if we got a brand new Sonic TV show I'd want Rebecca Sugar and Alex Hirsch to write for it lol

[KoDaiko]

28 minutes ago, Conquering Storm's Servant said:

...so then who is?

Can't really think of an alternative (because I don't know much people).

Similar to Soniman said,

23 minutes ago, Soniman said:

I can literally think of no better person currently to write a Sonic story then Ian Flynn 

If it sounds like I'm biased, it's because I am

I am biased in a negative way to Ian and his writing. He may have done good in some part, but he also does bad stuff. I don't hate his writing, but to me it's not really good as everyone else praise it to be. 

I simply think he isn't the BEST option, and there are certainly other people who can handle Sonic equally or better. Nothing else.

Also partially because of the hashtag movement he did on twitter asking fans to ask SEGA/CAPCOM to let him write for the game. It kinda rubbed me the wrong way.

[DabigRG]

5 hours ago, Conquering Storm's Servant said:

Huh...

K, well that's been misleading. I could've sworn their actions led to war that weakened the Kingdom and Federation after Eggman made his move.

And I kinda liked that detail too...oh well. Looks like we dun goofed on that.

 

King Nigel mentions that GUN's past actions are what made him and his father so suspicious in Shattered Part 1. So, I'm guessing the government shadiness and coverups affected the kingdom somehow.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

I'd still assume those past actions had something that led to war. Would better explain why GUN wasn't able to do anything to stop Eggman during the beginning of his scheming, with the Great War having weakened them and the Kingdom of Acorn and allowing Eggy to move in and start world conquest.

Just seems like a missed opportunity, but I suppose the upcoming arc of Sonic's rise to heroism will explain later...or not.

Quote

Can't really think of an alternative (because I don't know much people).

Similar to Soniman said,

I am biased in a negative way to Ian and his writing. He may have done good in some part, but he also does bad stuff. 

Yeah...even us diehard fans of Ian already know and chew him out over the bad stuff - House of Cards, rushed pacing of SWC, the fatigue during the Iron Dominion and Mecha Sally arcs, Worlds Unite (we're more forgiving of this since even he didn't want to do it from the look of things), and how he handled Charmy's change in personality and using Metal Sonic as glorified cannon fodder than as a character pre-reboot (although I'm one of those that let that last part slide, not seeing them as that big a deal). Not sure how that makes him a poor fit given the good he has done to balance it out.

This honestly comes off more like spite to me. Every writer is going to have some bad moments, some done through their own fault and others out if their control. And given what control Ian has had in his tenure with the post reboot freeing him from the old universe's baggage (that I still like and want back in some form), I haven't seen or shown anything specific that makes him less than ideal out of the current writers we have even considering his mess ups on parts of the current adaptation.

And Really, anyone who can make Big the cat awesome and interesting deserves more credit than that.

[PC the Hedgehog]

Keep in mind Ian may not be referring to the games at all. Don't forget the rumors floating around than he may be writing for the Sonic Boom show.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

I find it hard to see him working on the games given he'll not likely have any control over the story that many of us would want him to have. In fact, that's ironically one of the reasons why I actually don't want him on the games, because he'll have to deal with what is already made and only do the dialogue which, if things tank, will take a hit on his reputation like it already did with Pontaff - and as critical as I am of them, I pin more of the blame on Sonic Team.

If he's working on Boom? Frankly, I don't give a damn, because I'm not all that interested in the show's setting as much as others are. I doubt even Ian can pull me into that seeing as I wasn't even all that interested in the Boom comics.

[DabigRG]

47 minutes ago, Conquering Storm's Servant said:

Yeah...even us diehard fans of Ian already know and chew him out over the bad stuff - House of Cards, and how he handled using Metal Sonic as glorified cannon fodder than as a character pre-reboot (although I'm one of those that let that last part slide, not seeing them as that big a deal). Not sure how that makes him a poor fit given the good he has done to balance it out.

 

And Really, anyone who can make Big the cat awesome and interesting deserves more credit than that.

Remind me, what was wrong with House of Cards other than it being supposedly rushed and "Tails would never fight Sonic because he doesn't like girls--NERRRRR!"? Also, Im pretty sure the Metal Sonic thing was more him continuing an existing trend and then justifying the logic behind it.

 

Also, I'm kinda under the impression that Mr. Penders also had a hand in making Big interesting considering he established the whole Pais Mysterio plot point and included Big as a minor player in the SA1 adaption.

 

[Ryannumber1gamer]

3 hours ago, PC the Hedgehog said:

 

Oooh, he's relishing teasing us...

Lost Hedgehog Tales Chapter 2.

[Your Vest Friend]

Hmm, weird thing here.

According to the flash drive for the Sonic party, they were going to show a special preview of Sonic Universe #87 (already out) and Sonic #284 (not out). It would have been 10 pages per issue and have a special blurb for the occasion. Was this scrapped for just having Mega Drive or something, because I don't recall seeing this (unless it was from the merch shop).

There was also a wallpaper version of one of the SU variants on there (I think SU#88).

 

 

[MetalSkulkBane]

For me Flynn should at least try to make a game story. We had bad stories before, even if he fails it won't hurt in the long run. I just hope he focuses on feels and interactions, rater then memes and past game references.

As for writing for Boom, I barely care. It will be a change od pace but... Flynn isn't a comedian. He can write a funny line or come up with a funny joke, but when you tell him to write story based on humor, he falls down on 4th wall breaks, puns and memes. (at least that he worked while writing Boom comic). And before you point me to Mega Drive, image all of these jokes with Boom 3D models, rather then Hesse's expressive artwork.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

In my opinion, Flynn's strength is in plotting, action, worldbuilding, and intrigue, with comedy serving to keep things from getting boring. And that's pretty much what I like more out of Sonic instead of comedy taking precedence, so as long as I have all those done right I'm fine for the most part.

11 hours ago, DabigRG said:

Remind me, what was wrong with House of Cards other than it being supposedly rushed and "Tails would never fight Sonic because he doesn't like girls--NERRRRR!"? Also, Im pretty sure the Metal Sonic thing was more him continuing an existing trend and then justifying the logic behind it.

 

Also, I'm kinda under the impression that Mr. Penders also had a hand in making Big interesting considering he established the whole Pais Mysterio plot point and included Big as a minor player in the SA1 adaption.

 

Sorry for late response.

Aside from the whole Fiona thing and rushing, there was the timing of the Prowers seeking a change in government in the middle of a war. Ryannumber1gamer's old post sums up a lot of it's problems. As far as the Metal Sonic thing goes, that still seems to fall more on Ian because he was in a position to make that stop. I'll give him the benefit in that it has worked to dramatic effect as he was going for (like him nearly killing Antoine with Metal's self destruct), but other than that he abused it a lot.

And I honestly wouldn't give Penders any credit on making Big interesting, because he didn't utilize Big anywhere near enough as Flynn did, nor did he use him to the same effect. I never even knew Big was in the comic until around the Cat Country arc.

[MetalSkulkBane]

3 hours ago, Conquering Storm's Servant said:

 As far as the Metal Sonic thing goes, that still seems to fall more on Ian because he was in a position to make that stop. I'll give him the benefit in that it has worked to dramatic effect as he was going for (like him nearly killing Antoine with Metal's self destruct), but other than that he abused it a lot.

I still think that Preboot Flynn was treating Metal better than pre-Flynn writers. 160-247 Metal always had odds stacked against him. It was always preponderance (like in with Scourge and his gang), auto-kill button (230) or himself with magic stone (Shard). 1-159 Metal always lost just because he kinda sucked.

Obviously I much prefer how Reboot Metal is being used, but SU 1 is still my favorite Archie story.

[PC the Hedgehog]

15 hours ago, Conquering Storm's Servant said:

I find it hard to see him working on the games given he'll not likely have any control over the story that many of us would want him to have. In fact, that's ironically one of the reasons why I actually don't want him on the games, because he'll have to deal with what is already made and only do the dialogue which, if things tank, will take a hit on his reputation like it already did with Pontaff - and as critical as I am of them, I pin more of the blame on Sonic Team.

If he's working on Boom? Frankly, I don't give a damn, because I'm not all that interested in the show's setting as much as others are. I doubt even Ian can pull me into that seeing as I wasn't even all that interested in the Boom comics.

Honestly, I don't really care if he has control over the story. I just want actual good dialogue in a Sonic game again. And after ten years of reading his work I know Ian can deliver in that respect.

As for Boom...eh. Have to admit I didn't really care for his writing in that book, honestly. His writing style certainly lends itself to a nice action/adventure mix, but when he focuses purely on comedy his work can tend to come off as a little forced (not nearly to the same degree as Pontac and Graff, but still kinda subpar).

[Shadowlax]

48 minutes ago, MetalSkulkBane said:

I still think that Preboot Flynn was treating Metal better than pre-Flynn writers. 160-247 Metal always had odds stacked against him. It was always preponderance (like in with Scourge and his gang), auto-kill button (230) or himself with magic stone (Shard). 1-159 Metal always lost just because he kinda sucked.

Obviously I much prefer how Reboot Metal is being used, but SU 1 is still my favorite Archie story.

Preboot flynn pushed the sonic rivals Shadow trying to reason with metal sonic thing, that was actually cool. 

Too bad we can't have that story anymore, he's just kinda a robot

[DabigRG]

5 hours ago, Conquering Storm's Servant said:

Aside from the whole Fiona thing and rushing, there was the timing of the Prowers seeking a change in government in the middle of a war. Ryannumber1gamer's old post sums up a lot of it's problems. 

And I honestly wouldn't give Penders any credit on making Big interesting, because he didn't utilize Big anywhere near enough as Flynn did, nor did he use him to the same effect. I never even knew Big was in the comic until around the Cat Country arc.

Rereading through that story now and while I can see how the Prowers can come off as powerhungry to some, it seemed more like hamfistedly bad timing since Amadeus was polite enough to explain himself early on. Honestly, though, I think it could've worked a little better if Sonic and Tails fight was a little more broad in terms of motivation. I'll have to finish before I have a full opinion

 

As for the big thing, I was just noting that Penders had a neat idea to explain Big's presence and Flynn decided to capitilize on it.

 

 

[SBR2]

17 hours ago, DabigRG said:

Remind me, what was wrong with House of Cards other than it being supposedly rushed and "Tails would never fight Sonic because he doesn't like girls--NERRRRR!"? Also, Im pretty sure the Metal Sonic thing was more him continuing an existing trend and then justifying the logic behind it.

 

I'll will be an elderly man getting ready to shake hands with the Grim Reaper and still never understand the hate House of Cards gets. 

[DabigRG]

So, going over the whole two-parter, it really does feel rushed. The riot aspect is just glazed over as a starting point, Sonic doesn't really come off as quite as dickish as I remember until the jail scene(which I think saying "he's like a little brother to me" also would have worked since it reinforces the submissive aspect of Tails), and the resolution with Sally feels like it could have taken place while Sonic and Tails were just getting serious, since nothing much happens during that time outside of Amadeus and Elias fighting.  

 The Fiona thing wasn't just the reason, it's just used as a major motivation for why Tails is so violent in this story. I feel like the rushed pacing of the arc, plus the controversial nature of shipping in general, just made it feel like the only reason to a lot of people, which is understandable. I think, should they have had a little more space, that having Sonic unknowingly offending Tails multiple(at least three) times throughout the issue would have justified Tails exploding on him. That way, Sonic comes across as a little to absentminded to really seem that dickish and the fight is better built up.

Personally, the idea of citizens not being happy with the House of Acorn's track record is still an interesting idea to me. Amadeus didn't seem too anarchist to me, it felt more like he really believed that his intentions needed to get across but he just did it in a way that rightfully unnerved the other heroes and his explanation to Elias, while polite, did seem a little too brusque. Rosemary herself, though, does come across as a little skeevy, especially given that she both wrote Amadeus's offscreen speech and joined the council at the end. At least she objects to the idea of leaving Tails to fight Sonic.

I love that scenes in the jailhouse, with the prisoners constantly heckling Elias, Amadeus, and Sonic. Easily a highlight for me.