Megathread Archie Sonic Main Discussion

[Tylinos]

32 minutes ago, BlueSpeeder said:

Irrelevant from the topic, but this is something I've been curious on wanting to know lately.

For those of you who buy the physical copies of the comic, how do you guys store them? I've been putting them in comic book sleeves into binders with a board on the back of each sleeve, with two issues per sleeve. But I want to know if there's a better method to storing my comics rather than just putting them in a binder. Any thoughts? Anyone else want to state how they store their comics?

My solution?  Drawers.

Lots and lots of drawers.  Maybe not the best way to store them (It's a bit of a pain pulling ones out from the bottom of each stack), but it's worked well enough.

If nothing else, though, always bag and board them if you want to keep them safe.  Back in the 90s, I just kept every issue un-bagged in a single shelf, and I ended up getting the covers torn off of about half of them.

[Shaddy Zaphod]

My comic collection is like the least organized thing I have that's Sonic-related. I've got 3 volumes of archives (0, 7 and 9), Super Digest #13, and parts 2 and 3 of "The Good, the Bad, and the Unknown" (an arc I actually like for some reason, even if it kinda sucks). These exist alongside my fully complete collections of Zelda and Fullmetal Alchemist manga, and the 3 big Calvin & Hobbes compilations.

[SonicComicFanboy]

I use current size backs & boards and store them in comic long boxes.  I am slowly upgrading all my boxes to the modern filing cabinet style ones so it's easier to put them in and out and I don't have to keep taking off lids & moving boxes around to get to the ones below every week. XD 

[Shadowlax]

Boxes 

 

[SBR2]

12 hours ago, Tylinos said:

My solution?  Drawers.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Lots and lots of drawers.  Maybe not the best way to store them (It's a bit of a pain pulling ones out from the bottom of each stack), but it's worked well enough.

If nothing else, though, always bag and board them if you want to keep them safe.  Back in the 90s, I just kept every issue un-bagged in a single shelf, and I ended up getting the covers torn off of about half of them.

I do the same. I wish I could get some long boxes though. It's more tidy.

[Big Panda]

Long boxes for me. Well, two long boxes and a half-box.

[Your Vest Friend]

Good gravy, all my comics are either tucked in a regular overhead cupboard, piled on top of the computer desk unit or stood packed in on a shelf within said unit. I don't have space for the professional stuff. 

[Zulon Eredas]

I keep mine in binders

[SonicComicFanboy]

Looking At previewsworld world Both SU#95 & #97 are set for April 12th.  SU#96 hasn't been resolicited yet, but you know, while its probably a huge Longshot, if Archie released SU #95 96 & 97 on the same day, that would be awesome! ?

[Your Vest Friend]

They would not do that. Makes zero sense from a business perspective. 

[SonicComicFanboy]

29 minutes ago, VEDJ-F said:

They would not do that. Makes zero sense from a business perspective. 

But would work from a "sorry for freaking the fans out" perspective"

[kadybat]

So, gonna throw a bone out there. I think the rumors may have been right regarding SEGA Japan throwing a hissy-fit over licensing. I feel like fan reaction may have actually saved us here. I think SoA wasn't prepared for the fan outcry and had to play ball with Archie to save the comics. The resolution is these books being delayed rather than outright cancelled. People love these comics and continue to show up for them, and ideally if we keep doing this we'll keep them around.

The other thing I've been thinking lately is, well, how much of this licensing mess is just SoJ? How much of it has to do with future developments - like the movie? 

[Borvoc]

11 hours ago, kadybat said:

So, gonna throw a bone out there. I think the rumors may have been right regarding SEGA Japan throwing a hissy-fit over licensing. I feel like fan reaction may have actually saved us here. I think SoA wasn't prepared for the fan outcry and had to play ball with Archie to save the comics. The resolution is these books being delayed rather than outright cancelled. People love these comics and continue to show up for them, and ideally if we keep doing this we'll keep them around.

If this is the case, hopefully the outcry from most was polite and constructive. I'd like to know for sure what exactly happened at some point.

11 hours ago, kadybat said:

The other thing I've been thinking lately is, well, how much of this licensing mess is just SoJ? How much of it has to do with future developments - like the movie?

Hmm. How exactly could the upcoming movie have affected comic licenses or subscriptions? I'm unclear on this.

[johnboy3434]

From what I've seen on the 'Net, though, there really wasn't much by way of outcry over the possibility of cancellation. The general reaction was more of a disappointed "Aww, that sucks" than an outraged "HOW COULD THEY DO THIS?!".

[Borvoc]

1 hour ago, johnboy3434 said:

From what I've seen on the 'Net, though, there really wasn't much by way of outcry over the possibility of cancellation. The general reaction was more of a disappointed "Aww, that sucks" than an outraged "HOW COULD THEY DO THIS?!".

Wouldn't that just be a more polite "outcry" as opposed to a more entitled one?

[Shadowlax]

6 hours ago, Borvoc said:

Wouldn't that just be a more polite "outcry" as opposed to a more entitled one?

Or maybe they don't care? Just because people are more upset doesn't mean they are entitled... maybe they are just upset. And if they were deriving and enjoyment of a thing, and that thing is gone, being upset is normal. I'm not for implying that anyone having any type of desire is " entitled" that doesn't do much for any type of welcome discussion. 

Maybe people just didn't really are about the sonic comic that much anymore, sales had gone down and I know a lot of people who had jumped off long before the reboot. And a bunch I know due to the reboot and how it was going jumped off then. I myself at least with universe, kept going because I wanted to see how it turned out. But I can totally understand people who's last experience with the comic being that whole several years of generally uninteresting werehog mess that decided to be the plot, possibly a fan of one of the many unfinished storylines in the comic that due to possible delays will now not be addressed for even longer, or had been around for some of the pre-reboot horrors, seeing this and going. " welp". I like the comic but in recent times there are plenty of people I know that went " i'm just not interested in whats happening anymore, or They aren't getting to the thing I want to read" and just dipped. I know a bunch of people who still read who feel that. So I think its less " entitlement" or whatever you want to blame it on and more, people have long since cared.

And the reboot was an opportunity to make people care, and it kinda failed. 

21 hours ago, kadybat said:

So, gonna throw a bone out there. I think the rumors may have been right regarding SEGA Japan throwing a hissy-fit over licensing. I feel like fan reaction may have actually saved us here. 

I have seen no reaction whatsoever besides " welp ". Like I don't think any reaction saved anything, there was barely a reaction. Heck I saw a lot of people going " yeah I saw that coming" 

21 hours ago, kadybat said:

I think SoA wasn't prepared for the fan outcry and had to play ball with Archie to save the comics. The resolution is these books being delayed rather than outright cancelled. People love these comics and continue to show up for them, and ideally if we keep doing this we'll keep them around.

I feel like you are too much import on some people apart of an discussion being kind of upset and the rest , understanding why and not caring. And given the last few years have seen sales go down by thousands less people are showing up. I don't think they care as much as you perceive them to care, I tend not to imply companies care untill I see actual response and caring. And I doubt the fanbase of this book is large enough to change a decision like that, remember the FF still exist not because " we" argued , because archie did. If they had went " yeah sure" there would be no freedom fighters, all legacy characters not from the games would be strait up gone. They don't care about us, and that makes sense. 

21 hours ago, kadybat said:

The other thing I've been thinking lately is, well, how much of this licensing mess is just SoJ? How much of it has to do with future developments - like the movie? 

Its about brand identity , If were to guess. 

[SonicComicFanboy]

 I think Archie may have been somewhat surprised with people calling them for days asking about the book.  But overall Archie continues to publish the book because it has been a steady source of income for them for decades.  Sure it may only sell like 7,000-10,000 a month, but for a smaller publisher like Archie that's pretty darn good!  Heck the Sonic Books still out sale some of their main books at times even after the 2015 reboot.

 

 I mean as I said before, Sonic & the Digests they spam in supermarkets nationwide are basically the reason they are still alive today. XD

 

Sure the Archie-Sonic fanbase may be small, but it is loyal, and smaller publishers like Archie enjoy consistsncy.

 

 And even with the success of the Reboot & minor success of Riverdale, it always helps to have a safety net.

[Shadowlax]

No i get that, archie might care. They are on fire, and every sale they get staves of that fire. And having " the longest running game comic in history" is a nice branding thing. Whether for financial reasons, or Ian's own personal love of the series, archie cares. They have shown this, while else argue for legacy charactes to stay. 

That doesn't mean sega gives half of a shit, which is my point. Sega is the one who owns the licencing in this scenario, and I don't think they care to much. Rumor has been for years, sort of the spawn of the cancellation rumor is that eastern sega doesn't even really care for it. Do I think small amounts of fans get archie attention, sure. I think in some cases they have too much fear, Ian talked about being harrassed by sonamy fans. But that's another discussion entirely. Do i think sega cares? No , sega was going to do what they were going to do because the comic needs to be what they want it to be. And if its brand unification ,then it will be that. 

Sega and archie are two very different entities which why I said I don't think that made sega care at all. I don't think it did. And to argue again, the reason the FF and the characters like that still exist, is because archie argued for that. Not sega, sega was going to get rid of all of that,they did not care. Due to the rumors of why the cancellation was/is/if happening at all, they still don't. 

[kadybat]

12 hours ago, Borvoc said:

Hmm. How exactly could the upcoming movie have affected comic licenses or subscriptions? I'm unclear on this.

Sony is absolutely going to get a chunk of marketing push from the Sonic movie and has likely crafted a deal with SoJ that gets them a favorable profit off of book adaptations, toys, licensed apparel, and other licensed goods. That first thing is key - Sony/SoJ may not have been able to come to an agreement with regard to how the comics interacted with such a licensing arrangement and the Archie relationship may have been caught in the crossfire.

There's again the persistent worry that this new agreement, if one exists, covers issues up to a certain stopping point. We're still not clear on this. If this is movie related, it may well be that Archie has until x date until Sony's licensing arrangements put them out of a license. 

This relies on several unanswered questions. What exactly is the nature of the SEGA/Sony relationship, will Sony have control of licensors with regard to the movie, will Tomy and Archie (among other known licensors) be brought back to produce comic adaptations and toys based on the film, how much money does Sony make off licensed product, how much money would Archie have to give Sony for a movie comic, etc. 

All of these wheels are in motion. With the movie having a director announced and a prominent placement in the licensing catalog, it's clear the thing is coming closer to fruition and the final paperwork would be underway. Obviously these discussions would have happened in a preliminary manner before but if things are in gear then now would be when pens touch paper. 

If the consensus is "something is happening with the license," then we need to consider all avenues, not just malaise or contempt. The "SoJ is unhappy with Sonic Boom and is taking revenge" theory is lacking a lot of substance for me. For one, Sonic's "home" is in Los Angeles right now. Iizuka's in LA, Aaron and the rest of the marketing team are in LA, the "head of the Sonic brand" they hired a few months ago is in LA. Sonic is SoA's baby right now and Sammy knows that. For another, Rise of Lyric happened in 2015. The toys and cartoon are doing okay, granted we don't know how Fire and Ice is doing, and the show's getting a dub in Japan. It's unlikely SoJ would, a year later, suddenly enact petty revenge on SoA, certainly considering Sonic Runners was on SoJ and did not do very well at all. The movie is a far more likely suspect as far as what would be mucking with these license agreements and we should keep our eyes on evolving license arrangements with Archie, TOMY, and other manufacturers. 

[johnboy3434]

Hmm, I wonder if Sega would allow the movie to be based on the American backstory from the "classic" era, or if they'll insist on adapting the Japanese backstory that has been the norm outside of the comics since 1998.

[Marcello]

On 1/28/2017 at 9:48 PM, SonicComicFanboy said:

But would work from a "sorry for freaking the fans out" perspective"

I think it would freak me out more. It'd feel like they're throwing them out to be done with them.

[NikoS]

8 hours ago, Shadowlax said:

sales had gone down and I know a lot of people who had jumped off long before the reboot.

I love how this information/statement tends to be overlooked almost every time

Spoiler

 

 

[Shadowlax]

34 minutes ago, NikoS said:

I love how this information/statement tends to be overlooked almost every time

  Hide contents

 

 

Edit to be short: Give me numbers, I want this book to do well. I have story lines to complete give me numbers. I love Ian as much as the next guy but that's not a number and as a financial interest in both companies involved. Give me numbers. If its doing well, I'll say its doing well. But I need numbers, do you have them, I would like them. 

[SonicComicFanboy]

 I agree that at the end of the day its SEGA's property, and while they may not care about the comic in and of itself, they do, so far at least have enough respect for its fans to allow Archie & Ian to continue to publish it, which is something at least.

 

  As for sales, even without subscriptions thrown into the mix if you throw a years worth of sales for both books together you would get well over 100,000 which is pretty dang good, plus lets not forget how places like Comic Shop News/Previewsworld like to promote it as one of the top kids comics and a good way to get kids interested in the comics medium.

 

 

 

But yea, getting back to SEGA, I get they want to make sonic as big as characters like Hello Kitty/Mickey Mouse/etc, but if you look at those characters, the only real "Brand synergy" is the visual image of the character, Mickey Mouse has played countless roles in various media over the past near century, its the character that makes the brand iconic, and really Sonic needs to continue to do the same.  Its good he has had various incarnations and stories over his past 25 years, and it is good he will (hopefully) continue to do so.  Wheather its SEGA, Archie, Fleetway, AOSTH, SATAM, Undergorund, X, or Boom, every incarnation is an important stepping stone in the franchise and helps it grow stronger.  At the very least SEGA should keep the Archie comics around to help brand recognition stay steady and grow.  Same with the current Boom cartoon, its good to have popular characters in as many mediums as possible to help them stay relevant to the public eye, no matter how big or small that public is.

[Your Vest Friend]

The trouble  is that I think the brand cohesion of Sonic is judged by Sonic Team in a different way to how Mickey Mouse is judged by Disney or Hello Kitty is judged by Sanrio. Sonic is more similar to the Super Mario series, and even that's been parred down to one or two consistent brand images at the ire of a portion of fans despite said branches being far more popular than the Archie Sonic series (The sports games since Power Tennis onwards, Paper Mario since Sticker Star onwards, Mario and Luigi may have succumb to it with Paper Jam).