Megathread Archie Sonic Main Discussion

[Dantemustdie00]

Either Tails, Rotor, Nicole or Uncle Chuck could've fixed him up, we'll get our explanation likely in the next issue, since Larry gave his little "jinxing" story in this issue.

[goku262002]

You guys arn't getting it, This isn't as simple as him getting blown up or something, He was supposed to be melted in a volcano (LAVA!! HOT!!!) no way you can be just "fixed up". I'm really trying to avoid the obivious answer because I'm hoping they wrote in a better excuse then that.

[Your Vest Friend]

Going off some of the dialogue, it's implied that the volcano only buried him alive.

[SenEDDtor Missile]

Uh...I'm pretty sure that hot magma does more than just "bury you alive".

[Badnik Zero]

Like Mighty had offended a dingoe for cheerily asking him why he didn't talk on the way to the possible location of where Finitevus may be. And said dingoe mentioned that he got "left behind" or something and he just doesn't like the war and he preffered his life style befor being "picked up"

[Remynaka]

Going off some of the dialogue, it's implied that the volcano only buried him alive.

[Mangoaxe5]

My thoughts on Sonic Universe issue #41.

Can't say that I like Shard too much. His behavior seems out of character from the last time we saw him.

I can't say that I cared for this issue much. It had too much action and not enough story.

4/10

[goku262002]

My thoughts on Sonic Universe issue #41.

Can't say that I like Shard too much. His behavior seems out of character from the last time we saw him.

I can't say that I cared for this issue much. It had too much action and not enough story.

4/10

Hes out of character becauses hes not a Metal Sonic-type enemy anymore. Hes a hero-type whos adapted Sonic's Personality I think it fits him well.

[Illuminous_Orb]

Sonic Universe #41

I'm a bit confused with this issue, if only because it thrusts you into the team already set up and going into action instead of setting up how they came to be first. We only get about 2 panels of dialog from Harvey Who, but that was only about the mission briefing. And then Larry gets an entire page dedicated to his backstory and how he got into the team.

Shard is amazing though. He alone made the issue.

[Badnik Mechanic]

A review of Archie Comics issue 236 because... .. ... I cleaned my room and lost the damn thing.

You know... I’ve commented once or twice so far that it seems at times the story isn’t written by a writer as much as it’s written by an editor or someone in a marketing role. Every issue seems to be at times a giant ‘BUY THIS’ advert with references to past issues and blatant adverts for books and comics which are not even out yet. Why would one reference these in a story, unless the aim was selling them over telling a good story? But first, let’s start from the beginning... the very beginning.

The Cover: This cover is fantastic! The pose, the colour choice, the play on Sonic sez if you wanna look that deep. It’s a fantastic cover, it’s so simple yet it practically punches the person browsing the comic book store and says “You boy! FIGHT FOR FREEDOM!”

Even the art style if you want to go down that road, very similar to that of Andy Warhol or even Roy Lichtenstein. It’s a fantastic cover. Now many people have drawn parallels to that picture of Obama, not me though, I first thought of this.

Probably a generational thing, more than anything, since I’ve been exposed to that image much more than the Obama one. But either way, like that poster, the cover is quite iconic and certainly borrows a few ideas from the artist.

Well we’ve been here before so let’s turn the page and see the usual suspects of complaint, we start with the who’s who section which is... on its own page with the previously section... so it doesn’t distract from the story... and... lets the reader turn the page to see... HOLY SHIT THIS IS AWESOME! The Death Egg attacking a city!?

*looks over at Archie comics*

Erm... Archie... are you alright? Not that I’m complaining mind you, only this doesn’t match with what I’m used too.

This is already a vast improvement over the structure of previous issues. Keep all the who’s who/past segments to it’s own page away from the story, then let the reader turn the page and ‘bam!’ here we are in a new issue with the continuation and no distractions.

Have I mentioned yet that this scene is quite amazingly awesome? The Death Egg looms from on high like an archangel of doom above the panicking citizens. In fact pretend those dialogue bubbles are not there and look at the framing. The way the death egg is positioned makes it look like a giant Robotnik is looking down on the town. Not that it’s an obvious space station.

In fact, you want an example of how great this artwork is? Look at the position of the Death Egg, now look directly to the next page. There’s the actual Robotnik framed in nearly the exact same manner pulling the exact same expression positioned in nearly the exact same location as the first image of the comic.

If this was a deliberate decision by the artist... he’s a fucking genius... if he didn’t realise he did that. He needs paying a lot more!

But even the robots in these two pages are great. They’re not distracting from the dialogue, but there’s so much business going on with them they actually have... GASP CHARACTERISATION!!! *dramatic music* And they’ve not said a word!

However... the marketing department has decided it wants to write this issue again, and we get the first usual suspect of archie comic problems occurring.

I* don’t know about the** rest of you, but I for one think a batch of text**** when written in a way thats supposed to give off***** a feeling or convey a sense of mood****** as well as pacing of the dialogue******* comes off as being broken when nearly every line of dialogue has this stupid editors/BUY MORE COMICS asterisk’s beside them.********

It just looks awful. Eggman/Robotnik here is giving a great speech, yet it’s so distracting because of these ‘buy me now’ notes. Not to mention there’s another stupid problem with them!

NOT ONE IS NESSESARY!

Here’s an example.

“The planet is still immune to my roboticizer**”

See issue 123... which brings its own issue from those who said ‘well if you’ve only read a year’s worth of issues you are still a new reader... issue 123 came out in 2003... Almost ten years ago! Even if you had every issue and couldn’t remember this moment, why would you go through your entire collection just to see this footnote explained!?

Now for the other problem.

This footnote explains why the planet is immune to the roboticizer right? It’s been that way since 2003 right? SO WHY THE FUCK DO I NEED THIS EXPAINED!? Unless I had collected every issue up until issue 123, then stopped... Then nearly 10 years later decided to come back to the comic, why would I need to know this!? Even as a new reader, why do I need to know this information since I’ve never seen Eggman turn anyone into a robot except for Sally which judging by the events in that issue and the following one seems to have been a complete accident. Even the characters suggest that Eggman has done something that changed some... things.

In fact, here that exact page again, only this time with how you can improve it.

I removed all the notes and added an explanation mark... see if you can spot where. None of the notes are necessary to know what’s going on so why even have them there when instead you could make your comic more interesting than turning it into giant advert for the back issue section!

We've gone from two extremes here. Issues that rely so much on the backstory from years ago that the readers is bombarded with 'buy this issue now' pleas. So a story which clearly didn't need any backstory explanation yet they still want to sell stuff so we'll slap them in anyway. That page could have been a decent monologue for Eggman, yet it looks utterly horrible due to all those notes around and within the dialogue. Why is it there? Because the marketing department decided it wanted to be a writer.

So let’s continue with it. We see sonic having a flashback about... what appears to be a Gay Timmy Mallet the Hedgehog mocking him in an allusion to what Sonic is going through and what he may become. It’s nice foreshadowing. Although this potential to change lasts all but two pages after Amy slaps some sense into him.

Tails is so excited by Sonic’s change of heart that he grows his fist almost three times its normal size.

Tails has more problems over the page when his mother is mentioned... WHOOPS. He can’t actually say that word thanks to a stipulation by Sega! As tails doesn’t have a mum in Sega Sonic Universe so it’s against the rules... which means not only this line, but the entire character that for the first time in over a year has had an entire 1 page of comic time is entirely pointless...

The next section is back to present day Eggman and the attack on the town, which is quite a cool sequence even if Sally appears to be a in a frame set at night and we end with what appears to be the artist forgetting to paint a background.

The rest of the issue is... well... kinda underwhelming.

The sequences with the council continue to be painfully dull as well as painfully contradictory to what Sonic is, unless I missed the part in Generations and unleashed where Sonic needed permission to go save the world? Mighty Morphin Power Suit Rotor isn’t all that impressive when you consider his first heroic action was to get Big, Heavy, Bomb and Cream to do whatever he told them to, whilst he just flew around... .. . Oh god! ROTOR IS THE NEW SALLY!

In fact look at what Rotor does here. He transforms into bad box art MegaMan and... No really... its bad box art mega-man... look!

But what does he actually do... he shoots bomb... why? He says it’s to stop the collapsing roof... just one problem... THE ROOF IS NOT COLLAPSING!

Just look in your own issue. Big and heavy are propping up the building, the glass is broken and cracked... that’s it! There is nothing to say that the building is in immediate peril. Big and Heavy are preventing it from falling, nothing else is happening to it. But the most mindblowning moment is when you see the image of the people inside the building and ‘bomb’ being thrown at them... and Rotor decides to detonate it.

What the hell just happened!? It looks like Rotor has just blown up an entire top section of a building that was full of people! Not to mention the blast clearly shows giant chunks of stone and rock flying from the building in all directions. More than likely causing thousands in damages and possibly killing if not certainly injuring several people who are on the ground not initially in danger.

Rotors first act of heroism... was to kill and cripple several innocent people and destroy a good chunk of a city. And the watching crowd goes wild... ... ... “WOO! Team Freedom! They killed all our friends... ... ... wait what?”

You know what will happen now don't you? They'll have to go

TO THE HOSPITAL!

Alright fuck the B story lets go back a few pages.

The battle between Team Sonic (I refuse to say fighters for now). Is pretty cool, there’s a lot of action, it’s well paced and the banter between Eggman and Sonic shows their best. And I like the fact Eggman is more or less promising to destroy more good guys... Hooray for evil!

But there is a still a bit of a big problem and it’s been mentioned every time the Death Egg pops up... that being the Death Egg is not a threat anymore. “We’ve not got much power!” Yeah.... this is how every battle is ending so far. Anyone got a charger we can lend Eggman? This is ridiculous, as seen at the start of this comic. The Death Egg can look scary and a serious threat. But unless it actually starts to do something is anyone going to take it seriously anymore? Every encounter since the end of Genesis has ended almost the same way. The Death Egg leaves and doesn’t do anything other than drop a few robots. Can we at least have it do something?

This comic was... all things considered... quite good. It had its daft moments sure, the sequence with Bad Box Art Rotor was just idiotic in every sense. Sonic needing permission to save the world is completely moronic. The ‘buy this issue now’ notes from the editor are getting more and more desperate with every issue I read.

But otherwise it wasn’t bad, there were not that many bland backgrounds this time compared to the last issue and colour has returned to the issue instead of brown colour wash. The artwork at times is brilliant and the cover work is one of my favourite covers for any comic book. So yeah... it was quite a good issue.

And why did it take me so long to review this? Basically I’ve completely cleaned out my room and thought I’d actually lost this issue. See you... whenever I get the next one... Oww the Wolf Pack! They sound cool. Right?

And if you don’t remember or know who Timmy Mallet is...

[Kuzu]

Hogfather, why do your reviews make me laugh so much.

[Sonictrainer]

It seems Sonic Universe #41 has an alternate cover.

[Dantemustdie00]

And it's by Ben Bates no less, where the blazes did you found this, I didn't saw this on Bumbleking!?

EDIT: Nevermind, Gonintendo. Strange, how did this variant cover go unnoticed till now, cause it isn't posted anywhere else.

Also would love to have an entire arc done by Bates since Peppers got the chance with the Eggman arc.

Edited June 15, 2012 by Dantemustdie00

[Your Vest Friend]

I swear to God that the variant Silver pose is based off his concept art pose, but sideways...

Edit:

Eh...I can see little bits of it.

Edited June 15, 2012 by VEDJ-F

[Your Vest Friend]

IMPORTANT DOUBLE POST.

Previews

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #241

"(W) Ian Flynn (A) Terry Austin & Various (CA) Tracy Yardley & Various

'Blast from the Past!' Team Freedom has battled the Eggman away from New Mobotropolis, and now it's up to Sonic and Team Fighters to finish the job! The seeds of destruction may have been sown aboard the Death Egg, but what new evil has sprung? Meanwhile, in 'Game On!,' Sonic and friends prepare for the ultimate competition in this super special Sega tie-in!"

SONIC UNIVERSE #44

"(W) Ian Flynn (A) Jim Amash & Various (CA) Stephen Downer & Various

'Unsung Heroes,' Part 4. As the Council of Acorn prepares to ratify the new constitution, Ixis Naugus prepares to unleash a devastating spell from his secret lair! The Secret Freedom Fighters will only get one shot to stop him, and if they fail, they'll lose the city forever! Don't miss the action-packed finale to the Secret Freedom Fighters arc!"

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG SELECT TP VOL 06

"(CA) Patrick Spaz Spaziante

Sonic must face Dr. Eggman's deadliest creation in this, the 'Death Egg Saga!' Here you'll get the complete 'Sonic Quest' trilogy telling of Sonic's first confrontation with the famous battle station, the Death Egg! Sonic and Tails must race against time to stop the monstrous flying fortress before it turns everyone into robot slaves! Also collected in this volume are the first hints and the dramatic reveal of the Death Egg II! Sonic Select Volume 6 collects the 'Sonic Quest' mini-series, Free Comic Book Day issues from 2010-2011, and selections from Sonic the Hedgehog #224."

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG COMPLETE COMIC ENCYCLOPEDIA

"(W) Ian Flynn (A) Patrick Spaz Spaziante & Various (CA) Patrick Spaz Spaziante

For the Sonic fan on the go and those who want to know it like the pros, this is the long-anticipated official source for Sonic the Hedgehog comic info! Includes new, exclusive information not yet revealed in the comic itself and packed with entertaining character and location listings that definitively explain Sonic's world, Mobius. It's a big place that has been featured in hundreds of issues of stories-the longest running video-game inspired hit comic ever!"

My goodness, I think the Tails render is an original pose! And the #241 back-up sounds interesting...

[CiNozzo]

We are already at #241...

Time goes so fast... only nine issues before Sally comes back to normal.

[Yong]

We are already at #241...

Time goes so fast... only nine issues before Sally comes back to normal.

Actually #241's actual release is still a ways off. We're still waiting on #237 to be shipped out. So it's still going to be more than a year before 250.

[Badnik Mechanic]

We're still waiting on #237 to be shipped out. So it's still going to be more than a year before 250.

Huh? Really? I just picked my copy up from my local comic guy. It was his birthday and he had cake. Although he did supress a laugh when he saw what I wanted to buy.

[Your Vest Friend]

So you can review it really soon? Yay!

[Soniman]

Ha, I saw Big on the cover, he ain't gonna let no thing like retirement stop him from kicking ass.

[SweeCrue]

My goodness, I think the Tails render is an original pose! And the #241 back-up sounds interesting...

Edited June 15, 2012 by Sweecrue

[Aero]

Has anyone seen this? Looks like Iblis is going to be in the comics soon!

(Sorry if he already has; I haven't been keeping up with the comics very well lately)

Edited June 16, 2012 by Marine

[Your Vest Friend]

The #241 backup has been moved to #242 before that solicit went out.

Just a heads-up I found.

[The future]

Now that I'm thinking about it, I would be cool as hell to see Eggman roboticize half of Mobius in a massive story arc that leads to #250.

[Alice Twilight]

Now that I'm thinking about it, I would be cool as hell to see Eggman roboticize half of Mobius in a massive story arc that leads to #250.

Well he's done quite a bit of damage so far, so why stop now?

I think he's going to pull of something eviler than evil

On another note, I restarted Archie from the very beginning and I'm loving the older issues.

Edited June 16, 2012 by Alice Twilight