Sonic The Hedgehog
- Thread starter Paladin
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Oh, the Man of the Year short? I actually watched it last year during my marathon but say anything about it since it's both a short and the second half never released. "1994" is interesting since I thought the debut was in Sonic Jam for the Saturn but I guess it came earlier since the animation style is very Tiny Toons/Animaniacs.
EDIT: Also, another example of humans not clashing with Sonic outside of '06.
EDIT: Also, another example of humans not clashing with Sonic outside of '06.
Hey what's Flynn doing lately? Taking a break for a year? Evan Stanley's Surge arc seemed stretched out and the Diamond Cutters arc seemed overstuffed.
Well, he's actually been writing issues of the Sonic comic off and on. Basically, slipping in and out every once in a while. He most recently wrote issue #57-58. And he seems to be set to write or co-write issues #62-64.
sonic.fandom.com
He's also working with Sega on their Sonic Lore Team, trying to get Sonic's lore straightened out....whatever that ends up meaning.
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(And doing Bumblekast podcasts regularly)
He's also writing/localizing the Sonic Frontiers DLC.
www.thegamer.com
I think he's still working on his own webcomic Drogune. And the Nine Lives of Klaws McGee.
And I think he's still doing random stories for Archie in their digests, too.
So, he's keeping busy.
As for the comic feeling padded....that MIGHT have more to do with IDW's position than the Sonic comic. IDW's in a...shaky place right now. It's possible they're doing more "character-focused" stories with more one-shots because they don't want the rug pulled out from under them in the middle of a big story...again.
screenrant.com
I can't help but be reminded of the last few issues of the Archie Sonic run that got solicitations, where they were planning to do more "fun" character-focused stories, too.
Probably nothing to worry about for now, though. For all we know, IDW seems to be keeping Sonic around.
IDW Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 57
IDW Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 57 is the fifty-seventh issue in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series published by IDW Publishing. With Surge finally out of their quills, the Restoration turns their attention to bringing down the Eggperial City. It’s growing, volatile, and dredging up the...
sonic.fandom.com
He's also working with Sega on their Sonic Lore Team, trying to get Sonic's lore straightened out....whatever that ends up meaning.
(And doing Bumblekast podcasts regularly)
He's also writing/localizing the Sonic Frontiers DLC.
Sonic Frontiers Writer Ian Flynn To Return For Story DLC
Flynn also says that the DLC will be "truly important."
www.thegamer.com
I think he's still working on his own webcomic Drogune. And the Nine Lives of Klaws McGee.
And I think he's still doing random stories for Archie in their digests, too.
So, he's keeping busy.
As for the comic feeling padded....that MIGHT have more to do with IDW's position than the Sonic comic. IDW's in a...shaky place right now. It's possible they're doing more "character-focused" stories with more one-shots because they don't want the rug pulled out from under them in the middle of a big story...again.
IDW Publishing Cuts 1/3 Of Staff & De-Lists From New York Stock Exchange
IDW Publishing makes some dramatic cuts.
screenrant.com
I can't help but be reminded of the last few issues of the Archie Sonic run that got solicitations, where they were planning to do more "fun" character-focused stories, too.
Let's compare some covers.
I know it's just a coincidence, but "Friends around a direction sign" is triggering my warning senses.
I know it's just a coincidence, but "Friends around a direction sign" is triggering my warning senses.
Probably nothing to worry about for now, though. For all we know, IDW seems to be keeping Sonic around.
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Maybe a sort of "Aligned continuity" kind of thing for Sonic?
My best guess, and this is purely speculation, is he's helping write a story for a Sonic Generations 2 game.
Sega has NEVER really cared about continuity or references before, so why start now? Because they're making a video game FULL of references to past games and they want to get it right.
People liked Sonic Frontiers, but it took a LONG time to make. Sega MIGHT want a game they can make a little quicker while the "main" team works on Sonic Frontiers 2.
And, now I'm going to get REAL crazy. Is it possible that he's consulting about bringing the Freedom Fighters into the games? A Generations 2 game with playable Freedom Fighters would DEFINITELY get people hyped. That's...VERY unlikely, but Sega COULD do that for the SATAM versions. Ian would probably know more about them than the main branch of Sega in Japan does. That's most likely NOT what this is...but a fanboy can dream.
Just a reminder, the Director of Frontiers DID say he was "very interested" in using the Freedom Fighters. Which we already discussed pages back, but it's been a while. I would think Frontiers 2 would be seperate from a "Crossover" project, but who knows? Maybe Frontiers 2 WILL be Generations 2, basically.
www.thegamer.com
www.allspark.com
Again, as far as I know NO ONE has said exactly what this lore project is actually for. And maybe they just want to get the story right for Sonic Frontiers 2, since they have set up some story that might carry over into a sequel. But, I think it's more likely they're working on something that references past games and media more closely.
Everyone's doing multiverses right now. And Sonic DOES have a multiverse that they can tap into (mostly). It could be that Sonic Prime season 2 could actually reference "real" past universes more.
Maybe it's something else entirely.
Sega has NEVER really cared about continuity or references before, so why start now? Because they're making a video game FULL of references to past games and they want to get it right.
People liked Sonic Frontiers, but it took a LONG time to make. Sega MIGHT want a game they can make a little quicker while the "main" team works on Sonic Frontiers 2.
And, now I'm going to get REAL crazy. Is it possible that he's consulting about bringing the Freedom Fighters into the games? A Generations 2 game with playable Freedom Fighters would DEFINITELY get people hyped. That's...VERY unlikely, but Sega COULD do that for the SATAM versions. Ian would probably know more about them than the main branch of Sega in Japan does. That's most likely NOT what this is...but a fanboy can dream.
Just a reminder, the Director of Frontiers DID say he was "very interested" in using the Freedom Fighters. Which we already discussed pages back, but it's been a while. I would think Frontiers 2 would be seperate from a "Crossover" project, but who knows? Maybe Frontiers 2 WILL be Generations 2, basically.
Sonic Frontiers Director Is "Very Interested" In Adding Old Comic Characters
Sonic director Morio Kishimoto suggests that the Freedom Fighters could appear in future games.
www.thegamer.com
Sonic The Hedgehog
DX has been rereleased on so many platforms at this point, I'm pretty sure whatever data they'd need to bring the original to any modern platform without just running it in an emulator was lost a long time ago.
www.allspark.com
Again, as far as I know NO ONE has said exactly what this lore project is actually for. And maybe they just want to get the story right for Sonic Frontiers 2, since they have set up some story that might carry over into a sequel. But, I think it's more likely they're working on something that references past games and media more closely.
Everyone's doing multiverses right now. And Sonic DOES have a multiverse that they can tap into (mostly). It could be that Sonic Prime season 2 could actually reference "real" past universes more.
Maybe it's something else entirely.
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SatAM characters in a game? Omg, Flynn, get it DONE! Yes, multiverse is already accepted in Sonic Prime. Flynn can maybe make a game happen with a playable Bunnie and Antoine happen, c'mon!
See, my assumption is that they're simply trying to straighten out some of the lore snarls as opposed to making a specific new game. I'd disagree that Sonic Team doesn't care about continuity and more that said continuity is loose. Moreover, since they like doing new things, they seemed stuck in a permanent state of soft reboots until Frontiers exceeded expectations. From watching playthroughs, particularly of pre 2010s games, things do get brought up from other games. This could be Sonic Team vs the corporate higher ups at Sega since that's always been an issue and the recent shake up may be shifting things. It could be the "Sonic was never good" sentiment keeping them gun shy about leaning on the continuity.
It's also worth noting that Sonic Team is willing to rewrite continuity, as shown by Sonic Origins. It's wholly possible that the Lore Team is trying to iron things out for more updated rereleases of older games since there are situations where two games are considered canon but contradict each other in key places.
It's also worth noting that Sonic Team is willing to rewrite continuity, as shown by Sonic Origins. It's wholly possible that the Lore Team is trying to iron things out for more updated rereleases of older games since there are situations where two games are considered canon but contradict each other in key places.
How did Origins rewrite it?
Most of it is subtle and some of it is things said outside of the game about the state of it.
-Previously, it was stated that Sonic and Eggman had many conflicts and the first Sonic game was just one of them. As of Origins, Sonic 1 was the first time the two met. I believe this is the one that's most explicitly out of game.
-While I believe it had been stated as canon before this, Origins cemented that CD comes before 2. This has a lot of quiet ripple effects like the amount of time Sonic has known Amy and Metal Sonic, an additional game before 2 means Sonic has had more experience with magical gems before turning Super Sonic, etc.
-Speaking of Amy, the ending cinematic showing her as part of the group is part of the newer way of writing her. Showcasing her as a friend since the beginning alters the nature of their interactions (and might require its own retcons).
-Previously, it was stated that Sonic and Eggman had many conflicts and the first Sonic game was just one of them. As of Origins, Sonic 1 was the first time the two met. I believe this is the one that's most explicitly out of game.
-While I believe it had been stated as canon before this, Origins cemented that CD comes before 2. This has a lot of quiet ripple effects like the amount of time Sonic has known Amy and Metal Sonic, an additional game before 2 means Sonic has had more experience with magical gems before turning Super Sonic, etc.
-Speaking of Amy, the ending cinematic showing her as part of the group is part of the newer way of writing her. Showcasing her as a friend since the beginning alters the nature of their interactions (and might require its own retcons).
This series presents an interesting duology that people in the comments have brought up. Ken Penders...is a human being. He was willing to write stories in response to fans who were going through some things and he himself used the comic to process the loss of his father. The writers were working in a pre/early internet era with extremely tight deadlines and an uncertainty of how long the comic would last. Ken Penders...is kinda horrible. He wrote a lot of problematic stuff into the comics. It seems like a lot this is part of his actual thought process if his Twitter is anything to go by. While Sega and Archie certainly aren't blameless in the matter, he brought down a long running comic series but never did anything with "his" characters.
Been watching playthroughs of various Sonic games and found something interesting with Sonic and the Secret Rings. Sonic's reaction to characters that look like his friends but are from alternate realities is exactly the same as Sonic Prime. The whole bit of not getting it for a while and then eventually cluing in with later variants matches up with Prime. It's fascinating that Secret Rings of all things wound up being a 1:1 source for a character's reactions.
Been watching playthroughs of various Sonic games and found something interesting with Sonic and the Secret Rings. Sonic's reaction to characters that look like his friends but are from alternate realities is exactly the same as Sonic Prime. The whole bit of not getting it for a while and then eventually cluing in with later variants matches up with Prime. It's fascinating that Secret Rings of all things wound up being a 1:1 source for a character's reactions.
Yeah, I think I've said this before, but it bears repeating. I can defend Penders work on the comics to a extent. As hard as it is to admit, I really do think he was the best writer on the comic, pre-Ian. His stuff, for all it's oddities, really was more interesting than the stuff we were getting in the main comic at the time. Post-Endgame, the Sonic comic felt directionless, and the World Tour arc felt like it didn't know where it wanted to take the characters. You have to remember, the Knuckles comic came out mostly during that period where Robotnik was dead and before he returned. Penders' Knuckles comic, while definitely not perfect, at least felt like they were building something. I appreciated the world-building and addition of competing factions and ideologies. And there was a certain "depth" there that was lacking in the main comic at the time.
And a lot of the problems are just the writers and artists not communicating with each other due to tight deadlines and poor editorial oversight.
A lot of people compare his stuff to Marvel and DC's output in the 90s, rather unfavorably, but I think that's the wrong comparison to make. I think a better comparison to make would be to other indie comics, from the likes of Antarctic Press or Fantagraphics. Because that kind of feels more like the tone they were trying to go for. Those 90s indie comics are also a little experimental and edgier and sometimes a little more personal...but also weird and kind of amateurish and (let's face it) a little bit unhinged. Similar to those indie comics, there was a sense that the Sonic comic was willing to give people a chance in the industry who had NEVER done comics before, for good or for ill.
But, Penders, the has-been who sued the only work that people remember of his out of oblivion? Yeah, I can't defend that guy. As far as I'm concerned, he only "won" by taking advantage of a disaster that destroyed his original contract. (If I remember right, Archie HAD photo copies of the contract, but lost the original in a flood or fire. ) And a overly sympathetic judge. And because the company he was suing was too poor to fight back. And because the licensor didn't want the public humiliation of being in a lawsuit. He lied about never signing a contract and took advantage of the fact that the comic was too small to bother saving.
And then he doesn't even DO anything with those characters for a decade! And even if he does, it looks like it'll have HORRIBLE art! The only thing he's done in the last ten years is try to make NFTs and threaten to sue the movies if they get too close to "his" work! And I'm convinced he's the reason we still don't have Ian's Lost Hedgehog Tales! Harrumph! *pouts*
Mind you, he doesn't deserve ALL the blame. Archie handled the whole thing stupidly. Archie's always been bad at the business side of things, and this was them at their worst. And Scott Fulop's lawsuit was probably the final nail in the coffin for everyone involved. Lest we forget the "Mammoth Mogul universe" he was planning.
thankskenpenders.tumblr.com/post/637060530466586624/thankskenpenders-okay-so-penders-and-the-lara-su
So, yeah. If Penders HADN'T sued the comic out of existence, he'd probably be somewhat fondly remembered right now. If only because of nostalgia.
And a lot of the problems are just the writers and artists not communicating with each other due to tight deadlines and poor editorial oversight.
A lot of people compare his stuff to Marvel and DC's output in the 90s, rather unfavorably, but I think that's the wrong comparison to make. I think a better comparison to make would be to other indie comics, from the likes of Antarctic Press or Fantagraphics. Because that kind of feels more like the tone they were trying to go for. Those 90s indie comics are also a little experimental and edgier and sometimes a little more personal...but also weird and kind of amateurish and (let's face it) a little bit unhinged. Similar to those indie comics, there was a sense that the Sonic comic was willing to give people a chance in the industry who had NEVER done comics before, for good or for ill.
But, Penders, the has-been who sued the only work that people remember of his out of oblivion? Yeah, I can't defend that guy. As far as I'm concerned, he only "won" by taking advantage of a disaster that destroyed his original contract. (If I remember right, Archie HAD photo copies of the contract, but lost the original in a flood or fire. ) And a overly sympathetic judge. And because the company he was suing was too poor to fight back. And because the licensor didn't want the public humiliation of being in a lawsuit. He lied about never signing a contract and took advantage of the fact that the comic was too small to bother saving.
And then he doesn't even DO anything with those characters for a decade! And even if he does, it looks like it'll have HORRIBLE art! The only thing he's done in the last ten years is try to make NFTs and threaten to sue the movies if they get too close to "his" work! And I'm convinced he's the reason we still don't have Ian's Lost Hedgehog Tales! Harrumph! *pouts*
Mind you, he doesn't deserve ALL the blame. Archie handled the whole thing stupidly. Archie's always been bad at the business side of things, and this was them at their worst. And Scott Fulop's lawsuit was probably the final nail in the coffin for everyone involved. Lest we forget the "Mammoth Mogul universe" he was planning.
thankskenpenders.tumblr.com/post/637060530466586624/thankskenpenders-okay-so-penders-and-the-lara-su
So, yeah. If Penders HADN'T sued the comic out of existence, he'd probably be somewhat fondly remembered right now. If only because of nostalgia.
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Mammoth Mogul in his own comic series..... BWAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA! No, just no. Fulop's got Moguls delusions of grandeur if he thinks anyone ever really bought Mogul as a decent character. It was nice having an alternate villain at times but when his biggest claim to fame was getting jobbed by the main trios super forms and being stuck inside the master emerald for years, and later retconning him as Naugus's master. Yeah, Doctor Doom he's not.
Not just that but more Classic Amy in a sidescroller. They're really going all out for her 30th anniversary.
What are Amy's abilities? Basically like Knuckles punching through walls and maybe a destructive shield via her swinging her hammer around?