Sonic the Hedgehog IDW/Current Western Comic Megathread

Not sure what I'm supposed to think looks awkward about that.

 

I think the torso, maybe? How squashed it looks compared to the rest of her.

 

It's a close-to-ground shot made to focus on the tinder being lit, while also using that same close-to-ground shot to make Surge look menacing. What's awkward about it?

 

I hope it's fine to bump up this thread, but I bought the Spanish version of the 30th anniversary deluxe comic and it comes with an interview with Taxman that I haven't seen in any other version of the comic. Please remove if this already exists elsewhere. Below I post pictures of the interview pages and a translation.

Spoiler

In English:
(Page 1)
Well, unless you're living in Hidden Palace Zone, it's likely you know that in 2021 we're celebrating our favorite blue buddy's 30th anniversary. Sonic's world has evolved a lot since his heyday in the 90s and now it possesses different kinds of depth depending on who you ask. Having grown up with the series and having worked on it as lead developer of Sonic Mania, the style and features of 16-bit age Sonic are part of a world sown from cloth from many influences of XX century pop culture. From million dollar machines to recreational halls, from art deco to Memphis Milano, from New Jack Swing to Manchester music, it's all about a rich world you can still explore in the present.
My first encounter with Sonic occurred when I was very young in a video-club in the 90s and through a simple poster, not a screen. He raised his finger with his typical coolness and he had his feet crossed. That electric blue picture impacted me immediately. "Who's this blue cat?" (Sonic is a hedgehog). Back then I didn't even know what videogames were, but his silhouette and his expression were so potent that when a friend from school invited me to his house to play on his console, I didn't doubt to choose Sonic 2.
The first few moments made me feel drunk. It was all about a character that ran at the top of his speed in geometric and vibrant words as if he were a sentient scooter. He also rolled and bumped into enemy robots and in Rube Goldberg style devices in such a way it looked as if he defied gravity. Sonic didn't have to have wheels to go fast, because he was the wheel reinvented! His rival Dr. Eggman (also known as Dr. Robotnik) who, even though he was a mad scientist on a mission to conquer the world, he was also a manchild driving modular vehicles that would be the envy of Mecha fans. To me the most important thing is that having beaten the game was merely the beginning. The best way to play Sonic was to activate the debugger mode to sow chaos all throughout the games! It felt very appropriate, because Sonic was rebellious and brash, and he was my first contact with what behind the scenes (or behind the sprites) of videogame development.
(Page 2)
Okay, okay! You surely want to know why this anthology book is special, don't you? Well, it's because it's about the first incursion of classic Sonic in the IDW world and...
(bumper)
It's got a lot of classic zones! Full of colors! Old and new!
(bumper)
Lots of character featured! (Some only for die-hard fans).
(bumper)
It's the debut of the Hard Boiled Heavies in comics! (I'm so proud of these eggheads).
(bumper)
If you're just learning to draw your favorite characters in this classic style, in this anthology you'll find lots of good poses! (This goes to that Robotnik from animated cartoons that so, so confused me when I was a kid).
Sonic's older than 30 so let's not make him wait any longer. His next adventure will begin when you flip the page!
(signature)
Christian Whitehead
Creative director of Evening Star

 

To confirm, this foreword is definitely in the English-language version of the Deluxe edition I got for Christmas last year.

 

Holy shit, issue 50 is absolutely worthy of the milestone. It's very gratifying to see Starline's long term plan finally come to bear and, as I have said before, Surge has absolutely surpassed Scourge as a foil to Sonic in almost every way (give us Super Surge to seal the deal though, yeah?). The conflict of personalities was fantastic, as well as the parallelism of Sonic and Tails trying to help Surge and Kit as Starline tries to help Eggman in his own twisted way, the + - honest-to-god mecha fight between the Egg Emperor and Lost World's Eggrobo was a fantastic novelty that I never expected to see in a Sonic comic, and the panel of Eggman rising from the wreckage when both mechs are totalled, silhouetted with only his glasses and mouth visible, was a really great use of design and technique to make Eggman a chilling presence, not to mention his manhandling of Starline afterwards showing that he can still be dangerous without any robots to aid him, as he was in Lost World.  

Art from A.B.T. was on point as always...I'm really ready for SEGA to just straight up commission an anime that adapts this book because my god all this would make for some gorgeous sakuga.

 

WHOLLY agreed. It's amazing when every twisting facet of an arc comes together, and this completely and utterly delivered.

Spoiler

I was NOT expecting this to be tied into Sonic's little arc about his second chances policy, or throwing a light on Tails' own ostracisation growing up. And I just love Surge more and more and more and more with every petty, anguished little thing she does here, in addition to just about holding her own and putting on a great show while doing so. And Starline's complete frothing breakdown...

 

Spoiler

I like how Robotnik has a little bit of humanisation to him, where he treats Belle gently, praises her for her work with Metal Sonic, then leaves her alone after she refuses his offer of working with him, despite being perfectly able to have Metal Sonic destroy her then and there, with the implication later ("I modified it to not attack you guys, but it was weirdly friendly to me.") that he's whitelisted her in his systems so the Badniks don't attack her.

 

Spoiler

I get the feeling the "You interfaced with Metal Sonic?" question is hinting at some sort of vulnerability he plans to exploit with Belle later.

Very fun issue. I've been sticking with the side-series while catching bits of the mainline comic from a distance, but I had to tune in to this showdown and it did not disappoint.

Spoiler: Speculation

With some of the ominous expressions Kitsunami's had in the past issue or so of Impostor Syndrome, I've been wondering if he might have his own agenda. It sure doesn't look like it, judging from this issue, but I wonder if we've got a psychological break coming, especially if he's told about Surge's "death" before she inevitably pops back up. They're giving him some incredibly intimidating looks and shots, so I hope they go somewhere with it.

 

Issue 50 was great, absolutely did not disappoint.

Spoiler

Absolutely love the clash of mechs and eggmans silhouette rising from the rubble with just his grin and glasses. Absolutely phenomenal composition work done here.

 

Yeah, that was my take, too. + - Eggman has very much rejected Tinker and anything to do with him, so I highly doubt he was showing respect, mercy or any kind of compassion. He's absolutely going to use this back door into Belle's head to mess with Sonic, he's just waiting for the golden opportunity.  

 

Issue 50 is the best issue by far and I wish every issue could be as long as it.

My favorite bit was probably Tails and Kit's portion tho, but seeing all of these personalities and perspectives bounce off each other was just good reading.

 

I took it as a continuing plot thread with Robotnik. Even if he's rejected Mr. Tinker, he's had flashes of sadness at his choice, like back in Issue 23:


It could be read that way, however, so we'll see. Perhaps both? Genuine praise, a plan to use a backdoor, perhaps he'll have one more pang of mercy and let Belle continue on after using that backdoor? Who knows.

 

My personal reading of Eggman and his attitude towards Mr Tinker is that although the good Doctor does indeed seem to feel some small sense of longing to have the kind of fulfilment and respect Mr Tinker has, he feels he’s too far gone now to ever change. He’s been fighting Sonic for years (official timescale be damned) and he’s probably under the sway of a serious sense of sunk cost fallacy.

At the same time, Mr Tinker is not Eggman and they both know it and act as such. While Eggman’s reflection does seem to demonstrate that he experienced *something* from that time, his recollection of Tinker’s short lived existence seems spotty at best. At any rate, Eggman’s rejection of Tinker seems to be tinged not with disgust that the man was a kind selfless sole, but simply disdain from the pure fact that Tinker’s very personality did not represent the core of who Eggman is. While there has been debate from Sonic, Shadow, the Chaotix, etc. about whether Tinker and Eggman were one and the same, he’s very much made up his mind on the subject, and I think Eggman’s rebuffing of Belle’s longing to see her dad again is an affirmation of that perspective. Beyond that, I think Eggman will treat Belle mostly like any other hero. If he can get something out of her for his own ends, he will, but otherwise, she’s a thorn in his side.

With that said, I imagine Eggman would have an admiration or interest in Belle on a technical level rather than an interpersonal one. He may not care about Belle the person, but her engineering and design probably fascinates him both in its parallels to his own designs and also in Tinker’s ability to make something so life-like, which I think is something Eggman hasn’t quite achieved yet (whether for lack of trying or not). Sure, you could say he’s created machines with souls (Metal Sonic, Omega, Orbot and Cubot and Gemerl), but nothing quite like Belle.

 

Excuse me for meddling... Is it me or every comic original character has more props and wardrobe than the good old cast?
If yes, why the need for that? Isn't it possible for those characters to be designed a bit simple and retain their individuality?

 

I wouldn’t say that. Tangle, Rough and Tumble are all pretty minimalist designs whose skills are exaggerated traits of their species in real life. Whisper is a character introduced in the book when its setting was far more closely tied to Forces, and is a reflection of its mechanics and story, hence Wispon and use of clothes inspired by cosmetics available in that game. Starline, meanwhile, started out very much a spiritual successor and composite of both Snively and Doctor Finetivus, the former in his aptitude with robotics and being a lackey of Eggman, and the latter in his visual design and function of being able to create portals (initially). In that sense, it makes sense for him to have a his gizmos, and I don’t think his design would be nearly as effective a complement to his personality without his debonair jacket. Since then, he has become even more distinct without losing his core traits, so it makes sense to keep his gadgets around, and stuff like the Tricore show cases his ingenuity and adaptability despite otherwise being a normal dude. Finally, Surge and Kit were created by Starline to be superior to Sonic and Tails, hence their elemental abilities. I think the bells and whistles, where they exist with regards to these characters, are absolutely well justified and all the characters I’ve mentioned here would, in my opinion, fit masterfully into the games.

With that said, the IDW original cast isn’t perfect. I very much do not like Belle or Clutch in various regards but in broad strokes because I don’t feel they fit. Design wise, I wish Belle had ended up with her more mouse-like design with subdued puppet elements that Evan Stanley had drafted during the conception of the character, while Clutch just straight looks very jarring, with his gold and yellow teeth and black sclera that seeks to exist for no reason. I can see the merit in the function Clutch is meant to serve as a street level influence who works from the shadows and demands that the heroes do more than spindash him to resolve the issues he creates, but I’ve found his execution to be sorely lacking up to now.

 

I think this issue actually explains Sonic's characterization very well (and kinda proves Ian knows what he's doing).

Sonic is carefree and loves adventure, we know that. I've seen people on these forums who wonder what exactly he fights for if all he cares about is his own freedom to go on adventures. The thing is Sonic doesn't solely care about himself, he wants everyone to have that chance to have their own adventures, even Eggman and other bad guys out there. He believes in infinite chances because he doesn't give up on someone, no matter how far gone they may seem. Kinda similar to Amy in that respect.

 

Also, you'll notice that generally speaking, the only Sonic characters that tend to have lots of accessories are either female (because females have clothes) or villains (because they need gear). Consequently, most of the new added IDW characters are also either female or a villain. You get odd ones out like Rough & Tumble every now and again though.