Dr. Crusher Presents: The 30 Days of Sonic the Hedgehog Mk.II (Daft and Tolerating It)-PAGE 72, FIN

[MamboCat]

Day 17 - Character Design which Most Amuses Mambo

 

Come on, guys! It's got to be the one and only DOCTOR ROBOTNIK!

 

 

I mean of course, Milton Knight's redesign for AoSTH; wherein Robotnik is a sexy fat man. He got the booty? He dooooooooooo!

 

 

Just look at his beautiful head!

 

 

Robotnik was easily the most expressive character of the cartoon, and I think it's why this design was chosen for STC's Rebootnik (hur hur see what I did there hur hur). The Classic Eggman design wasn't a design that could easily convey emotion or movement very well (besides comedic running away and a bouncing tantrum!), but the change to the Milton Knight version allowed more flexibility in the eyebrows, mouth region and even his moustache! Most of the time STC's Robotnik could be quite scary:

 

 

Like here; I can almost see those dried up lips quivering with simmering hatred at that meddlesome hedgehog!!

 

...but in some panels of the comic, he'd still look hilarious;

 

 

"Dammit I hate deadlines!"

 

 

The CAAAAAAAEK! that launched a thousand Butcheries.

 

Also, his nose kinda looks like a dick. Yeah.

 

Runner up:

 

Mr Blobnik:

 

 

This guy was designed to look and act as goofy as possible, to catch Sonic off guard and then trap him in a giant bubble. It actually worked! And if it weren't for the Brotherhood of Metallix forcing Robotnik to call a truce with Sonic, Sonic would have been toast!

 

(This is, coincidentally my favourite Elson era of drawing Sonic. Look how d'awww he looks there! )

[Osmium]

Mambo, I'm disappointed that you forgot one glorious panel of Robotnik, probably the best one in the whole comic. 

 

 

Look at his face in that capsule. That's amazing. If that doesn't kill the mood of the oncoming fight, than I don't know what will. 

 

I completely agree with you though. And yes, STC Robotnik could be quite eerie. 

 

 

Look at how he's staring at Porker. Look at his eyes. He looks like he's staring right into Poker's soul and through it. 

 

(And, this, the Sonic 3 era, is probably my favourite for how Elson draws Sonic myself. It's not all that different from the Mr. Blobnik issue but there are enough differences that I like Issue 33-38 Sonic the best, but I digress.) 

[Klinsy]

Question #17: Which characters/bosses/enemies/etc have the most amusing designs to you?

 

Frankly from Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine.

 

I know he's only the second bot in the game in a game filled with silly bots, but look at him!

 

That unsure mouth looks he's deciding to be scared of something or trying to be scary himself, those double antennas that look like cheesepuffs on metal, and since was the Frankenstein Monster purple?

 

I mean, I got respect for the guy since it took me years to even beat him, but I never took him seriously in looks.

[Sonictrainer]

Question #16: What is your favourite cheat and/or glitch?

[MamboCat]

Mambo, I'm disappointed that you forgot one glorious panel of Robotnik, probably the best one in the whole comic. 

 

 

 

 

OH BOY! Gonna get some hedgehog pizza tonight!

 

Yeah, you're right. That's possibly the most hilarious panel of STC Robotnik I have seen. Or the most terrifying. Can't decide which!

[Adamis]

Question #17: Which characters/bosses/enemies/etc have the most amusing designs to you?

 

I'll go with the classic badniks, especially those with googly eyes like Caterkiller. Those big, cartoony eyes always make me smile, and I love to draw them, especially in my STCO pages.

[Ducktor Naldush]

Question #17: Which characters/bosses/enemies/etc have the most amusing designs to you?

 

 

 

 

Sonic's original American design A.K.A mohawk Sonic.

 

Now, a little premise here; I could read articles about the cultural changes made in the localization of a movie, game and book for hours. I absolutely love hearing about all those little things changed from a nation to another to make sure that the product is still appealing to that particular country. Little things that maybe you could take for granted, or just can't understand at all. And the change made to Sonic oversea is truly fascinating.

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not that keen on mohawk Sonic. In fact, you could say that I don't like it, but I don't hate it either. It reminds me somewhat of Aosth, and as I said countless times, I can't bring myself to hate that show, despite all of its obvious flaws.

 

But whenever I look at this mutation of the blue hedgehog, my mind keeps asking itself the same question; Why? And it's not a desperate or an annoyed "why", like when I ask myself "Why do Americans put ketchup on their pasta?" (Way to promote a stereotype here, but don't worry, ketchup buddies, I'm just making an example), it's something born out of curiosity.

 

Japanese Eggman wasn't threatening enough, so they felt the need to change it in various ways. You had empty eye sockets Robotnik, Satam Robotnik, and Aosth Robotnik. Sure, the latter was a really funny villain, but Fleetway made him eerie and creepy, when it was needed. 

 

But Sonic? Why the change? Wasn't the "Japanese" design American enough? Western enough? I mean, it reminds me of Mickey and Felix (the cat, not our user, of course). That's something American alright. Even though it also reminds me of all those European comics starring funny animals I read as a kid and still do to this day. I'm not talking about just Disney comics made in Italy, of course. A good Google search will help you out.

 

Maybe they were trying to make him look more "Cool and with an attitude"? The American 90s were full of this characters, Bart Simpson being the prime example. But why the tomahawk? Was that something drawn by someone who just watched the sprites of Sonic 1? It could very well be. But then again, the European cover of Sonic 1 had Japanese Sonic; I'm sure of it. I have the game right before my eyes as I type this.

 

It reminds me of a Crash Bandicoot article I read about, this one:http://web.stanford.edu/group/htgg/sts145papers/jdelahunt_2004_1.pdf about the box-breaker's debut in Japan. It's a very fascinating article, check it out. I would love to read something like this about Sonic's American journey pre-Sonic Adventure.

[Arcade Racer CC14]

Most amusing Sonic design, eh? *Checks previous answers* Oh COME ON, nobody seriously got to this one yet? I'm absolutely SHOCKED:

Titan Tails

THIS has got to be the absolute low point of Archie Sonic's original character designs. (Or any Sonic character design in general, really.) The idea: Take every Tails from every part of the multiverse and have them do the fusion dance to create THE ULTIMATE TAILS. Now, would THE ULTIMATE TAILS possibly reflect the full potential of his scientific genius or a more heroic, confident take ala Sonic in a way that would play off the different parts of his actual character? NOPE. BUFF TAILS. That's it. BUFF. TAILS. BUFFAILS. MILES "TAILS" PROWER IS THE HULK. Just looking at this monstrosity, I die laughing every single time. Just the fact that they thought this was an acceptable way to bring Tails to his full potential as "The Chosen One" and that Sega SIGNED OFF ON THIS IN THE FIRST PLACE is the most hilarious thing to ever come out of the Archie series. After THIS, I'm not surprised that Sega eventually took more control over what the book could and couldn't do. I mean...THIS was one of his powers:

PfffffBWAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAH!!!!

*Wipes tear from eye* Sorry. Can't look at that with a straight face. And people complain about Boom Knuckles.

[Forte-Metallix]

Day 17: The character design that intrigues me the most:

 

This one goes to one of my favorite Flynn creations:  

 

 

Thrash the Devil!

 

As I'm sure many of you are aware, this rouge anti-villain's design was based on the glitch on the Sonic & Knuckles title screen where, if you toggled between the two characters fast enough, their chibi-icons would fuse into a bulky, purple creature! 

 

I also love how his Lego-gloves match Knux's Lego-shoes! And that marking on his chest kinda looks like a soundwave, so it's kinda foreboding in a way. 

[-blank-]

I cannot believe it. No one has mentioned

 

 

 

 

 

this.

 

Seriously. Someone actually sat down, drew concept art of this, and GOT IT APPROVED by Sega. There is just so much that is freaking wrong with this design on so many levels. Couldn't we have at least gotten a different jacket?

[Vertekins]

Catching up to do...

 

Question #14: Favorite piece of cancelled material?

 

Hidden Palace Zone in Sonic 2 I suppose. It looks like the most interesting zone in Sonic 2 period and I really do consider it a shame that it was unfinished and never realized the way STI/Sonic Team wanted to realize it.

 

Yes yes, I know the Taxman's version of the game included one act and a boss but still, at the end of the day it still hasn't been realized as was intended so you can't really call it a definitive iteration of the zone.

 

Day #15: What little things do you like to do in the games that isn't an inherent gameplay goal?

 

Going to Iman in Shamar and getting Sonic's fortune told. Some of the answers Sonic can come out with are pretty dang funny and the conclusion Iman herself comes to is well calculated based on your answers. If you answer in-character as Sonic, her final conclusion tend to nail Sonic's positivities and negativities as a character. Which is what makes this little distraction so interesting.

 

Day 16: What is your favourite cheat and/or glitch?

 

The walking through walls glitch in HD Unleashed. You pull it off with a specific combo plus barrier and it allows you to phase Sonic through walls.

 

This glitch is favored by me because it allowed us to see unused parts of certains stages such as Arid Sands Act 1 going on for longer and one of the Jungle Joyride acts having a rising water room that was later released as a DLC act.

 

Fascinating.

 

Question #17: Which characters/bosses/enemies/etc have the most amusing designs to you?

 

 

Freud was right!

 

Getting my mind out of the gutter, I guess SatAM's design for Dr Robotnik was so try-hard at being evil and such is a contrast to the egg-shaped, jovial-looking Dr Eggman that it comes off as amusing to me rather than creepy and/or threatening. You know his designers missed the point of the character entirely in favor of a design that is about as Robotnik-like as much as oranges and apples are similar.

[Kiah]

Day 17: Which characters/bosses/enemies/etc have the most amusing designs to you?

 

The Egg Dealer

 

 

This silly-looking spider-like device comes equipped with wheels, weapons, a slot machine mechanism and of course, a mustache in imitation of the good ol' Dr. Eggman himself. This is hilarious at first sight of this thing, especially since this is supposed to be part of a boss battle which is meant to be serious between the characters engaged in them in general. 

 

The Penguinator 

 

In a series where you see enemies like this:

 

 

It's surprising to see ones that look like this:

 

 

I guess the Penguinator is so amusing to me because I never expected to see something cute among the enemies-and one of Dr. Eggman's badniks at that

 

I had a lot more to say on the matter for this question but my computer went "cattywampus" on me and I lost my entire original post Oh well. I'm glad I was able to write this up on my phone real quick on time

[Dr. Crusher]

~SSMB Has Cleared Design Disaster Deflexure Act 17!~

 

"All you ungrateful humans, who took everything away from me, will feel my loss and despair!" - Lotso, Sonic Howdy Howdy Howdy Heroes (1995)

 

Question #18: Realistically, which character(s) would you say you would have the biggest chance(s) of befriending?

 

He doesn't participate in slash fiction at any time; only when it's funny.

 

Let's pretend for a moment that all fictional characters are real. Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, Ganon, they're all just as real as the rest of us. We become extra familiar with the Sonic cast in particular, as this is a Sonic-specific event and thus this is a necessity in this hypothetical scenario. Now, let's face it, while certain characters may be our own personal favourites, that doesn't necessarily mean that those characters would be the ones we would get on with by default. You know, conflicting personalities, overwhelming displays of power, questionable ethics, stuff like that. With that said, favourites or no, who do you reckon you would get on with the best if they were made of real matter in real life in the real planet in the real universe, as this real question asks in this real event made by this real muppet?

 

Crusher's Thoughts: For once, this is an easy question for me. Tails and Big, no contest. They may have completely different attitudes and interests, but they're two of the most chilled out and down to earth characters in the whole of Sonidom, and I think those are the sort of characters that I would have the easiest time interacting with, because while I have nothing against the more hot-tempered or extroverted characters, I don't reckon things would work out that smoothly in the long run, as I could see myself feeling exhausted by those types rather quickly. For similar reasons, if she were to suddenly come back to life in a fanfiction-y manner, I think I would get on well with Tikal as well.

 

And now that I think about it some more, I suppose Amy and Cream wouldn't be out of the question either, as the two of them overall are nice enough individuals who aren't overly insane or demanding.

 

So with that out of the way, you may now post awaaaaaayyyy!~

[Klinsy]

Question #18: Realistically, which character(s) would you say you would have the biggest chance(s) of befriending?

 

I think I would get along well with Big.

 

He's so mellow and I don't really don't do anything that would make him mad.

 

Plus, he has a lot to talk about but it's more down to Earth I could talk about, instead of the great adventures the Sonic heroes do or schemes of Eggman.

 

Plus, Big seems like a nice guy overall, he's real easy to befriend because of that.

[Forte-Metallix]

Day 18: The character I'm most likely to befriend:

 

I can definitely see myself getting along with Silver. We both have a long history of jumping to conclusions and worrying about the future. He's gotta be lonely, constantly leaving and returning to a time period that keeps changing. I'd like to hang out with him and tell him what I've learned: the future is a combination of what you learn from the past, and what you make of the present.

 

 

Also, we could totally abuse his psychic powers and go out on a night of DEBAUCHERY!!! And then when everything goes wrong, we can go back in time and stop ourselves!

[Ryannumber1gamer]

Question #18: Realistically, which character(s) would you say you would have the biggest chance(s) of befriending?

 

I would say probably Tails for me. As Crusher said, he's easily one of the most chillest of the Sonic cast, and realistic, he's likely going to relate to me and a few others better than other members of the cast. For example, he's shy, he's had confidence issues. he's had to overcome his own issues and stand on his own two feet sometimes instead of always relying on others like Sonic. In a way, a lot of us can relate to him because a lot of us were probably shy as well and had to work through that, the same way Tails had to throughout Sonic Adventure. Plus as I said, he'd along with Sonic would be one of the most easy going characters to befriend.

[Inkling Cooper]

30 Days of Sonic Act 2 Day 18: Which character would I say I would have the highest chance of befriending if real?

 

I would honestly say Big. Why? Well, as for me, I would say I am a fairly relaxed guy in general who is relaxing as said guy types this post, and as I explained in another of my posts for this very event, Big in Sonic Adventure barely did anything but catch Froggy. When he wasn't, he was just sitting in his hut.. And, considering he, again, is one of the most relaxed characters in the whole series I think I would have a good friendship with him, as weird as it may sound.

 

Day 18 Complete!

[Vertekins]

Question #18: Realistically, which character(s) would you say you would have the biggest chance(s) of befriending?

 

As much as I adore Sonic, me and him are two very different people and as sad as it might sound, I don't think me and him would easily befriend each other due to clashing ideals and I might get mad at his flippant attitude if I bore witness to it as his "friend". It sounds funny doesn't it considering how much I exult that regarding him and cite it as one of my favorite aspects of his character?

 

I guess Cream and Silver would be easiest to befriend. Cream because she's sweet and well behaved and good mannered and Silver because he's a naturally friendly guy if you aren't getting in the way of his goals. I would like to "ground" Silver and make him see sense when he gets all impulsive.

 

Really interesting question this one.

[Ducktor Naldush]

Question #18: Realistically, which character(s) would you say you would have the biggest chance(s) of befriending?

Oh, that's easy. Big. I wouldn't dream to insult the guy, and as he once said, as long as someone is nice, he doesn't care what he is. And I'd play nice, of course. Sitting nearby watching him fishing.

Also...well, they don't count as characters, more like a whole species, but...I'd love to befriend a Chao. And since they take after their owners and caretakers, it would be a piece of cake! ....I wonder if a Chao would become a Light or Dark Chao in my hands...

[FriendBot]

I would be pretty cool buddies with Sonic since he's a pretty straightforward guy and so am I. Though I wouldn't expect us to be too close since he would prefer to get into the action and get shit done. I'm a more lazy kind of guy and I'm not always in the mood to do stuff so yeah.

[Ratcicle King]

Question #17 - Which Character Design I find the most interesting:

 

Zavok - Zavok is this odd character, his body has the same shape as Donkey Kong's, but with Bowser's features and colors that make you think of Eggman's own outfit. It's an odd combination that makes you unsure of what to expect of him as a character, so to have him be this actually pretty evil and clever bad guy is quite a surprise. I get that they were going with the Deadly Six's entire motiff, but I can't help but feel that if they toned down just a little bit Zavok's goofy characteristics in his design and tried a different color scheme, he'd be a bit more memorable and menacing.

 

Question #18 - Which character I would probably be friends with:

 

Tails - Pretty much gotta agree with everyone here, Tails is a chill character, as long as you're friendly to him, he'll have no problems being around you, he's an inventor so it would be interesting to be around when he's testing anything new, plus helping him with his discoveries, plus as Ryan said, a lot of us have shyness issues, so it would be interesting to overcome it with the character himself.

[Your Vest Friend]

Day 18: Realistically, which character(s) would you say you would have the biggest chance(s) of befriending?

 

Realistically, nobody. I don't befriend anyone in real life, that would ring just as true for these lot.

 

...Okay, the biggest chance? Unlike most, I'd probably find Big insufferable to actually hang out with (not because I dislike him, I just consider "relaxing" to be always thinking). I'm not really a kid person so they're out of the question, Sonic ain't going to win any favours...

 

...

 

*sigh* Honestly, it would actually be the two reptiles. My interest in finding stuff out is just as insatiable as their appetites for detective work (my mum is all over whodunnits and investigations shows, my dad is the kind of guy who likes to take things apart, look at how they work and rebuild it from scratch. It runs in the blood), plus I have geeky interests that they'd both probably find some common ground in. On top of that, my personality is neutral enough to work with both the enthusiastic child-like personalities and the stoic, calm personalities since I run traits from both at the same time.

 

That said, there is a nuanced difference between a detective and a researcher, I am the latter, not the former, that especially goes for you, third year lecturer while I was researching my dissertation.

 

...Oops.

[Osmium]

Question 18: Who would you become best friends with? 

 

I would be getting along with both Sonic and Tails well. 

 

First of all, I wouldn't mind hearing stories from them. Sonic's great adventures and Tails' newest plane or creation or something, it would be cool. 

 

Me and Sonic are similar in some ways. We are both very impatient and have a short temper, so I can understand where he's coming from. I can completely understand how Sonic feels about his freedom and why, as I have a high regard for my privacy and freedom too. 

 

I also have some simple minded thoughts, that aren't too far away from Sonic's sometimes. I feel our friendship would mainly come from us agreeing on things, but there would be a conflict in homes. Sonic spends his whole time roaming somewhere new, and I'm content in staying at home for days at a time so there would be that.

 

Eh, I don't know. I guess I'm used to being around hot tempered people who are very opinionated (including myself), so I guess Sonic would be someone who I can relate to in a way. 

 

Tails is someone who I could easily be friends with. First of all, he's generally more friendly than Sonic, and he's probably one of the most easy to get along with people in the whole cast. He seems to be really easy to talk to. 

 

I'm kind of a big airplane and machinery guy sometimes so I would always be interested in what Tails has. Me and him could exchange some words on things. He can sometimes get overconfident with some of the stuff that he makes, so I can relate to him there.

[Radiant Hero Ike]

Question #16: What is your favourite cheat and/or glitch?

Hrm. I mentioned a glitch in my last answer... But one of my OTHER favorite glitches is getting out of bounds in the neutral Chao Garden. If you home attack that corner at the invisible wall and the rock on the right, you'll go flying out of bounds. You want fall either, you'll kinda just bounce up and down extremely fast. Also for some reason every object in bounds (Chao, Chaos Drives, Animals, nuts, hats, etc.) will fall through the ground into water. Very strange, but I love it.

Question #17: Which characters/bosses/enemies/etc have the most amusing designs to you?

Huh. Um... This one's a bit hard, but I think I'll go with the Death Egg Robot. It's like trying really hard to be menacing but then he's like, really fat and waddles like a penguin. That's hilarious to me.

Question 18: Who would you become best friends with?

Hard question since few people like me. Sonic, probably. He seems like someone I wouldn't annoy too much. Probably Cream too as I get along with kids better than people my age. I'd LIKE to say I could get along with Shadow but I don't think so. Silver's a possible candidate too since he's not super serious anymore.

[Arcade Racer CC14]

The Sonic character I'd have the biggest chance of befriending is...

Big

He's chill, he's friendly, he's protective of his comrades, he's a frog lover, he doesn't care what anyone thinks of him, his big fat belly can be easily used as a pillow...what's not to love about Big? It also helps that we share common interests when it comes to stuffing ourselves and taking a lot of naps. XD