Megathread IDW's Sonic the Hedgehog - Megathread

[DabigRG]

Why is it that some comments seemingly don't appear sometimes?

2 hours ago, Dash Speed said:

Blaze belongs with the cutesy crowd Amy is in. 

And that, pray tell, would be because..,?

1 hour ago, Kellodrawsalot said:

I was talking about their designs, Fiona was just created as a female-Tails-For-Tails,  She looks like a red Tails with a bow and a weird bodysuit.

 

Uh...I suppose? I think that's definitely more a thing with the Yardley era, but I think that's just as much them trying to make comic characters look more in line with the games. And with Fiona being a fox....

1 hour ago, Kellodrawsalot said:

Fiona hardly had any personality for the longest time other then being angry at Sonic in two pages or showing a liking to guns.  She was paired up with Sonic for no reasons (with zero build up of said characters even liking one another) and developed a character because of Flyn who just needed to look for an excuse to make her interesting and have Fiona and Sonic break up. 

To be fair, he was mainly drawing off her origin as a treasure hunter with a grudge against Sonic(and by extension, Mighty and Ray) because he ended up leaving her.

Which seemed to be a minor theme with him, now that I think about it.

 

Of course, her characterization under Mr. Bollers was oddly nebulous despite the implied development, so there's that.

1 hour ago, Kellodrawsalot said:

Elias again doesn't really have much of a personality or anything that makes him stand out , other then being known as Sally's brother. 

Wasn't his thing that he didn't really want the throne despite it being his birthright because of how he grew up?

There's also the family he made after he initially ran away and his part in the Secret Team.

1 hour ago, Kellodrawsalot said:

Nicole was just Nack..only a girl. Big difference is that she showed to be a bit more kinder and sympathetic then her brother but thats it.

I don't have the encyclopedia on me at the moment, but Nicole was the name of another character.

Nic(or whatever her real name was) is definitely sorta egregious, though. It's also worth noting she's one of the characters Mr. Flynn didn't like himself.

21 minutes ago, StaticMania said:

Amy's overall personality is meant to be cutesy...

That short fuse was a Sonic X thing that leaked into the games, she's meant to be bratty not whatever that was.

Also this:

Is this not the cutest thing?

Why is it oddly hard to process what I'm looking at?

[Kellodrawsalot]

oh true her name isn't even Nicole! I don't even remember what her name is anymore.That's how irrelevant and forgettable the character was. 

Elias choice however not wanting to be a king was more used as a plot device to enforce drama and tensions of Sally being enforced to take the throne, Fiona's issue with Sonic however was only one.two pages and then it was never brought up again then years later. That's not a good basis for your character to grow from. Notice how most of the things you mentioned about the characters are plot-choices and not really personality things?. Something to think about.
 

[StaticMania]

Her name was Nicollette.

[DabigRG]

34 minutes ago, Kellodrawsalot said:

oh true her name isn't even Nicole! I don't even remember what her name is anymore.That's how irrelevant and forgettable the character was. 

 

They really didn't do much of anything with her, hence part of why she was particularly out there.

34 minutes ago, Kellodrawsalot said:

Elias choice however not wanting to be a king was more used as a plot device to enforce drama and tensions of Sally being enforced to take the throne, Fiona's issue with Sonic however was only one.two pages and then it was never brought up again then years later. That's not a good basis for your character to grow from. Notice how most of the things you mentioned about the characters are plot-choices and not really personality things?. Something to think about.
 

Hm...I suppose there's truth there. I mean, plot is where many characters get worked with anyway, but there is a risk of letting it take priority.

 

While I definitely stand a bit for Fiona, this shows that she is definitely a case of a particular lesson when it comes to characters: the concept and/or background behind them might be interesting, but the actual execution can leave quite a lot to be desired. Like, it is crazy that she was introduced as such notable side character by Mr. Penders(who doesn't claim credit over her), only to be forgotten until Mr. Bollers brought her back for a new direction due to Sonic's seeming death by the Xorda, only for him to not actually do much with her now reworked recurring character. And finally, Mr. Flynn eventually came along to revitalize her again into something more worth remembering--by bringing her back in line with where she was to begin with. Huh.

33 minutes ago, StaticMania said:

Her name was Nicollette.

Ah yes, there we go. His mistake was understandable, then.

Where did that originally come from, by the way?

[StaticMania]

Where did what come from?

[DabigRG]

12 minutes ago, StaticMania said:

Where did what come from?

Her real name being Nicolette. I'm sure it's in the Complete Encyclopedia, but I'd assume it was somewhere else first.

[StaticMania]

I dunno.

I read it on a Wikipedia Wiki.

[DabigRG]

12 hours ago, Marco9966 said:

We should have stories about Chaotix, and Team Dark, and Team Rose. Sonic should be a secondary character in these stories.

I think you mean that Sonic could be a secondary character in those stories.

1 hour ago, StaticMania said:

Hopefully they look more appealing than those dudes.

What, not a fan of seafood? :

[Skull Leader]

1 hour ago, StaticMania said:

Amy's overall personality is meant to be cutesy...

That short fuse was a Sonic X thing that leaked into the games, she's meant to be bratty not whatever that was.

Also this:

Is this not the cutest thing?

While Amy is a pink girly girl, I do think she has some fire in her... just not on the extremes of Sonic X where she'd get mad at the drop of a hat, even to her friends.

At least in the games, it's more the result of bad guys hurting those she cares like the bird in SA1, of after being harassed, like when she was being chased by the much larger and stronger Storm, who in an amusing twist, ended up yielding at her authoritah. If you mess with the rose, you get the thorns.

I do like Amy displaying that she can be a very capable heroine in her own right, though ultimately, I think her most memorable feats have to do more with helping others through compassion... even if they happen to be the bad guys. I think this can also be portrayed with some action being thrown in, like her trying to talk to a villain that is having a breakdown while trying to not get killed. Often what Amy has to say can be more powerful than her hammer swings.

As for Blaze, I disagree that she was meant to be cute, though she definitively has the potential upon reacting to things that break her stoic image, like gestures of friendship as she is not used to deal with them nor knows how to respond.

tl;dr: Amy is cute, but has hidden badassery, while Blaze is the exact opposite.

 

[StaticMania]

26 minutes ago, DabigRG said:

What, not a fan of seafood? :

They either need noses or they need to be designed like Vector and Big with unique snouts/muzzles...

Also noooo.

[Dr. Detective]

I didn't care about any of the Mer-people or whoever they were. I already care more about Dr. Starline then them.

But again, I've always had trouble getting into Ian's hero/citizen characters.

[Redbluethunder5]

8 hours ago, StaticMania said:

Hopefully they look more appealing than those dudes.

Considering how much more interesting than the game cast they were, I don't see the problem : why constantly showing characters that cannot change when you can show some that actually grow? (aside from the Penders/Bollers era) 

6 hours ago, StaticMania said:

They either need noses or they need to be designed like Vector and Big with unique snouts/muzzles...

Also noooo.

Fishes don't have noses. Also it's the first time I hear that unique is bad and generic is good 

4 hours ago, Dr. Detective Mike said:

I didn't care about any of the Mer-people or whoever they were. I already care more about Dr. Starline then them.

But again, I've always had trouble getting into Ian's hero/citizen characters.

If he was an interesting character I'd say the same but he could be so much more and instead he is restricted to be an Eggman fanboy : it made sense for Thunderbolt to worship him since he made her someone and Snively was forced to follow him but Starline?  I could see him following him for his own agenda rather than genuinely admiring him

[StaticMania]

Bees don't have noses either, nor does half the case have the type of noses they should.

This isn't the first time you've heard anything.

I clearly said they either need noses or unique snouts/muzzles (face shapes in general)...the latter of which isn't really the standard for Sonic designs.

I'd prefer the latter, if you can't tell.

[Dr. Detective]

3 hours ago, Redbluethunder5 said:

If he was an interesting character I'd say the same but he could be so much more and instead he is restricted to be an Eggman fanboy : it made sense for Thunderbolt to worship him since he made her someone and Snively was forced to follow him but Starline?  I could see him following him for his own agenda rather than genuinely admiring him

Be sure to keep in mind that I was speaking only in comparison to those other characters and not in general. That statement wasn't meant to prop him up as something thats already reached its full potential as proven by the fact that I said "I already care more". Which implies that his comic status is still extremely early and open for more development.

That said, I do also happen to think he's interesting because of his genuine admiration for Eggman. Being forced to work for Eggman or the cartoonish worship Thunderbolt had is good too though. I like that there's different ways this is being approached as well. I'm more looking forward to seeing where he goes than I care to see any of those Mer-people so much as speak.

[Polkadi~☆]

I think much of my problems with the story is that it treats every issue as it’s own contained story in an overarching plot, instead of being part of a continuous story arc. Post-reboot Archie Sonic bounced around that, but still did better arcs than IDW.

A story arc has it’s heroes and villains set in stone, and all stay for the length of the story. Everybody does what they can to contribute, and the story will stretch across several issues. IDW Sonic doesn’t do that, instead picking up and dropping characters on a whim, whether or not they’re relevant to the arc, while hopping about locations for no particular reason other than the illusion of “adventure”. There are no unified elements with any of the story, no continuity; only pushing the story ahead little by little.

Make an actual arc. Maybe Sonic has a new foe to take down in a town, maybe focus on Tails in his own story of questioning his independence as he plays a hero elsewhere, maybe test the waters with everyone’s favourite part of a series: a tournament arc. Just carry a story over four or five (even eight) issues and keep the momentum between them, without relying on slow buildup over 8 issues (an issue just to introduce the villain and set the stage is still fine :U). Just a spur of the moment story from the characters in the area.

 

13 hours ago, Dash Speed said:

Blaze belongs with the cutesy crowd Amy is in.

Eh...?

Blaze is cute and endearing, but is nowhere near Amy. Blaze is calm and collected, shy and socially awkward, and generally stands up toe to toe with Sonic and Shadow with her tenacity and confidence in battle. Her being “cute” are from those who like shy, quiet and well-spoken types, along with her very sensible and noble style. It makes her very endearing and kind of adorable.

 

[Red Hot Jack]

I think Amy can stand up to Sonic and Shadow too, she's got a strong personality, she's not just a sweet cute face. Blaze is cool and all, but she relies on her superpowers and high combat skills to be a heroine. This is why I prefer Amy, she's an actual female character but also a strong person without having to rely on powers or being a super hero.

[StaticMania]

Blaze is only a heroine because she has super powers and combat skill?

Sounds about right.

Amy can't fight Sonic, so that's inaccurate.

[Redbluethunder5]

5 hours ago, StaticMania said:

Bees don't have noses either, nor does half the case have the type of noses they should.

This isn't the first time you've heard anything.

I clearly said they either need noses or unique snouts/muzzles (face shapes in general)...the latter of which isn't really the standard for Sonic designs.

I'd prefer the latter, if you can't tell.

They look fine to me and more interesting than generic villagers with no name. 

Also what do you even mean "this isn't the first time you've heard anything "?

Seriously it's already the second time that I express my opinion and you are rude. Did I murder someone? 

I just have opinions and you have facts? 

Calm down. 

[StaticMania]

You say.

Quote

Also it's the first time I hear that unique is bad and generic is good 

I say .

Quote

They either need noses or they need to be designed like Vector and Big with unique

and again...

Quote

...unique snouts/muzzles(face shapes in general)

Something does not add up.

No more of that.

[Redbluethunder5]

25 minutes ago, Jack the Shadow said:

I think Amy can stand up to Sonic and Shadow too, she's got a strong personality, she's not just a sweet cute face. Blaze is cool and all, but she relies on her superpowers and high combat skills to be a heroine. This is why I prefer Amy, she's an actual female character but also a strong person without having to rely on powers or being a super hero.

Last I checked Sonic, Shadow, Silver and everyone else with powers only relies on them. Amy too only relies on her hammer : in one episode of Boom when it got stolen she cried about it until they found it for her and she even said that without it she was useless 

5 minutes ago, StaticMania said:

You say.

I say .

and again...

Something does not add up.

No more of that.

And I don't see how those designs are not unique or bad. Again : why are so mean to me? I'm not insulting you or anything 

 

[DabigRG]

8 hours ago, Redbluethunder5 said:

Considering how much more interesting than the game cast they were, I don't see the problem : why constantly showing characters that cannot change when you can show some that actually grow? (aside from the Penders/Bollers era) 

 

 

8 hours ago, Redbluethunder5 said:

If he was an interesting character I'd say the same but he could be so much more and instead he is restricted to be an Eggman fanboy : it made sense for Thunderbolt to worship him since he made her someone and Snively was forced to follow him but Starline?  I could see him following him for his own agenda rather than genuinely admiring him

I'm kinda in the middle when it comes to those things:

• The Meropians were kinda neat character designs, but didn't really seem to be more than sorta distinct civilian characters for that story arc. I was fine with them popping up again if the story called for it, Razor was apparently quite well liked by people and thus got to show up a little more, but I didn't really have too much attachment to most of them.
• Starline having legitimate interest in what Eggman does does give him a peculiar motivation and the greater details of any personal ambitions aren't exactly necessary to get into right now, as there is a degree of mystery that is a part of his(and Whisper's) appeal. With that said, since we have been seeing him back to back for a number of issues now, a part of me does kinda want there to be a little more development for him.

 

5 hours ago, Polkadi~♪ said:

I think much of my problems with the story is that it treats every issue as it’s own contained story in an overarching plot, instead of being part of a continuous story arc. Post-reboot Archie Sonic bounced around that, but still did better arcs than IDW.

A story arc has it’s heroes and villains set in stone, and all stay for the length of the story. Everybody does what they can to contribute, and the story will stretch across several issues. IDW Sonic doesn’t do that, instead picking up and dropping characters on a whim, whether or not they’re relevant to the arc, while hopping about locations for no particular reason other than the illusion of “adventure”. There are no unified elements with any of the story, no continuity; only pushing the story ahead little by little.

Make an actual arc. Maybe Sonic has a new foe to take down in a town, maybe focus on Tails in his own story of questioning his independence as he plays a hero elsewhere, maybe test the waters with everyone’s favourite part of a series: a tournament arc. Just carry a story over four or five (even eight) issues and keep the momentum between them, without relying on slow buildup over 8 issues (an issue just to introduce the villain and set the stage is still fine :U). Just a spur of the moment story from the characters in the area.

 

 

That'd be a way of improving things.

3 hours ago, Jack the Shadow said:

 This is why I prefer Amy, she's an actual female character 

Oooh dear....

3 hours ago, Redbluethunder5 said:

Last I checked Sonic, Shadow, Silver and everyone else with powers only relies on them. Amy too only relies on her hammer : in one episode of Boom when it got stolen she cried about it until they found it for her and she even said that without it she was useless 

 

 

I was gonna bring up the acrobatics, but then I remembered the show doesn't really have much room for that half the time. And many episodes do have fighting off Eggman's robots as a factor.

3 hours ago, Redbluethunder5 said:

And I don't see how those designs are not unique or bad. Again : why are so mean to me? I'm not insulting you or anything 

 

I don't think he's trying to be mean to you; that's just sorta how he talks.

[Skull Leader]

5 hours ago, Jack the Shadow said:

I think Amy can stand up to Sonic and Shadow too, she's got a strong personality, she's not just a sweet cute face. Blaze is cool and all, but she relies on her superpowers and high combat skills to be a heroine. This is why I prefer Amy, she's an actual female character but also a strong person without having to rely on powers or being a super hero.

I don't think Blaze sacrifices femenine traits to be a heroine. Visually it is obvious with how she wears high heels, has a bindi in her forehead and heir hairdo is a sort of ponytail. Character-wise, I'd say she's as caring as Amy, but instead of being motherly, she can be blunt and even mean and will accept not having friends if it means they can be safe. And where Amy has a stronger faith fueled by her optimism, Blaze can be a bit dramatic when she starts feeling overwhelmed by pressure and odds, showing that she is very vulnerable in the emotional side. 

IMO, Amy and Blaze are different, yet complementary faces of the same coin that is being a strong character who happens to be female. Amy will act cute and fully embrace femenine and cutesy traits, which makes her unique in that even when she could beat the badguys by herself, the moment Sonic arrives, instead of undermining him with "I don't need no men" crap, she'll see still him like the prince of those fairy tales that has come to her rescue (even if Amy already rescued herself) which is funny. Blaze is the opposite in that she is already skilled and even has fire powers, but the emotional part where Amy is the strongest, it's where Blaze shows that she has lots to be worked with.

A similar thing also applies with male characters, where you have those like Shadow who are very strong and powerful on the outside, but who needs to develop within, and those like Tails who are "relatively normal" who develop on the outside by becoming more skilled and self-suficient. At least that is how I see it and why both type of characters deserve to have spotlight and focus.

[Wraith]

All female Sonic characters retain some level of traditional femininity. While I like Amy's personality and playful fighting style I wouldn't exactly consider Blaze a scrapper on par with Shadow or Knuckles that for egos femininity . She could definitely go toe to toe with them, but I more mean in the sense of how refined her approach is in comparison. She fights with dances, twirls, projectiles etc. Knuckles and Shadow are way more likely to box.

I think the female characters the series has are actually pretty great especially under Ian's pen, but it would be neat to have more prominent characters that foregoes the pinks, purples, hearts, magic etc. I really like Tangle's sporty look and Whisper has that cool 2000-era moodiness to her. I'm glad the very first thing they did was start filling out the female cast.  

[Fire-N-Space]

20 hours ago, StaticMania said:

Amy's overall personality is meant to be cutesy...

That short fuse was a Sonic X thing that leaked into the games, she's meant to be bratty not whatever that was.

Also this:

Is this not the cutest thing?

I always thought Amy's personality was about her being love sick.  

[Sonic Fan J]

9 minutes ago, Fire-N-Space said:

I always thought Amy's personality was about her being love sick.  

There is a heck of a lot more to Amy than that and saying otherwise is selling her extremely short. She has a compassion and empathy for others as well as a temper that motivates her into action to get others to act when she sees them lacking any confidence in themselves. She has a love of adventure with tarot and dowsing being a catalyst to get her out there in Sonic CD and her desire to help others getting her on the move like in Adventure and Heroes. It's why I don't like Amy in her current position here as she is stuck behind a desk instead of getting out there and being on an adventure while helping others. It feels like such a betrayal to her love of adventure to lock her down to a desk and just gets under my skin and makes me appreciate Sonic dragging her out that much more. So sure Amy is love sick and has a major crush on Sonic which informs how she thinks about a lot of things and effects her motivations in a way, but there is so much more to her than just being lovesick and Sonic in general.