IDW Sonic Comics are confirmed canon

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

1 minute ago, Indigo Rush said:

I'm all for the consistency, but making the comics "canon" is kind of a risky move. It's not like it isn't doable, but it'll take a large amount of oversight to make sure everything is consistent. Adding to that, what happens when the comics are inevitably cancelled? Not saying that's happening anytime soon, and retcons are always a thing, but that's a very real thing that will happen. And what happens when there's a lore oopsie and the comics contradict something? 

Just stuff to think about.

I think so far, we're fine since the comics haven't done anything in particular to stray too far from the schematics of the games.

Which makes sense, given that the IDW era was more prescribed to be in line with the games from the get go.

14 minutes ago, Dr. Mechano said:

Sticks is a bit of a weird case, since she doesn't originate from a game-canon source.

Would be absolutely wild if the first appearance of "Sega Sticks" was in Mario and Sonic at the Rio Olympic Games 2016. They couldn't mention it by name, but she could totally be like, "Yeah! I competed with you guys in the big sports games that one time!"

Sticks is one that I could seem them giving backstory to, on why she rose to the challenge to fight Eggman.

Could see her paranoia in the main timeline being an after-effect of Forces.

[Zaysho]

I don't think this announcement actually means anything. Sure, they'll namedrop the IDW characters, maybe even slightly retool them for use in a future game (specifically to avoid making people read the comic if they don't want to). At the very least, the fact that the characters have gotten some attention either from being named in Frontiers or being included in a mobile game shows there's interest in trying to incorporate them down the line. All this really means is that they're going to keep tying the hands of the creative team on the comics and set restrictions on what they can or can't use, though. Won't really mean anything unless they start trying to patch it into the current framework of the games, and I don't think that's really something that makes sense for a multimedia franchise, it can exist on its own and share elements/events of the games (and likewise can have crossover with characters), which is how it should be.

As far as I'm concerned, this is just lipservice from their lore team for the handful of people who think something being "canon" makes it inherently more valuable.

[Dr. Mechano]

Well... I wouldn't say it's about value.

But it does affect whether it warrants mention in a discussion about the game iterations of certain characters. Now, the IDW comics can be used as a reference point, whereas before it was ambiguous if they counted as the same character or a different version entirely.

For better and for worse, I have IDW (and possibly Prime? I think it was declared canon too) to pull from when discussing game Eggman's character now.

[Tornado]

Cool story Sega try to get your own stories from your own games straight before anyone should give a shit about any of the side stuff made by other people that will immediately be thrown out as soon as the next game comes out anyway.

 

 

7 hours ago, Dr. Mechano said:

and possibly Prime? I think it was declared canon too

I remember them leaning pretty hard on that in the marketing too and then I watched it and it manifested entirely in a couple bad early 2000s sprite comics shoved into the penultimate episode to pad time that seemed to just be guessing at the stories of the games they referenced based on watching a Youtube Longplay of Origins; and the entire rest of the show was explicitly alternate universe shenanigans.

[PickleBrows]

I think this is all simply tying into their previous statements about wanting to unify the sonic brand.

You can go into the games, comics, tv show (movie universe is the exception) and you're getting a relatively consistent world and characters. Yes there are some slight differences in characterisation, and there will be some contradictions here and there, but on balance you're not getting completely contrasting experiences between mediums. Compared to previous eras, it makes it much easier for newcomers to embrace Sonic as a multimedia franchise instead of potentially getting stuck in just one part of it.

I think it's less about things being hard canon and more about them being compatible with each other. I think it's unlikely comic-exclusive events are going to play into the games in any major way outside of a potential occasional throwaway reference.

[Danj86]

3 hours ago, Red Hot Jack said:

I was being sarcastic, because Jet is a spinoff character in the same way Tangle and Whisper are from a different medium than the games.

Also, I don't really like the idea that for IDW to be canon to the games, Tangle needs to be playable or be a major character or connect to the IDW plots... that would in fact force everyone to read the comics, which is what SEGA should NOT do for me.

In the games, the focus should be on Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, etc.

Oh. So I was totally misreading your comments too. In that case, I'm in total agreement with you. But to try and clarify a little more, at least I meant I wont believe Sega consider them canon until one of the characters physically appears in a mainline title. They don't actually have to be playable. I'd actually prefer it if they weren't playable.

If I was to turn off all my filters and be brutally honest with no care of hurting feelings, I'd say I don't give any kind of...poop towards any IDW character in general. I only care about the game cast while tolerating the IDW ones in the comic. So I guess I'm a grumpy purist, but I ain't gonna throw a tantrum if others want them in. It still is cool to see them in 3D or in Uekawa's style.

I...don't really know why I'm like this.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

Wasn’t this already said literally the week after Frontiers was released?

We even had a topic on it.

[Wraith]

4 hours ago, Indigo Rush said:

I'm all for the consistency, but making the comics "canon" is kind of a risky move. It's not like it isn't doable, but it'll take a large amount of oversight to make sure everything is consistent. Adding to that, what happens when the comics are inevitably cancelled? Not saying that's happening anytime soon, and retcons are always a thing, but that's a very real thing that will happen. And what happens when there's a lore oopsie and the comics contradict something? 

Just stuff to think about.

the same thing that happens when the games contradict themselves, i imagine. either nothing or they put out a tailstube and patch it up later.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

2 hours ago, CrownSlayer’s Shadow said:

Wasn’t this already said literally the week after Frontiers was released?

We even had a topic on it.

Pretty much. We honestly already knew that IDW was made canon a while ago.

[Rabbitearsblog]

19 minutes ago, Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon said:

Pretty much. We honestly already knew that IDW was made canon a while ago.

I thought that it was obvious that IDW is canon to the games because the series takes place after Sonic Forces and SEGA is much more involved in this comic book series than they were with Archie.

[SticksSuperFan14]

9 hours ago, Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon said:

 

Sticks is one that I could seem them giving backstory to, on why she rose to the challenge to fight Eggman.

Could see her paranoia in the main timeline being an after-effect of Forces.

I kinda doubt Forces alone would cause her paranoia, many scary, world-threatening events have occurred during the modern series, some of which would've affected her directly (Dark Gaia splitting Earth would've definitely caused some damage to her home, for example).

[Danj86]

Since they keep claiming that IDW is canon, haven't we been overlooking an elephant in the room?

When is the events of Sonic Frontiers supposed to take place? Is the comic going to follow on with the plotlines left in the game? Will they do something with Sage? Have they talked about this stuff at all? I don't follow comic news.

Also...is Infinite fucking dead?? I know his debut was awful, but a better writer might be able to give him depth. Ian did pretty well with Zavok in my opinion.

[Red Hot Jack]

Sonic Frontiers is later I think. Considering the story isn't finished as well. Also, little fun fact: Ian Flynn confirmed that last years' FCBD issue with Knuckles on Angel Island was a tie in to the animated prologue, with Knuckles investigating the secrets of the island.

Sticks is a basic character, she would need no major rework to fit the games, there can be a version of her in the main universe, I would tone down her paranoia for the sake of not being overly comedic like in Boom, but it's pretty much that.

Anyway, it's not really news I agree, this was confirmed months ago, but yeah the most interesting thing would be when we have IDW stuff actually in the games. They could be playable in a spinoff, I wouldn't mind.

[LegoFedora]

14 hours ago, Dr. Mechano said:

The Sticks namedrop was absent in the Japanese version.

The Tangle namedrop was still included in the Japanese version.

The IDW Sonic comics have an official Japanese localization as well, so it's not surprising they attempted to canonize her in both versions.

Ah, my mistake. I always heard neither were included.

[Wraith]

3 hours ago, Danj86 said:

Since they keep claiming that IDW is canon, haven't we been overlooking an elephant in the room?

When is the events of Sonic Frontiers supposed to take place? Is the comic going to follow on with the plotlines left in the game? Will they do something with Sage? Have they talked about this stuff at all? I don't follow comic news.

 

The entire comic takes place after Sonic Forces, but before Sonic Frontiers. There will be a day where they go past Sonic Frontiers but it hasn't happened yet. 

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

4 hours ago, Danj86 said:

Since they keep claiming that IDW is canon, haven't we been overlooking an elephant in the room?

When is the events of Sonic Frontiers supposed to take place? Is the comic going to follow on with the plotlines left in the game? Will they do something with Sage? Have they talked about this stuff at all? I don't follow comic news.

Also...is Infinite fucking dead?? I know his debut was awful, but a better writer might be able to give him depth. Ian did pretty well with Zavok in my opinion.

It's honestly all really simple. Comic is past Forces. When it gets to Frontiers or past it, we'll know. And yes, until further notice, Infinite is dead. That's pretty much been well known since the point.

[Rabbitearsblog]

I am interested in seeing how they will eventually bring in the IDW characters to the games. I hope they don't just throw them into the games without explaining their backstories within the games, because not everyone has read the IDW comics and therefore, they would be at a lost at who some of these characters are, like Tangle and Whisper.

[SticksSuperFan14]

6 hours ago, Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon said:

 Infinite is dead. That's pretty much been well known since the point.

Pretty sure Kishimoto stated on twitter that Infinite returning was possible, I mean it always seemed to me more like he "disappeared" rather than dying, like the Phantom Ruby took him to a different dimension or something.

[Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon]

18 minutes ago, SticksSuperFan14 said:

Pretty sure Kishimoto stated on twitter that Infinite returning was possible,

Hence why, from the part of my quote that you left out, I worded it as:

7 hours ago, Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon said:

And yes, until further notice, Infinite is dead.

Ergo, Infinite's dead until/if he’s granted a return.

[CrownSlayers Shadow]

48 minutes ago, Rabbitearsblog said:

I am interested in seeing how they will eventually bring in the IDW characters to the games. I hope they don't just throw them into the games without explaining their backstories within the games, because not everyone has read the IDW comics and therefore, they would be at a lost at who some of these characters are, like Tangle and Whisper.

Give each one of them personal stories and events before they meet Sonic.

It something they do in Arknights where there’s a sort of “side-story event” with vast number of characters. Some events take place during the same period as the main story, others take place in the distant past, but it still fleshes out the characters so that you have an idea of who they are and where they come from.

Sonic can do something like that for IDW characters if they bring them in.

[LegoFedora]

2 hours ago, Rabbitearsblog said:

I am interested in seeing how they will eventually bring in the IDW characters to the games. I hope they don't just throw them into the games without explaining their backstories within the games, because not everyone has read the IDW comics and therefore, they would be at a lost at who some of these characters are, like Tangle and Whisper.

Seeing these characters in the games would be cool but...is it weird to not really want them? I know I previously agreed with the whole "if they aren't in the games do they even count as canon" thing, but upon thinking further I do kind of like the idea of each Sonic media/off-shoot having it's own exclusive set of characters.

The games may have characters that will never see an appearance in the comics (Infinite), just like IDW may have its own set of characters which while canon to the games and their stories, never actually make an appearance in them outside of spinoff games like Forces Battle or racing games. The TV shows may have their own exclusive set as well which never appear in either, like Prime's multiple Eggmen.

[Sonictrainer]

So does that mean that the city in Sonic Forces is officially known as Sunset City?

[SticksSuperFan14]

9 hours ago, Jovahexeon Jax Joranvexeon said:

Hence why, from the part of my quote that you left out, I worded it as:

Ergo, Infinite's dead until/if he’s granted a return.

I figured his word was "further notice."

[TripTrap]

I mean, it's not like they didn't tell us this way back when they were talking about unifying the brand. Ian has gone onto state this several times as well, so this isn't out of nowhere. I think it means that further down the line we might be able to see comic characters like Tangle and migrants like Sticks appear in more media like the games (probably side games) or cartoons if they'll make more. The new trademark "Sonic and Friends" might include stuff like side games with a focus on the other characters or something.

[Rabbitearsblog]

On 7/2/2023 at 6:25 PM, TripTrap said:

I mean, it's not like they didn't tell us this way back when they were talking about unifying the brand. Ian has gone onto state this several times as well, so this isn't out of nowhere. I think it means that further down the line we might be able to see comic characters like Tangle and migrants like Sticks appear in more media like the games (probably side games) or cartoons if they'll make more. The new trademark "Sonic and Friends" might include stuff like side games with a focus on the other characters or something.

Yeah, I can see Tangle and Whisper appearing in the mainstream games at some point.