Megathread Archie Sonic Main Discussion

[Arcade Racer CC14]

Here be the spoils!

The issue opens with Sonic and crew defending the shrine from the Dark Gaia beasts. After a brief tussle (Along with Amy showing concern that Sonic previously breathed in what these things are made of, which he quickly blows off once again), they wipe out all of them. However, Coral tells everyone that MANY more are coming and that they come in by the hundreds every night. She blames herself for their current lack of protection, but Razor assures her that it ISN'T her fault and that he KNOWS she can raise the shield by performing the sacred rites. This raises her confidence a bit and she realizes that it's not a matter of whether she can, but that she must. Suddenly, Sonic realizes that since THEY were attacked, the city must be overrun by now. Razor and Amy decide to stay and protect Coral and the shrine while Sonic and Rotor grab two of the air charms and head out to the city.

After leaving the shrine, Sonic and Rotor see Meropis swarming with Dark Gaia creatures. They dive in just in the nick of time to save Striker, who thanks them despite their previous tiff. Sonic asks him to send back-up to the shrine, but he tells them that Meropis comes first and he can't spare any forces right now. After Striker saves Sonic in return by blasting a Gaia beast with his LAZOR CLAW, he tells them both to pick a battlefield if they want to help. The two decide to fight back the beasts to keep them away from the shrine themselves with the city guard as a bit of extra back-up.

Back at the shrine, while Amy and Razor hold off more beasts, Coral plays the Mystic Melody for Aquarius, who still isn't released. Despite not having experience trying to RAISE the city's shield rather than just maintain it, she doesn't give up and decides to play the "Song of Morning" before the Mystic Melody on her next attempt. While she's doing this, Pearly is seeing to the Chao as best she can being freaked out by them and what-not when a beast comes up behind her to attack. Luckily, though, she's saved by a swift Piko swing from Amy. After she gives Pearly a pep talk about showing courage and stuff, she goes to stop another beast from reaching Coral, which she succeeds at. However, Pearly comes back to give her some grim news: Sonic and Rotor took air charms that weren't fully charged!

Speaking of, while the two water-treading heroes are battling a large, purple, armored Gaia beast, they start to feel the effects of their draining-by-the-second trinkets. Using a bit of his remaining air, Sonic tells Rotor to swim them both to shore, but they're cut off by the beast, who thwarts their every attempt at surfacing. The story ends with the beast clasping Rotor while a nearly drowned Sonic on the seafloor starts to show his wolfish side.

The back-up begins with Sally's group confronting a battalion of Badniks. After holding them off, they spot the exit to the cave and head for it. However, they're taken aback by shots from an E-1000 unit which blasts right through Nicole's holographic form. They quickly deal with the bot and head back to the Sky Patrol, where Cream, Big, and Bunnie are impressed by the spoils of their victory. Nicole asks Sally to talk in private and thanks her for helping her see earlier, as she had forgotten just what it was like to actually live for a while. "After all, what's the point of restoring the planet if we can't save the things that make it special?" The issue ends.

Enjoy!

[Komodin]

Hm, isn't it a bit early for Sonic to be tangling with the Dark Guardian? If I can recall correctly (it's been a while I've last played Unleashed), you fight the beast near the Shamar temple.

[DarkLight]

Considering how many liberties this adaptation has taken so far, I think we might as well throw such questions out of the window. 

[Your Vest Friend]

Hm, isn't it a bit early for Sonic to be tangling with the Dark Guardian? If I can recall correctly (it's been a while I've last played Unleashed), you fight the beast near the Shamar temple.

 

Yeah, and I don't remember Sonic ever going to an underwater kingdom of fish people in Unleashed either. It changing a detail like that comes as no surprise to me.

 

Also, the back-up is nothing like the solicit. At all.

[Miitoons]

The back - up story vs. solicit thing could possibly be due a last minute story change, though I wouldn't know why

[SoundBunnie44]

I need to just subscribe to the comic through the mail I guess, it won't be out in the comic shops till the 16th I don't think.

[goku262002]

Also, the back-up is

nothing like the solicit. At all.

Explain what you mean?

Well, Gemerl exists, which means Emerl would've had to have existed too.

Oh yeah, keep forgetting that namedrop happened.

[Your Vest Friend]

Explain what you mean?

 

This is the exact solicit for the story;

 

 

 

Then, in ‘The Light in the Dark,’ Part 2, the Freedom Fighters find what they’re looking for – but will their own divisions bring them down?

 

For one thing, they found what they were looking for an issue ago. For another, there's been no signs of divisions.

 

PS: The original solicit had the part 2 typo when it came out. It was referring to part 3.

[biznizz]

That sounds like the actual part 2 of Light In The Dark, where Sally has to convince Nicole to alter their plan so the cave doesn't get destroyed.

[Delta Starfire]

So, I've read quite a chunk of issues over the last couple of days, mainly because it's got to the point where I really started digging the comic last time I read it, so my pace has quickened. I'm up to StH #77. But one thing I would like to highlight is how god awful the art by Chris Allan in KtE #26 to #28 was. And I mean, really freakin' atrocious. I get the impression that Allan was not terribly familiar with the Sonic style, because, while his work on faces and expressions was actually pretty good, his work on bodies was abominable.

 

Check it out. 

 

 

Also, the story wasn't much to write home about. It could've been done in one issue, honestly, but instead it was spread across three, and had so little going on in it that there was room for a way more interesting and satisfying backup story about Mighty, Nic, and Fiona going to rescue Ray. 

 

Anyways, it was followed up by KtE #29, which I guess was okay, but it really felt like a lot of exposition and retroactively justifying things that didn't make a lot of sense -- like Elias being on the Floating Island all this time and Knuckles being completely oblivious to it. I've only got three more issues of KtE to go now, but then it's the long, drawn out Chaos Knuckles arc in StH that I've got to read, what? Three or four years of? 

[Spidey3525]

So, I've read quite a chunk of issues over the last couple of days, mainly because it's got to the point where I really started digging the comic last time I read it, so my pace has quickened. I'm up to StH #77. But one thing I would like to highlight is how god awful the art by Chris Allan in KtE #26 to #28 was. And I mean, really freakin' atrocious. I get the impression that Allan was not terribly familiar with the Sonic style, because, while his work on faces and expressions was actually pretty good, his work on bodies was abominable.

 

Check it out. 

 

 

Also, the story wasn't much to write home about. It could've been done in one issue, honestly, but instead it was spread across three, and had so little going on in it that there was room for a way more interesting and satisfying backup story about Mighty, Nic, and Fiona going to rescue Ray. 

 

Anyways, it was followed up by KtE #29, which I guess was okay, but it really felt like a lot of exposition and retroactively justifying things that didn't make a lot of sense -- like Elias being on the Floating Island all this time and Knuckles being completely oblivious to it. I've only got three more issues of KtE to go now, but then it's the long, drawn out Chaos Knuckles arc in StH that I've got to read, what? Three or four years of? 

You weren't kidding how bad the art was. 

[Delta Starfire]

You weren't kidding how bad the art was. 

 

It's not just bad... It's... well... kinda grotesque, frankly. It's like a weirdly deformed blend of human proportions and Sonic anthro proportions with very cartoonish faces that just ends looking awful. I am rather glad this Chris Allan guy, if I recall correctly, drew comparably little for either book. 

 

In other news, I'm up to the point where Fry started drawing a lot for StH. I don't know what other people think of him, but I really dig his art. It has a kind of manga vibrancy to it that just makes everything seem so alive. I recall him being my favourite artist on the book back when I briefly collected the series from #91 to around #115. 

[goku262002]

Bethany, We reffer to that Knuckles as "Hogglesnog"

[Dejimon11]

Out of curiosity did anybody's copy of SU 64 and STH 261 have printing issues? Every copy that was at my comic shop had that

[Potada]

Why do his fists always seem to shrink whenever he bulks up?

[Delta Starfire]

Why do his fists always seem to shrink whenever he bulks up?

 

Steroids can shrink parts of the body, I guess...? =P

[Potada]

Ah, so that's how Knux lost his series.

By the way, has Heese done any pencilwork for the insides yet? Love the guy's work.

[anna]

Out of curiosity did anybody's copy of SU 64 and STH 261 have printing issues? Every copy that was at my comic shop had that

Actually, yeah. My copy of 261 had quite a few! I was really upset about it.

[Your Vest Friend]

By the way, has Heese done any pencilwork for the insides yet? Love the guy's work.

 

Not yet, but he will do in StH#264.

[Toby]

Out of curiosity did anybody's copy of SU 64 and STH 261 have printing issues? Every copy that was at my comic shop had that

I must have lucked out, because I didn't notice any printing problems in my copies...

 

Something I was thinking about earlier. How does everyone here store their issues? Do you bag and board em? Keep them in a shoe box? Just put them where ever because they're just comics and aren't going to last forever?

[Dejimon11]

Err I kept them in a bag and board then keep them in my closet

[Sonictrainer]

I must have lucked out, because I didn't notice any printing problems in my copies...

 

Something I was thinking about earlier. How does everyone here store their issues? Do you bag and board em? Keep them in a shoe box? Just put them where ever because they're just comics and aren't going to last forever?

 

I'm keeping my oldest issues in protective plastic covers in 2 separate closed containers, the Archives, Select, and Best of Sonic Books are in an open container in my closet, while the current ones are separated in 2 drawers of my night table.

 

A majority of my first issues had to be thrown out because I didn't take better care of storing them. If it weren't for the Archives, number 90 would be the earliest issue I own even I started out with #36.

[anna]

I keep them on my bookshelf...I should probably choose a safer method, though. The way they're sitting, the could get all bent and such and I don't really want that. What's a good method for storage?

[SoundBunnie44]

I keep mine in bag n board in long boxes just like my other comics.

[SchemingMinor]

I just bag and board mine and put them in a D-ring binder.