Bollers: Sonic #125 Will Reveal the "True History" of Planet Mobius

Archie Comics writer Karl Bollers has been interviewed in the latest issue of Comic Shop News, and alongside talking about his work and what it means to him, he also offers some new details about the upcoming Sonic #125 comic.

Sonic #125, of course, is the tenth anniversary issue of the US comic, and Bollers is thinking big about the universe's canon for the story of this one. "[Sonic #125] reveals the true history of Sonic's planet, Mobius," the writer said, before dropping the big plot twist.

If you don't want to know, you should probably click away now.

Quote

"Fans of the Sonic comic have long believed that Mobius has always been a world where anthropomorphic animals were the dominant species and humans (who are referred to as Overlanders) were the minority.

"#125 reveals otherwise when an alien race, known as the Xorda, pay a visit to Sonic's world, intent on destroying it. Furthermore - the Xorda are referring to Mobius as 'Earth'!

"Did they take a wrong turn at Alpha-Centauri and end up picking a fight with the wrong planet, or do the Xorda know something Sonic and his team of freedom fighters don't? It becomes an all out struggle for planetary preservation when Sonic and the heroes (and villians) of Mobius must team up to defeat a giant cosmic foe. The story is so big it kicks off in Sonic #124, featuring art by Steven Butler & J. Axer."

He also offered some general hints about future issues as well. Again, possible spoilers for #126-129 below.

Quote

"Sonic The Hedgehog #s 126-129 feature a four part story arc titled "Tossed In Space", which sees Sonic stranded in a distant galaxy after the events of Sonic #125. Separated from his family and his friends, the heroic hedgehog must now find a way home. Along the journey, he'll have to face his darkest inner demons, witness the birth of an alien world where evolution takes place at an advanced rate, learn that he's responsible for the destruction of countless planets, and take on an alien government!

"After that, the fastest thing alive returns to Mobius, but things aren't quite the way he left them..."

So, yeah! That came out of nowhere! It seems like the Xorda/Earth will be the next big story arc for the Archie comic series, so it will be interesting to see how Bollers and team will realise that on paper.

The Comic Shop News article also served as a general interview of Archie's Sonic series itself, seeings as we're hitting the tenth anniversary of the comic and all. Bollers was asked his thoughts on why Sonic has remained the success he has been all these years.

Quote

"Sonic carries a message of hope that many of todays comics have forgotten. It seems that in a lot of comics, the stories jst keep getting darker and darker from issue to issue, and the situations that the characters find themselves in just gets worse and worse. There's never any light at the end of the tunnel to break up the gloom.

"Don't get me wrong, Sonic isn't all sunshine. Don't let the blue spines and the red sneakers fool you. It has its fair share of tragedy, but we tend to balance that with humorous moments and a series of wins to equal the heroes losses.

"I think younger readers, in particular, need to see both sides of the coin as they develop a view of the world around them without being talked down to. The world can be a pretty bad place, but amidst the badness there are happy moments that we can cherish with those we love. Even if they have two tails."

Finally, the writer also talked about the audience he reaches with Sonic the Hedgehog, and the unique challenge that offers for him compared to other comic book writers that mainly create stories exclusively for older or younger markets. 

Quote

"I enjoy producing stories for all-age readers because ittests my skills as a writer, If I were only writing for adults, my range would be far more limited. the challenges are very difficult on Sonic, and I feel like it's a tug of war between appealing to the younger readers as well as the older ones. As far as I know, the youngest fan of the Sonic comics is in pre-kindergarten, while the oldest one is over fifty years. I've seen a Sonic message board visited by teens and tenty-somethings that gets at least thirty new posts daily, and has a flamewar once or twice a week."

"At times it can be tempting to tell the story in a way that appeals to the older readers, but then I have to consider whether younger readers will understand. It's only fair. They're buying the book too. Or at least thier parents are! I've been criticized by older readers for not writing Sonic as if it were Watership Down. I tend to keep a balance, and every so often I'll do something that goes over younger readers' head without making them lose track of whats going on. Sort of the way you noticed all these things in Bugs Bunny cartoons now, that you didn't as a kid."

"Yuji Naka and Sonic Team over in Japan have created such a rich world filled with colorful characters for the Sonic video games (I also heard through the electronic grapevine that a new Sonic animated TV show is slated to air in the U.S. this fall), it makes it easy to come up with surreal and exciting storylines and situations for the characters to find themselves in month after month."

It's great to see so many people at Archie enjoy what they do, and we hope Karl and the rest of the team get to keep doing it for a long time to come.

Source: Comic Shop News (via Sonic HQ)