Daily Scans - A few pages from Sonic comics

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September 15th, 2009
03:12 pm
[parusmajor]

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A few pages from Sonic comics




Okay, that preview image already spoiled the punchline here...but that panel was too awesome and I wanted to post it as the preview pic :)
Here's the full page:





The page comes from "Sonic X" issue #31. I never expected to see a "forty cakes" reference in a real comic book :D

I'll post a couple more random scans from Sonic X (and some other Sonic comics).

Issue #10; Sonic's trapped in a virtual environment that looks suspiciously familiar.





Issue #6; some impressive juggling.






Issue #18; Sonic X issues had some pretty covers, but this is probably my favourite. It's just funny with those big tags on the gem display, and the gem itself :)






Issue #32; Robotnik's become a professional wrestler (yep!) and he's using the alias El Gran Gordo. In this comic, he needs Sonic's help for something. Sonic agrees to help, but Robotnik says they have to do some "preparations" before Sonic can team up with him. And thus we'll see El Rapido Azule.






Issue #37; a plan of Robotnik backfired, and Sonic & Robotnik ended up getting their minds swapped by accident. Sonic woke up in Robotnik's body at his evil fortress, and Robotnik's looking like the blue hedgehog and being accompanied by Sonic's friends.








Seeing himself in a mirror and finding out about the mindswap, Sonic freaks out in a hilarious scene. Later he calms down and is watching TV with Doctor Eggman's robotic henchmen.







"Bippetty bippetty bipp"? Feet that bend in impossible ways? I'm getting Don Martin vibes :o

Both Sonic and Robotnik hurry to help the president.




Issue #30; I'm too lazy to explain the context here, I just wanted to post that angry pie-covered face of Knuckles in the last panel :)




One funny thing in Sonic comics are these "Sonic off panel" gag strips. In them, Sonic comments on recent storylines, or has chats with the writers of the comic, or does anything else out-of-continuity stuff. Like this:






When the first issue of "Sonic Universe" was released, it featured Shadow the hedgehog and Rouge the bat in the main adventure. In the final pages of the issue there was this little strip:






The second issue continued:


(I'm not a Sonic fan so I didn't know this until I started reading Sonic comics, but Shadow can teleport when he shouts out the words "chaos control". Just FYI if you're not familiar with Sonic stuff.)


My last pics are from "Sonic The Hedgehog" issue #175. It's an intense, awesome issue with battles and explosions and cool dialogue. Robotnik's inside this battle robot mecha thingie and he's fighting with Sonic. And he's totally kicking Sonic's ass. Plus he's taunting Sonic about all his failures (like about some Sonic's friends that got killed recently, or about Sonic's girlfriend problems).








I love those pages. That issue was badass. I was reading a comic about a blue anthropomorphic fleet-footed hedgehog, and I wasn't expecting the level of badassery that this issue had. Sonic shouting "limit?!" after all the punishment he'd taken from Robotnik, and his almost psychotic expression... wow.

The cover for the issue catches one's eye, too:



The series has later a couple more awesomely cool fight scenes but I'm not posting them; they had some pre-battle build-up and I'd need to explain the context and everything. Enough scans here for now.


Since there hasn't been too many Sonic posts around here, I'd like to plug Sonic comics a little bit. "Sonic X" - which most of my scans were from - isn't actually being printed anymore (the series ended last December), but there's still two other Archie comics running; "Sonic The Hedgehog" and "Sonic Universe". Currently, those series have the talented Ian Flynn writing and Tracy Yardley drawing. I really recommend Sonic comics by these two; they do some really entertaining stuff.
Flynn's run in STH started at issue #160 and has continued since then (right now the series has a little over 200 issues). Flynn also worked on the later issues of "Sonic X" and wrote, among other things, the "forty cakes" page. "Sonic Universe" is all by him.

I remember back in the times of s_d 1.0 when someone posted Sonic stuff. That was when I found out that Sonic comics even exist. Lots of people were commenting like "wtf there's a Sonic comic that's reached over 150 issues and people actually _read_ it?!". And then there were some others who admitted to reading Sonic comics but felt guilty or embarrassed about it.
With Ian Flynn writing, Sonic comics are actually pretty damn good. And it's not any kind of shame to read good comics. People may have their opinions about the games or the fandom, but these comics are totally worth giving a try :)

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From:[info]mcspakypants
Date:September 15th, 2009 01:22 pm (UTC)
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Ditto on how awesome issue 175 was. I never read any Sonic X although I do read the follow up book Sonic Universe now.
From:[info]daso
Date:September 15th, 2009 01:59 pm (UTC)
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I'm guessing Ian Flynn wrote that 40 cakes. He is a (former?) goon.
From:[info]lultam
Date:September 15th, 2009 03:22 pm (UTC)
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Ever read the UK Sonic comics? I like some of the Archie Sonic comics but the UK version was what I grew up with, plus the art was awesome.
From:[info]parusmajor
Date:September 15th, 2009 04:06 pm (UTC)
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Nope, I haven't read those. While looking for info on Sonic's comic appearances, I was at first confused with the existence of "Sonic the comic" vs. Archie's "Sonic the hedgehog", and how these two were said to be different continuities. But yeah, haven't stumbled on "Sonic the comic" yet.
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From:[info]blake_reitz
Date:September 15th, 2009 03:51 pm (UTC)
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This was a great post. I like the little details, like Sonic's speed-lined legs looking like an infinity symbol, and the injokes are fantastic. 40 cakes! I was just thinking yesterday about posting some of Sonic 200.

You know, it is very weird, how long the Sonic comic's gone on. I mean, there's very few series right now in their 200's. There's some big old-school comics that are in the 600's, and newer stuff in the double digits, but not very much that was started in the early 90s survives to this day.
From:[info]parusmajor
Date:September 15th, 2009 04:16 pm (UTC)
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I was thinking of posting some pages from #200 in this post as well :) It was a great issue, intense and awesome like #175. But in the end, I decided to keep my post shorter and leave out lots of pages that I thought of posting.
Would be cool if you posted some scans from #200 though :) It'd be nice to see more Sonic around here.

And yeah, it's crazy how long this comic has run. For over 15 years and 200 issues... whoa.
From:[info]lonewolf23k
Date:September 15th, 2009 08:38 pm (UTC)
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Yeah, it's the longest running franchise comic ever.
From:[info]lbd_nytetrayn
Date:September 16th, 2009 07:47 am (UTC)
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Second, I think. If memory serves, Conan still holds the record.

--LBD "Nytetrayn"
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From:[info]arilou_skiff
Date:September 16th, 2009 11:00 am (UTC)
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Doubt it. Donald Duck & Co has been going since the 50's here, and they were weekly for quite a while too.
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From:[info]mullon
Date:September 15th, 2009 04:13 pm (UTC)
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It's nice to see another person who likes the Sonic the Hedgehog comics.

But I was always bothered by 175. Eggman's big plan was just to bomb Knothole into the ground? And a robot with a shield?
From:[info]parusmajor
Date:September 15th, 2009 04:30 pm (UTC)
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I'm not all that familiar with Sonic mythos. The only thing that I know about Knothole is that I once heard someone saying it was the name of Sonic's hometown :P So I didn't find myself pondering about Robotnik's plans. Instead, I keep wondering weirder things, and it's usually stuff that's imported from the games. Like the "special zones", what kind of sense do they make? Or Sonic getting power boost from rings in "Sonic X" comics. How are the rings used? Usually Sonic just grabs a ring and in the next panel it's gone. Does he eat them? Or stuff them into his rectum? And why does Knuckles want to be a hermit and live on his island guarding a big green rock; why doesn't he just say "ah, screw it", go live his life and do whatever he wants?

Just some silly Fridge Logic :)
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From:[info]silverzeo
Date:September 16th, 2009 05:34 am (UTC)
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In the recent comics, the Special Zone is run by a god of might known as Feist, who trials any comers and if they win, they get a Chaos Emerald.

The Rings are bi products of the Emerald's power. ALone, they can give Sonic, who absorbs them like an energy, immunity to damage and give him a quick boost. But with 50 rings and the 7 Chaos Emeralds, he can transform into his super form.

That's what I think.
From:[info]lonewolf23k
Date:September 15th, 2009 08:35 pm (UTC)
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Bomb the Kingdom of Knothole into the ground, while simultaneously abduct all its inhabitants with teleportation rays, to drain them as living bio-batteries, and a robot with a shield.

...That resisted that big attack Sonic was shown doing.

Yeah, I know, it's not very subtle. But sometimes, simple works.
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From:[info]mullon
Date:September 15th, 2009 11:28 pm (UTC)
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...But it's a shield!
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From:[info]deepspaceartist
Date:September 16th, 2009 01:38 am (UTC)
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Works for Cap.
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From:[info]silverzeo
Date:September 16th, 2009 05:31 am (UTC)
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Whose shield looks like the bumpers used in the game, odd...
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From:[info]silverzeo
Date:September 16th, 2009 05:30 am (UTC)
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And yet, I fear Eggman for doing that FAR more than the Dogs of War from the Thundercats, who actually killed characters in brutal ways, in almost every way in terms of story, dialogue, and art work.
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From:[info]silverzeo
Date:September 15th, 2009 04:33 pm (UTC)
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ECHIDNA RAGE!
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From:[info]taggerung301
Date:September 16th, 2009 01:45 am (UTC)
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40 cakes!!! :D
From:[info]lbd_nytetrayn
Date:September 16th, 2009 07:49 am (UTC)
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Ah, cool. A Sonic post. :D

I should perhaps do more of these with the previews as they become available. And I'm likely the one you spoke of regarding Sonic in the old SD.

It is an excellent comic.

Also, I prefer the newer Sonic Universe Off-Panels.

--LBD "Nytetrayn"
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From:[info]01d55
Date:September 16th, 2009 08:58 am (UTC)

Rassum Frassum my day grumble mumble good ol' days...

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I wish Dr. Robotnik still wore his old outfit. The new one isn't ridiculous enough.
From:[info]haljordan888
Date:September 18th, 2009 09:40 am (UTC)
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I just got into both Sonic Comics. I mean I love these characters so it is awesome to see them more than in games that come out about every 2 years more or less sometimes. I mean I've liked these guys since I've been a kid so it is great to see more of them.

I have a few issues when I was a kid too.
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From:[info]janegray
Date:October 5th, 2009 07:25 pm (UTC)
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This seems as awesomely fun as Marvel adventures comics, so why is it that I've always been told that sonic comics suck? Are these perhaps the rare gems of awesomely fun buried beneath tons of suck, or do the people who dissed sonic comics just have bad taste?
From:[info]parusmajor
Date:October 6th, 2009 03:46 pm (UTC)
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I think a lot of people are thinking about Sonic games/fandom when they go dissing Sonic. Recent Sonic games have been controversial and the fandom has a bad reputation. Some people just want to hate Sonic, that's all. This here is a good example; an entry with people dissing a Sonic preview just because.
The preview is from a "Mobius 30 Years Later" story. The story has pretty much nothing to do with the games, and it's all built around the comic's own mythos. All the "X Years Later" comics have been highly entertaining and addictive. But if one is not familiar with the setting, the pages probably look confusing and it's very easy to criticize/hate them.

Sonic comics have gone through ups and downs. The original premise was in the SatAM cartoon with "Freedom Fighters" fighting against Robotnik. The early issues were a bit silly and I still haven't bothered to read all of those earliest comics. Later on the comic turned more serious and complex, giving depth to its world. There's been some weird things too, like Sonic going to space and meeting aliens. Or the reveal that Sonic's home planet is the same place as our Earth; hostile aliens dropped gene-bombs, wiping out most of the humanity and transforming animals into Sonic-like anthros. There's been multiple Robotniks and some weird stuff about robot-Robotnik and I don't understand it all (and I don't even want to understand).
People who complain about Sonic comics may be referring to the weirder things that have taken place during the comic's run. The art has been painful at times as well.
(Most of my scans here were from "Sonic X" comic though. That series took place in a different universe/setting than "Sonic the Hedgehog" series. It had a less convoluted continuity than the main series, but it got cancelled.)

The current writer in all Sonic comics, Ian Flynn, is apparently a big fan, and he's done some work on tying up loose ends and fixing crappy plotlines. Also, there's been some modifications so the comic's universe is closer to the games' universe.
I agree in that current Sonic comics are very similar to Marvel Adventures. Fun, entertaining, light-hearted, and they leave me feeling happy. There's occasionally dramatic, bad things happening, but the main tone is uplifting and most stories have a happy ending.

Flynn started writing at #160. The early issues were a bit exposition-heavy and probably harder for beginners. I started reading somewhere around #171-#179, which might be a good starting point. There's some pretty intense issues in between there. All of them still have a lot of "*check StH issue 50!" boxes and references to past events, but I managed to catch up.
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