Sonic #243-246 The crossover and reboot are right around the corner but I think we have some time for one more bit of suffering. 90% of Knuckles’ problems have been from other echidnas but he’s in luck! A dear friend has made it his mission to make sure such a thing won’t happen to our guardian. Ever. The Pendering is here to deal one last blow to Knuckles before the big reset. This is Endangered Species!
Question: Who was your favorite non-Knuckles echidna?
>>142057368 Sonic does not have a good track record against Metal Knuckles. Even Fleetway Sonic got whooped by the Metallix version. >>142057322 Pick one. >>142057324 Based. >>142057325 He's a pretty cool villain.
>>142057272 ... Sigh. Hello darkness, my old friend.
>Question: Who was your favorite non-Knuckles echidna? In the comics? Honestly, kind of a tie between Julie-Su and Lara-Su. Both of them are fun tomboys who have little patience for bullshit, and add a bit of interesting nuance to their respective narrative elements.
>>142057387 When was the last time the Tornado crashed? Been too long. >>142057337 >That's an easy one, Remington of course! I wonder who made this post. Although there are apparently two Remington enjoyers.
>>142057362 You can have her, sold! >>142057368 You'd think they'd explain why the engines are having trouble >>142057387 Who wouldn't want to smash metal Knux? >>142057391 It's mega creepy >>142057392 Yeah, they're a lot of fun, especially when Penders isn't writing Lara-Su >>142057403 NO SHE'S NOT, THAT'S A BASELESS LIE! Yeah, that's Komi-Ko. The Star Trek character she's based on was a teacher too
>>142057459 Look at all of this edited text. I'm still surprised Remington and Lien-Da still keep their names. You'd think they'd get generic titles like Lara-Le.
This arc is when they stop calling the planet with it's awesome name of Mobius to just "Sonic's World". God thats so fucking lame and even went to reboot and the games for a while. Couldnt even be Earth Anyway Mobius>>>Earth>>>>>>>>>Sonic's World
>>142057412 >I wonder who made this post. ;) >Although there are apparently two Remington enjoyers. :O >>142057433 Yeah, this whole issue's a mess >>142057452 Spectre was basically Shadow before Shadow existed. Really wish they'd done more with him considering he's the only partially legionized Guardian >>142057459 Plap plap it's my husbando Remington! And he's wearing his handsomest outfit yet!
>>142057272 >Who was your favorite non-Knuckles echidna? Dimitri. Even under Penders he was always entertaining even if his main purpose was to job to Mogul. Runner up is Lien-da.
>>142057467 >Yeah, they're a lot of fun, especially when Penders isn't writing Lara-Su To be absolutely fair, she was one of the few characters Penders wasn't totally incompetent in handling. Much like Dr. Quack, Lara-Su was well defined from the start as an eager, hotshot future guardian who was none the less fully aware of and willing to burden the responsibility. She knew what the job entailed and still wanted it. Having someone who actually wanted to be the guardian without being forced into it by tradition was interesting, and led to some solid character development.
>>142057483 It's really weird considering Remington's one of the main Echidnas he's using in his Lara-Su Chronicles. Oh, and in case anyone's wondering where the name's from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remington_Steele Yes, my husbando is The Architect!
>>142057503 I can only imagine Steven Butler getting ready to throw hands if anyone else was assigned to Lien-Da's final appearance. >You WILL let me draw her one last time, or there will be violence in this office.
>>142057707 I know that, but they legit wouldnt even call it earth for ddumbass reasons >>142057715 Fuck, I'll miss you echidna snively and regular snively. I love you both
>>142057561 They should call it Chipia! >>142057568 >At least we can see her Yeah >>142057570 Yeah, for whatever reason Penders didn't make her mega-bland. I was more getting at who she wasn't given much to do in M20YL (not that anyone was) >>142057583 All good choices >>142057589 >spoiler ;;_; >>142057610 At least his last comic has him selflessly helping others
>>142057610 >straight up kill-sealing a called shot Y'know, Conductor, you've got a point. Tails is weirdly way more competent and cool in Butler drawn issues.
>>142057781 He's not really tied to three writers, Finitevus is a Bollers character 100%. At the time, they thought only Penders characters were off-limits.
>>142057629 Remy fangs! >>142057650 Yeah, they were finally getting away from the Knuckles clone look Penders loved so much >>142057670 NO! IT'S NOT FAIR! FUCK YOU PENDERS, I HOPE YOU REMAIN A PARIAH IN THE SONIC COMMUNITY FOREVER!
>>142057836 >>142057813 The chance that Penders could claim him is definitely a reason they never bothered to bring him back after that was cleared up. If Ian didn't make the connection, I wonder if he would've stuck around. Then again I remember Bollers also laying claim to characters he created.
>>142057889 And now for some snippets of the original page for this issue. You can find the original on someone's patreon but since it's behind a paywall I won't try and get it.
>>142057870 I don't think that's how it works, legally. Bollers thought up and wrote Finitevus into the book, you can't just retroactively declare the character is someone else so you can claim them IRL.
>>142057870 >Then again I remember Bollers also laying claim to characters he created. All this kind of shit was pretty much why there were no OCs belonging to the old writers in the bok henceforth. If they weren't created by Ian or anyone else working with him at the time, they were barred from the comic.
>>142057715 At least she went out drawn by But(t)ler >>142057720 lmao >>142057731 lmao >>142057805 Hot, incompetent, enormously petty, never gives up. Easily one of my favorite characters. >>142057807 >Brass Knuckles kinda cute. Not gonna lie. The Thug Life arms are especially adorable! >>142057831 Electrifying
>>142057961 >>142057929 At that time I don't think anyone knew for sure and wanted to even bother. Sega surely didn't and Archie fucked up so much they wouldn't want to either.
>>142057949 >At least she went out drawn by But(t)ler Again, I don't think anyone dared tell him no on this. One of his waifus is getting erased, let the man have one more month with her.
>>142057898 Ha! >>142057911 Same. It even provided the materials for my Remington collage! >>142057918 Damn, absolutely torn to shreds >>142057992 Yeah, he's the only one that could give her the send off she deserved >>142058014 Poor Knux ;_;
>>142057568 >Lara-le is still allowed to call Knuckles her son >Tails isn’t allowed to call his parents Mom or Dad The mandates for the comic are so inconsistent in this era.
>>142058047 Thrash, Thrash! Take out the trash! Take out the mother...fucking trash! Thrash, Thrash! Take out the trash! Take out themotherfuckingtrash!
Here's comes a purple guy, not from FNAF! Removing the reds is his life craft! You better stay out this devil's path. You won't forget his name or his wrath.
Here to remove the rest of the problem, He's ready for swift revenge. They should've used some condoms. Instead, he'll be their dredge.
Thrash, Thrash! Take out the trash! Take out the mother...fucking trash! Thrash, Thrash! Take out the trash! Take out themotherfuckingtrash!
Thrash, Thrash! Take out the trash! Too late for Echidnas to avoid his path! Can't avoid the devil, he does the math! Zero of you bitches, no bloodbath!
>>142058029 Sold! >>142058037 It really does suck >>142058047 >It's ya boi, Thrash! But(t)ler does a great job of drawing him >>142058061 lmao >>142058080 >I hope you claimed some echidnas because they're all gone, gone, gone! ;_;
>>142058141 It's sad. Even the flashbacks can't show other echidnas. >>142058121 Well... you're just in time to enjoy the upcoming crossover and reboot!
You can really feel the actual despair of the people working on this in the writing, the art’s mood, i can’t imagine how it felt working on this with all the bullshit behind the scenes
>>142058160 Agreed, genuinely don’t mind Rouge being used more as a lead gal more often now cause I actually like her, Blaze would be nice but sadly her dealio makes it hard to organically use her in games
>>142058168 >>142058167 With the lawsuit going on and ending, it's been bad for a while and got worse. To think Ian just going with his plan for so long with all of it happening. So optimistic.
>>142058060 I'm never ready for this part, because it's depressing for all the wrong reasons. This isn't due to a new planned direction for the book that leads to storylines, it's just legal bullshit that resulted from malicious pettiness and drooling incompetence. Shit like this is why it's such a horrible state of affairs that the stories we love are controlled by corporations and poorly designed laws. Fuck this rotten world.
>>142058121 We've got all the previous threads on the website in the OP if you're interested >>142058141 >Core Four Boo! >>142058167 Yeah, it's like walking around an abandoned shopping mall you used to visit when you were a kid
>>142058160 There shouldn't be "main 4 characters". Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles are enough. We don't need a token female who just so happens to be just as tough as them.
>>142058204 >>142058174 Don't worry, you'll find out why. >>142058202 Funny thing that a Penders fan tried to do a fancomic continuation of his run while ignoring Ian's run but only some covers came of it. I don't know where I saved those.
>>142058204 >To think Ian just going with his plan for so long with all of it happening. [spoilerI wish he didnt insist on giving us a false hope in the reboot[/spoiler:lit]
>>142058168 >Sonic and Knuckles are barely even flirting ;_; >>142058200 So many of our favorite characters are being hastily written out due to Penders' lawsuit >>142058202 I'll never understand why he chose to make my husbando a pizza delivery man
>>142058211 >Shit like this is why it's such a horrible state of affairs that the stories we love are controlled by corporations and poorly designed laws. You know what can help remedy that?
>>142058252 As far as we know, she was supposed to keep fighting Sonic and Team Fighters while Knuckles (and Saffron and Julie-Su presumably) mostly handled Thrash.
>>142058285 Careful, they're game characters. >>142058252 She's on the original cover for the next issue. So she likely would've lost and been jailed in Albion or escaped.
>>142058285 I do like how despite Thrash’s total hatred of Echidna’s he’s not actually all that bad with other people, makes him a more interesting character
>>142058066 Same thing happened with Sonic parents, they still called him their son a couple of issues back in their last apperance so it's a weird workaround. Since the parents are comic exclusive character and aren't part of the games, they can still say ambiguously who their children are, but not by name. Meanwhile Sonic, Tails, Knuckles or any character saying they have a parent? Can't happen because of mandates.
>>142058112 This story is so hackneyed and cobbled together. I felt bad for everyone involved having to basically throw away everything they worked on into the trash.
>>142058317 >Cor blimey! PFFFFFFFFFFT!!! Why is the Australian coded character spitting the most aggressive Bri'ish-ism in existence? Is this a thing? Do Aussies really say fuckin' "cor blimey"?
>>142058435 I like to think Finitevus planned this out as one last act of spite before hobbling to another zone, the only other Echidna left yet completely forgotten by the universe recreation
>>142058495 >... Ian, is that a fucking Star Wars reference? Nicole has been an hologram for a while, now. T-Pup is likely not powerful enough to make a full-size one.
>>142058483 Damn, this actually is some greek tragedy where Knuckles unintentionally is responsible for the total loss of his own people. Even though this is obviously slap dash, Thrash does make a great enemy and rival to Knuckles visually and role wose
>>142058502 Thrash reeeing in the second panel is pretty much Penders' reaction to things >>142058505 Due to Penders' autism they never formally marry or get engaged
Something that gets lost in the discussion of these issues is how, aside from the bullshit, these issues are kinda boring as fuck when taken on their own. The story just got torpedoed, so there's basically no content for the rest of the arc. It's just a bunch of standing around wondering what happened, and that's it.
Gotta be honest, I never really cared about Archie and in fact I don't like it. However I still can't help but feel bad for all the fans of the comics that had to see this shit go down in real time. I actually genuinely hate Sega for not showing up to court and letting the old continuity die. No one fucking deserve to have decades of worldbuilding and stories gone in an instant like that just because some guy wanted to make a few bucks. (Penders claim it was to protect his stories and characters but we all know that's not true.) The worst thing about Ken Penders is that his influence on the franchise can still be felt to this day, now Sega will never let another continuity try anything new ever again and Sonic will stay a stale and boring franchise forever from now on Fuck Ken Penders Fuck Sega and Fuck Archie because goddamn it they're still responsible for how autistic the Sonic fandom is lol
>>142058574 I wouldn’t blame the comic for that, lots of game fans don’t even know of the comics and are still mental, thanks anyway for at least despite not being a fan agreeing that the whole situation was unfair
>>142058566 It is pretty much the elephant in the room. The quality of the rest of the arc is only a symptom of the bigger picture. The issues were done last minute so i'm sure most people were rational about why these were bad. People cared more about getting the "real" story, than this boring mess it ended up as.
>>142058533 >Thrash has no beef whatsoever with any other of the Mobian species. >He does volunteer work at the platypus children's hospital >He is a great friend of the Society for Disadvantaged Canine Mobians. >Thrash even has no problems with Overlanders and has been known to have a few positive things to say about them. >It's just Echidnas he fucking hates
>>142058542 >Even though this is obviously slap dash, Thrash does make a great enemy and rival to Knuckles visually and role wose The sad thing is, Thrash wasn't meant to be a villain. More of an anti-hero. He wasn't meant to actually succeed in wiping out the echidnas.
>>142058566 It was boring before the Pendering. I don't care about the Echidnas or Lien-Da or whatever. I'm glad it was cut short. Worlds Collide is 10/10, let's get to that alrady!
>>142058631 >>142058607 >penders quit >tried to make money on the characters he created >archie sued him and lost >sega didn't help at all >all characters penders claimed as his own had to be removed >might as well get rid of all echidnas as well
>>142058574 >spoiler Have you seen how the current fanbase is and how they nitpick over every little thing? Some of them are new zoomer fans who didn't grow up with Archie and they are even worse.
>>142058533 >Oh, Thrash. Really didn't count on Sonic's close and personal relationship with Knux! >>142058566 They were scrambling to get something out and the only way to make the deadline was to rewrite and redraw parts of these issues. If they'd had more time, this entire arc would've been different >>142058574 I think they're willing to try new things and explore characters' pasts now. Frontiers had an entire animation and some dialogue about how Knuckles is going to explore his past and the new Generations game is going to delve more into Shadow's past >>142058609 At least we got some tentacle action
>>142058685 Stuff from the last issue. >>142058682 >It's raining, how is the Krudzu doing okay? It'll get explained soon. >>142058677 >At least we got some tentacle action No matter what, Sonic HAS to be choked!
So did Thrash open up a portal to somewhere with that ring and put all the echidnas in the city in it? Like, did he hand-carry every single one into the ring portal, one at a time?
>>142058704 >If you had paid actual money for these issues I did lol >would you be happy Well i wasn't happy, but honestly Endangered Species is not the worst story the book ever had, not even the worst Ian Flynn story.
>>142058631 wew! >>142058637 Yeah, those are great! They're also the only way we'll ever get closure >>142058655 lmao >>142058702 >No matter what, Sonic HAS to be choked! What a slut!
>>142057272 I was busy watching a friend stream a game, glad the thread's still here >Question: Who was your favorite non-Knuckles echidna? Gotta be Finitevus second is Dimitri
>>142058704 I had a subscription for both series at the time, and let me tell you I wasn't a happy camper when these were showing up at my doorstep for the past 4 months. lmao The sentiment was about the same for most fans at the time
>>142058704 Sad thing is I owned this issue and the one right before with Lien-da and had no knowledge of the legal problems, i thought after worlds collide and few issues of the reboot things would go back to normal….
>>142058704 >implying I don't own every graphic novel >>142058714 Yeah, SatAM got two seasons but we had decades of Archie >>142058727 Crabmeat my belovéd! >>142058752 Both good choices
>>142058782 As we'll find out later in the encyclopedia. It was a small group of echidna scientists that were responsible. They were caught and punished by the other echidnas for it.
>>142058779 >I couldn’t help but laugh at this one. That’s really funny. And I can't wait to laugh when your book inevitably flops! >>142058786 He's my sentimental favorite Eggman lackey >>142058833 lmao >>142058834 Yeah, we even see his discarded stuffed Echidna toy on the ground
>>142058838 So, we are blaming Penders for this, but isn't it actually Sega trying to enforce their "Knuckles is the last Echidna" mandate that is at fault for Endangered Species, there?
>>142058857 He could fuck other Mobians instead and...
Hold on, does the retard genes activate even in offsprings from mixed couples? Maybe the Tazmanian Devils would have survived if they were more open-minded!
>>142058838 You can feel the actual anger from Ian’s hands while writing this, it is so easy to read the dialogue as being him venting about the situation
>>142058814 >As we'll find out later in the encyclopedia. It was a small group of echidna scientists that were responsible. They were caught and punished by the other echidnas for it. So Thrash is a STUPID cunt who didn't even bother to do proper research on this shit. Cool.
Look, what happened to the tasmanian devils was horrific, but as another anon pointed out, this is not the proper response. Seriously, did dude think the entire echidna race take a vote to turn another sapient species into animals? Come the fuck on.
>>142058887 Hold on, why is Tails and Amy of all people the one to do Taz's signature move? Was Archie worried about Trash getting claimed by Warner Brothers?
>>142058944 >Did a single one of them apologize to Thrash I am sure they would if they learned about it in the first place. Probably would start working on reversing the process.
've been on 'this' Ride since the beginning, I have to say even though you guys are sounding more autistic than Chris-chan right now. However, I do get your points. We've come a long way, and the Sonic comic writers had actually built up a world with history and backstory. To see it go down in flames due to a lawsuit is just sad.
>>142058983 That shit only happens in movies. Every "evil" person I've ever known have grown old never regretting a single one of their horrible acts. Humans are unbeatable at justifying shit to themselves.
>>142058883 Absolutely fantastic! I consider it canon >>142058920 Yeah, you really can. I'm guessing that was intentional >>142058935 It's the best justification they could come up with in the little time they had. Thrash was originally supposed to end up a good guy >>142058942 Kick Penders' ass Knux! >>142058944 He never told any of them and no living Echidna even knew it happened
>>142058814 Despite how shitty and chaotic things were behind the scenes, Ian should get props for utilizing the devil dogs we saw in the earlier parts of the comic and then integrating lore for them that helps this hastily altered story. It's just so out of nowhere but this gave Ian an out, and Thrash even got a decent reason to do what he just did. Pure rage can do thing to a person.
>>142058979 I bet that's how Dimitri would've fully redeemed himself. Restoring the tasmanian devils, possibly even temporarily becoming Enerjak again to do it.
>>142058977 There it is! >>142058986 >The boy has some lungs on him. Imagine the suction! >>142059009 Some people do end up regretting the things they've done, but that's not Penders >>142059028 Well they have to start somewhere >>142059041 Exactly! >>142059059 It doesn't need to, it only needs to raise Knuckles' popularity and Sega will pay him more attention. That's why we're getting more Shadow content in Generations
>>142059068 >>142059063 It's okay. They're mobians. >>142059047 Ian's at his best when he's got a lot of material to work with. Which is funny considering the purging he has to do.
>>142058935 Thrash is completely retarded and incapable of reason. Basically just as much of a rabid animal as what's left of his race, despite being fully sapient.
>>142059075 A mystery we will take to our graves. My best bet is Dimitri since he’s the one Echidna who didn’t get Thrashed and he can’t fight in his current condition.
>>142059139 >Look, it's one of the few Secret Freedom Fighters that can still be shown! Technically that gem's trademarked, copyrighted, and patented Ken "I've alienated every single one of my fans" Penders!
>Look, it's one of the few Secret Freedom Fighters that can still be shown! For now. I feel like Shard was almost safe, since he's literally a Metal Sonic, but Sega had to go and be a bunch of corpo fucktards.
In case anyone is wondering, no, the Krudzu and Shard weren't meant to be in Endangered Species. They're both what Ian came up with on the fly so he could fill up the remaining two parts.
Ian only writes a decent story when everything gets compromised and he's backed in a corner. Say what you will, but I like the tone and tension in this legally butchered arc.
>>142059195 Imagine all the fanart of Echidnas that they could never show... Little Timmy and his Lien-Da will never see the light of day. Penders wiped his ass with the drawing. Timmy because a drug addict and died from a collapsed vein at age 26 due to this. Thanks Penders!
>>142059195 >>142059187 >For now. I feel like Shard was almost safe, since he's literally a Metal Sonic, but Sega had to go and be a bunch of corpo fucktards. Penders and Sega with the 1-2 punch.
>>142058112 >>142058257 >>142058285 You know, there's something oddly satisfying about this one character with a grudge literally blowing an entire cast of characters out of the water. All the echidnas and their personal squabbles for power and justice meant nothing to this guy.
>>142059238 >>142059224 As Knuckles said, everyone responsible were no longer around. All Thrash did was get rid of a bunch of innocent echidnas that already suffered. And the DEL.
>>142059195 I know Sega's a bunch of Yakuza mooks, but realistically what are they gonna do? Go to Sadie R.'s house in Iowa and rough the kid up? That'd be pathetic even for gangsters.
>Piko Piko Shears ... I can't be the only one who wants that to be a real thing.
>>142059187 How would this dude even get introduced in the reboot? He was based off a weird-looking Metal Sonic. There was no such thing in the game universe.
>>142059265 Sonic's pretty quick to attack given how their last meeting ended. He seemed a lot more optimistic back then. Then again that was a long ass time ago.
>>142059214 lmao. Highly recommend checking out Kill La Kill for those that haven't >>142059230 He's not called Scourge here and Penders never created the green design >>142059238 Knux looking extra handsome here
>>142059061 Based off the ASO storyline with the Gene Bomb, here's how I could see that going down
>Knuckles defeats Finitevus and gets the Gene Bomb back. >Dmitri, wanting to atone for his mistakes and the acts of deplorable science all those years ago, reverse-engineers the Gene Bomb using his incredible scientific knowledge >Knuckles gets Thrash and the tasmanians in one place and exposes them to the reversed Gene Bomb >Slowly, the degenerated tasmanians begin to stand upright and talk coherently >Dmitri explains that, while not instanteous, the reversed effects of the bomb will get more noticeable over time. He predicts, in a generation or two, the devils will be back to their normal selves again.
>>142059292 >This is the only time Sonic and Shard meet It hurts, I've always been a sucker for clone/copy stories which is probably why I'm a Clone Saga apologist They've yet to properly interact in ASO right?
>>142059292 He's so handsome! You can tell because Sonic immediately wants to fight him >>142059308 Now that'd be a good way to write it >>142059344 Hawt!
>>142058651 Well had this series went on after Thrash's actions I would honestly say he'd be one of the best villains in the series. Completely pushing the limits of the heroes and taking the readers for the ride of a lifetime.
>>142059218 >Penders and Sega with the 1-2 punch. There really is no hero here. Everyone, except the creative team at the time, is an asshole.
>>142059263 And I wouldn't even mind, since I like Gemerl, but they don't do anything with him. Again, Sonic isn't entertainment to Sega, it's a brand. It exists solely to market the imagery of itself. The fact they have to make actual products is an inconvenience to them.
>>142059344 Oh wow, I actually feel worried for Shard. Imagine getting taken over by the Krudzu when you're fully sapient. He's like the only character I still care about.
>>142059418 It'd probably be a battle of the wills thing. Actually, it'd be really cool if he got partially corrupted and Nicole had to go inside the cyberspace/shared mindscape of Shard and the Krudzu to save him >>142059443 Yeah, she's the only other Mobian Devil
>>142059441 Yeah, that's the idea. If he found Fini's notes, he would have known how to open a ring to the Twilight Cage, like Fini did to banish the brotherhood. It's a continuation of an earlier plot thread that Knuckles knows where his grandpas are but doesn't know how to open a ring to the cage.
>>142059423 >Knuckles: Look, Thrash, you're making your mother cry! >Thrash: Aw, Mum! I'm sorry! I...I was just trying to help ya. I wanted to get back at the people who hurt ya! Don't get yer knickers in a twist, ya old bird! if ya start with the bleedin' waterworks, yer gonna get me started too!
>>142058814 Yeah I'd be pretty pissed off too, the Tasmanian Devils got genetically genocided, that's like the slowest and most painful form of genocide.
>>142059475 Yeah, it really sets the tone >>142059486 I think it's to do with their parent company having close ties to them, to the point where they pretty much own them >>142059506 He still feels guilty about all those Metal Sonics he made in Elias' basement
>>142059508 >Now I would like to see Shard and Amy interact more. I choose to believe that Shard was flirting with Amy just there, hence why she's giving him the stink eye. Though unsurprisingly, she's secretly into it.
>>142059567 No, collide was garbage too. Not as bad as unite but still pretty shit. All of Sonic’s friends job off-screen and are turned into robot masters.
>>142059676 Ian didn't know what to do with her, so she was put in the back burner until he could come up with something for her. He never did until the reboot happened.
>>142059723 That sounds like a great plan! >>142059718 If you really want to stick it to a shitposter only posting for attention, you can just ignore them.
>>142059596 You know what I'm with Boco on this. This is Sonic and Mega Man's first crossover so it's better that it's contained to just game characters. It's a largely self-contained story that could be read by anybody and that's why it's so great
>>142059754 The Krudzu somehow being able to revert Roboticization seems pulled a bit out of nowhere, IMO. Not sure I am really buying the crew getting to this conclusion.
>>142059754 Again, in case anyone's wondering, no, the Krudzu was not Ian's original plan for restoring Sally (not that we know what was). With the reboot looming, he probably wasn't even thinking that far ahead anymore. This was just an excuse to write Shard back out of the story.
>>142059780 Pretty sure a few did. We'll be covering them again after this Ride >>142059786 At least he apologized! >>142059807 It can modify tech so if they put it together with Mecha Sally and a derobotisizer, it'd fix things
>>142059813 Honestly yeah only time I agree, it is a game crossover first and a merging of the franchises for the first time means that should be the focus and priority
>>142059876 Turning Sonic characters into robot masters is the kind of concept I wish we had thought of on the playground back in 1993. It's just fun, the perfect crossover.
>>142059862 I wonder if any fans sent in any art of the echidna characters and were disappointed that their art "didn't get chosen" to be featured, unaware of why it wasn't...
>>142059942 I just wish that Ken could be shut down for good. Sure, he's lost all chances to be in the industry again but he still gets to make and sell his fucking book. Granted, barely anyone is buying it but still. He shouldn't get to have that.
>>142059813 That was Ian's thinking as well. There was nothing stopping him from using comic OCs, it was his choice. He didn't even want the crossover to be canon, the editor did. Doing the genesis wave thing again was originally just a compromise so the story would be canon and non-canon at the same time.
This arc was the last time butler did a mainline sonic issue. A real shame. IMO best artist on the book aside spaz. Even with this sad arc, I can still say he did an excellent job.
>>142059942 "This foot fetish comission is just a temporary gig! Once I get back on my f... into an upright position I'll be a winner just like Clinton in the upcoming election!"
>>142059907 Yeah genuinely, plus since Archie Megaman died also it was the only time we got to see practically every robot master in the series in the comic
>>142059702 It’s disrespectful to the cast of Sonic to have them lose so much, lose to fucking Bass on top of it. The Meta era already sacrificed all the characters to show how “cool” Sonic is, and it sucked then too. >>142059705 The re-write was just an excuse to only use the game cast. They lose twice in a row in rapid secession. It made them look like absolute chumps.
>>142059890 It still hurts. That's what I get for daring to be invested in a story. At any time, it can be torn from you because the corporations involved don't care, and delusional con artists will fuck you over out of pettiness.
>>142059974 It's not technically released yet so I'm hoping Sega shuts it down >>142059988 Nice! >This arc was the last time butler did a mainline sonic issue. ;_; >>142059990 lmao, I still can't believe he thought pretending it was a political statement would fly
>>142060013 Plus, just like in the games you don't want to spend too much time on any one robot master so going through them in quick order was the perfect format. I've yet to read Worlds United so I can't say how they fucked it up so bad, all I know is they fucked it up.
>>142059857 >I'm about to watch old Archie die in front of me... again >Reboot was cut short of its potential and see all that up to the Unleashed adaptation again will make me sad >IDW tries its best, but even its OCs can't make a good story Overall... alright.
>>142060012 That's fine. If we can't have them or Archie as a whole back... then he shouldn't get to have his way either. Mutually Assured Destruction is the only way I'll feel satisfied.
C'mon shut the fuck up about Penders for 2 seconds and let us discuss the fallen Echidna one last time. A species, gone, but a legacy, remains. Even the movie alluded to some of this, I've heard.
>>142059913 >>142060062 Ian snuck in a portrait of Sally Acorn and almost got blacklisted by SEGA. And then he kept making clouded references to her anyway. 0 fucks.
>>142059895 We have the original solicitations for the issues.
>Sonic and Team Fighters have arrived at Albion, ancestral homeland of the echidnas. And it's under siege! It's up to our heroes to stop Lien-Da's forces from conquering the war-torn city. But that will be hard when Metal Knuckles arrives!
>Sonic and Team Fighters can't retake Albion on their own. Who can help turn the tide? Knuckles – that's who! Knuckles confronts old enemies and old hardships all at once to save the last of his people. And is it a good or a bad thing the mysterious Thrash the Tasmanian Devil has arrived?
>"Endangered Species," Part Three. It's an all-out war on Albion! Lien-Da's Dark Egg Legion battles Thrash's devil dog pack, with Knuckles and Team Fighters giving their all to control the chaos! The dark origin of Thrash is revealed, opening up a no-holds-barred throw-down with Knuckles!
Unfortunately, we have no synopsis for the original part 4. The Pendering had fully hit by the time the solicits for issue 246 came out.
>>142060050 Ian is still writing for Archie. When IDW goes down, he will try to get them to snatch the license. What happens then is anyone's guess. Mandates would still be in place and Ian now isn't the same he was during this time.
>>142060059 >Even the movie alluded to some of this, I've heard.
Yep, and Ken even threatened to sue.
Good news is, Sega and Paramount are both re-expanding on Echidna lore.
And if Ken sues... god... I hope this ends with Sega's lawyers doing a beat down on him and take "his" characters back for good measure so that all trouble relating to him would stop. it would certainly stop him from making any meaningful lawsuits again.
>>142060012 >>142060032 That's why we have fan continuations >>142060020 Honestly, I think his podcast numbers would drop if he released it >>142060034 He also does work on other comics from what I understand >>142060077 It's also the game lore. Knuckles might be the last of his kind, but his species has left a mark on history that continues to be felt >>142060080 That was the artist, Ian just writes the comic
>>142060101 I need to watch that fucking sequel. But I didn't even like the first movie. But people seem to like these movies so I'll have to find something good about them.
>>142060059 >Even the movie alluded to some of this >Even the movie I would hope so, since that was the backstory for the echidnas in Sonic 3 & Knuckles.
>>142060042 I heard it’s biggest issue is just excess, plus the art just isn’t as good covers not withstanding, honestly seems like it was a last ditch effort to go nuts with what they had available as the comic died afterwards
>>142060059 I hope they give us something with the Knuckles show, something that even the games can use. >>142060101 He's just shootin' blanks, he's got nothing on Sega this time.
>>142060100 That's a HUGE if. Archie ditched the license when they figured it would be too much trouble and money to keep it. Sega let them burn alive one times too many. It would be a miracle if they even CONSIDER getting the license again.
>>142060099 >Knuckles confronts old enemies and old hardships all at once to save the last of his people Wait, as Enerjak, what Knuckles did was move everyone to Albion and strip the Dark Legion of their cyber-enhancement. I don't remember him actually reducing their number, did he?
>>142060020 >Officially, he might use the ideas in IDW. That's kinda stupid because IDW will never have the creative freedom that Archie had why just not say how he was going to conclude Mecha Sally/King Naugus, etc... like I doubt that Sega will want to bring back Sally Acorn and it's not like he can reuse that plot for IDW so again wtf is the thought process >Unofficially, avoid legal shit. Against who? Penders? I doubt that Ian can get in trouble over just saying how things were originally supposed to go down in preboot before the lawsuits
>>142060101 I just want Sonic Chronicles to be canon again. With Sonic Frontiers with the Ancients and the connections/theories people made between them and Nocturnus clan, there is so much potential that can be tapped into if Ken gets BTFO in court.
>>142060113 >My massive cybernetic database brain has allowed me to make a reference to a classic Zelda game that I'm sure my fleshy counterpart will appreciate, thus alleviating the tension between us.
They won't. They're barely getting by these days to begin with, and when they did have Sonic they were sick of its readers ONLY reading Sonic and none of their other stuff.
>>142060161 >why just not say how he was going to conclude Mecha Sally/King Naugus, etc Thats what the fabled Hedgehog Tales are for. But he never released them.
Forgot how cool Shard was; definitely the MVP of this arc, without him it would've just been a painful slog reflecting real life legal bullshit >>142060059 I really, really wanted to see whatever Finitevus's 4D chess keikaku was, dude was easily my favorite villain in the comic outside of Eggman
>>142060161 >Unofficially, avoid legal shit. >Against who? Penders? Or Sega, or Archie. Everyone involved just wants to move on and forget the comic ever happened.
>>142060080 Found it. It was Adam "Based" Thomas, and here's the panel. I've upscaled it to make things clearer. FWIW, while he did get in trouble, he wasn't fired or anything
>>142060151 Archie doesn't want to bleed cash on licenced media anymore. And even if Ken got fucked, there are still other writers besides Ken who created characters for the comic and we don't know how all of them would feel. There is all just too much legal shit here.
>>142060183 If Archie is actually hurting for money, they might actually be inclined in selling to Sega the publishing rights for the Archie Sonic stories and characters they still own.
>>142060221 Ian has connections all over. He's been working hard behind the scenes to get the Freedom Fighters back in some way. And his influence is growing by the year.
Thing that makes me so mad about Penders is that even after he won, he did fucking NOTHING for a FUCKING DECADE. So fucking shitty of him to pretend he was doing anything but pissing fans off. Only until recently he decided to get off his lazy ass. Fuck him, making me wait to trashall over his "masterpiece". Also fuck him for taking part in cripping knuckles from ever getting any new stuff and lore.
>>142060204 well like you said Archie and Sega don't give a shit about the comics anymore so again I don't see why they'd give a shit if Ian said how things we're supposed to conclude; Ian just won't release LHT for some fucking reason
>>142059974 If Ken releases that book, Sega will literally destroy him. He knows damn well he can't ever sell it, which is why he's stringing people along.
>>142060101 He says a lot of things, but it would be funny if Paramount and Sega put him in his place >>142060125 I'd give it a shot. It's much more fun than the first since it isn't built around a roadtrip >>142060144 Handsome! >>142060151 Really depends on how good Flynn is at convincing them >>142060170 I still think they were implying in Frontiers that they'll be doing something similar >>142060179 That was a different one, but also by Adam "Based" Thomas. The absolute madman!
>>142060341 Even Bendis had a lot of pull when he was hot shit and before people got tired of his comics. It's all about who you know. Ian is more or less apart of everything about Sonic.
>>142060337 He won't release it because it will impact his income for his podcast. It doesn't matter if it's small, every scent counts. Can't have Archie fans getting their fill finally and leaving.
I was upset about the whole things that happened but I know nothing from archie is coming back officially. People need to accept that. Literally stay to the fan comics continuing it. They do a better job at giving it love than any thing official could ever do in a hundred life times. Only thing I at least want is LHT but ian is stubborn about releasing that.
>>142060354 There's a video I saw explaining that the parent company that owns Sega might be starting to become more strict with their control of the Sonic brand. Specially after the success of Frontiers and the movies.
>>142060354 Sega would likely want Archie to start over and that might be best but they could use the characters that aren't claimed by Penders. The only big issue is that whole thing about them wanting synergy across everything.
>>142060341 Ian is a lore consultant for the whole series now. He doesn't have much power, Sega can opt to ignore his suggestions as they see fit, but he's more or less trying to wear them down by pestering them about the FF over and over again.
>>142060391 Ian probably still has the delusional belief that Penders will get destroyed in court one day and suddenly Archie Sonic will magically be able to come back, which is not happening.
>>142060416 Ian's not in a position to make demands but if you can generate favor with the right people then you can get your suggestions taken more seriously. It's not likely to happen but it could happen. Ian has made it clear he's working every angle to get the Freedom Fighters back. And since Sega is giving him more work that means they have no problem with him.
I still think about how that one idw special dared to get its name from combining the number of total sonic comics, but didnt celebrate anything from them. I could obviously understand no archie and stc, but not a single idw original caharacter in that? what a shitty celebration.
>>142060458 If Sonic X material, something Sonic Team has worked on and can put in the games literally anytime they went isn't getting in, there is no way the Freedom Fighters are going to be given a chance.
>>142060474 Sounded like a marketing idea. After reading about Marvel's Clone Saga debacle I've learned that marketing has a lot of influence on things.
>>142060482 >You guys are being WAY too optimistic. There's nothing wrong with talking about it. If I want to be overly negative and be all doom and gloom then I can go to /sthg/ or one of the IDW threads.
>>142060503 OK but have you ever considered the Sonic X cast is not getting in because they're 100% pure dogshit?
>>142060513 I always singled out that storyline as particularly interesting. Now I know why. A shame they never got back to the snake lady. Ian invents characters only to watch them die it seems.
>>142060421 >Ian is a lore consultant for the whole series now. Lol.
Ian is kept around because he's cheap as fuck. Sonic Team makes a story and then tell Ian to make a script around it for peanuts because Ian knows Sonic is the highlight of his career and what keeps him afloat.
>>142060277 He really does have a multi-year plan to bring them back >>142060280 Ha! >>142060297 It apparently sells very well >>142060303 I really should check them out >>142060306 Yeah, he absolutely destroyed any goodwill with his fans. He might have seen some sales if he'd published a few months after the lawsuit but any legitimate interest has long since vanished. Literally the only people who still care absolutely loathe him >>142060335 Cute! >>142060384 100% this
>>142060540 It's really damn good and Alopex is the hottest of the wolf ladies. Do it, but don't miss out on the sidecomics because they're absolutely vital to understanding the main comic.
>>142060452 >Everything's about money nowadays. I hate it so much. I feel the same way, but mostly with my interest in stuff like RPG Maker, Sims, and game-creation in general. Before, people thought the idea of making their own game was a cool, neat thing, and some did it just for the novelty of it, and some just wanted to make something people would enjoy. Now it seems they only do it with the mindset of how to make money.
>>142060575 She a fox, also shame the cute snake girl in the issue got sidelined a bit. TMNT Idw’s best character though is Bludgeon, he is genuinely the best original character both design and writing wise in that whole run when I was in the storytimes for it
I like that one section of IIRC one of the Archie continuations where Thrash returns to his house or whatever and just crumbles into a sobbing broken mess. So much emotion.
>>142060411 Ash is hot! Hot! >>142060509 So happy he had to abandon his twitter because everyone was pointing out what a garbage person he was >>142060539 Exactly! And it's always fun to speculate on Ian's plan to bring them back >>142060545 He's so pretty!
>>142060679 Also, you'd be surprised to see how many people and even zoomers are still loving this stuff. Just go take a look at other social media sites that have art.
>>142060790 You know, back in the day nobody knew about this comic outside of /co/ and weird furfag websites. Now I see people posting panels and story elements everywhere. A stark contrast from the supposed glory days.
>>142060556 I agree it's partially because he's cheap, but it's mostly because hiring him signals to the fans they "care about our interests" even if they clearly don't. Personally I don't think Flynn was a major contributor to Frontiers, but having him in the credits probably helped deflect criticism >>142060573 Ash has better pecs and you know it! >>142060611 Yeah, there's a frustratingly commercial aspect to a lot of creative works these days, to the point where fans are trying to make money off of outright fangames. At least go the Freedom Planet route and make it your own! >>142060627 Were-Sally best Sally >>142060670 Those duck tits will haunt me forever
>>142060679 Just cause something has ended and even may never come back doesn’t mean you still can’t enjoy and reflect on it. I have no delusion of anything from Archie coming back but doesn’t mean I still don’t enjoy looking back and especially with the fun people here on the ride
>>142060833 Strange how things work out in the end. But it's good, the dream won't die out, not any time soon. Even though we won't get this stuff back officially.
>>142060679 Well you've convinced me, I guess I'll just stop enjoying things. Everyone clear out, no more discussion on media that isn't currently airing!
>>142060774 She's done some work on indi games but is mostly spending time raising a family >>142060816 ;_; >>142060865 lmao >>142060877 So dead! >>142060881 That too. They did it to Pontac and Graff, despite absolutely micromanaging their writing
>>142061062 Surprised the comic didn't go back to the Moebians outside of Scourge after their big story, guess it was just another plan Ian had for later that didn't happen because of the SGW
>>142061212 Honestly Butler made things kinda weird with Barby's appearance compared to Tails'. If things were different, maybe Ian wouldn't have been so allergic to the ship. Either way, I still ship them. I like to think of Barby be Tails' permanent partner after he loses Fiona or Cosmo or whoever.
>>142061393 I feel so bad for the modeller. He's clearly just starting out but got thrown into the deep end just by accepting a commission from Penders
regrettably, I have to admit that Thrash has a pretty fucking great design I'd like him more if his whole thing wasn't an abrupt legal trainwreck that never got the chance to resolve
