Why Sonic Comics Changed For the Worse (And How They Can Be Fixed)

Why Sonic Comics Changed For the Worse (And How They Can Be Fixed)

After a notorious lawsuit, IDW Publishing tried to pick up the pieces of Archie’s Sonic the Hedgehog. What went wrong and how can IDW fix it?

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The Sonic the Hedgehog comic series from Archie Comics is, undoubtedly, one of the greatest things that ever happened to the Sonic universe since sliced bread was topped with chili and a hotdog. A great deal of thanks can be credited to its Saturday morning cartoon namesake, a much darker rendition of the Blue Blur’s war against the evil Dr. Robotnik. Why have IDW Publishing’s Sonic comics been less successful?

Some see many of Archie’s defining qualities as assets while others perceive these very same qualities as major failings. The greatest point of contention is that the world was heavily saturated in more than 200 characters who were thrust into rather deep, but oftentimes neglected mythologies and storylines that sometimes were never expanded upon, just tapered off or disappeared altogether. While there were arguably way too many characters, a healthy majority were actually quite compelling and integral to the plot and overall character development. Some played a more crucial role than Sonic himself while others truly augmented the Blue Blur in a way that some of the more traditional and well-known characters such as Tails could never achieve.

All of this awesomeness came from the creative mind of writer Ken Penders, and Archie Comics benefited greatly from his prolific contributions from the 1990s until 2006 when he left to pursue other opportunities. But upon his replacement by Ian Flynn, Penders began taking legal action, so he could continue his “Mobius: 25 Years Later” plotline by copywriting his work. After a slew of lawsuits, eventually all of Penders’ nearly 250 characters could no longer be used. Archie Comics attempted to adapt by introducing the Genesis Wave that completely uprooted and transformed the Sonic universe before getting canceled in 2017.

Almost immediately, IDW Publishing swooped in and began publishing a new series with Archie’s Ian Flynn still at the writer’s helm. But rather than taking more stylistic cues from the Saturday morning cartoon that made Archie Comics’ continuity a success in the first place, the new series more or less continued in the direction that Archie Comics began post-Genesis Wave, which relied more heavily on the light-hearted nature of the Sega games. Of course, IDW cannot use many of the characters that Penders copyrighted, such as Sonic’s evil twin Scourge, but those that the publisher can adopt, most notably the Freedom Fighters, have yet to appear.

The Freedom Fighters and Sally Acorn

Obviously, the first way to improve IDW’s series would be to bring back the Freedom Fighters, but hopefully not as they appeared post-Genesis Wave. Unfortunately, that would undoubtedly be what Ian Flynn would do should he ever get the green light, as he’s mentioned they’d be modernized. What does modernize mean? Well, if Archie’s post-Genesis Wave is any indication, they would share a resemblance to IDW’s more cartoony cast of characters who are much more light-hearted and not noticeably emotionally scarred by Dr. Eggman’s exploits.

Even though the majority of the Freedom Fighters would be welcome, Princess Sally is the one that IDW would benefit from the most just based on how much she improved Sonic’s character. Currently, the female character that Sonic spends the majority of his time interacting with from IDW’s cast is Amy Rose, a relationship that’s mostly defined by his indifference towards her romantic advances. Although he trusts her power and skill as a warrior, the fact that he continuously spurns her advances with nary a thought about how it may hurt her makes Sonic come across as a colossal jerk and prevents them from actually connecting further on a platonic level. Plus, Archie Comics’ Amy was much more compelling in that, as a kid who was much too young to join the Freedom Fighters, she wished upon the Magical Ring of Acorn to make her an adult.

Meanwhile, Sonic’s relationship with Sally was quite complex and a rollercoaster for fans who were rooting for them to get together. Although they did hook up for a short time, Sonic always held her in high regard, not just due to her abilities but for who she was as a person. He treated her with respect. How she commanded his awe humanized the Blue Blur in ways that no other character has been able to achieve since then.

Sega-themed Characters Like Chaos

As to why IDW continues to drag its feet with the Freedom Fighters remains to be seen, but a possible solution would be to incorporate a character from Dreamcast’s Sonic Adventures series who appeared in both of Archie’s pre- and post-Genesis Wave storylines: Chaos, a Chao who mutated into a water elemental.

Of course, the portion of Chaos’ past from Archie’s continuity where the mutant wiped out Knuckle’s Clan of Echidnas would have to be retconned as the Echidnas are owned by Penders. But overall, the creature would be a welcome addition to the IDW franchise, not just because it appeared in Archie Comics but due to its complexity; it was originally an enemy of Sonic when Chaos attacked Station Square in the Sonic Adventures crossover before becoming an ally post-Genesis Wave. Also, Sonic is afraid of, and kind of worthless in, water, and as that’s what Chaos is comprised of, it would add yet another dynamic to Sonic’s character that’s currently lacking, should Chaos appear.

More Compelling Current Characters

Many of the characters in IDW who started out in Archie could also be improved by following the latter’s example, similar to how Archie’s Amy Rose was compelled to change who she was to achieve her dream. For instance, Tails was not only the technical genius as he’s portrayed in both continuities, but a character whose complex and deep relationship with Sonic ended up exacerbating an old sore point in their friendship to such an extend that they became mortal enemies. In IDW, Sonic and Tails are obviously close, but Archie’s rendition looked up to Sonic as an older brother and even lived with him because the twin-tailed fox’s parents were stuck on a faraway planet.

This introduces yet another missing dynamic in IDW, as there are currently no parental figures, including Sonic’s family, who in the Archie series were robotized, gained back their free will, and later returned to their original form except for Sonic’s father. In what just further proves the importance of family, when Tails’ parents returned and Sonic later betrayed him, this combination created a whole new recipe of disaster that culminated in Tails fighting Sonic.

Then there was the whole prophecy surrounding Tails, where he was referred to as the Chosen One. Although this title would get lost and then resurface numerous times throughout the series, he later embraced his destiny by transforming into a massive version of himself after he absorbed all of the version of Tails in Sonic’s multiverse.

Lore and ancient relics

IDW would most benefit if the publisher broadened the franchise’s horizon while adding more complex layers to the series’ world through lore. Penders introduced quite a few mythologies into Archie’s Sonic during his tenure that, while compelling, were usually discarded for whatever reason. Finding a way to incorporate similar legends into IDW would be beneficial, especially when they involve artifacts. Some of the more effective examples include Archie’s mysterious liquid known as the Source, the nexus to the comic’s royal family power that every member had to bind with. It was here where the famed Sword of Acorn was forged, a mystical weapon that could restore free will to those who had been roboticized. What made Sally an even more compelling character, she was the only one could activate its powers and could actually talk with the sword.

All of this aside, it’s critical to note that IDW’s Sonic is still a young series, having not yet reached 40 issues, especially when compared to Archie’s nearly 300-issue epic. It can be argued that Archie Comics’ Sonic the Hedgehog never really got started until issue #47 with the EndGame series. Maybe that will be the magic number for IDW? So while IDW Publishing might not be able to bring back the many characters that Penders won in his lawsuit, it can introduce more compelling characters and a rich tapestry of mythology and lore, both of which would generate deeper and more effective plotlines.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/sonic-hedgehog-archie-comics-lawsuit-idw-publishing-worse/

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