Skye Prower

As long as the comics don't exclusively become retellings of the games. That's what some of the worry is about. If all the comics do is tell the same stories as the games, it doesn't matter how much more detail they put in, with the broad strokes known they'll be less to carry the comic. Also, most people here won't take the 'comic is ruined' viewpoint. Just disappointed because some aspect we used to like has now gone/changed.

Good morning Dylan?

"Yeah, we'll find out what sneaky thing he's up to!"

Someone call? Tek?

I'm good thanks

Stacey grabbed Dominic's hand and pulled himself up. "Thanks," he gasped. ------------------------- "No you're not," said Ziona. "Trust me. This kinda thing is part of my job. You;re doing really well." --------------------- "We'll find out soon. There gonna follow the butler now!"

Hi Device! Hi Dylan! How goes?

Thanks. Good to hear you're enjoying them!

Hi there!

Issue 12 Story 1: A Timely Arrival It’s pretty much inevitable after a while that every children’s series will do a story about time travel and one about aliens. This is the former of the two, and while introducing casual time travel at this stage is okay, once continuity became important to the series the question haws to be asked why does now one use it anymore? If you’re gonna bring back the *bleep*ing Nerbs you better address this. And they don’t. Sigh. Still, I can’t hold bad future decisions against this story. So we being seeing Sonic piling up the robot remains of another failed Robotnik plot. To which Robitnik fumes that Sonic beats him ‘time after time’, turning into a sinister grin and “hmmmm”. A nice ominous way to end the first page, only for page two to spoil it by Robotnik declaring his plan to build a time machine. Sonic heads straight back to Knothole and, after a bit of musing about Tails flying, sees a report about Robotnik’s new giant chainsaw machine for chopping down forests. So Sonic shoot’s off to stop this latest threat, only it’s the time machine, and Robotnik zaps him back to the past. So…. Robotnik was able to design AND build a Time Machine, AND set up this trap, in the time it took for Sonic to run from Robotropolis to Knothole. … … What… can I POSSIBLY add to that? Even by comic/cartoon standards that’s crazy! Why not a little ‘next day’ corner box? Anyway, Sonic is thrown back to the prehistoric ages, as a pterodactyl informs him. How the pterodactyl knows this is prehistoric as that is a term from the future… well, who knows. After taking care of that and a T-rex, well, time for the element these time-travel stories have, the nigh identical copies of the heroes/villains in a different time zone. Though, giving Sonic’s caveman copy a WHITE caveman beard just makes him look old, not caveman-y. So after some running, an attack by caveman Robotnik, and a flash to the future where we see Robotnik is REALLY to focused on Sonic for his own good, we learn that the caveman Freedom Fighters are so scared of the outdoors they plan to live underground. Instead, Sonic invents… the hedge…. I guess bushes don’t naturally grow together in prehistoric times. And then, thanks to the Freedom Fighters… er, the ones in the present…. I mean the future present, not the past present, ahem. Thanks to the Freedom Fighters capturing the time machine due to Robotnik’s premature celebration, Sonic is returned to his normal time. And the Time Machine is left in a cupboard forgotten and Robotnik never makes another again. I know I’ve lambasted the story a lot, but, aside from flaws that are present in all variations of this story, it’s not bad. Just, not anything to stand out either. The trouble is it is a very ‘cookie cutter’ plot. Odd’s are you’ve seen a variation of it before. Story 2: Bold-headed Eagle. Taking a shortcut through some mountains Sonic runs off a cliff… huh, must have been me with the controller. And crashes into an old eagle’s nest below. The old eagle, Cyril, and yeah, I am emphasising OLD here (he has a freaking walking stick), explains he was the leader of a large flock till Robotnik came. Meanwhile Robotnik’s scanners have picked up signs of organic life…. Er… I guess it can’t tract Knothole because it classes trees as life…. Otherwise… well, time for a tortured ‘why’. Sonic persuades Cyril to try flying again, and his does, but not before dropping like a stone to begin with. He arrives on another outcrop, only to find the rest of his flock hiding out…. Er.. how did the scanners not pick up them? *shakes head* Sure it might not work through rock but they’d have had to go out to eat now and again. I have to admit that the first time I read the story I missed the ‘soon’ caption in the panel after Cyril feel. So it looked as if his flock was just on the ledge below! Which would have been a little embarrassing for Ol’ Cyril. But then given the type for stories thus far it wouldn’t have been surprising/ Sonic meanwhile is rather bummed thinking something bad has happened to Cyril, the Robotnik shows up in a Rambot, presumably to somehow suit the maintain setting, and in, unfortunately, fancy dress. But as Robotnik blasts Sonic off the mountain, Cyril swoops in to save him, and Robotnik is punished, not with an avalanche or rockfall on top of his robot, but the ground below giving way. This story is… functional. It works, but there is nothing that makes it stand out, except that Cyril will appear again later. It’s another standard plot. ‘Hero talks to old hero and gives him confidence again, so he can help the new hero at the end of the story.’ And it brings very little to the table. It is marginally better than the first story though. Story 3: The Lynx is a Jinx The story opens with Sonic saving a couple of small animals from a Swat Bot raid. But really that’s just an excuse to introduce Larry Lynx, who in appearance seems to be the missing link between regular animals and your usual Mobian. He’s also the jinx referred to in the title as he brings bad luck with him wherever he goes. And to prove the point the branch he is sitting on breaks and smashes into the Freedom Fighters below. Injured, the Freedom Fighters leave, with Sally showing her P*ssed off side again. Seriously, that girl really needs to calm down. I guess she hates being pink. Hmm… maybe having pink fur makes Mobians have anger management issues or something; Sally, Amy Rose, Julie-su…. Sonic isn’t going to abandon his new friend (Wow, that was quick. You know his name and that’s about it!) so they set off to find a safe place of Larry. There travels take them to a desert area where they spot the Freedom Fighters now captured and being escorted to Robotropolis. Now, I’m not an expert in geography, far from it, and fictional geography even less. But First I’m pretty sure Sonic and Larry were heading away from both Knothole and big-scary-robot-town, and Second I’m 99% sure that there isn’t a desert like that between Robotropolis and Knothole. I guess the Swat Bots are taking the prisoners via the scenic root. So Sonic persuades Larry to walk towards the bots, and low and behold his jinx causes them to take themselves out, and then Robotnik, who had shown up intending to gloat, to crash his hot rod tractor thing. With the Freedom Fighters free they all return to Knothole where Sonic proves Larry’s bad luck is over when Larry win’s 50 games of chess in a row. Chess. Does not. Rely. On luck! All you’ve proven is he’s a good chess player. Snakes and Ladders would have been a better choice. Unless it’s good luck that the board didn’t spontaneously combust or something. Aside from the Swat Bot’s pathfinding issues (time to do some de-bugging Robotnik) and someone not knowing how you play a bloody game of chess The Lynx is a Jinx is the strongest of the three stories. Like Cyril Larry will appear in a later story. Unlike Cyril he will then reappear waaaayyyyy later on in a fairly major role. Overview Issue 12 is a solid issue, but rather derivative. The first two stories have been done before many times and there is little unique about them. It’s not quite as bad a being able to plug any cartoon character in without changing anything, but it’s not far off. Story 3 is more unique, but someone with super-bad luck is not uncommon either. Worth reading once, especially as two new characters will reappear later, but probably not worth a re-read. A Look At: Year One Now and again I’ll want to cover topics in more detail. Say, talk about a character, a story arc, a group or theme that’s been hanging over the comics. And also, talking a look at the development of the comic over each year. This is what these 'A Look At's are for. I have to confess to being a bit lazy here. Because SCANF arranges the comics in pages of 25, and also because every 25 issues the comic tends to have some big event issue, I will tend to count 25 issues as two years and either 12 or 13 as one year. I say ‘tend’ because off the top of my head I already know two points where I’m gonna break that pattern. Having said all that, for Year One, there is very little to say. Sonic the Hedgehog starts out as a light hearted comic aimed at kids. And to begin with, well… I guess the best way of putting it is there seems to be now real ambition to be more. To not expand beyond a children’s funny comic. However, the last few issues hint towards a slight shift, especially the last issue where you could take the jokes out of all three stories and they still mostly work. There is definitely a change coming in the comics, though it might take a while to arrive. But overall, most of year one could be skipped and aside from a handful of shout-outs/references down the road you won’t miss over much. And while did I stop year one here? Well, something big is coming in Issue 13. Which, if you’ve already read the comics, or Jest’s reviews, you’ll know about!

Stacey started running, but stumbled in his exhaustion as the trap mechanism began to collapse. -------------- "Thats good. I want to help you Sarah," said Ziona.

"Yeah..." Stacey turned to run. ------------- "Sorry Sarah, I didn't mean to push you," said Ziona.

Good morning Tek. Well, it's morning here. Good *insert apt time* to you! Dylan?

One of the supports for the trap began to crack. "Uh oh..." ------------ "What else could it be?" asked Ziona

Hi there! And I dunno the answer to that question! Tek?

Stacey flicked the switch, but there was an ominous crunching noise. "That doesn't sound good." ------------- "You don't?" asked Ziona. "Is it just because you think all bat's should be Yagyu?" she asked.

"Great," said Stacey, reaching over to switch it off --------------- "Why not?" asked Zoina very gently.

Hi combodombie. Welcome to Scanf. Hope you like it here, even if you do only lurk.

"Okay, let's see, where's the switch?" asked Stacey. -------------- "Even though the two of you will be of equal caste standing?" asked Ziona.

I can see where you're coming from DoctorNog, and you do have a point for new readers. The trouble with the reboot though is that everything was left dangling. None of the plot line were tied up except for 'it doesn't matter cause REBOOT'. If the plots had been resolved aside from Sonic V Robotnik there would be less hate. The other issue is a lot of characters have been lost, who will not be reintroduced for the new readers.

Aww, that's no fun!

"I will be Cuz, don't worry!" smiled Stacey. ---------------- "It's not a problem Sarah," Ziona said smiling. She was quiet for a minute, then a thought occurred to her. "Sarah... I'm... assuming the reason you feel so nervous with the idea of having Zoe as a friend is because she's of the Yagyu Clan. You... you do know that... if.. if I do adopt her, she won't be part of the Yagyu anymore?"

Hmm, good point! We don;t want that debacle again! Tek?

Hi Tek! Good to see you! Chosen One?