What Would You Do Differently? (IDW)

[TheRedStranger]

Wanted to get the jump on this so people can make their assessments even before the first issue comes off the printers.

For now imagine this:

You have been given the task to succeed  or continue the legacy of the fallen Archie comic. In the wake of the break up between Archie and Sega, how would go about continuing Sonic forward through the sequential arts? Think about the art, the narrative, and the marketing. You have control over all of it. Starting with PR and up to issue one, how do you go from here?

[Sorzo]

Sorzo's Ten-Step Guide to Saving the Sonic Comics

 

1. Infiltrate Comic Con posing as a Penders fan and locate his booth by looking for whichever one doesn't have anyone near it.

2. Compliment Penders on his artistic prowess and get him to start bragging. Bludgeon him over the head with an antique waffle iron while he's distracted.

3. Mail Penders to remote Siberia.

4. Use Penders' characters and other "owned" assets with complete impunity. Continue the Archie storyline from where it left off pre-reboot.

5. Use the widespread acclaim of this accomplishment to win influence with Sega and IDW.

6. Use influence to stage a simultaneous two-pronged coup and take control of both companies.

7. Put Sonic games on hiatus for several years. Reboot the entire franchise into a continuation of SatAM.

8. ???

9. Break Nagol out of prison.

10. Profit.

[TheRedStranger]

*Que breaking bad theme

9 hours ago, Sorzo said:

Sorzo's Ten-Step Guide to Saving the Sonic Comics

 

1. Infiltrate Comic Con posing as a Penders fan and locate his booth by looking for whichever one doesn't have anyone near it.

2. Compliment Penders on his artistic prowess and get him to start bragging. Bludgeon him over the head with an antique waffle iron while he's distracted.

3. Mail Penders to remote Siberia.

4. Use Penders' characters and other "owned" assets with complete impunity. Continue the Archie storyline from where it left off pre-reboot.

5. Use the widespread acclaim of this accomplishment to win influence with Sega and IDW.

6. Use influence to stage a simultaneous two-pronged coup and take control of both companies.

7. Put Sonic games on hiatus for several years. Reboot the entire franchise into a continuation of SatAM.

8. ???

9. Break Nagol out of prison.

10. Profit.

 

[Mike Arcade]

Okay everyone, time to get this topic into motion here. The comic has been out for over a year at this point, so let's see how you'd do things differently.

So, how about we start off with the current arc and the virus that turns Mobians into Not-Robians. XP

How would you handle the Zombots?

[TheRedStranger]

On 8/20/2019 at 7:12 PM, Mike Arcade said:

Okay everyone, time to get this topic into motion here. The comic has been out for over a year at this point, so let's see how you'd do things differently.

So, how about we start off with the current arc and the virus that turns Mobians into Not-Robians. XP

How would you handle the Zombots?

That is a though one, because I find them inherently silly and a phenomena-version of a villain Sue. And they are extremely boring. They literally just awkwardly try and touch you. You know, like a mob of Joe Biden’s.

 

I think it would be more interesting to have made it insidious rather than an acute infection. I would make it a metaphor about addiction, and how it changes people. I have personally witnessed people become extremely evil due to drug addiction and the need to fulfill it, and deform them from the inside out. Perhaps you can also make a metaphor about depression as well and how people, who allow themselves to feel sorry for themselves get consumed. It needs a fundamental set of urgent behaviors and creepy needs to be fulfilled as symptoms. Make its widespread infection a malaise on people, sort of like the Opioid and over-medication crisis of today. There is a lot more to work with here, if they just retained a bit more of their humanity and there actually was an analysis of the horrors of these forms of vulnerability. Invulnerable monsters are quickly  exhaustive of horror, and drag the reader into apathy. They are meant to be quick and energetic experiences, or abstract and eldricht to work. This constant apocalyptic onslaught is a burnout.

 

In short, make this a tense and rising artificial pandemic of human falleness much like the Optimum Wars and the Opioid Crisis. Have characters we like dealing with massive temptation and corruption due to symptoms of the virus and the needs it creates. Perhaps even it comes from some noble origin and intent. Perhaps it was medicine meant to heal or eliminate mental exhaustion pain. There is a lot for us to discuss here as a concept.

[Mike Arcade]

@TheRedStranger That sounds way better than what we got. Heck, Eggman could have done something like make it a supposed "wonder drug" as Mr. Tinker that give them great effects, only to be highly addictive and slowly turn them into his own personal Army. Like a drug form of Robotization.

I mean Zombots are basically pesudo Robians so there's that.

Another way is to play up the Eldritch aspect, but tone down the OP qualities so that they aren't too powerful. An idea in mind is how some SCPs work like the Red Disk one with it's monsters and those of When Day Breaks.

Have it so that you need an open cut/wound, not to mention eyes and such in order to be infected. Not to mention still retain a level of sentience that asks/begs their friends and loved ones to join them.

Lastly, you could also make it have an AI of sorts, one that goes out of hand.

There's a lot you could do with the concept (aside from changing that awful Zombot and generic Metal Virus name), but I think they really botched this arc. I'm just glad it'll be over soon.

[Wulfsbane]

I honestly don't like how going forward they're forgetting/forgiving that this was mostly Sonic's fault and there's going to be little to no consequences for him.

So, how would you do the arc after Zombots

[Mike Arcade]

12 hours ago, Wulfsbane said:

I honestly don't like how going forward they're forgetting/forgiving that this was mostly Sonic's fault and there's going to be little to no consequences for him.

So, how would you do the arc after Zombots

Already did, and asked the question. XP

How would you do it though Wolfsbane? Seriously, just about anything would be an approvement.

[TheRedStranger]

On 7/25/2020 at 11:08 PM, Mike Arcade said:

Already did, and asked the question. XP

How would you do it though Wolfsbane? Seriously, just about anything would be an approvement.

First things first, there has to be some sort of light hearted breather. And one area that has not been explored enough in Sonic is the challenges of rebuilding. There is a lot of drama actually in piecing things back together. You can also get more character drama out of it, Star Trek Next Generation style. I would be fun to have to deal with some weird culture that was fractured because of the outbreak, and there is now a dramatic power struggle to thrust on the characters. Ideas?

[WarTraveller]

On 8/21/2019 at 12:12 AM, Mike Arcade said:

How would you handle the Zombots?

I'm going to be honest, I thought the Zombots were handled pretty well. It's Shadow that's the major problem. I guess if anything I'd add in that eventually a sort of group leader would form and the Zombots would follow them, as happens in nature. So they're not just mindless and the gig's not over the second Zavok shows his Diet Bowser face.

[TheRedStranger]

On 9/19/2020 at 4:12 PM, WarTraveller said:

I'm going to be honest, I thought the Zombots were handled pretty well. It's Shadow that's the major problem. I guess if anything I'd add in that eventually a sort of group leader would form and the Zombots would follow them, as happens in nature. So they're not just mindless and the gig's not over the second Zavok shows his Diet Bowser face.

I feel like they are just kind of there. And the virus is just too fast to be dramatic. The infection by touch seems scary for a one issue story. But that’s actually not a problem with a lot of the technology presented in this world. 

Honestly though, any ideas I would have to suggest on the zombot virus would probably be too intense for this comic. Which means you would love them, Perry. But since they are just fine - maybe I won’t share them. 😝
 

 

[WarTraveller]

On 9/24/2020 at 5:43 PM, TheRedStranger said:

Which means you would love them, Perry. But since they are just fine - maybe I won’t share them. 😝

no plz tell me ill be good

[Mike Arcade]

Okay, so now that the comic has been going on for quite a while now, how about we ask the major question we've all been asking ourselves.

How would you adapt in the Knothole Freedom Fighters into IDW Sonic?

I find this to be a very interesting question, as the context of the world in This Comic is that it follows the "Two Worlds" Concept Sega has followed with the Games since Colors. Not to mention that every event from the mainline games, including Forces (which is VERY OBVIOUS considering how the first issue started). Hence this question.