Series to be a Partial Reboot for the 20th Anniversary
The upcoming Genesis arc in the principal Sonic comic will be a temporary reboot with the intent of picking up more readers for the Sonic 20th anniversary before returning to normal continuity later in the year.
This, according to a new interview with Sonic comic writer Ian Flynn, published yesterday by Newsarama.
“There’s always that temptation to start over, take the best of what we have, and move forward in a new, more cohesive direction. Sonic: Genesis is an experiment in that direction,” Flynn said.
The arc will last four issues, from #226 to #229, with the current continuity re-appearing thereafter, albeit with some changes.
“[....] there will [be] some serious ramifications, namely the life of one character will hang in the balance,” Flynn explained, referring to the possible death of a key character in issue 225. “Since this is a reboot, seeing who comes back and how is part of the surprise.”
Secondary comic Sonic Universe will not be involved in the Genesis arc, as a Scourge arc will occur instead.
Included with the article was the release of issue #227′s cover, along with some early concept art. We have both in the gallery below.
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Hey, so it is temporary after all! That’s much better news.
And did I just read correctly? A Scourge arc? Nice.
Lame it should be permanent,
It obviously wasn’t a full reboot. Now we know, though, that Genesis is in fact a “temporary” reboot, in a sense, lasting a mere four issues,.
So…the next 4 issues…and the Deathegg return and all that will be non-cannon? So…these next 4 issues basically suck and are a waste of 4 months? Damn.
I had a feeling Scourge would get a Universe arc can’t wait to see how this will work since he’s the Evil Sonic
@Shark
Really? That sound pretty appealing to me! I’m sick of the nearly 20 years of continuity and massive cast, other major comics in the industry know when to flush the crap down the retcon toilet and get great results out of it. The only reason Archie would want to avoid a full reboot is to appeal to the creepy fanfic audience that gobble up the bloated convoluted continuity
Thank goodness this is only temporary, I would miss the 20 years worth of history and mythos of the Archie continuity.
The meeting of Classic Sonic and Sally is absolutely adorable.
@ DrEggFang
“I’m sick of the nearly 20 years of continuity and massive cast”
OK, read that back to yourself reaaal slowly…
“…sick of….20 years of continuity…”
So because of your kind, the whiny, vocal minority, Archie should abandon 20 years worth of continuity? I don’t know what comics you are referencing, but I’m sure their retcons were not so drastic. You don’t just “erase” 20 years worth of character development and universe building just to few readers that just don’t get it (are you even a reader of the book, Eggfang?).
Oh, and calling the fans of the current continuity creepy fanficcers? Classy.
yes scurgey arc i still want to know more about him and his dad.
I’m very exicted about this experimental reboot, but relieved to see it will only be shortlived. As much as I love Classic Sonic I think the Mordern Sonic is Champ. The STH has finally been brought out of its dark days and like @Segamew said ” I would miss the 20 years worth of history and mythos of the Archie continuity.” I know many fans love Classic Sonic but, don’t hate and appericate that Archie Sonic listens enough to give some fans what they been begging for.
PS: Scourge Arc is going to be sweet. How bout an Eggman Arc!? Huh huh….no? Anyone?
I am also glad it’s not going to be a permanent reboot. Experimenting with it is fine, great even. It should be a memorable arc, and a good hurrah for Sonic’s 20th.
Scourge arc? Interesting…but I’m still hoping for a Mighty arc.
-Storm
Guessed right on the temporary-ness of the Genesis reboot. Scourge arc sounds effin’ awesome (Fiona reappearing… possibly?) but the Mighty arc I still want more. And for Mighty to finally reappear in a videogame, but that will likely take longer
.
At least we don’t have to worry about what’s gonna happen to that “Doll” Sally Acorn.
You don’t have to read it Dr. Eggfang. In fact, you can draw your own “game canon only” comics if you want. No one is stopping you.
The problem with game canon is similar to the problem movie novelizations or games have:
A) You’re not releasing new material every month in these industries, its every year at most.
B) Much of the material is kept tight under wraps. Which is why the Sonic Adventure 2 comic “adaptation” was only the first level. Because even as the issue left for printing, Sega wouldn’t let Archie know what happened past the demo level they gave them, yet they wanted an adaptation. This is one reason why most games based on movies tend to suck.
C) The games are incredibly sparse on character development and interaction. They aren’t RPGs, they’re action games. Archie only managed to draw Sonic Adventure into an arc because they were given plenty of warning and integrated their own world into it, which provided the majority of the character plot. Most of the games are “Level-short cutscene-Level”, which really isn’t that exciting for a comic book.
There simply isn’t enough material to make a Sonic comic based solely on the games last more then a few issues without getting mind-numbingly repetitive. That’s WHY both of the Sonic comics built their own worlds to play in.
Yeah…Sally is either going to have her life in danger or she will die. Anyone see some of the early art from IGN? It’s pretty obvious it’s gonna be her now that Ian is saying this.
Agreed with what Viking said. If you want game story, you can go indulge yourself in the games’ insane storylines to your heart’s content.
And I don’t see this creepy fanfic whatever problem having anything to do with Archieverse. Some of the best fanfiction I read are SatAM/Archie based.
I wonder…how many out there think that it’ll be Geoffry St. John whose going to bite the bullet? I keep thinking it’d be way to easy to pull a “shock” at the end with him taking the hit for or dying instead.
It’s obviously going to be Guru Emu.
Let me sum up your precious continuity
http://archiesonic.wikia.com/wiki/Sonic_Live
http://archiesonic.wikia.com/wiki/Mina
http://archiesonic.wikia.com/wiki/Nate_Morgan
http://archiesonic.wikia.com/wiki/Mecha_Robotnik
http://archiesonic.wikia.com/wiki/Archie_Sonic_Super_Special_Issue_7
http://archiesonic.wikia.com/wiki/File:STH155.jpg
“You don’t just “erase” 20 years worth of character development and universe building just for a few readers”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman:_Year_One
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battlestar_Galactica_%282004_TV_series%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman_Begins
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casino_Royale_%282006_film%29
“You don’t just “erase” 10 years worth of character development and universe building just for a few movie goers. Those that didn’t like Batman & Robin are a vocal minority so Batman Begins should be shitcanned.-BatNipples42
@Viking ZX
Strange I don’t remember saying I just want rehashes of the game stories
There is Sally in this issue!? Nooooooo!
I hate to break it to you Eggfang…but you’re the vocal minority.
Poochie-Shadow the simpsons his comic,
no Sonic not love… not remake.
@Matt: DC pretty much tossed out the baby with the bathwater after CoIE when it comes to Batman. They gave Jason Todd a new origin and started from there as the “modern day”, with all of the Silver Age stuff – which, yes, is about twenty years plus – jettisoned. Frank Miller then did Batman: Year One, which is one of the all time greats of comics and many after him filled in the gaps with great stories, while other new classics followed in the “modern day” Batman stories.
It worked. They did similar with Superman and it worked. Wonder Woman got a complete reboot and while you can certainly debate whether it worked or not, it was gorgeous because George Perez and was a fresh slate regardless.
Sometimes a property just needs a refresher, or at least a partial reboot.
@Viking ZX: Actually, you can trace the Archie characters pretty cleanly back to the fact that when they first came about, there WERE no characters to make stories with. They didn’t even have Knuckles yet. They had Sonic, Tails and Robotnik; definitely not enough to make a long running comic. Now’s a far different matter; if the comic had been started this past decade instead of then, I doubt it would have turned out the way it did.
Holy shit.
…this actually makes me want to spend money to buy the comics again, look at that artwork. Jesus.
http://archiesonic.wikia.com/wiki/Sonic_Live
Silly story not considered part of the mainstream canon.
http://archiesonic.wikia.com/wiki/Mina
A fleshed out character the does have an effect on today’s canon.
http://archiesonic.wikia.com/wiki/Nate_Morgan
He’s dead. And I miss him
http://archiesonic.wikia.com/wiki/Mecha_Robotnik
He’s Dr. Eggman, therefore is relevant to today’s Eggman.
http://archiesonic.wikia.com/wiki/Archie_Sonic_Super_Special_Issue_7
Mandatory cross publisher crossover stunt. Not part of main canon.
http://archiesonic.wikia.com/wiki/File:STH155.jpg
Part of the reason why have old senile ex-King Acorn of today.
You make it sound like everything that happened in the past has no effect on today’s continuity.
But anyway, loving the Spaz interior art. Too bad he hasn’t done interior art since 2001, and this won’t be a common occurrence x.x
@Dr. Eggfang Seriously, is that how you would sum up “our precious” archie sonic continuity?? Huh. Mind telling me how much, if any, you’ve actually read of or followed the comics? Cuz I don’t know about you or anyone else, but that list does anything but “summarize.” If you don’t read them, then what have you got to legitimately stand on and say what you have? And what’s with the tone of animosity (quote: “let me sum up your precious continuity”, “creepy fanfic audience”)? I mean, you can have your opinion, but no one’s an enemy here.
And this should go for everyone else too; not to get on anyone’s back, but if you don’t read the book, then you really ought not to have a say in whether there’s a reboot or not. Yes yes, anyone can have an opinion–think whatever you want; I know I do the same. But having a say is different than having an opinion. If you don’t read it or stopped years ago or have never cared, or whatever, then you shouldn’t expect anyone to pay heed to your opinion, especially in matters of importance, such as a reboot. I’m saying this because it’s annoying when I see people bash the comic and say there should be a reboot, acting as if they have a say, but then they announce they don’t read it. What do you care if there’s a reboot or not? You’re not the one who will be affected.
Notice I haven’t said whether I think there should be a reboot or not–also, for many who have said one way or the other, I don’t know if they read the book, though often it’s pretty apparent. I just find it unfair, and rather annoying, when people who don’t bother to give the time of day to the comic still influence it and others with their opinion. And yes, whoever you are, you’re opinion can influence–whether it’s another poster or a creator who happens to read it. I understand Archie always desires (and needs) to attract more readers, but when it comes to a monumental decision such as a reboot, Ian ought to lend the most consideration to the readers; it would be a shame if he made the decision based on what other, non-readers felt.
I think that as Sonic fans, we assume that we have a say in all things sonic, whether we really care about it or not, or have invested anything (like money) in it. However, I don’t believe that’s right. If all I ever did was read the books, and had never played a single game (or perhaps have only played one, such as Adventure), should I expect to have any say on how Sega should direct their next installment, beyond expressing my opinion?
So just consider this next time you may want to demand a reboot, or even stand against it. Do you really have a say? If you think you do, why? Simply being a sonic fan doesn’t cut it as a good reason. Just some food for thought here.
@ Dr Eggfan, dl316bh
That’s just the thing, though: both Batman comics mentioned weren’t total reboots of the continuity, they were “refreshers”. Casino Royale is a bad example, too. It’s technically was a prequel to all the other James Bond movies…it’s not like they plan on remaking Diamonds Are Forever with Daniel Craig, you know. And even though the Bond franchise is always updating itself to stay relevant (each new film is set in modern times), they still reference events and characters from previous films, so very little has been thrown away from previous continuities.
And Eggfang, it’s very petty of you to compile a list of what some might say are the worst moments in the book’s history and call it a summary of the book’s continuity. Until you give an actual reason for hating the book so much, you’ve lost the argument.
@Dr. Fang did you really get all your info from Wiki? How can you dislike Sonic when you call yourself a Sonic fan?! I don’t understand it.
@Matt: No, perhaps they weren’t full reboots of the continuity. I was looking to illustrate that, at the least, a partial reboot if nothing else can be good for a property. The Batman situation was a partial reboot; while a lot of the Silver Age stuff was thrown out, the O’Neil/Adams run is mostly in continuity and I believe the Englehart run is as well. I think Archie Sonic could probably benefit tremendously from this, if only to separate the wheat from the chaff.
As for Eggfangs Casino Royale example… well, you’re right. That film was originally intended to be a prequel to all the other Bond movies. But I don’t necessarily think it is anymore. I think that they’re pretty much using it as a rebooted continuity. The feel is much different. Hell, even Bond is much different. The Daniel Craig Bond is, to me, a far angrier, more driven Bond. He’s less the suave secret agent of his predecessors. Obviously, you always had to take the Bond franchise with a grain of salt in this regard – you know, multiple actors who all look different playing the same guy – but the modern Bond is different enough that I find myself unable to reconcile him with the classic continuity.
…So that Sonic 2 cover art is freaking amazing.
I actually kinda wish that the continuty get moved over to the Universe comics, the universe idea be scrapped and the mini-retcon be perminant. Not to say that any of the current stories are bad. in fact, I actually like some of the current stuff. It’s just that I think stuff like the Genesis saga would bring in new readers, and they’d want stuff like Genesis, not whatever is happening after our Nagus arc… But, what can I say. Only the writers and artists know how this all ties in.
Nice that they are bringing the old games into comic version….
Horrible that they decided to add in those characters that NEVER APPEARED in the Genesis games :/
Sorry but my vote goes to Dr. Eggfang… sorta.
I mean… I clearly just read someone’s comment that they didn’t want so many characters in the games…well…. what does that make Sally and the rest considered as?
Ian Fylnn?!?!?!?!? There’s a Flynn out there? Cool! So is he like Sam’s cousin?
Clearly a few people need to brush up on the reason why there was even a Sonic comic published by Archie Comics Publications in the first place, and why it was a SatAM-based comic with AoStH and the video game elements thrown in to create a melting pot of Sonic goodness.
It’s still that way today when you think about it. Just with less AoStH and more…. video game elements.
@ Sonic Office
Flynn lives! (despite being nearly derezzed)
@GoldenHedgy this is a long running comic series where Sally is one of the main characters. Having Sonic jump through hoops and collect rings doesn’t really make a good well-rounded comic.
Sonic Universe is also not bad in my opinion. The Silver Saga is pretty sweet. Super Supreme Enerjak is drawn incredible by Trace Yardely.
@Robot521
Now Sonic is only jumping through hoops and collecting rings? Have you played any of the games in the past ten years?
The comic doesn’t need to rely on characters from a cartoon that doesn’t even exists anymore, if I wanted those characters I would go to read a furry comic. I want to read a true Sonic comic, based IN THE GAMES, not this princess sally-Knothole-mobius nonsense, thee way they are implemented and the fact Sally is a Mary-sue makes all the comics just one big fanfic. It’s sad really.
I hope you realize every single character in the Sonicverse is a Mary-sue to some degree based on everyone’s own interpretation of what a Mary-sue is.
And what’s this about a furry comic? You make it sound like the SatAM cast were created to appeal to a demographic other than children.
I hope you realize that by the way the definition of Mary-Sue has evolved, every single freaking character ever is a Mary-Sue. Sonic is a Gary-Sue. So are Tails, Knuckles and Shadow.
Get over it and stop crying out that characters are given preferential treatment. Didn’t Shadow come back from the dead? And then save the world? And recover from his angsty issues? He’s like every emo-kids greatest action dream in a video game. Give the -Sue calling a rest.
But I guess I can;t argue with you. You want to see comics based on the games, that’s fine. Maybe the world needs more comics featuring 12 pages of no dialogue followed by Sonic making out with a human princess, followed by the story retconning itself out of existence. Maybe.
That single scene was more furry fetish then anything the comics have ever done.
I dunno, Elise has some competition with the Sonic OVA… =P
@Alex I was refering to the classic Sonic games that @GoldenHedgy was commenting on. Yes I play Sonic games and I also read the comics. The comic has BOTH game and SatAM characters. Sally is no worse then Amy Rose who has her ups and downs as well. I was just saying that to have a good comic you need better plots then the ones in the games. There very fun to play but, sometimes the plot is a little lacking.
Please don’t bring Mary-Sues into this! For the love that is Sonic it will only bring the wrath of Fiest down upon you.