See What Everyone’s Thrashing About
You’ve seen the background and controversy surrounding what we now know to be an altered Sonic the Hedgehog #244 from Archie Comics in the wake of a settlement allegedly reached in the Ken Penders copyright case. Now, if it isn’t already in your hands, you can see for yourself why so many are so concerned.
The beginning of issue #244, part two of the Endangered Species arc, is barren right out of the gates. We see glimpses of Thrash, but no other echidnas, with Sonic, Knuckles, and the rest of the main gang puzzled and soon infuriated as to what’s going on.
Take a look at the cover and first five pages of issue #244, courtesy of Destructoid, following Archie’s synopsis–which, keep in mind, was written in September.
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #244
“(W) Ian Flynn (A) Terry Austin & Various (CA) Tracy Yardley & Various
‘Endangered Species,’ Part Two. 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?”
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Ever since I was little I always wondered why the echidnas were extinct and now we finally have an answer: Ken Penders.
@Sonick
Oh the irony.
@Sonick
Hahaha burn. I guess Pachacamac and his tribe survived the Kenpocalypse since they were some of the only Echidnas under a signed working contract at the time >.<
@Tenko – Haha “Kenpocalypse”
@Tenko
It also keeps Lord Iizuka happy also why Thrash looks like another one of Sonic’s Friends TM, getting of rid of elements that don’t jive with the games to satisfySEGA and to avoid possible legal ramifications of the Ken fallout is like killing two birds with one stone for Archie.
@SSJSonicXX14: What does Iizuka have to do with anything?
I don’t watch the comics too much, but who is that Trash? He looks like Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes combined with Crash Bandicoot. Even his name looks like fusion of those two.
And is this how they treat a story? Some of the characters are offered a way through a “portal” and that’s the end of it? Instantly, without explanation, just like that? It could be even more like a fist in the eye if they for example made a button in the story, which resets the Universes laws or something. Deus ex machina. I thought, that people who write the story are paid for good entraining ideas, which make people exited, tense, which makes them think and make them interested. Now it looks like the story is written for the purpose of having it written to meat the deadlines and not allowing it to cross a very difficult chain of copyright laws. It’s no longer about writing a story which brings something new, fresh and which makes people think, it’s only about the writing process itself which is now clenched in a and war between Archie, SEGA and Penders.
I might be wrong, since I didn’t read a whole lot, but it looks like it is the case.
Look at it this way guys: The teaser for issue 245 specifically mentions Lien-Da and her Dark Egg Legion, as well as a no-holds barred fight between Knuckles and Thrash. I’m certain the echidnas will be back.
I mean really, has anyone considered the possibility that this could just be a way to take advantage of all the controversy and get more people pulled into the story? That’s entirely possible, isn’t it?
I’ve lost track of the comics for quite some time… no more echidnas, even if for awhile? Well… Knuckles initially WAS last of his kind to begin with in his design and his official SEGA self…(I would contradict that with the fact Chronicles exists… but it takes place in an unlabeled time.) Oh well, Archie will need to drag their feet a bit, and then they will see if they can get Sonic running quickly again. On a side note… I’ve gotten used to seeing Yardley all over the comics for awhile. Glad some were brought back… as for art displayed… if that’s Butler, he has gotten alittle different, and more on model than before… even if just a bit.
I was going to say “Hey, when did Sonic ever get roughed up like that by something non-mechanical?” but then I remembered he got clocked by Metal Knux, and without him Amy and Tails were probably quick to go down. 8(
I’m also extremely bummed about the cover change, I really liked that pic of Julie-Su and Amy, they looked awesome together. T_T