138 replies to this topic

[Bakuda]

Who says they have to dump one series to start over? There are many fans who love the current archie series (not me) and it would be terrible for them if the series abruptly ended (how did you feel at the end of SatAM?). Rather, what harm would it do to create a new series starting at the beginning of SatAM and telling the whole story - Robotnik's coup, the war between knothole and robotropolis, Robotnik's fall, and Snively's rise to power. I don't know how well that would do but it would appeal to SatAM fans and perhaps introduce many sonic fans to the SatAM world. And all this can be done while the curent archie storyline continues. What's the "true story"? You be the judge.

[LaserX5]

Really what ever happened to pleasing everyone?

Good question indeed.

Why Sega insists on only making a comic for kids only is beyond me.

If they would only see appealing to the teens and adults as well is the way to go to earn more profits.

I don't think its a coincidence that Batman series like, TAS, and movies like Batman Begins and The Dark Knight were huge hits. They didn't appeal to kids as much as the older audience, yet I bet kids loved it as well.

I swear, its like Sega wants to intentionally dumb down the content of the Sonic series in order to make it "kid friendly"

Anyway, I think the real question we should be asking is, Whatever happened to making deep and well written stories for the audience to enjoy? Ones that were complex and very intriguing, keeping you on the edge of your seat?

[blue]

<!--quoteo(post=45587:date=Jan 8 2011, 05:14 AM:name=henryiii)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (henryiii @ Jan 8 2011, 05:14 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=45587"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Really what ever happened to pleasing everyone?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Good question indeed. <img src="http://forums.49ers....C-thinking.gif" border="0" class="linked-image" />

Why Sega insists on only making a comic for kids only is beyond me.

Because Sonic was intend for kids from the start? Not saying that the franchise exclude other age demographics.

[Prime]

Why Sega insists on only making a comic for kids only is beyond me.

Because Sonic was intend for kids from the start? Not saying that the franchise exclude other age demographics.

Exactly,the major, and I mean major part of the readership is gonna be kids, thus the comic has to be suitable for kids. Do you think everyone who started reading the comic back in 1993 is still reading it today? Of course not. A small part of them will be, but only small. Same thing with any new readers who started reading around, say 1999 when Sonic Adventure was released or any new readers whenever they picked it up.

Kids make up the majority of sales for their video games and also comics, toys, whatever SEGA is whoring. Sure there may be a large sized adult fanbase, but that fanbase will not be big enough to keep the comic alive alone. Take Hasbro for example, they know they have a huge built in fanbase for both their G.I.JOE and Transformers brands, yet kids still make up the major part of their sales. Hasbro does listen to what the adult fanbase wants, but they also gotta look at it from a business point and decide if it'll be worth pulling off. It's the same thing with SEGA.

And besides, look who publishes the comic. Can you actually name any title under the Archie comics company that was/is aimed at a more mature audience? They ani't no IDW or Dark Horse afterall, got an image to maintain.

[LaserX5]

Because Sonic was intend for kids from the start? Not saying that the franchise exclude other age demographics.

And yet they got rid of their comic rating system not too long ago. Yea, Kid's comic my foot.

And besides, look who publishes the comic. Can you actually name any title under the Archie comics company that was/is aimed at a more mature audience? They ain't no IDW or Dark Horse after all, got an image to maintain.

Uh huh, so they want to maintain a kid friendly image when not even 5 issues ago, they went, BLAM BLAM BLAM! to Sally

You know, I think I actually would prefer the comic to be kiddish and goofy if this their idea of making it more mature for their targeted audience.

[blue]

Because Sonic was intend for kids from the start? Not saying that the franchise exclude other age demographics.

And yet they got rid of their comic rating system not too long ago. Yea, Kid's comic my foot.

Come to think of it, I don't see a rating system on the Sonic Comics since I bought a SU arc about month ago.

[Prime]

And besides, look who publishes the comic. Can you actually name any title under the Archie comics company that was/is aimed at a more mature audience? They ain't no IDW or Dark Horse after all, got an image to maintain.

Uh huh, so they want to maintain a kid friendly image when not even 5 issues ago, they went, BLAM BLAM BLAM! to Sally

You know, I think I actually would prefer the comic to be kiddish and goofy if this their idea of making it more mature for their targeted audience.

Did we actually see Sally get shot? No we didn't, we didn't see shit happen to her at all. You can still kill someone in comics aimed at kids as long as it's done tastefully, so no bullets ripping them to shreds, or an explosion blowing limbs in all directions. Hell, Sally is not the first character in this comic series to be killed off, and that's even if she's been killed off.

And if by the "comic rating system" you mean the Comics Code Authority, pretty much nobody is using it now. In fact, Archie was the last of the original comic publishers who joined the CCA to stop using it, and actually the last company to still use it, so when they backed out of using the CCA, the CCA suddenly became pointless and thus, defunt. There is a whole backstory to the whole Comics Code Authority and why it was introduced, thanks to the wonderful minds of EC Comics and their line of fantasy comics such as Tales from the Crypt and the likes. Wonderful little bit of comic history, if you know anything about it at all.

Just because Archie isn't using the CCA, doesn't mean they are suddenly going all dark and edgy.

[LaserX5]

Did we actually see Sally get shot? No we didn't, we didn't see shit happen to her at all. You can still kill someone in comics aimed at kids as long as it's done tastefully, so no bullets ripping them to shreds, or an explosion blowing limbs in all directions. Hell, Sally is not the first character in this comic series to be killed off, and that's even if she's been killed off.

If I'm not mistaken, she's the first one to being be shot with a big gun like a turret.

Not exactly what I would call a kid friendly tease of death.

Pender's version was.

Just because Archie isn't using the CCA, doesn't mean they are suddenly going all dark and edgy.

I don't buy that.

Ever since they dropped the rating, I've noticed alot more violence and grittier stories within the series.

And that wouldn't be a bad thing, if Sally wasn't always all the main target to any dramatic changes within the comic.

[LogiTeeka]

This whole debate/argument makes me like SatAM all the more. Not just because it was written better, but because the show managed to stick to a consistent tone and atmosphere. I never liked most of the Archie's previous stories because they were too serious in tone. I mean, c'mon! This is a series focused on a blue, anthropomorphic hedgehog that runs at the speed of sound for crying out loud! It can't be taken "too" seriously! And at the same time, there were stories that couldn't be taken seriously whatsoever.

What I mostly like about Ian's run is that he manages to find the right mixture between seriousness and frivolous. SatAM had a similar approach; you had a serious setting (Robotnik taking total control of Mobius and transforming the inhabitance into machinery), but the main characters often go on strange adventures. It keeps the audience on the edges of their seats while keeping them entertained. And while the original Robotnik was vanquished, there's still peril left for the main cast to face.

[blue]

This whole debate/argument makes me like SatAM all the more. Not just because it was written better, but because the show managed to stick to a consistent tone and atmosphere. I never liked most of the Archie's previous stories because they were too serious in tone. I mean, c'mon! This is a series focused on a blue, anthropomorphic hedgehog that runs at the speed of sound for crying out loud! It can't be taken "too" seriously! And at the same time, there were stories that couldn't be taken seriously whatsoever.

What I mostly like about Ian's run is that he manages to find the right mixture between seriousness and frivolous. SatAM had a similar approach; you had a serious setting (Robotnik taking total control of Mobius and transforming the inhabitance into machinery), but the main characters often go on strange adventures. It keeps the audience on the edges of their seats while keeping them entertained. And while the original Robotnik was vanquished, there's still peril left for the main cast to face.

I'm going to be hated by this, but while it is special for the Sonic franchise it's kinda generic in comparasion at the time. Mildly dark coloring, abit of edge concept, and hidden yet creative repititions. Though I'll give it credit when the show tried to make it more complex and more story driven for a kids' show at the time.
P.S. I'm not dissing the show. I'm just saying that it's not as special as everyone else said. Though I did enjoy the show and can see why people like it.

[LaserX5]

This whole debate/argument makes me like SatAM all the more. Not just because it was written better, but because the show managed to stick to a consistent tone and atmosphere. I never liked most of the Archie's previous stories because they were too serious in tone. I mean, c'mon! This is a series focused on a blue, anthropomorphic hedgehog that runs at the speed of sound for crying out loud! It can't be taken "too" seriously! And at the same time, there were stories that couldn't be taken seriously whatsoever.

I actually do like serious stories because the Sonic series has shown it can thrive within it if written correctly.

Problem is, it hasn't, not for awhile now.

What I mostly like about Ian's run is that he manages to find the right mixture between seriousness and frivolous. SatAM had a similar approach; you had a serious setting (Robotnik taking total control of Mobius and transforming the inhabitance into machinery), but the main characters often go on strange adventures. It keeps the audience on the edges of their seats while keeping them entertained. And while the original Robotnik was vanquished, there's still peril left for the main cast to face.

Ian has absolutely nothing on Ben Hurst.

While I'll admit he does try to pay some homage to the show, I see more of SegaSonic's influence, as well as some other things that makes me furrow my eyebrows.

And, let's be honest here, Eggman will never, EVER be better than Robotnik Prime.

That guy was the best Sonic villain ever made.

[Prime]

Did we actually see Sally get shot? No we didn't, we didn't see shit happen to her at all. You can still kill someone in comics aimed at kids as long as it's done tastefully, so no bullets ripping them to shreds, or an explosion blowing limbs in all directions. Hell, Sally is not the first character in this comic series to be killed off, and that's even if she's been killed off.

If I'm not mistaken, she's the first one to being be shot with a big gun like a turret.

Not exactly what I would call a kid friendly tease of death.

Pender's version was.

Ahh, yes, because falling X amount of feet from the air and actually seeing her slam onto the ground is way better then being shot by a gun off page and not seeing the aftermath, and that's if it even hit her. Yep, seeing a fatal fall is very kid friendly compared to not showing what happened. Like I said already, we didn't see anything, so anything could of happened.

Just because Archie isn't using the CCA, doesn't mean they are suddenly going all dark and edgy.

I don't buy that.

Ever since they dropped the rating, I've noticed alot more violence and grittier stories within the series.

And that wouldn't be a bad thing, if Sally wasn't always all the main target to any dramatic changes within the comic.

Oh? Well then I guess the Archie Sonic comic can sit proudly in my collection along with comics like IDW's G.I.JOE titles and the various sets of Marvel's The Punisher series.

Actually, on second thought, I'll wait until they slap a "Mature Readers Only" or "Parental Advisory" warnings on the cover and I'm promised actual voilence and realy gritty stories. When that happens, then the Archie Sonic run can share the same long boxes as those two and many other titles in my collection.


On a serious note though, let's have a look:

. The cover to issue 230 suggests Sally MIGHT have survived the gunshots, if she was even shot. Like I've said before, since we didn't see it happen or the aftermath, anything could of happened.

. The cover to issue 231 suggests the robotic being could be anyone, yes, even Sally. If that's the case, she's still around and could be de-robotiziced at a later date.

. The summary of issue 232 suggest Sally MIGHT of died, or she could be seriously injured since it refers to her as "fallen" which could mean numerous things. Yeah, I know fallen usually means, dead, but still, we don't know anything yet.

All I'm seeing here is people assuming things and throwing a lot of hate at Ian Flynn without actually knowing what's in the pages of those issues and what he has planned. Hell LaserX5, even in you're signature you say Ian's a confirmed Sally hater, yet we don't know the outcome. You seem to complain at anything he does really without knowing what Ian is doing. You're complaining about Flynn because Sally could be dead. You're complaining about Flynn on the grounds that he might change her character, say making her evil. And yet you, me and everyone else on this board and within the fandom don't know what's happening. Only Flynn, the artists and the editors at Archie know. Now, it's obvious that you don't like Flynn or how he is writing the book or the characters in there, but still, kinda jumping to conclusions early on, aren't you? Hate Flynn for what his done, but don't hate him for what you think his going to do, wait till be actually does it. I stopped reading because of Karl Bollers and that slap in #134, not a good choice of character development, made Sally into a selfish bitch with that. Plus I found Bollers writing to be kind of shit as well, so the slap was pretty much me going "Fuck this, not reading anymore". By doing that, I couldn't complain about anything else he had done. I stopped reading there and then and if Flynn pisses you off so much, then perhaps you should stop reading the comic too? By you still buying the comic and raging at Flynn, his pretty much trolling you, because his making you angry and getting your money at the same time.

Characters need development over the course of the run (be it comics, TV, novels and so on) otherwise what is the point of keeping them exactly the same? Gets kinda boring. Yes, sometimes those developments might seem crazy and pointless to a lot of people, but at the same time, those same developments might seem bold and refreshing to others. And there's only so far you can take a character to the point of perhaps killing them off.

Now in Sally case, yes, it'd be insulting to kill her off without dignity, however, she could sacrifice herself to save everyone else, a fitting end to her character. Bottom line is, like with Hershey since she's MIA with either her being alive or dead, we don't know what's happened to Sally yet.

Now is Ian toying with everyone? More then likely, but think of it this way, if it was confirmed early on that she survives then the suspense of waiting to find out is pointless, and the same thing if it's confirmed early on that she dies. The covers and summaries of issues #230-#232 are throwing curve balls at us, it's keeping us guessing! And the only way we'll find out is until those issues are released and we read them.

[LogiTeeka]

Ian has absolutely nothing on Ben Hurst.

I'm not saying that Ian is as good as Ben Hurst. Ben was a good writer, but he wasn't the creator of the show. That title belongs to ex-Disney animator, Len Janson. He was the one who created the premise and characters (the early version that is), but many other writers contributed to the show. Ben Hurst was undoubtedly the best of the writers, but even he had his share of standards. The show was targeted for family audiences; so you couldn't have "too" dark content like characters being killed on-screen.

But like Ian, Ben Hurst knew the right mixture between seriousness and frivolous. The only difference was that Hurst's stories were focused on character development while Ian's are more centered around action (which comics seem better at portraying). Both have their strengths, but they have their share of weak-points as well. No one's perfect.

While I'll admit he does try to pay some homage to the show, I see more of SegaSonic's influence, as well as some other things that makes me furrow my eyebrows.

And, let's be honest here, Eggman will never, EVER be better than Robotnik Prime.

There's nothing wrong with having influence from the games, is there? I mean, that's where the show started from in the beginning. Okay, I understand that the present-day Sonic is very lacking in comparison to his earlier incarnation, but not everything from the games are bad. Everything up until 2005 (the year Shadow the Hedgehog was released) seemed great. I loved the cast and story of Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 and I liked "most" of Sonic Heroes. They have their shares of problems, but for the overall experience, they were great.

Plus, am I the only one here who likes Dr. Eggman? Yes, I know he's nowhere near as evil as Robotnik was in SatAM, but I still can't help but like him. My favorite version would have to be in Sonic X. He's like Disney's Captain Hook, Dr. Doofenshmirtz, and AoStH's Robotnik rolled up into one character; you can't get enough of this guy. He'd probably be better off in the comics as Robotnik's younger brother or cousin who wanted to inherit his technology and empire, but couldn't reach Robotnik's level of villainy despite his best efforts.

Well, at least that's my take on the character.

[blue]

This whole debate/argument makes me like SatAM all the more. Not just because it was written better, but because the show managed to stick to a consistent tone and atmosphere. I never liked most of the Archie's previous stories because they were too serious in tone. I mean, c'mon! This is a series focused on a blue, anthropomorphic hedgehog that runs at the speed of sound for crying out loud! It can't be taken "too" seriously! And at the same time, there were stories that couldn't be taken seriously whatsoever.

What I mostly like about Ian's run is that he manages to find the right mixture between seriousness and frivolous. SatAM had a similar approach; you had a serious setting (Robotnik taking total control of Mobius and transforming the inhabitance into machinery), but the main characters often go on strange adventures. It keeps the audience on the edges of their seats while keeping them entertained. And while the original Robotnik was vanquished, there's still peril left for the main cast to face.

I'm going to be hated by this, but while it is special for the Sonic franchise it's kinda generic in comparasion at the time. Mildly dark coloring, abit of edge concept, and hidden yet creative repititions. Though I'll give it credit when the show tried to make it more complex and more story driven for a kids' show at the time.
P.S. I'm not dissing the show. I'm just saying that it's not as special as everyone else said. Though I did enjoy the show and can see why people like it.

It seems like no one's responding my comment. Oh well, I was expecting abit too much.

[LogiTeeka]

It seems like no one's responding my comment. Oh well, I was expecting abit too much.

Don't worry. I read your opinion and I partially agree with it. SatAM was a dark family show, but I think people give it too much credit for being "really dark".

Sure, the show's premise sounds like a movie that Don Bluth or Hayao Miyazaki would create (a group of Freedom Fighters fight a diabolical, Hitler-wannabe mad scientist from terraforming their planet into a massive polluted hellhole), but because the show was targeted as a family show; they could only get away with so very little dark content before parents start complaining. Batman: the Animated Series, Gargoyles, and Avatar: the Last Airbender had the same problems during their run.

If the show was targeted for teens and/or adults, they could get away with more content then the normal family-oriented show.

[blue]

Sure, the show's premise sounds like a movie that Don Bluth or Hayao Miyazaki would create (a group of Freedom Fighters fight a diabolical, Hitler-wannabe mad scientist from terraforming their planet into a massive polluted hellhole), but because the show was targeted as a family show; they could only get away with so very little dark content before parents start complaining. Batman: the Animated Series, Gargoyles, and Avatar: the Last Airbender had the same problems during their run.

If the show was targeted for teens and/or adults, they could get away with more content then the normal family-oriented show.

I don't think Don Bluth or Hayao Miyazaki would ever create a concept where a group of individuals tried to overthrow an evil dictatorship, but who knows maybe they would create something like that.

[LaserX5]

Ahh, yes, because falling X amount of feet from the air and actually seeing her slam onto the ground is way better then being shot by a gun off page and not seeing the aftermath, and that's if it even hit her. Yep, seeing a fatal fall is very kid friendly compared to not showing what happened. Like I said already, we didn't see anything, so anything could of happened.

Did it show any blood? Any gory details? Anything that resembled a fatal fall?

No.

It was just a thud with Sally looking like she was unconscious.

Compared to BLAM BLAM BLAM! Yea, that's way more easy to swallow.

Yes, it was off screen, but c'mon now, that was as harsh of a way to kill off a character in quite some time.

Only Tommy getting blown up with a missile was more graphic.

The cover to issue 230 suggests Sally MIGHT have survived the gunshots, if she was even shot. Like I've said before, since we didn't see it happen or the aftermath, anything could of happened.

My guess is

A: Sally is on borrowed time, running on the fume of Eggman's reseter and knows she'll die soon if she doesn't accept roboticization

or

B: She decides to risk her life to get rid of Eggman's latest machine that intends to roboticize the whole planet.

How else do you explain, "The ending will leave you breathless."

In other words, something dramatic is going to happen to Sally.

The cover to issue 231 suggests the robotic being could be anyone, yes, even Sally. If that's the case, she's still around and could be de-roboticized at a later date.

My thinking is, if she does end up roboticized, it will be like Jules, where its irreversible and she's stuck that way.

And that would be a fate worse than death for her.

The summary of issue 232 suggest Sally MIGHT of died, or she could be seriously injured since it refers to her as "fallen" which could mean numerous things. Yeah, I know fallen usually means, dead, but still, we don't know anything yet.

Yes, we don't know anything.

Personally, a part of me thinks the fallen part means turned evil.

That would explain the at a great price from 231.

All I'm seeing here is people assuming things and throwing a lot of hate at Ian Flynn without actually knowing what's in the pages of those issues and what he has planned.

Yes, we don't know for sure. But one thing I do know. It's involves Sally and it's not going to end well for her.

Ian has in it for her to suffer in the upcoming issues just the sake of his big shock value story.

Don't kid yourself.

Hell LaserX5, even in you're signature you say Ian's a confirmed Sally hater, yet we don't know the outcome.

Reading his Other M comic I think might have given me some insight to his thought process.

Did you know not once did he give Sally in that fan comic of his a positive role, or even a place of honor?

Instead, he has her shot in the head by the evil Tails after killing Knuckles, quite gruesomely too.

Her death wasn't even looked upon as a sad moment. It was like, "Oh well. She's dead. Moving on."

And get this. In his Other M comic, he had Hershey killed too.

Sound familiar?

Characters need development over the course of the run (be it comics, TV, novels and so on) otherwise what is the point of keeping them exactly the same? Gets kinda boring. Yes, sometimes those developments might seem crazy and pointless to a lot of people, but at the same time, those same developments might seem bold and refreshing to others. And there's only so far you can take a character to the point of perhaps killing them off.

I don't buy that one bit.

If that's the case, why not kill Sonic off too, or Tails, Knuckles, even Amy for that matter?

I mean, what new things have been brought of their character that shows they have any further character development left?

Now in Sally case, yes, it'd be insulting to kill her off without dignity, however, she could sacrifice herself to save everyone else, a fitting end to her character. Bottom line is, like with Hershey since she's MIA with either her being alive or dead, we don't know what's happened to Sally yet.

If Ian actually does kill her off, but does it with alot of respect and dignity, then fine, I'll eventually accept his decision.

But since he didn't do it in his Other M comic, I doubt he will either.

Now is Ian toying with everyone? More then likely, but think of it this way, if it was confirmed early on that she survives then the suspense of waiting to find out is pointless, and the same thing if it's confirmed early on that she dies. The covers and summaries of issues #230-#232 are throwing curve balls at us, it's keeping us guessing! And the only way we'll find out is until those issues are released and we read them.

230 will be the one I'm going to be looking at mostly.

If this so called breathless ending makes Sally's misfortune just another cannon fodder victim, I am so done with the comic.

For a character that's been around since Issue 1, I expect a proper send off if she has to be killed.

No, scratch that, I demand it.

[Prime]

Ahh, yes, because falling X amount of feet from the air and actually seeing her slam onto the ground is way better then being shot by a gun off page and not seeing the aftermath, and that's if it even hit her. Yep, seeing a fatal fall is very kid friendly compared to not showing what happened. Like I said already, we didn't see anything, so anything could of happened.

Did it show any blood? Any gory details? Anything that resembled a fatal fall?

No.

It was just a thud with Sally looking like she was unconscious.

Compared to BLAM BLAM BLAM! Yea, that's way more easy to swallow.

Yes, it was off screen, but c'mon now, that was as harsh of a way to kill off a character in quite some time.

Only Tommy getting blown up with a missile was more graphic.

Yet we saw the fall. And while not fatal, it was meant to be fatal before SEGA stepped in. And yet we didn't see her get shot! Of course they weren't gonna show any blood or gory detail when Sally fell in a kids comics, I wasn't expecting her body to explode on impact, but the impact of the fall was shown, while the gunshots happened off screen. Either way, both were senarios were done to the standard of a kids comic. Well, the standards of an American kids comic. You you consider the gunshots to Sally graphic, tasteless and so forth for a kiddy comic, try picking up a copy of British comic 2000AD, that's marketed as a kid comic over here and I assure you, waaaay more graphic then anything Archie will have pulled off. Ahh, good times reading that as a kid, good times...

Characters need development over the course of the run (be it comics, TV, novels and so on) otherwise what is the point of keeping them exactly the same? Gets kinda boring. Yes, sometimes those developments might seem crazy and pointless to a lot of people, but at the same time, those same developments might seem bold and refreshing to others. And there's only so far you can take a character to the point of perhaps killing them off.

I don't buy that one bit.

If that's the case, why not kill Sonic off too, or Tails, Knuckles, even Amy for that matter?

I mean, what new things have been brought of their character that shows they have any further character development left?

Do you really think SEGA would okay Flynn to kill off the characters the book is plugging for them, especially the one that's their posterboy and biggest source of income? Yeah I can really see SEGA okaying Archie to snuff out Sonic. SEGA isn't gonna let that happen, the others characters created for the comic or other spin-off media? They don't give two shits about them! "Go nuts!"

Okay, so if Sally dies, it'll be shiity, very shitty. However, her death/sacrifice/whatever is happening is bound to effect all the other characters, especially those she is close too. How are they going to deal with the loss of her? If Ian writes it well and doesn't toss it out the window in a few issues time like say after issue #235 she's never spoken of again, then there's character development right there. Not all the characters are going to deal with her death lightly or in the same manner, some could/can break down and never be the same again, that's IF he does it right. If he doesn't write it well? Well then there you go.

I know it may seem like I'm being picking and such, but I'm pretty much use to seeing popular and fan favourite characters get killed off in comics, movies, TV and so on. The ones that aren't handled well are insulting and make me want to rage, but the ones that are done well and with respect? I can get behind that. There was one show I watched growing up where they killed off one of the main characters who had been with the show from the start (he'd been on the show for 10 years at this point). The death was shocking dramatic and hell, made me wanna cry because I knew this character for so long, I'd seen him develop, but the last couple of years not much had happened with him. His death impacted the lives of those around him, his family and his co-workers. It wasn't like 3 episodes down the line and that was it, never heard from again, the character was mentioned and brought up in fond memory for a long while. The producer of this run stayed with the show for a total of 11 years and in that time, only two characters had been killed off, yet both done with dignity and respect.

Now a couple of years later, a new producer had taken over the show and was removing characters left and right, most new characters brought in only stayed for 2 years at best and this producer killed off a total of 5 characters in the 4 years he produced the show, three of which was strong fan favourites. There was a end of season cliffhanger which left the fate of four characters in the balance, caught in an explosion and the last thing we saw in that episode was thier motionless bodies laying on the ground. When the next season started, we got a recap of what happened from that end of season episode and then it was mentioned two of the characters (one of which had been there for 13 years) had died. Those characters were never spoken of again after that episode.

If Sally is dead, will he do it was respect and diginity, or will be just throw her aside and just move along. We dunno. But saying he didn't do it in 'Other M' kinda defeats the purpose really, yeah you can use that against him, but when did Ian start writing 'Other M', 10 years ago? Maybe a bit longer? Writers get better as time goes by and they learn from their mistakes, I'm sure Stephen King wouldn't publish the stuff he wrote in school today, people would compare it to his current work. Like the first two seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, not well written and every lackluster to the shows later years. Now I never read 'Other M' (rule of mine is not to read fanfiction/fancomics unless highly recommended) or any of Ian's run on the comic, so I don't know if he has gotten better over time, but I hear a lot of bad about Ian, and yet a lot of good about him. Maybe I should read his stuff and see for myself.

Perhaps you should start a letter writing campaign to have Sally brought back and Ian removed from the comic. And before you say "Yeah, like that'll do any good!" or something along those lines? It actually can work, it just depends on who is listening. And I tell you what LaserX5, if he does kill off Sally, does it with no respect at all, and you decide to do a write in campaign to Archie about it, I'll join in myself.

[LaserX5]

Do you really think SEGA would okay Flynn to kill off the characters the book is plugging for them, especially the one that's their poster boy and biggest source of income? Yeah I can really see SEGA okaying Archie to snuff out Sonic. SEGA isn't gonna let that happen, the others characters created for the comic or other spin-off media? They don't give two shits about them! "Go nuts!"

I only said to make the point just because a character has no further character development left in them, the idea of sending them to the great beyond with a proper farewell is absurd.

And yea, I'm aware of the fact Ian can't touch Sonic in a way like he's doing to Sally now since Sega would instantly fire him.

The irony is though, Ian would get 1000X more of a shock value story if he actually did toy with the idea of Sonic being killed off.

I mean, think about it, can you imagine everyone's reaction?

Okay, so if Sally dies, it'll be shiity, very shitty. However, her death/sacrifice/whatever is happening is bound to effect all the other characters, especially those she is close too. How are they going to deal with the loss of her? If Ian writes it well and doesn't toss it out the window in a few issues time like say after issue #235 she's never spoken of again, then there's character development right there. Not all the characters are going to deal with her death lightly or in the same manner, some could/can break down and never be the same again, that's IF he does it right. If he doesn't write it well? Well then there you go.

If it's done in a way like Endgame, where everyone was basically crying and deeply upset, then fine, I'll cut Ian some slack.

But if it's like, "Oh, Sally's dead." And then the characters just shrug their shoulders and move on like it never happened, that would be the ultimate slap in the face.

And that to me would make it a worse issue than 134.

If Sally is dead, will he do it was respect and dignity, or will be just throw her aside and just move along. We dunno. But saying he didn't do it in 'Other M' kinda defeats the purpose really, yeah you can use that against him, but when did Ian start writing 'Other M', 10 years ago?

I think he started it about 2003 if I recalled correctly.

Writers get better as time goes by and they learn from their mistakes.

Yes, that I'll agree with you on that point. I myself can attest to that since I've refined my writing style when making fanfics overtime.

But what still concerns me is the fact Sally's death in Other M compared to this recent arc are very similar. In fact, if anything, it looks like Ian gave her a worse fate than before.

And get this... the SU 35 aerial attack somehow reminds me a bit of what the evil Tails in Other M did the Freedom Fighters home with his machine.

I could swear, he's basing these new issues off of ideas from his fan comic.

Not 100% sure about that, but I can't help but see a pattern.

I hear a lot of bad about Ian, and yet a lot of good about him. Maybe I should read his stuff and see for myself.

Depends on which side of the Sonic fanbase you're hearing this from.

Satam fans like myself are the ones criticizing Ian since he seems to be desecrating what little of there is left.

SEGASONIC fans on the other hand... They couldn't be happier.

I've read alot of comments on BKF, and most of them love what's Ian doing.

And especially since most of them are Sally/Satam haters, it's not hard to see why.

Not to mention Amy is going to be the one who benefits most from Ian's latest move.

Perhaps you should start a letter writing campaign to have Sally brought back and Ian removed from the comic. And before you say "Yeah, like that'll do any good!" or something along those lines? It actually can work, it just depends on who is listening. And I tell you what LaserX5, if he does kill off Sally, does it with no respect at all, and you decide to do a write in campaign to Archie about it, I'll join in myself.

I think the best thing to do is have a public boycot t of Archie Sonic should Ian give Sally a disgraceful sendoff or afate that desecrates her character even worse than Karl Bollers did.

Sending a letter will be pointless. They'll just laugh at it and throw it in the trash.

The best way to hit an incompetent comic book company like Archie is in their pocketbook.

Let their sales drop so they can they made a big mistake in how they handled Sally.