in this thread i'm going to livetoot as i read every issue of archie comic's sonic the hedgehog (probably, anyway... until i lose interest)
sonic comics #1
okay, so the hanging sonic was just a pinata
the first story in this comic was kinda dumb, but also kinda weirdly relevant, because the problem that robotnick made was solved by a thunder storm?????? feel kind of weird about that considering the same thing happened to me just last night
the second story takes place in the casino night zone...
sonic mini-series #0
well half way through issue 2 of the main series i looked up a reading order list and found out that I totally forgot that there was a mini-series that ran before issue 1 came out
so issue 0 might be where they mention chili dogs for the first time! there's a whole story about how robotnik took over mobius by ordering 200 chili dogs, also sonic's uncle owns a dog, that's kinda fucked up
think about it
sonic mini-series #2
i've just been having fun reading these actually, i don't really have much to say, mini-series issue one flew past
in issue 2 though i've realized that the mobian's who have been turned into robots just kinda look like normal mobians, they must not have finalized the designs of them this early
also they introduced the "freedom emeralds" in this issue as basically the crown jewels of mobius, i wonder if those will ever come back 🤔
sonic comics #3
i'm back at it now that i've got free time again, i didn't think there would be anything to say about issue 3 of the main line when i opened it, but the second story in this one is the one where they introduce Bunnie Rabbot, its got the same energy as all of these early issues, but i'm glad to see her get an honest intro instead of just being dumped into a scene like she was always there
sonic comics #4
this issue is where you can see the roots starting to fall into place, its still goofy cartoon humor, but they begin to build on the references from previous issues more and acknowledge their own continuity
mainly in the way that Sonic uses a part from the roboticiszer they stole from the Bunnie story to defeat the latest threat
any time now i'm just going to open up the next issue and realize that they are committing to a full on story-line
sonic comics #6
i read issue 5 earlier and it had nothing worth reporting on, then had a nap and now i'm back to report on issue six, which is again just more silly bullshit, but it referances sonic spinball in the first story
the second story though... is a sonic version of a christmas carol
but! its also got two firsts in it: its the first time they officially call Rotor by his new name (instead of Boomer), and it seems like its the first appearance of Snivley in the comic
sonic comics #8
whelp, Bunnie just made a joke about how she's a "sax symbol"
also this is the first issue where all of the freedom fighters are just incidentally together without any of them NEEDing to be there, and they actually pull their weight in the narrative instead of just letting sonic fix everything
i feel like every issue of this book in the early days actually shows a lot of development on the meta-level
sonic comics #9 & 10
these issues both introduce throwaway characters, Betty Butterfly, and "the Nerbs"
i always like finding details like this when reading through the backlog of something, I can't help crossing my fingers and hoping that some writer way down the line rereads these old books and tries to incorporate them back into the story
also issue 10 was the first time that they didn't have to include any single-page comics for filler, though that could be because they needed more ad space
sonic comics #12
getting around the first story's goofy time travel bullshit, the second and third stories in this issue introduces Cyril the Eagle, and Larry Lynx (the super jinx), two characters that i'm positive come back in future episodes
at the end, the way that sonic proves that larry is no longer unlucky is by having him win 50 games of chess in a row, a game that is famously not based on luck even a little bit... 🤷
sonic comics #14
i think i've read this issue a hundred times, its probably one of the first issues i ever had; i still have a battered, ripped up copy of it sitting on my bookshelf
some very classic shit in here, i've looked at these panels so many times they are burned into my brain
also the filler pages in this issue are a three-page comic that they wanted people to write in the dialogue and sound effects themselves and then send them in for a contest, imagining doing that gives me anxiety
sonic comics #16
this is maybe the first issue that has really bucked me (in a good way) the first story is about the freedom fighters getting stuck in a virtual world made by robotnik, and then sonic literally hacking his way out; it tricks you into thinking that they have beaten robotnik and that sonic and sally are getting married, my jaw dropped until they revealed the truth
the second story is (finally!) starting to show off nameless background extra freedom fighters
sonic mini-series #0
@MrJimmy another series walks straight into the Goofy/Pluto problem without realizing it
sonic comics #1
the second story was also silly cartoony nonsense, robotnik actually managed to capture sonic but instead of robotisizing him, he put him into a giant pinball machine...
there was one good joke, when sonic said "who write's your dialogue? Al Literation?"
also sonic blew casino night zone up with explosives...
the last three pages are single page comics, one of which has an actual chili dog recipe, this might be the first time that sonic is seen with a chili dog, huh