James Reviews -Knuckles (2024)

 

In 2020, after years of development hell, the Sonic the Hedgehog movie finally released, distributed by Paramount Pictures, and was a massive hit. With the success of the film, the Sonic franchise was rejuvenated, and the way was paved for the Sonic Cinematic Universe with 2022 seeing the release of Sonic 2. Nearly two years later, as we prepared for Sonic 3, the world saw Idris Elba's Knuckles get his own show, which guest starred Adam Pally as Green Hills policeman Wade Whipple (who is also the main star of this darn show).

So, I watched this whole series, and saw some videos about it on YouTube, what are my thoughts on this?

Honestly, KNUCKLES is fine. Its nothing too special or groundbreaking, its all about our favorite red echidna and Wade Whipple on a pretty wacky adventure. As someone who grew up watching wacky, childish stuff along with some pretty dark stuff, I like my cartoony over-the-top nonsense. KNUCKLES is a comedy through and through, and Adam Pally hits the comedic beats well, while throwing in plenty of seriousness when needed.

The show is six episodes long, with Ben Schwartz's Sonic appearing for a time in the first episode, even though he has a couple of lines with Tika Sumpter's Maddie having a mostly minor role. One of the top highlights in this series is Back To The Future's Christopher Lloyd, who voices the deceased Echidna warlord Pachacamac. Remember him from Sonic Adventure? Then, we get to the show's villains gallery.

First, we have The Buyer, played by Scottish actor Rory McCann, a former ally of Doctor Robotnik and the show's main antagonist, who hires G.U.N. Agents Mason and Willoughby to get that red echidna. We also have bounty hunter Jack Sinclar, who is an old friend of Wade from a bowling team, and finally Pistol Pete Whipple, Wade's father and a bowling legend. English actor and The Princess Bride legend Carey Elwes takes up the role and the character is lovable and scummy at the same time.

Now, I won't spoil the whole story, but the writing is interesting at best, and KNUCKLES offers a pretty alright soundtrack. If you like Sonic, go ahead and watch it. My overall ranking for this is 6 out of 7 Chaos Emeralds. It isn't perfect, but the show has some fun to it, even though it was kinda poorly received by most fans. Catch you next time, ya'll.

-James M

James M's quick review of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (2022)

 

Welcome, folks. A few years ago, we sat down to review the long-awaited Sonic the Hedgehog movie. And now, we finally discuss the sequel, released no less than two years after the first film's debut, at a time when Sonic's popularity is soaring high once again thanks to the success of the first movie and its sequel.

For those who wonder what the story is, I will give you the rundown: After the first film, Sonic is living in Green Hills with Tom and Maddie Wachowski. However, after the hedgehog's adopted family go off to Hawaii to attend the wedding of Maddie's sister Rachel and her fiancée Randall, the evil Doctor Robotnik (played by Jim Carrey) returns with a foe to be reckoned with; Knuckles the Echidna. Sonic soon meets Tails and they embark on a quest to get the Master Emerald, a great source of power, before Robotnik and Knuckles do.

This movie is just as epic as the first film with more action and more Easter Eggs to the franchise's long history, making it another love letter to the Sonic brand, from the games to the cartoons and comics. And there is a treat for the Sonic fans at the end of the film during a mid-credits scene, and that treat is the appearance of Shadow the Hedgehog.

Oh yes, Shadow is in the Sonic Cinematic Universe and will have a major role in Sonic 3 (2024), let us hope he has character development and certain powers are hands off with how he is handled. The movie did well at the box office despite mixed reviews, just like the first film, and a Knuckles spin-off show is in development for Amazon Prime's Paramount Plus streaming service. Sonic 2 is an energetic and engaging film all the way to the end, deserving of a ten out of ten. Hats off to Jeff Fowler, Tim Miller and Tobey Ascher for their hard work. Thank you, good filmmakers and SEGA/Sonic Team.

And with this short review done, I take my leave. Adieu, folks.

-James M

James M's review of IDW Sonic Scrapnik Island Issue 3 & 4

  

Greetings fans. Sorry I took so long, but I'm finally doing a review of the final two issues of the Scrapnik Island, which is very intense. So, what's the plot?

Simple. Mecha Sonic, whom Sonic tried to bond with while on the island of Scrapniks, went rogue after a battle with Mecha Knuckles and captured the blue hedgehog we know and love. His plan was to take over Sonic's body and use him to leave the island. Tails and the good Scrapniks caught on to what was happening and launched a rescue mission, which went south a little as Mecha Sonic took out the Scrapnik forces and sent Tails into a trash compactor. 

After that, he then initiated his plan to hijack Sonic's body with some scrapped Eggman mind tech, which then went wrong as the Scrapniks attacked (which also led to a Super Mario Bros Z/Dragon Ball reference as Mecha Sonic threatened to crush them). Sonic and Mecha battled, which led to them winding up in the Death Egg's trash incinerator. But unlike a certain two-part Sonic anime where Metal Sonic died, Sonic saved Mecha Sonic with help from Tails and the Scrapniks. As everyone breathed, we got an interesting moment where Mecha Sonic was happy. However, his attempt to take over Sonic's body led to their minds being linked and, as Mecha Sonic was feeling happiness, Sonic teared up.

That's right, SEGA finally let Sonic shed tears (for the first time in ages too, unless the movies count). And according to the story's writer, Daniel Barnes, SEGA gave his team all the freedom with the story and Daniel was able to fulfill his vision for Scrapnik Island. Back to the story, Sonic and Mecha Sonic part on good terms with Sonic and Tails flying off in the Tornado with Mecha staying behind on the island to look after the rest of the Scrapniks. 

For a Sonic miniseries revolving around sci-fi horror, this was great and seeing SEGA allow things such as the usage of Mecha Sonic, a Classic Sonic character, and Sonic shedding tears (even though they weren't his own) makes a fan happy, especially in a time where the Sonic brand is experiencing success after success following the release of the first Sonic movie. 

Sonic truly is back and SEGA is slightly easing up on their many restrictions, even though Sonic will always be their property and they'll have some guidelines in some shape or form. However, I'm getting off-topic. Daniel Barnes' writing was really nice and this isn't the first time a Sonic comic has tackled the idea of an island populated by scrapped Badniks, Archie Sonic did it first with the Island of Misfit Badniks and the usage of Mecha Sonic further solidifies the recent merging of Classic and Modern back into one with the Classic games being canon proper again. The art was real good too, helping to sell the eerie atmosphere and there were a lot of fun moments throughout the arc.

Also, fun fact, the story takes place between the Overpowered Arc and the Urban Warfare arc in the overall IDW Sonic timeline. Quite somethin, eh? I once again salute the IDW crew for their great efforts in delivering a quality Sonic the Hedgehog story worth reading and making fans happy. See you later, everyone, CVGW out!

James M's review of IDW Sonic Scrapnik Island issue 1

 

Sorry about this, IDW Sonic fans, been a while since we last did a review of IDW Sonic comics. I'm back now, with a review of issue 1 of the new Scrapnik Island horror miniseries.

So, what's the story?

Scrapnik Island is a horror anthology miniseries about Sonic and Tails fighting to survive on an island filled with old Badniks from their past and they must battle an old enemy: Mecha Knuckles, who was last seen in the GBA game Sonic Advance. The story is written by Daniel Barnes, who previously wrote a story about Omega and Gemerl battling it out in a story of the IDW Sonic 2022 annual. 

Issue one showcases the duo making an emergency landing on the island and discovering the ruins of the Death Egg, they're surrounded by Badniks and then run into an E series robot whom fans initially mistook for Gamma. But this is not Gamma, this robot is E-117 Sigma (who was previously mentioned in Archie Sonic somewhere, making him the latest Archie Sonic-made character to finally be utilized in the IDW series. So far, the series is promising and seeing new talent write IDW Sonic stories is a perfect way to balance out the old blood i.e. a longtime writer like Ian Flynn. Issue one gets a nine.

See you later, fans. Sorry if we were short...

-James M

James M's Review of IDW Sonic Imposter Syndrome issue 3

 

Hello again, we now dive back into the IDW Sonic universe with the third issue of the Imposter Syndrome miniseries featuring Doctor Starline, Surge and Kit taking place in the lead up to the big milestone of IDW Sonic issue 50.

I just read it and, wow, it is way past awesome. Ian Flynn didn't just knock it out of the park, he writes in a way that blows the mind. The issue starts off with Surge and Kit watching one of Doctor Starline's vlogs where Starline rants about Eggman and it looks as if the doctor is about to snap as he even calls Eggman's robots, including Metal Sonic, inferior. Ian knows when to ham it up as he writes villains, he did a fine job with Eggman in Archie Sonic and does a fine job here as well.

Moving along, Surge and Kit then listen to everything Starline outlines about their "creation" and after they were "activated".

The two are not to happy about what they learned and, when Doctor Starline enters the room, they attack the man who lied to them and manipulated them. The battle scene is beyond fantastical and is just as good as every action scene in IDW Sonic.

After the beatdown, Surge and Kit trick Starline just as he tricked them and they start planning to incapacitate Eggman while also planning Sonic and Tails' destruction. With that, the finale for the miniseries is all set up.

So, what do I think?

The issue was great, Sonic comics never cease to amaze no matter who owns the license or is writing the comic. Ian Flynn's writing style never loses its charm that got him very famous, leading to him eventually penning the story for the (currently) upcoming Sonic Frontiers game in the first place, not to mention he was fantastic when he wrote two Sonic Boom TV show episodes.

I love Ian, he's my favorite next to Timothy Zahn or JK Rowling, not to mention he's just as great as one Ken Penders.

The colorful artwork and penciling is also phenomenal as well, they really showcase the emotions and the first page sells it with Starline looking crazy angry in his vlog. Kudos to the artists, some of them should work for SEGA with the artwork of Sonic one of these days.

Well, I have nothing else to say, my final score for the third issue of Imposter Syndrome is a ten. Ian Flynn, you keep at it and keep wowing the fans no matter what, who cares if there are people who think you suck. I will be one of your defenders, forever and ever. Now, I bid you all goodbye.

-James M

James M's review of Sonic The Hedgehog: The Movie aka Sonic the OVA

 

Welcome back to the Sonic-verse, today, we're traveling back to the 1990s to look at another Sonic animation. We've covered the first two Sonic cartoons and Underground, but we've not yet covered another obscure part of Sonic's past, we're looking at the Sonic OVA aka Sonic The Hedgehog: The Movie (which is not to be confused with the Sonic movie that came out nearly 25 years later.

So, what's the story behind this anime?

Well, back in 1996, Sonic was very popular in America with several games, an ongoing comic book and two shows under his belt. But meanwhile in Japan, SEGA Enterprises wanted to do a Sonic show themselves, especially as Sonic had never done an anime at this point. 

So, they partnered with Studio Pierrot to work on the project with Sonic Team's Yuji Naka and Naoto Oshima supervising the project. However, since Sonic wasn't super popular in Japan, the OVA flopped and only two episodes were done. After that, it wouldn't come out in America until 1999 when the first Sonic Adventure was releasing alongside the Dreamcast.

In the years after this piece of Sonic media released, I saw it myself with my father on YouTube in 2015 and then saw it again with my mother a few years later. The OVA is quite good, too bad SEGA refuses to touch anything from it or even allow any material from the OVA to pop up in other Sonic media, especially since (unlike the DiC shows) it is almost faithful to the source material.

Now, what is the story and world of the OVA like?

Well, Sonic and Tails live on Planet Freedom, which is implied to be a post-apocalyptic Earth, and their enemy Doctor Robotnik kidnaps the president's daughter Sara while tricking Sonic to go down to Robotnikland so the villainous doctor can create Metal Sonic with the hedgehog's DNA. Robotnik intends to devastate Planet Freedom and marry Sara, which is near creepy too. The show features the likes of Knuckles the Echidna (who made his animation debut before appearing in Sonic Underground) and other colorful characters such as Old Man Owl, the President and, of course, Sara.

Its also a no brainer that Metal Sonic shows up and is Sonic's adversary in this two part movie, he and Sonic fight near the end, which leads to the now well-known meme-worthy line of "strange isn't it". Thanks to the likes of Tyson Hesse and the resurgence of Classic Sonic in the 2010s, the OVA became somewhat relevant again and is often referenced in many ways without causing much of an issue. 

Until Sonic X came along seven years later, the OVA was the only instance of a Sonic anime that ever came out and X was more successful than the 1996 movie ever was. Regardless, the Sonic OVA is a product of its time and deserves to be watched, this anime is nothing short of fun and has so many good moments sprinkled throughout. If you're a fan of Sonic, this is a must see.

My score for the Sonic OVA gets a 9.5/10, its likable and unforgettable. In regards to the possibility of any material from this piece of Sonic history seeing the light of day again, we may never know, but anything and everything is possible in the multiverse. Thank you and good day...

-CVGW James 

James M's review of The Sonic Encyclospeedia (2021)

2021, ten years after Sonic's 20th Anniversary and five years after his twenty-fifth, SEGA and the fandom celebrated Sonic's long-awaited 30th Anniversary. The anniversary technically began a year in advance with the release of the highly-anticipated Sonic The Hedgehog movie from Paramount which was a love letter to the franchise and rejuvenated Sonic after years of declining popularity, returning him to a status of high-popularity not seen since the 1990s.

And amidst all that was going on, SEGA collaborated with Dark Horse Comics and popular writer Ian Flynn, not to create a Sonic comic, but to create a book that served as a complete history guide to the decades-worth of Sonic games. This was the Sonic Encyclospeedia.

I got this for Christmas after weeks of seeing other people reading it and read the entire thing in one sitting while opening up gifts on Christmas Eve. So, what do I think about it? Well, Ian is a great writer and he put a lot of effort into that research and everything that we saw about the games and the franchise factoids that popped up in this Encyclospeedia.

Did it clean up any lore inconsistencies? 

Maybe.

Were there any acknowledgements of other Sonic media aside from the games?

Yes, both Archie, Fleetway, SatAM, AoSTH and Sonic Boom were directly and indirectly acknowledged in this very book along with Sonic Chronicles, which had a section of its own. And at the start of the book, there was a sweet message from Takashi Iizuka, the head of Sonic Team and semi-steward of the Sonic franchise.

Take a moment and look at it, read it all. No matter what the fans think of him, Iizuka cares very deeply about Sonic just like everyone else and will do what he can to ensure the blue blur succeeds globally, even if he, the rest of his team and the rest of the franchise were held down by corporate restrictions from the higher-ups at SEGA of Japan.

And after years of working on Sonic projects with SEGA and having been part of the fandom (as well as the franchise's history), writer Ian Flynn knew what he was doing and knows what he is doing, especially with what he's given and how he navigates certain restrains. Just like Iizuka, Ian cares about the franchise, its world and the characters. He worked so hard on the comics and became so popular with the fanbase, this man deserves his long-awaited promotion to writer for the games' stories.

Yup, the man behind the story for the (as of right now) upcoming Sonic Frontiers video game is the same man who worked on this, Archie Sonic during its last decade, some Sonic Boom episodes, and IDW Sonic. Heck, he's also involved with the multiverse-spanning adventure show Sonic Prime.

Overall, the Sonic Encyclospeedia is a good read alongside the Mario Encyclospeedia (which also came out during the Mario Bros franchise's 30th anniversary), the Hyrule Historia, Breath Of The Wild Creating a Champion and the Hyrule Encyclospeedia. If anybody out there wants to learn more about the games, get this book, its great. 

However, this is not the first time Ian Flynn wrote a Sonic encyclopedia. All the way back in 2012, well before the reboot, Archie Sonic received an encyclopedia that contained nearly two decades of lore compiled together. And by pure coincidence, the Encyclospeedia is coming out right as the Sonic games are about to go through a reboot of some kind. History can repeat in many impossible ways.

My overall score for the Encyclospeedia is a 9.5/10, its a must-have and a must-read for the Sonic fans, be it newcomers or long-time fans. As I said before, if you don't have it yet, go get it. Now, I take my leave. Have a good life out there, don't get sick and don't hurt yourself. And remember, gotta go fast.

-James. M

 

James M's Review of ADVENTURES OF SONIC THE HEDGEHOG (1993)

 

Welcome back, Sonic squad. Its time for us to review the very first Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon that ever aired, the one that was wacky and memorable next to many others. We're looking at... ADVENTURES OF SONIC THE HEDGEHOG!

The year was 1993 and it hadn't been that long since the first Sonic game had released for the SEGA Genesis with Sonic 2 releasing over a year later. Sonic was popular and merch was flying off the shelf, even a comic book by Archie was about to happen while other comics and manga were happening. And in the midst of all that, two animated shows were about to air and one of them was none other than Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.

Starring many talented voice actors, Adventures took place in a cartoonish take on Sonic's world and focused on Sonic and Tails as they engaged in many wacky adventures and fought the evil Doctor Robotnik and his lackeys Scratch, Grounder and Coconuts to stop the villainous scientist from taking over the planet Mobius.

Assembled by the crew at DiC Productions (now known as Wildbrain, which still owns the rights to this show) and supervised by SEGA of America, Adventures ran for a total of 65 episodes from September to December of 1993 before it was given one more episode three years later with 1996's Sonic Christmas Blast.

In the years since it aired, the show, known as AoSTH, has earned itself a memorable legacy in the fandom and spawned a couple memes such as the well-known Robotnik "Pingas" meme, which was derived from a line in the episode Boogey Mania said by the doctor himself; 'Snoo-ping as usual, I see.' Yeah, I know, its almost hilarious on so many dang levels.

I, myself, watched this show and spent two years watching the whole show from 2011 to 2013. Having seen Adventures Of Sonic The Hedgehog, I can see why so many fans love it (even though SatAM almost appears to be the most talked about Sonic show thanks to Archie). AoSTH was popular for its time and was perhaps how some fans got into Sonic in the first place.

The show has countless memorable characters adding to the universe of AoSTH, ranging from (of course) Robotnik's S6 Squad consisting of Scratch, Grounder and Coconuts, Breezie the Hedgehog, Wes Weasely and Sergeant Doberman with countless voice actors providing their best talent. Even SatAM/Archie's Sally Acorn makes an appearance in the show's final episode.

So, what are my thoughts? 

AoSTH is pretty good for a Sonic show despite not being very faithful to the source material and Sonic Team's lack of involvement in it. It has so much charm, providing a fun and goofy Sonic experience that nobody, not even young kids, will ever forget. Even Robotnik himself can have his funny moments too, Long John Baldry sold it well as the doctor's voice and may he be long remembered as the man who gave the evil Doctor Eggman a voice before the games did.

Plus, as almost everyone knows, this show next to SatAM and the first two games served as the basis for Archie Sonic and the comic included many familiar faces from the cartoon such as the Super Special Sonic Search And Smash Squad and eventually included Breezie in the comic before the plug was pulled.

However, out of every AoSTH character that made it into the comic, AoSTH Robotnik's mother Mama Robotnik was left out due to very specific reasons with SEGA themselves. That's right, this show was one of the first pieces of Sonic media to give Robotnik a family and we got to see an interpretation of Eggman's mother. And boy, Mama Robotnik is quite terrifying if you let her be terrifying.

Most importantly, this show did get a game tie-in at one point in the form of Doctor Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, a re-skin of Puyo-Puyo featuring the AoSTH version of Robotnik and some of his Badniks from the cartoon. Despite AoSTH's lasting legacy, it is almost rarely referenced by current Sonic media due to policies at SEGA, but it was referenced in 2021's Sonic Encyclospeedia.

My score for this show, which was so good to see, gets a fine 8.5/10 for cartoon-y cheese and hilarity. Now, I will see you later for another review...

-CVGWJames 

James M's Review of IDW Sonic Imposter Syndrome issue 2

 

Welcome back, its here, the second issue of Imposter Syndrome is out.

What did I think of it? I can only say... Pure comic fun non-stop.

Without giving away any spoilers, I will say that Starline's characterization never ceases to amaze and Ian Flynn's ever-so masterful writing has delivered some quality character moments. Meanwhile, Surge and Kit are fantastic, they are compelling IDW characters and have been entertaining on the same level as Starline and other characters such as Tangle and Whisper.

So far, Sonic 2022 has gotten off to a great start, especially with this issue of IDW Sonic.

Let us hope that the IDW comics continue to evolve and advance as time goes on until they eventually come to an end before IDW Sonic becomes a "bizarre anomaly" just like Archie Sonic before it with its origins linking it to the infamous Meta Era of the 2010s taking place after Forces just as Archie Sonic was linked to the 90s with the first two games and AoSTH/SatAM.

Going off topic, sorry, but the art is phenomenal and there's nothing that ceases to amaze.

Anyways, I will see you later. Thank you for joining us today.

-James. M

Guest Post -James M's review of Sonic Travels To Jurassic Park

Welcome back, Sonic fans, and today, we're taking a look at another fan project. This one is great and fun to watch, we're talking about SONIC TRAVELS TO JURASSIC PARK by Great White Studios on the YouTube channel.

Sonic Travels To Jurassic Park is a Sonic/Jurassic Park crossover fan film that is an hour and thirty minutes long while the director's cut clocks in at an hour and fifty something minutes long. It tells the story of Vector the Crocodile inviting Sonic to an island where he is working to realize his dream of a dinosaur theme park and, just like in the Jurassic Park film, things go very south.

With remarkable voice acting, polished Garry's Mod animation and a good script, Sonic Goes to Jurassic Park captures the spirit of the Jurassic Park movie while working the Sonic characters into it. Great White Studios did a fantastic job making this and a sequel is in the works for an eventual release as of this time. 

In regards to characters, Sonic is Sonic and Eggman is the main bad guy of the movie who sends out a dangerous dinosaur of his own. Vector fills the role of John Hammond from the first two Jurassic Park films while Big the Cat takes up the role of Dennis Nedry and Metal Sonic plays Dodgson, the movie is very creative with how it tells the story without completely retelling the original JP with just Sonic characters. 

Fun fact, Balena Productions tried to work on a Sonic/Jurassic Park fan film years ago, but ended up scrapping it due to complications. However, Great White Studios kindly took it upon himself to do it and worked very hard on this fan film. It even apparently shares some continuity with Balena's Sonic In Jaws fan film due to the appearance of The Mayor from that fan film and Conker the Squirrel, who appears in the movie as well, recalling that he was washed ashore here after the events of Sonic in Jaws.

I salute Great White Studios for his efforts and wish him the best of luck on the sequel to this masterpiece of a Sonic fan film, may he succeed in delivering another good project. I give this fan film a 9/10, Sonic fans know what they are doing and they never miss the mark.

Guest Post -James M's review of the Archie Sonic Underground Epilogue

 

Salutations Sonic fans. Well, its finally happened. The crew of Archie Sonic Online has released Archie Sonic Underground Online #50 featuring the long-awaited, the awesome SONIC UNDERGROUND EPILOGUE!

Remember that 40-episode Sonic cartoon from back in 1999, made by DIC, and was about Sonic with siblings and had musicals. Guess what? After years of waiting, we finally have just gotten a proper conclusion to the show in comic form, made by fans anyway.

Having just read the whole thing, what do I think of it?

That story WAS AWESOME! The crew did a great job, they wrapped up the story without an issue.

Sonic and his family were characterized sweetly and the story was a treat to read, it had some action moments and a heartwarming reunion with the queen. At one point, after I read the story, I almost teared up before I posted this review. But either way, we got what we wanted, even if it wasn't delivered by the generous people at SEGA.

Robotnik's defeat was very well written, I was nearly hoping he'd be killed off, but they roboticized him and turned him into a good guy instead. Now that the story of Sonic Underground is done, where do we go from here? Its likely we might get more Underground stories in the future, if ASO wants to revisit that world anyway.

If that wasn't enough, guess what, ASO actually interviewed Ian Flynn. Y'know how Ian Flynn wants to stay away from fan stuff, looks like he made an exception to talk with the ASO folks. Holy sh*t, this is f***ing crazy! I LOVE SONIC!

Did I have a favorite moment from it?

Robotnik's defeat, thats all I have to say.

Fanboy craze out of the way, my score for this is a solid 9.5 out of 10. If you want, go ahead and rewatch the Sonic Underground show in its entirety and then read/reread the epilogue online. The Sonic franchise and its fandom is the best, may Sonic keep going and may the fans keep the spirits of forgotten characters alive until the day they eventually return at long last.

In the meantime, lets go enjoy some Modern Sonic content from SEGA.

-James M

Guest Post -James M's review of IDW Sonic Imposter Syndrome issue 1

 

Imposter Syndrome is here and we got new characters: Surge and Kit.

Who's Surge and Kit?

They're new characters, sort of. Surge is basically the spiritual successor to lost Archie Sonic character Scourge the Hedgehog, but unlike Scourge, Surge is made by Ian Flynn and is owned by SEGA (hopefully). What's the issue about? Doctor Starline preparing for Project Remaster, a plan that involves getting rid of Eggman (like thats ever gonna happen) and paving the way for something new. To prepare, he tests Surge the Tenrec and Kit the Fennec, who are kinda stubborn and rebellious at times.

Another good and harmlessly fun IDW Sonic comic issue, very good read. Ian Flynn's writing just got more impressive with another story penned by him, he did a good job without being held back. In fact, you may as well say SEGA's doing a good job with the storytelling too. Looking forward to the rest of the miniseries and the epic IDW Sonic issue 50 assuming it is epic in anyway.

My score is an eight, it was acceptably fun.

-James. M

Guest Post -James M's IDW Sonic Double Review of FCBD 202

 

Salutations again, James M here and we're gonna be doing a review for IDW Sonic's latest release, the Free Comic Book Day 2021 special. Anyways, so what's up in IDW Sonic?

With the Free Comic Book Day issue, we're taking another trip back into the Classic Sonic timeline with a story about Tails discovering Amy Rose's secret hobby as a writer and artist. After he sees Amy's stories, Tails starts showing people her work and we see Mighty & Ray make another appearance and, among the others who see Amy's work is none other than Honey the Cat, who makes her triumphant return in IDW Sonic (in the Classic era anyway). After the story ends with Sonic seeing Amy's work, we get a recap of the main IDW Sonic story and a small preview of the next upcoming arc. The future of Sonic looks promising with nothing that can stop Sonic as he spin-balls through his 30th anniversary year with no road bumps or cruel restrictions enforced on him.

Well, people. This is where we sign off, for now.

Bye.

-James M

Guest Post -Sonic's 30th Anniversary and IDW Sonic 30th Anniversary Special Review

 

Aloha, Sonic Fans. It is I, CVGWJames, and we're back.

Today's a special day, folks. Why? IT'S SONIC'S 30TH BIRTHDAY, TRA LA LAAAAAAAAAH! That's right, everybody. It's been thirty years since our favorite blue hedgehog was born into the media universe and made his way into our hearts. Since his first game, Sonic has become very popular and, after so much trial and error, he's still as popular as ever. Thanks to the success of the Sonic movie, the hedgehog's popularity has grown higher than it has since it started to decline in the late 1990s.

I will never forget when I learned about Sonic's existance, around that time, I was only into Mario and LEGO. But eventually, I got my hands on a Sonic game i.e. Sonic Colors and the rest is history. I've played several Sonic games, watched almost all of the cartoons, read the comics and wrote numerous Sonic fanfics as well as done a boatload of Sonic fan art. The gosh darn beloved blue hedgehog has made such an impact on so many lives and inspired so many people around the world.

To think that, back in 1991, the thought of Sonic possibly making it to 2021 was unthinkable. C'mon, he'd just started. And back in 1999, if someone from the future told you that Sonic would be getting a movie that would make him more popular than ever in 2020, you'd probably be shocked. But, history is history, this is almost as real as a businessman running for president. So, speaking of Sonic comics, lets see how the current Sonic comic publisher, IDW, handles Sonic's 30th anniversary...

By releasing a special comic that involves CLASSIC SONIC, that's right, we're getting a special comic set in the Classic era. As you probably know, the main comic is set in the Modern era and SEGA has some restrictions in place against IDW using classic characters in the comic. But, by popular demand, there is a way to see classic content in IDW, IN A COMIC SET IN THE CLASSIC SONIC TIMELINE with not one, BUT THREE STORIES!

The first story "Seasons of Chaos" is written by Ian Flynn himself and sees Sonic and crew journeying through various zones based on the four seasons as they try to prevent the bad guys from getting all the Chaos Emeralds. It features the likes of not just Sonic, Eggman, Tails, Amy, Knuckles and Metal Sonic, but the return of Mighty, Ray, Tails Doll, Bean, Bark, Nack, the Heavy King and Metal Knuckles. All of whom have not been seen since either Sonic the Fighters and Sonic R as well as Mania or Archie Sonic.

When Ian Flynn talked about pitching SEASONS OF CHAOS, he sounded very excited. C'mon, he misses writing most of the characters who show up in the story. I will say, I was impressed by the writing of this and it was a very entertaining read. Ian knows how to write Sonic, now if only SEGA was willing to make certain characters like Mighty and Ray more than classic-exclusive characters. Anyways, let's talk about the other stories...

"Sonic Learns To Drive" is a fun one, especially since it introduces a new character and sees Sonic learning how to drive. At the end of the story, he kinda gets the hang of driving right as he learns that Eggman is attacking. This one is written not by Ian Flynn, but by four new writers. Can't name them all, but they seemed to be very passionate about Sonic.

Finally, we have "Doctor Eggman's Birthday", a harmless little tale about Eggman on his birthday. This one, like the last two, is set in the Classic Sonic timeframe. This one was written by Gale Galligan, who seems to be pretty good. Now that I've talked about ALL three stories, what do I think of this comic?

It's pretty good, very well-made. SEGA was very generous again and Classic Sonic is quite good, as long as the higher-ups focus on the current incarnation of Sonic and not shoehorn Classic into the modern era, which has annoyed the heck out of the fans to an extent. Happy 30th birthday, Sonic. May your days always be as special as your fans' days, to 30 more years and beyond...

-CVGWJames

Guest Post -James M's review of IDW Sonic Bad Guys Issue 4

 

Merry Christmas, everyone. Here's a gift for you, THE FINALE OF IDW SONIC BAD GUYS THE MINISERIES! Ian Flynn went all out with this one, this was solidly written. We had EGGMAN VS ZAVOK and Starline escaping, plus, he's gone from being someone who wants to be back on Eggman's good side to being someone who wants to conquer the world and oust the Eggman.

Who saw that coming? I DIDN'T!

Looks like Starline is officially an independent villain, we will see him later in the main IDW Sonic series. As for Mimic, he'll be back at some point, so will Rough and Tumble. As for Zavok, oh boy, looks like Sonic and friends will have their hands full when they have to contend with him and his pack again in the future, probably during 2021. *POSSIBLE SPOILERS*

Ian Flynn did it again with noooooo SEGA mandates holding him back, he delivered perfection, total awesomeness and a superb and masterful story worthy of Sonic.

I look forward to eventually seeing Eggman and Starline coming into conflict with each other, duking it out to see who is supreme.

See ya later. 10/10, Ian Flynn! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

-James M

Guest Post -James M's review of A Very Merry Christmas With Sonic

 

Howdy doody, folks! Its been ages since I reviewed the Christmas with Sonic series in its entirety and now its finally time to review the latest episode after a good long while of waiting. The wait is over, we shall be reviewing A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS WITH SONIC, the finale to the famous and beloved Christmas with Sonic series thats been going on since the far off year of 2011.

And boy, what a finale it is/was. Santa Claus finally showed up, time travel shenanigans happened and a whole lot more happened. The plot's simple: After Sonic and Robotnik aka Eggman accidently injure Santa Claus himself at a mall during one of their battles, they and Sonic's friends and family have to take Santa's place as the one(s) delivering presents to people around the world on Christmas Eve.

Over the course of twenty three minutes, which makes this episode just as long as the other Christmas with Sonic episodes, Balena Productions' Steve Page once again does his best to deliver the most awesome Sonic goodness any Sonic fan can ever desire, he puts all his heart and soul into such incredible fan storytelling and this shows with the animation and the voice acting.

As someone who saw all the episodes, this one was worth the wait. I was fine with the delay and the fact it was gonna initially come out in 2019, but things happen. Either way, this episode was a solid finale to an awesome series and wrapped everything up nicely. That last after-credits scene with Sorass the dummy Echidna was very funny, despite the fact that I did not laugh. Eh, whaddaya gonna do?

My score for this cool show is a twenty over ten, this was amazing, full of awesomeness and something all Sonic fans should see if they want to, even on Christmas. Well, this is where I take my leave for now and I proudly salute Balena aka Steve for being an amazing Sonic fan who does not disappoint. 

-James. M

Guest Post -James M's Review of IDW Sonic Bad Guys issue 3

 

Welcome back folks, we're in the home stretch with this one, issue three of the Bad Guys IDW Sonic miniseries is here and its time to summarize. Last time, Doctor Starline, Zavok, Rough & Tumble and Mimic attacked an Eggman base and stole some power cores from Sonic Heroes while trying to trick Eggman into believing that Sonic attacked the base. Now, lets see how things play out, eh?

Synopsis:

Our tale begins with Doctor Starline at his computer, watching one of his own Vlogs which talks about how his plan has been a success so far and how he will soon dispose of Mimic and the others. Then Zavok comes in and its revealed that "Starline" is Mimic in disguise and the real Starline is asleep, however, the bad guys now know of the doctor's intentions. 

Regardless, they intend to play along with Doctor Starline's plans for the time being and make their move later though Mimic wants to kill Starline now rather than wait until later. The very next day, the bad guy group heads over to the main EggNet headquarters and launch their attack on it, deploying the power of the Power Cores to good use as they smash robots and fight their way inside.

While that is happening, Eggman, who is at one of his bases, gets ready to fight his enemies as he deploys his forces when Orbot comes in with some intel that Sonic is attacking a depot in the north which raises suspicion from the doctor as his lackey bot suggests that Tails sent a dummy transmission before Eggman hops into his Egg Hawk and heads off to battle with his enemies.

Who sent the "dummy transmission"? Well, Starline and his crew did that, as they were taking the main room of Eggnet HQ. However, just as Starline is taking care of buisness on the computer, Mimic and the others begin to turn on him. In order to save himself, the platypus does Mimic the favor of deleting his files from the Eggnet and gives Zavok total control of Eggman's army. Unfortunately for Starline, Zavok and his group decide its time for Starline to be disposed of, having served his purpose...

Thoughts:

The ending of this issue was decently written and sets up the finale nicely, I wonder where things will go from here. Hopefully it'll be good, we know Ian is a good writer and can accomplish anything despite running into roadblocks i.e SEGA restrictions here and there. After this series is over, its gonna be a while before we hear from Ian Flynn on the writing front again.

Starline is amazing and I hope he shows up in the games, Zavok's being written well and the other villains are not so bad. I give this issue a 9/10...

Bye folks, see u in the final issue.

Guest Post -James M's review of IDW Sonic Bad Guys Issue 2

 

Welcome back, IDW Sonic fans. BAD GUYS issue 2 is here and you know what that means.

REVIEW TIME!

Where we last left off in issue one, Doctor Starline busted Mimic the Octopus, Rough and Tumble and Zavok out of jail and they got out of there in one almost iconic jail break sequence. Now, its time to see where they're going in this one.

Its simple, Doc Starline and his team attack an Eggman base and they do some damage. In fact, they also try to make it look as if Sonic attacked the base. Very cleaver, I bet Eggman's gonna buy that and, er, he almost does but he sees through the flaws and quickly figures out that somebody else is to blame even though he has yet to know who it was.

My thoughts on the issue?

Well, it was great, Ian Flynn did a masterful job like he always does. He went all out with no SEGA mandates holding him back, Ian always tries to go all out with his storytelling despite being held back most of the time by stuff behind the scenes. Nothing to worry about.

Halfway through this epic miniseries, I am enjoying this ride.

GO IDW SONIC!

Lets hope the Sonic comics get more cooler during Sonic's 30th anniversary in 2021.

I give this issue an 8/10.

Sorry if the review was short, but I don't have a whole load of thoughts. See you later, ya'll.

-James M

Guest Post -James M's Review of Sonic Bad Guys Issue 1

 

Hey folks, after months of waiting, its time to dive into the dark side of the Sonic universe with a story focusing on Doctor Starline and a few rogues in the world of IDW Sonic with issue one of the miniseries SONIC THE HEDGEHOG BAD GUYS!

As you know, Doctor Starline is a comic exclusive character and a villain, he first debuted in issue 11 during year one around the same time as the Battle For Angel Island and he became Doctor Eggman's lackey after Eggman got his memories back. He stuck around during the Metal Virus arc and soon got booted out by the doctor after the Deadly Six hijacked the plot. So what's Starline up to?

We start off the story with Starline snooping around an Eggman base and trying to access the Eggnet, this doesn't go well since he gets locked out and attacked by Eggman's robots, prompting him to use a new power in his shoes to destroy the incoming Moto Bugs. He later returns to the Eggman base that he's set up shop in and struggles to come up with an idea on what to do, until he gets an idea.

Starline visits a prison, specifically, the prison where bad guys are being held. Its one of the most secure of all prison facilities on, well, Mobius. Yes, I'm gonna call Sonic's world Mobius because I like Mobius and I HATE SEGA'S MANDATE OF SONIC'S WORLD CANNOT BE CALLED MOBIUS! Anyways, after tricking the warden of the prison, Starline finds the first person he's looking for. The first person he finds is none other than our old friend Mimic from the Tangle & Whisper series.

Oh and by the way, not only are Rough & Tumble here, but Zavok's here too. Starline attempts to recruit them, but they're not interested. He does managed to persuade them and, so, the "Deadly Four" is born. Starline's allies begin their prison break out and chaos soon ensues with the guards trying to stop them only to get taken out either by brute force or by trickery.

Starline commends Zavok for being a visionary and as the issue ends, the former lackey of Eggman declares that with the warm up done, its time they get started with doing some real damage.

My thoughts on this?

So cool. Guess it doesn't hurt to be a bad guy sometimes in fiction, I love me some fictional bad guys even though I like good guys and being good is good. We've seen a few bad guy centric stories in Sonic before, Scrambled and Eggman's Dozen in Sonic Universe being prime examples of stories focusing on the bad guys of Sonic's world.

Lets wait and see what happens with the next few issues next time folks.

-James M

Guest Post -James M's Review of IDW Sonic Annuals 2019 & 2020

Welcome back IDW Sonic fans, its time for a double review.
During mah review of IDW Sonic as a whole during year 2, I kinda skipped over the 2019 Annual. Now, with 2020 out, Ima gonna actually review BOTH!

Lets do it to it, starting with Annual 2019, ok?
Do not fear, I will cover Annual 2020 after that.

So, what are the IDW Sonic Annuals about? Well, for starters, they're a collection of stories that are ALL canon to the IDW Sonic comic universe and a lot of talent from the writers and artists is put to work, they all pour their heart and soul into making these stories.

Without delay, let's start with...

Bond of Friendship:
This one set up the events of the Tangle and Whisper miniseries as somewhat of a pilot episode, pilot episodes are episodes that set up a series by introducing the characters. However, this is a comic we're talking about. The story involves Whisper visiting Tangle in her hometown and the two of them teaming up to deal with the Babylon Rogues (from Sonic Riders). Good story, really good! Thats all I will say about that, next up is...

Jet Set Tornado (sigh really):
First off, the title is a reference to Jet Set Radio (a SEGA game series not associated with Sonic). Second, it's about good old Sonic and Tails doing their usual thing. The story involves them in a battle with one of Eggman's robots in the sky while on a mission to get some supplies to the Resistance. What do I think of it? Its fun, Sonic's all cool and Tails is sweet as always. 8/10, people just love the brotherly bond between these guys, don't they. I like it, I think Tails' is Sonic's adopted brother.

Victory Garden:
This one is technically a Silvaze story as far as most fans are concerned given that the Silver and Blaze pairing is very popular in the Sonic fanbase alongside SonAmy. The story's simple and straightforward, Silver's trying to grow a garden in the ruins of a battlefield, Blaze comes along and helps him, Silver grows his garden and thats it. Friends sure are important, they can help you in the toughest of times and in dear Silver's case, having Blaze help him is very nice! I like this story, this one made me more interested in Silver x Blaze and I give this a 10.5.

There are two more stories, but I've delayed the inevitable long enough!
ONWARD TO 2020!
Note: These stories I'm about to mention actually happen in the Zombot arc.

First up, we have Big's Big Adventure. LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL! Sonic Adventure reference. Anyways, this is a story about Big and it turns out he was there for certain events that unfolded over the course of the comic up to this point. He was present off panel in the first few issues in year one and was chasing his pal Froggy (again). Also, Big was there for a bit at the Restoration HQ during the events of Issue 22 RIGHT before the big Zombot outbreak.
So how did Big become a Zombot?
Its simple, his pal Froggy touched a Zombot and eventually converted, also causing Big to become infected with the Metal Virus in the process without him even realizing it.

Next up is, well, a story about radio shows and it happens right around the same time as the events of Issue 19 are starting up with the Eggman Metal Virus attack on the city. Nite the Owl and Don the Rooster, new characters and the show hosts of K-TBR 199.2, a radio show, and yes the cover the beginning of the Zombot attack. The story also ends with a zombot approaching the station!
After this one, we get to... Reflections, its a Metal Sonic story where he studies the Metal Virus and, of course, the Metal Virus has no effect on him. Moving on.

Our fourth story is Eggman's Day Off, short story short, Starline finds Eggman in his EggCave where the doctor often plays with his toys whenever he, well, has a day off. Well, the doc's gotta have a hobby other than trying to take over the world all the time, am I right? Everybody needs time off to themselves and a time to play, who likes all work and no play after all...?
The fifth story, Flock Together, shows Vector and Espio capturing Zombot Charmy, which sets up what happens in issue 22 with Charmy. Finally, we get to The Catalyst, where we learn about how Tangle's buddy Jewel got infected with the Zombot Virus.

My thoughts on these stories.
They're nicely written and I like the art, enough said.

Time to chill now, see ya next time, folks!
-James M