Customer Reviews

Sonic The Hedgehog Archives Volume 1

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Back in the good old days of pogs and SNICK, we were introduced to the world's fastest blue superhero with an attitude: Sonic the Hedgehog! What fans see of him today is not the way he began, and these comic books are proof of that. Here we see a lighthearted hero and his friends battling off the evil Robotnik with slapstick humor and plenty of fun along the way.

The review that I'm writing here covers the first several volumes of Sonic Archives, actually. I was thrilled to see they were being re-released, as the earliest issues I have of Sonic are #6 and #13 (and then onward from the mid-#20s). And by being able to compare these to the originals I have, I can assure you that they're not leaving anything out. (Sure, you don't have the joy of seeing an advertisement for a Jurassic Park Tiger handheld game, but all the stories are being reprinted in full.)

Some major differences that I'm sure fans already know include Sally originally being pink with a black ponytail for her hair (and oftentimes with a more demure attitude), and that Rotor's original name was Boomer. (The switch was actually explained in the SonicGrams in the back of issue #6, that his name was changed for the second Sonic cartoon series, therefore they also needed to change it in the comics for consistency.)

Nearly every panel in these early issues is filled with puns. Some of them make me roar with laugher; others make me groan. There are also major signs of the time (one story shows several different superheroes, another panel shows the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles walking by in the background). All in all, I found the writing to be refreshingly clever and reminiscent of cartoon greats, like Looney Tunes.

While I'm a big fan of Sonic X and still keep up with the newer Sonic comics, I miss the fun-loving chili-dog scarfing hedgehog we were introduced to long ago. Today, animators and artists are busy trying to prove that cartoons aren't just for kids, and can provide deep character development and a storyline full of drama and emotion. Sonic, in his animated series and video games, has been pulled into this genre as well, where sometimes the plot seems more like an echo of the next biggest anime series rather than laugh-out-loud fun for the whole family.

I can understand that the fanbase for such things is visibly shrinking, and the bulk of us who still enjoy it are probably those who grew up watching cartoons like Tiny Toons, Animaniacs, Beetlejuice, Freakazoid. But even though the early issues of Sonic comics totally deviate from the Sonic of today, fans should give it a chance. Check out Sonic's roots - not just storywise, but also who he was to kids in the 90s. You might even find yourself grinning at the clever (and sometimes terrible) puns on every page.

I hope we can continue to look forward to the whole series of Sonic comics re-released eventually, and that they'll re-release the Knuckles comics as well!

Before I begin, this account I'm using is my Mom's because my other account won't let me make reviews until I buy something (it didn't have a problem with it before...). You can check out my other reviews on Teen Titans GO! 1 and 2 and Ape Escape and Ape Escape on the loose under Steve/Saber. Now, on to the review.

I recently came across this about a month ago while surfing the net and being the huge Sonic fan I am I thought I should give it a shot. The comic book contains Sonic the Hedgehog issue numbers 1 through 4, with quite a few storys with filler comics and fun little things between, such as a Robotnick Birthday card ("On this special occasion, I am going to place you in my Robo-Machine, turning you into a mindless robot... And by the way... Happy Birthday!" *Cue him standing over a cake with a huge bite in it*).

The storys are,
Meet me at the corner of hedgehog and vine, parts 1 and 2, where Robotnick unleashes deadly robotick plants all over Knothole.

You bet my life, parts 1 and 2, Sonic checks out Robotnick's Casino Night Zone, as a homage to Sonic 2 and later a homage to Sonic Spinball! Or an episode from SatAM...

Triple Trouble, parts 1 and 2, not to be confused with the game, Sonic has to deal with three "dangerous" robots who fans of AoStH shall recognize quite easily...

Vertigo a'go go! Ever wonder how the special zone in Sonic 2 works? Me neither, but here we get to see an idea from the comic writers and meet 2 new characters that would easily fit into AoStH.

The bomb bugs me, parts 1 and 2, Sonic, Sally, and Boomer (before he's re-named Roter) find out about a new threat from Robotnick who has made a bomb that will "Kill" them all. But a serious twist, as well as some loony toon-ish gags, makes for a fun ending.

Rabbot deployment, parts 1 and 2, during an investagation on the attack of the southern area of Mobius, Sonic and Ro-uh, Boomer come across a rabbit who's in some real trouble. After saving her, a new threat from Robotnick leaves Sonic in need of help from their new team member. Say hello, to Bunnie Rabbot!

Lizard of odd, parts 1 and 2, Robonick creates his own Godzilla like creation while Sonic experiences what its like to go "Super" for the first time.

Tails' little tale, for the last story of the book, we finally get to see what Tails is made of when he goes to take on Robotnick and his army of Swatbots, though he might need just a little help...


Now before you buy, let me tell you that this is not the daker Sonic you would expect from SatAM, or the later Sonic the Hedghog issues. The characters are straight from SatAM, with the exception of a pink and black Sally while the feeling is all around goofy like AoStH (and the addition of the S.S.S.S.S.S., or the Super Special Sonic Search and Smash Squad), even the Swatbots show goofy humor here and there. So, if I had to say... These storys would please the AoStH fans more while the SatAM fans might not care for it as much. Wait for the more darker storys to come out (hope there are more than just two volumes).

I'm more of a SatAM fan myself, but I do enjoy the slapstick humor in these storys, just wish it took itself just a tad more seriously.

4.5 out of 5.

I bought this series for my 8 y.o. who is an avid reader. I thought this would give him something fun to read in addition to all the "non-picture" books he reads. It is now a well worn copy he reads over and over again before bed, in the car and on vacation. He loves the jokes and still laughs out loud at the funny little inserts in between the comic stories. I've gotten "regular" thin paper comics for my sons and they fall apart with how much use they receive. This collection book is a nice smaller size for them and it holds up. No tears or falling out pages like the standard comics. What a great idea putting several comics together in a bound book format!

The comics are funny but the book fell apart the first time my son read it. The pages were not numbered and it was impossible to put back together. I would recommend ordering the individual comic books.

Deceitfully small (I was expecting it to be in it's original size), about the size of your average manga volume (with the exception of it's depth in pages), packs a nice collection of issues though (approx. four to each volume (not including the little extra bits here and there)).
It was certainly a blast from the past though (corny dialogue, terrible illustration and all), makes me sad didn't have any appreciation for this kinda stuff when I was little (I believe I only have remnants of issue 3 laying somewhere near), at least now I (and possibly some other old collectors) have somewhat of a second chance for collecting them.
Recommended to Sonic fans of all age and era. (except the ones who don't/can't care for the value of antiquity)

These comics use the same characters as the television show, Sonic the Hedgehog (known by fans as SatAM). The comics are a lot more lighthearted than the show, with many more puns and witticisms. It has a similar story to SatAM: a band of freedom fighters trying to free the planet Mobius from the hilariously evil Doctor Robotnik. If you are looking for something funny and irreverent, read the comics. If you want the same thing with darker storylines and deeper themes, watch the show.

This book is really funny, and has a lot of cool stuff. The stories are funny, like when Sonic runs into a tree branch, or when Princess Sally throws a coconut cream pie in Sonic's face. The comic strip format make the funny scenes even funnier.

This book is an excellent collection of the original comics all in a smaller sort of slim graphic novel. If you want to have a nice collection of these in good condition, take notice of the shipping these come in. It looks like they were tossed in a roomy box with 3 other books of this collection with 2 of those "bags of air" used for shipping. One of them ended up underneath the cardboard box's flap! and it had a bent corner after i unwedged it from its hiding place. I was not happy about it, but I didn't think returning the single book would improve the shipping treatment. By the way, I had used Super Saver Shipping, which seemed super sloppy for these collector's items. This "Sonic The Hedgehog Archives Volume 1" has a glossy finish and the 15th anniversary logo in the upper left.

DS(10) loved the book, even though it doesn't match up neatly with the more recent Sonic video games that he has. On the other hand, I'm thrilled that he's reading *anything*!