How Archie Sonic Lost Its Mind

[@sleepytired9222]

54:55 I had the pleasure of reading this issue as a child and was horrified the comic had never brought this up again. Nobody has. Copy Tails doesn't get a grave, he dosen't even have a page on the various wikis. I have had to carry this burden alone for 21 years. Thank you for giving me closure. Rest in peace, Copy Tails, rest in peace

[@ThePonderer]

I genuinely feel like I’m watching a mental breakdown

[@KirbySonicTeam]

That means a lot, thank you kind sir

[@Rediscool9]

This is what the Archie Sonic comics do to a person.

[@_G.C]

​@@Rediscool9And I'd gladly do it again, and again and again. If only it didn't take so fucking long to read

[@sonicmariokirbys.m.kchanne8592]

Me too

[@Yoshistar238]

​@@KirbySonicTeamso that was your plan all along by getting him into this project?🧐

[@MILDMONSTER1234]

Seeing adventure era characters like shadow hang out with the freedom fighters feels like a fever dream

[@bigs5078]

Archie was built different, man.

[@Aisubun]

Yeah Especially because his chest fluff is a different color sometimes too like he's almost a different character

[@seeno5618]

❤

[@dominosnostradamus2415]

Feels like you’re a mentally ill Sonic fan in a fever dream from your illness

[@themissingbits6375]

Man… it just Nice to see a Archie Sonic video where they talk about how weird and crazy it Can be… but without mentioning Ken penders and actually talks about the good stuff.

[@qstmrk8004]

i agree as much as i dislike the comic its good to see it covered properly as supposed to glossing over it because its sonic

[@hubster3055]

It was nice to see in the first video, Ken Penders was only referred to as "a writer of the comic" without all of the stigma hes infamous for now

[@lazydroidproductions1087]

Unfortunately… things cannot remain so pleasant

[@themissingbits6375]

Hell, i Will even argue he has made some decent stories like the Sonic 3 adaptation and that issue where Sonic lost his memory, and teamed up with Robotnik. Though yes, it Nice to see him to be referd to as “A writer of the comic” instead of “That weird man who did weird things with these weird echidnas with their weird stories with their weird lore”

[@MarissaChillya]

@@hubster3055 he has foreshadowed pender's true nature though. i assume hes building up to when he fully addresses it at the super genesis reset or whatever its called

[@professorgreenbeans8275]

Lowart slowly becoming more and more obsessed with Sonic is a weirdly hilarious and horrifying prospect

[@LavaCreeperPeople]

ok

[@kilderok]

As long as it doesn't go wrong like that one guy who started off talking about his pet crow only to spiral into having a bigfoot in his freezer and getting raped by a female bigfoot

[@helmetman8259]

​@@kilderok what.

[@kilderok]

@@helmetman8259 He's here on youtube! Deadwing Dork covers him in detail.

[@Piss_Off_Plz]

@@kilderok What's his name?

[@mrbanks456]

Spaz being the entire comic staff's point of reference for the Adventure story because he's the biggest Sonic otaku out of all of them is both funny and adorable.

[@RickyRiceB]

So nice of Cory Spazkid to give the staff his knowledge of all things Sonic related

[@RollaJones]

​@@RickyRiceB Cory is Spaz's secret son. That's why he calls himself SpazKID.

[@FormalFilmsProductions]

Spaz the goat!!

[@mrbanks456]

@@RollaJones It's like Flash and Kid Flash except instead of super speed they have super autism.

[@RollaJones]

@@mrbanks456 Yeah but I doubt Pat Spaziante is on the Spectrum. If he was he would've thrown his binder full of erotic fanart into a river behind his house.

[@Preteristboy]

I've never heard someone be so chill and level-headed yet so unhinged and overdramatic at the same time.

[@shellyvision9693]

Throughout all of the college lecture segments I kept raising my hand and saying, “Sir, I’m an IDW major.”

[@MrsNeedlemouse]

And presumably doctor lowart kicked you so hard you were sent flying to the fleetway introductory class

[@YungandRekless545]

The sad thing is, the comic did genuinely get better around the mid 2000's, but the series reputation is pretty much defined and remembered for all the bad issues that came before it

[@bigs5078]

It was a good comic for like ten years, and even before then had some diamonds in the rough. All people know is Penders, Slap, bad art.

[@obungagaming6312]

Enerjak arc was wild

[@sonicrunn3r895]

It's pretty wild to me seeing these older issues with so many problems and dropped plot points/plot threads because towards late pre-reboot Archie so many of them are brought back SWINGING. E-123 Gamma's existence and disappearance post Adventure arc? Brought back as part of Omega's introduction in Sonic Universe (the secondary comic to the main series). Ixis Naugus' origins? Becomes relevant to his kingdom takeover arc later to the point where he begins to go crazy. THAT ONE METAL SONIC THAT SACRIFICED TO SAVE SONIC AND TAILS BY DYING IN LAVA? REVIVED AS THE BEST AND MOST CRITICALLY UNDERUSED METAL SONIC, SHARD. As much as it’s definitely convoluted and confusing to keep track of all that old stuff, it still feels at least good for these things to get a payoff of any form.

[@michaelmcd64]

At least now we have IDW which is very good

[@PhazonEnder]

@@michaelmcd64 That ultimately doesn't matter if IDW can't turn a profit.

[@craboomba]

Lowart honestly quickly turned into one of these youtubers whose 2hr videos I automatically watch as soon as I see them even if I honestly don't care for the subject

[@alexanderadams9058]

After watching that first sonic comic video I marathoned a ton of his other videos and found a new favorite KZbinr.

[@craboomba]

@@alexanderadams9058 I did that with his full metal alchemist and teen titans videos lmao

[@alexanderadams9058]

@@craboomba I'm honestly afraid to check out his full metal alchemist videos. That's like my favorite anime ever (and I don't really like anime all too much) and I don't want it to be ruined for me due to it getting criticized. I know I should keep my opinions and let other people have their own, but I tend to listen to other people's opinions a little too much. With all that said, I love all his other content so I'll probably eventually check it out.

[@craboomba]

@@alexanderadams9058 I'll give you a heads up that these videos are mostly, if not entirely positive

[@fightingmedialounge519]

​@@craboomba more so 50/50.

[@decades5125]

Jesus Christ the second lecture was the most insane thing I’ve ever seen

[@cookiesandpudding8485]

there was very…. notable undertone to that one

[@edgehead2695]

Genuienly unhinged.

[@KittyKatty999]

I am *SO GLAD* I stopped watching it on the TV with my family, the moment the second lecture came on.

[@Sonamyfan875]

I just skipped it.

[@KingOfDarknessAndEvil]

Lmao I love the rapidly changing tone of this video

[@bluestar5812]

Most of weird parts of the Sonic fandom can be traced back to Archie Sonic. Sega left the writers and artists with NO supervision, not even giving them free copies of the games they had to adapt. For the most part they just did what they wanted, which birthed this bizarre side of the Sonic franchise.

[@redstreak9430]

1:47:01 fun fact: this is more or less a tribute to the UK comic series Sonic the Comic aka Fleetway Sonic. The most noteworthy thing about that series is that Super Sonic is basically what Hulk is to Bruce Banner and just exists to destroy anything that opposes him good or evil (even in the unofficial continuation he becomes that version of Iblis that destroyed Silver’s future). They even became separate entities near the end of the comic run similar to what happened here. I guess someone at Archie wanted to give that version a shoutout and it wouldn’t be the last considering characters like Tekno also cameo’d in the infamous Sally slap issue.

[@comixproviderftw_02]

I kinda figured this was sort of Fleetway.

[@mixiekins]

Oh god, there's ᵐᵒʳᵉ ? I put on the first lecture for my three year old who's obsessed with Sonic, and got drawn in myself since I had a subscription to the original run as a kid myself but never was able to grasp what the fuck was going on. Four hours later, the kid is shouting "NO MORE SONIC," I'm not one bit less confused, and you're telling me that there's an ᴀᴅᴅɪᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ sᴇʀɪᴇs. ⚰️

[@mrbanks456]

This series of videos is slowly turning into a surrealist, postmodern masterpiece and I can't wait for more.

[@alfalldoot6715]

Not postmodern, an absolute classic

[@soro7999]

When I read these comics as a child, they helped me cope with difficult times. When I became an adult, these comics made me an alcoholic. Great video by the way.

[@Game_Hero]

wait...what?

[@111pikachu]

I can't believe Tails' summer vacation is over

[@theonlybilge]

He has a park bench to sit on.

[@jayelark]

No more ice cream with the freedom fighters, it seems

[@bellowingsilence]

Who will Tails have ice cream with??

[@Dragzilla66]

@@theonlybilge OH NOH. 😆

[@meyelejuega3602]

@@theonlybilge NO TAILS DON'T DO IT!

[@Fastness]

Gotta love how in comics Sonic is canonically a literal war criminal

[@Mister_Clean]

38:00 "We did it, Sonic! We saved the city!"

[@Gyrokun]

"All's well that ends well, right?"

[@RegitNevard]

I mean, there's no city to save if there's no city at all.

[@smolboi7541]

I love how Fake Tail’s sacrifice is just like Roxas’ from Kingdom Hearts II

[@Sonic_jams]

I like Karl, and that bit at the end is very eloquent. He was clearly put in a position he didn't feel fully prepared for, but made the best of it.

[@lazydroidproductions1087]

Sometimes that makes for more excellent things that you may have gotten otherwise, sometimes it makes for really disappointing and mid products. It seems that he produced some of both as he found his footing. Glad he seems to have been able to have had fun reinventing himself though

[@mixiekins]

I appreciate it, because we're all human and we all have to start somewhere. As long as an individual acknowledges that they're going to perpetually improve woth practice, it's all good.

[@JLCL01]

@@mixiekins Honestly, it's an interesting perspective as someone who's wanted to do more stories via comics. Long story short, a combination of years of dysthymia, 3 months of constant anxiety and panic attacks, and symptoms of Hashimoto's disease (extreme bed-ridden fatigue) made me not consider doing anything longer than a page or something that had a proper narrative. Especially for something I'd hope to sell or market. I don't care if it ended up on one of those "bad webcomic wikis", I just wanted to express myself while potentially making a decent living doing art (not just comics, mind you) instead of retail. But yeah, the last 4 years taught me to just throw shit out there. I'm 30 years old and I'm tired of doing nothing and wasting away. If I make shit, hopefully it'll be "so bad it's good" and it's enough to get me food. Ideally something like a B-movie flick; those are fun. I'm sorry this became more personal, I didn't meant to. I just needed to explain the context.

[@thermitefe8299]

The best point you made here is that Archie Sonic's world is the main character. I could never quite articulate in one phrase what made Archie Sonic special and different from other series and stories, but you've done just that here. Brilliant video - I really look forward to the next part

[@wurmble]

thank you so so much for covering the sheer insanity of the tails duplicate bookbag incident, it's honestly one of my favorite moments in the entire comic and you covered it in the most beautifully absurd and tragic way possible - this series has been absolutely fantastic so far, it's super refreshing to see such an in-depth look at this comic that's able to criticize its flaws while also appreciating how they make the series so interesting!!

[@Birdhouseart]

9:21 That seems like a lot of Knuckles backstory. If only some devilish rogue would give us a seminar, a 101 study on Knuckles' backstory if you will. I'm sure we could learn a lot about him and his ancestry.

[@rocktoo7603]

If only

[@Drakkona123]

Somethin' is callin' me but I don't know what...

[@phoenixiscul]

Maybe how he became known as k'nux

[@anexplosion5436]

Someone like that would have to be rougher than the rest of 'em... no, the *best* of 'em.

[@s4juno693]

Damn lord why? Why suffer more?

[@NegaHumanX]

I love Lowart's teacher voice. The "No. You've actually never been more sane." line cracked me up.

[@monanarts3726]

As someone who read most of these in 'real time' (so many weeks, months, years....) it continues to be fascinating to watch you go thru a lot of similar emotional arcs as myself and a few other folks int eh fandom I was aware of at the time. Really looking forward to the Knuckles video, because despite it all, he's still my favourite character and I genuinely enjoyed most of the 29 issues that were produced.

[@datguyuno98]

......how

[@monanarts3726]

@@datguyuno98 I lie awake wondering that myself.

[@jmn327]

@@datguyuno98 Said it in my own comment, but honestly a lot of it was just a sense of "wow, they're really trying to pull off something big, here!" A lot of us read these comics as kids and young teens, and the idea that there could be this "epic" scope to these characters we loved from the Genesis games, but whose personalities we couldn't know THAT well due to the 16-bit era's limitations, was a real trip at the time.

[@johanroyce6324]

@@monanarts3726 It's moments like these that make me appreciate the work done by Ken Penders. Keep in mind I do think that writers like Karl Bollers and Ian Flynn made it even better and I do acknowledge that there were moment where the Knuckles lore got too complex for its own good. But if there is one thing he did good was he made Knuckles a prominent character in Sonic series as a whole. Ken Penders made Knuckles equal to Sonic in that he had his own arcs, enemies, and friend group (Julie-Su and the Chaotix). But what really made me like Knuckles was his overall character arc. The way I saw Knuckles was someone who, from before he was even born, was used by everyone around him and was constantly bombarded with the notion that he had a greater purpose he had to fulfill; he was manipulated by Dimitri when he became Chaos Knuckles, he was experimented on by his father when he was still in an egg, when he died he was told by Aurora that he had higher purpose in the order of the cosmos and shouldn't return to help his friends and he was brainwashed by Finitevus into becoming the next Enerjak. In all these cases he was seen a pawn for a greater purpose; but did anyone care what he wanted. And that is where Knuckles really shined for me was when he stood up against those who tried to control him and forge his own path. He refuses Aurora's offer and decides to return to the land of the living in order to save his friends from the alien invasion, he tell his dad that he no longer wants to be just the guardian of the master emerald but rather the guardian of the whole world, and went Dr. Finitevus tries to bribe Knuckles with secret knowledge of his ancestors, he punches him and throws him off the island. I see this as Knuckles coming of age story where he finally creates his own path in helping his friends fight evil.

[@fightingmedialounge519]

​@@johanroyce6324 that's a pretty generous reading.

[@CathuluGaming]

that Sally Acorn segment was out of left field, but also hilarious.

[@waffletoast215]

Thank you for appreciating Mina for who she is! She is such an underrated character and I love the arc she goes through. The love triangle part of it gets shit on so bad, and I didn't even think that was that bad. But to me she's such a unique character, the way she struggles to find her purpose before realizing her talents. For a Sonic character she's a surprisingly dynamic character.

[@Pikatwig16]

Yeah, Mina is a really great character. Of all of the preboot characters that we sadly lost, she's the one that I miss the most.

[@theguybehindyou4762]

There were a ton of underused characters! Just think of what better writers could do with the Brotherhood of Guardians, or the House Clans.

[@SSJ22Terris]

Do you happen to know where the scene with Mina in the hospital is? I can't seem to find it online.

[@waffletoast215]

@@SSJ22Terris it’s the same issue where she gets shot, it’s the final scene of that story

[@SSJ22Terris]

@@waffletoast215 huh. I guess the only scans of the issue I can find online cut those pages for some reason.

[@Tribow]

I can't wait for this. It is insane just how off the rails the comic gets from here on out. I had to take screenshots and send it to friends out of context cause I couldn't believe what I was reading. I'm here for the recap of this completely unhinged section of the sonic comic

[@Tribow]

Lowart lost his mind. oh my god he's not even fully THROUGH the whole crazy part of this comic! I'm not even talking about the Knuckles part, the main Archie Sonic series gets progressively more unhinged as it goes on. The TAILS THING oooh THE TAS THIGN IT'S NOT EVEN HERE THE TAILS THING OOOHHH LOWART THE TAAIILLS THING AAAAA

[@uninexo215]

Omg I did this too 😂😂

[@blitz8614]

Legit Jules Hedgehog is such a freaken boss, and I hate how no one talks about it! Like you can look at him and be like, "Damn, I see where Sonic gets it from..." Fought on the front lines of the Great War, and will to throw hands with an evil version of his son. This hog is a real one. It was cool to see Sonic take on more traits from his father in the Mobius 25 years later arc when he became King Sonic.

[@kerrycrowecomics]

I just realized how they did a reference to one of Spider-Man’s greatest moments with knuckles in that sonic adventure arc. Pretty neat! Edit: there is no edit.* *[Editors note: dismiss this edit]

[@RickyRiceB]

(edited)

[@rocktoo7603]

(edited)

[@alexanderadams9058]

(edited) Edit:

[@silversonome5360]

1 day ago (edited)

[@theprincess3872]

I don't have a lot to contribute to the discussion, but I just want to thank you for going in depth to this early Archie stuff. I've only ever seen any of it get covered in a cynical, derogatory way, and it's refreshing to see a perspective from someone who sat down and gave it a chance. Even if, let's face it, some of this stuff didn't deserve a chance. Also, the editing in this video is astoundingly good. The musical number, oh my god

[@echidnaburger02]

8:41 you can never go wrong with a Spiderman reference, especially where best boy Knux is involved

[@labtheque]

I am very excited to see how you feel about Jon "WB" Grey's art next video -- once upon a time I moderated one of the largest Sonic the Hedgehog fan boards alongside him. My best bit of trivia: I can't remember the issue number off the top of my head, but keep your eyes peeled for "LNR" carved into a tree -- it's a tribute to a proto-meme from the message board, a sketch he did of "Live Nude Robotnik", which is sadly lost to time.

[@sonicfoamyfan9805]

Does any of his old concept art still exist, like the ones where he shows how he wanted to gif Dr. Finitivus a third eye

[@sonicfoamyfan9805]

Man, at this point I don't even know if I should even want you to get to the Ian Flynn era of these books, they're way too straightforward in comparison. and this such a nuance take on a era i honestly never bothered with despite being such a Archie Sonic fan Also that recreation/parody of the top 10 hottest Sonic girls was AMAZING

[@KirbySonicTeam]

Oh no worries. Lowart and I think Flynn preboot is the greatest Archie content by far

[@sonicfoamyfan9805]

@@KirbySonicTeam Oh I don't doubt that, but it's like comparing the earnest craziness of say Raimi Spiderman to the good but homogenous MCU

[@theonlybilge]

"The size of an average human mother! NOW WE'RE TALKIN" _Violently cooms_

[@andrewlavigne44]

The audio quality taking a dip as the video becomes like a 2010 KZbin clip is such impressive attention to detail.

[@fightingmedialounge519]

​@@sonicfoamyfan9805 zany isn't really a word that can be applied to any Spiderman movie outside of the animated ones. Campy sure.

[@tntsonic7482]

Yknow maybe the appeal of these comics are how crazy they are. It's batshit insane and I love it. Even if the quality goes on a rollercoaster. Great job once more! Putting another banger out so soon is incredible!

[@ryanmcamis7419]

You're telling me Sonic dropped a nuke on a black man.

[@Ratscallion_exe]

"TAILS, WE NEED TO FIND THE MISSILES"

[@psyxypher3881]

The story in the thumbnail was one of the more emotional ones in my mind, IMO. ESPECIALLY the ending. Sonic chews out Zonic for sending him on the mission that ended with him killing the alternate version of his father, essentially telling him he could never understand and that he's just some sideways guy with no face...so Zonic responds by taking off his mask, showing that he's his zone's version of Sonic.

[@philardo]

59:11 ripped me right out of the experience and made me realise I've been listening to this weird comic's story for like 4 hours lmfao

[@YungandRekless545]

1:41:26 The sequel we've all been wanting for 😂😂😂

[@Jaythaking04]

I've been scrolling through these comments just to make sure I didn't just imagine that section in this fever dream of a video.

[@mcmistle9892]

I’m glad you like Mina as a character, she’s my personal second favorite Archie original from the series. While I think the art and a lot of the comedy centric issues during this era can be a major downside, Karl Bollers and a lot of the art team like Steven Butler & Jay Axer are super underrated and I wish more people would talk about them. Another great video!

[@FormalFilmsProductions]

Steven and Axer are my favorites next to Spaz

[@Game_Hero]

who's your personal favourite?

[@danl5086]

I'm absolutely enthralled by this series. What a fun nostalgia trip that is also mildly unsettling

[@superequinox4185]

Part 3 be like: The Sonic Comic That Killed My Father

[@KittyKatty999]

No, he killed his own father. He didn't have a choice! He was going to take the *FECKING SONIC COMICS* from him!

[@destroyerkitty9434]

1:41:27 The way you completely NAILED the editing, writing, and commentary style of Guptill89 While merely a half second ago you were giving a heartfelt and sincere ode to Archie Sonic.

[@toonman5099]

Wait...I'm just realizing...the way you're describing Mina's story arc...minus the singer and super speed power aspect...it's Amy's. She was the main cast's analogue for a civilian in the games, but the only difference was that she utilized her hammer to, like Tails, find a way to keep up with him in her own way (not just randomly have super speed or strength which would devalue her uniqueness like what happens later in the games regarding her speed and currently in the IDW comics regarding her strength), plus she actually makes an effort to be a fighter.

[@KirbySonicTeam]

Yep! Shes what most would expect from an Amy arc, but the comic really didnt seem to care about Amy for a long time. Still, Im really happy with what they did do with the story for Mina.

[@toonman5099]

@@KirbySonicTeam True.

[@bocoom]

I thought Mina was more like Seraphine from leauge of legends.

[@toonman5099]

@@bocoom Not super familiar with the characters so can't really say. I know OF League, but not the stories.

[@tchukkelz2246]

Dude you fucking CRUSHED the intro vocalization to Open Your Heart

[@uberbusdubs5962]

I love that moment Knuckles lifts up the piece of the generator. It's a clear reference to Amazing Spider-Man #33 "If This Be My Destiny". Very cool stuff.

[@aggressivelymediocre350]

You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this. Except you do because it’s been two months

[@comixproviderftw_02]

By internet time, that’s 2 years

[@fiddlestickjones]

Bro cmon 2 months ain't that long, I've been waiting for a new how it feels for like 2 years

[@MementoMori_PA]

Despite people's complaints about Archie Sonic, the world building was a key point for me over IDW. I'm still waiting for IDW to show me where the humans live. Team Dark have employers, but they are nowhere to be seen

[@geoffreyrichards6079]

Unfortunately, we might not get a clear answer for the humans in IDW since SEGA seems insistent on distancing the franchise from additional human characters due to fan backlash.

[@rayvenkman2087]

It’s why I prefer Archie over IDW. The world lives and breathes without the main cast being there to make it rotate, having an expansive world history that all predates the Sonic vs Eggman conflicts is right out of the original Star Wars Expanded Universe.

[@geoffreyrichards6079]

@@rayvenkman2087 It’s just a shame those other characters generally weren’t as interesting or memorable in their own right.

[@rayvenkman2087]

@@geoffreyrichards6079 Any characters can become interesting if you know what to do with them.

[@geoffreyrichards6079]

@@rayvenkman2087 Well, that’s a given. I’m just saying that a lot of the characters outside the main/recurring cast (with maybe some exceptions) were kinda stale and never really got the proper chance at getting further fleshed out.

[@felikatze]

i'm so happy to see this video and its first part. To finally see someone actually point out the good in the archie comics (without doing an aside to shit on Penders!) is incredible. When i was younger, barely spoke english, i found a sonic forum that hosted all of the comics. All of them. Archie, Fleetway, that manga with Nikki Needlemouse- and I have so many fond memories of all of them. Thank you!

[@sargin1]

Penders is a hack and deserves a segment tf do you mean

[@rayvenkman2087]

It’s like BTTF for NES. Virtually everyone has reviewed and shit on the game to death. It stops being interesting when so few will say anything new or unique about it. And I shit on Ken Penders every time I remember he’s practically the reason the Satam cast doesn’t have any refuge anymore in Modern Sega. The same Modern Sega that’s spend years trying to downplay the Sega of American created elements of the Sonic Mythos and making it so only Sega of Japan’s elements gets represented. The same Sega of Japan that’s the cause for most of the bad decisions made for Sonic since the Sega Saturn era.

[@zerorock41]

Damn. I cried over fake Tails. That was a great rendition of Dear My Friend.

[@waifusmith4043]

Mobius 101 makes me think a serial killer is lecturing me about sonic while I'm tied to a chair with cloth around my mouth and is emoting an (in)appropriate amount.

[@KittyKatty999]

Can you prove that he *ISN'T* a serial killer? Cause at this point, I think he legitimately has a fetish-basement for kidnapping people and lecturing them on Sonic lore,

[@NTNoble]

While I am more of a fan of the IDW comics, I will say these video essays have given me a new appreciation for the Archie run. I may not like some aspects of them in terms of storytelling and may not be familiar with the SatAM characters, but I will say these comics are enjoyable and entertaining. I prefer the more game focused cast of the IDW comics (with exceptions to the original characters like Whisper) but I can see why so many people care about the SatAM characters because they have their charms too. Awesome video dude!!

[@rayvenkman2087]

Plus Archie can go places where IDW can’t with Sega’s mandates and I feel the current mandates are too restricting from letting the writers really explore the universe. By writers, I mean the likes of Jim Starlin and Peter Tomasi who knows what you can do with the medium. Not those wannabe hacks that puts out Netflix screenplays in comic form comprising of people talking about meandering things at a coffee shop like most of Marvel Comics’ current output in the last six to seven years.

[@NTNoble]

@@rayvenkman2087 that’s very true. I really wish the writers were able to explore more of Sonics world, develop the characters more, and even show how dark Eggman can actually be. We’ve seen good moments of these before. Like with how the annuals pair up different characters who normally wouldn’t associate with each other (Blaze and Knuckles for example), some characters like Whisper and Belle have had great character development, and how Eggman isn’t afraid to punch and slam somebody against the ground and laugh as he does it just to show how superior he is represented by him monologuing and having only his eyes and grin show while everything else is in shadows. I just wish they could go a little farther with it in the IDW comics because I know the writers can do great stuff. I still really like how cohesive and consistently good the IDW comics are though so I’ll still say I like them despite the mandates from Sega.

[@Mepphy99]

​@@rayvenkman2087 at least It seems like some mandates are off now we have seen Sonic losing, characters changing outfits, great spin offs work like scrapnick Island Maybe in due time Sega Will also let everyone expand Sonic world a little

[@Game_Hero]

@@NTNoble My favourite is still Mr Thinker, really gave another side to Eggman.

[@Arcad3n]

Did NOT expect a vocal performance smack dab in the middle of this, let alone my favorite sonic vocal theme!! 😭😭 And the way you embodied the absolute insanity of the comic with the different segments of this retrospective! What a fantastic video.

[@shanemiller1182]

I love how creative this video essay is!. From the lectures, the tails song, and the immaculate guptil89 tribute, it’s all so cleaver

[@StilfStonermilf]

The energy in your videos are INSANE. The song was so SLAY. Everything is chaos. This is the best thing ever.

[@Solesteam]

I'll NEVER be able to get over how Sonic's eyes look in some styles... The giant rectangle with 2 other rectangles floating around in it... It's TOO funny... Painfully hilarious expressions come from that style.

[@usagi-sama8595]

Humans and Overlanders are supposed to be two separate races. Overlanders are the humans that were mutated by the alien gene-bomb that created the mobians. That's why they tend to be oddly shaped, like the Eggman. But anyway... Great video! It summerizes the best and worst parts of the Archie series very well! My feelings for Penders aside, it was great to see a video that focused on the story and all of the good/bad and ups/downs of it all. It's my favorite Sonic canon and I'm glad someone has represented it so accurately without completely dumping on it along the way. IDW is doing a pretty good job with their current comics but no other canon has filled in so many world holes like Archie.

[@BentoAUS]

As someone who has been a long time Sonic fan since 2006 (ironic, I know) and was heavily involved with the fandom on the internet while the Archie comics were still around, hearing about all these comic characters everywhere but having never read the comics for myself, it's been a lot of fun watching these videos, especially because it's such a great analysis that makes me able to really appreciate the series.

[@cubic8335]

Why did I watch this all in one sitting

[@Game_Hero]

because you're a hero

[@soufianegamerpro]

archie is basically fanfic before sonic fanfics existed

[@whaleping]

At the same time, considering how earlier it started with the Sonic franchise with Sega’s blessings, a month or 2 after Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (game) released, it’s a legitimate story unlike fanfics by fans on the web.

[@PolloMarcko]

And yet better than the games.

[@DragonStar524]

I loved the Lost in Space arc. Then leading into the Home arc, and then Return To Angel Island. They are my top 3 favorite of the older Archie Sonic run. So Lowart you aren't alone.

[@Channel9001]

1:46:00 "Stupid" Sonic is actually a parody of the Fleetway version of Sonic, with his more brash personality.

[@NYCOPYGUY]

Hello - Paul Castiglia here again - thanks for your thoughtful and insightful comments on my "Statue of Limitations" story from SONIC #70 - much appreciated!

[@KirbySonicTeam]

Thank you for watching and working on the comic! The series is a blast to discuss.

[@Solesteam]

53:38 So this tails doesn't cower in fear saying "Sonic Help Me!" When faced with an old foe he beat a stronger version of?

[@sinom]

And they're back with another 2 hours of Sonic comics when I have a very long commute. Much appreciated.

[@Syntacification]

The "Tossed in Space" arc was my introduction to Archie Sonic! I fell in mid-teens love with the following return to Mobius arc. Now that I'm hitting 30, the Sonic- Sally romance hits in the most nostalgic way. Lowart, thanks for giving me some retrospective and doubled down appreciation for these comics! Love ya :)

[@Superbuchi]

1:41:25 The most unforgivable crossover imaginable.

[@connla]

the evil space super sonic plotline was I think a nod to the fleetway sonic the comic as I think it officially ended in the UK around that time and the archie writers/artists had been slipping in little nods to it during this era.

[@Solesteam]

1:13:34 I'd like to imagine this is what Sonic actually looks like, but the normal look is how he and his friends see each-other...

[@ultima1033]

Really had me on a roller coaster of emotions in this video. But 57:01 Unintentionally a banger cover

[@comixproviderftw_02]

What song is that?

[@ultima1033]

@@comixproviderftw_02 Dear My Friend from Sonic Unleashed

[@comixproviderftw_02]

@@ultima1033 Thanks

[@sigrid9699]

I am soooo happy with how this came out; the sheer sincerity behind what makes the act of reading this series isn't at all belied by the 'haha, look at the dumb ken penders comic' attitude that has plagued the comic's legacy, despite still highlighting the inherent craziness of it after a few years of having to listen to friends not quite get it and videos simplifying it down into memes that betray it's weightiness, dismissing the insane complexity behind what makes it what it is or the countless other people besides penders who contributed to it, it was genuinely vindicating to watch this, to hear someone else enjoy it for what it is, rather than what it's seen and recognized as I'm especially glad you enjoyed the tossed in space arc; for me that really was where I went from merely liking and enjoying the comic to genuinely loving it, I see it as a sort of epiphany area of the comic where you really come to understand whether or not you like the comic and just exactly why this series has genuinely reignited the passion I had for this so much that I decided to incorporate the comics into my drawing practice, going back to the start and redrawing pages in the line style of the post genesis wave era as a sort of artistic 'what-if' scenario, it's been really fun cause it asks me to consider 'what would I change, what should I keep the same?' it's an incredibly hard question to answer when operating within a series where even the worst characters can end up having genuinely enjoyable moments

[@seymorbuns5363]

I knew the Sonic Archie comics had genocide, but I didn’t know it was that much genocide.

[@CyberBolt21]

1:41:28 Only OG people back in the days of old youtube will understand this part. 😉

[@spooked4lyfe]

so true oomfie

[@oliver6185]

I need a full cover of the "Dear my Friend" segment NOW.

[@AizakkuAnalysis]

57:18 Every time you sing in these videos it really makes my day. 😢

[@SonicKing1008]

Just finished the first part and now this hahaha A little late to the party, but I really appreciate your perspective on the Archie run. No disrespect to other youtubers or with a means to discredit the opinion of everyone who spoke about Archie, but it seems like the popular or the aligning opinion is to see it for its flaws and objectively strange and convoluted world building it did in over 20 years. For a second, watching their retrospectives made me rethink my own opinion on whether or not I really remembered it fondly or if it was just some sense of nostalgia, but you’ve set me clear in my convictions. While definitely imperfect, we got the most fleshed out and emotionally appealing rendition of our favorite sega characters who really made it feel like this world was one that was real to us; moreover, it does us well to note that we are NEVER going to see something like this done again in modern Sonic history. It’s a gem to be preserved and remembered for what it could do, and did right!

[@tigerfestivals5137]

Dude, I love these videos. It's such a nostalgia trip and it's really nice to have a more thorough analysis of the comic that doesn't just dismiss it as silly nonsense (even though much of it is).

[@daelen.cclark]

I wish there were more stories like “Tossed in Space”. It’s just that crazy abstract stuff that I like. Even bring in Bollers for the IDW series if he wants to.

[@T--DS]

This journey has been nothing if not fascinating in the most entertaining way. I grew up with Archie Sonic, but only when it finally regained it's sanity. I've only heard that whatever came before it was batshit insane and I always took that as a bad thing. But now, actually learning about what happened in that time, has been very fun, through all the bad and good. (Probably helps that I didn't have to sit and read through all of it, so thanks for that.) I'm also incredibly thankful to have learned about Karl Bolers, because that Benny Lee story alone is fucking hilarious, but it was very nice to hear that he was so thankful that he got to work on Sonic and that he thanked the Archie staff AND the Sonic community. I'm still very excited to get to the era I grew up with and to see Ian Flynn's writing shine once again, but NOW...I'm here for the whole ride! PS, you got a very nice singing voice. That Dear My Friend cover was great.

[@zekromfan1]

This is a nice birthday gift, I’ve really been looking forward to part 2. But honestly I’m looking forward to Knuckles’ comic and the future comics more than what you’ve already covered.

[@vimbert]

Oh dear God, all these people who haven't read Archie Sonic are in no way prepared for what's coming with the knuckles comic. IT'S JULIE-SU TIME

[@zakai-kaz]

God help us

[@Mister_Clean]

What a beautiful mess this series was. Sega really loves abandoning its auxiliary franchise works. Can't believe they asked an American team to convert an unreleased game into comic form. I suppose Archie did what they could. And when the continuity errors and plot holes started piling up, they just rolled with it. The serious story beats combined with the sheer, accelerating absurdity of it all is a beautiful thing. Eggman vs. Sonic is a rivalry of the ages thanks to Archie.

[@pch3611]

Damn so in an alternate timeline Sonic names his kids after his siblings nice

[@michael5472]

These videos are works of art I've never seen such a profound depiction of a person's deteriorating mental state before. I fear for when I watch the Knuckles video.

[@deathrainbows9723]

I actually did love the Tossed in Space arc! In my opinion it’s where the comic starts picking up again (slap included lol). I did also enjoy the character of Mina Mongoose. These retrospectives are really fun and I really appreciate someone doing an open-minded review of the entirety of Archie comics. Looking forward to the next video!

[@reggiel7313]

I've watched all five hours of your sonic archie videos and i will continue to watch more that poor toxic relationship dragon was peak dark comedy

[@LionelRGuy]

Apparently, my 4th grade teacher's husband was the writer of "Sonic's Shoes Blues".

[@SammyRenard]

Robo-Nate Morgan didn't die; as the blast reached him time stopped, and the g man showed up and told him "yo I got a job for you" and he became Alyx Vance's daddy!

[@graycat7704]

I literally jump up in excitement. After the first video I was in a sonic phase learning everything about the franchise. Now it’s finally time to end with this video,

[@Ghostguy693]

By the way, for those not aware, that "Evil Super Sonic" arc was basically just a massive shout-out to the British "Sonic the Comic" publication by Fleetway, which was quite known for its wildly different interpretations of stuff from the games, most famous being the depiction of Super Sonic as a superpowered, yet insane and homocidal alternate personality of Sonic's caused by the absorption of massive amounts of Chaos energy and triggered by either more of that or really strong emotions in Sonic, which eventually did split off into his own being that could fight Sonic directly rather than just his friends

[@rayvenkman2087]

I feel like Evil Super Sonic is such an underused concept outside of Fleetway. The idea of going Super having the risk of stirring up strong emotions and other parts of the psyche would make for a unique weakness when going Super as it could tie into the chaos element of the Chaos Emerald.

[@hascoP2]

21:38 Honestly while its a different form of media, this reminds me so much of the OVA Sonic the Hedgehog movie. Where Sonic tries to save Metal at the end and Metal slaps him away, realizing that the world would be better off without him, "There can only be one Sonic". I love that the comic has their own different idea on this though with it being because of Tails. Rare moments in the Sonic comic series that does make me smile a bit while feeling a bit of sadness.

[@ThatGuy-tc6uv]

While I won't spoil much as I believe Lowart will cover one of the big signs in the next video, the Archie staff were definitely aware of the OVA at this point, so it could very well be an intentional homage.

[@blovett0814]

Man, I am just so happy that someone is finally doing a full breakdown and retrospective of the Archie Sonic series. I love the new IDW series, but THIS comic run is what made me fall in love with Sonic the Hedgehog. I remember when I was in middle school and high school as I started from the miniseries all the way up to the end. I watched part 1 and watched the recent videos from IanWaffles so I can tell this will be a good one. Thank you Lowart and also IanWaffles for continuing to talk about the legacy of Archie Sonic! 😁

[@zeppelin7342]

Jules in that panel of Sonic's funeral is something else. The man is a robot that can't show any emotions. But even without a visible expression you can practically see the pain he's going through. Sonic truly meant the world to him even if they only really got to know each other for a brief time. To me that alone soldifies Axer as one of the best artists on thr comic.

[@Amash94]

Honestly, can't wait for the next part. That's where I first started actively reading the comic!

[@dae1en]

this is genuinely one of the best sonic videos ever, hats off to the both of you!

[@sybilunrest5397]

god this is such a trip and deserves more attention, you did such a great job covering this comic series with genuine nuance, i hope you are well and still sane after this, and i can't wait for more of your vids

[@invisanon]

That ending...it made me go down the to the basement and dust "it" off. SomethingI swore would never see the light of day. What's "it"? The microwave.

[@noahr607]

I feel like I just had a 2hr+ long psychotic break lmaoooo. Thank you for this bc I read bits and pieces of the Sonic comics when I was little too and sometimes I wonder if I’d made it all up in my head.

[@hoseinbmr3449]

i really love what you are doing no one has ever tried to cover THE HOLE Archie sonic stuff from the beginning but you chose the hard way and did it and i love that thanks to these retrospectives you do finally more people can get to know my favorite incarnation of the world of sonic and i am shocked that you continued the series in only around a month , i thought it would take you months to cover THIS MANY issues but turned out i didnt know how amazing you are 👍 when you finish the knuckles comics , the sonic comics will get near to the "early Ian Flynn era" which is the golden age of archie sonic because all the questionable stuff would be out and we will get PURE GREATNESS , when the series becomes a PERFECT MASTERPIECE , when it becomes something so good that everyone should check out and even if you dont want to go that far , i still want to say THANK YOU because i really enjoyed this 2 videos that you did

[@sonicstar917]

More Ian Flynn shilling.

[@indeed260]

@@sonicstar917 🙄

[@dirkslamley7415]

​@SonicStar917 do you think he was hired by Ian Flynn to promote his old not for sale work? No? Then I don't see how he's "shilling" it. That is just the user liking his work lol

[@fightingmedialounge519]

There's been handful videos that have covered the entirety of Archie sonic. They just normally do it comic by comic instead of dozens of comics in one video.

[@rocky-my5ck]

Dude, I read this entire story not too long ago again. This just put me at ease because i genuinely enjoy some stories, and you didn't like and genuinely didn't enjoy some you did. It's wild, but know i get those stories a little bit more. It feels fun to see wild adventures just happening and see the best description of Archie Sonic. It isn't just a Sonics story. It's his world story