The Last Loose Ends of the Metal Virus | SonicSpeedReading

#sonic #idw #deadlysix
The Deadly Six are running loose on Sonic's world, and once reunited, decide to take the fight directly to the heart of the Resistance. Don't let the title dishearten you! Prepare for the most brutal fight so far in IDW Sonic and the return of MVP Tails! Dr. Starline is back and now even more horrible! Time to wrap up the final story beats of the Metal Virus!
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[@GameApologist]

Guys I'm sorry I Zizzed when I should've Zazzed but... ...I don't care.

[@mistersp3753]

Does anyone care?

[@jadendafinger]

@@mistersp3753 yes, hello, I am Sonic Lost World fan# 3 and I am personally offend at this blunder. Game Apologist, you will be hearing from my lawyers (which I cannot afford).

[@ThatSmolivGal2]

@@jadendafinger yes hello, I'm Zazz Fan #2, I also do care for Zazz because I have nostalgia of him from Sonic Dash.

[@mask_vids9834]

where @-@

[@Davanthall]

dang Nick, why you gotta Zizz your Nick-milk all over this video? God, it's everywhere...We're gonna need more than some tissues to fix this.

[@mistersp3753]

Ian Flynn writes Zavok so well. He has such a sense of brutality, with a respect for power over all things. He backs up this reputation with great dialogue and legitimately threatening actions. This is a far cry from Lost World.

[@chi-wind8593]

I really do wonder how is going to do in frontiers. If he did this to Zavok.

[@mastertjt56]

Yeah, the only thing Lost World did was giving the Zetis their own personality within certain stages whenever they talk down to Sonic. I mainly liked Zavok's lines because he always gave a threatening vibe whenever he talked without being too violent or mysterious

[@gjtrue]

Flynn actually gives a crap about these characters having actual *character* and layers. Unlike Sonic Team...

[@chi-wind8593]

@@gjtrue it’s like they have losted passion in the series.

[@mastertjt56]

@@chi-wind8593 yeah, I honestly think they should give the Sonic series a break and work on many other titles that they have under their belt. Or they could try a different style for Sonic instead of platforming and speed, like how about a fighting game, a mystery game for Team Chaoxic, or make billions off a CHAO GARDEN GAME. For example, they could do another Nights game, Space Channel 5, Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, and so on. Each series from Sega has great potential to be a smashing hit, but sadly they don't utilize that idea

[@FletcherReedsRandomness]

Fun fact: Ian Flynn said that the "eloquent monster" trope is one of his favorites, and that's why he enjoys writing for Zavok so much.

[@shadowsnake5133]

I'm actually starting to like him as a character, so fuck it, I'm down. Man can write a great zavok.

[@rickyrackey7930]

@@shadowsnake5133 He should have more Monstrous forms and transformations. As in he goes from not scary to very scary thanks to the Master Emerald.

[@rickyrackey7930]

So he’s basically an Evil Goliath.

[@bobi200samatar6]

Honestly, with the way he writes Zavok, I see the appeal.

[@sketchsskotch1073]

Ian Flynn just wrote Eggman as a Pre-2010's Sonic fan: "That's not funny! It's never been funny! It's never going to be funny!"

[@drakeandfriends3718]

Vegeta "bitch stole my line!"

[@alexsanderivan6511]

I love how Zavok basically became the equivalent of Bane in the Sonic world

[@matti.8465]

Super strong villain who is actually highly intelligent, manipulative and cruel....it's a perfect fit actually!

[@alexsanderivan6511]

@@matti.8465 And also questions the usefulness of the hero's morals :)

[@sonicstar917]

LMAO, Zavok wishes he was Bane. I don't see the red Bowser ripoff breaking Sonic's back.

[@gettingdeletedlol]

The Bane of the Sonic Lost World even :]

[@DragoSonicMile]

@Alexsander Ivan Zavok never broke Rouge the Bat's back.

[@shonenbois]

Sonic and Tails being the ones to take out the deadly Six was such a great scene. OG Duo.

[@roguereb0rn833]

It was kinda wholesome

[@KaiserMattTygore927]

I kinda like that they addressed Sonic's sparing of opponents, I used to dislike that he did that, but now? i'm just glad he has some kind of character flaw. what he's doing is one part noble one part selfish and like Zavoc, I too can respect that.

[@animezilla4486]

I can understand the frustration of seeing Sonic showing mercy to his enemies would you have to ask yourself will Sega be happy having Sonic kill anybody

[@VelvetAura]

Yes, it's nice to write it in as a character flaw

[@heartnet40]

22:36 Usually when an alternate take on Sonic villains comes to pass it's really hard to take them seriously as writers tend to create new villains to be very extreme right off the bat. But I love that the IDW comics are consistently doing things with Starline that make him a well-written villain for this franchise. It's very neat how they created a character who is painfully aware of the Sonic series' typical status quos yet is ignorant and naive enough to continue falling for the trappings of stories past. Like, he tries to be ahead of the curve because he thinks he's got it all figured out, but when you pay attention to the context of his plans and research, you get rewarded with getting the one-up on Starline himself and figure out how he's going to fail "this time." In this instance, Starline is manically congratulating himself for researching "such complex artificial intelligence" while being hilariously unaware of the scope of Eggman's own technology and it's capabilities. Everyone who's been a Sonic fan knows that when Dr. Eggman creates robots, he is well and knowingly capable of creating complex and intelligent beings. Metal Sonic, despite his inability to speak, displays great intellect, capacity for learning, and is *clearly* capable of emotions and motivations. Likewise, E-101 and E-102 Beta and Gamma respectively show the same such thinking capabilities despite being robots powered by Flickies. Hell, even Orbot and Cubot are much more human in nature than what would be typically expected of "servant" robots. Like, hell, Orbot can talk back to Eggman and there's no way in hell someone as egotistical as Robotnik himself intentionally made a robot capable of talking back. No, Eggman's Robots have always had these incredible AI's that allow them to become more than the sum of their parts, and the fact that Starline doesn't just *NOT* see it but also thinks this is some grandiose advantage that Eggman hasn't tried to exploit is just another example of the story constantly writing well written flaws into a character that could easily overstay their welcome with their own importance. Every time Starline makes a new plan, it's a joy to analyze all the ways he's inadvertently screwing himself over, and the writers deserve all the props for that.

[@izzy1356]

Exactly. The one thing Starline will never understand about that AI is that it gives Eggman's creations the autonomy to *choose to be on his side.* In some cases, it's blown up in his face to create enemies (Omega, Gemerl, Gamma, Belle). But a majority of the time, it's created allies that are willing to stick by him against Sonic (Metal, Cubot, Orbot, the Sonic X trio, Captain Whisker's crew, etc), even if they have personal goals. He doesn't quash disobedience like Starline does. Unlike him (and ironically like Sonic), Eggy's capable of rolling with the possible punches and working around them.

[@playerback7722]

Yep

[@sylver_sonic7726]

Love how improved was Zavok in the comics. Wonder what will happen with the D6 in the future

[@kygo-mashyt7735]

I doubt they’ll return soon. We do need a break from them but again the writing by Ian is superb.

[@matti.8465]

They're 100% gonna come back at some point. These comics don't have a lot of variety in their villains, and bringing in the Zeti every once in a while will help keep things fresh. Not to mention, Ian seems to genuinely enjoy writing them. He should do what he wants instead of worrying about fans whining over nothing.

[@sandudelcea6707]

Aren't you the guy who uploads the sonic comics on youtube ?

[@gamingmania194]

@@sandudelcea6707 yes he is

[@sandudelcea6707]

@@gamingmania194 yea, he's pretty cool

[@chiptunepacifist5729]

Ah yes, my favorite deadly six member ‘Zizz’- right next to ‘zum’ and ‘zejaculation’

[@ShibuNub3305]

Zeemen is superior imo but I see why you’d like those guys more

[@theboopernetwork5076]

@@ShibuNub3305 YALL NEED TO STOP

[@melting8739]

"I'm gonna use the skills that Sonic taught me." The best thing Tails had said. 15:30 I literally love the comics.

[@jamesjerk5538]

2:16 I really love how this is literally a line straight from team four star

[@xbro154ever]

I truly feel like the Deadly Six are actual threats in IDW. Zavok is a MONSTER in his own right and shows how he's a brute with a tactical mind and why he is the boss.

[@ArtseyHayton06]

Even though sonic couldn't bleed (Honestly he can alongside his friends if Sega lets it.) this fight was damn intense. Seeing Sonic not gaining the upper hand is really scary and sometimes refreshing cause it adds 'realism' to sonic's world. End of Paragraph.

[@akieboygaming]

That was the shorters paragraph I have ever red

[@ArtseyHayton06]

@@akieboygaming lol.

[@panch3470]

I mean he ginda did bleed in the fight against neo super metal sonic

[@SilverHyozanryu]

If there's one thing I do like about the deadly six as that they're a perfect force for multiple characters besides just sonic to fight. And we got to see a good bit of that throughout. When eggman is the series main villian I imagine it can be pretty hard to write a good fight between him and multiple heroes without it just being a big mecha they have to destroy.

[@machina5]

I don't even like Sonic and I've watched all of these. You're ridiculously entertaining.

[@lalito3423]

The convertion process has started

[@theradionicrevival8068]

@@lalito3423 damn straight, dude my subscribe to their first onlyfans scam by a bot. Getting involved with sonic, in any capacity is no joke💀

[@cringeman6518]

@@theradionicrevival8068 Godzilla had a stroke trying to read this and fucking died

[@Patmations21]

Nani?

[@Patmations21]

Nani?

[@satelliteprime]

Genuine wisdom and strategy from Master Zikin, the distinct nature of each Zeti's characterization when they do vs when they don't have Zavok guiding them. And need I even mention Zavok himself? GOD I love Flynn's character writing.

[@matti.8465]

I say this a lot, but IDW Zavok is such a treat. I love his ruthless yet sophisticated personality and unique perspective on the world. It would have been easy to make Zavok this mindless brute, but instead he's intelligent and cruel. The Deadly Six as antagonists bring something different to the series, they challenge Sonic physically. Eggman wants to take over the world, the Zeti want to burn everything to the ground.

[@nickytembo4112]

Yeah like Order vs Chaos. Eggman = Order Zeti = Chaos

[@rickyrackey7930]

If we are going to compare Sonic to Dragon Ball Zavok-Dabura Zik-Babidi

[@hoseinbmr3449]

15:03 - 16:09 now I've absolutely fallen in love with IDW Just it's connection to sonic forces made me have lower expectation for IDW , although they tried their best to fix Tails from that disaster, I thought it would never reach the greatness he achieved in Archie But now... this moment was exactly what I wanted . It just reminded me of the Archie Comics adaptation of Tails Adventure in which Tails was a great warrior , and this is almost as good as that one Now Tails is again the great character he used to be and I can't be happier now

[@somedudewhodraws9377]

Oh definitely thats the tails from Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 also Heroes. This aint cowardly tails from Sonic Unleashed and Forces.

[@justinmyers7587]

Tails is my favorite character and seeing him being GOOD make me happy 😊

[@sonicstar917]

You do know Flynn regurgitated the cowardly Tails in Issue #29 when he cowered to the Zombots, right?

[@somedudewhodraws9377]

@@sonicstar917 Dude hes been through hell when that arc was going on he lost the tornado 2 and the data for a cure to the virus. Hes reached his breaking point. Sure he could rebuild the tornado 2 but that was his baby u are looking at months of rebuilding. It wont fix the damage done to him emotionally neither. He also saw Knuckles Shadow and Big all become zombots right in front of him.

[@urdeadnotbigsuprise7439]

@@somedudewhodraws9377 And he was becoming infected thanks to both of those Chao's as well, he had every reason to be scared and crying at that moment, cause it seems like everyone forgot that in the end, he is still a child.

[@ivanquote1807]

I personally love how Zor was written in this. His profile said that he’s supposed to use powers the other Zeti are afraid to touch, and in this book his unsettling sadism easily drives home how unnerving he is.

[@travisherndon94]

Seriously IDW is making the Deadly Six actually pretty cool in my opinion

[@000Dragon50000]

Zavok despite everything that just happened between them, having that respect for Sonic just going "You wanna start shit? That's your decision, I'll just kick your ass every time" is honestly the first moment I've actually liked the character tbh. Design still sucks but these comics don't get to change that so yeah.

[@retrogamer6637]

Yo, this would be a nice time to introduce dark sonic. With sonic abandoning all his principles and just going ham. Like I can see him breaking down a little bit every time they mention his mistakes because of his morals

[@gamejitzu]

Dark Super Sonic would be amazing, but Sega doesn't have fun anymore so I doubt they'd let that happen. And honestly I'd want the the games to have the first canon Dark Sonic, shown in a stunning cutscene rather than a (admittedly nicely drawn) panel

[@animezilla4486]

Sega is very protective of their characters I seriously doubt they will be happy seeing Sonic kill anybody despite the fact they're villains.

[@justsomesimplenuclearbirbs4313]

The IDW Comics are a major Blast to read. Seeing numerous fans and those who worked on the Archie Comics sorta fix the mistakes left behind by previous writers for the Sonic series by slowly teetering over the lines given by SEGA and giving small but noticeable changes to both the existing cast and the cast introduced in IDW is a joy to see. Also the return of a pissed off Sonic from the Archie days was a nice surprise with what I dub the "Wrap Up" arc for IDW. Makes me wonder if the lead artist reused a couple things from their work at Archie with how eerily similar the two close-up pages are. And because this Sonic is basically a one-to-one version of game Sonic unlike Archie Sonic who was based more off of the DIC cartoons originally which had numerous inconsistencies for Sonic's speed, we see how fast Sonic can really go when he's serious compared to when he's being casual. Also, I love that brief stop Sonic makes to get caught up about what happened with the main entrance's security guard. Little details like that are what makes Sonic's comics, fanmade or otherwise, an enjoyable experience.

[@thespookymage6294]

Honestly, Belle is one of my favorite characters from the comics and reaches near top favorite for all time favorites. There is something about this puppet that brings a ton of humanity to the series and I love it!

[@animezilla4486]

Me too I would love to see this character in a future Sonic video game but I'm curious do you think if Belle were to see Eggman again would eggman destroy her or not

[@thespookymage6294]

@@animezilla4486 IMO, probably. With a few exceptions, eggman really doesn't see his creations as anything other than tools.

[@Blaze4ification]

I think it's fine, a bit cliche, but it is who Sonic is, established even back in Sonic Adventure. He fights for freedom, his vision of freedom, even if other's views don't agree he follows his beliefs to the end, this can also be seen when trying to make a Sonic Chao. Shadow's is dark, but Sonic's is neutral, he's a hero and a good guy but even if someone with a good nature has morals that conflict with Sonic's Sonic will fight for his own. So even if Sonic and Eggman or whoever his weekly opponent is, Sonic is fine beating them down even if it means they'll come back, because he's also not going to take their freedom away otherwise it breaks his code, others may carry them to prison sure, but he wouldn't do that, he's not going to kill anyone, because that means they lose their freedom even if they're his enemies.

[@sboinkthelegday3892]

Not really. Sonic doesn't embrace the "moral" on a mental level, he doesn't keep coming back to make the argument why freedom is good. He just likes the idea of a natural order, where animals are BORN to be HIS idea of "freedom", and that is, in captivity of their desire for repetition and safety. But HE thinks the same of Starline, that "bad guys" are just the responsibility of their "boss", so it's Eggman's fault that Zeti are here. Eggman inspired Starline with showing more freedom than Sonic does, even to the point of disappointing Starline for being too much of a firecracker and not even following "a plan" of his own. Zeti can control robots from second-to-second, and that shows you what real RULE is. Eggman wants to give ORDERS but he has no intention, not even the idea, of how he would impose a RULE onto the world. The Restoration works a lot like Eggman, they just wait for somebody to come along and "be considerate", Game Apologist even calls it bad world building that the Zeti "criticize". The idea that people are just "considerate" is a complete fantasy and might as well be replaced with "happy to be robots in Eggman's army". Eggman can't RULE even his own robots, or the metal virus contagion. That part of freedom is ALWAYS something Eggman won't even touch. But here's Sonic basically ORDERING Eggman to keep Starline in check, so who's for "freedom" here, and for what GOOD outcome? Freedom was EGGMAN'S wheelhouse when he LET Starline to bring in the Zeti. That's probably why Eggman finds it so funny that Sonic tries to wave around THAT card. And I mean this from deliberate, writer's stand point, that Is the motivation he clues towards why isn't Mr. Tinker. He isn't a FIXER. He isn't a destroyer. He reassembles what is ALREADY HERE, to a future of something new, completely irreverent of its status in "freedom".

[@Blaze4ification]

@@sboinkthelegday3892 Jesus calm down, and why are you capitalizing words every now and then. All I was saying is how this mirrors Sonic from the games. That his sense of freedom has existed for over 20 years at this point, and he's said basically as much, I was just elaborating and showing another example of it with his specific chao back in Sonic Adventure 2. He doesn't fight for good, doesn't fight for bad, just freedom and the wind in his hair, all I was doing was elaborating in case people didn't get it. Sonic isn't a hero because he wants to be it's just the role he has taken. The same exact thing can be said about Shadow and Silver, if anything Silver mirrors the good nature of it while Shadow the evil. This is why they clash so much, their ideals are the same just with different alignments, they fight for the same thing. This is also why back in 06 Shadow says, even if humans betray him eventually, even if Omega one of his friends betrays him, he is still following his own code, for his own sake and while not explicitly said for Maria's, he will protect humans and fight for them even if they betray him because it fits his agenda. This is why Shadow isn't inherently a villain even back in Adventure 2, he was an antagonist sure but that doesn't necessarily mean villain or evil. Like any anti hero he sided with it because it fit his agenda, his promise to Maria even if he got it twisted at 1st. This was the whole point to his game, and despite so many people disliking it why I think it is an amazing game, a look into who Shadow is, why he's the most well written character in 06, heck in the Sonic franchise as a whole... you know until we get a little more modern day. That is until we get to these comic, of which I defended in the last 2 videos, the writers obviously are trying their hardest to write these characters to how the fans see them despite Sega breathing down their neck. All I was doing was defending the writers and what they are doing, they're obviously trying their best to shape these characters into the ones we know, the way older fans grew up with them, the way the older fans know them, and trying to show knewer fans who these characters are at their core. You're right it's not a whole mental thing, his MENTALITY is simple and basic, he acts 1st asks questions later, that's who he is. Again all I was doing was elaborating the mindset, and defending the writer's portrayal of these characters because they're a lot more accurate to the characters we know, granted Sonic himself hasn't changed as drastically as Shadow. However some people don't understand how in depth Sega made these characters, how capable Sega has been in the past with their story writing. That Sonic isn't your typical hero of justice fighting to save the princess and the world, he just does it because it's fun, and because he dislikes people opposing, forcing their rules and mindset on others. That people (or anthropomorphic animals) as we saw during the metal virus, back in Sonic Adventure 2, may turn on him but he will still fight for what he believes peace and freedom is.

[@rev0lve638]

Does Sonic really not make hero chaos?

[@Blaze4ification]

@@rev0lve638 Nope it's Neutral and high speed, Shadow is Dark high speed, nights is neutral high flying. Tails and Knuckles might be heroes (I think Knuckles is, don't remember Tails, but highly doubt it's a dark chao, so nuetral or hero), I think Amy is nuetral as well, but they were special that you can't get through normal means, like Tails you need to play Phantasy Star Online and have the save file on the same gamecube memory card, do a couple missions on it, or something I don't remember exactly.

[@rev0lve638]

@@Blaze4ification interesting! Thanks for the info

[@dubiouslobo9190]

Ian really knows how to make both old and new villains feel intimidating and forces to be reckoned with. From Eggman to Starline all these baddies feel like real evil people instead of mustache twirling Saturday morning monsters of the week

[@buttered_n]

this arc did change my entire view on the zeti. while the games couldnt do anything with them thats halfway interesting, flynn and the rest at the IDW team figured out these characters, especially zavok who is actually pretty menacing. i love this comic and hope it runs just as long as archie.

[@justynhill4814]

I liked their personality even in the game. You are right their should have been more in the boss fights but they were interesting.

[@Rman94]

One thing I take issue with is the Moon mech plot hole, Zazz still had his Moon mech when the deadly six reunited but it seemly disappears after that. I feel they(the writers) could've fixed this by having the Deadly six leaving it outside Restoration HQ's main entrance to stop anyone getting in or out and then either have Sonic smash past it on his way into the base or have Starline highjack it with a gadget to aid in his escape.

[@justinmyers7587]

Sonic and Tails vs the Zetis was really good, Sonic holding his own but obviously wasn't going to win, the zeti being scary, and Tails being the M.V.P for building the rocket and those zeti traps while also tagging two zetis in the process. This is why I love the Sonic Comics.

[@playerback7722]

Agreed

[@rockamillion2002]

Tails tagged three Zeti, not two. He tagged Zomom, Zavok, and Zor.

[@somedudewhodraws9377]

I am shocked on how well Zavock is written by Ian. I mean Zavock was just a generic bland boss in LW. But now hes more cunning and very smart. Hes the kinda guy who knows what u are thinking and he will exploit it to beat u.

[@donisamwentete5079]

Zavok autocorrect

[@somedudewhodraws9377]

@@donisamwentete5079 my bad XD!!!!!

[@A.MNeverP.M]

I haven't touched a Sonic game for absolute years and now I'm considering buying every single Sonic game on the Switch due to how entertaining your analysis and readings are , thanks for the empty pockets Game Apologist! Keep up the great work!

[@SatoruGojoStrongest]

You cant buy every sonic game on the switch

[@A.MNeverP.M]

@@SatoruGojoStrongest haha, I meant to say that I'm going to buy all the Sonic games available on the Switch, I wish they were alll on there if it was possible

[@Chaoywowey]

I think he means the sonic game on the switch

[@SatoruGojoStrongest]

@@Chaoywowey ah my bad then

[@ledetbrothers9210]

@2fast 4u That is a little reductive.

[@odinlindeberg4624]

You could say that to Sonic, it doesn't matter what happens as a result of his principles, he'll never give up fighting to uphold them.

[@grimsonforce7504]

100% facts Tracy Yardley's art is amazing!

[@sonicstar917]

Yuji Uekawa's art is better and more iconic. Also, screw Yardley. He defaced a drawing of Shadow the Hedgehog by Uekawa... by making it look like Shadow was taking a dump. Not to mention, he implied that 50% of the United States are associated with Nazis and white supremacists. What an ass.

[@shiningpoultry4745]

You have a great voice for reading sonic 10/10

[@bubbleboi1122]

New Sonic Speed Reading AND it's a Friday! Thanks for making my day Nick. Keep up the great work :)

[@MagillanicaLouM]

Was already fine with the 6 but Ian really made them all cool. And THAT'S where that Vector and Belle panel moment comes from

[@mechashredder7417]

I like how Starline takes credit for Eggman's return when if Metal Sonic didn't come back he would have failed.

[@KraziShadowbear]

Personally, I loved the little moments where Zavok "inspired" Zizz and Zomom with "You Conquer" and "You Consume ALL". I always thought these guys somewhat resembled the Seven Deadly Sins and seeing them talked to this way made me imagine that Zavok might've had some interesting backstory with the Deadly Six. Wish Lost World elaborated on that or something, could've been really interesting lore and story! Also, I sort of wanted to see Zavok to "inspire" the rest of the Deadly Six indivdually (Like he did earlier with Zizz and Zomom) if it wasn't for Master Zik finding the rest of them so soon. At least it sped things up. Also, I LOVE the fact that Tracy Yardley was the one who did the "I GOT YOUR LIMIT RIGHT HERE" Sonic moment in Archie, and now did the "Sonic-going-to-wreck-the-Deadly-Six" page. XD Also also, I LOVED seeing Tails get a moment to shine once more! He's Sonic's best friend, but he's also his own character, "raised" by his idol/brother-figure and he won't back down that easily....

[@tridek1949]

I'll just go ahead and say it. Starline should be in the games. He'd make for such an interesting secondary villian and having him in the mix could allow the writers more flexibility with scenario writing.

[@patrickcarter2829]

Almost all the villains should be in the games: *Rough & Tumble:* mini bosses that appear in each world with new toys (like Boom Boom and Pom Pom from Mario). *Dr. Starline:* could literally have his own separate game where he is the main villain. *Mimic:* shows up and ambushes you when you least expect it (Taskmaster from Spiderman PS4). *Deadly Six:* could have their own game. *Clutch:* spin-off villain for the Chaotix spin-off game. These characters would be a breath of fresh air from the same Eggman, Metal Sonic, and Eldritch being most of the previous games played through.

[@worstspytf2824]

Zavok is officially not just one of my favorite sonic villains but sonic characters in general, heck he's up there in terms of my favorite villain's fullstop, at least in terms of "lesser" villains. What I want to know is what happened? Did some give the Sonic Lost World writing team a slap across the check behind the scenes before tell IDW to clean up their mess or something? I love his character now, its simple but good, when did he go from some random Saturday morning cartoon enforcer that looks like your five year old's newest OC to PG friendly Legate Lanius? He's surprisingly brutal (in a comic without blood), admirably honorable and deceptively intelligent with a great sense of pride, wisdom and natural leadership to boot, combine that with a few surprisingly good quotes that fit his new personality well and he not only feels a completely different character from his "primary" appearance in Lost World but a far superior one. I find myself going from completely blanking while trying to remember his name to loving his character and looking forwards to his future appearances, just what the hell happened? The other Deadly Six members either got barely anything or practically nothing in the case of that emo imp, but Zavok was transformed into a far better character in practically every aspect. He's not the new best character in fiction or anything but the massive jump in quality he got is astounding to me.

[@matti.8465]

I'd argue Flynn enhanced what was already there. Zavok's sadistic and manipulative personality was present in Lost World, the execution just wasn't the best.

[@sonicstar917]

I get you don't like Pontac and Graff, but the hatred they received is disgusting. Pontac has stated that he wasn't to interact with fans after a particularly vocal group once sent him and his dog death threats.

[@worstspytf2824]

​@@sonicstar917 Uh, did you reply to the wrong comment? I don't know who Pontac or Graff is or how saying that Zavok is an underrated character is berating a guy who's receiving death threats.

[@TehJellyLord]

Ian writes the Zeti so well that, I’m gonna say it, I wouldn’t mind Zavok appearing in future games if Ian is the one writing them. A lot of people disregard the comics as not canon, so to them Zavok is still just the Bowser ripoff from LW. So if Ian got to write for Zavok in the games it could really redeem the character for a lot of people… I also just wish Ian got to write the games sooner as Infinite would probably be a fantastic character, or at least a lot better than he ended up being.

[@rickyrackey7930]

Infinite should get the Clone Wars Darth Maul treatment. (Sam Witwer should voice him to)

[@kaisysdreamland]

I'm definitely looking forward to Klonoa, I have a friend who's a huge fan and I plan on getting the remakes when they come out

[@beckthetinkerbot]

Like I said I don't really care about the deadly Six. I was more interested in Belle's story. It's just heart breaking, that Starline took her father away and because of the Metal Virus incident the villagers turned on her and drove her away. Also it's implied that Tinker kept her hidden during his time in Windmill village because he knew how they felt about robots. I hope things get better for the poor wooden puppet bot.

[@th3legendarygizoid652]

I'd love to see a game with some of Yardley's or Thomas's art style. Truly some top tier stuff.

[@blakemills2717]

sonic: *pulls out a gun* "one less loose end" *shoots zavoc in the face*

[@DeadSpaceWing]

"Personally, I wouldn't be caught dead using one of those!"

[@WhiteDragonCM]

hey I can forgive the "Baldy Mc Nosehair" reference, because Eggman says exactly what were all thinking when that joke comes up XD

[@AkiDave]

Zavok is a pretty interesting villain , i hope he has this great characterization in future games or a show.

[@playerback7722]

Same

[@christiansia7152]

The thumbnail of sonic looked soo badass I was actually hyped to watch this vid

[@KingRumar]

Love this series. I feel Starline's design is based off of Prince

[@MattAnd]

Wow, the art for the comics has been pretty great the whole time, but the bits of Sonic running across the country (?) and the skid are some of my favourite pieces - to the point that I actually want a poster of the skid

[@GottaBGlitches]

2:17 Almost everyone would agree Eggman's response to sonic calling him baldy mcnosehair

[@Nel_Annette]

Man, you are QUICK quick with these. I only just finished the Changing of the Guard video.

[@cheses.]

Now this just makes me wonder... What would Sonic Lost World be like if Ian Flynn wrote for the game?

[@donisamwentete5079]

That would be awesome

[@nickytembo4112]

Lost World reimagining, written by Ian Flynn, make it happen SEGA!

[@KSKY2012]

I have never seen the version of the Deadly 6 from Sonic: Lost World, and I don't think I ever will. The way Ian Flinn writes these characters makes me loves them so much, and I don't want a reason to dislike them

[@beastmaster0934]

Love how the Deadly 6 are given actual character traits. Ian should write for Sega when it comes to the games.

[@SoranotRoxas]

Like I said on you're Metal Virus video, thanks for discussing these comics so we can stay up to date. They are written so much better than the games it's nuts lol

[@dextra_24703]

I love how they redeemed the deadly six they are actual characters crazy.

[@KavinCatastrophe]

Belle: ON TOP OF ALL OF IT THERE GHOST! Starline: That impossible we are in the Living room.

[@commonviewer2488]

Belle's short existence has had her go through so much. This robot needs therapy.

[@juliusweiss5447]

Psychosomatic.

[@ghaniKSW2]

“short existence”?

[@zechariahcaraballo8765]

23:40 I hope starline becomes the eggman for team chaotix, "better luck next time detectives" really sold me on the Idea of starline being a rival for them

[@knuxenglish]

How to make actual *speed* reading: Step 1: set play speed to 2.0

[@kannakamui2334]

This storyline was boss! The deadly six were underwhelming in terms of their writing in Lost World but the comics took the Fondation and the core of who they are and made hella good stories from it. I loved this and I like how it had Sonic Fighting the deadly six nearly all by himself other than some shots from whisper and tangle and him doing well but eventually getting overwhelmed with Tails jumping in and them working together for for win. Zavoc was brutal I can see why he was a fan favorite villain in the game, hopefully he can live up to his potential as a character in another game like he does in this comic.

[@jaredthebc5926]

Amazing video, but I won't lie anytime you call Zazz "Zizz" it was like when someone makes a typo in the group chat and the feral urge to correct is there

[@SilverHyozanryu]

Zavok and Zik remind me alot of the Po and Shifu dynamic from kung fu panda but just if they were evil. The rest of the zeti are basically the furious five.

[@Ozymandias2x]

Sonic says he won't sacrifice his principles out of fear. ...but he WILL sacrifice innocent people by the truckload for his principles.

[@sonicstar917]

And that is why Flynn doesn't get the characters.

[@patrickcarter2829]

@@sonicstar917 It's not Flynn, it's SEGA mandates. Best he can do is adhere to it while also working around it via loopholes.

[@sonicstar917]

@@patrickcarter2829 It's always SEGA's fault whenever there's a problem with Flynn's writing, huh? No mandate exists to make a good chunk of the characters act like idiots to advance the plot. No mandate exists that requires a story arc to be dragged out over a YEAR, and this isn't the first time Flynn's done this. That's the Zombot Arc in a nutshell. Also, what loopholes? Considering the number of supposed mandates that have been broken from time to time, if they can be broken that easily with no consequence, then change the terminology. Mandate is an obligation or requirement. I've told others before; If the writing or story sucks in Sonic Frontiers, I GUARANTEE you that Flynn will blame it on SEGA in some way.

[@patrickcarter2829]

@@sonicstar917 fair enough. Though I'm not too familiar with the full detail SEGA has in place for the Sonic franchise (anyone have a link?) so it's merely conjecture based on heresay. Frankly, I quite enjoy this iteration of Sonic (barring Shadow) and would rather see this as the game's canon. It's better than previously released titles, that's for sure.

[@DuskAlimar]

Sonic DOES have a bit of a "Batman doesn't kill" kind of view, but given how peaceful his world is seen as otherwise, I can give him the benefit of the doubt. He ONLY has to fight Eggman. Not random everyday crime/problems.

[@juliusweiss5447]

I’ve never read these comics, so I don’t know if Eggman has ever legit KILLED anyone, but if he has and Sonic continues to time and again let him go, then Sonic is 100% in the wrong. Regardless of his morals.

[@lynxfresh5214]

@@juliusweiss5447 He murdered Whisper's former teammates the Diamond Cutters with a horde of Shadow androids by making a deal with Mimic. Also since IDW follows the game canon he killed a bunch of innocent people in Unleashed and Forces.

[@electricsoul3355]

@@juliusweiss5447 killing someone because they can hurt people is cowardly. The human race is at a point where literally all of our problems can be solved by talking it out. If one side doesn’t want to, then stick to your morals. The side that wants to be violent and kill only has their own ideals confirmed when you resort to doing exactly what you want them to do; end things with violence.

[@sonicstar917]

@@juliusweiss5447 Eggman's never killed anybody directly, but he's definitely done it by proxy; He ordered robots to tear down towns and destroy things.

[@juliusweiss5447]

@@electricsoul3355 You saying this, especially with what is happening right this very second speaks to you either being ignorant of the real world, a child, or possibly even both.

[@M_Alexander]

"I use the skills that Sonic taught me!" Proceeds to use the skill that he taught Sonic

[@malyckrentz9346]

Tails gets the most badass moment of all time in this comic series!! Freaking remarkable!! Bravo Ian! Bravo!

[@Captain1455]

I do like how some characters tell Sonic to finish the job be Sonic will do thing he's way without killing. Batman, Aang and Spider-Man also follow the code of not killing.

[@destroyerkitty9434]

I think I adore this comic so much because it’s some of the best characterization of the cast we’ve had in AGES. Not only are the new characters well written, but the original cast have so much personality and are written brilliantly. IDW is one of the best things to happen for modern Sonic in my opinion.

[@abbyelectric]

I clicked the moment the notification popped up, I *love* this series!

[@jackgrove4621]

The moment I saw the matrix of leadership, I was like "you done good idw"

[@michaelcarlton1484]

I'll never understand people who hate Ian and Evan's writing when it's the best we've ever gotten...

[@sonicstar917]

Debatable.

[@Flower_Mom]

I've noticed a lot of people who hate on the writing in IDW always plug their own fanfics while doing so, insisting they can write so much better. Makes me think they hate Ian and Evan's writing simply because it doesn't mirror their own writing styles.

[@qtippz]

"THAT'S YOUR PROBLEM KAKAROT! YOU'RE WAY TOO NICE!"

[@thegamingembassy1543]

Always appreciate you, Silver_Sonic and Megabeatman for bringing awareness to the comicbook series for old and new sonic fans. Keep up the good work. Can't wait for your review of Sonic 2 movie and the tie-in comic.

[@Rabbitearsblog]

Yeah, more Sonic fans need to read this series!

[@jeremy1860]

It really is a testament to how good the writing on the comic side of the franchise is when concepts and characters introduced in the games are at their best when used in this format 😊

[@MeboDotExe]

15:09 so much for zazz his face really going ZAMN!!

[@CRETRofdaNITE]

Been waiting all day for this😩

[@BIBeast291]

Fun fact: On Bumblekast, Ian's podcast, Sega was pretty encouraging towards the idea of the comics adding a new Zeti character. But Ian just ...didn't.

[@rainpooper7088]

Shows that Sega doesn’t think their ideas through imo. Unless they were willing to use the opportunity to explain what the hell is up with the Zeti to begin with, I don’t see how adding a new Zeti wouldn’t cause anything but trouble. There already are six evil Zeti who -nobody likes- are their own group, saying there was secretly a seventh one you’ve just never seen before all along is the epitome of lazy writing. And as interesting as the idea of a good Zeti might seem, introducing a heroic Zeti would be an absolutely terrible idea in practice because he or she would just have too good of a matchup against the main antagonist. Eggman causing trouble? There is absolutely no reason to not just send the hero Zeti and have them take care of everything with their gamebreaking magitek powers, especially since IDW introduced Zeti power enhancers. Every single time Eggman (or even Starline since he uses robots too) wants to make any sort of move, they would have to write around the hero Zeti and make sure they’re out of the way. I mean, if anyone could make a Zeti work it’s the IDW people, but I don’t blame them for not doing it. Given the limitations they have to work with, it‘s just not a good idea if you really think about it.

[@matti.8465]

Ian seemed to like the idea, he just decided it was probably best not to do it because of the predictable fan response to Zeti being in anything.

[@Biostar96]

@@rainpooper7088 That would only be an issue if they planned on making that zeti a core cast member. Not every character can be everywhere.

[@rainpooper7088]

@@Biostar96 That’s just the thing: If a heroic Zeti existed, there would be absolutely no reason for them to NOT be a main cast character because they could dispatch all of Eggman‘s forces by simply looking at them funny. Every single time Eggman accomplishes anything, we would be thinking „Yep, all of this could have been avoided if they had only gotten Hero Zeti for the job.“ The writers would have to go out of their way to make sure this kind of gamebreaking isn’t possible and if that’s what they have to do for a character who isn’t even supposed to be all that important to begin with, then it’s simply not worth the trouble.

[@Biostar96]

@@rainpooper7088 I think you’re exaggerating here. The Sonic cast has its own heavy hitters yet they never have to justify why Shadow isn’t around all the time, or Sonic for that matter. It’s a big world, it’s silly to think a person can be literally anywhere there is conflict with Eggman.

[@johntee9691]

ngl, I was reeeally tired of the deadly six, so this arc was kinda uninteresting to me, but the confrontation of morals between Zavok and Sonic was really good, not to mention, Belle meeting her father's killer, cheff's kiss!

[@MrSkysenGames]

11:13 _Loved_ that moment.

[@M3G4T3RR4]

I love this set of issues, the scene with Sonic and Zavok at the rocket is simply amazing, I don't think Sonic has ever been better represented by his very own theme song, even in Black Knight. "As long as the voice inside drives me to run and fight, it doesn't matter who is wrong or who is right."

[@SuperSonicXXX]

YES i been waiting all day!

[@AlexMartinez-gv7hy]

The Deadly Six are good when written well, honestly funny how that is the case with some villains being great just cause the writing is good.

[@EternityKingdomsHeadHoncho]

The final pieces of Belle’s backstory, Tails’s character development from the Adventure being reasserted, Tracy Yardley being awesome as always, and Ian proving that the Deadly Six can be good if given to a writer who gives a darned sock about competent character writing. Yeah, this is a good arc.

[@JadeSylvinaVA]

Seriously, how come no one has made a dub of this arc? It’s so good!

[@mechajay3358]

The IDW Comics have made me a fan of the Sinister Six in way that the Lost War Game couldn't do.

[@bipitybopity7002]

I don't mind Sonic's compassion in this series. It's something that's to be expected with this flat character type, it's in character from what's been established for years before, and I at least won't have it any other way

[@animezilla4486]

That goes for me too as well I like the fact that Sonic is compassion

[@tomcurl8034]

I honestly really like the plan of making the restoration. Think they’re gonna attack all the same places they attacked before to draw them away from their base and then attack the base because that’s a really good plan.

[@blazewarrior5964]

i also a sonic fan keep up the great work

[@jaredtherock5692]

I want to note Tails' expressions during the moment when he and Sonic are sending the Deadly Six back. Tails has expressions that go from borderline apathetic or annoyed to showing doubt when he goes to question Sonic on his decision. I don't doubt they might address it again even further down the line.

[@0whatman]

I'm loving the emo one of the deadly six loved his dialog when the heroes left him behind with the zombots lmfao

[@JamesAxis13]

Man I love these

[@eycasual]

I would love seeing Eggman start to ponder his actions. Realizing how many people he hurt, even the ones that took care of him when he was Mr. Tinker

[@alecjackman2655]

He kind of does that in issue 23

[@jesusofsuburbia3675]

That fight with the deadly six was so awesome. Like a genuine struggle, back and forth, hardcore fight that actually makes the deadly six... Well deadly And showing how sonic & tales teamwork (even my fav duo Whisper and Tangle joined!)

[@roccotherayquaza2468]

2:20 That has to be a Dragon Ball Z Abridged refrence there.

[@yamatoko219]

I'm sorry but Starline responds to Belle's outburst the only thing I can see is POG and I can't unsee it. 21:21

[@inksicle2533]

2:15 ayo dragon ball z abridged refrence???

[@ojama102]

I just relised that belle likes to tinker with stuff. Tinkerbelle