Why Archie Knuckles is the Best Knuckles - Character Analysis

Sponsored by Private Internet Access. Use my link to get 83% off Private Internet Access with 4 months free: www.piavpn.com/Lowart
It's time for Archie Knuckles in the Flynn era of Archie Sonic wooooo
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The Cowriter, IanWaffles' Channel: / kirbysonicteam
Archie Sonic Reading Guide: docs.google.com/document/d/e/...
TIME STAMPS
- 00:00:00 - An Echidna Needs His VPN (Sponsorship)
- 00:01:14 - Part 1: Introduction
- 00:07:01 - Part 2: Knuckles and Locke's Argument
- 00:12:47 - Part 3: Finitivus and Locke
- 00:14:32 - Part 4: Knuckles Has Succeeded
- 00:18:11 - Part 5: Enerjak Returns
- 00:24:54 - Part 6: The Enerjak Reveal
- 00:28:34 - Part 7: Dr. Finitivus
- 00:33:49 - Part 8: Sonic VS Knuckles
- 00:35:54 - Part 9: Locke
- 00:43:13 - Part 10: The Suffering of Knuckles the Echidna
- 00:51:58 - Part 11: Knuckles - The Return
MUSIC LIST:
Sponsorship:
- "Wehrmut" by Godmode
Part 1 - Introduction:
- "Ares Island, First Movement" from Sonic Frontiers
- "Kronos Island, First Movement" from Sonic Frontiers
Part 2 - Knuckles and Locke's Argument
- "Ares Island, Seventh Movement" from Sonic Frontiers
- "Kronos Island, First Movement" from Sonic Frontiers
Part 3 - Finitivus and Locke
- "Chaos Island, First Movement" from Sonic Frontiers
Part 4 - Knuckles Has Succeeded
- "Knuckles Mvt. (Blood Flow) (Instrumental)" from Sonic Frontiers - The Final Horizon OST
- "End of Summer" from Sonic Runners
Part 5 - Enerjack Returns
- "Kronos Island, Fifth Movement" from Sonic Frontiers
- "Cutscene: The Last Piece" from Sonic Frontiers
- "Mystery Girl" from Sonic Frontiers
- "For Whom" from Sonic Frontiers
- "The Will of the Emeralds" from Sonic Frontiers
- "Guardian: STRIDER" from Sonic Frontiers
Part 6 - The Enerjack Reveal
- "Rhea Island" from Sonic Frontiers
Part 7 - Dr. Finitivus
- "Theme of Dr. Finitivus" Original by me
Part 8 - Sonic VS Knuckles
- "Egg Gate" from Sonic Forces
- "Egg Gate (Sega Genesis Remix)" from Dv2 (link: • Sonic Forces - Egg Gat... )
Part 9 - Locke
- "Kronos Island, Fourth Theme" from Sonic Frontiers
- "Chaos Island, Fifth Theme" from Sonic Frontiers
Part 10 - The Suffering of Knuckles the Echidna
- "Glistening Sorrow" from Sonic anime OVA (unreleased track)
- "Ambition" from Sonic Runners
Part 11 - Knuckles: The Return
- "Kronos Island, Third Movement" from Sonic Frontiers
- "Cyber Space 1-7: Time Flyer" from Sonic Frontiers
- "Chaos Island, Seventh Movement" from Sonic Frontiers

[@Lowart]

Hey there, folks! Hope you enjoy this one. Also, remember to check out Private Internet Access using my link if that seems like the kind of thing you're interested in: www.piavpn.com/Lowart As always, thanks for watching!

[@coolcar6593]

next darkest moments or the development of shadow

[@catapultingwizard5160]

Lowart you can't just drop the most banger Dr. Finitievus theme and not upload on its own you're a mad man!

[@MattMan127]

In my Fan Comics of Knuckles The Echidna, Locke Is the Main Antagonist. Because if you think about it he screwed up his life and regrets it deeply right when he tried to fix his mistakes Lara Replaced him with Wynn that Really made him Angry Knuckles did Dated Julie But They Broke up after they found out that they’re Cousins. And Lara Did Found out what “Really Happened” right After She Squeezed Baby Knuckles out of her V*gina She is extremely Pissed off.

[@Lolbitdrangonmaster]

I would like to get a video on archie Tails @lowart.

[@animedoctor40]

​@catapultingwizard5160 what he said it's peak

[@comixproviderftw_02]

Lowart with Archie Sonic: Heheh…Back in my lair once more.

[@happyderp2282]

Lowart: "How many are you gonna watch? I've made six different video essays!" Me: ". . . I feel like it's gonna be at least seven."

[@newsreporterfromringside7479]

@@happyderp2282*…dead silence*

[@GoldenHue]

​@@newsreporterfromringside7479 ....The audacity of this audience....

[@TheCrimsonCake]

@@GoldenHuerun run… I AM AN ALPHA MALE GAMER!!!!

[@ghxsting5667]

@@TheCrimsonCakethey be like “this asshole”

[@ThatGuy89002]

Julie Su is such a tragic character, she was created by a mad man with good intentions and now she's gone, forever forced to be stuck in a comic that never will be made, stripped away from pretty much everything that made her a good character

[@sonicwithglasses131]

Ken penders is one of the best sonic writer tbh

[@polocatfan]

hi Ken ​@@sonicwithglasses131

[@FritzyBeat]

If you can forgive the self-plug, there's a fan comic called Archie Sonic Online that is trying its' darnest to continue the story from where it left off, and last year we finished a whole arc featuring Julie-Su that rewrites Endangered Species, So if you want more Su, that might be up your alley. >u> We'll do our best to do her justice, heh

[@Memelord1117]

​@@FritzyBeatThe thing is, endangered species was meant to end on a high note. Unfortunately, Penders was about to win... ASO does the original tale pretty well.

[@Legend-io4pz]

I have a question did youg guys reckon them being cousins because that was weird that Penders did tht with her@@FritzyBeat

[@mariomaster4568]

19:34 I’m sorry but this is something I’ll always love about Eggman. Bro puts asides his differences to fight a greater evil not because it’s a greater evil but because it stops him from his two goals. Rule the world and kill sonic. He REFUSES to let anyone but himself be the one to put the rodent down.

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

I agree.❤

[@CrashWeezerman]

Eggman fights the greater evil because that's his job, and he won't tolerate competition.

[@AkuTenshiiZero]

I like how the Enerjak vs. Super Sonic fight is a mirror of Mecha Sonic vs. Mecha Knuckles, in both cases one of them is using their rivalry as a reminder of who the other really is.

[@MarioMastar]

I loved how Mecha Sonic was drawn too, and that IS a nice call back. as Sonic was the one corrupted (though unintentionally as Fang screwed up his plan). and funny how that part started the downfall of the characters as we knew it (with Sally accusing Sonic of being a trator...) and the Enerjak vs Super Sonic was the reverse with the comic finally closing the last loopholes that were left open. Ian did pull an Enerjak himself when he cleaned up all the stories started in the past in a thrust of quick comics including finally fixing Sally Acorn who was just so poorly written you'd seriously think EVERYONE hated her simply because she was a princess. Even worse that King Max wasn't THAT bad in SatAM. Sure short sighted to trust Robotnik but he was FAR from malicious so the comic making him evil cause they needed to scapegoat royalty was just...the start of bad writing.

[@karenbonds264]

That moment when you realize that Finitivus is literally The Spot’s origin story.

[@Hawkatana]

Now all it needs is a bagel.

[@coyotix]

oh my GOD

[@coyotix]

i'm so angry that you're right

[@Future_Vantas]

@@Hawkatana Bagel, Emerald, same thing

[@adamunown]

If you're nemesis: -Was inadvertently created by you. -Has a black and white colour scheme. -And can throw portals onto surfaces. That's not The Spot, that's Dr. Finitivus.

[@BeaglzRok1]

As much as we love to rag on Penders for throwing nonsense at the wall with no resolution, he really did provide so much good material for Ian to build off of. I've got a friend whose eighth-favorite pasttime is complaining about how the things he loves could've been done slightly better, and Ian was that man for the job for Archie Sonic right down to being one of the kids that wrote fanletters into the magazine. As soon as they slotted in Flynn, all of these delectable golden plot-threads were integrated so insanely well (despite Ken's frustrations) that even before the Genesis-Wave shenanigans, a whole lot of the story got tied together really well. The man just cracked open his encyclopedia of background characters, said, "this is a good place to put these guys," and went HAM. No one broke character, we cleaned up a bunch of relationship drama in a mature and believable way, set up new stakes, it was genuinely a sort of Rennaissance.

[@uninexo215]

agree

[@SaiyanGamer95]

Fun Fact: The reason as to why the Echidnas got so much content was because Sega vetoed pretty much any idea Ken had for Sonic, but they had no problems when applied to Knuckles. Also, you can sort of blame Ken for the storylines, but also Karl Bollers, another writer. The two absolutely HATED each other and sort of got into these "Retcon Wars", where one would retcon the other needlessly. Of course, that led Ian to unravel everything.

[@skorupiis9980]

Game Knuckles knows who he is but not where he’s from; Archie Knuckles knows where he’s from but not who he is

[@MaoRatto]

The perfectly balanced versions.

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

I agree with the moment.

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

​@@MaoRattoagreed

[@aynDRAWS]

Boom Knuckles doesn't know shit

[@MaoRatto]

@@aynDRAWS The boom series was hurt due to bad development as I believe that version of Knuckles could have been just as developed like other variants of knuckles.

[@Knuxfan10]

Interestingly, Ian Flynn wrote (technically unofficial) stories on his blog back in the day that expanded on the characters in Enerjak Reborn. One story was essentially "What if Finitevus/ Enerjak won?" In the story, Sonic is prevented from destroying the Brotherhood's weapon to kill Enerjak, but when Locke has the opportunity to use it, he ultimately can't bring himself to kill Knuckles and thus Enerjak atomizes him along with a group of survivors who had been in hiding up to that point. Meanwhile, Finitevus happily lives out his days in post apocalyptic, anarcho-primitivist society, with hopes that society can start again. So he ultimately has a "Thanos on his farm" moment.

[@FwendlyMushwoom]

I read that story, great stuff. I really hope Ian releases Lost Hedgehog Tales (his collected plans for Archie before it was cancelled) some time before the heat death of the universe.

[@tntsonic7482]

Despite his messy af lore, archie knuckles has so much cool shit and I'm glad people like Ian Flynn could take the craziness and make something amazing out of it and put these ideas to their full potential.

[@Future_Vantas]

Any other writer would have gone for the reset button right away, just jettison the weird crap and start fresh. And it might have worked, comics reboot all the time. But Flynn faced all that messy lore head on and reshaped it into something really special.

[@MarioMastar]

@@Future_VantascoughSegaAndIDWcough XD I don't mind them starting a new series or thier own comic lore based on the new stories in the games, but a lot of decisions Sega made has all but neutered everything we loved about the Archie comics, and I'm not just talking about replacing the characters due to copyright issues, I'm talking removing the character's deeper histories that made them feel more real and instead relying on artificial backstories they just made up at worst. Ian's writing is so good it keeps it afloat, but anyone can decorate a cake with no sugar or flavor.... it looks great but still doesn't taste great beyond the frosting.

[@jeffrysantiago1001]

This whole Knuckles storyline is just so good and it shows why Dr. Finitevus is one of my favorite Sonic villains! I really wish he would come back someday, he’s like the one Echidna Penders didn’t create so I don’t see why he can’t.

[@haha_hollie]

penders didn't create athair either, probably why he hasn't tried suing dic for having an echidna coincidentally also named athair lol

[@10001vader]

he's pretty squarely tied into Pender's knuckles mythology, so it'd be a hard sell to sega (who probably want to avoid echnida OCs like the plague). If you read IDW, Starline has a *lot* of inspiration from finitevus, though.

[@jeffrysantiago1001]

@@10001vader They could just try to rewrite his backstory to suit the main continuity and still keep his name, design, and personality in tact, they don’t need to keep the Penders lore to have Dr. Finitevus work. And if he’s brought back, he could be like Knuckles’ Eggman of sorts. As for a potential new backstory for example, he could be reworked as an echidna that was part of the last few that were around right before Knuckles became the last echidna and abandoned angel island and guardian duty to pursue his own twisted ambitions, or something along those lines?

[@peytonmacmillan9047]

​@@jeffrysantiago1001if they would be able to bring Dr.Finitivus back for a sonic game it's kinda down to one of two options or both, either he's just a cameo character in a mobile game like sonic rush not having any impact on the game and just being there. Or the second more preferable option is in a reinterpretation of sonic chronicles: the dark brotherhood, have him be the main villain playing by Dimentio's rulebook and playing both sides as a chess game with himself by helping the heroes until Shade joins the party as she knows finitivus acts as the "royal advisor", It could also be made that Imperator Ix is secretly a hyper advanced Gizoid Dr.Finitivus made long ago to hide his face from his enemies and is just programed so well it seems alive and a real individual. The second is a long shot but it might have a chance as the more iconic design and the character as a whole is probably not part of the lawsuit stuff, the character did appear during pender's time at Archie but was never named and not with his iconic look, he was simply a background character in one panel, and Karl and Jonathan took that one background character and made a masterpiece of a madman.

[@StepperBox]

43:13 Locke probably: "Looks like I'm abandoning you one last time," **Locke has left the party.**

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

True

[@kradeiz]

Knuckles and Julie-Su are relationship goals. Even when they fight they make it clear that they respect each other and they’ll get through it, even if it’s not right now.

[@MarioMastar]

Goes to show the difference between American writing (where we respect women) and Japanese writing (where women are sexual stereotypes, nothing more). US gave us Sally, Bunnie and Julie Su as 3 top of the line female characters who really knew how to stand on their own, while Sega.... as much as I like Blaze the cat, just can't seem to let any of their females be anything more than an emotional stereotype who need Sonic to steer them right. Too them until SOnic PRIME to finally give Rouge a personality outside of being a semi-unlikeable jewel thief, but her best moment ironically was Sonic 06 where after hearing Shadow was going to be betrayed because the humans reprogram Omega to inprison him, she tells him "No matter what happens, we'll stay by your side" Reflecting that she may have been nothing more than a business partner to him, but she truly saw him as an ally and friend cause she genuinely feels bad for him for everything he went through. Massive character dev moment, only to be ruined by stereotypes later. and don't get me STARTED on Amy.... who didn't stop being a stereotype until Team Racing where she was honestly the best character cause she was the only one taking the story seriously but NOT jumping to conclusions unlike Tails. and she was excellent in Frontiers, but that's Ian giving the girl a soul finally. Oh and I like her in Boom where she's allowed to be tough against someone OTHER THAN SONIC FOR ONCE!

[@MattMan127]

You do realize knuckles & Julie-su Are actually. Fuckin cousins, right.

[@kradeiz]

@@MattMan127 I don’t deny that having the two be distantly related was a weird decision on Penders part, but there’s like a 14 generation difference between them. After 3 you’re usually okay.

[@Breakaway-ic5gj]

​​​@@MarioMastar Opinion rejected lmao. Adventure Amy was great, she had character development and became confident in herself and showed kindness to Shadow, being determined to help in some way even when she's weak. Also Archie Amy is the same stereotype, the stereotype is meant to be part of the identity of the character while also not being the entire character, she also had heroic traits. Frontiers Amy I'd say isn't even the same character anymore, she's just some really kind lady instead of the hotheaded and annoying yet heroic little girl Amy used to be. In that way, frontiers Amy is actually more generic

[@ashesGeek]

​@Breakaway-ic5gj in that case you should read Fleetway comics for superior Amy. I love Archie comics and will defend it to death, but I agree Amy was done dirty mainly for 3 reasons:writers didn't know what to do with her, Amy was supposed to be just a joke like Sega did her in 2000's and there was this dumb logic that since Sally is the main girl and Sonic's love interest Amy doesn't deserve even a spotlight sometimes yet alone some development.

[@bowserbreaker2515]

That was absolutely perfect. I love Archie Knuckles. For all of the faults of Ken Penders' stories, it led to this. This story about someone that can't stand what he has been given. The fate of the world, pushed on his shoulders. Someone continuously being tossed aside and controlled by the people that caused it, until he was the last one left (aside from Finitevus). But Knuckles came out stronger in the end. Able to let go of his past, be with the people he cared about, and finally be happy. Thank you, Lowart (you too, IanWaffles). I look forward to the Shadow video. Stay way past cool!

[@SuiteBid]

You know, until everyone got offscreened by Thrash.

[@bowserbreaker2515]

@@SuiteBid While that may be sad, that's what Archie Sonic Online is for.

[@SuiteBid]

@@bowserbreaker2515 If that's your cup of tea, sure.

[@bowserbreaker2515]

@@SuiteBid I'm just glad we have some kind of conclusion, if it's not official. And I did like it.

[@SuiteBid]

@@bowserbreaker2515 There were two fan continuations, though I haven't read either of them. I understand the feeling though. As much as I *_really_* don't like Pre-Genesis Archie, it still feels kinda empty with how it ended. So I might actually give one of them a shot.

[@YungandRekless545]

When I was a kid, I never understood why the internet kept pushing this idea that "Knuckles is cool, but he's an idiot." I guess the reason is because my perception of Knuckles was always his Archie Comics iteration.

[@naotatheendlessesper]

wich is not canon even though it is official. so it really it doesnt matter. listening to the rabbit hole that is the archie comics is fun and all, but the end of the day its simply not canon, no matter how good it is.

[@peterbenoni1470]

​@@naotatheendlessesper Does sonic even have a cannon? Feels like every new game changes half the universe

[@naotatheendlessesper]

@@peterbenoni1470 even if it changes it is considered by sega. while archie is not.

[@ThisisTheUltimate]

I don't agree on Knuckles being an idiot not even on the games I dislike the portrait of the characters I know and love from the games in Archie, I dislike Archie Sonic, Archie Tails, Archie Knuckles, Archie Amy, etc. (I also dislike the new characters too for the most part, few exceptions on Scourge and Finitivus, but that's out of topic) For me they feel so out-of-character it makes me dislike what they've done to characters I love from the games But even like that, I still HARDLY disagree on Knuckles being an idiot on the games, he was on Sonic Boom, they got his "naivety" and transformed it on stupidity for comic relief, sure, but in the games he never was an idiot, he was a pure hearted echidna warrior that used to see the good in people, he was very forgiving at the start and it's such a cool and complex character, and he was not used to live with people that much, he is the last one of his race and was born and grew all alone on his island a continental-sized Island where no one except small animals, flowers and creatures live anymore except for him and all the tribes who used to live on that area died along 3000 years and his own tribe died mostly due to their selfish desires, and even so Knuckles still is a very good person

[@spinceiling7442]

@@naotatheendlessesper who gives a shit about 'canon' in sonic lol. it's so weird when people use that to discredit a story

[@kanewilson8624]

25:50 Here’s the thing though, all previous Hosts of Enerjak believed that they WERE Enerjak, Finitivus' hex reversed that; Enerjak believes he is Knuckles. It’s to the point where it’s almost like a second personality has taken over Knuckles, Knuckles is no longer driving but he’s still in the backseat.

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

True

[@Blade57331]

was it confirmed somwhere in story or is it just fan theory?

[@kanewilson8624]

@@Blade57331 everytime Enerjak appeared in the Knuckles comic tie in series, the host believes he is Enerjak himself (an individual that lived thousands of years before). But when Knuckles gets possessed by Enerjak due to Finitivus' infulence, the hex placed of the Master Emerald makes Enerjak believe he is Knuckles (but like a version of him that’s the worst of him, all the repressed emotions). It’s literally shown in the comics

[@Blade57331]

@@kanewilson8624 In which chapter it is said what you claim? Cause I don't believe it was ever stated that "the hex placed of the Master Emerald makes Enerjak believe he is Knuckles". What is literally shown in comic is just knuckles sharing powers and some world view convictions with Enerjak/Finitivus Edit: also the only hosts of enerjak were Dimitri, Knuckles and his daughter in AU. Dimitri was more or less the same as enerjak and Knuckles's daughter (aside new powers) did not change at all.

[@CharleaMartin]

I would LOVE a video about Archie silver. Especially the silver age comics. There was SOOOO much cool potential, and it’s one of the main reasons I’ll always be pissed about Archie getting cancelled.

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

Me too.

[@gabrielgonzalez3462]

That was such a good story

[@jb-3033]

Locke was supposed to be the guy who we are supposed to agree with in Pender's run. Parents are always right and know what's best. But the problem with this is that people are flawed, parents are flawed, and there are bad parents. Ian Flynn was a Sonic fan when he started writing. He knows how to write these characters with a unique perspective and put ideas to their fullest potential.

[@hattoripool1533]

You know I like the fact that this version of Knuckles actually used chaos powers similar to Shadow and had what’s basically a permanent Super form with Chaos Knuckles. I even like the idea of Enerjak and the Dark Legion and well Knuckles being some sort of messiah. I mean he’s the GUARDIAN of the Master Emerald and the Last (well not last anymore in pre reboot Archie) Echidna so why wouldn’t he have any special benefits?

[@MarioMastar]

His story seems to have a lot of parallels with Shadows in the games. Born to be a tool for peace but ended up being feared as a weapon, conflicted with no idea which direction to go due to seeing all sides of the issue at once and not being given time to decide, a horribly ungrateful father who only saw him as a tool to serve him.... You know we have to look up if Shadow the Hedgehog or Knuckle's story came first cause those parallels are SO tight. The ONLY difference is Shadow doesn't have a girlfriend (Rouge is a business partner and doesn't seem to care for Shadow beyond being willing to stand by his side no matter what but that made the scene in 06 and his bitter anger in Vancouver olympic games DS so much more deep), and he was kind of glad to defeat Black Doom after realizing the real reason Gerald created him and noting he won't be a pawn or weapon or tool anymore. He'll protect the world because Maria, the one true friend he had wanted that as her dying wish. No wonder Knuckles and Shadow are always at odds in the comics.

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

I Agree.

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

​@@MarioMastarI agree 💯

[@blackchibisan8116]

It’s happened Lowart. With one initial challenge you have now become the Archie Sonic guy. I hope the algorithm continues to favor you and I mean all of the above as a compliment.

[@rocky-my5ck]

This comic altered all of our brain chemistry fr fr

[@DewMan31]

Damn. The relationship between Knuckles and his father reminds me of my relationship with my own dad. This is really solidifying him as one of my favorite characters just because of how relatable this iteration of him was. I can give Penders props when he deserves it, not bad.

[@MarioMastar]

The parallels are there, but most fathers IRL just want their kids to grow up happy but understanding the real world. My dad was tough sometimes (not nearly as much as my mom) but once I became an adult I understood what they were trying to do and why they cared so much about grades and my efforts and doing well in school. I don't...think Locke though was meant to be a "I care about you son, that's why I"m strict" kind of father though, as much as a "My son will carry my legacy", a common issue with mysogonystic men who were raised to believe in male superiority. As Ken wrote this based on his IRL dad's views and the apology in the end was a reflection of him coming to terms with his own father, but he confessed he made up the apology wishing that's what happened IRL as his real dad kind of died never fully reconciling with him. Alas the real world is always more complicated. we don't know his father so it's hard to tell if his dad was truly a "I'm the father and I'm the head of the house hold" type or really just pushing Ken to do his best and Ken was just kind of rebellious wanting to do things his way instead. Given his insistence on character ownership......it feels like it could just as well have been the latter, but given how he feels about Catholics due to his father.... and how he feels about racism too, it also could just as much be the former. Hopefully your relationship with your dad is more fruitful. We all had rough parents, but it's really tragic when they're as bad as Locke.... and I know some kids who really did grow up with a Locke for a father....

[@JasLamArr91]

He's the version of Knuckles that has lore and mysteries. Ken Penders may have made things weird, but at least Knuckles had his time to shine.

[@Rishi123456789]

Ken's weirdness had SOVL.

[@mitchellhancock7920]

​@@Rishi123456789What does that mean?

[@CobaltCruiser]

​@@mitchellhancock7920I think it's a misspelling of "Soul."

[@BLUEBOYISLEDGE]

@@CobaltCruiser It's a 4chan meme

[@369destroyer]

Meanwhile modern Knuckles on his lore. "What are you, a cop? I'm not telling."

[@Rishi123456789]

I unironically love Ken's characters and stories. In my opinion, Ken's greatest flaw was NOT his characters and stories but having an ego bigger than Jupiter. I used to fondly collect the Archie Sonic comics and the Archie Knuckles comics as a kid back in the 90s and 2000s. My most favourite character created by Ken Penders is Julie-Su. Fuck Ken for his legal bullshit, because that means I can never see Julie-Su ever again in any official way. I used to love pairing Knuckles with Julie-Su and I still do and I always will. I love pairing Knuckles with Julie-Su even more than I love pairing Knuckles with Rouge. The Archie Knuckles comics were wild shit that dealt with heavy themes like genocide and colonialism. We didn't know how good we had it, bros.

[@MarioMastar]

Yeah I've talked to Ken cause I wanted to get his side of the story and while yes he did have a point in a lot of cases and his heart's in the right place, his mind wasn't always. Even to this day he still kind of had a big ego about the ownership of characters and had strong opinions about things he didn't fully understand, but he was willing to listen to reason a few times. Still he left Twitter permanently after Elon bought it and is focusing on his own website and still pushing the Lara Su Chronicals. I can say I'm happy for him keeping his dream alive, but I really do wish he....wasn't so blinded by greed. Even if it's just as much Sega's fault for not caring about thier own characters. (heck they don't even own the copyright to most of thier own MUSIC.... so we thought KEN was selling out. SEGA could probably lose the rights to TAILS and not even notice or care).

[@dangerouslysafe3]

@@MarioMastar I HIGHLY doubt Sega would take anyone trying to swipe Tails from them sitting down. As a reminder, Ken Penders tried to claim Knuckles for himself during the lawsuits. Yeah, he tried to acquire a major Sonic character for his own personal use, but Sega promptly shut him down in that regard.

[@sillyswrdd]

I don’t Even Like Sonic but I’m already so endeared to her character from this video

[@uninexo215]

totally agree

[@SaiyanGamer95]

@@dangerouslysafe3 I don't think I heard anything about him trying to claim Knuckles specifically. But he did want the rights to use Knuckles in his own works. At the very least he tried to copyright claim the characters he introduced. According to Karl Bollers, another former writer (and one who absolutely HATED Ken), he was well within his writes to do so. I also heard he wanted to work out a deal with Archie for continued use of the characters. Archie sort of had this bad habit of not paying royalties to former employees.

[@crystalfrost7730]

Dude, you made me love Enerjak Knuckles even more than I already did. Enerjak Knuckles is one of my Favorite Villains in Sonic, and you just turned it up to 11 on why I love this Villain! This is an amazing video, and I love it!

[@MarioMastar]

I'm just glad he put the DIngos in a place where they could be alone and live in peace. Sometimes the best way to stop a race war is to just have both sides leave each other alone and live thier own lives. A peaceful sendoff to a painfully uncomfortable story that feels so out of place in a Sonic comic. Plus I HATE the stereotype that canines that aren't dogs or foxes are just automatically "evil" cause it's the easiest stereotype to go for.

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

Me too

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

​@@MarioMastaragreed

[@SlickEvan]

00:33:49 Something that I love about this is not only that Sonic is the one to consider Knuckles instead of the world but also that since Sonic wasn't in a lot of the Knuckles stories to begin with, now that he's finally here, his input is caring about Knuckles in it all. Pretty sick tbh. I've only really delved into the Archie material through these videos, aside from renting the comics every now and then as a kid, and it's been a stellar ride. I really enjoy these videos and this iteration of Sonic and Knuckles bond which I wouldn't have known about if not for these videos. Awesome stuff (like your voice work/acting too)

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

I agree 💯 33:00

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

33:49

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

33:01 11:01

[@dalejhunter1]

Sooo... About him not losing his loved ones... Penders called. He wants his echidnas back.

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

I understood that comment

[@greenspazzled1451]

He really was tougher than the rest of them, the best of them.

[@endosaurus1404]

Absolutely goated. Watching these is continuing to convince me these flynn era archie stories are actually the peak of these characters.

[@coyotix]

Flynn is the savior of every Sonic story I swear. He guides other writers into the most satisfying conclusions so cleanly, and the stakes always feel real.

[@endosaurus1404]

Which is why IDW is mildly painful. I still like it, but it could be SO MUCH MORE. The difference in stakes alone is crazy.@@coyotix

[@jrepra]

That apology is just so perfectly Knuckles. And Julie's response is just the perfect response from her to him. I love them. Give us back Julie Su please, IDW. Knuckles and us need her.

[@bugbuster8598]

OhI wish it was that easy. I even oncw thought... what if IDW "retconned" Julie, Finitevus and the whole Dark Legion arc by slightly changing their design and names? I know, I know, it wouldn't be the same, but it's either that, or Penders lawsuit...

[@jrepra]

@bugbuster8598 Penders, stop being petty. You made these characters for people to love, let people love them by allowing then to exist and act. Especially if you're doing nothing with them. Or come to a compromise that helps benefit you and IDW. Put your name back on the map even. ANYTHING.

[@bugbuster8598]

@@jrepra I'd love to see then come back. PS: Wasn't Finitevus somebody else's design and idea, though? I don't remember exactly...

[@MiltonGagliardi]

I still remember reading Knuckles the Return, being one of the first Archie Sonic comics I've ever read. Of course at the time I didn't know about all this lore behind it, but now I really want to re-read it along with its whole previous arc once again.

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

Me too.

[@thechangamire3495]

Archie Knuckles will always be my favorite iteration of him. For all that I loath Penders for bringing this all to an end, he laid the path for Ian to make Knuckles into the Guardian he was always meant to be, and gave him a family and a people to protect for the first time. ...A shame, though, that Archie Knuckles is literally "Suffering Builds Character" personified...

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

I Agree.

[@OfficialSusanWojcicki]

Had to double check that this was new content and not him renaming the video.

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

Agreed.

[@spinceiling7442]

I agree with this title. Also loving the use of the island themes from Frontiers. I'm a big fan of them

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

I Agree.

[@haha_hollie]

this is the best video from this series yet. a phenomenal video about a phenomenal story 😌

[@magmaslug9305]

Video released 22 minutes ago. Message commented 2 days ago. Ok youtube, go back to bed

[@haha_hollie]

@@magmaslug9305 you could say i had a bit of crunch time

[@MarioMastar]

I feel like Knuckles needed his story summarized properly. Lowart did all fans of Knuckles a favor with this one.

[@that1weirdkid643]

Ngl dude I love this review. He explained the rest of knuckles storys so perfectly I cryed like if I was actually reading the comics, with the epic twists and drama thank you lowart for making this

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

Agreed.

[@AlecTaran]

My very first comic book was Knuckles #4 and I remember excitedly considering the potential of what Enerjak represented as a villain. I stopped following the comics after the Knuckles comic was canceled, but I’m so grateful that you made me aware that the potential of the series was eventually realized, and that I have to opportunity to experience a story important to me that I otherwise would have missed. Thank you!

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

Same here.

[@cje499]

So annoyed with the Embrago, Ian had so many good future ideas with our Echidna (the Enerjak lineage, what if the Albion echidnas learn what Knux did, Thrash's amosity with the Echidnas; heck, Finitevus was gonna become a big bad once more)

[@jamalhartley5863]

Legit Finitivus was quickly becoming one of my favorite villains. Clearly a guy who plans the long game.

[@MarioMastar]

That embargo ruined a lot of things. and while IDW has the great writing and charm, it feels like a shell of what Archie built up but with a fresh coat of paint. Can't just take 2 decades of story and just... "Wipe it all out" and expect us to jump into the next pool like "here's where we left off". cause all the world building really kept us attached ot the comics. Sega never did much world building themselves, so it's really hard to care about the new IDW version of the world. I like Tangle and Whisper as much as everyone else, but I DON'T like how they're just a replacement of Sally and Bunnie and we have to start over. At least put them in the GAMES so it doesn't feel like they're just that...replacements.

[@metalsonic8888]

@@MarioMastar Take it easy. They've shown up in mobile games and got a shout out in Frontiers. That's only marginally less representation than much more established characters like Shadow and Blaze have had as of late. I wouldn't be that surprised if they came to the newly released Dream Team as DLC and even if they don't they'll probably show up as NPCs in another game soon

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

True

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

Also I am in full agreement with you

[@WavePrism]

every day a new Lowart video drops is a good day. love your work a lot and excited to see where this goes!

[@limecatcher1482]

hey diddy

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

I Agree.

[@loszhor]

Well made! I loved the Knuckles comic growing up!

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

Same here

[@cold_soup_]

less than halfway through and i'm already remembering why i love flynn's archie run and how glad i am that your videos convinced me to read it

[@sonicwithglasses131]

Too bad his idw run is mid asf tho

[@cold_soup_]

@@sonicwithglasses131 counterpoint: tangle the lemur

[@jeremychau2322]

50:50 This scene made me smile over both ears

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

Me too.

[@jaelojaelo5279]

uff, im glad the retrospective is not over yet. your videos are very entertaining and the comic plot is as well. didnt think id get so attached to a series that from the start i knew ending was doomed

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

I agree 💯

[@Gencinnamon245]

Finitevus is a goddamn amazing perfect villain for an Archie Sonic comic, topping those such as Dr. Starline and Surge from the IDW comics. And if y’all want more information on how Finitevus came to be, that background character he mentioned *was indeed* Finitevus, and he was wearing a specialized suit he designed known as the *Chaos Siphon Suit*. He led an operation with the intention of draining Knuckles of his chaos energy via the suit. But then Charmy and Saffron intervened, causing the suit to be completely bathed in chaos energy and coursed through Finitevus’s body, changing him into what he is now. So yeah, he is essentially a “Dark Chaos Knuckles” in a manner of speaking.

[@sonicwithglasses131]

Its not hard to top straline lol

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

Thank you for that information

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

​@@sonicwithglasses131true

[@SuperLink9]

I think I say this in almost every one of these videos, but god I love your Archie Sonic retrospective. You and IanWaffles are amazing at this, giving so much weight and sense to things that either didn't make sense or that I didn't appreciate before. Every one of these videos makes me more sad that Sonic Archie ended the way it did.

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

I Agree.

[@rudebega1494]

This video came across my feed randomly, I watched it, then went back and watched your other Archie Sonic comic content in one huge binge. Dude, a heartfelt thank-you for these. I’m an elder millennial who grew up fully obsessed with SatAM Sonic and later the Archie comics. My earliest online friends were made in the mid-to-late ‘90s online Sonic fandom, some of whom are still my best friends to this day. I devoted an embarrassment of my imagination to these characters and stories as a kid, a teen, even a young adult, and I still have an incredibly deep affection for them, as goofy and strange and incoherent as they are. I recognize now that the comics are, y’know, mostly awful; the memeing on their sheer weirdness is totally justifiable. Still, it means a lot to me to see a thoughtful video essay series on the things they did that were interesting, even brilliant within the extremely bizarre bounds of their extremely bizarre canon. I appreciate that you kinda met the stories on their own terms and took the time to analyze them seriously. I feel touched that even through the jokes, you treated a world that meant a lot to me for so, so long with a lot of respect. It gave me the feeling of popping onto one of the old forums and breaking down the events of the latest issue with my friends. A lot of the old Sonic fandom lived on geocities or tripod, or other old hosting services that are long gone, and obviously Archie Sonic has been dead for awhile, so it was a wonderfully nostalgic experience. (Also, thanks for appreciating Manny Galan, dude was a workhorse on the various Archie Sonic series and was always a fan favorite. It was nice to hear someone praise his art and mean it.)

[@rocky-my5ck]

Damn dude welcome to the gang

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

I agree ❤❤❤❤

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

​@@rocky-my5cksame here

[@bowserbreaker2515]

You didn't have to give Finitevus his own theme, but you did, and it's amazing.

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

I Agree.

[@masseynagyhusseini6147]

this deserves so much more attention, its difficult and exhausting to make long form content and keep it entertaining and thought provoking all the way through. just would like to say good work bub

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

I agree.❤❤❤

[@crushingon]

10 HOURS YOU HAVE POSTED ALMOST 10 HOURS OF SONIC COMIC ANALYSIS

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

True.

[@vimbert]

IT'S CRUNCH TIME

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

I Agree.

[@jagerkruger5180]

Im loving the archie sonic videos recently because i havent really read them at all. But these videos are honestly a really good way of enjoying archie sonic

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

I Agree.

[@ShooterQ]

I keep thinking we're done and suddenly there's more... love you Lowart.

[@MarioMastar]

With SO many issues, it's not unreasonable it'd take a few DAYS of video footage to cover the depths of what Archie had to offer.... Gosh I almost feel bad for asking him to do Fleetway next. Ebony needs her story told properly and I think Lowart is the type who will see what I saw in her. An angel trying to remind Sonic that Super Sonic is only evil because HIS soul is corrupt and Sonic REFUSING to accept that because he's too arrogant to see Super Sonic is just himself with chaos energy exaggerating his cold nature. Sadly the comic ended before she could finally spell it out for him, but a fan comic continuing the plot attempted to address that same issue with a plot of Ebony being arrested for trying to fix things and Sonic (after talking to Blaze) finally realizes his mistake and attempts to rescue her. (as Blaze explains the Sol emeralds and Burning blaze was a similar thing, but she learned to control it through her own will power and asks Sonic why he can't.)

[@ShooterQ]

@@MarioMastar I'm very happy for you and glad that you are passionate about your interests. That said, I'm not reading all that.

[@Hugme778]

​@@ShooterQbro it's like one paragraph

[@ShooterQ]

@@Hugme778 Indeed, it is...

[@kingmufasa9900]

Dr Finitevus is such a great villian

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

I Agree.

[@cruzikin3116]

Coming into this video, I was expecting a video more focused on his relationships and hs role in the story, but what I got, was the tale of a young man, struggling with his past, his feelings, and his family. The section on Locke's sacrifice, genuinely made me cry, and Knuckles's guilt about what "he," as Enerjax did. And yet, Knuckles got past the turmoil, and was able to rid of the shadow of his people's sin. What a fantastic video.

[@joeker5208]

Now it’s just about time for Lowart to finally dive into my favorite Sonic rival, with all his convoluted red-striped history

[@themissingbits6375]

It’s either hot topic or mean green.

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

I Agree.

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

​@@themissingbits6375 I agree 💯

[@eepyJay]

I'll watch every Sonic comic video from you! Love the coverage. I hope you'll continue onto the IDW series too.

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

Me too.

[@chaosblastman4936]

Kux is one of my favorite Sonic characters, his character was amazing to me. Hot headed, short tempered, and sometimes tricked if you know how. But through all the goofyness and the way he is in the Boom series, This version of Knux is why he's my fave out of the sonic cast. A big brother type figure who just wants to look out for the ones he loves.

[@Sn0c]

That was cool, as a wise red man once told me "It's Crunch Time!" God speed.

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

I Agree.

[@DragonStar524]

Locke is a Mad Genius He made his son Mobius' strongest hero, but also its biggest threat.

[@MattMan127]

I couldn’t believe Laura did not know about any of this. She spent hours in excruciating pain, squeezing baby knuckles Out of her vagina Then Locke Performed unethical experimentation On his own son Locke’s Nightmare about egg man, coming May have set in stone But still he should not have done that to baby Knuckles. In my fan comics, Laura did found out and She did expressed Her Outrage.

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

I agree 👍

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

​@@MattMan127 cool please send a link to your comic.

[@nernguan995]

OH BOY!! LOWART DROPPED A NEW VIDEO TIME TO DROP EVERYTHING

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

❤ I Agree.

[@seirramoon388]

One side of knuckles' family "this is for the greater good" The other side "F*ck your greater good, we got technology!" Knuckles: WTF?

[@mlghero777]

Some of the only times I've cried this year was at Archie sonic.

[@chosenone3137]

You made me think that that 8 hour video you stiched together was your finale from archie sonic. So happy you're continuing to make more archie sonic content. I enjoy watching it.

[@cje499]

And the best is still to come...

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

I Agree.

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

​@cje499 so true and I agree with you

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

​@@cje499 I agree 💯

[@animeartist888]

I've never read a single Sonic comic, but I still clicked and watched this all the way through. I've always liked Knuckles and felt like he needed more fleshing out in the stories of the games. It's good to see that he did have that somewhere, just in a format that I never interacted with. This makes the himbo version of him from Sonic Boom really feel awful though, lol. I disliked it making him a dumb jock anyways, but now that I know he has all this rich backstory of pain and trauma and abuse and such, I... really hate the Boom version now.

[@BornFlunky]

Fantastic video, always love me an Archie Sonic love letter. If y'all are more interested in more evolution of Knuckles' character, one event this video didn't mention (IIRC) was his final encounter with Dimitri, abandoned by his daughter and the Eggman Empire, and ultimately asking Knuckles -- the Guardian -- for direction.

[@haha_hollie]

if something important isn't mentioned in one of these videos i would wager a bet it will be included in another one. that scene is more relevant to dimitri's character development than knux so i would imagine it would be talked about in the same section as the rest of dimitri's arc

[@theLadyofSpoons]

love that cathartic inigo montoya moment for him against finitivus

[@julien2983]

Always excited to see a new Lowart video!

[@NickyShadow99]

The Enerjak returns arc was my introduction to modern archie Sonic I was immediately taken with it. It's such a good story.

[@skurptheyurp]

After being curious about the freedom fighter iteration of sonic for practically all my life, finding it much more compelling than anything the games have done outside of SA2, I had to watch your full video on the matter, and I have to say, this is the fucking cherry on top man. Phenomenal job, phenomenal script, please, keep it up man

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

I Agree.

[@300fusionfall]

Let's freaking go man, always a delight to see a new video from you

[@thegamingembassy1543]

Wow. I think you finally explained why Knuckles was written so weirdly in my childhood. It was a comparison of Penders own conflict with his father. Archie Sonic always had some issues, but I still have so much love for this continuity.

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

I Agree.

[@prodpinknblue2894]

Amazing work. You did an amazing job of conveying the emotion

[@rf_switch]

As always, loved your production and excited to see more Archie sonic!

[@rocky-my5ck]

This was amazing retrospective on a single arc!!! This arc is such a great demonstration of how Ian writes stuff and more people should read it. Not forgetting to mention where this story leads, how Julie-su words weigh even heavier and how incredibly heartbreaking it becomes... But we're not there yet... Not yet...

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

i agree.

[@x3ll3nmusic]

Another day, another Loward video where I'll enjoy a long video essay about a series I've never read before :)

[@TheSlimshady00058]

Read this full series one day. I'm reading and the bad issues are funny too lmao. But I really like the majority of Archie Sonic The art of Steven Butler, J.Axer, Spaziante and Tracy Yardley are the best

[@sonicfoamyfan9805]

If you told me thag lowart would make a video essay with the same level of reverence of his FMA videos for ARCHIE Sonic of all things a year ago, I'd cal you crazy

[@P-P-Panda]

Your editing skills are always so good

[@ambrosia777]

I absolutely adore your review series. I've not read the comics, probably never will, but listening to your review is a delight. Thanks dude!

[@SophieSquid]

HELL YEAH! New Lowart vid!! Unfortunately, I may have to come back to this because I am curious enough to actually take your advice and read starting from the flynn era, to then come back to this after. Cause I have enough of an interest in this comic and sonic to probably enjoy the heck out of it, and I don't wanna ruin that for myself.

[@reggierocks9488]

I always love this! As someone who is a diehard sonic fan, I can confirm this is a GOOD, GREAT, AWESOME, OUTSTANDING, and AMAZING! Lowart, keep up the great work!

[@valmid5069]

Can’t wait for more great content!

[@_knucklehead]

YESS YESS YESSS!!! FINALLY!! IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS!

[@RougeMephilesClone]

Ooooh, I've been waiting for this. The shorter video arc commences!

[@SterlingGamer]

These retrospectives are perfect, truly perfect. You and Ian have become my two favorite KZbinrs and I look forward to each and every video. I find it impossible that you don't have more views or subscribers because you deserve 100 times what you currently have. Keep up the great work, now I am going to go find some copies of Archie Sonic!

[@themissingbits6375]

you could use the magic power of the internet to read them, y’know…

[@jaredtherock5692]

18:11 what makes this even more cool, is that if you're a new comic reader around this Era, this is eerie. As someone who didn't read the previous material, the name feels so new, so mystic, it makes it feel as if the name Enerjack is an entirely different spirit, especially when reviewing Silver's stories in Sonic Universe. Regardless of context, the flynn era pre-reboot is all worth the read.

[@bilodeaumichael3]

Excellent. Finally more of Knuckles' lore.

[@BleachShippu5678]

It's just banger after banger in Lowartville

[@jamalsimmons619]

I miss the old classic Archie knuckles before Ken Pender law suits bro.

[@ElsuperGTA]

thanks for making this mr lowart

[@themissingbits6375]

As always, These Archie Sonic videos are awesome with some very great analyse, writing, & editing. Keep up the great work! I also can’t wait for the tragic tale of the two bees… Dear Aurora, I feel so bad for Saffron.

[@yellowstarproductions6743]

i agree.

[@SoranotRoxas]

*I demand more!* These videos are masterclasses

[@Ceoofsonic06]

Man Lowart you gotta do a video dedicated to Eclipse

[@zeppelin7342]

Locke's sacrifice is my favorite moment in all of pre-reboot Archie Sonic and this is coming from someone who didn't like Locke at all. His death legitimately felt tragic & allowed me to for once see him as a flawed individual who had good intentions but only created more harm & suffering for his son. Yet he at least got to do one thing right before he passed. It amazes me that Ian Flynn made Archie Knuckles a bit of a tragic hero, his final panel in Endangered Species still gets me even after all this time.

[@FormalFilmsProductions]

Another beautiful video. When I first got into the Archie sonic comics as a kid, I never really could’ve imagine knuckles having this very profound and emotional character arc of him learning to accept his mistakes and healing.

[@WittingAbyss]

This is incredible! I grew up reading the Archie Sonic comics and I always remembered Knuckles's stories being really deep. Love how you covered everything!

[@greninjastorm6734]

Ah, it does my heart good seeing Finitevus. He's an evil, heartless bastard, but he was the most interesting character in my opinion, and always the one that got me the most excited I was very happy to get my hands on physical copies of both Saga Series 5(Evil Reborn) and Sonic Universe volume 3(Knuckles Returns)

[@Legionary219]

Oh boy! I can't wait for the next Knuckles video! This is merely the first stop of many for the Knuckles pain train

[@MinunRobotnik4]

I didn't get a chance to read a lot of Archie Sonic, but I did read the Enerjak arc. Good stuff

[@screwed_up_screwball]

So Finitevus is like Spot from ATSV, where a seemingly unimportant background character affected by the main character's development becomes a HUGE villain in the story and pushes them to face the problems that trace back all the way to their roots, becoming the biggest obstacle in their story to date AND are both white? Awesome

[@LupinticDream]

And they both have portal shenanigans (Spot's spots, Finitevus's warp rings)

[@ays8975]

This is so beautiful, I love Knuckles even more now!!!

[@metalsonic8888]

I find it surprising how emotional the bit with Locke changing the final line of the Master Emerald's Prayer is. That really gets me for some reason