Misplaced Lens Cap
he wasn't even looking at me and he found me
❣ Chile in a Photography ❣
almost home
occasionally subtle
"I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas"
d e v o n
#extradirty
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we're not kids anymore.
PUT YOUR BEARD IN MY MOUTH
DEAR READER
dirt enthusiast
Love Begins
roma★
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Acquired Stardust
oozey mess
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Claire Keane
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@therummesoccupied
given the current climate this pride especially i feel i must mention that i love my trans friends, i stand with trans people in the fight against transphobic legislation and those who would enforce it, and this blog is not a good place for you to be if you do not vibe with that
silbur
warmups feat. more spider-man poses
No offense, but the group with some of the most unexamined internalized privilege are right-handed people.
A right-handed co-worker told me once that I put the papers in the plastic sleeve upside-down. I joked that from my perspective, she's the one putting them upside-down and she just didn't get it and started arguing with me.
I had to physically demonstrate to her that the papers are right-side up when you hold the sleeve so that the opening is on the left.
I feel you. I'm left-handed but I can't use scissors in my left hand (even left-handed scissors) because I got used to only using them with my right.
All the desks are my university are right handed. You know, the kind where you flip up the top to get seated and flip it back down to write? All right handed. There's no place to rest my arm. By the time class is over, I have a line on my arm from where the edge presses in. It's just uncomfortable. (Not to mention that those desks are hell for anyone who is not super super skinny and athletic. There's no space for bigger people.)
We have the same thing at the local movie theater which means that I'm constantly elbowing my girlfriend's drink trying to eat popcorn. It's less of an issue at a movie theater, though.
ever tried to use a computer mouse with your left hand? your pointer finger naturally rests on right click so you gotta move it to press left click. very inconvenient. (I just recently thought to change my mouse settings to switch left and right click but I haven't tried it yet) and that's not even mentioning those specialized computer mice that are designed to fit your hand shape more, those are so inconvenient for left handed people.
also, left handed people have actually been openly discriminated against up until pretty recently. my grandmother got her left handedness "corrected" at school and she's not the only one from her generation who have. I've heard of tactics from slapping them with a ruler to tying their left hand to the back of the chair.
isn't this kinda crazy how this discrimination existed and still exists independently in so many places in the world and against such a simple and unimportant human trait as a dominant hand?? it's not a different look, it's not a differebt gender, it's not a different lifestyle or culture, a different belief, or a different way of acting, it's literally just which hand you use for tasks.
I'm honestly just used to using my middle finger to click things and my pointer finger to right click. My fiance gives me shit for putting my mouse on the left, but it feels weird to have it on the right side.
I do reset videogame configurations to replace WASD with the arrow keys and put all the most used keys on the right side of the keyboard.
omg you don't wanna know my minecraft keybinds. they are so fucked.
(every other key is either normal or not relevant because it's for something mod related).
these arrow keys are so tiny, they're really uncomfortable.
damn. i'm left handed but i just managed to learn to use the mouse and keyboard how a right handed person would
a lot of other things bother me tho. my wallet for one. i keep opening it upsate down and things fall from it. scissors - i have to use left handed scissors otherwise i simply cant cut shit. i'm sure there's more things these are just two that came to mind
one thing tho, i did use to find it convinient to he a legt handed perosn who uses the computer mouse with the right hand because it meant i could write something down in paper while using the mouse
I'm ambidextrous (except for english writing because i never trained my brain to format the letters directionally like that) and am constantly having to pick things up twice because if i grab them with my left they just function worse. Obviously this is not a real problem (except when my nerve damage is flared up because occasionally i gotta function as a one handed leftie lol) but its just like... you would not believe how common this is for things you wouldnt even think about.
eventually i just started sewing myself backpacks and stuff because a few hours on a MYOG forum was a much more efficient way of ending up with the zips going the "correct" direction (for me, that's so the pull ends up at the top of anything i wear crossbody or pulls from the right to the left of a big compartment)
Lemme tell ya about writing things on a chalkboard and/or whiteboard. I've started learning to write my letters in reverse order so I'm not constantly erasing what I'm writing as I'm writing it.
"...𝑱𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅, 𝒘𝒆'𝒓𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒔..."
The symbol of hope and resilience is still going strong after 35 years ಥ‿ಥ
IM SO OBSESSED WITH THIS PIECE, I WANNA PUT IT ON MY WALL ｡:ﾟ(;´∩`;)ﾟ:｡
A deep dive into the story of one of the most controversial IDW Sonic characters, and how algorithmic social media and fandom expectations m
Here it is! My deep dive into the story of Lanolin the Sheep, one of the most controversial IDW Sonic characters, and how algorithmic social media and fandom expectations made her so controversial in the first place. Yes, this is it, at long last: my big thesis on why the Sonic fandom on Twitter is like that, and my concern that it's starting to bleed into the comics.
Ive received the go-ahead to post this here, so...
Here's TEARS FOR TINKER, a Sonic the Hedgehog fan story I wrote as part of the IDW Sonic Fan Annual Project's Year 3 release! (I'll have to do a second post to fit all 14 pages.)
Story by Me
Pencils by mellodillo
Pencils and Inks by @bubblybumblebee
Inks by @anoucky
Letters by josue2132xd
You can check out all of the Fan Annual Year 3 stories here: https://tapas.io/episode/3721252
Pages 1-10
Pages 11-14
IDW'S SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, ISSUE #84 - THOUGHTS
WARNING: MAJOR IDW SONIC SPOILERS
I'm about a week late with this one, but tbh, I'd expect to be a bit late with reviews for the foreseeable future. I have my fingers in a lot of pies right now.
Issue 84 here marks the first appearance of Sage in the comics, and our hard confirmation that IDW has overtaken Sonic Frontiers in the series' chronology!
Since its release, we've gotten word from Evan Stanley that Frontiers specifically takes place between Issues 67 and 68, and I personally think that's a pretty good place for it. It tells us for sure that the white Chaos Emerald Rouge had wasn't necessarily stolen by the enigmatic coffin carrier, but instead went missing as a result of Frontiers' events, only to be picked up by the coffin carrier some time after the fact. Presumably, whether the purple Emerald ended up with Rouge or Tails at the end of the Winter Jam special, it also left their possession when Frontiers went down - only to end up in Sequin City where the coffin carrier grabbed it while Sonic and co. were throwing down with Eggman.
Kicking off a new arc titled Stealing the Show, the story for this issue was penned by both Evan Stanley and Ian Flynn, with art by Mauro Fonseca - who seems to have provided both pencils and inks this time - and colors by Iasmin Omar Ata.
I've gone back and forth on Fonseca's art a few times. They portray the characters in a really expressive way that I enjoy quite a lot, but oftentimes, there's something just a little... off about their lines. I think that comes down, in part, though, to inks. It's almost as if IDW has never managed to pair Fonseca with an inker who has a good handle on their art, and it makes the result seem sloppier than it actually is. Here, though, with Fonseca doing their own inks, the result is much cleaner. There are still a few panels that I'd call far from perfect, but by and large, everything is much more cohesive, allowing the Adventure Era-esque quality of their art to shine through.
The setup for the issue has Belle the Tinkerer traveling the world after the events of Issue 76, helping folks out by fixing whatever broken trinkets they bring her way.
It's nice to see Belle so confident here, like she's finally grown out of the shell of self-doubt that plagued her throughout a lot of her earlier appearances, and rather than continuing to dwell on the loss of Mr. Tinker, carrying on his legacy by helping out wherever she can. It's a very sweet reminder of the bond she had with him.
Her peaceful life isn't to last, though, as Dr. Eggman attempts to strong-arm her into a mission using a virus uploaded into her system when she connected with Metal Sonic way back in Issue 50.
Back then, we saw Eggman's interest piqued by Belle's ability to directly interface with Metal's software, but by this point, Battle for the Empire is almost four years in the rear view, so I had long given up on the notion of that plot point ever going anywhere. Therefore, I am pleased as punch to see it coming to fruition here, even if it's resolved pretty quickly.
The mission: Use her unique connection to Metal Sonic to rescue him from an unknown entity who appears to have taken control of him.
Belle, still seeing Metal Sonic as a relative of sorts despite their opposing alignments, agrees to help Eggman on the condition that Sonic is allowed to accompany her. Eggman agrees to these terms, but decides to send an envoy of his own to assure the mission goes smoothly - somebody he knows Sonic will trust to some degree:
Sage.
I know a lot of folks were not fond of this method of reintroducing this character to the series' story, but I don't see any problem with it. Yeah, it doesn't tell us which ending of Frontiers is canon - but the Final Horizons ending was pretty clearly crafted so that the audience could choose whether they prefer it or the original ending and choose either one to consider canon. They both work, and each ending provides pretty similar circumstances from which to go forward.
Personally, I'm part of the minority that prefers the original ending, so I'm very glad not to see the version of the story I like cast aside in favor of the more popular one. Maybe one day I'll do a post about why I gravitate toward the original ending over Final Horizons, but that's for another day.
This also does not tell us what she's been doing since Frontiers or where she was during Extreme Competition and Collision Course, but that's fine, too! Eggman's operations are pretty widespread and varied, so it's not hard to imagine she he had her working on other things! Just the way that Metal Sonic isn't always in every story - even the one's that focus on Eggman as an antagonist - Sage doesn't need to be either!
I really have no problems with the way they incorporate her here.
I especially like that the first comic story they decide to introduce her in is also one that hinges so heavily on Belle.
Ever since Sage was first introduced in Frontiers, my mind has been buzzing, wondering what would happen when this character dynamic was finally explored. What happens when the daughter Eggman rejected and abandoned meets the daughter Eggman loves and cherishes - the daughter he actually wants?
Needless to say, this issue did not leave me disappointed. Immediately, the tension between these two is evident, with Belle's insecurities over her abandonment being instantly dug up and brought straight to the surface, because now she has to deal not only with the fact that she wasn't wanted - but with the fact that she was replaced.
I love this so much, yall.
If you've been reading along with me, you probably know by now just how much I adore some good character drama in this series, so this is like a Vegas Buffet for me.
I feel for the poor puppet robot!
When they finally do manage to track Metal Sonic down, he's got this weird mechanical starfish thing attached to his face that keeps them from quickly being able to connect to him and free him from its control.
I like how creepy this thing looks, it gives me some real Starro vibes - which I assume they were going for.
Needing some distance to regroup and form a plan of attack, Sonic, Sage, and Belle ultimately retreat to an underground cave system with no escape route, no resources, and no backup. All the while, they - among others - are being watched by our nameless coffin carrier.
Ultimately, I liked this issue a lot! It was a really great way to set up a new arc, reintroduce a recent character addition from the games, and explore the existing characters' dynamic in a really interesting way!
I really have very little idea what to expect going forward besides what I've seen in Issue 85 and the art from some upcoming covers, but - mild spoiler - those really haven't provided me with much more information.
I'm still not sure of the identity of our new villain - I've considered that it might be Starline but... I don't know, something about it doesn't quite feel like him to me. But then, who could it be? This doesn't really fit any other villains' M.O., and if it was an entirely new character, why has the comic gone to so many lengths to obscure their identity from us up till now?
It'll be a while before we get any answers, I'm afraid, as - again, mild spoiler - Issue 85 will not be giving us a reveal, and Issue 86 is not due to release until the later part of next month.
Who knows, maybe that'll give me ample time to get the next review done sooner rather than later. I wouldn't count on it to much, though - I truly am working on a lot of projects right now.
Till then, though, wish me luck - and thanks for reading!
Headcanon: Before the Echidna Tribe Massacre, the Chaos Emeralds were simply known as "The Seven Emeralds." It was only after legends began to spread about the God of Destruction and the Emeralds whose power he used to nearly wipe out the Echidnas that they began to be known by their current moniker.
IDW'S SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, ISSUE 83 - THOUGHTS
WARNING - IDW SONIC SPOILERS AHEAD
Issue 84 drops at midnight tonight, so now's the time to sit down and look back at Issue 83 - and back upon the Reprise arc as a whole.
With Evan Stanley continuing to write, this time we're getting art by Thomas Rothlisberger and colors by Leonardo Ito. I'm kind of surprised to see Rothlisberger's very cartoon-y art style being applied here, since this is a very action-heavy issue - the kind where I would normally expect Stanley herself or Adam Bryce Thomas on pencils. Rothlisberger's art is, in my opinion, really well-suited for light-hearted comedy stories. They've worked on some bigger action stories in the past - I remember seeing a lot of their work in the Urban Warfare arc - but I'd really love to see what they do with a cozier, lower-stakes story.
Ito's colors continue to lend to the dreamy, fantasy-esque tone that this story's setting established, putting a nice period onto the work started by the last two issues.
Issue 82 ended with the arrival of Dr. Eggman and his forces in Sequin City amongst Sonic and Shadow's scuffling over the purple Chaos Emerald. As Issue 83 begins, everyone leaps into action to fight back against him, and from there, the issue is basically one long fight scene.
The fight doesn't begin with anything too spectacular, though I do like that Sonic and Tails are just kind of dragging Soleil around as it starts.
As the fight continues, Soleil - with Soleil's newfound confidence - begins to take a more active role, finding themselves surprisingly coordinated with Sonic and Tails' very frenetic combat style.
The real fun of this issue starts for me when Shadow gets involved - which I promise is not just because I'm a filthy little Shadow simp, but because the second he goes to to anything...
... he gets the Chaos Emerald stolen, allowing Eggman to upgrade his Egg Juggler.
I think the panel of the Egg Juggler just yoinking the Emerald away with its great, big hand is so funny. Maybe Rothlisberger secretly was the perfect choice for this issue, because I don't know if another artist could have sold how amusing this moment is.
I also really appreciate just how much this event turns the tide of the fight. With the Emerald's power at its disposal, this thing manages to keep Sonic and Shadow on their toes, even once they start working together.
I also need to take a moment to admire the Egg Juggler's design.
Not just from a visual standpoint, but in how it operates. It starts off swinging these big, electrified batons around, then as the fight progresses, it produces rad energy chainsaws, and as it continues to accrue even more damage, the ball it balances on sprouts rocket thrusters - which, I might add, are visually modeled after the Barrel of Doom from Sonic 3 & Knuckles' Carnival Night Zone - and starts flying. I love the way it seems to switch phases over the course of the battle, just like an actual video game boss fight.
Even despite the Egg Juggler's big power boost, however, some quick tech manipulation from Tails and a coordinated attack by the Celestial Troupe led by Soleil - thus putting a distinct climax on Soleil's chatacter arc - ultimately manage to bring the mech down.
With that, the day is saved and everyone begins to go their separate ways, but one question still lingers:
What became of the Chaos Emerald?
As Tails scans for its energy signature, it appears that the Emerald has simply disappeared at some point during the fight - and so the heroes are left with an unsatisfying answer to cap off this little adventure.
We, on the other hand, don't have to wait nearly as long for an explanation. As relative peace begins to settle over Sequin City, we see...
The Emerald has fallen into the hands of our mysterious, coffin-carrying antagonist, who now has all seven Chaos Emeralds.
Thus ends the Reprise arc. Overall, I liked this arc quite a bit. There was a good bit of character drama here, though I do think its final act could have been paced a bit better. It really feels like Soleil finding confidence and coming to terms with Soleil's family does not take all that long, and I feel like some other parts of this arc maybe didn't need quite as much time as they got. Still, this was a nice little story that managed to introduce a new player in this world and advance the main plot while still remaining somewhat self-contained.
I'm looking forward to seeing who this Coffin Carrier is and what their plans for the Emerald are. It is getting harder to ignore one possibility, though:
This... might be Dr. Starline.
The presence of the coffin could be foreshadowing his seeming return from the dead, and that last panel of him holding the Emerald with his entirely bandaged left hand reminded me of the fact that Starline's glove was also situated on his left hand, and that beneath the glove, we could see that his hand was rough and charred. The purpose of those bandages could be to keep us from seeing that hand, though the fingers do appear to be missing the webbing from Dr. Starline's hands, so who knows?
I doubt we're going to find out right away, but we may get some insight next issue, along with the first comic appearance of Sage! I'm very excited for this one, as finally moving past Sonic Frontiers definitively will come with some form of status quo shift, something I've been hungry for since the comic started.
I've still got about 8 hours before Issue 84 drops for me, though, so until then - thanks for reading!
and of course happy birthday to every thoroughbred horse of the northern hemisphere
IDW'S SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, ISSUE 82 - THOUGHTS
WARNING: ISSUE 82 SPOILERS AHEAD
Home stretch, friends and Romans.
Issue 82 is (to date) the latest issue of IDW Sonic and the penultimate entry in the Reprise arc. The story here is penned by Evan Stanley, drawn by Gigi Dutreix, and colored by Valentina Pinto. This one is a bit like the Chaos Crisis DC crossover in the sense that, I didn't really care for it at first, but it grew on me over the course of a second reading.
I'll get my gripes out of the way first thing, as they're the parts I like talking about the least.
Unfortunately, I feel the art in this one leaves a little bit to be desired. Dutreix and Pinto are both very talented, for sure, but I just find myself noticing a lot of rough edges in this one, specifically in the linework.
I wonder if, perhaps, they were going for something of a painterly style to match the arc's setting, but it regrettably isn't executed well enough for me to be able to say that's the case for sure, and that uncertainty just doesn't do the art any favors in my opinion.
The story here is full of really solid stuff in the first half, but I feel it rushes a bit toward the end.
Right away, we're introduced to Lunar's alter ego:
Soleil the Sugar Glider
Soleil here is a member of the Celestial Troupe, and a Sonic superfan who cracked under pressure from Soleil's family to perform perfectly, and began to study Sonic's parkour moves in order to develop Soleil's own, eventually developing Lunar as a second personality - one that has taken to thievery in the days since.
As the facts get sorted out, Soleil's family arrives on the scene and engages Sonic and Tails in combat, blaming Sonic for the corruption of their child.
I... love these guys. They've got such potent Team Rocket energy about them, and as the (proud?... eh) holder of a Theatre Arts degree, I love seeing something with such a personally familiar vibe to me played up to its comical extreme in a Sonic the Hedgehog story.
I also like that they don't like Sonic! That they see him as a "corruptor of youth!" I've been dying do see Sonic facing a complicated public image for years! Something beyond "he's a famous hero and everybody loves him!" I like that these old cranks see him as an upsetter of the status quo, and that they don't approve! Sonic is supposed to be a rebellious teen figure, let him be that, and let the rest of the world react accordingly!
Amidst the combat, Soleil shifts back over to the Lunar persona and takes off with the Chaos Emerald in tow, with Sonic giving chase, encouraging Soleil and Lunar along the way to face their problems instead of running, and to do so as their authentic selves.
This chase leads them onto a collapsing bridge, where Lunar shifts back to Soleil, who sees Sonic applying his spin dash to maneuver through the falling rubble, working out how to do so as well.
(I really like the detail of keeping the tails of Soleil's hat visible when Soleil is spin-dashing. It's a really nice visual touch.)
This gives Soleil the confidence to confront Soleil's family, and make Soleil's plea to live freely as Soleil truly is. And Soleil's family takes it... pretty well, all things considered.
And I'm not... the biggest fan of this plot beat. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy Soleil gets to find a peaceful resolution with Soleil's family, but it feels like it all happens... a little quick? The Celestial Troupe clearly don't do anything under 110%, but still, I would have preferred at least a bit more of a gradual shift from unaccepting to supportive for them.
Perhaps if they had been caught in the bridge collapse and Soleil mastered the spin-dash to save them, thus earning their gratitude while also impressing them through a feat of skill... I dunno, I'm just throwing spaghetti around over here.
The peace does not last long, however, as...
Shadow bursts onto the scene and goes on the attack without asking any questions.
I heard a lot of complaining about this when the issue came out, but it... really doesn't bother me?
Coming from someone who cherishes Shadow as my favorite fictional character ever created, this does not strike me as terribly out of character.
Shadow has always been straightforward and to the point. He knows someone has been stealing and gathering the Chaos Emeralds - which I don't need to remind you are the key to the ultimate power in the entire universe. Last time he saw Lunar/Soleil, they were stealing and making off with the final Emerald, and Sonic was seemingly enabling this thievery to take place.
I don't find it hard to wrap my head around Shadow seeing an enemy who threatens the world he has sworn to protect by any means necessary when he looks at Soleil, and acting aggressively in turn.
What does strike me as weird, though, is that, as fighting breaks out between the two hedgehogs, Rouge sweeps in and swipes the Emerald and Shadow just... lets her take it.
Even Sonic is confused...
I mean, I know they're friends (even if Shadow would never admit it), but he's familiar with her self-serving antics, and she's already lost one Emerald recently, so leaving it to her doesn't really seem like... the safest option.
Still, Sonic also doesn't seem too concerned about leaving it in Rouge's hands either, and peace begins to settle in until...
It's Eggman time, baby!!!
And that's Issue 82! My gripes aside, I did still have some fun with this one - I still really like Lunar and Soleil as well as the Celestial Troupe, and I love Sequin City as a setting. I'm excited to see how everyone present handles things once an actually malicious threat hits the scene.
I am still a little concerned about the ongoing plot, though. I won't get too deep into it again, since I've done that in past reviews, but they only have one more issue to reveal our new main villain for the saga, show what they want with the Chaos Emeralds, and then get the Emeralds away from our new villain as well. All of this has to happen before Sonic Frontiers which means it has to happen before Issue 84.
Personally, I think Issue 82 could have benefited from being two issues, but I don't know how that would have affected the flow of events leading up to Issue 100, which they're clearly planning to make a big event out of.
We'll just have to see!
With that, I've finally caught up on my IDW Sonic reviews! I should get some answers pretty quick here, since Issue 83 is scheduled to drop tonight, so I should hopefully have a discussion on it written up before too long!
Till then, Thanks for reading!
IDW'S SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, CHAOTIX 30TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL - THOUGHTS
Slowly, but surely, I am catching up on these.
The Chaotix 30th Anniversary Special here is a bit of an interesting beast. When it was first teased, I had some questions:
Since every 30th Anniversary Special up until now has been a Classic-era flashback story, would the Chaotix special take place during the Classic Era as well? Would this be the first time since their original appearance in Knuckles' Chaotix that we would get to see Vector and Charmy's Classic designs in the canon games' universe? (And also the first time since Sonic Championship/Sonic the Fighters that we got to see Espio's?)
Or would the Chaotix Anniversary be set in the Modern Era, using their current designs per the norm?
No matter what, this anniversary special was going to be a trend-breaker.
Ultimately, the reality turned out to veer toward the latter of the two possibilities, as we were eventually shown promotional art that unveiled the Chaotix 30th Anniversary Special to be a Modern Sonic story.
I'm sure this was disappointing for some folks, but this art got me so excited to read the story. It sold me a tale that was moody and dramatic, with high stakes and cryptic messages. Ultimately though, it... wasn't that.
See, I had some theories about this story based on this art as well as the other previews we got prior to the story's release. That vulture guy up in the corner? He's got a familiar-looking red gem in his hands. Sure, it's a little small to be a Chaos Emerald, but the emerald sizes haven't always been portrayed consistently. In Sonic 4: Episode II, they were huge. but in Sonic X, they were randomly tiny in some shots.
That spooky face in the background? They seem, stylistically, like they could potentially have something to do with the weird, creepy corridor where we saw the yellow Chaos Emerald in Issue 75. The seeming ancient Egyptian theming to their design could suggest a connection to the sarcophagus where we saw the six stolen Emeralds being kept in Issue 80.
The tagline: "The Shadows Lay Claim to All"? Did this suggest a connection to the then-upcoming Chasing Shadows special (before its eventual cancellation)?
On top of that... they also look a lot like an Echidna?
All of this filled my head with wild ideas that, maybe, for the first time, IDW's specials would be tying directly into the ongoing main story. That this, as well as Chasing Shadows, would offer us some insight into the identity of the mysterious main villain of the ongoing saga before they were properly unveiled in the main comic - and, perhaps even more fancifully, that this new villain would be a new ancient Egyptian-themed Echidna character seeking to command the unimaginable power of the Emeralds.
Fool that I am, I let myself believe that we were getting a new Energjak, in a similar manner to the way that Surge is very clearly IDW's answer to Archie's Scourge.
Alas, it was not to be. What we ultimately got was, perchance, a bit more sensible than what I had been hoping for: a fun little flashback story written by Daniel Barnes in which the Chaotix walk us through one their first major cases.
And this isn't bad! If fact, my expectations set aside, it's a really fun read that still tries a lot of neat stuff!
This issue utilizes a slew of different artists, with good ol' Tracey Yardley popping in to give us some new pencils as well as Mauro Fonseca, Ryan Jampole, and Min Ho Kim all jumping in at various points and Reggie Graham providing colors for different sections as well.
The framing device for this story shows Sonic and Amy spending a day at the Mythsonian Institute, a historical museum/university, looking over the various exhibits and discussing their relevance to the series' world. The details here are small, but neat. For instance we now know that, despite this world being full of anthropomorphic animals, there were still Apotosian myths about Satyrs and Minotaurs and the like. We know that, in the Sonic world, ninjutsu was developed to fight against tyrannical warlords who ruled over the people with authoritarian power! None of this is particularly relevant, but it's cool to know.
The other really great thing this framing story gives us is Amy.
It's been no secret, especially lately, that SEGA has somewhat... declawed Amy since 2010, especially in the last few years. In trying to downplay her crush on Sonic as her main character trait, they kinda of sanded down a lot of her rough edges, leaving her without her energetic, go-getter attitude or her hair-trigger temper.
I understand the impetus to make some characterization adjustments with Amy, as having a girl whose primary motivation is to get with the hero is never a good look, but I did miss Amy's really forward personality. As much as I think the series could benefit from having an "understanding, level-headed mediator" character, I don't necessarily think reshaping Amy to be that was the right move.
That being said, I've noticed that her spunky attitude was starting to make a re-appearance back in Extreme Competition, and I'm happy to see it popping up here as well! Yardley's art especially helps by giving her some really golden expressions over the course of this story.
All poor Amy wants is to impress Sonic by showing off the wealth of historical knowledge she's picked up (since yesterday), but is regrettably (and repeatedly) interrupted by the different members of the Chaotix Detective Agency, who are visiting the museum themselves to reminisce about a case they solved for the Mythsonian some time ago.
Each detective tells them a portion of the story from their own perspective, with each tale being illustrated by a different artist in a different style.
Vector's tale, drawn by Mauro Fonseca in a moody, black and white style reminiscent of Sin City, explains how the Chaotix were hired by the headmaster of the Mythsonian Institute (and aforementioned bird guy) Professor Valdus, and his assistant Megani, to stop the mysterious Enigma, a master thief who has marked the museum as their next target.
Espio's tale details his confrontation with Enigma as they make their move, all drawn by Ryan Jampole in a style that I can't place as a direct reference to anything in particular, but it does remind me a bit of classic shoujo manga - despite the contents being a bit more befitting of a shounen. This segment has got some really solid action, and it kind of gets me hoping we get to see more action scenes like these from Jampole in the future.
The third segment of the story, told from Charmy's perspective, is protrayed by Min Ho Kim in a style meant to resemble a child's crayon and colored pencil drawings. Here, Charmy explains how, despite failing to catch Enigma, the Chaotix were able to deduce from the artifact that Enigma was targeting that it, as well as numerous other items throughout the museum, had all been stolen from the cultures they belonged to in the past - by Valdus himself.
Not every day you get to see a commentary on real-world museums and cultural theft in a Sonic the Hedgehog comic, but there ya have it. Valdus is arrested, and the Chaotix have cracked the (admittedly wrong) case.
There is a fourth segment to the story, however, drawn by Yardley, and told from the point of view of Valdus's assistant, Megani.
Here, it is not only revealed that Megani is Enigma (I am embarrassed to admit that it took multiple read-throughs to realize that their names are spelled with the same letters), but also that Vector has already worked this fact out.
The story ends with Enigma looking out over the museum, reminiscing on the events just as the Chaotix, and silently praising them as the worthy rivals she's always desired.
All-in-all, while the Chaotix 30th Anniversary Special was not the big, dramatic setup for the main saga I was hoping it was, I still enjoyed it for what it did. Introduced a new setting and some new characters, gave a couple new bits of world-building, and told us a fun little story from the perspective of each of the Chaotix Detectives.
I found the use of the three different character voices particularly charming on a personal level, as years ago, I had written a Sonic fan story called A Bizarre Case that used the Chaotix in this same way.
You can read it here, if you like:
Read Sonic IDW Fannual DX: Director's Cut and more premium Fantasy Community series now on Tapas!
I especially liked Enigma - she's got such a cool design. I really do hope that she shows up again someday, even though I'm starting to feel a little fatigued by how many villains we have in this series who are specifically "thieves."
That being said, I still really appreciate everything we got out of this story, despite it not being exactly what I was hoping for. Still lots of fun to read, and absolutely worth giving at least a once-over.
Now.
Let's see if I can get Issue 82 reviewed before Christmas Eve.
Till then, thanks for reading!!
the word economy on this guy
trivial. next challenge
Have you ever fainted?
Yes
Came close but didn't actually lose consciousness
No
This is a safe space for all of your fainting stories
Ive received the go-ahead to post this here, so...
Here's TEARS FOR TINKER, a Sonic the Hedgehog fan story I wrote as part of the IDW Sonic Fan Annual Project's Year 3 release! (I'll have to do a second post to fit all 14 pages.)
Story by Me
Pencils by mellodillo
Pencils and Inks by @bubblybumblebee
Inks by @anoucky
Letters by josue2132xd
You can check out all of the Fan Annual Year 3 stories here: https://tapas.io/episode/3721252
Pages 1-10
Pages 11-14
Ive received the go-ahead to post this here, so...
Here's TEARS FOR TINKER, a Sonic the Hedgehog fan story I wrote as part of the IDW Sonic Fan Annual Project's Year 3 release! (I'll have to do a second post to fit all 14 pages.)
Story by Me
Pencils by mellodillo
Pencils and Inks by @bubblybumblebee
Inks by @anoucky
Letters by josue2132xd
You can check out all of the Fan Annual Year 3 stories here: https://tapas.io/episode/3721252
Pages 1-10
