In Answer To Numerous Requests
As I was going through my files the other day, I came across something that many have asked me about, but have yet to publicly reveal... until now. Only a select few have seen what I'm about to reveal here -- namely, the synopsis of the stories I planned leading to SONIC #175 and eventually SONIC #200. The following list was submitted to Mike Pellerito at his request while I was writing the Shadow storyline that saw print in issues #157 through #159.
Without further ado, I present to you what might have been...
SONIC: LINE OF SUCCESSION PTS I & II (SONIC #155 & #156)
SONIC: SYSTEM SHUTDOWN/RECONFIGURATION/REBOOT (SONIC #157, #158 & #159)
SONIC: ALL MY TOMORROWS... (SONIC #160 & #161) - King Sonic discovers he’s returned to the scene of one of his greatest battles and possibly the cause of his problems in the future. The problem is that no one can see or hear him, and any attempt to take action results in someone suspecting a supernatural cause. When he returns to the future, he discovers a changed world on top of having failed to change events in the past. As a last resort, Rotor sends Nicole into the past after having created her.
SONIC: LAST TANGO IN KNOTHOLE (SONIC #162) - Uncle Chuck and Rosie emerge on the town for a real date, and it’s up to Sonic to play guardian angel and prevent Robotnik’s stealth-bots from spoiling the happy couple’s evening. (16 pages)
SONIC: GIRLS NIGHT OUT (SONIC #163) - Some teasing from Ash results in Mina and Amy Rose making their way into Robotnik’s stronghold to prove they’re just as capable on their own as any Freedom Fighter (re: Sonic). When Sally hears what they’re up to, she and Sonic head out after them, only to discover Rouge and Nic the Weasel are on the scene, each looking to abscond with the rare gem that will power Robotnik’s latest weapon. (16 pages if 1 issue or 2 11-page stories if spread over two issues)
SONIC: THIS ROBIAN, THIS HEDGEHOG (SONIC #164) - When Sonic overhears how much his father resents his condition, unable to enjoy a “normal†life with his wife, Sonic risks all to find a cure. With the aid of his Uncle Chuck, Sonic makes his way into the Robotnik’s nano-tech labs and retrieves what he hopes is the answer to the problem. Unfortunately, Jules is still a Robian at the end, but thanks to nano-technology, he now looks more like his old self. (16 pages)
SONIC: LAST MAN STANDING (SONIC #165) - Antoine pops THE question to Bunnie. Unfortunately, she’s not able to respond before the gang has to go off on a mission to shut down Robotnik’s power plant before a meltdown in the core. While Sonic does all he can to ensure a safe ending for all, circumstances dictate a sacrifice on someone’s part, and Snively ends up proving he had more moxie than anyone ever gave him credit for. (16 pages if 1 issue or 2 11-page stories if spread over two issues)
SONIC: FALL-OUT (SONIC #166) Sonic is racked with grief, feeling responsible for the death of Snively, and drives everyone that much harder when preparing for their next mission. As their assignment unfolds, everyone becomes uneasy as the possibility dawns that Sonic could cross a line he never did before. For the Freedom Fighters, this moral quandary becomes even more difficult when it’s discovered the enemy’s latest plan could result in the extinction of every lifeform on Mobius.
SONIC: NEW WORLD ORDER (SONIC #167) - Sonic finally is informed of the duties of his new rank: Gentleman-At-Arms. His first task: accompany Princess Sally to Station Square as she sets up Knothole’s first embassy in a foreign land. Naturally, there’s some trouble before the group departs, including Sally’s displeasure when Sonic’s new rank means he can overrule her when it comes to security, as Antoine’s duties as head of the Royal Guard conflict with his proposal to Bunnie. (16 pages)
SONIC: OUR HEDGEHOG IN STATION SQUARE (SONIC #168) - Now that Princess Sally, Sonic, Tails and Rotor have arrived in Station Square for the duration, Sonic finds getting around town is more awkward than he likes, thanks to Evil Sonic making the scene. But if Sonic can’t provoke his bad doppelganger into a fight one way, perhaps scoring with Rouge might do the trick. Now if only Sally doesn’t get into the act. (16 pages if 1 issue or 2 11 or 16-page stories if spread over two issues)
SONIC: A DISH BEST SERVED COLD (SONIC #169 & #170) - Knuckles and the Chaotix show up at Station Square, mean and spoiling for a fight with the group that attempted to invade Angel Island. Unfortunately, with the new alliance pact in place between Knothole and Station Square, that puts Sonic on a collision course with the embattled echidna. (2 16-page stories)
The idea was to tease whether or not Bunnie would accept based on the premise that she wasn't sure her and Antoine could lead a normal life due to her bionic parts. Eventually, events in SONIC #175 would have resulted in her saying yes to their engagement, leading to a spectacular wedding in #200.
Along the way, we would have explored the Sonic-Sally relationship in greater depth as I would be steering to get those two together after several trials and tribulations in which neither was sure what they themselves or the other really wanted.
When I resumed writing SONIC as a main feature with issue #145, I made it clear I was aiming to correct the fiasco Karl foisted upon fandom with the infamous slap. Both Mike and I were determined to correct what mainly perceived at the time as the worst moment in the book's history. However, neither of us saw that getting corrected over the course of an issue or two or three. Rather, it was decided that Sonic would play the field for awhile, allowing him to discover exactly why Sally was always the girl for him.
One of the things that made it difficult during my resumption of being the head writer was that in some ways it was accidental. Initially, I was going to submit whatever stories struck my fancy and spend the rest of my time working on other projects. So I wrote the stories published in SONIC #150 and 151 first, then was asked to begin writing what eventually became "THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UNKNOWN" Part 1. Karl and I were supposed to alternate each successive chapter, but that plan went out the window when he and Mike couldn't work things out. Somewhere during the writing of issues #146 through #149, Mike decided he wanted stories to lead into the saga, which then resulted in me writing what eventually became SONIC #145. After finishing "THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UNKNOWN", I recall then writing "LINE OF SUCCESSION" Parts 1 & 2, upon which I was then asked to write what eventually saw print in SONIC #152.
What was really funny was reading Dan Drazen's reviews at the time, because he hadn't a clue what turmoil was going on behind the scenes trying to get the book out. As I always had a policy of saying nothing in defense when a paying customer criticized my work, I just shook my head and sighed. No one knew about the rewrites that were demanded, often which made no sense, nor did I get paid for. Nor the changes to story length and format that changed at a moment's notice. What made it even funnier was that while Dan was slamming the book, sales were going up and people paid attention I was in charge of the storylines again, much to the majority of the audience's approval.
The way I saw it, I was going to have fun writing what I did. It showed, and the audience responded. The only part I saw where I would have to tread darkly is the fall of Snively. Mike had wanted me to set him up for the audience to embrace him as they never did before, only to kill him off to rattle everyone, announcing to everyone not to take the book for granted as one would never know what to expect after that.
So now that I set things up and presented the road map, feel free to comment.
And from the Desk of Ian Flynn, he reveals why he (still) doesn't care.
It's been like what, three years since he left. It's time to move on Ken.
What made it even funnier was that while Dan was slamming the book, sales were going up and people paid attention I was in charge of the storylines again, much to the majority of the audience's approval.
Translation: I'm in charge! Sales are up because of ME! @#$% Dan Drazen, no one likes him anyway! The audiences absolutely love my work because my message borads say they do!!! I can't wait until I get to kill Snively!!! Audiences will just LOVE that!
I'll say this, Penders was a Great Writer in his prime..His Stories in sonic were fun to read, and his Work on Knuckles Mythos was spectacular, but overtime you could tell his creative well was running dry, I have no doubt he still had a number of good stories in him, but from what I've read on his recent articles. The man has become rather eccentric, and I for one am glad these stories never saw the light of day (for the most part) Personally I am more interested in what he would have done had the knuckles comic continued.
Again, the only thing I have disliked during Ian's run myself is the mistreatment of the Echidnas & the Dark Legion, but overall I think Ian has done wonderful things for the book, really breed new life into it. And I for one think Mr. Penders is just being sore for no reason. But hey, even adults can act like self-absorbed children at times. Personally I'll always remeber Ken Penders as the nice man who wrote those awsome Knuckles stories I read (mostly at my cousins house since I could'nt find Knux comics in my town.) Even if he is a whiny raving loon today.
Rosas, as Sam mentioned, we've talked about this, you know that none of us care about a damn thing Ken says nowadays, why do you keep posting this crap! I mean my god! Penders lives more in the past then Chris Claremont! Get over it, you're no longer writing the comic! Seriously, if he cares so much he should go do what other comic writers do when they get booted off a series they enjoyed writing. Write your own cheap knock-off of the character.
Or make a Tommy Turtle Spin Off (I KID I KID)!
It sounds a lot like SatAM stylistically, including a few things that put me off that series (royal politics in particular. King Sonic and Gentleman at Arms just... sound wrong). So it's not surprising that some hardcore SatAM fans like it, and that I am not that impressed. There's lots of resolution of SatAM characters' arcs, but there is
not much surprise to it. It feels kind of like satisfying fan
expectations more than inventing.
Reading Lord Exor defend SwatBots vs. Egg Pawns (through that link, and its link to Ian's board) just reminds me how creatively bankrupt SatAM was. It adapted a franchise about radical style, artistic merit, free roaming, and surreal places into a show about melodrama, generic stock anthros, royalty, static stock settings, and oppressive dictators, like some polar opposite.
And enough with the relationships. That summary had 2 references to plots about roboticized characters not being able to have *ahem* normal relationships with others, and Sonic x Rouge to go along with the Sonic x everybody that made it into the comic just before Ian. Does the comic need to support stereotypes about Sonic fans?
Okay I get it you hate SatAM, but not all who were/are hardcore fans of the series as imbeciles. It's just the usual group that constantly say the same things over and over again. When SatAM first aired I treat it as it was an alternate universe (like Ultimate Spider-Man), that was it. It wasn't great but at that time it was enjoyable.
I agree that Penders needs to let it go and that his ideas are the same old and boring story lines that have only been fresh since 1993. But it one thing to have a opinion on a series, but it's another to tear it to shreds, again (and lord knows I'm no fan of Sonic Underground, but I at least try to understand that they are people who enjoyed that show who are not crazed "hardcore" fans).
Well, you're right. I did say 'some,' but certainly came off as overzealous. The majority of fans are fine, or better. In fact I can think of a number of people who are SatAM fans whom I respect more than just about anybody else in the world. There's a subset of fans that... well, let's not go there, but they are a minority. But is hardcore necessarily a bad thing? The way I used it, you could read it that way, but it doesn't have to be.
Actually, it is not so much the show itself that I'm reacting to. It was a Saturday morning cartoon, a genre that rarely comes close to quality, and the show itself was definitely quality. I don't hate it either. It's just the fanatical elevation of certain aspects beyond reason by a few individuals, and the rather disturbing implications of some of those arguments, that makes me want to skewer. Reading some of what was written at that link and the topic at Ian's board it led to reacquainted me with an attitude that I don't usually encounter any more except when this Penders stuff comes up with a link back to him and reactions to him at Ian's. That attitude that by making things intimidating, sad, or dark you're accomplishing all there is to accomplish, and a general dismissal of anything that might be whimsical or, to use the a term that is imprecise but gets the point across, kid-friendly. Perhaps a topic here, related to the posts in question only by linkage, is not the appropriate venue to try to skewer that attitude. 
Well, you're right. I did say 'some,' but certainly came off as overzealous. The majority of fans are fine, or better. In fact I can think of a number of people who are SatAM fans whom I respect more than just about anybody else in the world. There's a subset of fans that... well, let's not go there, but they are a minority. But is hardcore necessarily a bad thing? The way I used it, you could read it that way, but it doesn't have to be.
Actually, it is not so much the show itself that I'm reacting to. It was a Saturday morning cartoon, a genre that rarely comes close to quality, and the show itself was definitely quality. I don't hate it either. It's just the fanatical elevation of certain aspects beyond reason by a few individuals, and the rather disturbing implications of some of those arguments, that makes me want to skewer. Reading some of what was written at that link and the topic at Ian's board it led to reacquainted me with an attitude that I don't usually encounter any more except when this Penders stuff comes up with a link back to him and reactions to him at Ian's. That attitude that by making things intimidating, sad, or dark you're accomplishing all there is to accomplish, and a general dismissal of anything that might be whimsical or, to use the a term that is imprecise but gets the point across, kid-friendly. Perhaps a topic here, related to the posts in question only by linkage, is not the appropriate venue to try to skewer that attitude.
Fair enough. I just wanted to say "hey man. Not everyone is THAT bad."
I agree with your statement. They don't need visual deaths or WB style teen drama to sell the story. Which Ian has been doing a good job to say "Hey, here's the cast, this is their situation and here's how they handle it" without going too "dark." It may not be a home run every issue, but even the best who can't bat .500 are still good enough to win the title.
And also. No more relationships. I'm so tired of the "Who will hook up" developments it's like watching "The Bachelor" XD
I liked Sonic Sat a.m. and admit that I wish Archie would have continued to give the comic an Sat a.m. feel to it. What I liked about the show is that it did have some heartfelt moments and Sonic was surrounded by and had good friendships so he didn't seem as annoying.
Also, I like relationships romantic and otherwise in the comic (it gives the comic heart IMO) but I don't like the soap opera approach to relationships that the comics take sometimes either. I do have a strong opinion on who Sonic should stick with, but I can't go into it here(I don't want to break the relationship rule).
Well, to be honest, DC, if anybody doesn't know your preference they haven't been here long! 
Veckums wrote:
It sounds a lot like SatAM stylistically, including a few things that put me off that series (royal politics in particular. King Sonic and Gentleman at Arms just... sound wrong). So it's not surprising that some hardcore SatAM fans like it, and that I am not that impressed. There's lots of resolution of SatAM characters' arcs, but there is
not much surprise to it. It feels kind of like satisfying fan
expectations more than inventing.Reading Lord Exor defend SwatBots vs. Egg Pawns (through that link, and its link to Ian's board) just reminds me how creatively bankrupt SatAM was. It adapted a franchise about radical style, artistic merit, free roaming, and surreal places into a show about melodrama, generic stock anthros, royalty, static stock settings, and oppressive dictators, like some polar opposite.
And enough with the relationships. That summary had 2 references to plots about roboticized characters not being able to have *ahem* normal Anabolic steroids relationships with others, and Sonic x Rouge to go along with the Sonic x everybody that radio controlled wall clocksmade it into the comic just before Ian. Does the comic need to support stereotypes about Sonic fans?
Well done. 
I'd say that I made a responsible and well thought out decision. I will sent you mail about this.
Is... is that a spambot that quotes a post and adds links into it? Wow.
Well it certainly is tough for a robot to have a normal anabolic steroids relationship with a living being. It's a touchy subject and I believe Ken would have handled it masterfully.
edit: oh no, my context!
What Sam said. While it's sometimes neat to see "what might have been," it seems like Penders has been popping up here and there lately just to make sure people don't forget about him. I think he's losing fans because of this, though; I think I'd have more respect for the man if he didn't toot his horn and just did his own thing instead of trying to horn in on the stuff he made for Archie. People don't make themselves into legends, that's just not how it works.
And let's face it, sometimes what didn't happen is probably for the best. If the SatAM, for example, had continued the way the writers wanted to do it, then it's possible that fan fiction for the series wouldn't have proliferated as it did when there wasn't a clear ending. And if I hadn't read that fan fiction, pioneered by the likes of Dan Drazen and Bookshire Draftwood and many others, then I likely wouldn't have become interested in writing like I did. I really credit the SatAM and the resulting early, good fan fiction as being the source of inspiration that helped me get started as a writer.
It adapted a franchise about radical style, artistic merit, free roaming, and surreal places into a show about melodrama, generic stock anthros, royalty, static stock settings, and oppressive dictators, like some polar opposite.
Actually, it is not so much the show itself that I'm reacting to. It was a Saturday morning cartoon, a genre that rarely comes close to quality, and the show itself was definitely quality.
I haven't been following the discussion, but I noticed these comments and felt like pointing out that this basically sums up what I consider one of the series' most undercriticized flaws, and one of its most underappreciated strong points, respectively. Vec, agreeing with you this much about a cartoon series feels weirder than agreeing with you about politics. o.o
I've long seen it as a bit of a double standard that it's considered a flaw of SA1 and SA2 that they deviate from the Sega Genesis games... and yet, SatAM deviates further from the games (well, from the potentially-unrepresentative sample of it I've seen) and is applauded for it. It's not that the show's bad in and of itself, so much as that it really seems to be something OTHER than Sonic, from a style perspective. Perhaps if different circumstances had diverted that style from going into a Sonic show, and instead it went into some hypothetical Star Fox show, the style might have made more sense...
EDIT: And DC, what do you mean when you say romance "gives the comic heart" and why?
Matthayter 700, in answer to your question: I am not just talking about romantic relationships, though it is a part of it, I am also talking about friendships and strong family ties. How Dan Drazen basically defines "heart" as something that makes you care about the characters. When I see characters having strong bonds with other characters, it makes me root for them and hope things turn out all right for them. Also, I tend to find characters that are close to their family and friends more likible. Sonic, for example, does seem less annoying and selfish(most of the time) when he is around the Freedom Fighters and his family and is getting along with them pretty well. It also provides the comic with touching moments. I hope I have explained it well to you.
I hope I have explained it well to you.
Fairly well, yeah. From my understanding of it, I'm guessing you'd be fine with the comic focusing on friendships between the characters, without necessarily portraying romantic relationships?
