Arrangement of this essay:
- Tails and the SatAM Legacy [*]Intelligence [*]Rotor [*]Sally [*]Sonic and Tails: Fanon? [*]Independence [*]Conclusion [/list:o:bb75182d47]
This essay can be divided into two main parts:
Tails and the SatAM Legacy
Sonic and Tails: Fanon?
For many, complaints about SatAM are old hat. If you like, you can skip to the Sonic and Tails section, which presents a rather less common argument contrasting the game canon and the comic/cartoon/fandom canon.
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Note: For the purposes of continuity, I take the traditionalist approach: I consider the games to be the highest (alpha) canon, followed by other interpretations, with newer canon overriding old where there is a conflict. Where identical games are ported to different systems, I consider the 'primary' game to be the one for the flagship SEGA platform (usually the Genesis)
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Tails and the SatAM Legacy
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Tails debuted in 1992 in the game 'Sonic the Hedgehog 2' for the Master System, Game Gear, and Mega Drive (Genesis). Roughly one year later, the two cartoon series: "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog" and "Sonic the Hedgehog" (aka SatAM) debuted. Both were only loosely based on the games, but SatAM in particular, went on to color and influence the long running Sonic comic series. In this context, I will largely ignore Adventures, and instead focus on SatAM and the comics as the major sources of de-characterization.
As those who have seen it know, the 'Tails' in SatAM bares little resemblance to the Tails in 'Sonic the Hedgehog 2,' or 'Sonic 3' (which aired in 1994, in parallel with much of SatAM). Tails in the games was Sonic's sidekick and partner; assisting him directly in some of the fights in the game, following him in both, and even attempting to rescue him near the end of both games. Excluding one Game Gear game, Tails did not get 'captured' as a point of plot until Sonic Rivals in 2006.
SatAM Tails was the product of a de-construction and partitioning of his character: the role of sidekick and companion was transferred to the new 'strong female lead' archetype (Princess Sally); the role of technical support to the 'geeky outsider' archetype (Rotor); leaving the role of 'hero worshipper/child-fanboy' (Tails). One can see this as:
A. a conscious decision by the writing staff to expand the cast without having to come up with otherwise original characters
B. a lack of actual knowledge, or concern for game continuity
C. a desire to further differentiate 'Sonic' from the other adaptations
D. all of the above
Tails (games)
|
|- Sally
|- Rotor
|- Tails (child)
Either way, this new order threw the game dynamic on its head. For some of us, who saw it at the time, the games and the cartoons bore essentially no relation to one another. It would be like watching a cartoon version of Star Wars where Han Solo is a homeless bum who can't pilot, shoot, or snap witty dialog… but he still knows Luke for some reason. Tails, the primary and most important supporting character in the SEGA pantheon, and consistently one of the top three most popular franchise characters, had his color changed (perhaps to symbolize this was not the character we knew from the game at all), his mind lobotomized, his skills removed, his attitude neutered, and his effect on the outcome of the story aborted in the womb.
Like dropping a baby on its head, this characterization continues to have lingering effects up to the present, some TEN YEARS later. Long after SatAM creased to be a relevant source for the Sonic fandom (back when the games had no obvious plot, and there was literally no alternative), its legacy lives on in its characters, transferred to comic book format. True to that, the comic book Tails often bears little semblance to his game self; he continues to be a martyr to the existence of other supporting characters.
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Intelligence
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The first aspect where this becomes clear is in the character's intelligence. In his very first appearance, Tails displays an unusual mechanical aptitude, rigging Sonic's biplane 'the Tornado' with a rocket engine and attempting a midair rescue after the destruction of the Death Egg. Prior to this final stage in the game, and their separation, Tails had been with Sonic the entire adventure. In later appearances (with a reminder that conventionally, newer canon overrides older, where there is a contradiction) Tails' intellect is greatly expanded on: almost to the point where it becomes a Deus Ex Machina. In much earlier canon, such as Tails Adventure (1995), we can see shades of this: Tails has apparently built transforming mecha and a variety of equipment, including bombs, before he even met Sonic (as the game is a prequel to Sonic 2).
Up to 2005, TEN YEARS after the release of Tails Adventure, something like the below could be read in the comics:
Sonic The Hedgehog Issue 149 (2005)
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TAILS: So, this is that per-pen-ik-ular guy?
SONIC: Perpendicular. And, yeah, that's the man himself.
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This line comes from the infamous(ly terrible) "Chosen One" story arc, most notorious for its giant "Titan Tails." Perhaps one can overlook it for its abominable artwork and written execution, but sadly, it is as canon as anything else in the comic (especially as StH doesn't seem to retcon older stories). Ten years after the Tails in the games built 'Mecha Tails' (aka the Remote Robot), comic Tails, still reeling from his SatAM interpretation, does not seem to be familiar with the word "perpendicular" to the point where Sonic actually has to correct him. This is akin to Peter Parker in one of the Ultimate comics, asking "Lens? What do you mean, cam-aa-ra lens?"
Compare this with the following:
Sonic Riders (2006)
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KNUCKLES: Still, how can a plank like that just float?
TAILS: That's easy to explain. According to the Kutta-Joukowski Lift Theorem, the control surface flow is balanced by the inverse kinetics of the…
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Rotor
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For ten years, the comic book Tails has thus struggled to overcome the lobotomy suffered in the creation of SatAM. The progeny of this procedure, Rotor, continues to play an overarching role in the comics when it comes to anything intellectual. Despite half hearted attempts to bring the comic more in line with the SEGA game canon, a decade later, the status quo is essentially unchanged. This is not a condemnation of the character of Rotor, but rather the role he continues to play in the story - a role that was never his to begin with, and a role that hurts the very comic continuity he was created for.
If one were to pick up the Sonic comic and see an unfamiliar character outrunning Sonic, or another character beating up an enemy while Knuckles looks on helplessly, it is not unexpected that said readership would be turned off by the defamation of the characters that built and maintain the Sonic franchise. Little to no character development has been done to warrant Rotor's overriding role as a Tails-stand-in in the comic. It may be time for him to assume the subordinate role that Vector or Mighty have to Knuckles; that Snively has to Robotnik; that Scourge (grudgingly) has to Sonic.
It is unseemly for a comic-only character to so roundly and routinely outshine and displace a member of the alpha continuity. One can assume more people look to the comic to see what Tails is doing, than to see what Rotor or 'Uncle Chuck' are up to. I believe the games generate more readership than the comics generate gamers.
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Sally
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As the favored daughter of SatAM, the topic of Sally is always a contentious one. Like Rotor, she inherited much (the "let's think this through" and "let's make a plan" aspects) of the game Tails. She was a foil for Sonic's impulsiveness, providing a rationalist brain to his hot headed brawn. However, unlike Rotor, Sally had grown well and beyond any of the initial traits she inherited.
In game, Tails is often the instigator of the adventure, bringing the situation to Sonic's attention. Once there, however, he assumes a more submissive role, deferring to Sonic's experience (actually not a bad idea). Sally is far more domineering by nature, leading to a wholly different dynamic. This can be compared to a strategic thinker and a tactical one. Tails' plans can not overshadow Sonic's achievements in game, and so they often involve advice on where to go next, whereas Sally's advice tends more towards how to prevail in a given situation.
The distinct and particular role she plays, a role that has no direct correlation or equivalent in the alpha canon, puts her in contrast to someone like Rotor. This is to be expected, as Sally has always had a generous amount of characterization over the years.
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Sonic and Tails: Fanon?
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The relationship between Sonic and Tails is also an issue of some dispute and contention. Alpha canon paints a different picture than what we see in the comics or other media. Please note the following examples, in what passes for chronological order:
Sonic 1
Sonic and Tails have not met.
Tails Adventure
Sonic and Tails have not met.
Sonic 2
Sonic and Tails meet and become fast friends. This is their first adventure together (discounting the Game Gear version of the same game); Sonic seems to have no concerns about bringing Tails along on the most difficult adventure he's had to date. According to the back story, Sonic seems primarily to be impressed by Tails' ability to 'keep up' with him and this forms the foundation of their relationship.
Sonic 3 & Knuckles
This is basically a continuation of Sonic 2. Again, Tails travels alongside Sonic, aiding him as necessary (such as the air battle at the end of Marble Garden). Depending on the lock-on of Sonic and Knuckles, Tails and Sonic may or may not have adventured independently for some time as well.
Sonic Adventure
Tails crashes his plane, and Sonic (who had previously been lounging by a pool at a resort) hurries to check up on him. When they walk back, Tails remarks, "Hey, Sonic. Long time no see, huh?" Obviously some time has passed since they last met. Sonic is unaware of Tails' new plane modifications, unaware that he can now use a Chaos Emerald as a power source, and unaware of the base Tails set up outside the city (if Sonic had known about it, Tails wouldn't have explained "It's in the Mystic Ruins. The fastest way is by train…").
What does this meeting imply? Sonic and Tails haven't seen each other in a long time, presumably since the Sonic 2/3/K adventure. Sonic doesn't know what Tails is doing or even where he currently lives and works. They run into one another purely by chance. It implies that they don't seem to hang out or even interact much when not on an adventure of some sort. This is later substantiated by other games. Despite this, they still seem to be the closest friends that either of them have.
Sonic Adventure 2
An unknown amount of time separates SA1 and 2. One again, Tails and Sonic are apart when the story begins. Once again, Sonic seems to be relaxing in the city while Tails is at his workshop/home. This time, Tails hears Sonic is in trouble, and breaks into a military facility to try and help him. Much like in SA1, the two only seem to run into each other on adventures, or when the other is in trouble.
Sonic Heroes
For a third time, Tails goes looking for Sonic when Dr. Robotnik starts up. Unlike before, he picks up Knuckles first. It seems the three of them have put aside any lingering suspicion from the events of Sonic 3 (and possibly Triple Trouble for the Game Gear) by the end of SA2. Once again, Sonic remarks that it's been a "long time" since they've seen each other. Later, both Tails and Knuckles seem surprised when Sonic admits that he needed their help.
Sonic Rush 1 & 2
Once again, Tails meets up with Sonic. Both are aware that "Eggman's got another crazy scheme" and they team up. In Rush 2, they seem to be mutually interested in heading somewhere when they get sent to Blaze's dimension.
Sonic Riders 1 & 2
Sonic, Tails and Knuckles are together again, but like before, they seem to be solely after the Chaos Emeralds. Only in Riders 2 do they seem to be casually hanging out, while Tails drives them around the city.
Sonic NG/06
Again, Tails only seems to meet up with Sonic when it becomes apparent that something major is going down. Sonic again remarks that it's been "long time" since they saw each other. It is also worth noting that Sonic has little to no problem with letting Tails distract a large number of enemies while he gets a softer target (Elise) to safety.
What can we conclude from these examples of alpha canon?
(Regardless of whether the games themselves were any good - you may have thought 'The Phantom Menace' was a terrible flick, but it, too, is alpha canon)
Sonic and Tails do not seem to hang out outside of individual adventures to collect Emeralds and stop Robotnik/Eggman. Sonic and Tails have very different private lives and individual pursuits: Sonic tends towards leisure, while Tails works on his inventions and the like. Very often, Tails serves an organizational role in planning out where they go, and if they involve Knuckles first (likely if Tails can find him). Sonic never goes looking for Tails and Knuckles for help. Between adventures, Sonic and Tails rarely (or never) see each other.
Also a given, is that all three - Sonic, Knuckles and Tails - have had individual adventures and games. Some of these did not involve Sonic at all, yet remain alpha canon until contradicted. We can thus further infer that it is likely that Sonic and Tails only get in contact when the adventure is particularly serious, and it involves their mutual enemy, Robotnik. When this is not the case, they pursue the matter individually.
Popular fanon has it that Sonic and Tails live together. This is contradicted by alpha canon. They plainly live no where near each other.
Popular fanon has it that Sonic and Tails are best friends. This is true, but not in the case of most people's relationships with their best friends. Instead, it seems more that Sonic and Tails (and Knuckles) don't have many peers, and don't go out of their way to meet or make friends. Sonic and Tails act more like old high school or college buddies, who get together only every so often. They are best friends, but it seems to often be a long distance association.
Popular fanon has it that Sonic treats Tails as a younger brother. To an extent this is true. But it is less like a 16 year old older brother and a 10 year old younger brother, and more like a 26 year old and a 20 year old. I have a younger brother myself (he's 24), and I don't exactly check in on him every day to make sure he's fine. I trust him to look out for himself and deal with his own affairs (it is often a "long time" between when we see each other). Likewise, Sonic seems to have this relationship with Tails, though they are both what I'd call 'little kids' in relative age.
Comic beta-canon portrays the Sonic Tails relationship much as fanon does. Sonic treats Tails as something of a child most of the time; Sonic and his friends often try and protect or shield Tails from danger. Unlike alpha-canon Tails who often seeks Sonic out only when there is a major adventure on the horizon, beta-canon Tails will usually passively wait to hopefully get involved. Often, he won't be at all.
In beta comic canon, Tails and Sonic seem both closer, and less close, than their canon selves. In canon, Sonic has faith in Tails abilities, inventions, and in the help he can provide. In fanon, Sonic and Tails are very personally close, but tend to not work together professionally. Comic Tails is simply too young, too incompetent (for lack of a better word), and contributes too little to justify him having the same working relationship that alpha-canon Tails has. In short, the comics trade the Sonic-Tails professional relationship for the following: the Sonic-Tails personal relationship, the Sonic-Rotor-Sally relationships.
The relationship of Sonic and Tails, in the comic continuity, bears only a superficial and skin deep resemblance to Sonic and Tails in the alpha-canon game continuity. For some readers, this is preferable. For others, it is abominable.
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Independence
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Lastly, we come to the matter of independence. For more than a decade, Tails has been most well known for his role as Sonic's only reliable sidekick and partner. Alpha-canon indicates that Tails often seeks Sonic out when Robotnik is involved in an adventure (definitely the smart thing to do), and Sonic always seems to welcome the assistance. Sonic rarely seems to actually look for Tails (or any help), but he is more than willing to follow Tails' leads on where to find the Emeralds or where to go next. Likewise, Tails defers to Sonic's experience and authority the majority of the time.
Alpha-canon indicates that both Tails and Knuckles have had individual adventures without Sonic in the past. Alpha-canon also indicates that Tails has taken it upon himself do learn to pilot, to drive (in both SA2 and Riders 2), to see to his own education and intellectual pursuits, to find a place to live, and even to find an apparent source of income (_all_ those materials can't be from salvage). Tails often serves as the level head to contrast Sonic and Knuckles, juxtaposing the fact that the youngest among them is also, in many ways, the most mature.
Comic beta-canon portrays Tails as a highly dependant character. He lives with Sonic (or now, his parents). He is dependant on the other Freedom Fighters and many others. He is a second stringer in technical affairs. He is a third stringer in leadership and initiative. His abilities are not fully trusted by those around him. His combat abilities are lackluster. Lastly, his maturity is compromised in an effort to make him 'act his age.'
There is little the two have in common… except for the two tails, of course, and sometimes their color scheme.
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Conclusion
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I wrote this, because a recent writing project made me think about the nature of the Sonic and Tails relationship, and how the two saw each other. I was trying to use both game and comic continuity in this project, with the former as alpha-canon and the latter as beta-canon. In doing some research into how people see Sonic and Tails interacting (the fanon), and how the comic sees the relationship (comic-fanon), I came to believe that both deviated greatly from the absolute canon that is in the games. It drove home what I had always thought to be the greatest failing of SatAM, from years ago.
Never to my recollection has interpretation into another medium so twisted a character as it has in this case, for Miles 'Tails' Prower. Oh, I'm sure there are worse cases… especially when it comes to novel-to-movie interpretations… but this one still stands out. From the very beginning, a conscious effort was made to create a new character with the same name, but virtually none of the traits of the original. The legacy of that decision reverberates today.
The shame is that it did not have to be this way, and it does not have to be this way in the future. I do believe the two levels of continuity, alpha and beta, games and comics, can co-exist and reinforce one another. However, the latter must always compliment the former, NOT VICE VERSA. The comic is based on the video games; the games are in no way based on the comics (or cartoons). While Sonic and Knuckles have been held largely to this, Tails continues to suffer on a cross of characterization, so that others may have his role in the story.
I believe that returning Tails to an alpha-characterization based on his game traits, but within the comic medium, is not only possible… but profitable. In terms of popularity, the top three game characters tend to consistently be: Sonic/Shadow/Tails. Does it make sense to write one of the oldest and most popular characters in the franchise as a second stringer? No supporting Sonic protagonist has been in more games than Tails has; no Sonic supporting character has had more stand alone games. Is it really wise to take a character that is consistently in every Sonic game and write him into obscurity in the comics? Is there some expectation that this will boost sales?
Like with the Star Wars extended universe, the Sonic beta-canon and comic continuity should endeavor to wisely flesh out and support the main cast. It should not try and overshadow or replace them. SatAM was only able to do this because there was no alternative, and because there was very little 'story' in the original games of the time. This is no longer the case. Those who dislike what they see do not have to stomach an experience they have no emotional investment or interest in - rather, they can and will find their amusement elsewhere in the ever diversifying range of entertainment that is now available.
...
Thoughts?
Definitely an interesting read. It's put things into a different perspective for me which I hadn't considered before.
Danged good read.
Tails is considered a fan favorite and I've never enjoyed how he was treated in either medium and it's one of the major reasons why I've never been able to click with either SatAM or Archie. You really put it in perspective. I tip my hat to you, good sir.
*applauds*
That was an excellent read. It perfectly explains the agitation I sometimes get when watching SatAM or reading Archie.
Bravo!
Thanks. Someone (elsewhere) brought up the issue of "Emerald Town" from Sonic Battle. I'll copy what I wrote there, here, so that anyone reading this thread can be exposed to the totality of argument on the topic.
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I was obliquely aware of the Emerald Town issue when I compiled some of the other games (Sonic R, Sonic Drift, Sonic Fighters, etc). However, I was unable to glean any substantial details beyond that fact using google-fu. My ki is just not strong enough. And, yes, I don't have the game so I can't check that way either.
To be clear, I was using the following as a direct reference regarding that game:
http://www.gamerhelp.com/.../SonicBattle/107000.shtml
The article seems to imply that there are substantial canonical conflicts between the events of that game and the events of others critical to the SEGA continuity.
Plus, the line "This is 'Emerald Town'.. The place where Sonic and his friends live." isn't exactly very descriptive. By my IP address, one can confirm that I currently reside in a certain large town in the US. My co-workers all live nearby, too, but that doesn't say much. Living together and living within meeting distance are not synonymous. Further, how long and how often to Sonic and his friends reside in this area? Its obviously in some country under the influence of GUN, but otherwise we have no idea if it is near where the other games took place.
Further, the faq outlines the following:
Emerald Town
01: Emerald Beach
02: Emerald Beach (easternmost edge)
03: Tails' House
04: Tails' Lab
05: Building
Central City
01: Amy's Room
02: Crossing
03: Central Lab
04: Central Highway
05: Office
Night Babylon
01: Gimme Shelter
02: Club "Rouge"
03: Bar
04: Casino
05: Theater
06: Hotel
Holy Summit
01: Bridge
02: Knuckles' House
03: Ruins
04: Altar
05: Crater
By this, it seems that many of Sonic's friends (or associates) do not live in Emerald Town, but in nearby counties or cities. Even Knuckles seems to be in the region... apparently taking a break from the whole Master Emerald business. But even then, the script only says that Tails owns not only the "Mystic Ruins Workshop" but apparently a residence "north of (Emerald) Town" (according to Sonic). Sonic still doesn't live there himself. I assume that's also where the Lab is.
Note that in the script, Sonic explicitly says:
SONIC: So this is Tails'...
From the faq script, it appears that this is possible the first time Sonic has actually been to Tails' house here, despite his knowing where it is. Much like if a friend gave me his address, so I would know where to drive to stop by, but I have no idea what the house actually looks like. This is the impression I get here.
Alternatively, he could be saying (to Emerl) that "So this is Tails'... (house)" but he gets interrupted before he can say it. From the script alone it is hard to tell, and I have no youtube clips to double check. Whereas I was able to check many of the games cited on youtube for inflection.
However, if someone is more familiar with that game, it would be enlightening to hear what you picked up from it.
(thanks to those that commented, btw, and I'm glad the read give you a couple thoughts about this topic, or maybe a perspective you hadn't considered before. As always, I'm eager to refine what we can perceive of the canon so as to give us all a better idea of the RAW state of the continuity)
Regarding Sonic Battle. Firstly, it is very difficult to take the game is entirely canon as it involves a full memoried Shadow finding out that he was built on ARK at the same time that Gerald was experimenting with the Gizoid and some other small things which don't truly add up with Shadow The Hedgehog, which is an official Sonic Team game and sadly defeats a DiMPS one, even if Sonic Battle is the best writing a Sonic game has seen in recent years.
Regarding Emerald Town (for the life of me I do not recall hearing that. Ah well) Tails' workshop is on the hub screen and it's clearly not Sonic's house, so they don't share.
Central City is the same city from Sonic Adventure 2. Night Babylon is a casino area where Rouge apparently owns a casino and Eggman makes his cash selling E-121 guard robots to local stores.
Holy Sumit is presumably Angel Island, as the Master Emerald is on an alter and Knuckles' "house" is a small cave right next to it. But like all the Advance games, Angel Island is just a random level the characters seem to be able to walk to, as it's in all 4 of the GBA titles, but the idea of characters getting to it is never once raised.
PS: Battle is a beautiful game, if only for it's story. Please play it.
To be accurate, DiMPs has nothing to do with Sonic Battle. It's all Jupiter. You know, Jupiter... Chains of Memories... World Ends With You... THAT Jupiter? Yeah.
As for continuity...
SEGA: "Hey guys we want you to develop a fighting game for us. GBA, just Sonic and his extensive cast... Angel Island."
JUPITER: "Oh, okay cool. Sure. Is there anything we need to know about the characters? Settings? Relationships. We'd like to add a story mode to the game to make things interesting."
SEGA: "lol nope. Just do what we do and make it up as you go."
JUPITER: "... uh, all right. Are you--"
SEGA: "JUST DO IT."
Wait, really? I did not know that Jupiter made it. That's pretty epic.
As for continuity...
SEGA: "Hey guys we want you to develop a fighting game for us. GBA, just Sonic and his extensive cast... Angel Island."
JUPITER: "Oh, okay cool. Sure. Is there anything we need to know about the characters? Settings? Relationships. We'd like to add a story mode to the game to make things interesting."
SEGA: "lol nope. Just do what we do and make it up as you go."
JUPITER: "... uh, all right. Are you--"
SEGA: "JUST DO IT."
Exactly, like Sega ever cared about continuity. As long as it prints money anything will do
Well, except showing main characters going through real emotions (crying, etc.). That's a gray area. 
I just thought the "perpendicular" line was just a moment of very poor writing and characterization, and certainly not a perfect reflection of how Tails is always depicted in the comics. Y'know, pretty much up there with Rotor being fine with Eggman striding into Knothole after his reaction in Endgame. Just a moment of "Wait, what?"
A lot of more recent elements have shown Tails' tech side more strongly. While Rotor and Uncle Chuck were long established as tech-heads themselves, Tails seems to be a lot more involved in that side of things lately, even working alongside the other two.
While it all falls under the same canon, the portrayals in the comic, written and drawn, are up to multiple people rather than a single creator, and frankly some are just more familiar with the characters (or even their original game counterparts) than others. Some artists know to stick a wrench in Tails' hand rather than a toy.
Characters crying? No one's gonna fork out money for a cry baby! Go home to yo momma! ...Or so the SEGA rationale goes. At least until they have Sonic apparently grieving for Elise. We all know SEGA Team places the same importance on continuity as normal folks do in ordering take out chinese. Yeah, we have our preferences, but it gets mixed up as often as anything.
Doesn't stop people in the fandom (or those who have an interest in it) from trying to make sense of things.
The "Perpendicular" line was particularly bad, and as I say in the original essay, I'd consider simply ignoring it... except that this was a story line that was supposed to be pivotal to Tails character. It was supposed to be a time to shine. Instead he's like Forrest Gump - an idiot who just gets lucky and stumbles into a situation that benefits him. After defeating Mogul, Titan Tails may as well have gone, "I deed eet, Lieutenant DAAAAN!!" Except at least the Gumpster had dogged determination and a sad sort of Tom Hanks hot blooded idiot's charisma.
So it can't just be ignored, any more than fans of Dr. Doom can ignore him getting beaten by Squirrel Girl (but then she beat Thanos, too...! So no shame there).
Sadly, you often have to justify the good with the bad in comics, and its exactly because comics have so many writers who interpret characters so differently. But as I pointed out, a decade has passed since it was clear that when the Japanese Sonic 2 manual wasn't lying when it said Tails had mechanist skills. That Tails is playing second fiddle to two comic-only characters is directly akin to Sonic being the *third fastest* character in the story (I'd also argue that the comics did a similar thing to Knuckles with the Brotherhood of Guardians, except that's handled more tastefully).
You raise a good point, though. Its just a shame this comic doesn't retcon the more embarrassing attempts at storytelling that have somehow made it through and into print.
Ive always though of sonic & Tails as brothers..Even more so then mario & luigi...Frankly I think it would be funny if tey tried to do the same for amy & Cream...cause it would fail!
Thank you, Legion, for failing to read, understand and contribute anything to this thread.
There was a very large part written explaining why Sonic and Tails are not as close as fans often believe they are, with very specific quotes from games to back it up.
.......Why ya gota play a guy like that Craig...what did I ever do to you...I mean OK one sour Deal in Reno & you Hate me for life! But seriously man, Sorry for Not reading & well....Disagreeing, Sure sonic & tails May not be as close as some People think they are,,,but you can't blame people for making a connection I mean For goodness skaes in most of the U.S. toons & in the comic he called tailes lil bro! but i digrese......Frankly I Prefer sonic calling tails PixelBrain...Lol! I wonder what sonic would have called sall had she been in STC?
Could you please work on your spelling? It took much longer than it should have to decipher your post.
I've said this to you before Legion, and I'll say it again: re-read your posts. If you re-read your posts more often, you might catch your mistakes. Also, as I've also said before, not all of your posts need ellipses and they shouldn't always be used to connect your sentences. If you are as old as you claim you are, you should have better spelling and grammar.
We need more posts like the OP here, and less like Legions.
We need more posts like the OP here, and less like Legions.
Baulderdash!
My post a just fine, I admit I may have a few gramatical errors here & there but nothing that bad, You people Just enjoy busting my chops....Anyway I guess Im getting you off topic....Sorry, well Se ya on the Flip side!
....Hooderaite. I'm jus amazed and pleased by that excellent post. I'll post later, but yeah, great read.
Hooray. The collective bitchery of all the anti SatAM condensed into one neat little post. This essay is kinda flawed in my opinion.As the favored daughter of SatAM, the topic of Sally is always a contentious one. Like Rotor, she inherited much (the "let's think this through" and "let's make a plan" aspects) of the game Tails...
Yeah SatAM premired like...in the 80's. Tails didn't HAVE a personality. I know in the 3D games Tails is a kid genius but in the old old classics all he did was fly a plane. Flying a plane does not require genius. I don't see how SatAM is responsible for making him stupid. If anything the newer games have made him overwhelmingly intelligent to the point of convenient plot devicing him. And people who hated SatAM are using this genius Tails as a template. I think thats a bad thing to do. I don't read the Archie enough to say anything about that.
As mentioned in the first post, he did fix the bi-plane up with a rocket and repair it's damages within the time it took Sonic to sort out Wing Fortress and the 1995 Tails Adventure shows his mechanical prowess in the shape of a transforming mech.
I know that it doesn't convey well in 2d, but the instruction manual of the later game does explain the story that Tails was napping outside of his research lab when he was interupted by an explosion.
That said, I doubt, given DiC's history, anyone would really care if the thing was accurate or not. So all in all it doesn't matter if the SatAM version was a snivelling crybaby who needed to be read a story to sleep.
What matters is that 10 years later when no target demographic child is old enough to remember such a perception of Tails. He's always been the kid genius to them (and as this thread proves, he always WAS a kid genius), so why hasn't the comic worked to fit him in to his rightful role? Heck they went out of their way to plot device a change of costume for Amy, I don't find it out of bounds to spend an issue or two giving Tails a better role in the comic.
Oops. I had edited my post before seeing you had replied. Oh well. If Archie makes Tails as smart as he is in the games. Eggman would have been defeated by now. Or it'd be just like wash rinse repeat as far as conflicts go between Eggman and the Freedom Fighters. Like Sonic X. Only this time Tails might be the one saving the day more times than Sonic. o.o
i'll admit, i had originally looked at this article and figured "oh, it's a long Satam rant, i better just skip it" but i have to say i'm really impressed. you make quite a few good points about their relationship that i really didn't think about. like for instance i had no clue that Tails adventure was a prequel to Sonic 2. good job, very well written essay.
I think the arguments about Tails' role in the comic is subjective. I think he's doing just fine.
After reading through this thread, I'm compelled to post a comment of my own.
The biggest problem both SatAM and Archie ran into with the initial conception of Tails personality and character is how little they had to go on at the time. Yes, the Japan Story had the whole big backstory with how Sonic and Tails first met, but we the people of the United States didn't get that. What we got was the backstory of Tails being a big time Sonic Hero Worshipper since he was a Baby Fox. I can only assume that was what they had to go by when SatAM and Archie Sonic were originally conceived.
(Quote: As mentioned in the first post, he did fix the bi-plane up with a rocket and repair it's damages within the time it took Sonic to sort out Wing Fortress...)
And if you were playing the game as Tails alone, it's Sonic who does the exact same thing. Perhaps not canonical, but when that's all you have to work with, it's not evidence of mechanical superiority one way or the other (here, again, talking about the American Version.)
It's only been lately that Sega of America has been trying to align its stories/backstories with the Sega of Japan ones. Should Archie do the same? Perhaps. Will they? Probably not. When you have a story going on as long as it has, making any particular changes may have long-running repercussions. I'm not going to say they should or shouldn't do it, because that's up to Archie's discretion.
Yeah SatAM premired like...in the 80's
Apologies in advance for pedantry, but: the first Sonic game wasn't even released until 1991. SatAM premiered in 1993. 
Eeeps. You got me there. But what I mean is. I don't think SatAM should be blamed for what a lot of people here think is character derailment of Tails.
but.... satam is at fault. the games portray him as smart, but satam changes the character into the little child that some of the writers on the comic thought he was.
The rant is less about "blaming SatAM" for the character derailment and more blaming Archie for not even attempting to realign the character.
I mean, it would be like the Batman comic continuing to use an Adam West era Robin, because the comic started in the Adam West era* and used Adam West era themes and plots (alike to how Archie started off with AoStH style plots and themes). It would be embarrassing to anyone who knew the true interpretation of Robin to watch the spin-off one acting so campish, especially given that the TV show which originated that portrail is long gone.
Now, firstly. Don't make it sound like I want Tails to change. My biggest arguement about Brand New Day Peter Parker is "If you want an unmarried Parker, read Ultimate" and the same rings true for Tails "if you want a mech genius Tails, read Sonic X"
However, just because I don't think the comic should U-Turn a character doesn't mean I don't agree with the article in the first post. The character in Archie Sonic is as much Tails as Bane in Batman and Robin (geez, again with Batman?) is Bane (dear Schumacher: BANE IS A GENIUS, NOT A GRUNTING THUG). So, I back up the arguements whole heartedly and even wonder why the comic has not attempted to keep "Sonic's Sidekick" even remotely akin to his canon counterpart. This, however, does not mean I think that any character that has existed for 190+ issues should suddenly change overnight, as that would make even less sense. Just... they really should have at least attempted to kee-
You know what. Screw it, Knuckles is on Angel Island with the entire Echidna race when his defining character point in the games is that he's the last of his kind. Why the heck am I even typing this stuff?
*- I know this is not true and Batman existed 40 odd years prior, it was an example.
Actually Craig, the remaining members of the Echidna race are stranded in a trashed Albion struggling to survive, or working for the good doctor Eggman as cannon fodder. =D
Actually Craig, the remaining members of the Echidna race are stranded in a trashed Albion struggling to survive, or working for the good doctor Eggman as cannon fodder. =D
Yeah, don't forget that 90% of them are dead. As for the ones working for Eggman, they are cannon fodder and Eggman has them all set up with explosives. He is ready to use them up or blow them up. Unfortunately, I doubt Eggman will blow any of them up or that anything seriously bad will happen to most of them. D:
As for Tails being smart or dumb in the comic, I can't argue that Ken and Karl portrayed Tails like he should have been in the past (#107 comes to mind as the stupidest thing I've ever heard Tails say), but I feel that Ian has brought Tails closer to his smarter game counterpart. Tails has been shown working in labs constructively, hacking into Nicole and New Mobotropolis and doing many other smart things. I won't argue much about Penders' or Bollers' work, but I think Ian has done Tails' character more justice.
I thought it was just the Dark (Egg) Legion who were rewired by the Doc?
Also, what issue did this "Echidna Genocide" take place? How exactly did such a profound loss of life go unnoticed? Heck, I can't even recall anyone bringing up the subject. 90% of an entire population, dead and buried. Yowza.
I thought it was just the Dark (Egg) Legion who were rewired by the Doc?
Also, what issue did this "Echidna Genocide" take place? How exactly did such a profound loss of life go unnoticed? Heck, I can't even recall anyone bringing up the subject. 90% of an entire population, dead and buried. Yowza.
The Dark Egg Legion are the only echidnas with Dr. Eggman. I'd surmise about half are with Eggman, wired and ready to explode, and the other half are in Albion, pretty safely hidden, but Albion is trashed from Eggman's attack on the city (although the echidnas seem to be fixing it in a rather fast amount of time).
It was mentioned that 90% of the population was killed in #181 by Doctor Finitevus. The echidnas were constantly being killed, tortured, and Egg Graped by the Dingoes and Eggman. The loss did and didn't go unnoticed, Knuckles didn't know until Fini made him aware and the Kingdom of Acorn thought that Locke (and later, unbeknownst to them the Destructix) were protecting them. They were getting protected for a long time, but it's hard for one echidna to fend off thousands of robots and Dingoes.
I'd assume that had happened with the Dingoes taking over Angel Island, Psx, but I'm unclear of the genocide details, myself.
But didn't Knuckles initially ignore the plight of the Angel Island echidnas in favor of focusing on Eggman?
But didn't Knuckles initially ignore the plight of the Angel Island echidnas in favor of focusing on Eggman?
No, as I recall he wanted to fix the problem but the Kingdom of Acorn wouldn't let him (and later he thought his dad could handle things in his place). Eventually he persuaded them to let him in RtAI and kinda fixed the problem, leaving his dad in charge of AI. He figured Locke could protect it. Knuckles thought the best way to protect AI was to fight Eggman and defeat him, letting his dad protect AI in the meantime. Knuckles didn't ignore AI, he thought his dad had everything under control (though his dad was interested in other things, namely finding the Brotherhood).
EDIT: Whoops, didn't see there was a second page. I don't think that changes much of what I have to say, though.
I can see how the Sonic SATam team would interpret Tails' character as being dumb, or at the very least inept. Just look at the gameplay of Sonic 2 when you let Tails be controlled by the computer's AI. He'll dash right into enemies even though he had more than ample time to jump, get squished, run into lava, whatever. I would say Tails spends about half of his time getting hurt and trying to follow you and the other half of the time off screen as the game waits it's specific amount of time until it lets Tails fly back down onto the screen. In Sonic Adventure, Sonic Heroes, and Sonic2006 when Tails is following you he will also occasional fall into pratfalls. At one point when I was walking through Soleana Tails just sort of walked off a ledge into the water and started shouting.
As for Tails' character in Sonic 2 they put very little emphasis on the intelligence aspect of his character. Sure, he can fly a plane and put rockets on it, but how out of the ordinary is that? It's obvious that Sonic's world runs on a different set of rules than oursThis is the world where a malformed blue hedgehog can run at unearthly speeds -- who's to say your average fox can't grab a plane and fly it? If you play through Sonic 2 with Tails as your main character Sonic also demonstrates that he has the ability to fly a plane. Instead they place emphasis on his hero-worshipping. I don't remember if the US instruction manual -- which is about the only place for the Sonic SATam writers to get information on Tails, lest SEGA feels like talking -- mentions him being any kind of mechanical genius. I vaguely recall that Tails invented the Spin dash...but that's kind of a nonesensical attack of it's own. I always interpreted that as a person who falls down hills alot eventually figures out ways to tumble while getting hurt less.Tails' Adventure can't have any bearing on SATam's depiction of Tails...So that failure is the comic's. They did let him display more of his mechanical genius by letting him pilot his Sea Fox from Triple Trouble, though.
I was actually shocked back in 1999 when Tails was depicted as being so much of a genius. It retroactively explained why Tails could fly the plane back in the earlier games -- although, again, that wasn't something that warranted a huge explaination. In my own head, which I guess is fanon, I explained it as being Tails had done alot of studying in the time post S3&K and prior to Sonic Adventure to up his intelligence so much. There was sort of a rift forming between Sonic and Tails due to this intelligence in SA as well. During the scene with Sonic and Tails on the Egg Carrier Tails says some technical things which Sonic just blows off, leaving Tails to lament to himself that he hates when Sonic does that to him.
While I suppose it's true that Tails' Adventure elaborated on Tails' smarts most of the Game Gear games have been wiped out from canon. Sonic Labyrinth said that Sonic's shoes were the key to his speed which was never hinted before or after.The character of Knack/Fang the Snipeer went into limbo -- you could play as him in the Game Gear Sonic racing games, but again those were Game Gear games. Knack showed up in Sonig Fighters, which had the canon-ness of introducing Amy's Pico Hammer but also the introduction of an eigth Chaos Emerald that came from nowhere. Tails' Sky Patrol never even came to America until the Sonic Gems compilation was released. Sonic and friends swore to never speak of Blast-GG again, as the memories were too painful.The GameGear versions of Sonic 1 and 2 are usually disregarded in favor of Genesis Sonic 1 and 2 and are at best seen as other adventure Sonic and Tails went on in the past. Sonic Chaos is another GameGear game that has little impact on canon but also doesn't show Tails' ingenuity.
The handhelds didn't really hold much of canon-ocity to themselves until Sonic Advance 2 which actually introduced a new re-occuring character to the mix -- Cream the Rabit -- as well as her mother. Sonic Advance 3 also introduced the robot model of the Giozoid, which at the very least appeared in another GBA game, Sonic Battle. (Although that one sure is murky canon waters anyway you look at it.) Sonic Rush 1 and 2 featured Blaze who was pretty much the co-star. Both Cream and Blaze eventually made their way to home console games where they have been re-occuring.
I do agree with the analysis of Sonic and Tails' friendship, though. They're really not depicted as being the best of friends in the games. I think the reason why that gets snuck into fanon, besides the cartoon, is due to how much time the people spent playing as Sonic and being followed by Tails. There weren't many other friendly characters Sonic encountered in the classic games and as long as you didn't choose the Sonic-Solo option they were inseperable.
Even if I don't agree with alot of it, excellent article. I like thinking in depth about the Sonic universe and the article forces you to do that.
