Thought we could have some fun here. Basically, most fans look at a comic and think "I want to write that!" or "I could do better!" - so let's put that to the test! (Context and info on working at Archie borrowed from Ian Flynn's Script Bits on his forum)
There's a new writer coming in on Sonic #160 - and it's you! You've made some pitches that haven't been printed but impressed the editor enough to be made Head Writer Man. It's your job now to write Sonic - but you have deal with the demands from Sega and editorial wot I nicked from what Ian Flynn revealed he had to. And you'll sometimes get no warning!
You have inherited the status quo circa #130-159.
Here are some editorial demands you have to satisfy:
* The previous three issues had Eggman infect some characters (Bunnie, Sonic's dad, Tommy Turtle and NICOLE) with nanites, without anyone realising. It also had an unrevealed figure send a Metal Sonic army (borrowed from storage in Knothole) to attack both Knothole and Eggman. You have to deal with both these dangling plots.
* Tommy Turtle - KILL HIM.
* Sonic's alternate-reality doppleganger - Anti-Sonic - is hanging with Rouge the Bat. You have to turn him into a new and more dangerous villain called Scourge the Hedgehog.
* #160 comes out in the same month as the big 15 Years Of Sonic thing - do an story celebrating Sonic's birthday/anniversary.
* Issues 160 and 161 can only have 14-page lead stories because another creator is doing 8-page back-ups adapting Sonic Rush.
Sega's demands:
* Around #163/164, you must do a Sonic Riders tie-in. All they'll tell you is the name and some vague data on the Babylon Rogues (you know Jet is cocky leader, Wave is somewhat techie and Storm is the muscle) and the airboarding race concept. That's all you know about the game.
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Sooo... from all that, what's your pitch for the title's immediate future and what stories do you have in mind to write...?
This... is something I'd need to think about.
Ok. I'll bite; this should be a fun distraction from my work.
I'd personally prefer to keep the nanites topic in the background, rather than resolve it instantly. The presence of nanites that the readers know about but the characters don't opens up ... possibilities. The robot army and other stuff can be attended to quickly enough, though.
So...
160
The issue starts with Tommy Turtle as a silhouette, moving through some secure area of the (ugh - terribly named) "Brain Trust" Headquarters or something. He's conspicuously missing by next morning, however, before anyone can get to looking into why, the Metal Sonic Army (MSA) starts to appear.
After some initial fighting, Tails explains to Sonic that the Trust (just 'The Trust' is so much better than a bad pun) was building the army to attack Eggman and fight 'fire with fire.' He and some other choice FFs have to make a run for the Trust Factory and shut down the computer controlling the Metal Sonic Army.
At some time they split up; Sonic and Tails go after the power supply, the others to the control room. The latter group includes Bunnie, and at some time, it seems (to us) as if she's under nanite control and betraying the group, as during a fight she "loses control" of her robotic arm and accidentally almost knocks Sally out or something. Eventually they get to the comp, and Sally tries to use NICOLE to turn it off.
Tails and Sonic meanwhile get to the power plant, and face the usual "boss" type stronger-than-normal Metal Sonic. Cue big fight, while Tails does the tech work of eventually shutting the plant down. He laments, however, that this was 'probably their best chance' at getting rid of Eggman, so it doesn't seem like coincidence that something went wrong.
The day seems nonetheless saved, but at the end of the story, it's revealed that the Chaos Emeralds that had been locked up for safe keeping are missing. Its assumed that Eggman has them, and that he's the one who somehow turned off the Metal Sonic Army IFF (Id Friend or Foe) codes.
161
The Big Three (Sonic, Tails, Knuckles) immediately head off after the Emerald thieves, and while they do so, they recall (or lament) how often it seems they have to try and track the things down. Cue some reminiscing and character insight regarding the old games and how the three were individually intro'd. This can serve as the 15 years anniversary thing. Sonic, Tails and Knuckles eventually catch up or track down Rouge and Anti-Sonic, who have one of the missile emeralds. It looks like they'd already been in a fight.
Seems while Sonic and the rest were trying to shut off the MSA, Anti-Sonic and Rouge got it in their heads that this was an excellent opportunity to grab the Chaos Emeralds. Except when they broke in, they ran into "three airboarders" who had the same idea. Between fighting each other and the Metal Sonic Army at the time, Anti-S and Rouge are in no condition to fight the Triple Threat.
In desperation, Anti-S tries to Chaos Control, and he and Rouge do make their escape, but it backfires and irradiates him. There ya go: he's Scourge now. But due to his inexperience, he left the Emerald behind. Do'h! Dr. Fini berates them for not bringing anything back, but Scourge seems confident he'll kick ass and take names next time thanks to his power up.
162
The Trust are investigating what went wrong with the MSA (or rather Tails claims he still is). There was a lot of property damage and the like during the MSA rampage, and King Elias (with Max behind him giving him advise) decides they need a scapegoat to take the blame for the program going amok. Tommy Turtle is still MIA, and he was part of the Trust, so they assign the blame on him, saying he made a programming error or something and then fled for the hills. Sonic, of course, wants to clear his friend's name.
While Tails continues his investigation with NICOLE (who seems to be running interference), Tommy coincidentally shows up at Sonic's place. They talk for a bit, as Sonic tries to get Tommy to admit where he was and find proof of his innocence. Sonics father walks in at some point, and then the nanites take over, and Tommy turns on Sonic and tries to kill him. Sonic finds it hard to defend himself, but before Tommy can land a final blow he stops and falls to the ground.
Sonics father remarks (to himself) that Tommys organic body couldnt handle the strain and that he would have died soon anyway. But we are close. The nanite-infected all seem to be up to something.
Meanwhile, the Babylon Rogues secretly deliver the Emerald they stole to the same shadowy figure that released the MSA, a few issues earlier. The figure notes that this is a good start and reveals itself to be none other than NICOLE, in her mobian body design.
163-164
The needed Sonic Riders tie in. There is a plague among the residents of Knothole, and everyone is worried. The weakest children and the elderly only seem to have it so far, but it is spreading and no one knows what it is. NICOLE and the Trust seem to think that the plague is caused by terrorists, specifically the Battlebird Armada. NICOLE suggests that they find the Armada, and get the cure from them (or at least info on the plague they used). The evidence seems rather flimsy, but everyone trusts NICOLE and eventually King Elias (and Max) order the mission to go ahead.
The Battlebirds are actually innocent (at least in regards to this one thing), but they have a Chaos Emerald and NICOLE wants it.
Sonic and company contact the rebels NICOLE determined could prove useful allies in taking down the Armada. These are, of course, the Babylon Rogues, who are ~of course~ in it to betray Sonic and the rest and steal the Armadas Emerald. The Armada is having some kind of airboard race with their pilots, and Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Jet, Storm and Wave all enter. Fit in some character interaction before and between the races (the Sonic-Jet rivalry, Knux and Storm coming to blows, Wave and Tails being antagonistic, Waves sabotage); theres plenty to fill up pages.
However, Tails (going off on his own, since the BBA are Tails Adventure villains) eventually determines that the BBA arent behind whats happening in Knothole. He then determines that NICOLE is pulling the strings and after the BBA Chaos Emerald. Jet steals it in the final race, and getting the lowdown from Tails, Sonic tries to stop him but Wave sabotaged his board. Sonic crashes and the Babylon Rogues escape (again).
The Rogues return to NICOLE, who seems to have built herself a physical body. But this time Eggman is standing behind her, looking quite happy with himself.
(note: given the OP, Im assuming as writer that very little is known at the time about the Riders plotline beyond the obvious, so the storyline doesnt delve into the Genie story. Besides, theres not enough time for that most of the above is obvious stuff that also happens to parallel the game)
165
The big showdown issue (Id actually prefer to put it off longer, but it can be jumped right into here and now). Eggmans troops enter Knothole without having to fire even a shot. Virtually everyone is infected by the nanites, and rendered near slaves. NICOLE has two Chaos Emeralds powering her nanite body and the nanite plague (making it much stronger now).
Predictably, being the antagonists, NICOLE and Eggman try and turn on the Babylon Rogues rather than just paying them off and letting them leave. Wave and Storm are captured as they try and escape, but Jet gets away. He heads back to the BBA, where he assumes Sonic, Tails and Knuckles are being held prisoner. He sneaks onto the lead warship of the Armada, heading for the brig, only to get caught. by Sonic himself.
Back in Occupied Knothole, Eggman is pondering what to do now that hes basically won (probably while eating in the throne room or something), and if hell have a nice showdown with Sonic or not. Hes interrupted by NICOLE, who informs him that a fleet of airships is headed towards them the Battlebird Armada! Eggman then tells her to have Snively take his fleet and get it ready to fight.
Skipping right to the battles: Sonic, and Eggman have their big showdown, while Tails tries to subdue and hack into NICOLE and turn off the nanites controlling her. The BBA and the Eggman Fleet battle in the air while Jet rescues Wave and Storm. Like Ian wrote, Sonic is getting manhandled by Eggman in his powered armor, when Knuckles arrives and lends a fist or two, turning the tables. Tails is also having trouble hacking NICOLE, when Wave (who Jet just rescued) comes to his aid together they shut the nanites control programming down and NICOLE regains control over herself.
Eggman continues to fight Sonic and Knuckles, losing but not badly, but then the Rogues and Tails appear, and he realizes hes been outmaneuvered. Making his escape, he has the remains of the Eggman fleet fire at Knothole, starting massive fires. As he falls back he warns: Dont think youve won; this is the beginning of the end for all of you.
So Knothole is still leveled, but (somehow) most everyone was evacuated.
Unfortunately, while Sega's going to be happy with Riders getting this much page-space and are okay with the Battlebirds, they've said you can't use the Metal Sonic Troopers again. For reasons they won't state, the Sonic Heroes Metal Sonics can only be used once and we've done that once (true story as shown on Script Bits).
Back to the drawing board for #160!
The original post never said they could only be used in one issue. I can't be blamed for making that assumption.
In the original post you said specifically to use them in 160, which is what I did. If the problem is in 161 (the parallel issue that takes place around the same time), then they're written out easily enough; you can have Rouge and Anti-S fight regular mobian guards then.
Well, as quoth the original post:
Quote:
you have deal with the demands from Sega and editorial wot I nicked from what Ian Flynn revealed he had to. And you'll sometimes get no warning!
And this is one of those annoying demands Sega has sprung - "plotted a story using that Metal Sonic? Well... you can't use him!" (Which puts any poor sod writing this in the position of resolving who took control of them without actually using them...)
I don't know what I'd do for the issues themselves, but I'd have the Freedom Fighters go on an old-school SatAM sabotage mission, for nostalgia 
I could work around surprise conditions, but only IF I was actually given a rational reason for them.
How do you think Ian felt? Sega actually did say "you can't use the Neo Metal Sonics again".
One major change I would have done is to never mention the name "Eggman" again. I've notice them switching between the 2 names and its been getting irritating.
You think SEGA would actually allow that?
What CCL said. The purpose of this topic's to see what people'd do if they were faced with the same sort of editorial restrictions that Ian deals with on a daily basis - not a wish fulfilment exercise.
I'm pretty sure they have to call him Eggman now, it is his name worldwide and always was so in Japan. Robotnik is the old localized name they no longer have to use but throw out there sometimes as a nod to long-time fans.
i like the metal sonic army idea alot. but what i'd have planned would be like 2-3 issues minimum so i'd post it, i really would, but if that rule is in effect it would be pretty hard.
