TooManyGames: Matt Herms In Living Color-ist

Low-key may be the best way to describe Matt Herms and how he conducted his artist panel at TooManyGames on Friday. That is not intended as an insult; it’s from low key affairs where the most intimate and insightful conversations can be had. For the modest amount of Sonic comic fans in attendance of that panel, it is exactly what they received, from a man who was once in their shoes.

In an era where fans are increasingly taking on key roles in official Sonic circles, Herms remains modest about it all. He insists that colleagues Ian Flynn and Tyson Hesse–both key contributors to the Sonic comics in their own right–are both “a lot more famous than me.”

Herms conceded to attendees that he goofed on a piece of artwork within Sonic #195, his big break after a year of back and forth with Archie Comics. His aspirations, for the moment, are limited to what fans know him best as–a penciller and colorist. When TSSZ asked if he had any aspirations to eventually write a story for the Sonic comics–should they resume–Herms had one word: “Never.”

Even the equipment Herms uses is low-key. Never liking to upgrade, he told attendees he still uses Adobe Photoshop 7, a now 15 year old piece of software, to do work.

Well aware of the current controversy surrounding the state of the Sonic comics, Herms from the onset assured fans that Sega and Archie remain in talks to continue to the series–and that if they do, he and the team are working on a third issue of the Sonic Mega Drive series.

“Essentially, Sega and Archie Comics are talking about what the future of the comics are,” Herms said. “As soon as that decision is reached, they’ll let fans know.”

With the pressing matter out of the way, the remainder of the panel was dedicated to Herms’s craft. He cites Sonic Universe #50 as his favorite cover he’s contributed to since becoming regular colorist around issue 200.

“Being a colorist, you’re the last person touching the artwork,” Herms said.

It’s a role he’s most comfortable with. When TSSZ asked Herms whether he’d ever consider writing for the series.

“I didn’t have a ton of interest in writing,” Herms said. “It didn’t work well for my control freak tendencies.”

Control is finally something Herms has over the Sonic series, after many years reading it as a child. He told the panel he wrote a letter to the comics in its early years criticizing the different shade of blue used for Uncle Chuck versus the SatAM animated series. It was never published. When Herms went professional after a year of volleying back and forth with Archie comics, it was the first thing he fixed.

“My very, very first issue…opens on a scene of Uncle Chuck at a table,” Herms said. “This is my moment.”

Still, Herms recognizes the transition from fan to professional can be a tight rope to traverse. In his first days working for Archie, he told the panel the need to resist fanboying out was high.

“I have my moments all the time where I’m like, ‘Let me make sure I’m not going far into fan mode,’ ” Herms said, then recalling a moment when he was coloring the work of renowned Sonic comic contributor Patrick Spaziante.  “I had to keep this professional….I grew up reading his guy’s stuff.”

Herms considers his transition to professional work akin to the current contributions of fans to Sonic Mania, calling it a “generational advancement.”

But he has his moments, and encourages other Sonic fans to have them as well.

“If you want to make Sonic comics, make Sonic comics,” Herms told attendees. “I still draw Sonic fan art.”

And about those fans–some of them just as picky about skin tones as he was–Herms believe it’s good for the franchise.
“The interesting thing about Sonic is that he has existed so diversely over the years,” Herms said. “Sonic, he’s had multiple cartoons, he’s had multiple comic books, he’s had multiple different games with different backstories and what not…everyone comes to Sonic in a different way.”

“(It’s) ridiculously silly, but I get it,” he explained. “The passion and the drive of ‘I have come to know this character’–I get it…It can all exist and everything’s good.”