Archie Update: Ian Flynn – “I’ve Heard We Should Get [Sonic] News by End Of July”

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1. Maybe more news on the Sonic comic book fate at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con? That’s before the end of July 2017 is over.

2. I wonder how Ian is handling the Sonic hiatus himself while at least temporary out of work…

   1. Well it seems he always has work, he writes for several comics at once and it seems he helped writing for Sonic Forces in some capacity.

      1. And do you have any proof of this? Unless I hear otherwise, Pontaff have ruined yet another game in the Sonic series with their crap writing.

         Also, if Ian Flynn is out of work at the moment aside from the comic he’s working on, maybe he could write for Sonic Boom since he’s written two episodes already, or he could actually write for the games. Heck, he could write for the movie if it ever gets out of development hell.

         1. “Pontaff have ruined yet another game in the Sonic series with their crap writing.”

            The game isn’t even out yet. We’ve barely even heard any of the writing. We have no idea of what direction Pontaff/Graff is taking this game yet. It could go more towards the goofy/comedy-focused route of Colors and Generations, or it could go the direction of the tension and character conflict that Lost World had. We just don’t know yet.

            And even then, this is your opinion, not factual. And even then, this isn’t a movie. If your Sonic experience is getting ruined because of a story and not from actually playing the game…I can’t even begin to imagine what your reactions to the Sonic live-action/animation movie will be.

         2. SSF1991, do you ever get sick of pooh-poohing people’s criticisms? I often wonder what you’re doing running this site if you can’t handle people’s cynicism toward the state of the Sonic franchise. Responses like “And even then, this is your opinion, not factual” prove that the commenter touched a nerve, because he never claimed to be doing anything BUT expression an opinion.

            1. I’m not particularly surprised that this is a response I get. It seems that completely ignoring what I say and just launching the usual “you’re hating on criticism” claim is the norm nowadays. Still, let me address each point bit by bit.

               “SSF1991, do you ever get sick of pooh-poohing people’s criticisms?” No, but I find it ironic how this argument is always brought up, even though I wasn’t “pooh-poohing” it at all, just because I have a disagreeing opinion. Speaking of which, you didn’t even bother to address what I actually said. You just dismissed it as “you’re hating on criticism”. You post a comment on a public forum or article, expect replies. It’s that simple.

               “I often wonder what you’re doing running this site if you can’t handle people’s cynicism toward the state of the Sonic franchise.” Except it wasn’t cynicism. It wasn’t even about the state of the Sonic franchise. It was about judging a game and automatically concluding the story is bad before we know anything about it. That’s not cynicism, that’s jumping to conclusions. Which was my entire point. Did you even read what was said?

               “Responses like “And even then, this is your opinion, not factual” prove that the commenter touched a nerve, because he never claimed to be doing anything BUT expression an opinion.” How is simply stating “this is your opinion” touching a nerve? I’m making a point. He doesn’t have to claim anything. It’s not what he said, it’s how he said it. You don’t have to say “this is factual” to come off like this. Besides, not claiming something doesn’t mean he “touched a nerve”.

               If all you can see out of two entire paragraphs is “stop hating on criticism”, then you’re not helping your case out at all. And quite frankly, this increasingly prominent defense mechanism when someone questions your argument even the slightest bit is not something that would touch a nerve in me either. I’ve seen it a ton of times already. I’m used to it.

         3. @MATT

            I would have to side with SSF1991 on this one, the game is not even out yet, how can it possibly be ruined already for anyone in their right mind before it came out? Not to mention so far it seems that the writting doesn’t have Pontac & Graff’s iconic brand of flanderization, this game could be a complete reboot from the bland stories we have gotten since Sonic Color or this could be Sonic Generations with a differet coat paint but in this particular case is really hard to know before trying it, after all we have a different director for this game, even a different Sega at that.

   2. I don’t get this logic. Everybody should be free to criticize anything they desire. By the same logic, you should not be allowed to be praising or being positive the game, since it’s not out, yet. This circle-jerk of optimism on the Sonic fandom is just the worst, tbh

      And being truthful, looking at “Pontaff” history with Sonic Story, there isn’t much hope there.

      1. Congrats. You repeated the exact same argument I addressed already in this comment thread.

         “By the same logic, you should not be allowed to be praising or being positive the game, since it’s not out, yet.” Except people praising/being positive about the game aren’t calling the game good and they certainly aren’t saying “ruined”. There’s a difference between saying “I am interested in this game” and saying “this game is great”. He said “this game will be ruined because of the story”.How many more times do I need to say this? And besides, people are allowed to be interested in this game. It’s just that, interest. They like what they’re seeing. But by no means is that anything like the “You hate my criticism” and “this game will be bad” stuff you and others have said in the comment thread.

         “This circle-jerk of optimism on the Sonic fandom is just the worst, tbh” What circle-jerk? It’s only two people. You have had 2 other people with similar views say something in this comment thread. More people are with you than against you, and yet you still think it’s a circle-jerk? Remind me again how these two people are the problem. Nevertheless, I’d take the optimism over this hosility of yours any day.

         “And being truthful, looking at “Pontaff” history with Sonic Story, there isn’t much hope there.” Yes, and this history is exactly why it’s not worth jumping to conclusions. Because the history points to 2 different directions they have taken with their writing, which I pointed out earlier in the comment thread. And no, this isn’t “truthful”. This is precisely why I say things like “to you” and “this is your opinion” in the first place. Because people seem to love phrasing their opinions in a way that implies that what they’re saying is “the truth” and, therefore, factual. Yes, you have an opinion, that is indeed true. But there’s no right or wrong with it. So no, “there isn’t much hope” isn’t truthful at all. It’s your opinion.

         1. Look at how many paragraphs you’ve spent defending your response. And you think it’s strange that I think he touched a nerve? SSF1991, this isn’t the first time this happens, and it won’t be the last. You quite obviously have a serious problem with certain types of criticisms and feel the need to react in a way that’s unbecoming of someone to whom was entrusted a much loved fansite.

            I can almost guarantee you that I’m not the only longtime reader of TSSZ who is getting seriously annoyed by it, either. All that was needed to set you off was the mere omission of a “in my opinion” from Eggz’ comment. Well, no crap, it’s his opinion. Most people don’t talk that way. The vast majority of people do express their opinions without expressly labeling them as such, but I shouldn’t have to tell you that, and you shouldn’t freak out when someone forgets to say “in my opinion”.

            “Unless I hear otherwise, Pontaff have ruined yet another game in the Sonic series with their crap writing, in my opinion.”

            Doesn’t really change much, does it, unless you’re the kind of person who gets hung up on minor things. Which you continue to do whenever someone criticizes something Sonic-related without being armed with thorough arguments and a preface that begins “In my opinion”.

            1. “Look at how many paragraphs you’ve spent defending your response. And you think it’s strange that I think he touched a nerve?” A long response means “I touched a nerve”…how? I write long responses to present my case and explain my point. Because that’s what you’re supposed to do if you make an argument. I do this even when not replying, but just stating something in a forum post or even on Twitter.

               “You quite obviously have a serious problem with certain types of criticisms and feel the need to react in a way that’s unbecoming of someone to whom was entrusted a much loved fansite.” Speaking of my argument, you’re still ignoring it. And you keep repeating yours over and over again, without even acknowledging what I’ve said.

               “I can almost guarantee you that I’m not the only longtime reader of TSSZ who is getting seriously annoyed by it, either.” And I can almost guarantee you that many people, including longtime readers, agree with me, too. Doesn’t make you right, nor does it make me right. People will take sides. Having back-up doesn’t automatically make you have a valid argument. Popular =/= Right.

               “All that was needed to set you off was the mere omission of a “in my opinion” from Eggz’ comment. Well, no crap, it’s his opinion. Most people don’t talk that way. The vast majority of people do express their opinions without expressly labeling them as such, but I shouldn’t have to tell you that, and you shouldn’t freak out when someone forgets to say ‘in my opinion’.” You’re still ignoring my argument. It’s like you only hear what you want to hear.

               “Doesn’t really change much, does it, unless you’re the kind of person who gets hung up on minor things.” Actually, yes it does, because at the very least you’re acknowledging it’s your opinion and not painting it off as fact. And as I’ve said in the past, it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it. Even without saying “in my opniion”, you can still phrase what you say in a way that implies it.

               “Which you continue to do whenever someone criticizes something Sonic-related without being armed with thorough arguments and a preface that begins ‘In my opinion’.” That’s three times you’ve ignored my argument. Also, if “don’t shove your opinion in people’s faces” is a “minor thing” to you, that doesn’t help your case at all.

         2. With a lot of comments over the Archie comics Sonic dispute and problems, should we call this “ArchieSonicGate”?

            1. Yes. And instead of blaming Russia, we’ll blame the Japanese…

   3. Man, SSF1991, this ain’t a hill worth dying on, man. For your own sanity, just let it go. These people are gonna keep on doing what they do, which is bitch about the plots of a talking, anthromorphic blue hedgehog who rolls through impossibly constructed stages and loops and beats up fat evil doctors to save pink hedgehogs or the world or whatever dude’s screwed with this entry.

      The Sonic fanbase is the pits, has been for a decade or more, and despite you administrating a fan site it’s still worth taking a step back and realizing this is not a fight worth wasting your energy on, even if I appreciate what you’re saying. They’re not gonna get it. They never do.

      1. I know, but administrating a fan site is exactly why I step in a times to let people know if they’re overdoing it. Because that means that people who are actually being respectful are going to have a bad experience here, and I don’t want that.

         The sad thing is that the fight would actually be worth it if more people did something.

         1. Just wait until another comic company steps in to announce with Sega the Sonic comic book rights before July 2017 is over – even at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con!

   4. Update: Ian Flynn has no control over this?

3. SEGA have been awfully quiet with the news of the Archie Sonic Comic “Hiatus”. I’ve been following carefully this news since it started back in December. There are probably these outcomes. Either, they say end of July and it will turn out like what happened at the end of April where a supposed email would go out to the subscribers explaining the situation to the (paying) customers, and then got nothing, or SEGA will come out and publicly acknowledge that they are “In talks” with Archie.
   Which is very frustrating because, as Ian Flynn has said, a lot of the Sonic Archie people have been out of work for a long time. It must be hard for them. They are very talented writers / artists / etc. I love reading their comics. I just wish SEGA would just somehow tip us off with some official news of what the heck is going on exactly, and hope the Sonic Comics aren’t cancelled, although things look grim at this point.

   1. Even if the comics don’t get cancelled such long talks and discussions should point to big changes coming for Sonic in the comic world, these are the most likely outcomes I think.

      -Sonic Archie Comics get cancelled, no new publisher.

      -Sonic Archie Comics get cancelled, new publisher, reboot and can’t use satam characters (the long talks may be due the how to transfer rights and maybe human talent like Ian Flynn).

      -Sonic Archie Comics get rebooted under a new status quo and mandates to follow the new tone of Sonic Forces and future games, satam characters may not return.

      -They want to cancel the comics but are discussing a proper ending for the story which could pan out in 10 to 20 issues.

      I know we just had a half-reboot a while back but its very weird these talks are taking more than 6 months, if they went for a reboot of any sorts they would need enough time to prepare and develop stories for at least 3 years in advance before launching the first issue of the reboot, that would explain the long discussions to some extent but then again the writers should know something about it by now.

      1. Or maybe by the end of July…
         * Sega strikes a deal with a new comic publisher (I am not mentioning the name again, but I hope it’s the publisher of the My Little Pony comic books)
         * Archie Comics declares bankruptcy or something like that
         …even before or after the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con???

         1. @Raw – I don’t know if I would read STH/Sonic Universe after that, I mean, am I the only one who does NOT read Sonic comics for Sonic? I rather do enjoy reading about OTHER characters than Sonic. Yes, he is the title character, but imo, the comics were good because they downplayed Sonic to a large degree. Think of it like this, you had SATam Sonic cartoon which was good, and then you had *sigh* that OTHER show, which imo, wasn’t that great.Even Sonic X was relatively good, because it didn’t necessarily focus on Sonic, you had other characters to make the show interesting as well.

            @DTH, i’ve heard pretty good things about [Redacted] publisher, and not just from MLP comics either. So I believe, as you do, that they would be the best option in case Archie tanks, which judging from the Jughead hiatus, might be the case.

         2. @DTH1971
            Your first point could be a possibility but I hardly doubt Archie would go to bankruptcy right now that Riverdale is a thing.

            @NIGHTFURY
            I do like the bigger focus on the rest of the cast but my favorite character is still Sonic, not to mention the cast is big and diverse enough; satam characters included or not.

4. Its only a matter of time now until the Archie comic crew to give up on this. So, i don’t think it will last for a few years.

   1. Few months or weeks, perhaps?

5. Well that’s almost comforting, I say almost because I’m still upset by how they’ve kept so many of the talented people who worked on the comic in the dark. Really hope the best for both Ian and Adam and all the people who worked on the comic. They deserve better, anyways though I’ll always hold onto hope that the comic will return up until I get official word that I shouldn’t hope any longer.

6. Best we can do now is hope for the best……

7. Wow. They didn’t even tell the writer anything. Jeez. At least let the guy know if he should be actively looking for other work at other publishers to replace the lost projects or if there’s any real chance of them coming back. It’s a simple courtesy. The guy wrote three or four ongoings for the company at any given time. That’s not a small chunk of whatever monthly workload he keeps.

8. Sounds like he’s not been writing for Sonic Forces. =P

9. By the way, a little off topic to the Sonic hiatus in comic books, is Ian Flynn going to pitch his DROGUNE comic series on Kickstarter?

10. I just talked to my comic store today, and the guy said that Archie has lost the license to the Sonic Comics. I am aware that he may have misinformation, but that’s what I was told, and I trust these guys since I’ve been getting my comics from them for more than 5 years.
    If this is true, I really hope a more competent publisher picks Sonic up, (and I agree with Dth1971, I think that publisher would be the best choice based on what they have already) and the stories can go on.
    If not, I would hope that there is at least a resolution issue or a book or something to end the series, rather than it being choked off so abruptly. D:

    1. So, Archie just lost the Sonic licence from Sega without notice by now and failed to renew it? Maybe during the upcoming 2017 San Diego Comic-Con we could hear the announcement that Sega struck a new deal with a different comic company to make Sonic comic books (Please, let it be the publishers of the My Little Pony comic books that I can’t mention currently!) and hopefully the new publisher will restart/resume the comics rights to Sonic with Sega’s wishes by this Fall 2017 or before 2017 is over if not around the start of 2018!

    2. Even if he is misinformed, just guessing or wasn’t told that directly, it’s pretty clear that’s what happened. They stopped all work on the franchise books six months ago, so they clearly don’t have the permissions they need right now. I’d say it’s probably more the license lapsed than they lost it and negotiations broke down because of whatever, but that’s too close to a semantics argument to be worth more than a mention.

       A conclusion of any kind isn’t really guaranteed unless Archie manages to reach a deal with Sega or whatever has to happen, though. The same thing went down with the Image TMNT series when they had the license for a few years. Cut off with no conclusion (though a bunch of Turtles fans and people involved with the comic back in the day, including the writer, got together to make an unofficial conclusion over a decade later).

       The ugly part of licenses, I guess. If it lapses and the owners have no interest in continuing or finishing it, you’re boned. Though that’s not a hard and fast rule; see the old Marvel GI Joe and Transformers comics being revived with the original writers by the current license holders. Though I imagine that’s a far easier thing to do than it would be with Sonic, given how legally thorny the comic only Sonic characters have been in the last decade.

       1. Has My Little Pony been a hot comic book licence by the comic company I can’t mention which I hope gets the Sonic comic book rights with Sega’s wishes soon as it can?

11. Yeah, just the fact the writers and artists have been kept in the dark doesn’t exactly bode well. Hell, even if they do strike a deal whose to say any of them will still be around? I reeaally want some good news to come out of this, but honestly any news is welcome at this point…

    1. I wonder if some of the Archie comics Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles artists/writers work for the current TMNT comic book incarnation which is the same comic company owning the rights to the My Little Pony comic books that I can’t currently mention and hope it becomes the new Sonic comic publisher approved by Sega…

12. This conversation has gone off far beyond what the article was meant for:
    To give us announcements regard Archie Sonic.
    Your turning into this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5AKjNjFEQA

13. That awkward moment when you remember how badly Ian Flynn wrote Locke’s death after Penders’ departure.

    The further awkward moment when you’re ambivalent on Flynn’s fate.

14. Any day now, at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con – the announcement on the Sonic comic fate (Archie keeps it, or another comic company gets the rights from Sega, or even worse – the Sonic comic franchise is R.I.P. for good) could happen.

    1. If it’s done, who’s going to start the revolution against SEGA??

       I mean this: http://www.saturdaymorningsonic.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1876

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