Aww, hell no...
Apr. 23rd, 2007 11:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
flyboy_foxOh no. I read Archie Sonic #174 today and now I suddenly see EXACTLY what's going to happen. In fact, I'd bet money on it. If I'm wrong, I'll be happy. But Archie is SO damn predictable. I think I can see exactly what's going to tear Sonic and Tails apart and set them against each other, and if I'm right... then any and all possible good things that could come from it are now null and void.
Maybe I'm wrong. I hope I'm wrong. If I'm right, I'll have a hard time ever forgiving that comic :\
There's issue 174 spoilers here I guess. But I'm mainly cutting this for length and rantiness. Because yes, I'm highly opinionated when it comes to my fandom ._.;;
Okay, where to begin?
I guess I can start by summing up #174. Bunnie and Antoine tie the knot, and amazingly, it all goes off without a hitch. Meanwhile, Espio is in the City, collecting evidence on Robotnik's latest scheme. The entire issue has underlying currents of Sonic/Sally, which kind of peeved me because with that and the whole Espio thing, it really took the focus off the happy couple. It had a soap-operatic air of "These two are getting married, but everyone's thinking why aren't these OTHER two typing the knot?". The verbal hints and non-verbal hints were laid on like butter. Poor Bunnie and Antoine clearly weren't the 'feature couple' of this issue, despite their wedding. Heck, the page where they exchanged their vows, the most important part, and placed their wedding rings on each other's fingers... was split in half down the middle to run alongside Espio's story. Now, I totally get that there was supposed to be a contrast... happiness for Bunnie and Antoine vs danger and horror in the City for Espio. But Bunnie and Antoine's wedding was already SO sidelined by the Sonally hints... argh. I'm not happy. They deserved better.
What else was wrong with the issue? Well, Tails continuing to pine over Fiona was... annoying. Shut up already x.x Ahem. But the thing that made everything start to make sense?
Tails' parents.
Bear with me here. I have a STRONG suspicion that Amadeus Prower is going to split off a faction of the Kingdom, and thus turn Tails and Sonic against each other.
Here we go:
King Acorn: The honor is mine.
Amadeus: And _that_, sire, is why I am so optimistic for our great nation.
...
Amadeus: *Offside* Soon you won't have much more power than that, anyway.
Tails: *Approaches* What did you mean by that, dad?
Amadeus: Just that your mother and I have a number of suggestions for the structure of the Kingdom, Tails. New plans to better the lives of everyone in Knothole.
Okay, so added to the fact that Amadeus was looking traditionally 'evil sneaky' during those panels, what are the chances of Archie pulling one of its fabled "IMPOSTER!!1" storylines? So, come on, it's gotta be a) Amadeus isn't actually Amadeus, or b) Amadeus is being controlled by the Xorda, or c) Amadeus has some other allegiance.
Maybe I'm reading too much into this. But I think not. There really wasn't any reason for him to feature much in this issue. Another thing that caught my attention was the dialogue near the beginning where Sonic and Tails are talking about their parents.
Bernadette (Sonic's mom): ...and none of your running! We don't want your clothes all dusty!
Sonic: *Out of earshot of his parents* Are your parents that bad, Tails?
Tails: Worse! And that's why I love 'em!
Sonic: I hear that.
Doesn't seem like much, but it sure looks to me like they're gradually building on the parental allegiance theme.
If this goes the way I think it will, I'll be REALLY angry. Why?
Simple.
The Freedom Fighters were doing a fine job all by themselves for a long time. Then, gradually, all the parents started coming back. Some were rescued, some just found their way back, but at this point, most of the main characters have their families back. Sonic has a mom and dad, and of course his Uncle Chuck. Tails has his mom and dad, who returned from space pretty recently (although he's known they're alive for a little longer).
What gets me is this. Now that the parents are back, these adults pretty much control everything. All of a sudden, the Freedom Fighters are just kids again, having to ask permission to do anything. It doesn't matter how many times they've saved the world... they're just a bunch of teens now who have to do what their elders say. And none of them seem to mind; they're just happy to have their parents back. And that's all very well... but what starts to irk me is when the characters' loyalties default to these adult figures above and beyond their own friends and partners. Sally's a slave to the extremely backwards traditions of the Acorn Royal lineage. Sonic's been arrested numerous times for Freedom Fighting without Royal permission. It just... argh.
Anyway, where is this leading? To this. If Amadeus DOES go AWOL and split the Kingdom, Tails will default to his side. It won't MATTER that he's known Sonic for 12 years and his dad for only a few weeks/months! Now that the parents are back, the 'kids' loyalty will go to them. And if that happens, I will probably be too disgusted to ever read Archie again. If Tails ends up fighting against Sonic because Sonic and Amadeus are members of opposing factions, I will give up hope.
And do know what's kind of worse? If that's what happens, it won't resolve ANYTHING between Sonic and Tails. Because guess what? Tails will end up being in the wrong... and he'll have to end up apologising to Sonic again when it turns out that Amadeus is evil/corrupt/being controlled/blackmailed. And Sonic will be all "It's cool". And it'll just be like it's always been. ... I just... wish for once that SONIC could be wrong. I wish Sonic could eat humble pie for once. I wish Sonic and Tails could have a heart-to-heart and fix their friendship. But I don't think the Archie comics are capable of that much depth or character progression.
I can just see how it'll probably play out. It's so predictable. And I just hope... hope hope hope... that I'm wrong :\
Maybe I'm wrong. I hope I'm wrong. If I'm right, I'll have a hard time ever forgiving that comic :\
There's issue 174 spoilers here I guess. But I'm mainly cutting this for length and rantiness. Because yes, I'm highly opinionated when it comes to my fandom ._.;;
Okay, where to begin?
I guess I can start by summing up #174. Bunnie and Antoine tie the knot, and amazingly, it all goes off without a hitch. Meanwhile, Espio is in the City, collecting evidence on Robotnik's latest scheme. The entire issue has underlying currents of Sonic/Sally, which kind of peeved me because with that and the whole Espio thing, it really took the focus off the happy couple. It had a soap-operatic air of "These two are getting married, but everyone's thinking why aren't these OTHER two typing the knot?". The verbal hints and non-verbal hints were laid on like butter. Poor Bunnie and Antoine clearly weren't the 'feature couple' of this issue, despite their wedding. Heck, the page where they exchanged their vows, the most important part, and placed their wedding rings on each other's fingers... was split in half down the middle to run alongside Espio's story. Now, I totally get that there was supposed to be a contrast... happiness for Bunnie and Antoine vs danger and horror in the City for Espio. But Bunnie and Antoine's wedding was already SO sidelined by the Sonally hints... argh. I'm not happy. They deserved better.
What else was wrong with the issue? Well, Tails continuing to pine over Fiona was... annoying. Shut up already x.x Ahem. But the thing that made everything start to make sense?
Tails' parents.
Bear with me here. I have a STRONG suspicion that Amadeus Prower is going to split off a faction of the Kingdom, and thus turn Tails and Sonic against each other.
Here we go:
King Acorn: The honor is mine.
Amadeus: And _that_, sire, is why I am so optimistic for our great nation.
...
Amadeus: *Offside* Soon you won't have much more power than that, anyway.
Tails: *Approaches* What did you mean by that, dad?
Amadeus: Just that your mother and I have a number of suggestions for the structure of the Kingdom, Tails. New plans to better the lives of everyone in Knothole.
Okay, so added to the fact that Amadeus was looking traditionally 'evil sneaky' during those panels, what are the chances of Archie pulling one of its fabled "IMPOSTER!!1" storylines? So, come on, it's gotta be a) Amadeus isn't actually Amadeus, or b) Amadeus is being controlled by the Xorda, or c) Amadeus has some other allegiance.
Maybe I'm reading too much into this. But I think not. There really wasn't any reason for him to feature much in this issue. Another thing that caught my attention was the dialogue near the beginning where Sonic and Tails are talking about their parents.
Bernadette (Sonic's mom): ...and none of your running! We don't want your clothes all dusty!
Sonic: *Out of earshot of his parents* Are your parents that bad, Tails?
Tails: Worse! And that's why I love 'em!
Sonic: I hear that.
Doesn't seem like much, but it sure looks to me like they're gradually building on the parental allegiance theme.
If this goes the way I think it will, I'll be REALLY angry. Why?
Simple.
The Freedom Fighters were doing a fine job all by themselves for a long time. Then, gradually, all the parents started coming back. Some were rescued, some just found their way back, but at this point, most of the main characters have their families back. Sonic has a mom and dad, and of course his Uncle Chuck. Tails has his mom and dad, who returned from space pretty recently (although he's known they're alive for a little longer).
What gets me is this. Now that the parents are back, these adults pretty much control everything. All of a sudden, the Freedom Fighters are just kids again, having to ask permission to do anything. It doesn't matter how many times they've saved the world... they're just a bunch of teens now who have to do what their elders say. And none of them seem to mind; they're just happy to have their parents back. And that's all very well... but what starts to irk me is when the characters' loyalties default to these adult figures above and beyond their own friends and partners. Sally's a slave to the extremely backwards traditions of the Acorn Royal lineage. Sonic's been arrested numerous times for Freedom Fighting without Royal permission. It just... argh.
Anyway, where is this leading? To this. If Amadeus DOES go AWOL and split the Kingdom, Tails will default to his side. It won't MATTER that he's known Sonic for 12 years and his dad for only a few weeks/months! Now that the parents are back, the 'kids' loyalty will go to them. And if that happens, I will probably be too disgusted to ever read Archie again. If Tails ends up fighting against Sonic because Sonic and Amadeus are members of opposing factions, I will give up hope.
And do know what's kind of worse? If that's what happens, it won't resolve ANYTHING between Sonic and Tails. Because guess what? Tails will end up being in the wrong... and he'll have to end up apologising to Sonic again when it turns out that Amadeus is evil/corrupt/being controlled/blackmailed. And Sonic will be all "It's cool". And it'll just be like it's always been. ... I just... wish for once that SONIC could be wrong. I wish Sonic could eat humble pie for once. I wish Sonic and Tails could have a heart-to-heart and fix their friendship. But I don't think the Archie comics are capable of that much depth or character progression.
I can just see how it'll probably play out. It's so predictable. And I just hope... hope hope hope... that I'm wrong :\
