Archie Sonic was>Published before the industry crash>Published when Sonic was still a fresh multi-media IP and continued as the series kept getting new games period regardless of reception>Published by a company that had deals with retailers to distribute outside of LCS'>Said company didn't have strict cancelation lines either>Published when SEGA didn't care about what licensed media were doing with Sonic (in contrast Capcom axed Malibu's Street Fighter comic the second they saw Ryu hold up Ken's scalp)>Published when contemporary superhero comics became bloodier, grittier, raunchier, etc in which there was a vacuum for comics that could safely appeal to kids (not saying it was the only option or even the most successful)The more I think about it, the more I'm oddly fascinated that if just one of these factors didn't apply the series would not have lasted as long as it did.If Marvel or DC had published Sonic comics they'd likely fall off their expectations for sales and other publishers didn't have the same deal Archie attained with retailers.If the industry didn't crash in 1996 similar kid-friendly mascot characters likely would've had their own runs like Crash Bandicoot or Spyro the DragonNow how long those runs would even last is nebulous especially when the popularity and importance of mascot platformers in general declined as the years went on but it's still an observation to the factors that led to Archie Sonic fundamentally having no competition within its very specific niche.
>>154882612Is it bad that I'm nostalgic for Archie Sonic? Its like a trainwreck you can't look away from, tried reading IDW and it just bored me to tears. Haven't started Fleetway but its on my bucket list.
>>154882647Most sensible people like Archie Sonic for the good and bad stuff after actually reading it.
>>154882647No not reallyThere's no need to be insecure over it
I've never understood why it's so difficult to convince managerials, let alone regular crowdfunders, that comics are an effective and cheap medium for media development with a very light but necessary marketing overhead. If you keep throwing money at its development and marketing/distribution not only do you end up with a self perpetuating market, but also myriad chances to cash in on the work. CBMs showed that power and they did that with Z-tier properties and ideas.
>>154882721Because it's a crippled industry with an outdated distribution whose success hinges on a country with a notorious illiteracy problem.Licenseshit is an accessory, a product to an even bigger product No different from other cheap merchandise It can and has been good and in some cases even be the substantial component of an IP's material but most of it is tie-ins that nobody should read for a complete experience.It's for the most part, filler
It sold in grocery stores and WalMart. Losing them was a huge blow.
>>154882810But none of that is an inherent aspect of comics. That's accepting the manager's argument about the medium. The distribution not only can be fixed, there are many success stories of magazines in subjects far more crippled than comics that end up with sustainable digital subscriber bases. You can't tell me Current Affairs is less niche than comic books.There also is no illiteracy problem. Books by failed (or more arguably savvy) comic artists like Kinney or Pilkey not only continue to draw in children who have no reference for any of the cultural aspects that formed that work, but are able to get kids to read complex works. The issue has been an unwillingness to reinvest in novels after the Hunger Games monoculture wound down as well as not creating a market beyond the age of 12.But none of that is more important than the simple reality that the disinvestment in effective and cheap idea and media exploration like novels and comics has caused the total erosion of the ability to produce new media products. They refuse to make broad new things. The baseline does not exist and that is why the endless tie-in and sequel and reboot remains the only "viable" market; a manager looking at the current situation and not understanding that despite its stagnancy it is still in flux will repeat the claims you make and go back to smugly not doing their jobs. It is not a necessary decline.
>>154882612>Capcom axed Malibu's Street Fighter comic the second they saw Ryu hold up Ken's scalpWhat the fuck
>>154882647it actually is good for a childrens thing man dont overthink it. And yes there are fuckawful arcs and artists but thats due to it being consistently long running the good aspects make it really unique and charming
>>154883246When it was good, it was really good.
>>154883232Some guy scalped Ken and mailed it to Ryu.He got better.
>>154882647Its the only good sonic media to this day so no its not bad
>>154883279>the only good sonic media to this dayHaha, no
>>154883291ok there is also the OVA
>>154882721What modern franchise could use a crazy off-the-wall comic tie in? Astro Bot?There aren't a lot of very good new mascots being made these days, which is kind of a shame.I actually do really feel like there's a problem with kids not really getting adventure and imagination to play around with. All they have are these little meme sandboxes like Roblox. Silly dances and micro-transactions.
>>154883264Son of a bitch
>>154883304Doesn't help that animation mascots are collecting dust in the closet, or games with mascots take almost a decade between games now.
>>154883168Oh okay, I thought we were talking about strictly direct market titlesIt's something that's largely dictated by the publishers approaching the IP holderSEGA themselves may add IDW characters to the games as DLC but they will never advertise the comics themselves because they already made their money from IDW paying for the license period.Outside of the direct market, I know Scholastic has licenses to IPs like FNAF and those apparently do well but they're also adaptations of the novels written by Cawthon himself
>>154882647The comic is really fascinating due to how long it lasted, how continuity-heavy it was and its love-hate relationship with the source material.
>>154882647No, because you're never going to get something that officially insane for a child's franchise ever again.
>>154883232The last issue's afterword said this would've been revealed to be a fake out
>>154884028Sorta. He'd be alive but horribly disfigured.
It's kind of understated that the industry crash is indirectly a reason why late 90's to early 2000's nostalgia is almost never capitalized on in contrast to early 90's and prior IPsMost of that audience grow up not even knowing what an LCS even was
>>154883232Talking about capcom properties and deranged comics, I renember someone saying that the people stoped giving their IPS to brazils after the megaman comic broke international barriers (pretty sure that the last panel before cancelation was willy(?) doing a fucking aztect ritual to some gored guy).
>>154884280No, the writer planned to kill off every MM character and make his female OC the star. Capcom found out and fired him, ending the book.
>>154882647Nostalgia isn't a bad thing, it is just if you delude yourself to think it was better than what it was.You take the good with the bad and see where there was potential to worked from and folly that was avoided.Also Ken Penders and Robert Kirkman use the same strategies, but got different results.
>>154882721That's kinda what Godzilla and TMNT do, no?
>>154884469TMNT began as a comic
>>154882647You're allowed to like whatever you want to, anon. You don't need approval from a place like this.
>>154884551Well yeah I meant like nowadays they let authors make works for the brand in a way that expands and explores beyond the original concepts.
I feel like maybe Universal was asking too much if publishers approached them for the licenses and/or perhaps there were no publishers interested period.Crash would've likely just have been episodic comedies like Archie Sonic was in its early daysSpyro may have gotten arcs but if it was out during the Legends trilogy it'd likely just be filler arcs and retellings of the games
>>154883358I don't think it'll last for too much longer, VR's not the golden goose and without one social media isn't going to be able to strip mine pop culture forever.
>>154883358>>154884951All the kids are having to latch onto things like toby fox games or the amazing grooming circus
>>154885004Digital Circus did get a kids manga adapting the series of all things
