Now here’s something that has a lot of controversy and spawned a lot of interesting fan reactions: Sonic Boom. From my understanding, it’s basically a spin-off of the main Sonic franchise with some updated character designs, a new story, and some changes in gameplay and what not. The upcoming video games will be serving as a prequels to the also upcoming TV series of the same name next month.
I don’t really have any thoughts on the series; I’m more of a wait-and-see kind of guy, so I’ll make my judgment call after I play the games and watch the show. In the meantime, Archie Comics is putting out a comic book based off the TV shows and games, so let’s see how this new spin-off franchise really gets off the ground. Is it good?
Sonic Boom #1 (Archie Comics)
It’s another beautiful day on this random tropical island that Sonic and buddies live on. They have fun, party, and occasionally beat up and wreck whatever mechs that Dr. Eggman throws them. However, this day has gotten off to a rather odd start to say the least. Tails’ home was robbed—and by robbed, I mean the entire house was pretty much uprooted from the ground and walked off with.
This is no time to be a grammar Nazi!
For a first issue for a franchise that really hasn’t even hit stores or cable yet, how was it? Well, there are certainly some parts that could be elaborated on for a bit of better background on the new status quo of the series and world, but all in all, this was a rather enjoyable comic. I never really read any other Sonic comic before, so I can’t tell you how exactly close in quality this series is to Archie’s other Sonic books nor can I compare this to the other official material that isn’t out yet. However, in a vacuum it’s a lot of fun and I can definitely see fans of the franchise and any kids who become fans of the new show and games finding enjoyment with this.
Story-wise, it’s pretty simple stuff and nothing that’s going to set the world on fire. It’s a done-in-one that introduces the audience to the characters, their personalities, and what exactly they bring to this team. From what little I do know of the characters from the main universe they aren’t exactly the same, but hey, it’s a new alternate universe so that shouldn’t be that much of a problem. The characters are all rather amusing here and the comic does a good job of introducing the audience to everyone here without problem. Sure, it’s not going to appeal to every audience, but the right one will absolutely love this.
Knuckles: How the hell did this happen?
The writing overall here is fine. The storytelling and pacing are quick, but never feels like it’s going too fast (besides two areas) since it’s able to introduce all the plot elements and characters just fine. The characterization here is decent and really does a good job giving you an idea of everyone’s personality. The dialogue is genuinely amusing and has a lot of good quotes. That leads us into the humor angle of the book and it’s surprisingly very funny. Sure, there are a couple of groaners (some puns in particular) here and there, but it genuinely had some decent laughs and smiles in here. The ending, while good and surprisingly well built up given amount of time the book had, is probably not going to lead anywhere considering the individual’s status in the games and the upcoming TV series… unless the ending is going to be hinting at things in the show.
The artwork by Evan Stanley was very pleasant and nice to look at here. To me, it has as much personality as Andy Price’s work in My Little Pony in the way the characters are depicted. They are all very expressive, emotive, show body language rather well, and can really elevate the humor in the way the react and say things. The layouts are just as good—well laid out and the action is depicted expertly. The only downside is that some of the backgrounds are rather dull and blank, but that shouldn’t hurt the comic that much.
Is It Good?
Sonic Boom #1 was a surprising and enjoyable first outing for this series, hopefully indicating good things for the upcoming video games and TV series. It’s rather accessible, the story and humor were a lot of fun, the writing was solid, and the artwork was enjoyable and really brought a lot of personality to the series. Even as a person who’s not big into Sonic that much, I had a good time with this and I feel that fans, newcomers, and youngins alike can equally get something out of this. Definitely worth a look.
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