61 Frames Per Second

Licensing Tragedies: Sonic Live!

Posted by Nadia Oxford

Topless Robot hosted a contest for the worst single-issue comic of all time. It was a tough call, but a winner emerged. Now for the surprise: Sonic the Hedgehog is involved.

In the year 20XX, Archie put out a single-issue “comic” called “Sonic Live!” More accurately, “Sonic Live! The Last Game Cartridge Hero!” I am not sure how I am supposed to feel about that title.

The Sonic the Hedgehog comic is actually extremely long-lived, and like any creature of slow mortality, it's taken some pretty regrettable turns. “Sonic Live!” probably marks the series' deepest plunge, but I doubt you need me to elaborate. Just think of a genuinely exciting example of real-life kids teaming up with cartoon characters who tumbled out of the television. Take your time; I'll go make a big sandwich.

“Sonic Live!” might get away with merely being mediocre if not for three traits that make it very special. First, even though Archie comics had been commissioned to put together the Sonic comics, nobody on staff owned a Genesis. In one panel, a kid playing “Genesis” is actually holding a television remote sideways. The kid was a bit ahead of his time; the Wii was some years off.

Second, it's not clear why Archie decided to put this together, but the writer felt it was necessary for the “comic” to cast his son and niece as main characters.

Third, Sonic meets his makers: “Mori” and “Jerry.” Forget you crazy Sonic Team members and your hard-to-understand Japanese names. That's what you get for not being all-American.

It's kind of sad to look back at the height of Sonic's popularity. Despite the glory of the Genesis' heydey, it seems as if Sonic still stepped in poop again and again.

Related Links:

Licensing Tragedies: The Donkey Kong Country Cartoon
Licensing Tragedies: Malibu's Street Fighter Comic
Questionalbe Nintendo Products: Mario's Cradle-Robbing Picnic Plates

+ DIGG

+ DEL.ICIO.US

+ REDDIT

Posted Mar 24 2009, 11:57 PM

Filed under: sonic the hedgehog, sega genesis, nadia oxford, licensing tragedies, sonic live

Comments

Roto13 said:

You know, I remember the Sonic comics having some pretty good art, but that cover is a travesty.

March 25, 2009 1:52 AM

Amber Ahlborn said:

Sonic looks utterly wasted in that cover art. His eyes can't possibly be that hard to draw right.

March 25, 2009 9:40 AM

about the blogger

John Constantine, our superhero, was raised by birds and then attended Penn State University. He is currently working on a novel about a fictional city that exists only in his mind. John has an astonishingly extensive knowledge of Scientology. Ultimately he would like to learn how to effectively use his brain. He continues to keep Wu-Tang's secret to himself.

Derrick Sanskrit is a self-professed geek in a variety of fields including typography, graphic design, comic books, music and cartoons. As a professional hipster graphic designer, his recent clients have included Nerve, Pitchfork and MoCCA, among others.

Amber Ahlborn - artist, writer, gamer and DigiPen survivor, she maintains a day job as a graphic artist. By night Amber moonlights as a professional Metroid Fanatic and keeps a metal suit in the closet just in case. Has lived in the state of Washington and insists that it really doesn't rain as much as everyone says it does.

Nadia Oxford is a housekeeping robot who was refurbished into a warrior when the world's need for justice was great. Now that the galaxy is at peace (give or take a conflict here or there), she works as a freelance writer for various sites and magazines. Based in Toronto, Nadia prizes the certificate from the Ministry of Health declaring her tick and rabies-free.

Bob Mackey is a grad student, writer, and cyborg, who uses the powerful girl-repelling nanomachines mad science grafted onto his body to allocate time towards interests of the nerd persuasion. He believes that complaining about things on the Internet is akin to the fine art of wine tasting, but with more spitting into buckets.

Joe Keiser has a programming degree from Johns Hopkins University, a tiny apartment in Brooklyn, and a fake toy guitar built in the hollowed-out shell of a real guitar. He writes about games and technology for a variety of outlets. One day he will stop doing this. The day after that, police will find his body under a collapsed pile of (formerly neatly alphabetized) collector's edition tchotchkes.

Cole Stryker is an American freelance writer living in York, England, where he resides with his archeologist wife. He writes for a travel company by day and argues about pop culture on the internet by night. Find him writing regularly here and here.

Peter Smith is like the lead character of Irwin Shaw's The 80-Yard Run, except less athletic. He considers himself very lucky to have this job. But it's a little premature to take "jack-off of all trades" off his resume. Besides writing, travelling, and painting houses, Pete plays guitar in a rock trio called The Aye-Ayes. He calls them a 'power pop' band, but they generally sound more like Motorhead on a drinking binge.