Archie Sonic Online Review

Yeah I've known about this site for a while. Archie Sonic Online is a website that is the home to the fan made continuation of the old continuity of the Archie Sonic Comics. So in other words it's just like Sonic the Comic Online. Obvious difference is that STCO continues from where those comics left off as they were cancelled, ASO continues the old continuity that was replaced by a new continuity.

To start off with, it's a pretty small site consisting of only a Forums section and the Comics section.

The forums are divided into 4 categories. First one containing news and site announcements, the second one host auditions and a school for drawing pages. Found it humorous that the name of that one is referencing that obscure Sonic PC game. The third one contains info on the comics, games, etc. Basic stuff. And the 4th one is just a meet and greet, area for members. I don't really hang around in forums that much especially when it comes to Sonic, controversy every step of the way. No surprise really because it's Sonic the Hedgehog, there's always going to be some controversy, no matter which version it is.

Now the comics section is where they feature their continuation of the series, their own Sonic Universe stories, and a remake of the Endangered Species story, probably going to be that comic that Glitcher has been working on here. And so far... there isn't any. The site has been around for months and we have yet to see their continuation of the old continuity. You'd think by now we would've had a preview or something. All that they have to show is Mobius Legends, the section that is meant to help the staff develop a work flow of the comics by making stand alone stories that probably won't become part of the sites canon. There are 2 issues with 3 stories each.

Mobius Legends #1

Story 1: Prelude

It takes place shortly after Super Sonic has unleashed his unstable Chaos Control starring Zonic the Zone Cop along with Zally and Zomochao. It has some good artwork but the story is a bit confusing. From what I can gather, they explain that the screwed up Chaos Control that was unleashed created the new continuity but then the old continuity shortly went back to normal or... something. They could've easily have said that the old continuity is now a pocket dimension but no, it's a little more complicated than that.

Story 2: Your First Chilli Dog

Ray the Flying Squirrel is nervous about trying his first chilli dog at Uncle Chuck's Diner, so Tails talks about his first time eating one. It's a cute story, nothing big or any kind of adventures. Just a simple down to earth story.

Story 3: Trigger

Blaze the Cat and Elise go on adventures and...... that's it. This story is just all over the place. Literally, every page is a completely different story. First their out in the snow, then their in the ruins encountering Captain Wiskers, then their on the beach, then Mephiles makes a cameo, then this other female cat attacks them, then they're in Mushroom Hill Zone, then their out at sea, then it ends Burning Blaze fighting a lava monster. Er...... what just happened? It feels like this story has no beginning or end, it's just a bunch of random middle parts with little to no flow. Not even a breif backstory/introduction as to what is going on.Blaze and Elise don't even get that much dialogue, feels very rushed and underdeveloped. Clearly this story shows when a story has no flow

Mobius Legends #2

Story 1: New Domination

Metal Sonic is sent on a mission by his creator, only to be captured by Robotnik's son, A.D.A.M. Yes, clearly this is one of those stories where a plot twist happens that reveals that a character who was supposedly killed off is actually alive. So in other words it's like all those times they keep killing and reviving The Master and Davros from Doctor Who. It's ok I guess, I'm just not to trilled of the idea in bringing back A.D.A.M.

Story 2: A Maidens Heart

Amy laments about Sally and her time with the freedom fighters. No really, this story is just nothing but recapping past events and it does a good job with the style. Text boxes showing the persons speech, recreated scenes, new scenes that tie into those scenes, the works. Pretty good.

Story 3: Invaders from Beyond

A simple mission for Knuckles and Julie-Su goes wrong when the Noctorus Clan comes in and kidnaps Knuckles. Clearly this is the kind of story that's just made to advertise the game. funny how they choose Sonic Chronicles since when Archie did that, they originally wanted to continue it and do they version of Chronicles, but SEGA ditched the idea. And nowadays Chronicles is the only game that'll never get adapted into Archie Sonic due to legal reasons.

And that's it for Archie Sonic Online, not much to say about it really. It's just a site that's not fully developed and not ready yet. The Mobius Legends thing is a nice way to keep people entertained for a while, but who knows how long it'll last. They've already advertised another one and at this point I'm sure people are starting to get impatient and want to see what they came for. I even heard that there was some arguing with staff members over their ideas on how the old continuity should continue. But that's it, I can't really criticize them that much since they're just small test projects and not the main attraction. I guess one thing I can add to the site is a section that recaps the entire history of the old continuity's timeline. If Sonic the Comic Online can have one, I'm sure this site can to. Besides, anyone outside of the US have no idea what Archie Sonic is all about so it would help for newcomers to get all caught up.

But as for me, I don't really care about it. I'm fine with people joining it and going with it, power to them and yadda yadda, I'm just not that invested with it. I'm fine with both timelines, sure the new continuity had a rocky start with Nicole being a worthless plot device but after that it got better. Besides, they still keep them well developed and in character, plenty of places to explore, and plenty of stories to come up with and fill in. Even after finishing the Shattered World Arc and concluding their Genesis Flashbacks, there are still plenty of holes left that need to be filled in the new continuity. Well, unless the rumors are true about Ken Penders coming back for Issue 300. And if that happens he'll either segway into that Lara-Su Chronicles crap that's been stuck in Development Hell, or create a new timeline by picking up from where Issue 159 left off, completely ignoring everything else that's happened after that.

But as I've said before, the only time I'll call it quits on the comics is if they get Pontac and Graff to be new writers. That would be a shame, especially once Sonic Project 2017 comes out. If I don't like it or doesn't live up to my expectations, then I am officially done continuing on with the sonic games. I'll still play and enjoy the Sonic games I've actually played in the past. But as for Lost World and onwards, I ain't going near them. And no, I still refuse to play Sonic Mania. That game is being made and marketed ONLY for the Classic Sonic fans, and clearly, I'm not one of them.