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June 23, 2020 |
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Commentary for June 23, 2020: It may not be very clear from the visuals here, but I wanted to give the impression that Nicole, while still a very sophisticated AI, has not yet really developed much of an identity or personality, which is why she does not yet have her lynx avatar. Similarly, with the Freedom Fighters in panels 3 and 4, like Sally, I wanted there to be some visual cues that this is the past, which is why I used Cylent-Night’s one sprite of Rotor in his classic outfit and why there is a face there you may not recognise. That’s Porker Lewis who, like Johnny Lightfoot, was one of the original Freedom Fighters in Fleetway’s Sonic the Comic. I gave him the same treatment I’d given Johnny in adapting his design for Eon’s World, which was to simplify his outfit to just a leather jacket, gloves, and some shoes, whereas he was usually also depicted with jeans and T-shirt in the actual comic. But why has Porker not been seen with the Freedom Fighters at all in the last 29 chapters, or even been mentioned for that matter? Well, honestly, it’s because when I first made his sprites, I thought they were atrocious. I was not convinced he looked enough like a pig and he was hot pink to boot. Convinced I couldn’t improve those sprites, I never bothered trying and so I just never included him. But when I wrote the script for Chapter 30, I decided to at least give it a go. If I failed miserably, I could revise the script to exclude him or just absorb the hit of one bad sprite on one page (especially given plans I have for season 3 onwards). But what do you know? I fixed him. All he really needed was to be a subtler shade of pink Of course, that’s the real-world, artistic reason for his exclusion. What’s the in-universe reason? Is he dead? Did he die fighting Eggman during the Occupation? No, but Porker Lewis was always characterised as a nervous guy (hence his stammering panel 3). Brilliantly intelligent, and the go-to science guy on the team, but easily intimidated and not exactly courageous. Not a coward, but just not a Big Damn Hero like any of the others and, eventually, after an awful experience where he was held prisoner for a month by an army of Metal Sonics, he completely lost his nerve and quit the Freedom Fighters, spending the next few years living on the Floating Island and tinkering with the ancient technology there to help Knuckles restore it to its former glory. I have to say, it’s one of the better character arcs in Fleetway’s Sonic, as it really tackles post-traumatic stress in a sensitive way, and a way that was critical of how soldiers have historically been mistreated for “cowardice” when the trauma of war finally becomes too much for them. (Obviously, StC’s Sonic being the bully and jerk that he was, he initially responded very unkindly to Porker’s decision to quit. But at least he came around.) But I digress. No, Porker Lewis isn’t dead in Eon’s World. He’s just not a Freedom Fighter anymore. Will we see him at all in the present day? Almost certainly. I don’t know when, but I do know what he’s up to now, so we should see him eventually. Oof, a lot to say about this page. Bear with me, dear reader. Next is Bunnie. Chapter 4 established that Bunnie wasn’t a victim of partial roboticization in Eon’s World, as she had been in Archie Sonic and SatAM, but instead an amputee. She lost both her legs and her left arm fighting Doctor Eggman and it wasn’t until Rotor and Tails built her cybernetic replacements that she became the Rabbot we all know and love. Well, at this point, the Freedom Fighters haven’t even met Sonic, to say nothing of Tails, which is why Bunnie’s shown here using a wheelchair and still missing her legs and left arm. I appreciate that that is, in many ways, pretty dark, but I make no apology for it. Some people are amputees and they deserve representation in fiction as much as any non-disabled person. Moreover, there are consequences to military occupations and war, and it’s important that we acknowledge them. Anyway, last thing. Today is June 23 and it is the 29th anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog’s original debut. The little blue hedgehog is twenty-nine years old today! It wasn’t planned, but I am very pleased that on today of all days, we have not only a page up with Sonic in it, but a page up where Sonic is the focal point of the story. Serendipity. Credits: Rotor the Walrus sprites originally by Cylent-Night. |
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Eon's World is a fan comic created by Bethany Turner. All characters are copyright
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