How in the name of all that the mighty Stan Lee created is this comic going for near $70 on eBay? Can someone tell me that? Is the Sega mascot that cool to demand a price tag so high for a modern age Archie comic?
Apparently so, and it seems that people will pay for it. This is one of those comics that you just wouldn’t think could bring this type of attention, but then again, when it comes down to it, it’s really about how badly people want it. (I think I’ve been watching to much Hollywood Treasures…) Anywho, we’re going to dive into this comic, and see just want makes it’s pages turn, and it’s colors so damned attractive. Come with me as we chase coins in Sonic the Hedgehog #1.
The story really isn’t that spectacular. Robotnik, the most evil of evil geniuses, takes out his hatred for that dastardly hedgehog with some good ol’ pinata bashing. As the mechanical crabs eat the candy inside, Swatbot #693-478902 brings Robotnik a plant. A plant? A plant!! How dare he! He knows the rules: No singing! No laughing, reading, cute animals, dancing, and most of all… NO PLANTS!! But wait! This is no ordinary plant! Oh no, it’s a robotic plant! How can Robotnik use this against Sonic and his worthless friends? Why, plant it in forest, of course! So begins the tale of Sonic.
A book like this is really targeting two types of people: Kids and hardcore Sonic fans. Me being neither, the story really didn’t grab me. It’s definitely geared toward children, what with the cut out bumper stickers (now that was kinda cool) and Sonic and his pals brought to life in comics to carry on even more adventures. Michael Gallagher’s writing is very simplistic. The story holds no real structure, save for Robotnik hating Sonic, then finding a way to get at Sonic, then getting at Sonic, then losing. Rinse, repeat. It’s not really meant to be much more than that. After all, it’s a comic for kids. In that respect, Gallagher really hits the mark. He brings life to animated characters and really does do a great story for the young ones. For someone older, this would easily get overlooked.
As for the artwork, it’s in the same category as the script. Dave Manak’s pencils are simple, yet very appealing to the eye. The characters are very animated, and hold true to how they look in the games. Exaggerated expressions, huge eyes, and a huge dose of cuteness make it look so awesome to kids. My two year old would love to get her hands on this book (yeah right!) as it would draw her in. With that, Manak’s artwork wins hands down, but again, with an older person looking at this, it could very easily get tossed aside.
Looking at it this way, knowing that a fair amount of this comics have no doubt been destroyed, would that make an issue like this more sought after? Sure, but there has to be a reason it’s sought after. There has to be something that draws the collector to this type of issue, save for it drawing in a fair sum of money. For one thing, it is the longest ongoing series based on a video game in history. For another, it’s been praised as bringing in much needed back story to the characters other than what the side scrolling Genesis games brought you. In that aspect, I can see where it would attract collectors… almost. It baffles me, that something that my son or daughter would discard fetches such a high dollar amount. I got it in a lot of books I bought for twenty bucks, and filed it away for a while. I can still remember looking it up on comicspriceguide.com (that was before I found the coolness that is SMC) and doing a double take. That much? Really? Wow.
In the world of comics, you never really know what will fetch cash and what won’t. Sure, things like Spider-Man, X-Men, Batman, and the like are all popular and sought after comics in any collection, but a Sonic issue? I can understand older Archie issues, but not one’s from the 90’s. Maybe it’s a low print run, or that there might not be many of them left, or it just may be such a damn good comic that people just have to have it. For me? It literally was an unknown treasure, right under my nose. We’ll see how much cooler it is in a few years.
Art: 5/10 (for the kiddies)
Script: 5/10 (again, for the kiddies)
Parental concern: None! Read away, children!!
I was not expecting to see this in BIBTTF! Haha, love it.
I watched and have the original Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon on DVD! I’m such a geek…which sounds very similar to the comic book.
Sonic is so popular because he’s “Way past cool!” 🙂
I will unashamedly say that the first comics I ever owned were Sonic, so the series has certainly played a life altering role for me.
My first comic was actually sonic the hedgehog #15. I loved it as a kid, and so wished I hadn’t given them away. I also loved the sonic games and tv series. Now my kids are all sonic lovers, too. Either way, good stuff here!
[…] don’t think I’ve been this excited about an Archie comic since I discovered my copy of Sonic the Hedgehog #1 was worth a pretty […]
