Started reading IDW Sonic (Word of mouth advertising is something else, huh?)

I can't say if I'm proud or ashamed to say that I started reading the IDW Sonic comics just so I could learn more about Surge the Tenrec. Most of what I learned about her is secondhand/thirdhand. Skimming wiki pages, hearing other fans talk, that sort of thing.

Funny thing is, I wasn't even intending to read the IDW Sonic comics. My sister had been trying to convince me to read them for quite some time, but usually when she talked about them, she was venting about how woefully OOC Shadow or Amy (her main Sonic blorbos) are. I don't feel quite so strongly about those two, but it did leave a bad taste in my mouth. Epecially when I saw how Silver was portrayed as an adorable, happy-go-lucky cinnamon roll. (He may be naïve, but he would never grin ear-to-ear like he does in the comics! Just look at 06! He is a brooding, rude, and desperate antihero! 06's reset be damned, if you're going to make him that different, just make an original character!)

Resists the urge to slap him repeatedly into a normal face — oh what the heck, then he would probably cry, which might be even more annoying.

She did have a lot of good things to say on Sonic's characterization though. And Sonic is probably my favorite character across all Sonic media. His stoicism, smiling for his friends even in the face of the Metal Virus, especially sounded interesting.

As a Sonelise shipper, I like the idea of Sonic also powering through his negative feelings with a smile, and if the comic leans into that, I'm all for it.

I've heard some mixed reviews on the way Sonic's morality is handled (framing his repeated fights with Eggman as a result of mercy, as opposed to circumstance or the Egg's ingenuity), but my sister thinks some of this is overstated.

But what really cemented it for me was when she told me about Surge's introduction. For my sister, Surge was just "Oh, okay, another villain.". But she knew I would adore her. I've always loved characters with tragic pasts, who have been manipulated by authority figures, and are forced to carve their own (ethically dubious) path. And — this is the juicy bit — make their trauma EVERYONE ELSE'S problem. Surge does all this and then some.

So I decided, what the heck, it's time I read it already! And if Sonic is mischaracterized, at least me and my sis can commiserate over the butchering of our blorbos!

I'll have to see how much of the online takes on Surge are fair, and how much of it is ignoring context/telephone gaming others' takes. I see mostly positivity regarding her backstory and personality, with some critique pertaining to her inconsistent badassery/woobification and redemption arc. But honestly, if I can enjoy Elise in spite of her flawed writing in 06, there's no reason why I cannot do the same with Surge. If we can hate without reason, can we not love? (This may come as a surprise, but I hated Elise at first!)

For Surge, it was love at first sight really. Lol! She is unbearably cute though.

One thing that I frequently find maddening as a fan of Princess Elise is when people confidently spread misinformation about her, parroting takes that strip nuance.

I don't like the idea of doing one of my pet peeves with a character, even if it would be positive. There's only so far you can get in fandom by regurgitating other peoples' takes. Even when it comes to material that diverges heavily from canon, like AU fanfiction. Yet another reason to get into Surge's source material.

I also look forward to seeing Kitsunami the Fennec. I was wondering if a character whose existence is so closely tied to another's might be bland, but my sister has a lot of good things to say about him. Just hearing her talk about the selfless-but-villainous boi makes me want to give him a hug! And I've always been partial to fennec foxes.

A few months back, I had already tried reading the comics right from issue #1, but I got a bit bored. Skimming ahead, it looked like Sonic was repeatedly introducing himself to individual characters. Felt like it was written for fans who didn't know much about Sonic. So my sister, who has already read ahead to forty-something-ish, suggested I start off with Vol. 4: Infection, or the very start of the Metal Virus Arc.

I finally read it the first time around (thanks Hoopla!). I aim to read it again before it's due so I can organize my thoughts and make another, more in-depth post on it.

Word of mouth advertising is something else, huh?