![]() Since Archie doesn’t get the chance to say it, I’ll do it for them and all the other fans out there: Here’s hoping that Sega and IDW can do what Marvel did with Dark Horse’s back catalogue of Star Wars comics and produce some kind of legacy line that keeps the Archie material in print. Regardless, I’ll make it my business to see how IDW tackles the character next year, but given Sega’s seeming indifference towards Sonic’s past, I worry about letting myself get too invested in his future as a comic book character. The implied “get over it” will depend on just how jaded a fan you are. To which Sega would presumably say, “it’s a business.” Sally Acorn, Rotar, NICOLE, and many other characters with roots in the Archie Sonic universe might never see the light of day again, which is a genuinely sad proposition. Sega really dropped the ball here by not offering Archie, its readers, and its creators the chance to say goodbye. What’s even worse, however, is to not allow both the creators and fans to get any sort of proper closure.įor Sonic the Hedgehog fans, however, it matters a great deal. Cancelling the books and then waiting months to give readers an update as to why was a slap in the face. Whatever rationale Sega had for axing Archie isn’t justification for leaving fans hanging like this. It’s the entire reason that Sonic the Hedgehog was given a comic book in the first place fans loved the character and wanted to see more of him. Fans interact with the games and form bonds with the characters on the screen and build memories from all the action and fun that they have with them. There’s nothing passive about the video game experience. Unlike a Clorox, which can make “it’s a business” decisions that (generally) don’t cut to the bone, a Sega provides products, services, and more that fully attempt to ingratiate themselves into our lives. Sega is home to characters and properties that define childhoods and provide so much joy to players all over the world. Sega isn’t some soulless conglomerate, it’s a beloved brand of entertainment. Maybe it raises the price of bleach, which would stink, but at the end of the day I can go snag a generic brand from Safeway or Walmart and be just fine. At the same time, though, I can’t help but feel that “it’s a business” needs to stop being applied as a universal cure-all for corporate decisions that make people unhappy.Ĭlorox is the sort of business that can make decisions that I’m not going to lose much sleep over. I can’t totally begrudge Sega for making this decision if that was the logic that fueled it. ![]() Sega might have been aware of this and decided it was time to move Sonic to a label with a bigger audience, reach out to more people than ever before, and so on. Archie also works with an arguably smaller talent pool than most other publishers in the industry. Archie certainly doesn’t see sales anywhere near what Marvel and DC do. I don’t know what the business reasoning was behind Sega choosing to not renew its licensing deal with Archie Comics. We as consumers in turn are expected to simply suck it up and accept that bad things and decisions will happen because, well, “it’s a business.” ![]() “It’s a business” has become the mantra for a lot of folks looking to cast blame off their shoulders, regardless of how culpable they are for their actions.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |