PhormTheGenie

Vixen. Genie. Vixdjinn!

Hi! I'm Phorm, and I'm a Vixdjinn!

A Friendly Vixdjinn Says Hello!

I'm a genie girl, who really likes being a genie, and really likes everything about genies (really)! I'm a bit confused, lost, and trying to find my way, but I always enjoy interacting with folks here. (Trans🏳️‍⚧️, occasionally NSFW, Be 18+ or please be gone.)

A Genie Bottle, With A Rising Wisp of Pink Smoke In The Shape Of a Heart

See here for the Genie Lore Index!

Profile Art credit to CinnamonSpots!

Avatar by DVixie
Banner image by BlackShirtBoy



And I have found artifacts long forgotten... And some would say, they are best left that way.

Dare we look further? Hell yeah, let's see some tidbits of this stuff.


One thing that always struck me about the Archie comic series was how wildly varied the art style became over the years. It tightened up eventually, but even late in the run you had pretty different interpretations of the characters. This style was always controversial, but I secretly loved how expressive it was. Plus, Sally just looks awesome.

And then there were less... Favorable depictions. And characters.

Mina the Mongoose, everyone.

Honestly, that's not even the half of it.

Anyway, everyone else remembers that before there was Sage, Eggman* had a robotic daughter? Right? Mecha "M" Robotnik? That looked like she stepped out of an 80s workout video crossed with a scifi film?

And that Eggman ordered her to kill herself?

Yeaaaaaah.

The less said about the Echidna/Dingo storyline, the better. But I just... I mean, I just...

In a storyline that already has fascist overtones, you put a character in that outfit, give her a whip, call her Kommisar, and draw her like that? And then add in the family tree nonsense???

Penders has a lot to answer for.

But at least we have this wonderful moment:

That's about all I could bring myself to look through last night. I still can't believe I have these things, physically.

But, more honestly, ever since SatAM I have loved these characters, so I would have followed them into any circumstance to see more. Jank storylines and all, it's a special kind of trainwreck that's close to my heart.

*Technically this isn't Eggman. It's Robo-Robotnik, an alternate-universe robo-clone of the original Robotnik that took over when Julian Kintobar was erased from the timeline by the Doomsday machine. Archie Sonic was a hell of a thing.


You must log in to comment.

in reply to @PhormTheGenie's post:

God, same.

I love Bunny, and even Antoine, and I adore Sally and Nicole. Even with all the messed up stuff that happened in the comic, I always wanted to see what they did next.

And like... Gosh, I wish Sally could come back somehow.

That being said, the IDW crew is getting some strong additions. Tangle and Whisper are a joy, as is Surge. Even the gay Platypus is great! And Lanolin.... Oh, Lanolin.

You can really tell that the IDW crew starting as a mostly clean slate was a good thing for the writers, because basically every comic original character feels like they could 100% fit into the current games without it feeling weird. Also Starline was simultaneously a great foil to Eggman while also being the most pathetic man alive and I say that entirely as a compliment.

There's so much I could say about the Archie Sonic comics, they're such a beautiful mess lol. This is an impressive selection of comics you've got here though, you've got some of the big milestones from what I recall!
I agree with you on the wildly different art styles, controversial as they were and still are. I feel like there was something really special with having different art styles for a large IP like Sonic that was sorta lost with the reboot and IDW, where everything now feels tightly conformed for the most part. Something that stood out to me during my readthrough was how every penciling artist back then almost had their own unique way of having Sonic run fast before the super peel out became the norm. it was a cool way to have each artist put their own signature on a basic element of Sonic beyond his design, I thought.

also yes, Lien-da and Mina and their depictions are not great lol. I recall maybe Mina's introductory arc being alright, but my memory of it is foggy so I can't confirm it. XD

I confess I have way more than depicted here, (though not all of them are in fantastic condition) and that I positively adore the "Beautiful Mess" as you put it. I can't think of a better way to describe the series!

And yeah!! Totally agreed about how it was super cool to watch the set style change so much over the years. There were some folks who's depictions really brought out unique parts of certain characters. Like, Sally obviously got a lot of attention over the years, but Bunny also managed to get some top tier makeovers, too. And the dynamism of the story really did require unique takes on quick action and fast movement. It was a treat! Even if it did mean we had to deal with things like... Titan Tails (or whatever I can't bring myself to recall or look up that arc).

And for sure, Mina was not exactly well received at first, to say the least. There was a very particular way people got lost in her eyes - and I don't mean that in a positive way, ha!

I dunno, though. I was a dunderhead back then. And I probably still am. So "Love and Loss" is probably my favorite one-shot, because gosh I loved me some hedgehog drama. Hahahaha. (Though eventually I thought it HAD to be Sally and Nicole, no question)

(And thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!!!)

Are the comics still worth going back to if you've never read them? I've always wanted to check them out, but the sheer volume of it plus the occasional bits of Penders stuff I've seen kinda turns me off of it a little.

It really depends on what kind of ride you're ready for. Honestly, I'd say that if you have a deep and abiding interest in the characters, it's very worth it. If you're interested in goofy, off-the-rails comic stuff, it's also worth it. But if you do dive in, be aware it changes around a lot. The first issues are mostly campy, cartoony, self-aware one-shots while they found their footing. Then it slowly evolves to take itself seriously, and eventually it's a bit of a challenge to track what's canonical and what's not. But it can be fun to see how crazy it gets! And the characters are what kept me coming back, because they remain through it all.

I won't deny, though, that it's not for everyone. Even sonic fans!

You can find just about everything on the internet archive, if you just want to dip your toe in and see if you like what you find!