Dear Archie Fans

An abrupt reboot left many scenarios unsolved, and--as fans finally adjusted to the new world--it was lost too. Again, long-time comic fans were forced to make another adjustment: a world not just missing some Archie characters, but all. 

Some have enjoyed the new, IDW series. Others left quickly. Meanwhile the new canon pulled in fresh fans, too. 

Good or bad doesn't really matter. What matters is that the Archie comics had a long life. Nearly 25 years; nearly 300 issues in the main series alone. The freedom fighters may not be fighting off zombie hoards like Tangle and Whisper, but they've fought. Robotnik, other Robotniks, evil dimensional doppelgangers, magical and mystic beings, aliens, aliens, aliens...

Meanwhile characters like Scratch and Grounder, Manic and Sonia, Chris and Cosmo, Tenko the Canary--even one from Boom...their time was too short. Archie Sonic was cancelled. But the truth is Sally Acorn and the Knothole freedom fighters lasted a long time, and their fans should be thankful for that.    

It may seem as though Tangle and Whisper are getting all the attention. They are. They're new. Even Sticks got attention when she was new. If Sally--or Manic, or Cosmo, etc--had been created in this day and age, I'm sure Sega would be throwing them into mobile games too. 

But now the complexity of who the character is (and who the character is owned by) makes something like that harder. As for a comic revival or special, though, Archie characters have an advantage above the others. Many who worked on Archie migrated to IDW, and many of the fans did, too. And the fact that "bringing the characters back" has been suggested by the lead writer is a huge deal, really.  

But new fans. They always want the new fans. It may seem at the expense of the old fans. Yet in this case, it does make sense. Even though it builds up, 1 issue a month is a crawl. And just as a mega-man crossover can feel misplaced, a sudden change of pace so early or in the middle of a story-arc could be a catastrophe. And then the archie-conclusion would be rushed, too.     

Alternatively a merging of characters and ideas would be overly complex as well. Most of the characters would have to be severely changed to match the canon--those who could be used at all. 

Aside from that, the Sonic cast is already huge. IDW needed a few exclusive characters to be the face of the series; They needed to be unique. Combined, and their is little room or time for new versions of old characters. Take a look at the Sonic movie (as an extreme example). They didn't even want to risk "well known" characters like Tails or Amy. 

If Archie Sonic--or any other past Sonic incarnations--receive a new story, conclusion, or even a cameo, fans may be appeased. But even if it never happens, fans have to learn to accept the new characters and world. They don't have to like it or read it, but they have to accept that it's a new start. IDW is IDW, not the Archie. Despite some promise, the old comics may never resurface.

At the end of the battle, though, fans of Sally, Nicole, Bunnie, Antoine, and Rotor were luckier than most. Many characters have come and gone in the Sonic series. Who knows if Tangle and Whisper still be around in 10 or 20 years? Still, for better or worse, it's their time, now.  

Persistently whining about the Archie comics will not bring them back.