Media Essays: A Princess's Retrospective (Part 2)
- mediarocks94
- 16 hours ago
- 13 min read
Written by TCH2
Continued from Part 1.
Character Rerailment:
When Ian Flynn became head writer of the Sonic comics, he set upon repairing the damage Penders had wrought. While I do concede that he is not the most spectacular writer out there, and has made mistakes regarding characters and concepts and executions, I still appreciate that he tried to tell good stories.
Notably, he had Sally continue to participate in active missions, and, in Issue 173, she confides in Bunnie her jealousy and how she missed being with her friends; even implying she missed dating Sonic. She even managed to get the drop on Mammoth Mogul by tonking him over the head with her speeder in what Sonic considered a great entrance. She would then serve as maid of honour at Antoine and Bunnie's wedding, where she would affirm she was happy being single for now, though Bunnie and Rosie weren't wholly convinced. Still, this shows Ian wasn't rushing Sonic and Sally back together, given all the drama of previous issues. Some things can take time, and I appreciate that, though again, I kinda wish he had perhaps delved a bit more into why they had acted the way they did that night, and exactly how they felt about it all. Real missed opportunity there, Ian.
Following the destruction of Knothole in one of the best milestone issues of the whole comic (Issue 175), and our heroes' relocation to New Mobotropolis, Sally completed her return to her old self by having Bunnie cut her hair back to its old length in Issue 177.
It was definitely a welcome return... even if Sally made a stupid decision in the same comic by not even trying to arrest Robotnik when she had him dead to rights. Others have already ranted on that, so I'm just gonna quote Mr Spock:
"It was most illogical."
Sally would continue to show her return to her old self by helping to settle a conflict between her brother and Amadeus Prower, thus preventing their new home from being torn in two. This brought about the introduction of democracy to the previously absolute monarchy, though Sally herself chose not to join the Council. She would even attempt a mass charge against an Enerjak-possessed Knuckles.
In Issue 187, Sonic and Sally would spend some time together in the ruins of Knothole, where they would share a nice, touching heart-to-heart, lamenting their failures, recalling their childhood together and how things changed for them all, with some handling changes better than others. Again, the events of Issue 134 are brought up, but Sonic just says he 'got over Sally breaking his heart'. While I know it's not in Sonic's nature to hold a grudge, I don't think readers would have minded him still being a little sore over it, even if he tried not to show it for Sally's sake.
Sally's next lot of notable adventures involved saving Sonic from the Destructix; trying and failing to arrest Mammoth Mogul due to lack of evidence; dealing with the Freedom Fighters' evil counterparts, the Suppression Squad, as they attacked Freedom HQ; and teaming up with Miles to try and bring down Scourge. This last incident would have Sally meet Silver the Hedgehog, a time-traveller from the future who sought out a 'traitor' to the Freedom Fighters. This will be relevant later.
Sally would then demonstrate her well-spoken manner, as well as face an unhappy former student, when the Council of Acorn accused her of treason, led by Hamlin, a ex-Freedom Fighter. Despite the severity of his situation, Sally managed to turn things in her favour by stating she could either promise never to act without council authority, or let them trust her with the duties she's carried out for years. This convinced the majority of the Council choosing to drop the charges against Sally, with Hamlin being outvoted and subsequently voicing how he was essentially forgotten by Sally after all he trained for.
Sally would subsequently lead the charge against Eggman, which culminated in the villain's mental breakdown. This signalled the end of the war with Robotnik... but they then had to face the threat of the Iron Dominion, during which Sally consoled Ken 'Monkey' Khan after being possessed by the Iron Queen, successfully freed NICOLE from a similar experience (which was sweet, plot holes aside), and helped dispel the Iron Dominion's forces in the East. Most notably, she again reflected how her relationship with Sonic fell through, had some confidence struggles, and... showed some fancy for Ken Khan, even sharing a kiss with him following the Iron Queen's defeat. Oh boy... Ian, no disrespect, but did you really have to give Sally ANOTHER guy who fancies her? You were aware that Sally having so many lovers is why she's so divisive, right? True, Sally decided to give things with Sonic another go, which was wonderful for us SonSal fans, but that ship-tease with Ken was really unnecessary. Just saying, man.
Sally would then settle a feud between the Wolf Pack and Felidae, during which she would allow herself to be captured so as to gather info by stoking Drago's ego, confront Mina over her song inadvertently creating public hostility against NICOLE, and have a date with Sonic for the first time in ages. This latter incident, issue 222, is honestly still one of my favourites from Ian Flynn's run, if for no other reason than because it satisfies my love for this couple. However, I do agree that Ian should've had Sally at least try to assuage the people's fears about NICOLE through a public announcement, even if it didn't do much.
Second brush with death, and a new Genesis:
After dealing with the traitorous Geoffrey St John and Naugus' coup, Sonic and Sally would face the resurgence of Robotnik with the launch of his Death Egg Mark II. As they prepared to head into battle, the two fully rekindled their relationship with a kiss.
But, given whom they were going up against, tragedy would arise very quickly when Sally was gunned down at the issue's end... right before Robotnik attempted to reset reality to his own ends.
Sally was a key player of the comic's adaptation of the first two Sonic games in the Genesis arc, where she demonstrated an ability to communicate with Flickies. She would soon start to remember events from the original timeline, and as Sonic put things right, she hoped to see him on the other side.
Going Mecha... and the end of one era
After her near-death experience, in Issue 230, as Robotnik prepares to try and Roboticize the whole of Mobius, Sally and NICOLE are only able to invert the process to their location, which Sally accepts without hesitation. And after a pretty heart-wrenching panel...
Sally Acorn became... this:
Thus began arguably the most controversial arc in the entire comic run - the Mecha Sally arc. To say this arc was divisive would be an understatement. Some fans, like myself and the Media Man loved it for what we reckoned was its emotional weight, higher stakes, massive changes to the status quo, character development and others; others hated it, lambasting it over what they saw as needless shock value, out-of-character moments, plot holes, stupid decisions for the sake of plot and more. I defended this arc rather... vehemently back in the day, and I do feel rather ashamed of how I acted back then.
Looking at the arc now... yeah, it wasn't the best. While I do think its concepts and scope were brilliant, and that it did some genuinely well-done moments with some good emotion, great action and character growth, there were also moments of stupidity that could have easily been avoided - most notably, Sonic not using the Master Emerald to power up and go after Eggman in Issue 232. Massive oversight there, Ian. I understand not wanting to cut short a great concept for a story, but you should have thought of a better way to handle that.
Sally, now known as Mecha Sally, would become Robotnik's newest minion and his greatest weapon against the Freedom Fighters, and proved to be quite formidable, frequently relying on psychological warfare, and making use of the weapons installed after Robotnik... modified her.
This was another source of controversy, as it was never really detailed exactly how Robotnik modified her. Some fans feared it involved outright mutilation of her robotic body, and as far as I know, Ian Flynn never provided details, which didn't help with fans' concerns.
Furthermore, even those who were willing to accept Mecha Sally felt she was somewhat under-utilised, treated as just more muscle by Robotnik rather than fully capitalise on her intellect and tactical viability. Ian Flynn said Mecha Sally would serve as Eggman's main strategist and tactician; yet, we don't really see this much. At best, we see her scheming with Robotnik once or twice, and leading troops in battle, but that's about it. This is just one reason why some fans don't trust Ian Flynn's word anymore.
Throughout this arc, Mecha Sally would accompany Robotnik through Central City towards the Dragon Kingdom in pursuit of Snively (which would involve a confrontation with Ken), be used to try and shatter the peace between the Wolf Pack and the Felidae, try to assassinate her brother Elias, and clash with the newly formed Team Fighters on three occasions, two of which were the latter two aforementioned. All of them were intense, though they all ended with Mecha Sally retreating, through what some fans saw as contrived means.
Another thing I wish we'd seen more of was Sonic emotionally struggling over the whole situation. Ian once told me on BumbleKing that he would like nothing more than to show Sonic being more troubled by what happened to his girlfriend, but SEGA's mandates prevented him from doing so. However, I'm not sure how honest he was being, and anyway, I'm sure he could have found a way round the problem. I'm not saying Sonic had to be emo and surly all the time, but mood swings and sudden outbursts and perhaps moments of pensive silence would have helped.
It would eventually be revealed that Sally was the traitor Silver was looking for... BUT, he would discover that she wasn't a real traitor due to her Roboticization; that had been lost in the mists of time. This revelation was actually somewhat foreshadowed in a Sonic Universe issue where Silver visited a possible future in which Sonic and Sally were married as King and Queen, and had their own children. Whether it was intentional on Ian's part, I don't know. I didn't want to believe it myself, but I've since accepted it.
Speaking of Ian, his intention was to have the Mecha Sally arc last until Issue 250, which would make sense - cap off an emotionally-intense and trying story arc with a milestone issue. Unfortunately... it was not to be, because halfway through the arc, Ken Penders and Archie came to blows, which ultimately led to the comic being completely rebooted to remove his characters, with the planned Sonic-Mega Man crossover being used to make it happen. Mecha Sally's last appearance was in Issue 247, where she was ultimately deactivated by Silver, only for the Super Genesis Wave to kick in, thus leaving the Mecha Sally arc, and the other arcs happening concurrently, all unfinished.
On a side note, for a long time, I blamed Ken Penders for all this. In my essay about Sonic coming to the big screen last year, I said this:
"Thanks a lot, Penders! As if causing the reboot of the comic and cutting the Mecha Sally arc short wasn't enough!"
However, I now realise that Archie were the guiltier ones here. They essentially provoked Penders into filing his lawsuit, and they were the ones who called for the removal of his characters and the subsequent reboot, even though, apparently, neither were really necessary. So, I take it back. I still don't like Penders' writing, and I still think his characters rightfully belong to SEGA, as he created them for a comic commissioned by SEGA... but I no longer hold him solely accountable for the reboot.
Post-Genesis endeavours and the definitive end of an era:
After the Super Genesis Wave changed everything for the Archie Universe, creating a world that was more synonymous with the games (even adapting their events in some ways), Sally was returned to the side of good in Issue 252... albeit with another new look!
She sure went through a lot of looks, didn't she?
Regardless, myself, and several other fans, were simply overjoyed to see Sally back after two years. So she sported a new look; we didn't care. She was still Sally, and that was all that mattered. Of course, again, others took issue with it, as they felt the clothes would be a constant reminder of Sally's actions as a robot. In fact, apparently, Ian's original intention was that Sally would have these new clothes upon being de-roboticized. Even those willing to look past the whole 'unpleasant reminder' aspect felt that Sally looked, well... less distinct. Her original look helped her stand out, and now, they felt SEGA were stripping that away.
Me personally: I don't mind the extra clothes, even if Sally was never 'naked', per se. Nor do I mind the red strip down Sally's back, reminiscent of a real chipmunk. But I do miss her cheek fuzz, and honestly agree that her overall original design and anatomy was better. So, mixed feelings, in the end.
Sally also now sported a pair of blades that deployed from blue rings on her wrists, which, while another reminder of Mecha Sally, I was cool with.
Most notably, however, Sonic and Sally were no longer together; again, due to SEGA's mandates, which might have been fuelled by the shipping wars.
Sally would regain her memories of the original timeline in Issue 256, and as you can imagine, it upset her deeply, although some felt it was a bit tame. Still, it did lead to a wonderful moment in Issue 257 where Sally expressed a desire to make amends for what she did, causing NICOLE and Cream to comfort her. Alas, that was it; they were never brought up again, as the memories of the original timeline would fade from our heroes’ minds, which left fans disappointed as they felt it could have made for some compelling drama.
Sally would continue to serve in her classic role as leader of the Freedom Fighters in this new universe for the remainder of the comics' run, through the Shattered World arc (which was essentially an adaptation of Sonic Unleashed, with the Werehog, Chip, Dark Gaia and everything), and the Worlds Unite arc that was shoved into the middle of it. However, a lot of fans felt that her performance as a leader and a fighter wasn't up to scratch. Though she would have her moments, they felt Sally made too many mistakes to be chalked as mere character flaws, and she wasn't as good in a fight as they had hoped. As such, fans felt the Sally they'd grown to love hadn't truly returned.
On a side note, perhaps to compensate for not longer being with Sonic, Ian and his wife Aleah Baker, teased the possibility that Sally and NICOLE might have feelings for each other, especially in the 'Spark of Life' arc from the Universe comics; especially making Sally queer. But it was never confirmed.
And this, combined with other factors, would ultimately spell the end for the comic. Since the reboot, sales had slowly been falling. Eventually, in late 2016, the year of Sonic's 25 anniversary, the comic went on hiatus in the middle of telling an in-depth backstory for the new universe, before finally being cancelled in June 2017, with Archie subsequently losing the license to publish Sonic comics. Thus ended the longest-running comic series based on a video game, and with it, Sally Acorn's tenure in official Sonic media. Not the best way to go out...
Mirroring what happened with Transformers following the bankruptcy of DreamWave, IDW acquired the license for Sonic comics and brought Sonic back to the comic panel the following year, with Ian Flynn and his fellow Archie colleagues going with it. But rather than pick up where Archie left off, they chose to tell their own stories that were set in the canon of the games. As such, Sally and the Freedom Fighters didn't return, and in the ten years since, as mentioned, she hasn't made any appearances in official Sonic media; not so much as an allusion, unless you count the continued appearances of Ricky, the animal that inspired her. And perhaps Lanolin the Sheep in IDW as well, given she too was a more serious-minded leader, although whether that's a good thing depends on who you ask.
Legacy of a Princess:
As you can see, Sally Acorn has sparked more debates and controversy than perhaps any other Sonic character. She has worn many looks, faced many conflicts, been fancied by several men... and not always been the justice she deserves by writers.
Yet, Sally Acorn remains a cult favourite among fans, myself included. To me, she'll always be the girl for Sonic. No offence, SonAmy fans, but I don't see Sonic and Amy working. Plus, I like her general design; the possibilities for storytelling with her, especially with Sonic; her leadership; her dry wit, and more.
Fans have striven to keep Sally's legacy alive - in fan art, in fanfics, animatics, videos and more. Some have even taken upon themselves to wrap up the Mecha Sally arc where Ian was unable to. For example, the Media Man and myself wrote our own versions of Issues 252-257, basically having everything return to how it was before the crossover began:
The ongoing Archie Sonic Online ignored the crossover entirely, and picked up where Issue 248 left off, showing Sally being de-roboticized and showing her struggle with the trauma of her experiences in a mature and emotional way: https://archiesoniconline.com/
And writer-artist glitcher (whose art is phenomenal, BTW) began his version with the events of the 'Endangered Species', even showing Sonic's emotional troubles over Sally's fate. But whether we'll see the comic come to a proper conclusion is unknown, as glitcher is currently MIA. For now, you can read his first five issues here: https://www.deviantart.com/glitcher/gallery/60663876/sonic-retold
I have to warn you, though; glitcher goes for darker and more harrowing scenes than even the official Archie comic, so reader discretion is advised.
Whether Sally will return in official media is unknown. SEGA do own the rights to her and the other Freedom Fighters, so they have no worries over legal infringement, but possibly because of how controversial she is, they seem content to leave Sally in the past. However, Sonic movie director Jeff Fowler did say he was open to possibly incorporating aspects from Sonic cartoons into the movie universe, as shown here:
Cristina Vee, famous as the voice of the title character in the Miraculous Ladybug franchise, once expressed interest in voicing Sally if the chance came up: http://web.archive.org/web/20200212232037/https://twitter.com/CristinaVee/status/1227717089156202496
And in the Chaotix 30th anniversary special, on the last page, a tourist at the Mythsonian Museum seen from behind did bear a resemblance to Sally. So, maybe Sally might yet return. I know it's not much, but it's something. Let's just hope that if Princess Sally Acorn does return... she's done the justice she deserves.
So, what do you guys think? Should Sally Acorn return? Where would be the best place? Could she fit into the games' canon at all? Should Kath Soucie be brought back to voice her, or should a new actress take the role? Sound off in the comments.