Description
Approximately 440 pages
Full color
Size: Approximately 8” x 10.5″
Publisher: Floating Island Productions
Language: English
Reading Age: 8 and older
The contents consists of all Knuckles the Echidna stories written or co-written by Ken Penders in chronological order for the first time, including the character’s very first appearance originally published in Archie’s SONIC THE HEDGEHOG issue #13. Additional stories are collected from SONIC & KNUCKLES SPECIAL #1, SONIC’S TRIPLE TROUBLE SPECIAL #1, KNUCKLES CHAOTIX SPECIAL #1, material from SONIC THE HEDGEHOG issues #30 thru #36, SONIC’S FRIENDLY NEMESIS KNUCKLES #1 thru #3, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG issue #44, KNUCKLES THE DARK LEGION issues #1 thru #3, KNUCKLES THE ECHIDNA issues #4 thru #6 and concluding (for now) with a Sonic – Knuckles crossover tale from SONIC THE HEDGEHOG issue #53. In addition, creator bios and more are included, as well as a Foreword from Sonic fan extraordinaire Dan Drazen
FeliciaRondo (verified owner) –
My copy arrived in perfect condition, three days earlier than expected, and is a sight to behold in person. Comic art you have to see with your own eyes to truly appreciate the full impact of it doesn’t come often, but rest assured: if you’ve seen preview pages for this release, they couldn’t fully prepare you for how fantastic it looks printed.
The personalization I requested was provided, with an added flourish that made it that much more special. As I flipped through further, the history of this book washed over me in a way that summaries and “fan wikis” could never hope to capture. We get to see behind-the-scenes material, concept art with notes that provide context. Honestly, as much as I consider myself a super-fan of these books, there was stuff even I hadn’t seen before!
Above all, beyond any rights issues or questions of “who owns what” that have surrounded these stories and contributed to their absence for the past several years, the thing this book impressed upon me most is that these comics were created by people. Not corporations, not publishers, but people who did more than just their job – who delivered something new that did not exist before them, even in the video games Knuckles came from.
You get to see the cover of each story before reaching the interior and, for connecting covers, the pages unfold so that you get to see the full art piece. It’s the sort of thing that I used to scour the web for, only to find a tiny artifact-ridden jpeg file for my trouble. Here, the covers are presented in their full glory and it is a treat!
Getting to the stories themselves, the recoloring provided by Ethan Alvarée brings these stories to life in a way that just couldn’t have been done originally – both due to what tools they had available and the limited time allotted to the original colorists. Good coloring doesn’t just provide context and identity to the lines drawn, it reveals what couldn’t be conveyed with paper and pen alone – the glow of the greenery that hits Knuckles & Locke as they are surrounded by nature, the shadows that make the characters feel not just dynamic but a true part of the worlds they were drawn into decades ago, it all makes me feel like I’m getting to see these stories for the first time.
As I alluded to previously, the print quality takes all of these elements and makes sure it all looks fantastic – even the pages that couldn’t get the recoloring treatment look better than ever! There was always inevitably something lost with how these comics were printed before, but here the comics actually gain something from the printing that couldn’t be found or enjoyed fully without it!
Everything here contributed to the ultimate cost of this volume of the omnibus, but it was worth every last penny. I already knew I could trust Floating Island Productions to provide me with a quality product after The Lara-Su Chronicles: Beginnings came out so good, and this release further cements my faith in it.
Everything else was up to those who created the stories initially, and I cannot stress enough what a tremendous job they did back then. I could go on all day on what an achievement the stories collected were back then, even before getting to the high-quality additions in this release that weren’t there previously, but with this release it all feels brand new.
You don’t need to have read every issue of Archie Sonic before reading this, you don’t need to be an expert on Knuckles the Echidna before reading this, you can just pick it up and check it out if you have ever had any interest in Knuckles. Even if you don’t usually read comics, this might be the first one that grabs you!
I know I’m going to be enjoying this for years to come, and I’m grateful to see these stories finally return after years of being out-of-print. They all deserve to be remembered, both by those who read them when they were new and readers like me who joined in after.
Mike H –
Excellent quality. Finally an effort to archive these stories. I’m digging the revamped coloring and overall remastering of the original art pages. Looking forward to more especially “Sonic Days”. Sega should be taking notes: Sonic fans deserve better even if, as far as social media is concerned, they don’t deserve anything at all…
Sunni (verified owner) –
Ken Penders has absolutely proven once again with Knuckles Omnibus vol. 1 that he knows what comic fans want!
Great extras including eye-popping art, thoughtful behind the scenes inclusions and plenty of love and care in presentation elevate the Knuckles Omnibus 1 into the stratosphere far beyond just being a mere collection of works slapped in binding to a triumphant and joyful celebration of these tales.
Stories in both retouched and original form leap from the page in the same crystal clear and vivid color quality as the previous inclusion of The Lara-Su Chronicles’ Mobius: 25 Years Later with absolutely zero on page artifacts or ugliness.
Of particular note, the retouched stories exclusive to this version look fantastic and are sure to be a very pleasant surprise for those who have only experienced the original comic run or older reprints that don’t feature them.
As someone owning a number of other versions of the Knuckles comic material, this is by far the absolute definitive collection of these works that will totally satisfy an old fan or newcomer alike and absolutely can’t be missed! I give the highest possible marks.
Chris (verified owner) –
A great product! First and foremost, I am so happy that these old stories from my youth are being collected and presented for purchase in a high quality product. I wish I could have given this four and a half stars and my only reasoning for knocking half a star off is that I really enjoyed the remastered coloring some of the stories received, and wish all of the stories received the same treatment. It’s a bit jarring going from a story that has the remastered coloring only to go to the next story that is as presented back in the day.
Aside from that, it’s a great omnibus that features a lot of stories of Knuckles, in chronological order, along with some excellent bonus content.
All in all, I’ve had a wonderful time re-visiting these stories and I look forward to future releases!
Nicholas Stamates (verified owner) –
A wonderful collection of the early Knuckles stories. I would say more but the review from FeliciaRondo hits every point I was going to make and better than I could. Highly reccomend.
Morgan G –
This is a great Omnibus for anyone who enjoys the classic comic books or if you’re like me and are a huge Knuckles fan. This would be a great gift to give to anyone for any occasion, As Knuckles once said “It would be a great Honor”. The stories are beautifully restored and lend themselves to a nostalgic feeling. I have throughly enjoyed reading this and would recommend it to anyone.