Analyzing Sonichu Issues #16 and #17

Sonichu Issue 16 was originally set up as Sonichu #13, but the Idea Guys' meddling resulted in the issue being delayed . After the Idea Guys were removed from power, Chris was working on this issue and two others at the same time, only becoming remotely close to completing one of them.¹ A workplace accident was the reason for this issue being abandoned; whilst drawing, Chris accidentally spilled brown paint on the comic pages, ruining them (another reason he should have started drawing his comic digitally like the majority of webcomic artists). Chris sold the set for $100, and no work has been done on the comic since.

The cover is a reworking of the one from Sonichu #10, which you'll recall was drawn by fake girlfriend PandaHalo. Chris appears to have traced over it rather than using Photoshop to edit the colours, hence why it looks oddly blocky and flat.

The paint spills make reading these pages exceptionally hard to read, so for this one I am partly relying on the CWCki's scans of the pages. The dates would indicate that these events occurred in the Lancastrian phase of the conflict (so named because the House of Lancaster ruled England at the time). Chris, of course, gets English history wrong; there is only one 'Royal House' at a time, so this would suggest that that Graduon was a forgotten son of the Lancasters.

We are now thrown forward to the 18th Century, where Graduon returns once more, where he becomes a redcoat. Chris' statement about slavery becoming 'less tolerable' is about a century out; although debates over the legality and morality of slavery were going on during the 1700s, the British Empire would not ban the practice outright until 1833. Although Chris does a good job incorporating the Boston Massacre accurately, the comment about newspapers is a bit suspect; they would not have been in mass circulation as the taxes on paper made them very expensive to produce. I'm not really sure what this business with magic is, though. Seems a little thrown in.

This is why Chris selected the November 17th date: one of the people Graduon has been is a historical figure, namely Field Marshal Montgomery of the British Army (notice that he mispells Montgomery's first name). I am now even more convinced that Chris was watching Blackadder when he wrote this, as this issue has the same basic premise as that sitcom; multiple similar members of the same family living through different periods of history. Chris appears to be unaware that the French were allied with Britain during WW1 (he probably also thinks the war started because Archie Duke shot an ostrich on the grounds he was hungry). Notice how Chris decides to talk about Operation Market Garden rather than any of Montgomery's successes, such as the Battle of El Alamein.

And he still hasn't addressed one fundamental problem; how is Graduon doing all of this when he's still sealed inside the sceptre? He won't be let out of it until 2008!

Alas, we will never know, as this is where these pages stop.

---

As incredibly short as Sonichu #16 is, at least it has a story of sorts. The same is not true of Sonichu #17.

To date, only the cover was ever released, and no details of the plot have ever emerged. Based on the cover art, which features Chris (dressed as a gopnik for some reason), Magi-Chan, and a new character called Cryzel whom Chris was convinced he was married to (alongside Magi-Chan and Mewtwo), this issue would probably have been about the polyamorous marriage, possibly Chris' most bizarre coping mechanism yet. Whilst I totally understand wanting to have a relationship, marrying three people who don't exist is a bit of an extreme step.

The plot of the comic may also include time travel, based on Chris' remark about retcons.

Seeing as Chris is currently behind bars, it is highly unlikely Chris will resume work on either of these comics any time soon (unless he has a cunning plan for getting out of prison). Although the Sonichu canon ends here, I can confirm that this is not the end of the road just yet. Stay tuned for some more analyses in the coming weeks!

List of references:

¹ https://sonichu.com/cwcki/June_2019_social_media_posts#Back_on_drawing_track

Comments

[wingdingaling]

Another short, bent, broken choad of a comic? Welp, just for the fun of it, I'll give my usual fervor:

1. I can't help but notice that issue #16 is marked as issue #14. Beneath that, Count Graduon apparently has been shot in the face. Probably by Chris, who thought nothing of discharging a firearm at another person.
2. We again see Chris' incompetence, wherein he can't even trace properly. Once upon a time, I traced as a way of practicing how to draw, just like many other artists out there. The difference between me and those other guys is that we never claimed that the work was our own.
3. Now, if Count Graduon was supposed to be a personification of Chris' hated high school graduation, wouldn't he have been born on that day?
4. The man in the chicken hat is terrifying, and would fit right into the same category of horror as his pornographic drawings. You know, the ones that he puts in a children's comic.
5. I'll admit, the idea of Count Graduon being reincarnated throughout the ages is pretty awesome. The problem here is that Chris doesn't know history very properly. This is what happens when you sleep through classes.
6. The reference to a Jewish family who practiced magic is probably a reference to Kabbalah. Knowing Chris, who doesn't understand sorcery, witchcraft, augury or reincarnation, it's very likely that he has no clue how Kabbalah works either.
7. I bet you're right about Blackadder. As I look at the dates, they match up with the various periods on the show. Here lies Chris' original ideas. And they're bloody annoyed! All that's missing is Baldrick.
8. Finally, Chris terrifies us with the promise of retcons. Oh, dreaded retcons! They've ruined Marvel and DC comics. Not that there's much to ruin in Sonichu, but it's still a terrifying thought.

And that's that. Finally, I can go back to a steady diet of good comics made by talented people. I just got a new Lone Wolf and Cub omnibus, and a Cyberfrog omnibus today. I'm going to patch up my frayed little brain cells with those.

[The Blue EM2]

5659040
1. It was originally going to be issue #14, but Chris moved it up to make way for Merge nonsense. The brown paint doesn't help.

2. Chris uses a children's toy for tracing, not professional equipment.

3. As this makes sense, it is not Chris logic.

4. It rather goes without saying that children should not be allowed anywhere near this comic.

5 and 7. The concept can work, as demonstrated by Blackadder. The problem is you need to have a strong hold on history for it to work (as Elton and Curtis did). Chris does not, and as a result things get messed up (the Blackadder writers had the excuse that they had done it for rule of funny). Chris makes most incarnations of Baldrick (or Edmund Duke of Edinburgh from the first series) look like Albert Einstein in comparison. What's the bet he's tried to escape prison by sticking pencils up his nose?

6. Neither do I.

8. Chris retcons all the time. It's hardly anything new.

Sadly, this trainwreck ain't over. We've still got the Specials to cover.