Scrapnik Island | Sonic Speed Reading

As someone who grew up watching Super Mario Bros Z, seeing Mecha Sonic canonically say “I’LL CRUSH YOU!!!” was a surreal experience.

“Say the line Mecha” Mecha Sonic: “I’LL CRUSH YOU!!!” “YAAAAAAY!!!”

The fact that SEGA even let this happen is insane. Also, mecha sonic canonically saying "ILL CRUSH YOU!!" is so fucking awesome

"Sonic can't cry" 'Fine, I'm gonna make Mecha Sonic cry through Sonic. That's totally not the same thing.'

Just now realizing that an E-Series robot being the one leading the Skrapniks makes total sense, as they seemed to get the poorest programming when it came to y'know, actually following Eggman. Love that!

I really like how Barnes plays into the contrast between Mecha and Metal even more. They were already strikingly different from an aesthetic perspective, with one being large and bulky while the other is small and streamlined, so it makes sense to keep the dichotomy going by evolving Mecha into a gentle giant who is actively resisting the urge to give in to his original directives as opposed to Metal, who willingly embraces his. It's a pretty ingenious way to essentially explore what a reformed Metal would be like without betraying who that character is. I especially like how he plays with the fatherly bond that Eggman has with Metal in IDW by showing the resentment of the Sonic bot that was left behind.

I shouldn't be surprised that Mecha Sonic survived the wrath of Knuckles. Mecha has proven to be the toughest of the robot doppelgangers, further proving his dominance by beating down Mecha Knuckles.

I think it's interesting that this was the first IDW story with classic characters in a modern setting. Ian Flynn said he was blown away that Sega let Barnes do that. I'm hoping there's more to come.

It took hearing 'Scrambled Egg Carrier' 3 times before the pun set in for me. Amazing naming choice by the writers.

My Dad had passed away during this stories run. He was my inspiration, my motivation, my best friend. I was surprised how much I resonated with Mecha's monologue in that last issue. It would be no exaggeration to say the loss of my Dad left me purposeless.

God i still remember the day Mecha said the line we are all thinking of, "HE SAID THE THING" was trending on Twitter that day.

I like how sigma's cape looks like Eggman's mustache from certain angles. It's a nice touch as the machine is acting like a mini good eggman.

I love how Sigma uses super advanced technical jargon to describe basic things like an alternator, and that Tails understands him perfectly regardless.

The fact that they managed to take the lyrics from Waking Up, the ending credits song from Shadow the Hedgehog's stupid-ass Neutral ending, and turned them into an actual motivational speech says a lot about the writers of this miniseries.

Mecha Sonic looks so cool with the cloak tbh. Also, A STORY THAT DOESN'T KILL THE "ANTAGONIST" OFF FOR HIS WRONG DOINGS. That in itself is great, especially since Mecha redeemed himself. I was ready for the moment where Mecha sacrificed himself to save Sonic and I could not be more happier that it did not happen.

I really appreciate how Mecha was saved in the end, how he accepted Sonic's help. Not only is there the OVA Metal comparisons, but much more recently, the scene with Surge in issue 50, where she refuses Sonic's "10 second truce" and decides she'd rather die and get the last hit in instead of surviving by Sonic's help.

I hope one day there’s a surprise reveal of the old Egg carrier flying onto the scene when Sonic and the gang are in trouble or something and the Scrapniks help

I literally cried at the OVA reference there towards the end.

I absolutely adore this characterisation of Mecha. I just wanna protect him :(

I love it when Sonic's "Nature vs. Machine" theme rears its head up and presents a nuanced examination of concepts in the real world. I can see the idea of Scrapnik Island being loosely based on the real Trash Island, a spot where the waves intersected with floating trash and lost belongings. Turning that into a story of finding value in a life made of definitive garbage is touching, and it helps make the black and white nature of "Nature vs Machine" feel more gray.