I like how Belle acts as a consequence and validation for Sonic's choice to trust Tinker. Sonic believed in him and he was valid in doing so. Tinker was lost and it was a massive hit to Belle. Could you imagine if Sonic agreed to have him taken out and Belle had to lose him because of that? It makes you think.

I think belle being bad at what she was made for shows how nice mr tinker was. He still crared for her as a daughter and never considered her a failure even tho eggman no doubt would.

“While sonic was talking shit to a toaster” top 10 sentences I never thought I’d hear

I like to imagine Mr. Tinker is what Ivo would've been like if Gerald and Maria weren't murdered by the old GUN.

Belle is, from a certain point of view, an orphan who has to confront her Dad's evil identical twin and the horrible things he does to the world with the face of the kind man she knew and loved. And yeah you kind of have to feel for her.

The sheep girls name is lanolin and there’s quite a fun story behind her! Originally she was meant just be a reoccurring background character to make the world feel connected and she was given her name as a joke. But when sega heard she had a name they demanded that they send her name and design so sega could copyright it! Now lanolin a proper side character and they’re more careful when naming minor characters (case in point the orangutang, even said he’s unlikely to ever get named since he’s not gonna appear much😅)

I appreciate the Panic Puppet soundtracks while talking about...quite literally...a panicking puppet.

Belle's emotional roller coaster makes for a very real story. She starts out with false hope, which in turn leads to denial, self-doubt and even a bit of fear. Despite her emotions, her determination to find out the truth brought her straight into a conversation with the most dangerous man in the world. The man that was once her father had reverted back to the evil mastermind he's known as, with no sign of his kind-hearted alter ego to be found. She was finally forced to come to the conclusion that her father, Mr Tinker, was truly gone. One thing she hasn't realized yet, at least not at this point, is that Mr Tinker still lives on through her, just as any child continues on as their parents' legacy, for better or worse. She is proof that once upon a time there was a man named Mr Tinker, and that man spent his days working to make people's lives better with his inventions. She will forever be a reminder that he existed, however briefly, and that maybe Eggman has just a bit of good in him after all.

That "...smash her- *CALM DOWN SHIPPERS* -or leave her..." caught me off guard so hard that i just lost it.

I love how Sonic, Tails and Amy end up in what’s essentially an empty Gmod city Map. XD

The Egg Pawn with the chalk is actually doing a form of Maze Tracing, he's tracing the edges of the maze to see where it's ending just like Tails does.

Absolutely destroyed that bowl of cereal. A true chef in his element.

I just wanted to point out that Eggman's taste for coffee seems to be the reference to Eggman Nega's theme, which starts with "TOO BLACK. TOO STRONG". Which is a soundbite taken from Malcolm X's speech, where he uses coffee as a metaphor.

Tear ducts aren't an accidental design choice. Mr. Tinker wanted Belle to cry.

I don't think it was just how different Mr. Tinker and Eggman were that shocked Belle, it was just how similar Mr. Tinker and Eggman were to each other that hurt her as well. Belle's short talk with Or-bot and Cu-bot about Eggman, reminding her of the similarities the two share, then Eggman quickly shutting down any hope that Mr. Tinker ( her father ) could be brought back. That and the general indifference Eggman felt towards Belle must've stung hard too. At least now that Belle has accepted the truth Tangle and the others can be there for her and she can be there for them as well.

Belle is what I like to call a "Tragic Character". This was a badnik that wanted to learn the truth. We knew what was coming but just seeing how broken Belle is really made me feel for her.

I like that there were some consequences for the Tinkerer plotline.

It just dawned on me basically Belle is Roll to Metal Sonic being Mega Man in that regard to Eggman. They aren't treated as lackeys like Orbot and Cubot but treated as Eggman's kids. Strange isn't it.

Yo, NO CLUE who these people are complaining about your sonic speed readings, but let me say this. Without your speed readings I wouldn't have known how good the sonic comics really are, sure the writing may not be ground breaking, but it's cool to get a full fledged comic of the sonic cast interacting with one another. Reminds me a lot of super smash bros brawl subspace emissary, and how cool it was to have every character interact and fight with one another, it was like a fresh of coat paint for all the characters I had already known, and expanding upon it. That's what I love about the sonic comics in my own POV. But yeah, that's all I wanted to say, keep doing what your heart desires, whether it is game reviews on the sonic franchise, or sonic speed readings, do what you want to do!

I empathize and feel sorry for Belle, I really do. I didn't care much for Mr Tinker and the whole "bad guy gets amnesia and turns good" trope, but for Belle's sake I really do hope he makes another appearance in some form or another. Definitely don't stop making these comic videos!

Honestly Nick, I never would have guessed that you were a fan of the color green without the big green tab labeled "GREEN" hanging on top of your wall. It's a good thing that tab was there to tell us that, otherwise I'd have never known.

If they are trying to play up the sheep lady as a later problem or turn coat then that would roll perfectly with the old saying "A wolf in sheep's clothing."

I'm totally with you on the character design part, so many of these guys look great. If they ever bring back the oc maker from forces in a hopefully better game, I hope they expend it so we can make character that look like these.

I just realized. Tinker... Bell... yes I'm slow in the mornings

Tangle when she sees Belle: "You are my friend now! We're having soft tacos later!"

I said it on your last video and I'll say it again: I absolutely adore Belle. I love her design, I love her personality, I love her big goofy clown nose. Sometimes you take one look at a character and it feels like they were tailor-made for you, and Belle is one of those characters for me.

You slammed haters into a fucking bread making skit. That is a level of cleverness that deserves an applause. "Wow! No fire!" My sides are in orbit and I I be charging you for the cost of getting them back.

i hope the sheep girl is just there looking incredibly suspicious, but never really becoming important, i dunno it seems like a fun idea kinda like an inside joke

Little did we know as soon as the camera cut a fire erupted from the bowl of cereal Seriously nicks snacks is something I'd love to see as a one off special for April fools or something Also intentional or not couldn't help but notice it's similar to knick knacks which being sonic fans we probably collect alot of crap lol

40:25 There are a lot of real world parallels in Evan Stanley’s work. Such as with the Chao Races and Trial by Fire.

The robot with the chalk was probably drawing the line in an attempt to avoid getting lost. It's a common tactic with mazes to leave markers on one side of your path so if you ever encounter said markers, you know you already went that way, as well as which way you went through it (so if you encounter the markers on the opposite side, you're going backwards, and if you find them on the same side, you've looped around). Using chalk is one way that is frequently referenced. I've also seen people do this with torches in games like Minecraft. It is hilarious to me to think that an Eggman robot, even a mook, would need chalk to navigate its own way around it's own maze. XD

The reason I like these synopses you give us, the reason I listen to the Speed Reading series, is the joy you allow into your voice when you laugh. Keep the emotion, my friend. I like your work when you use it.

That orangutan guy gave me serious Rotor the Walrus vibes, and it made me wonder if somewhere in the planning phase that may have been the place they would've reintroduced him if Sega gave them the go ahead. Ian Flynn has said they're always throwing around ideas on how to incorporate the Freedom Fighters on the off chance Sega one day says they're allowed to.

I'm really starting to belive that Tangle has some kind of fetish going on with her tail, the way that she acts whenever they are talking about her tail is just priceless.

A really cool design aspect about Belle is what real world thing she is based on. And that is clearly an old wood toy called a Hampelmann, or Jumping Jack in English. It's a toy doll with a string under it that if you pull causes the arms and legs to flail up, which the well known exercise is named after. Turning that string into her tail is early clever. And using such a lesser known toy as inspiration is super cool. Heck the only reason I was able to recognize this immediately is because my German Grandma had one while I was growing up in the 90s, and even THEN having something like that was super rare.

Almost an HOUR of Nick?!? What a blessing! -Can't wait to watch this instead of doing homework-

Man that's a shame that we may not see all that much of more Belle I love her design! A wooden badnik was such an amazing idea!

The fire breakfast joke at the start had me belly laughig so deep I woke up my son in his bed while I lay on the floor chilling

I really like how consistent the character design is in regards to the background characters, in that they fit in with the name characters. This whole comic book series feels well cared for.

i love belle so much and hope we see more of her, she hits all of my asthetic sweet spots. i also think what you said about the sonic game characters being mascots and how the comic needs it's own additions to the cast is really important and alot of the fanbase don't seem to get that.

I tried magic spoon before specifically the blueberry. Unfortunately when I poured the milk in it still ended up catching on fire. The resulting carnage lasted for at least 5 hours and fortunately I was the only survivor. Good cereal though, I actually eat some.

13:18 This Hover Bike comes from Sonic Riders Zero Gravity. It's called a Wheel in that game because the Holographic ring around it looks like, well, a wheel.

It's rare to see Sonic teaming with Tails and Amy and he has done a great job acting as the guardian to them.

You know when the game apologist uploads it’s a good day

I love seeing the Sonic-Tails-Amy trio, it should be the default hero trio for this series

I guess those people who wanted you talk more about “Games” will also want you to “Apologize” to them now. “Apologize” to them now. “Apologize”-

This speed reading series made me love IDW 👍 As you said Archie is over but the things you said really made me appreciate all they are doing with IDW And take your time with getting into Archie , I'm Archie fan myself and I know how complicated it is because it's not straightforward like IDW and I know you are trying your best to make Archie speed reading as good as you can when it starts

I kinda like the slow paced areas of the comics. It gives you more time with the characters while they explore something new. Though, the contrast of more high-stakes/fast-paced moments could be more pronounced. That last half of the metal virus saga warranted some cool-down, but now I'm hoping the upcoming 50th issue will give some similar stress to pick up the pace again.

The initial labyrinth design actually reminds me of how the labyrinths looked in Phantasy Star. Although to be quite honest I’m not sure if that’s intentional or just one set of green tunnels look like another set of green tunnels. Knowing the IDW writers and artists though I wouldn’t be surprised.

I really appreciate your final words on Belle and what she’s had to go through and the writing in general.

She has no strings now.

Hopefully these new type of Freedom Fighters do get into the games and not get separated into just the comics... Because if they coexist with the ganes, they won't be able be erased. These are new... but just as lovable characters, and unexpectedly so full of humanity... even the sentient android had more humility than a actual human. Might Belle the Tinkerer live a long life

10:38 *Tangle after knowing someone for like, ten seconds:* You are my friend now, we are having soft tacos later!

Belle is just Mr.Tinker's Metal Sonic. Except she has more emotions than just "MAKE DAD PROUD, PUNCH HEDGEHOG, TAKE OVER THE WORLD" (Not that metal doesn't have more emotions but yeah he's metal sonic he's there to be one of the main weapons)

40:17 I have Issue 45, and in the fan letter section, its stated "we certainly have a lot of plans for Belle and other original characters in the future". Im looking forward to seeing more from her. She needs a hug👏🏽 Also, her design is just precious. It gives me Pinocchio vibes.

Cool story and all, BUT MAN, that is ONE IMPRESSIVE BEARD. My God, Nick, that looks awesome on you!

I think Belle is one of the most interesting recent characters. Really like her. Also the artwork is gorgeous in these issues..

Wait, i just realize something, this whole VR simulated world made by Eggman has being done before, its literally the last episode of Sonic Underground where Sonic, Manic and Sonia enters a virtual reality world made by Robotnik in order to obtain info on their mother and Robotnik sets up deadly traps for the trio in order to crush them. Kinda seems way too coincidental that both things have 3 main heroes going against Robotnik/Eggman in a deadly VR World huh?

22:55 this just makes me love Eggman even more, always one of my favorite villains in video games, and now just... game companies listen, it's the little things, just the tiniest of details can make a world of difference and make people happy.

The Egg Vipers have the megaman battle network elements Red=Heat Yellow=Elec Green=Wood Blue=Aqua

8:33 this i Why i think Mr Thinker build her equiped to be a helper, but never programed it in her, was intended to her to learn in the traditional way. What gonna cause a indirect trouble later(on Imposter symdrome). PD: funny this could apply to nearly all Eggman robot or at least the most Ai Advances as their need experience(e-100 series) or being feed on data, like Metal Sonic, tought for this later never was show in game, aside when he is Neo Metal And a few rebellius acts after it , is a consistent point in all other media he apears.

I'm certain that Eggman will utilize the data collected from the tower later on, although without Or-bot and Cu-bot it'll probably take awhile since they were the ones directly overseeing the experiments at the tower. That and without them Eggman will have a bigger workload to deal anyway. It'll also give the Restoration more time to focus on clean up efforts.

LORD i swear. i look forward to your big breakdown of the Sonic IDW speed reading. keep up the good work

6:42 I think the green hedgehog might be a reference to ashura

I'm surprised you didn't mention the Amy/Sonic tag action from Sonic Advance 3 during the Egg Viper fight, given all the easter eggs you point out elsewhere

I really appreciated your analysis at the end. Especially with regards to how the comic OC's are important in allowing the story world to develop properly.

I have a fun idea. When Sonic IDW reaches its 100th issue you could do videos about the IDW original character’s journey throughout those 100 issues so far. You could even add different chapters like in which part of his/her life we are in. Here’s an example with Whisper: - Past - Meeting Sonic - The Battle of Angel Island - Visiting Tangle - Hunting Mimic - The Metal Virus Saga - Brief stay - Adventures With Tangle

These expressions... They are like Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine levels of crazy.😂

Does that make her a badnik though? Maybe more of a goodnik? (Since Mr. Tinker wasn't evil...)

13:23 : right, it IS an extreme gear, and quite a unique one at that, I figure. It's a wheel type from zero gravity, can't put my finger on its name but if I'm not mistaken, it allows you to access a specific item's power (one comparable to all-star moves in THAT series of racing games, or lv 3 in the original riders) as long as the GP gauge is full Goddesses, for a moment I felt like I was speaking like some attempt at a Sonic character

Now I wanna see him do a whole series where he just makes green food.

Thank you for supporting the show, and shout out again to Magic Spoon for sponsoring! Use my code APOLOGIST to get $5 off your delicious, healthy Magic Spoon cereal by clicking this link: magicspoon.thld.co/Apologist_0222

YES A NEW SONIC IDW EPISODE! Thank you so much Game Apologist

Well, I can’t say I expected to sit through a whole 50 minutes of a comic speed reading that popped into my youtube feed, and yet, here I am. I suppose I’ll be looking forward to the next one. I find it interesting to hear about these comics from a different perspective.

TMNT was my first thought seeing the abandoned subway turned workshop too.

I wish I could enjoy these videos as they release, but the new comic run has me saying the Eight Words Of Storytelling Death: *"I Don't Care What Happens To These People."* Thanks for covering the comics, it'll be easier for me to digest when I'm ready for some good ol' fashioned exposition-style recaps. Keep up the good work.

the more people complain about comics, do more comics 🤘

I don't think these arcs are too long, I think it's just a format issue. Four short 15 or so page issues takes four months to get through, sometimes more if they tag off with a spinoff series. If this were a manga we'd have been out of that arc in a month with weekly releases. Frankly I don't even bother with the monthly releases, reading it in the 4-issue volumes is a much better reading experience imo.

The lamb girl, you've been referring to, is called Lanolin. I've seen an interesting Tumblr post theorising that her strange behaviour may hint at her having PTSD, from all the trauma she's been through. The post elaborates on it pretty well. I can't post the link here without KZfaq auto-deleting my comment. Just search "Lanolin has PTSD" and the search engine should get you to the right Tumblr post.

Death or absence of a parent is very common in Japanese mediums (be it manga, games, shows, anime, movies, or whatever), especially dads, this is why Ness's dad is a phone, and Pokemon has only ever had 1 dad in its games, among many other franchises. Because that's what Japanese people actually grow up with. The mindset of Japanese work force is working till you can't work anymore essentially, and has been ingrained in their culture for a long time. You work, you get home and you eat if you have time, otherwise it's straight to shower and bed. You wake up, ride the train or drive couple hours to work, leaving before the rest of the household is awake. You spend little to no time with your family because work is more important, and in a lot of cases people literally work themselves to death, ending up in hospitals. This is most likely what led to Iwata (the previous and amazing Nintendo President) passing away in 2015, years of overexerting, led to constant illness, and eventually a bile duct blockage that ended up killing him. Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, I don't remember if he was the director or what, but the person in charge of those games ended up in the hospital because of stomach problems from over working. They were finishing Ruby and Sapphire ready to ship out, in the middle of Emerald, Firered/Leafgreen, and starting Diamond and Pearl with the concept of time space already planned and designing the legendaries no names thought of yet, they start with the theme, then legendary designs, then starter designs. So he goes into work despite being hooked up to an IV, and ensures things keep running smoothly. Sakurai is well known and maybe you've already heard this, creator of Kirby and Super Smash Brothers. He has ended up in the hospital every Smash Bros game he made Melee onwards (again stomach illnesses, due to overworking). Because of this while making Smash Ultimate he hooked himself up to an IV. This legendary man didn't need to go into work once the entire time Ultimate was being made. He's so high up the chain, and so well paid he could've sat back at home or on the beach sipping a drink, and still gotten paid. Instead, he made sure to be at work before anyone else got there, hooked himself up to an IV, personally went over every single detail while they work making each character, each skin, each stage, each stage variation, EVERY SINGLE LITTLE DETAIL he looked over and made sure was done correctly, even designing stuff himself, just so other people wouldn't mess something up. Then while everyone else went home, he stayed longer. Even while Covid was happening and they had to work from home, he made sure everything was perfect to his vision. This man is an artist, Smash Bros his canvas, it is not just a fighting game, it is a party game, for friends and family, in fact it was that 1st, that was the intent. This is why you still have items, customs in Smash 4, spirits in Ultimate, to mix up how the game plays. It isn't just a party game, it isn't a fighting game, it isn't even a party game with fighting elements, it is a work of art. This man Da Vinci of the modern era, he cares so much for his fans, and ensured so much would go into this game, that he went to extremes to make sure this game came out the way it did. This is mentality, while maybe not as extreme as Sakurai, is the general idea of how not just game creators, but every worker in Japan works. This is why you never see both parents at the same time, why one might die, or both may be gone or dead. Because Japanese children grow up not seeing their parents (again usually the dad), then they create these things reflecting that personal experience, and as a result develop that mentality too, passing the moral on and on and on over many generations. So yeah just some insight as to why so many characters in media turn out like this, now Ian Flynn is an American (...looked up just to double check, yes he is an American Comic book writer), so this might not reflect as much. From personal experience I can say though that yeah some American parents do act this way too, my dad would come home from working, putting in overtime, falls asleep for a few hours on the couch, wakes up late to make a late dinner (depended on the day, sometimes 8, sometimes 7, could be as late as 10pm) then goes to bed to wake up 4 hours later to drive 2 hours into work. It also sounds like America wants to develop the work hours Japan and apparently Ireland have... which is completely stupid and a terrible mind set. I applaud the Japanese (and Irish even more than I already did), and it's because of that idea that you know they put everything into their work, even if people complain about stuff, might sound shitty to say but when someone literally works themselves to death you know you're getting a product that someone worked hard on, even if you don't think it's good. That being said, America is stupid if they think developing that mind set is a good idea. You might get more quality stuff that way, but at what cost when the birth and death rates are going to go up. By proxy I imagine birth rates would also increase as a result, more bodies, by nature to adapt like any other animal we would adapt to having more children, that or America will just burn and lots of people will be dead and homeless... What were we talking about?.... OH RIGHT, got sidetracked, that's why death of a parent is so common in Japanese stuff, and why as cliche as it could be, even for Belle a robot, it leaves an impact.

Just started the video and I am already dying of laughter. You have really good comedic timing!

I cant believe they included the backrooms in sonic the hedgehog

I like that you are going through the comics not a lot of channels are doing that all they cover is marvel and DC

Awesome video. I think its time I start buying these issues myself, and actually support the series I'm enjoying.

I just keep loving the content on this channel, really loving your work man!

13:22 more specifically that is the Big Bang from Sonic Riders Zero Gravity!

If you count Amy as a power character, the tower tea. Kinda makes a heroes trio

I somehow didn't expect his room to look so nerdy, and so cool!! How did I not assume this?

Don’t listen to the people saying you’re covering to many comics. Please keep them coming. On that note, I was wondering if you’ve read Ian Flynn’s Mega Man comic? That book was criminally underrated and painfully short lived😭. I hope you get a chance to cover it here.

I don’t mind these smaller mini adventures not everything needs to be an arc the writers can just have fun writing

I'm ashamed to say that the Belle reveal did surprise me a small amount. I didn't manage to figure it out

thank you for calling out those idiotic content creators that spread blatant lies about Flynn and Sonic IDW in general.

"Belle isn't the most exciting character we have seen so far" Me: my new favorite character, we need more of this badnik in the comics

The hovercraft Belle and Tangle ride is the Big Bang from Sonic Riders Zero Gravity

I would love to see metal sonic and Bella interact because you have that father son relationship with metal and egg man and Bella’s relationship with mister tinker I think it would be an amazing situation

I think there's a reason we love Mr. Tinker, the same reason we love Dr. Kintobor from both Fleetway and Archie, or even Boom Eggman. We all love Eggman's villain schtick, he can be hilariously goofy, darkly threatening, and everything in-between. But at the end of the day, deep down, some part of us truly wants him to go good, and stay that way. I loved seeing him team up with the heroes in SA2, and from various games onwards as well. And it could open up a spot for some great new villain to take the stage from that point onward.

I honestly was expecting the bowl of cereal to catch on fire, much like when Homer tries to make it for Mr. Burns.

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 Wise words at the end. Very wise indeed. Some people out there just don't understand the condtions of working under companies that give rules and guidelines. This arc did seem slow if im being honest, but at the same time the story was really good. I like your insight and anayalis vidoes. I'll be looking forward to the next one. Also, loves the cheif's hat!

Aww man, gonna be a bit of a bummer if the lamb chick turns out to be an antagonist, she's cute ...Man, do I have a thing for sheep girls...?

It's cool that they showed 2 hedgehogs in there who aren't important,