Sonic Retold - Issue 2, Page 13 (Patreon)

A very special page, this. Not part of the storyboard, it was improvised on the day and inspired by Flordeoro's persistent concern for Sally. A big reason why Sonic's chase to retrieve her was so stale in Archie's comic is because of how poorly it expressed Sonic's emotional state in this ordeal. Issue #236 is where things fell apart. By then, Sonic seems to have accepted Sally's transformation and is joking about while trying to grab her. It was completely tone-deaf and demeaning to how anxious readers must feel for them. Eventually, the comics lost all focus on how Sally's fate affects Sonic. ¬_¬

While I was planning to address this topic later, Flordeoro's comments reminded me that I was in danger of falling into the same trap as Archie by ignoring Sonic's feelings for too long. After Lien-Da's taunting in the last issue, Sally must always be on his mind... and in his dreams. I believe this page illustrates how afraid Sonic must be for Sally and how much he misses her. It's what the story needed.