Since this is my first blog post, I thought I’d share with you why I joined this humble website. As you can clearly see, I’m a fan of Venom and all relating symbiotes. What you probably don’t know about me is that I’m also a fan of the true blue hedgehog, Sonic. I have noticed that the Sonic fan base on this site is severely lacking, but I like writing about things I enjoy. If enough Sonic fans, like myself, notice this blog and ask for more Sonic the hedgehog related stuff, who am I to deny them their entertainment? But don’t leave yet symbiote fans! My first Blog will be about a Sonic character based on Venom and how he relates to the new person to dawn the alien costume, Flash Thompson.

So who is this silver, metallic turtle you ask? And how does he relate to the current Black Ops Venom? To answer this

 question we must go back… to the beginning. God, that sounds so cliché doesn’t it?

“Flash” Thompson is known throughout the world as the bully to Peter Parker, aka Spider-man. I’m not going to lie, I hate Flash with a passion I’ve always seen him as a bully, and through teenage experience, I hate bullies. Flash was also a huge Spidey fan which of course is ironic. Peter often “reminded himself” that he could easily beat down Flash and gain the respect he deserves, but “With great power comes great responsibility.” Now on with the turtle, Tommy Turtle, was a pretty minor character in the Sonic comics, but like Flash and Mac Gargan, he became popular when he became “Venom.” With Tommy’s experience, he was actually the Peter Parker in the situation. If you don’t know it already, Sonic can really be a douche sometimes. Sonic is all about speed, and Tommy being a turtle is all about… slow. Princess Sally, Sonic’s “girl” in the comics, really liked Tommy despite what Sonic thought, Liz Allen anyone? Tommy finally got fed up with Sonic and challenged him to a race. If you ever heard of the tale, The Tortoise and the Hare (which I’m sure you have), then you know how the story ends. Sonic gains a new found respect for Tommy and they become friends, but it doesn’t last. The next day the evil Dr. Robotnik, most know him as Dr. Eggman, invades their home land, and Tommy is thought to have been captured and “turned into a robot.” Sonic has found Tommy 11 years later, but all is not well. A character named Sleuth “Doggy” Dawg (I know…. I know…) has lured Sonic into a trap aaaaaaand…. (see right panel).
 

 
Tommy sacrificed himself to save a person he never really knew before he disappeared; if that’s not friendship I don’t know what is. One can’t help but think of Flash’s sacrifice to save his platoon in the war. He took several shots in the legs and ultimately looses them, his reason for his sacrifice is because it’s simply what Spider-man would have done.

A fake robot version of Tommy, this “Infiltrator,” would become Sonic’s friend and try to kill Sonic in his sleep. This robot would also gravely injure Sonic’s robot father who almost died because of his injury, the robot would be defeated by Sonic and his father would be healed, or “fixed up” because he is a robot haha. This particular story came out in 2004 along with the contradictory “Venomous” story in Marvel Knights Spider-man in which Eddie Brock “hangs up” the costume and sold it to Angelo Fortunato, but would abandon him and stick with Mac Gargan. This was the first time that I thought of Tommy possibly being a Venom character. Attacking Sonic’s family similarly how Eddie Brock once operated.

One issue later we find out that the real like the legit Tommy is still alive, Sonic rescues him without explaining how he survived and he spends his time on the “Geek Squad” of the Freedom Fighters.

Now here is when it gets interesting. The Geek Squad is examining some nanites they have obtained from Dr. Robotnik. Tommy, being the soft-hearted guy that he is, believes the nanites are alive, but the nanites are unresponsive. Everyone gives up and leaves Tommy alone with the nanites. Tommy cries and a single tear activates the nanites and… (read left then right panels)

As soon as I read this for the first time I thought to myself: “They aren’t doing what I think they’re doing are they? Oh god I think they are.” I believe like any person that is a fan of two things, you love it when they come together like crossovers, this wasn’t technically a crossover but I was overjoyed. Flash with the whole: “Lieutenant Dan you ain’t got no legs,” thing embraces the Venom symbiote, despite truly knowing the true damage the symbiote can deal on a person, so he can walk and feel like the person who encouraged him to sacrifice his legs to save his platoon, Spider-man. Both of these characters are able to sprout in that Tommy can now fly and Flash can walk again and all seems fine and dandy.

To understand what happens to Tommy to send everything down hill, you need to know about one other character, the AI known as ADAM. ADAM is Dr. Robotnik’s AI son who has caused many problems to Sonic and the gang over the years, even things under his father’s giant pink nose. When his father ultimately finds out about his son’s doings, he has him destroyed, but ADAM is no fool, he finds one last place he can download himself into.  
 

ADAM is able to take over Tommy’s symbiotic nanites and control him using Tommy as a host. Like Flash, Tommy is originally able to control his symbiote but loses control unleashing the true monster. ADAM simply wishes to please his father, problem is… Dr. Robotnik thinks his son is insane. ADAM uses Shadow the Hedgehog and Tails to summon all the chaos emeralds in the universe so he can rule the known universe, and yet his father still doesn’t accept him… tragic. That father/son relationship does remind me of Eddie Brock and his journalist days, all Eddie wanted to do was please his father and when he supposedly hit gold with the Sinner Eater story, his father rejects him for hiding a murderer’s identity. Sure Flash has a bad relationship with his dad but… eh… Eddie’s story seemed more relevant. Sonic shows up…ADAM speaks in 3 person… wait 3 person? AWESOME! Sonic is forced to fight one of his best friends being possessed by a villain he has been facing for years. Of course this is similar to Peter having to fight one of his best friends as Venom, difference is… Peter doesn’t know Flash is the new Venom yet. ADAM knows Sonic could never kill Tommy so he uses this to his advantage and Sonic tries to lighten up on the fighting. With all the millions of chaos emeralds around them, Sonic turns into Super Sonic and ADAM turns into….Super ADAM? Dr. Robotnik frees Super Shadow and Super Tails who take care of the chaos emeralds… but that’s not important is it? Tommy is able to gain control of the ADAM nanites and sacrifices himself to rid of ADAM once and for all. Looking back on the way Tommy’s life ended, will Flash come to the same fate? Its only a matter of time before Peter finds out that Flash is Venom, and after that… then what? Will Peter hesitate to defeat the symbiote knowing Flash is wearing it? The Venom symbiote has tortured and terrorized Peter’s loved ones for so long and at this point I don’t believe I wouldn’t mind to see it, along with Flash, go out this way. I have expressed that I dislike Flash, but seeing him sacrifice himself would be the ultimate proof of him wanting to be hero. I am sure that anything like this will not be happening anytime soon, but I am accepting Flash as a well put together Venom throughout each issue, thanks to the sacrifice of Tommy Turtle.

Well that’s it! My first blog! I would love to know what you think, and I hope to write many more to come. I didn't have enough room for all the photos but I am uploading them if you are curious. I already have an idea for the next one but I do listen to requests. So, thanks for reading this!