Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 4

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 4
Publication Date: August 1993

Something I’ve always loved about Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” series is how it combined different aspects from all the varied Sonic canons into one. Back then, things were a lot less complicated. Aside from some manga and books not read by many people, the Sonic universe consisted only of a handful of games and two animated series. The comic had the tone of “Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog” but the characters of “Sonic the Hedgehog.” And, with issue 4, it began to incorporate more concepts from the video games. It would still take a while before the series really utilized them in an interesting way but it was definitely a start.

In the first story, Robotnik has invented a new Roboticizer, that can control the power and size of the machine it makes. An accident causes a lowly salamander to be transformed into UniverSalamander, a badnik so large and powerful Robotnik can’t even control him. Rampaging through the Great Forest, and quickly approaching Freedom HQ, Sonic is forced to transform into Super Sonic in order to defeat the bot. In a back-up strip, Tails learns a lesson about personal responsibility when he tries to take on Robotnik’s forces by himself.

Issue four shows a smidgen of stronger continuity sneaking into the comic. Though she’s not present in the main story, Bunnie Rabbot appears in one of the one-page gag comics. Her career goal of, sigh, becoming a hairdresser is further referenced. Horizont-Al and Verti-Cal also reappear in a one-page gag. The back-up story has Robotnik referencing UniverSalamander’s rampage in the first story. Even Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts make a brief reappearance, in yet another one-page gag strip. It’s not a lot but it does show that the people making this comic were starting to care more. Slightly more.

The main story is no great stakes but I’ve always kind of liked it. The way UniverSalamander is created – a Buzz Bomber mistaking the machine’s control for the Air Conditioner – is goofy as hell. However, I like the idea of Robotnik creating a henchman too powerful for him to control. The character is also basically a giant robot dinosaur, the appeal of which I shouldn’t have to explain. Though he doesn’t come very close, it’s nice to see a villain in one of these story genuinely threaten our main heroes’ lives. The fight only last a few page before Sonic goes Super Saiyan and kicks his ass. But there is some novelty to devoting most of the issue to a battle between hero and villains. And if I’m being totally honest, I may just like UniverSalamander because of his awesome name. 

Issue 4 also leans heavily on meta-gags. When Sonic first appears on page four, he complains about not getting more screen time in his own comic. After the gang gets a peak at UniverSalamander on their monitor, Sonic mistakes it for the “Jurassic Park” video game. Before belching up the hedgehog, the robotic salamander asks the audience to look away. During their one-pager, Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts have to compete at a supervillain audition with a bunch of barely disguised Marvel/DC characters. See if you can spot bootleg Dr. Doom, Lex Luthor, and Green Goblin. The weirdest moment comes before Sonic transforms into Super Sonic. Before leaping into the special zone with the seven Chaos Emeralds, a thus-far game exclusive concept never referenced before, Sonic instructs the reader to help him through the special zone with their Genesis controller. I guess this reveals the sad truth that this comic was originally designed to help sell video games. Sonic would also be screwed because I always sucked at those special levels.

Super Sonic is kind of an asshole. Like regular Sonic, he mocks and belittles his opponent constantly. Since he’s in God Mode, there’s no chance for Sonic to get knocked down to size either. He ruthlessly defeats the enemy before pranking Antoine with a woopie cushion. I know Antoine is still characterized as a bit of a weenie at this point but Sonic’s treatment of him nudges up against bullying. Still, it was sort of neat to see his super form during a time when those variations rarely appeared outside of the video games.

The one-page gags are totally disposable, especially the one featuring Antoine reciting poetry. The back-up story gives Tails’ some much-needed character development. He’s not just Sonic’s fanboy but also a precocious kid who can get in over his head. Dave Manaks’ artwork continues to be serviceable, even if UniverSalamander’s appearance seemingly changes from page to page. That character would never appear again until a “lost” story would resurface in 2006, which was published in the fifth Sonic Archives collected volume. That’s a shame, as he had potential. I would’ve loved to have seen the dark n’ gritty Ken Penders version of a wacky character called UniverSalamander. [7/10]