Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 24

 
Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 24
Publication Date: May 1995


When I was reviewing Issue 23, I mentioned that it was a nostalgic favorite of mine. It didn’t contain that good of a story but, nevertheless, I read and re-read it countless times as a kid. I had a similar relationship with Issue 24. It’s another one that I thumbed through many, many times, reading it and admiring the artwork and characters. There’s a big difference between 23 and 24. 24 actually contains a pretty good story!

The Freedom Fighters are acting like assholes. Sonic kicks a pig into some mud. Sally drops a fellow squirrel into a pond. Antoine drives his car(?) into an apple cart. Rotor wrecks a shop with a baseball bat. Tails tosses tomatoes at a turtle. Quickly we learn that this is not actually Sonic and his friends. Instead, Anti-Sonic from the mirror universe Mobius have taken their prime universe counterparts’ places, with the intention of wrecking their reputation. When Sonic returns from the Zone of Silence, a botched attempt to rescue King Max, and Sally returns from her solo adventure in her mini-series, they are met by an irate crowd with torches and pitchforks. They decide to draw the imposters out and beat their asses.

“When Hedgehogs Collide” is a straight-forward action story and immensely satisfying in that regard. It’s the comic’s take on another stock superhero plot. A villain impersonating a hero in an attempt to destroy his good image is one that pops up from time-to-time. (Though most stories don’t deal with the mirror universe thing.) The early images of Anti-Sonic and gang wrecking shit is weirdly cathartic. Maybe I just secretly want to see our heroes act like huge pricks. The script, from Penders and Kanterovich, is not especially amusing. When Sally tosses the weeping fisher-squirrel into a lake, she tells her to “go fish!” The cover gives it away that these aren’t the actual Freedom Fighters. If I’m not just a sadist that is amused by violence, maybe these early scenes set up a conflict in a visceral, visual way. The bad guys are doing bad, giving our heroes something to react to.

 

This is also easily the best Anti-Sonic story so far. First off, the issue stars the rest of the Anti-Freedom Fighters as well. It’s not that Anti-Sally, Anti-Rotor, and the rest are developed much as characters. They are all indistinct thugs. But at least the plot gives the ringleader somehow to bounce off of. In previous stories, Anti-Sonic was just a hoodlum. He’s still mostly that but now he has some motivation: He’s bored on his conquered world and now wants a good fight. He doesn’t want to take over the world or even kill our heroes. He just wants to ease his boredom and have the satisfaction of fisticuffs.

The last third of the story is immensely satisfying. I know Sonic fandom elderstateman Dan Drazen wouldn’t approve of this but sometimes seeing the heroes beat the ever-loving fuck out of the bad guys is all we’re here to see. After disguising themselves as gypsies(?!), a huge fist fight explodes between the two Freedom Fighters faction. Since they are literally just doubles of each other, the teams are evenly match… Until they set upon the idea of trading partners. Thus, Sonic slugs Sally in the face, Rotor tosses Tails into the ground, and Tails dive bombs Sonic. The good guys triumph, the bad guys lose. Hell. Yes.

The entire issue is devoted to “When Hedgehogs Collide.” Dave Manak does artwork for the first half, while Art Mawhinney handles the second half. Manak’s cartoonish artwork works well for the first two parts, which is devoted to the Anti-Freedom Fighters being assholes. The second half, which is oriented around action and drama, is definitely better suited to Mawhineny’s confident, smooth, and focused pencils. Issue 24 isn’t a masterpiece or anything but it is an immensely satisfying, fantastically orchestrated story. If only Bunnie had been in the story, it would’ve been perfect. [8/10]