Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 38

 
Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 38
Publication Date: June 1996

Over the book’s still brief history, a regular collection of writers and artist have come to work on Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog.” Usually, the writers circle includes Mike Gallagher, Angelo DeCesare, Ken Penders and his frequent collaborator Mike Kanterovich. Artist wise, Art Mawhinney or Dave Manak contribute most commonly. However, it seems in 1996, Archie was trying to introduce some new talent. Issue 38 was written by “Kent Taylor,” a pseudonym for editor Scott Fulop. Artist wise, the issue introduced Manny Galan, who would soon become the regular artist for the “Knuckles” series.

38’s cover story is the rather verbosely entitled “The Rise of Robotropolis… The Fall of Sonic!” Following the earthquake in the last issue, Robotropolis is still recovering. A routine mission goes wrong for Sonic, Antoine, and Tails. The three are ambushed by a squadron of Combots. One of the machines is struck by lightning and Sonic is blown back by a strange ray. Afterwards, he discovers he’s lost his super-speed. Afterwards, the rest of the Freedom Fighters are captured by further Combots, forcing Sonic to team up with Sally’s trainees and sneak into the city.

This story isn’t very good. Scott Fulop, despite being the series editor, doesn’t seem to have the best grasp on the series’ mythology. Sonic loosing his speed is a story that was going to inevitably happen. Why it happens is never actually explained. The Combot exploding simply has that effect on him. How he regains his speed is equally senseless. He grabs three power rings and suddenly, it’s back. This goes against how Sonic’s speed has been portrayed throughout the entire series up to this point. He also stumbles upon the Pool of Rings like it’s a new discovery, even though the pool was previously discovered back in the “Super Sonic vs. Hyper Knuckles” one-shot. Further proof of the story’s sloppiness comes at the end. After defeating the Combots, Sonic and the Freedom Fighters skidaddle and Robotnik blows up the building. Kind of an anticlimactic ending, isn’t it? (Further proof of Fulop’s lack of knowledge about the series comes when Sonic calls Antoine – a coyote – a fox.)

The second half of the story is just as unfocused. Sally and the rest of the Freedom Fighters are captured, which should be a pretty big fucking deal. These are all of the principal heroes and now they’re in the villain’s hands! Instead of focusing on his friends being endangered, the story barrels ahead. Sonic teams up with the team which would soon be the Substitute Freedom Fighters. With some help from Fly Fly Freddy – a new character that looks like a reject from a superhero comic – they sneak into the city. The only time the issue focuses on the peril Sonic’s friends are in is when we briefly see them captured. (Naturally, instead of killing the good guys when he can, Robotnik waits for Sonic to show up.) The emotional core of the story is Sonic’s doubting his own abilities, how his lack of speed will affect his hero-ing. This mostly manifests in him acting like an asshole to his temporary teammates.

Doing the artwork for this issue is Manny Galan. In time, Galan would develop into one of my favorite artist working for Archie. His artwork on the Knuckles series was consistently good. However, that’s a while off. In his debut issue, Galan still has a lot of growing left to do. He doesn’t totally grasp the character’s designs yet. Sonic frequently goes off-model. When drawn by Galan, Sally always seems a little longer or taller then she should be. Robotnik, meanwhile, looks like an indistinct blob. Galan’s facial expressions are… Odd. When knocked unconscious, characters have big “X”s in their eyes. When Sonic trips and falls, his jaws and teeth become more cartoony then usual. All the artwork is pretty off.

The back-up story is one of those totally useless joke strips the book fosters on us occasionally. Sonic is sick in bed. In order to pass the time, Tails reads him the comic book he’s written. This, it turns out, is a loose parody of the “Fantastic Four.” Loose is the key phrase there, as the story only references the most superficial elements of its target. Sonic, Tails, Sally, and Rotor are on a rocket and pass through some cosmic waves. Yet they don’t seem to gain any abilities, much less the abilities we associate with the Fantastic Four. Truthfully, only two things truly connect this parody to the Fantastic Four. First is the blue uniforms the heroes wear. Secondly, a spoof of Galactus called Robotnicus shows up and is then defeated with some Twinkies. It’s dumb. It’s extremely dumb. (Amazingly, Robotnicus is one of two Robotnik-themed Galactus spoofs that would appear in this book. What are the odds?)

So Issue 38 is pretty lame. Fulop’s script for the first story definitely lacks something. Galan’s artwork still needs a lot of work. The second story adds nothing to this universe and doesn’t give any of these characters anything to do. It’s not even a good parody of the Fantastic Four. Ken Penders’ artwork is typically flat and unappealing. About the only thing I like about this issue is Spaz’ cover art. It’s pretty cool. Otherwise, you can safely skip Issue 38. [4/10]