Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 79

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 79
Publication Date: December 1999

In the early months of 1999, Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” comics were littered with mysterious ads. They were black stripes, with Sonic’s green eyes and somewhat manic grin being the only visible sight. It took me a few more months before realizing these were teaser images for “Sonic Adventure,” the latest Sonic game for Sega’s latest system. By December of 1999, thanks to a Christmas present from a dad eager to buy my love, my passionate affair with the Dreamcast had already begun. I quickly put two and two together and realized Archie had been planning a “Sonic Adventure” adaptation within the pages of their comic for months. Yet Sega’s “Sonic Adventure” featured a markedly different world then the one of the comics. Archie’s somewhat awkward attempt to blend the two continuity began here, in issue 79.

The cover story is even subtitled “A Sonic Adventure Tie-In.” “The Discovery” begins with Nate
Morgan hacking Dr. Robotnik’s computer network from the comfort of Knothole. The scientist soon learns that Robontik is planning an excavation of the Hidden City of the Ancients. Hoping to prevent this, King Acorn orders Sonic, Sally, and the other Freedom Fighters on a mission to stop the doctor. Amy Rose, Sonic’s biggest fan, wants to join the trip. However, Sally deems her too young. Meanwhile, Prince Elias worries for his comatose mother’s safety. He hopes to use the magical Ring of Acorn to restore her health… But somebody else has gotten to the ring first.

“The Discovery” is essentially seven pages of set-up. We begin with a heavy-handed inciting incident, where Nate Morgan learns of Robotnik’s latest plans. What exactly the Hidden City of the Ancients is would remain a mystery for a while. That Sonic, King Max, and seemingly everyone else – but the reader – has heard of the legend strikes me as slightly lazy.

Yet it’s almost okay. For all his flaws, Karl Bollers had a solid grasp on pacing. Just when the comic threatened to fall back into the formula of the Freedom Fighters of Knothole striking back at Dr. Robotnik’s industrial empire, he mixes things up again. Sonic is headed back on the road, as in issue 57. The big difference is that everyone is coming with him this time. The Freedom Fighters going on an adventure together is something I always welcome.

“The Discovery” also hides some solid emotion inside its meager page count. When Sonic informs the King about the villain’s latest plan, the hedgehog can tell that something else is bothering the monarch. King Max is still reeling from the news that his wife’s illness is progressing. He’s also grappling with his decision not to tell Sally. Elias, the sneaky bastard, already knows his mom’s status. Though it only takes up a few panels, it’s still nice to know this story has some emotional stakes. Characters are conflicted, feeling complex things about their love ones. It’s not a lot but Bollers is trying.

Plot wise, “The Discovery” doesn’t just exist to get Sonic and friends on the road. Up to this point, Amy Rose has been a fairly minor player. She had a decent sized role in issues 25 and 40. Since then, she mostly been appearing in bit parts, crowd scenes and the like. Her role in “The Discovery” reflects this minor status. Amy joins the going-away party in Sonic’s hut – a really cute scene – and pesters the other Freedom Fighters with questions. She’s tired of being excluded and wants to join the quest. Instead of pointing out that her only prior contribution to this team was getting kidnapped, Sally and Bunnie instead politely points out that Amy is too young to be adventurin’.

Sega, meanwhile, had very different plans for the character. The game company pulled the character form obscurity and made her the primary female lead in “Sonic Adventure.” Amy got a drastic redesign, an age boost, her own story path, and a giant hammer she could smash shit with. In the first of many awkward attempts to fuse game and comic canon, Amy had to change. Which is why Bollers pulls that bullshit ending involving the Ring of Acorns out of nowhere. Last appearing in issue 67, the ring has apparently gained magical, wish granting properties since then. How come Nate Morgan or the King would’ve mentioned that before now? But that’s what happens when corporate mandates put you in a corner.

The cover story in issue 79 runs a little short, in order to make room for two separate back-up stories. The first of which stars Knuckles. The Guardian has been haunted by reoccurring nightmares, where the Floating Island falls from the sky after a strange, watery creature snatches the Master Emerald. Upon awaking suddenly, he realizes that this nightmare has come true. That’s because Robotnik has freed Chaos, an ancient being made of water, from its prison. While Knuckels was snoozing, the dictator smashed the Emerald and fed it shards to Chaos.

Following the cancellation of his solo title, Knuckles’ adventures would shoved into the back of Sonic’s book. Despite getting top billing, Knuckles plays a small role in “The Chaos Factor.” This might also be attributed to the differences between Sega and Archie’s visions for the franchise. Following Ken Penders’ extensive expansion of his world, Knuckles’ life is wildly different in the comics when compared to the games. Moreover, the number of Chaos Emeralds across the two medias vary. So “The Chaos Factor” changes quite a bit from the source material. Chaos is now imprisoned in a black jewel. Instead of being fed different colored emeralds, Robotnik gives the ancient entity the shards of the Master Emerald. And because Penders always has to keep a hundred mythological balls in the air simultaneously, this act also frees Mammoth Mogul.

So what does Knuckles do in “The Chaos Factor?” Fall asleep on the job. As the Guardian, making sure the Floating Island stays afloat is his number one priority. Yet somehow he sleeps through Robotnik invading the Island, attacking Echidnopolis, breaking into the Chaos Chamber, and smashing the Emerald. Damn it, Knux, why didn’t you just rent an apartment in the city? In truth, Robotnik is the star of this story. It’s devoted to him hunting down Chaos, freeing him, and seeing his plan go off without a hitch. I’m still not sold on the new Robotnik but it’s hard to imagine the classic variety getting his hands quite this dirty.

Tucked into the very back of the book is the final chapter of “Tales of the Great War.” In this entry, Bernie reveals how she became robotocized. After explaining that Robotnik did it after she started asking too many questions, we see how the disappearance of his brother and sister-in-law affected Uncle Chuck. Lastly, the short story concludes by showing how Uncle Chuck restored Jules and Bernie’s free will, finally reuniting the family.

After spinning its wheels for three issues, “Tales of the Great War” finally gets back to filling in some narrative spaces. One always assumed that Bernie was robotocized by Robotnik at some point but it’s nice to finally see that play out. Likewise, the precise moment Sonic’s parents regained their consciousness is another often referenced but up until now unseen moment. The answer to that mystery?: A magical Power Ring did it. Though “Life Under-Ground” is fairly lacking in pathos, there’s one minor moment. We get a glimpse at the guilt Uncle Chuck feels, knowing that his creation was responsible for his brother’s disappearance. (Unfortunately, this also makes Chuck look like a fool. How many people disappearing would it have taken before he started to suspect Warlord Julian was up to something?) The story ends on a limp note, as Jules present a decoded disk that belong to his brother. Considering “Tales of the Great War” had gone on for so long, concluding it would another cliffhanger is not a great idea. Still, at least the story circled back around to a solid point before ending.

Issue 79 features some divisive artwork. James Fry’s work on the cover story is fine, if slightly on the loose side. His anime style artwork is energetic but sometimes a little too stylized for its own good. Steven Butler draws the Knuckles story. Robotnik and his robot looks awesome in Butler’s style. Knuckles, meanwhile, is a bit more of an awkward fit, going slightly off-model. As for the final back-up story, Chris Allen remains a rough fit for Sonic and friends. By this point, Allen has seemingly gotten use to drawing Bernie and Jules. Once we return to the present, we’re treated to some seriously deformed versions of Antione, Elias, and Bunnie. I’m glad that Allen wouldn’t return to the book too often, as he clearly didn’t have a grasp on these characters.

Issue 79 is stuffed full of new story developments. Not all of them would pay off but Bollers and Penders do a decent job of stacking them up. The Adventure awaits. [7/10]