Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 191

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 191
Publication Date: August 2008

Ian Flynn did so many great things for Archie's “Sonic the Hedgehog” series. However, his compulsion towards comic book style stories was sometimes a weakness. By that, I mean Flynn just couldn't resist answering the “who would win in a fight?” query that is commonplace among comic readers. His tendency to match vaguely similar characters up just so they could duke it out became a little too prominent in the second half of 2008.

A few days have passed since Scourge and the Suppression Squad successfully took over Freedom H.Q. In Mobotropolis, Sonic tries to convince the Council of Acorn to send reinforcements into the base and help reclaim it. They refuse his offer, saying the city should focus its efforts on Robotnik. Even Knuckles, who is still suffering from guilt over his actions as Enerjak, refuses to help. So Sonic goes it alone. When he gets there, he discovers Scourge fighting Metal Sonic, who Robotnik sent to Freedom H.Q. unaware of its current occupants.

The first half of “Metal and Mettle” – I see what you did there, Ian – can basically be summed up as “Scourge vs. Metal Sonic, with Regular Sonic joining in later.” Plot wise, it's not a super strong premise. Robotnik just randomly sent Metal Sonic to Freedom HQ, apparently unaware that the Suppression Squad claimed it recently. When he discover this, the villain decides to waste resources and let Metal Sonic capture Scourge anyway, assuming one brightly colored hedgehog is as good as any other. I don't mind the action theatrics. Tracy Yardley's action scenes remain as strong as ever. There's some good panels of people getting kicked, tossed, spin-dashed, blasted, and flipped through the air. But the writing comes off as slightly slapdash.

What makes the conflict a little more compelling is the conversation between the fighters. While Metal Sonic wails on Scourge, the evil Miles sarcastically refuses to help. This shows that there is some dissent within the Suppression Squad ranks. Later, while fighting among themselves, Sonic and Scourge share a dialogue paralleling their conversation in issue 172. Only this time, Scourge is on the lecturing end. He offers Sonic a hand, telling his heroic counterpart that they could team up and conquer the whole universe. Sonic naturally refuses but the split second of doubt he shows makes the fight a little more meaningful. He sees just enough of himself in Scourge that the villain's dastardly actions infuriates him even more.

There are aspects I like and dislike about the political subplot. Sonic asking the Council of Acorn for assistance on this mission adds some depth to the comic's world. There are factors to consider in the New Mobotropolis. Yet their total dismissal of Sonic's plan to reclaim Freedom H.Q. makes them look like assholes. (And idiots. Do they really want enemies to their city living so close to them?) Sonic telling the Council to fuck off and going ahead on his own seems in character. But it also makes you wonder why Ian decided to include that scene at all. If Sonic was going to do what he wanted anyway, why introduce the conflict?

Maybe the most interesting aspect of “Metal and Mettle: Part 1” is what Knuckles is feeling. The young Guardian is still struggling with his guilt. He explodes at Sonic, the memory of his father's death nearly bringing him to tears. Later, he has an argument with Julie-Su. Knuckles is essentially feeling directionless. His dad and all the other men who micromanaged his life up to this point are gone. His recent stint as Enerjak might have been under Finitevus' control but Knuckles still feels guilty for that, considering that period as an extension of his desire to reunite his people. Flynn comes very close to pushing this too far, making Knuckles seem like a jerk. Yet I admire the author for running with this plot point.

Knuckles lashing out at Sonic and Julie-Su may threaten to make him seem like an asshole. (Considering the comic has always hammered home how Julie-Su was destined to be Knuckles' greatest love, it is refreshing to seem them argue like a real couple.) Yet it does set up a pretty nice resolution. While sulking on the Floating island, Charmy helps Knuckles out of his flunk by reminding him that life presents many opportunities.  After returning to Knothole, Knuckles and Julie-Su make up in a way that fits both of their thorny personalities. It's some cute character work.

Back-up stories have been rare around here for a while. They make a comeback with “Invaders from Beyond.” It's another one of those stories designed to sell whatever Sega's latest Sonic game was. This one ties in with “Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood,” an RPG made for the Nintendo DS. Anyway, Tails and Knuckles are setting up some sort of trap, sticking a Chaos Emerald in the middle of a device reverse-engineered from the Tornado. This preparation is interrupted by a band of echidnas in black armor, calling themselves the Marauders. They beat the shit out of Knuckles, grab the Emerald, and speed off with the heroic echidna. Go buy the video game to find out what happens next.

“Invaders from Beyond” introduces a new tactic Ian would employ any time Sega called on him to promote a video game. He sets this one in “Another Time, Another Place.” This is essentially short-hand for a story set outside of continuity. Flynn has, more or less, being doing this for some time anyway. It's not like that story that introduced Marine the Raccoon had any effect on the main plot.
This technique allows Flynn to throw the towel in, to tell readers to not even worry about this one.

It's a good tactic, since “Invaders from Beyond” is fairly disposable. We learn nothing about the Marauders, their objectives, or feelings. About the only thing that makes this one worth reading is the zeal with which Knuckles fights his attacks. Otherwise, it's totally skippable. That Flynn would toss “Sonic Chronicles” into the non-continuity bin is interesting, considering the RPG was directly inspired by the comic book. The villains were based on the Dark Legion and Shade, Knuckles' potential love interest who briefly appears here, was based on Julie-Su.

It's not a ground breaking issue or anything. Flynn's need to get to the fights so quickly makes the cover story a little rushed and sloppy. Knuckles' ethical crisis makes the issue a little stronger. He ends the cover on a less-than-promising cliffhanger, introducing another metallic couple. The back-up isn't worth investigating further though. This isn't my most enthusiastic [7/10] but it's still a positive review.