Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 213

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 213
Publication Date: June 2010

Probably my favorite period in all of Archie “Sonic” history was the immediate aftermath of “Endgame.” Following the defeat of the original Dr. Robotnik, Sonic and the Freedom Fighters had to rebuild their world. It was a time when the book was experimenting and trying new things, cut short by Robotnik's Sega-mandated reappearance. Now that the Iron Dominion arc is resolved, and Eggman has yet to make his next bid for power, Ian Flynn has ushered in a similar age for the comic. Much like Karl Bollers and Ken Penders before him, Flynn would use this time to develop obscure corners of Sonic's world and make Ixis Naugus a major villain again. And we start with, of all characters, Big the Cat.

Issue 213's sole story is entitled “Reigning Cats and Dogs,” because this comic still occasionally indulges in some top rate punnery. Sonic and Princess Sally are visiting Lupe and the Wolf Pack. The canines have recently reestablished themselves as a community but can't do so fully until they retrieve the Black Onyx, a ceremonial jewel of great importance. Lupe believes the Felidae, who inhabit the neighboring Mysterious Cat Country, to be responsible for the theft. An impromptu appearance by Big the Cat prompts Sonic to investigate. The Black Onyx is also important to the Felidae and they believe the Wolf Pack has stolen it. Meanwhile, Sally uncovers a new chapter of the Dark Egg Legion has cropped up in the area.

The first part of “Reigning Cats and Dogs” has a strong central premise. Sonic and Sally have been thrust into the minutia of a centuries-old conflict between two geographically adjacent cultures that couldn't be more different. The Wolf Pack and the Felidae hate each other because both have a claim to a local piece of history. I doubt Flynn was intentionally bringing the Israel/Palestine conflict to mind – this is a story, after all, based on the cartoon logic rivalry between cats and dogs – but I thought about it anyway. More generally, the story of two differing cultures with a genuinely good reason to dislike each other is a good basis for a story.

As I said, this issue and many of the others that would come in the next year would feature Sonic and friends visiting areas they haven't seen in a while. Flynn clearly hoped to develop both the Wolf Pack and the Felidae in this two-parter. Despite being a part of Sonic lore that dates back to SatAM, the Wolf Pack have still barely been developed as characters. We have a decent grasp on Lupe's personality but the other wolves – even the Overlander girls they adopted a while ago – are still thin sketches. It's a noble goal but Ian only has room to focus a little of issue 213 to the Wolf Pack. There's a cute scene between Lupe's kids, both her canine ones and her human ones. We get brief re-introductions to Lobo and Lyco. But that's about it.

Flynn has a little more success with the Felidae. The mysterious cat people are a more recent addition to the comic's world, appearing during the “Sonic Adventure” adaptation. They've pretty much disappeared since then, another obscure bit of lore Ken Penders threw out and subsequently abandoned. So, really, any develop about the Mysterious Cat Country is an improvement over what came before. We learn that the cat people assign position in their society with clothing. When someone wears an interpreter's robe, for example, they become an interpreter. We also learn that the previously unnamed Queen of the Cat People is named Hathor, which is a cute joke.

It's all pretty interesting stuff. So it's a shame Big the Cat is in this story. In recent years, as Sonic fans who were introduced to the franchise by “Sonic Adventure” have grown up, Big the Cat has become a (possibly ironically) beloved supporting member of the “Sonic” cast. I, for one, do not share this love. I hated him in “Sonic Adventure,” because his slow-paced fishing levels were totally at odds with the rest of the game's tone and also because the game's fishing mechanics were terrible. I find his personality irritating. Big is a monosyllabic and deeply boring gentle giant. His limited vocabulary and child-like understanding of the world is irritating. His only defining personality trait is his friendship with Froggy, his amphibian life partner who also doesn't talk. So his character presence is non-existent, his personality is flat, and he contributes nothing to the book. And for some reason he's in this issue.

While Sonic is trying to convince the Felidae not to murder Big the Cat – I don't know why either – Sally is off sleuthing. Which leads to a fun sequence. The Princess explores some old ruins related to the echidna tribe that populated this area millennia ago. (These guys also haven't been referenced since the “Sonic Adventure” tie-in, even though Tikal has shown up once or twice since then.) Inside the ruins, Sally sees a gang of Dark Egg Legion members. This sets up what will be the main conflict in the book's coming issues: Robotnik may be in hiding but his crumbling empire is carrying on without him. More importantly, it's a fun series of pages devoted to Sally sneaking around, leaping through windows, jumping over walls, while an internal monologue shares her thoughts.

 
That sequence is pretty cool but, sadly, it climaxes in Sally going down like a bitch again. Just recently, Flynn was apologizing, via Sally, for the Princess recently being emotional. So it's weird that Flynn would write a conscious failure for Sally so soon afterwards. When Drago and Razorklaw appear to attack her, both sporting spiffy new cybernetic body parts, Sally just surrenders. Come on, she's tougher than that! I get that she's outnumbered but at least let he back kick somebody! She's taken down SWATBots with her bare hands before! She can handle these goons.

Steven Butler has been contributing regular pencils to book for the last few issues. However, Butler really outdoes himself here. Maybe because the change of scenery allows him to stretches his muscles a little more. The Felidae, and Drago and Razorklaw especially, look even more monstrous than usual. Butler's love detail is apparent in how elaborate Lupe's new headdress and the Felidae armor looks. It must also be said that Butler clearly enjoys drawing Sally being all sneaky and sexy.

Though flawed, the first part of “Regining Cats and Dogs” is a solid little comic book. It's nice to see Lupe again and the new info we get on the opposing clans is worthwhile, as is the conflict building between. Sally's subplot is very enjoyable up until it isn't. Still, even with Big the Cat showing up, this is a comic book I would gladly read again. [7/10]