Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 5

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 5
Publication Date: May 30, 2018

Welcome back to my bonus weekend reviews of IDW's brand new on-going “Sonic the Hedgehog” series. I found the month-long roll-out of the new comic pretty underwhelming. The first four issue were overly formulaic, with overly simplistic writing and very little emotional resonance. After the end of April, my question was whether or not the series would ever rise above this level or just continue in this mediocre groove. Now, after almost a month-long break, I can answer this question, as issue five is in my hands.

Issue 5 begins a new story arc entitled “The Fate of Dr. Eggman.” It begins with Sonic and Espio fighting through more rogue badniks as they approach a peaceful village in the mountains. This is where the Chaotix have tracked Eggman. But the mad doctor is not himself. The supervillain seems to have caught a case of amnesia. Now rendered harmless, he's become the town's all-purpose handyman/mechanic. The villagers call him Mr. Tinker. Sonic is not so sure if his archenemy has really turned over a new leaf. Before he can make up his mind, more badniks attack the village.

“The Fate of Dr. Eggman” thankfully shakes up the formula that had set in over the first four issues. Sonic actually has a conflict here that he can't just spin-dash to pieces. The story presents Sonic with an opportunity to forgive his greatest enemy. The drama comes from whether or not he'll be able to. A one page flashback shows some of the villainous deeds Eggman has performed –  events from “Sonic Adventure” 1 and 2, “Sonic Unleashed,” and “Sonic Generations – which reminds us of what a serious threat this guy is. (It also clarifies that the new comic isn't afraid to get serious, which I appreciate.) While Flynn's script mostly plays this for laughs, it puts Sonic in a difficult situation. His naturally altruistic nature is pitted against a well-earned suspicion towards Robotnik.

Of course, there is a question of whether or not Eggman is genuinely reformed. Does he even really have amnesia? Or is this just a scheme?  The book certainly hints that Eggman may just be tricking everyone. His previous appearance in this series was pretty villainous and, at the issue's very end, he mentions “Eggman Land.” On the other hand, the rest of the issue depicts “Mr. Tinker” as timid and kind. We've already seen the covers for the next few issues, so it can be assumed that Eggman will be back to his old evil self soon enough. However, I genuinely hope Flynn has the bad guy attempting to turn over a new leaf, whether it's via amnesia or genuine selflessness, simply because that's more interesting to me them him just pretending to be good.

As I said, we know Eggman will become a villain again soon enough, through one means or another. Sega will demand it and the fans will expect it. Which is sort of a shame. Retiring to a scenic alpine village, living out the rest of his life as a kindly tinkerer, unaware of his evil past, would be a legitimately poetic final fate for the fat man. (By the way, Eggman's former city of operation is now called Imperial City, which is giving me some delightful Robotropolis vibes. Now if only Flynn would cook up an ersatz Knothole.)

There's another reason to like this one. While there was plenty of humor in the first four issues, I found a lot of it to be subpar. Issue five, on the other hand, is surprisingly funny. On their way into the village, Sonic chastises Espio for being so mysterious about Eggman's current whereabouts. Espio responds by admitting he just wanted Sonic to know how hard they work. Sonic's immediate reaction to meeting “Mr. Tinker” is one of stone-faced disbelief and curt dismissal, which is pretty funny. When Sonic questions Eggman about his past crimes, the doctor's baffled reaction are also authentically funny. Sonic makes a surprisingly good straight man in this situation.

Issue five also re-introduces us to the Chaotix. Or, rather, introduces us to this continuity's version of the Chaotix. In some ways, this is surprisingly freeing. Completely removed from years and years of being a dorky, misogynistic asshole, Vector can now be reconsidered as an actual decent character. They've even dropped the faux hip hop slang. Charmy is no longer the annoyingly child-like character he became in the old comics. He's still pretty childish but also displays a more serious side, like when he single-handledly smashes a flying badnik. Espio is just as mysterious as usual but maybe a little funnier and looser than you'd expect. Flynn still has them as detectives – the only detectives Sonic knows, Espio dryly notes – but they seem less incompetent then the video games or “Sonic X” depict them as. So that's promising.

Tracy Yardley is back on penciling duties this month. Yardley's best work is during the action scenes. The opening panels of Sonic and Espio diving through the corkscrew-like mountain paths,  concluding with them swinging on a huge rope, is neat. I also like the panel devoted to Charmy taking down a flying badnik. Yardley still seems to be slightly rusty though. Sonic and Espio look seriously off-model on the first few pages. Eggman looks a little too silly in a couple of panels. I do, however, like the mountain goat mayor of the village and the new badniks we see in this one. Yardley also sneaks in a cameo from “Sonic Adventure's” Zero and a giant snake that seriously reminds me of “Sonic Spinball's” Rexxon.

The question of Robotnik's future is not the only plot point still up in the air. Shadow and Rouge make a last page appearance, demanding Eggman's head, which is a really good cliffhanger to go out on. There's still the question of who the mysterious new villain, organizing the badniks, is. (My current guess is Omelette.) Issue five still technically meets the formula laid down in the first four issues. Yes, Sonic still runs into a new village, meets some old friends, and smashes some robots. The big difference is this story is actually about something a little more complex than that. That easily makes it the best issue of the new series so far. Let's hope this is a step in the right direction and not a temporary fluke. [7/10]