THE 2010 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG COMIC BEST/WORST LIST!

Any place where intensely nerdy people gather, dividing opinions will emerge. This is human nature. Sonic fans being the uniquely passionate individuals they are, some folks have very strong opinions about Ian Flynn's long run on Archie's “Sonic” series. He's well-loved in most corners of the fandom, including this one. (More or less.) For some, however, 2010 was the year Flynn stopped being their golden boy. Most attribute this to the Iron Dominion super-arc overstaying its welcome, causing a little event fatigue in fans.

Even I'll admit it wasn't Flynn's best year. The “Sonic Universe” series hit several weak arcs in a row. The main book would wrap up the year with one of the author's most ass-pull-y plot twist. Yet there was still a lot to like in 2010's Sonic comics. The issues covered in this retrospective are:

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issues 208-220
Sonic Universe: Issues 12-23

BEST COVER STORY:
Ian Flynn, “The Roads We Take” (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 212)

Issue 217's “Thicker Than Water: Part One” nearly got this one but I ultimately decided to give 212's “The Roads We Take” the top prize. This was a story about putting story threads to rest. After spending a year with the Iron Dominion crisis, that sense of closure was especially needed. Mobotropolis gets back on its feet. Espio displays a convincing vulnerable moment, being forgiven by his friends. New story directions are presented. Maybe most importantly, the completely pointless Sonic/Sally/Monkey Khan romance is resolved once and for all. Sally lets the ape down easy while one tiny moment confirms that Sonic is still her number one guy.

WORST COVER STORY:Ian Flynn, “Trouble in Paradise: Part 4” (Sonic Universe: Issue 20)

It probably says a lot about the downturn in “Sonic Universe's”  overall quality in 2010 that all of the stories I considered for this category – which also included “Treasure Team Tango!” part two and “Journey to the East: Part One” – came from the book.

Issue 20 was even more disappointing because the “Tails' Adventure” story arc had a promising start. By the time “Trouble in Paradise” ended, Tails had graduated to full-blown Gary Stu status. He is never really challenged in this issue, triumphing over his enemies without breaking a sweat. Flynn would even toss out any character develop with Speedy, the character retreating back into a two-dimensional villain. A long fight scene with the Mole Mech is underwhelming. A satisfying conclusion is tossed out in favor of hollow sequel hooks. It's a frustrating read.

BEST BACK STORY:
Ian Flynn, “From the Inside Out” (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 220)

I didn't have too many options for this category. There were all of three back-up stories in 2010, limiting my choices quite a bit.

Despite the slim pickings, there was a pretty clear winner and loser here. “From the Inside Out” has two things in its favor. Telling most of the story from the main character's perspective gives the five-pager and interesting visual gimmick. The second note is that it brings bad-ass queen bitch Lien-Da back into the fold, without any cheating or underselling the character's personality.

WORST BACK STORY:Ian Flynn, “Future Tense: Part 2” (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 216)

The “Future Tense” two-parter had few reasons to exist in the first place. Mostly, the story existed to flesh out Silver's background a little more. Flynn dangles a few details here, concerning Mammoth Mogul and Silver's quest, but there's little else here that couldn't have been shoved into a brief flashback panel. Simply put, it's entirely unnecessary.

BEST STORY ARC:
Ian Flynn, “Thicker Than Water” (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 217-218)

I was a big fan of “Reigning Cats and Dogs,” which ran through issues 213 and 214 of “Sonic,” but fan-favorite “Thicker Than Water” is clearly the winner here. We get some much needed information on Bunnie's history. What makes the story's main conflict especially compelling is that either side is right.  Between her status as a Freedom Fighter and her family. How this resolves itself, Sonic and Bunnie outsmarting both enemies, is also really clever. This is one people still talk about to this day and with good reason.

WORST STORY ARC:
Ian Flynn, “Journey to the East” (Sonic Universe: Issue 13-16)

“Sonic Universe” provided us with several underwhelming story arcs. “Tails' Adventure” fizzled out in a big way. “Treasure Team Tango!,” which wouldn't conclude until 2011, tossed together too many characters for very little reason. Yet “Journey to the East” is clearly the dubious winner in this category. This story defeats the entire reason why “Sonic Universe” exist in the first place. It's focused on Sonic himself, instead of his supporting cast. In truth, “Journey to the East” is a supplemental story to “Iron Dominion,” fleshing out the various ninja clans operating in Monkey Khan's country. Which, I'm sad to say, I simply do not care about. Flynn doesn't provide too many reasons for us to care either, as this is an arc that is low on action and high on exposition.

BEST COVER ART:
Sonic Universe: Issue 23 – Tracy Yardley!

Somewhat ironically, “Sonic Universe” provided most of my favorite covers from 2010. Issues 14, 16, and 18 all had striking or amusing designs. Issue 23 emerged as my favorite. It's one of those covers that tells a story itself. Cream and Cheese, posing on Shadow's motorcycle, is a cute and funny image. What really sells this one is the detail of Shadow in the background, face-palming. It's a send-up of the overly macho and pseudo-edgy “Shadow the Hedgehog” video game but also works totally separated from that context.

WORST COVER ART:
Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 212 – Sanford Greene

Presumably because no one else was available, Sanford Greene would return to contribute another unsightly cover. Granted, as far as Greene's deeply off-model covers go, this is actually maybe his best work. The cover's arrangement is decent and the Iron Queen, seemingly phasing out of reality, looks pretty cool. Yet the rest of the characters look really loose and untidy. Sonic's body is bending at a weird angle, his right leg seemingly emerging from his asshole. His spines are uneven, suggesting Greene didn't even know how to draw this character. Espio is similarly disordered while Robotnik, looming large in the background, morphs into a grotesque ogre. Over all, it's another example of Greene's ineptitude when drawing for this book.

BEST STORY ART:
“Reigning Cats and Dogs – Part Two” - Steven Butler (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 214)

There was a lot of high quality artwork in 2010. Ben Bates and Jamal Peppers contributed some excellent work but, once again, Steven Butler emerges as my favorite. Butler's attention to detail is really appreciated here. He really makes the tribal shields, weapons, and decorations of the Wolf Pack and the Felidae really pop. The characters are jokes but Butler makes Drago and Razorclaw's new designs look intimidating. The fight scenes in the last half are beautifully conveyed, moving smoothly and in an exciting manner.

WORST STORY ART:
“Hide and Seek and Destroy” - James Fry (Sonic Free Comic Book Day 2010)

There's pretty much no truly bad artwork in the comic books during this time. However, I've got to nominate some for worst art. And it's clear that James Fry's work on 2010's Free Comic Book Day special is not up to his usual standard. It's a little too loose, Sonic, Robotnik, and Snively especially looking slightly odd. There's still some nice touches here – the Krudzu Hybrid Hydra is pretty cool looking – but you still get the impression that this was a slightly cast-off effort. And that Fry's skills were a little rusty.

BEST NEW CHARACTER:
Beauregard Rabbit

Honestly, I really wanted to give this award to Akhlut, simply because the idea of an evil cyborg orca is too awesome to ignore. However, Akhlut really didn't do very much in his initial appearance. Instead, Beauregard Rabbit was clearly the most interesting and developed new cast member in 2010. You immediately grasp why Bunnie would be so attached to her uncle. At the same time, his convictions are made clear without painting him as a straight-up villain. He's also got a pretty cool design too, which I like.

WORST NEW CHARACTERS:
T-Pup

From the moment he was first introduced, I had a viscerally negative reaction to T-Pup. Listen, I love dogs. I love robots. I'm mildly fond of Tails. Combining all three, however, resulted in a character that is intensely unpleasant to look at.  Christ, why is his tongue always out? Why are Tails' features stretched over an orb-like robot body? Secondly, T-Pup is simply unnecessary too. Did Tails – already a sidekick – need a sidekick himself? What does a robot dog contribute to a world, that already has one robot dog the book almost never used? For years, I've said that, in the unlikely event I suddenly became the writer of Archie's “Sonic” comics, the first thing I would've done is kill off T-Pup, an abomination and an affront to God.


BEST IDEA:
Wrapping Up the Iron Dominion Arc

I liked the Iron Dominion arc, as an idea. Shaking things up with a new enemy for Sonic and the gang was good and overdue. The uncertain alliances and new challenges this presented the cast with was also good. The truth is the story simply went on too long. Spending an entire year in this setting, attempting to trick new readers into thinking this new status-quo would stick, was superfluous. By the end, I was super sick of Monkey Khan, ninjas, and techno-mages. Sadly, this wouldn't be the last time Flynn extended a good idea far past its breaking point.


WORST IDEA:
Geoffrey St. John: Traitor

In 2009, Ian Flynn pulled a plot twist out of his ass, revealing that Espio was a double agent for evil ninjas the entire time. This dumb character turn was thankfully undone in 2010. Sadly, this year would bring a similarly dumb alliance shift, one that would stick around. Geoffrey St. John was revealed to be a traitor to the crown, despite his faithfulness to his duty being his primary character trait for years. He was revealed to be Ixis Naugus' apprentice, despite never displaying any interest in magic ever before. Simply put, this was a plot twist was only meant to shock readers and has no organic reason to exist. I know Geoffrey St. John was hardly a fan favorite but he deserved better than this.