Sonic Super Special Magazine: Issue 3

Sonic Super Special Magazine: Issue 3
Publication Date: April 2012

Back in January of this year, I reviewed issue 10 of the Sonic Super Special Magazine, talking a lot about the existence of this odd spin-off publication. At the time, I pointed out how I mistakenly believed issue 10 to be the first “Sonic” magazine to include an original story before discovering how an earlier issue,  number three, was actually the first. At the time, I promised I would eventually get around to reviewing the out-of-continuity “Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II” adaptation that magazine contained. Well, it’s been about nine months but that time has now arrived. See? Every once in a while I’ll keep a promise!

Before we can talk about Archie’s comic advertisement for “Sonic 4: Episode Two,” we really have to talk about “Sonic 4.” Conceptually, the game was a great idea, basically seeking to do the same thing “Sonic-Mania” would do with far more success years later. “Sonic 4” was a direct sequel to the Genesis trilogy, attempting to replicate the 2D platformer thrills that made Sonic such a pop culture icon in the first place, with some slicker graphics and sold as a digital download for a tidy price. But there’s a reason “Mania” is among the best reviewed games in the entire franchise while the two “Sonic 4” installments are almost never talked about. Instead of capturing the joys of the Genesis games, “Sonic 4” was hampered by cramped visual design, sluggish physics, and a lack of the series-defining speed. While “Episode II,” released a staggering two years, attempted to address many of these flaws, even “Sonic” fans had stopped caring by then. Plans to release more “Sonic 4” episodes were scrapped. Instead of rebirthing the series, as originally planned, the “Sonic 4” duo was tossed in the pile with all of Sega’s other failures.

But Archie was still contractually obligated to publish a tie-in, which was smartly smuggled off to the Magazine spin-off, where absolutely no one would read it. “Sonic 4’s” plot followed the events of “Sonic & Knuckles,” with a solo Sonic encountering the still surviving Eggman as he attempted to build yet another space base. The “Another Time, Another Place” comic prologue, entitled “Time for a Comeback,” picks up just as Sonic is defeating Eggman’s latest robot suit and exploding his satellite. Rescued from an icy death in the reaches of space by Tails, Sonic is soon reminiscing about that time he fucked up Metal Sonic and rescued Amy on Little Planet. Well, Little Planet is now back in the sky and Eggman has plans to rebuilt Metal Sonic, which Sonic and Tails are ready for.

If you hadn’t guessed, “Sonic 4: Episode II” was positioned as a sequel to “Sonic CD,” seeking to answer a question nobody had ever really asked: How did Robotnik recover the original Metal Sonic’s wrecked remains from Little Planet? (I think we all just assumed he built another one.) “Episode II” would also bring back Tails as a playable character, as he was absent from the first installment. While the return of Little Planet and Tails’ upper-atmosphere rescue of Sonic certainly had some dramatic potential for a comic adaptation, this Ian Flynn prologue doesn’t really get to explore it.

You see, “Time for a Comeback” is truly just a prologue to the game. It quickly recaps the end of the first episode, has Tails rescue Sonic, references Little Planet’s return, has Sonic recap “Sonic CD’s” iconic boss battle, and then Sonic and Tails head off to thwart Eggman’s next diabolical plan, which naturally involves rescuing Metal from the dwarf world. And that’s it. That’s the entire five page comic. There’s no room for emotion, dramatic tension, or character development in this totally plot driven quickie. You can see Flynn trying to insert some personality, when Sonic gets lost in thought thinking about a rematch with Metal Sonic and Tails gets a little worried about him. But otherwise, this very short story exist totally to inform the reader of the new game's premise and that they should go out and buy it. Yardley’s artwork is nice but otherwise this is a totally inessential, useless “story” that is merely an advertisement for the Sega’s then-latest digital boondoggle.

In fact, the little bonuses included in this magazine prove far more endearing than the featured story. This comic was published right in the heart of the Mecha Sally arc, just after Antoine was blasted into a coma in issue 234. The magazine opens with a fluff piece, in which Flynn basically confirms that Antoine is as good-as-dead and won’t be returning to the book for a really long time. (There’s also a little bit hyping up the Secret Freedom Fighters arc in “Sonic Universe,” as if the actual comic hadn’t done enough of that at the time.) Considering the reboot was fast approaching, there’s some nostalgia in returning to the original comic timeline at the tail-end of my retrospective here. Even if the “articles” are nothing but in-house advertising, imploring readers to pick up the comics. In the unlikely scenario that anyone reading this magazine wasn’t already reading the main book.

So what else does this magazine offer Archie devotees? Reprints, mostly. The oft-republished “Go Ahead, Mecha My Day” from #25 is trotted out along with both parts of “Reigning Cats and Dogs” and issue 176’s “Cracking the Empire.” (The “Your Finger” from issue 25 is recolored to resembled Sonic’s glove, for unknown reasons.) Aside from that, you have a primer on “Sonic 4’s” plot, the Mobius Encyclopedia entry for Little Planet and the Time Stones, and another chunk of the Mobius timeline. This was a few months before the encyclopedia was published, so this was all new content at the time. Ben Bates stops by for a short interview, in which he reveals that Snively is his least favorite character to draw becuase he’s “hideous.” Lol. Otherwise, Jon Grey’s column, in which he talks about the three DiC “Sonic” cartoons that were then streaming on Netflix, is probably my favorite part of the magazine. Oh, and apparently the “Knuckles” reprint collection re-colored many of the supporting echidnas to make them look less like Knuckles with different haircuts and cloths. That feels like a jab at Ken Penders, doesn’t it?

While these extras and bonuses are fun and all, I can in no good conscience recommend that you go out and buy this magazine. Unless you are an obsessive Archie Sonic collector like myself, who must own everything, the original content here offers nothing of interest. But I read it so you don’t have to and now my Archie retrospective is as freakishly complete as can be. Hoo-ray for intense nerdiness and OCD! Anyway, “Time for a Comeback” gets a [4 /10.]