THE 2019 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG COMIC BEST/WORST LIST!

At the end of the very first Best/Worst list for IDW's “Sonic the Hedgehog” comic, I complained that the book still felt like it didn't have its own identity. If nothing else, in 2019, IDW “Sonic” broke off boldly from any previous “Sonic” publication. With the rise of the Zombot arc, “Sonic” quite unexpectedly became a horror comic and has gone in a shockingly grim direction. (At least, as grim as a SEGA-approved product can be...) This has meant some good and not-so-good things for the comic over all but at least we can honestly say that IDW “Sonic” is definitely it's own thing now.

2019 was also the year IDW started to really expand their “Sonic” line. They published their first “Sonic” annual, something Archie weirdly never tried, as well as launching the first spin-off publication, a largely delightful mini-series devoted to Tangle and Whisper. Will IDW add more “Sonic” publications in 2020? I guess we'll see soon enough. For now, I'm glad we continue to get more “Sonic” content, even if the void left by the Archie-verse remains unfillable.

So, let's get going. The material covered in this retrospective is:

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issues 12-24
Sonic the Hedgehog: Tangle & Whisper: Issues 1-4
Sonic the Hedgehog Annual 2019

BEST COVER STORY: 
Ian Flynn, "Infection!" (Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 16)

Issue 16, over all, the strongest issue of IDW's entire run of “Sonic” thus far. It balances a number of elements well. We get some cool insight into Eggman's personality, Sonic shows a degree of self-doubt (and therefore depth) that was lacking before, and Tangle shows up in the beginning to provide some good-natured comedy. What really sells this issue is a corker of a sequence in the middle, when the Zombots are first unleashed. Now, we've seen the book do the same thing so many times that much of the impact has been lost, but the pure horror of that initial sequence... People pulled from their homes, forced to watched, horrified, as their former friends and neighbors spread a malicious infection onto them. Pretty strong stuff for a comic book about a blue hedgehog that runs fast.

WORST COVER STORY:
Ian Flynn, "The Last Minute, Part One" (Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 21)

If “Infection!” shows why the Metal Virus story arc was so exciting at first, “The Last Minute, Part One” shows why it got so tiring, so quickly. Tails perfects an anecdote tot he Virus just to have it torn away from him at the last minute. He is rescued by the Restoration, only to learn that HQ has fallen. Flynn might just be trying to continuously raise the stakes but, in effect, it just feels like the universe (i.e. the writer) is shitting on the character. “The Last Minute, Part One” also features some really weird moments where Tails is this hyper-competent bad-ass, a characterization of the little fox that has always baffled me.

BEST BACK STORY:
Evan Stanley, "Victory Garden” (Sonic the Hedgehog Annual 2019)

Thanks to the Annual, a publication filled entirely with back stories, I now have material for the Back Story category! “Victory Garden” was clearly the stand-out of the Annual. Well-intentioned-but-bumbling Silver makes a strong return in this story, that also builds a touching friendship with Blaze here. Just seeing these two characters bound over something as simple as gardening is really interesting, largely for the way this hobby reflects on both character's growing personalities. This is exactly the kind of back-up stories I want to see more of in IDW “Sonic.”

WORST BACK STORY: 
Caleb Goellner, "Jet Set Tornado” (Sonic the Hedgehog Annual 2019)

With two stories under his belt for IDW's “Sonic” titles, it's clear what kind of writer Caleb Goellner is. In his story, Sonic and friends bark incredibly awkward dialogue, any noticeable personalities of the characters are sacrificed for a focus on special abilities, and the plots are nothing short of mechanical. In “Jet Set Tornado,” Sonic and Tails never come to life and only seem to exist as empty corporate mascots, caught up in a story that moves me in no way.

BEST STORY ARC:
Ian Flynn, "Tangle & Whisper" (Sonic the Hedgehog: Tangle & Whisper: Issues 1-4)

The “Tangle & Whisper” mini-series was easily a highlight of IDW's year, at least when it comes to “Sonic.” Tangle has always been lovable and giving her a co-starring role in a mini allows to see how fun, exciting, and empathetic a character she is. Whisper, meanwhile, was allowed to grow and evolve as a character, as we learn more about her past and the recent traumas that motivate her shyness and her current actions. Caught up in a simple but compelling chase plot, “Tangle & Whisper” proved to be a surprisingly touching and deeply sincere story about how friendship builds us up and makes us special. It's good, you should read it.

WORST STORY ARC:
Ian Flynn, “The Last Minute” (Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issues 21-23)

Obviously, I wasn't a fan of the first part of “The Last Minute” and I didn't want to rag on the three-parter any more, as I thought the last part was actually pretty good. Yet the second part of the story was also another miserable slog, save for a shockingly awesome moment involving Vector the Crocodile. That second part also featured some of the most aggravating cliches of the zombie genre, further dragging down the arc. “The Last Minute” was truly the point when I started to turn on the Metal Virus Saga, which probably makes it the right choice for this dubious honor.

BEST MAIN COVER: 
Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 15 - Jack Lawrence

Another highlight of the year was new artist Jack Lawrence coming onto the book, quickly becoming one of my favorite illustrators. His cover for issue 15 is energetic and dynamic, showing Sonic and Amy fleeing into a tunnel behind an incensed Rough and Tumble. The emphasis on speed is fitting since, after all, “Sonic” is a series that should always be about speed, right? It's a dramatic image that draws the eyes, accurately reflects the comic's contents, and works great as a piece of its own. A great cover, in other words.

WORST MAIN COVER:
Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 24 - Jon Gray

Jon Gray's artwork is clearly divisive, as some “Sonic” fans love it and others, to say the least, do not. Any regular reader of this blog knows where I stand on that particular debate. I'm not usually a fan. And I think even fans of Gray would agree that the cover for issue 24 is fucking hideous. Gray smashes together practically the entire cast – including several “sonic” characters that haven't speared in this comic yet – and then smooshes the exact same number of characters onto the other side of the cover, depicting them as Zombots. It's a mish-mash of clashing colors, a sea of details that are impossible to absorb at once. It's too busy, too garish, and deeply unappealing to look at.

BEST VARIANT COVER:
Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 19: RI Cover - Nathalie Fourdraine

Throughout 2019, Nathalie Fourdraine contributed absolutely gorgeous covers for the Retail Incentive variant covers. Though many of these were fantastic – the noir inspired cover for issue 16 and and the Halloween cover for issue 22 were also wonderful – I think her work on issue 19 is the best of the year. It depicts the classical zombie movie image of someone holding a door close against the grasping claws of the undead horde. Sticking Team Dark into this role, lit and depicted dramatically in Fourdraine's painterly style, was a smart decisions. It's a striking and dramatic image beautifully depicted.

WORST VARIANT COVER:
Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 13: Cover B – Kieran Gates

Kieran Gates' variant cover for issue 13 isn't bad, per say. Gates' handle of the “Sonic” characters are perfectly capable, and all the other techniques you associate with comic book art, are perfectly competent. It's just insanely boring. This is a simple image of Sonic and Tails posing in front of images of Angel Island and the Green Hill Zone. It looks like Sega clip art, doesn't reflect the story in any way, and doesn't especially excite or interest me. Boooo.

BEST STORY ART:
"Crisis City, Part One" - Jack Lawrence (Sonic: Issue 19)

Lawrence would quickly establish himself as maybe my favorite artist on IDW's “Sonic” book, with this issue especially. His action sequences remain highly energetic, which really helps elevate this fight-centric issue in particular. I love how expressive his faces and body language is. You can really tell a lot about what the characters are thinking and feeling just by looking at them. This even extends to the background characters, like the family of bears Sonic rescues at one point. The dude also has a strength for realism. Omega or the armored truck Shadow makes his entrance in are both life-like in their detailing. (Bracardi Curry’s overcast and tense colors also go a long way to improving this one.)

WORST STORY ART:
"The Last Minute, Part Two" - Priscilla Tramontano (Sonic: Issue 22)

Priscilla Tramontano did some fill-in work before this issue that was quite good. However, she shows the typical growing pains of a new artist getting use to the “Sonic” style with her solo stand in issue 22. Tramontano’s action sequences are kind-of stiff. When Amy hammers herself into the air or Vector kicks down a door, it just looks awkward and hard-to-follow. Her characters look a little too geometrical in general, too round in some spots and too straight-lined in others.

BEST NEW CHARACTER:
Mimic

This was an easy choice. Mimic is a glorious son-of-a-bitch. Completely self-interested, he will do anything to further his own goals. He's brutal and calculating when it comes to taking out targets, showing a homicidal side that has been previously unseen in IDW's “Sonic” book. He's also fairly cunning, using his shape-shifting abilities to outsmart the good guys. If there's any department IDW's “Sonic” book needs expanding in, it's the rogue gallery. So I was very happy to see Mimic emerge as such a strong, memorable villain.

WORST NEW CHARACTER:
Gemerl (IDW)

I have tried to focus the New Character categories on comic exclusive characters, as it feels like a cheat to call Sega characters who have previously appeared in the Archie comics as “new.” IDW didn't introduce too many new characters in 2019. Most of the new additions, like Jewel or Diamond Cutters, where at least mildly interesting, in design or personality. The only new addition I had criticism for was the Shadow Androids briefly glimpsed in the flashback of “Tangle & Whisper” mini-series because, really, do we need another robot version of the various hedgehog characters? Still, pinpointing those guys seems like a cheat, considering we don't actually know anything about them right now.

Yet I feel I have to mention how massively disappointed I was in the IDW version of Gemerl. The Archie version of Gemerl had a hilariously avuncular personality, amusingly ornery in the way he defended Cream and Vanilla. The IDW version of Gemerl, meanwhile, has almost no personality at all. He's just another robot, with a typically mechanical method about him. What an utterly boring choice. That feels like a Sega mandate there, it's so bad.


BEST IDEA:
The Weight of the Past

In 2019, Ian Flynn would end up focusing on how past choices and memories weigh on the cast. Sonic was constantly left wondering if he made the right choice, letting Eggman live out his life as the harmless Mr. Tinker, now that his villainous personality has returned and unleashed a horrible virus on the world. Eggman, however briefly, himself was shown wondering if perhaps he missed his more innocent days as a harmless inventor. Meanwhile, we learned all about the trauma that formed Whisper's current personality. It was nice to see the book acknowledge how the past can shape people.


WORST IDEA:
Arc Fatigue

Considering how he wrapped up the Metal Sonic Saga within a year, I was really disappointed Ian Flynn fell back on his sloppy, sluggish pacing with the Metal Virus Saga. It's a new year now and we still have a few months left before this thing even comes close to being wrapped up. For a story this grim, a quick and snappy conclusion is especially valuable. We aren't going to get that and, clearly, Flynn is going to stretch this out even more. I was sick of this shit months ago. Flynn, get it together and learn to wrap up a story line in eight to ten months. Please, I'm begging you.