THE 2020 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG COMIC BEST/WORST LIST!

2020 is a year, obviously, nobody is eager to revisit. We're about three weeks out from it at this point and I'm already exhausted by the postmortems. The light at the end of the title maybe, possibly, potentially could be approaching and that's where I want to be. 

The state of the world last year even made it hard to enjoy the “Sonic the Hedgehog” comics, which should be as far away from the real world as possible. Yet some very bad timing on Ian Flynn's behalf left us knee-deep in a story arc about a highly contagious virus ripping the globe apart just as an actual virus was ripping the actual globe part. So much for escapism! The comic would zag in a different direction in the last few months, to mixed results, but it was still a weird year. Even in Sonic-land!

So let's bury 2020 once and for all. Here's my list of the Best and Worst things from 2020's issues of IDW's “Sonic” books. (I cheated a little and included issue 36, technically published in January of this year.) Here's the list of comics covered in this retrospective:

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issues 25-36

Sonic the Hedgehog: Bad Guys: Issues 1-4

Sonic the Hedgehog Annual 2020

BEST COVER STORY:

Ian Flynn, "Smash and Grab" (Sonic the Hedgehog: Bad Guys: Issue 2)

Probably the most fun I had with a "Sonic" comic this year, "Smash and Grab" shows the simple pleasures of letting an ensemble play off each other. Starline and Zavok's dynamic, of trying to mislead each other but also maybe not, was compelling to watch. There was even something charming in how quickly Rough and Tumble became devoted to their new boss. Moreover, "Smash and Grab" was just an exciting action story, well-paced enough to keep the reader gripped and well executed to include a few surprises. 

WORST COVER STORY:

Ian Flynn, "A Sudden Shift" (Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 25)

IDW kicked off 2020 in the doldrums of the Metal Virus arc. "A Sudden Shift" was the bleakest moment in a story arc defined by bleak moments, as the Deadly Six arrived to make a shitty situation even shittier. By this point, I was completely exhausted by the darkness. Even when separated from how grim the series was at this point, "A Sudden Shift" isn't especially compelling. It's one of those middling middle chapters totally devoted to setting up the final third, putting all the pieces in order so the story can progress. 

BEST BACK STORY:

Caleb Goellmer, "Reflections" (Sonic the Hedgehog Annual 2020)

After previously winning a Worst Story award twice in a row, Caleb Goellmer bounced back in a big way with "Reflections." The clear highlight of the 2020 Annual, the story is almost entirely dialogue-free. Instead, it uses striking images to allow the viewer to consider Metal Sonic's silent inner monologue. Not only did this manage to make an intentionally personality-free villain rather intriguing, it also resulted in an almost unsettlingly moody story. 

WORST BACK STORY:

Samantha King, "Flock Together" (Sonic the Hedgehog Annual 2020)

I hate to beat up on a first-timer but "Flock Together" was undoubtedly the lamest part of last year's annual. It's contrived on a plot level, as Vector and Espio stumble upon their missing friend just after talking about him. The climax of the story happens entirely off-panel, obscured in a cloud of smoke. Moreover, King's dialogue is clunky and the characters come off as their most simplistic. 

BEST STORY ARC:

Evan Stanley, "Chao Races And Badnik Bases" (Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issues 33-36)

Evan Stanley's longform debut for IDW did not really hold together as a whole. Stanley is still struggling with issues that hampered her previous work at Archie. Namely, including too many characters and storylines as well as some contrived plotting. Having said that, the delightful moments in "Chao Races And Badnik Bases" rise to the surface. Namely, Amy, Rouge, and Cream's utterly adorable interactions in the early parts. Belle made for a likeable introduction, watching Rouge sneak around is always fun, and I enjoyed Sonic and Tails' spooky adventure. It definitely falters in the second half but this arc was still the most satisfying four-parter of the year. 

WORST STORY ARC:

Ian Flynn, "Recovery" (Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issues 31-32)

The worst thing about "Recovery" is that it wasn't actually about recovery at all. There's passing glances at the aftermath of the Metal Virus outbreak but Flynn just wants to move past it. This two-parter is more about the victory party than the hard work of putting the world back together. This arc was also stained by several moments of really brain-dead out-of-character writing. Amy becomes a coward, Eggman becomes a fool, and the Babylon Rogues backtrack on everything they learned in their prior appearances. Worst of all was how Flynn introduced the idea of Sonic landing in Blaze's reality with amnesia and then did absolutely nothing with it. The whole plot point is brushed away quickly and has seemingly no consequences on Sonic. Lame!

BEST MAIN COVER:

Sonic the Hedgehog: Bad Guys: Issue 1 - Aaron Hammerstrom

IDW's "Sonic" books didn't produce many bad covers this last year. At the same time, few really stood out. The new series has rarely produced a cover as distinctive as Spaz's old work for Archie. Having said that, the cover for part one of "Bad Guys" was pretty cool. There's not much to it, as it's just Starline brooding villainously in close-up. But the use of shading, colors, and inking makes for a striking image. The detail of the other members of Starline's team appearing on the gem in his glove is a nice touch and seals the deal for me.

WORST MAIN COVER:

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 36 - Dan Schoening

To be totally frank, I've never quite understood while Dan Schoening is such a beloved artist. I've always found his art a little too angular and stationary for my taste. Having said that, his cover for issue 36 wasn't bad. As is increasingly the case with IDW's book, the worst cover isn't offensive. It's just bland. Sonic and Tails are all happy while splashing around in the snow, against Badniks that do not appear in the book. It's one step removed from being Sega stock-art. 

BEST VARIANT COVER:

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 30: Cover B - Diana Skelly

It seems increasingly true that IDW saves its best covers for the variant. There were a lot of good variant covers this year, like almost all of Nathalie Fourdraine's retail incentive covers. (But especially her one for issue 34.) But my favorite was Diana Skelly's atmospheric Cover B for Issue 30. Though the image of Orbot recreating the Hamlet pose with Omega's head is obviously farcical, the shading and colors makes it a rather striking, or even tragic seeming, image. What a surprising pair of competing but complimenting qualities for a comic cover to invoke. 

WORST VARIANT COVER:

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 27: Cover B - Jon Gray

Please, Jon Gray, I'm begging you: Stop putting so many goddamn characters into your artwork. Gray "won" Worst Cover last year by sticking every single fucking character from the comic on the cover of Issue 24... Twice! He did something similar with Cover B for 2020's Issue 27. Gray doesn't cram quite as many faces onto this one, which depicts a portion of the comic's cast getting together for a game night. But he comes close. I'm not really a fan of Gray's loose, overly cartoony artwork most of the time. When he slams so many competing expressions, bodies, and colors together, the results just make my eyes bleed. It's overwhelming in the worst way. All the individual details are lost and the reader is left looking at a cover that more resembles a bowl of Fruity Pebbles than a coherent image. 

(Considering Gray once uploaded an utterly eye-searing tapestry to his DeviantArt, that features seemingly every character and story arc from the Archie comics, I don't think he can help himself. He has a sickness that manifests as vomiting as many characters and details into a single image, far more than the eye can comprehend at once. Seek help, man.)

BEST STORY ART:

"Reflections" - Aaron Hammerstrom (Sonic the Hedgehog Annual 2020)

It seems only fair that “Reflections” should take home both Best Back Story and Best Art. The artwork is really what does the heavy lifting on this one. Hammerstrom manages to gift so much feeling and personality to Metal Sonic's almost unmoving eyes and body. The use of shading and shadows is absolutely next level in this story. Months later, I am still thinking about that largely white panel of Metal in silhouette, which stands out even more considering how visually dark most of the story is. This one is really impressive and Hammerstrom's amazing pencils are a big reason why.

WORST STORY ART:

"Flock Together" - Jamal Peppers (Sonic the Hedgehog Annual 2020)

Once again, I feel bad to keep beating up on “Flock Together.” Jamal Peppers has certainly done some wonderful “Sonic” artwork in the past. But his work here feels strangely lifeless. The characters feel posed, not as if they are moving but like they are standing still. Peppers' faces are wide and cartoony but lacking emotion. While Peppers' smooth linework has worked in his favor in the past, here it just makes everything feel more mass-produced and lacking in emotion. 

BEST NEW CHARACTER:

Belle

Unlike its predecessor, which had a cast of thousands, the new “Sonic” comic book has been slow to introduce characters unique to its world. According the Sonic News Network wiki, there was only a handful of new appearances this year. Most of them were random Badniks and one of them was Big the Cat, who apparently had not appeared in the IDW comic before this year. 

Anyway, of the slim pickings for this category, it was pretty easy to spot the clear stand-out. We still don't know much about Belle, the marionette style robot that Sonic and Tails discovered in an old Eggman bases. Where the comic will go with her or what her mysterious origins will be are all up in the air right now. But she's really cute, in a way that seems more charming and genuine than corporate Sega creations like Cream. Evan Stanley's design comes with a lot of built-in personality. She's sort of funny, in her lonely girl awkwardness, and sort of sad, in her quest to find a creator that probably doesn't love her. I look forward to what Belle may be become, whatever that may be.

WORST NEW CHARACTER:

Asshole Chao

The only other major introduction of 2020 was Clutch, a perfectly functional villain I currently have no strong feelings about one way or another. However, an associates of Clutch's did leave me with strong feelings.

Clearly, Evan Stanley has a fondness for Chao, since she went out of her way to include them in her big story arc this. I, to date, do not. Which is perhaps why I think the Shadow-inspired Chao Cheese races against in the “Chao Races and Badnik Bases” arc was such an irredeemable little punk. He's got that smug little smile and seems to really enjoy kicking Cheese when he was down... Stanley later tries to redeem the character I have dubbed Asshole Chao by revealing Cluth abused him. But my mind was made up by that point. Asshole Chao is an asshole. We'll probably never see Asshole Chao again and I am happy about that. 

BEST IDEA:

A Sonic Book That Barely Has Sonic in It

I have made the comment in the past that, sometimes, “Sonic the Hedgehog” media is at its best when it barely features Sonic the Hedgehog at all. When I think back to the IDW Sonic stories of 2020 that really made an impression on me... The titular hedgehog has a small role in them. The best moments of the year were Amy, Rouge, and Cream's bonding while on their secret mission; Metal Sonic's wordless inner monologue in “Reflections;” and Starline and Zavok's traitorous dynamic in “Bad Guys.” Sonic isn't in any of those scenes! I think Flynn and Stanley maybe even realizes this, as he wrote the hedgehog out of the main plot for two issues. As has been true in the past, this comic is a little more compelling when the hedgehog hero/corporate mascot steps aside.

WORST IDEA:

The Lack of an Aftermath

Ian Flynn spent most of 2019 and part of 2020 on the Metal Virus Saga. It was a massive story that had lingering effects on every corner of the comic book's world. Literally, every single character living on Sonic's fictional planet had their lives touched by it... And afterwards? The Metal Virus Outbreak has had no lingering effects on the comic book. There's barely been any mention of it since it ended. I don't know if Flynn himself got exhausted by the grim storyline and wanted to move on as quickly as possible. I don't know if he read the room and realized now was a shitty time to focus a children's book on a pandemic. Yet he seems determine to bury this event in the past.

Which begs the question: Why devote a year's worth of comic books to it then? The real world right now, as I type this, is making it clear that an event of that magnitude will have long-lasting ramifications for years to come. I was far past bored with the Metal Virus Saga before it ended but... Come on, Flynn. If you're going to do this shit, you have to fucking commit. The series acting like it can just casually get back to business-as-usual after delivering the closest thing to an honest-to-God apocalypse its characters have ever seen is nothing short of bullshit.