Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 57

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 57
Publication Date: January 1998

For Archie fans old enough to remember, January of 1998 was an uncertain year for the comic series. Head-writers Ken Penders and Karl Bollers, post-“Endgame,” promised that the series focus would be changing a bit. He wanted to refocus on Sonic and Tails. Fans, such as Dan Drazen, worried this meant Princess Sally and the rest of the SatAM crew would be written out of the book. That didn’t happen, of course. Instead, Sonic and Tails went on an adventure around Mobius, expanding the series’ scope and showing what Sonic the Hedgehog could get up to in a world without Robotnik. This time of upheaval and change began in issue 57. It’s announced right in the cover story’s title, “Back to Basics.”

Over the last few issues, Sonic had been bemoaning his role in Mobotropolis without a mad dictator to fight. He decides to set out on an adventure, following Ixis Naugus’ trail and helping whoever he encounters along the way. Before leaving Knothole, Rotor finds a device among Robotnik’s lab that can reportedly predict the future. When Sonic places it on his head, it instead shows him the past. After a lengthy recap of the comic’s history, Sonic bids farewell to his parents, to Sally, and to the city he now calls home.

If you measure quality by how much a story advances the plot, issue 57 would rate very lowly. If this was a television show, this issue would be referred to as a “clip show.” Usually, when a comic resorts to an antic such as this, it simply reprints those old stories. For whatever reason, Archie didn’t want to just reprint moments from the comic’s first 56 issues. Instead, Art Mawhinney sat down to redraw many of these events. Quickly, “Back to Basics” devolves into Art drawing small version of Patrick Spazinate’s covers while Sonic, in a narration box, provides a capsule summery of the issue’s events. Mawhinney’s work is great, typically. However, Karl Bollers’ decision to have Sonic narrate everything shoves an awful lot of dialogue in the hedgehog’s mouth. It’s very unlike the character to expound at such length about things.

Putting out a glorified clip book had two purposes, I imagine. Considering “Endgame” concluded just seven issues ago and the book was heading in a new direction, Archie was probably expecting new readers to pick up the series. Who knows if it worked that way but, nevertheless, Issue 57 existed to catch everyone up. On the other hand, in this Brave New World, the extensive recap serves to show what still is and isn’t canon. This is likely because, way back in issue 2 of the original “Sonic” mini-series, there was a story about King Acorn’s Crown. Just recently, a totally different version of the Crown appeared. You’d think the writers would use to this oppretunity to declare many of the series’ earliest, goofiest stories as non-canon.

 
Instead, issue 57 maintains almost everything. The UniverSalamander, Verti-Cal and Horizon-Al, Thorny the Needle Bird, Spawnmower, the Nerbs, Sonic’s caveman ancestors, the Termite-Nator, RoboStorm, Car-Heem of Weeet, and plenty of other goofy shit is clarified as still existing. (Even though I only read these stories a few months ago, I’ve already forgotten half of this shit.) For that matter, “Back to Basics” recounts Sonic’s adventures on a nearly issue-by-issue basis. It doesn’t stop when it comes to the present either. It recounts shit that happened just a few issues ago. The book goes right up to Endgame, Monkey Khan, and “Return of the King.” I’m not exactly sure what the point of all that was.

In its last few pages, “Back to Basics” somehow provides a reason for why it exists. After the memory projector explodes, Sonic gets ready to leave. In two pages, he has heart-to-heart conversations with both his parents and Sally. His interaction with his parents is brief but gets to the point. Sonic admits that he’s intentionally been avoiding them, because he still doesn’t know how to react to their existence. However, he clarifies that he still needs them in his life. It’s a little too brief an interaction and undermined by Sonic leaving in just a few pages.

The conversation with Sally is a lot better. Sonic sheepishly admits how he feels about the Princess, in so many words. It’s fun that the book remembers that these are still teenagers, prone to shyness when frankly discussing romance. Mawhinney’s pencils go a long way towards selling that emotion, both of them walking with their hands behind their backs, reserved and uncertain. It’s pretty sweet stuff and continues to show that Bollers’ strength still lie in honest emotion.

Despite being a mostly useless book, as a kid I was still a fan of issue 57. As I previously mentioned, I hadn’t yet read many of those early issues at that time. Getting to see what happened in those stories was a nice treat for me. It reminds me of a time when not everything was available at our fingertips. Those final moments of emotion go a long way towards justifying the issue’s existence. Mawhinney’s artwork helps a lot too. Issue 57 is still mostly useless though. [5/10]

Sonic Live!

 
Sonic Live!
Publication Date: November 1996

Sonic the Hedgehog fans of all stripes and types don’t agree on much. Fans of Archie’s “Sonic” series are no different. However, the comic’s fandom generally has reached a consensus on a few things. The lawsuit sucked. Tommy the Turtle was a mistake. “Sonic Live!” is the worst story ever to be associated with the character. As a kid, I thought the story was kind of weird but never outright dismissed it as terrible. Kids are open to all sorts of things, you know. When time came to revisit “Sonic Live!,” I found myself wondering. Will it be as bad as everyone says?

Well, it’s certainly not good. In “The Last Game Cartridge Hero,” Robotnik has seemingly gotten Sonic right where he wants him. Princess Sally has some personality-voiding device on her head and the other Freedom Fighters are imprisoned. The villain encircles Sonic with SWATBots, the machines zapping him all at once. Sonic the Hedgehog is dead… Or so it would appear. The hedgehog is teleported to a weird alternate universe between zones. Outside, Steve and Jessica play a “Sonic the Hedgehog” video game. Spotting the kids, Sonic yanks them through the screen and into his world. The kids provide enough of a distraction for Robotnik, leading to his defeat. Yet another portal opens, the hero, villain, and kids ending up in another strange world.

There have been some pretty great stories with meta devices, with fictional characters interacting with the “real world.” “The Last Game Cartridge Hero” is not, uh, one of these. The plot lurches from bizarre point to the next. Why does getting zapped by the robots transport Sonic to a place between his world and the human world? How can he just pull the kids through the screen? Why does another portal open, tossing Robotnik and Sonic into another alternate zone? In this zone, the game developers of the Sonic series (notably, none of whom are Japanese) have been kidnapped by an army of robotic Robotniks. Where the hell did these guys come from? What’s their final plan? Sonic then opens the portal back to Mobius by tapping the stage select code on a giant Genesis controller. After sending everyone back to their proper worlds, the plot point of the other Robotniks are forgotten.

 
The incredibly dumb, senseless story is a problem but I don’t think that’s why people hate “Sonic Live!” so much. Instead, the story’s nepotism is what offends readers. See, the real life human kids Sonic interact with aren’t just any kids. Kevin is directly based on Ken Penders’ son while Jessica is directly based on his niece. So how the fuck did Ken convince Archie to publish a comic book where his own son and niece interact with Sonic the Hedgehog? I can’t imagine the pitch but I can imagine the Christmas or birthday wish that birthed this awful idea. “The Last Game Cartridge Hero” would still be senseless if the kids were purely fictional characters. Penders passing a piece of self-insert fan fiction off as a real comic book pushes the story over the edge.

Further proving that “Last Game Cartridge Hero” was purely a misguided vanity project of Ken’s is that he also drew it. The artwork is only occasionally as grotesque as Pender’s worst pencils are. The kids frequently look weird. The robo-Robotniks that show up look awful. The backgrounds lack totally in detail. Naturally, Penders’ worst attribute is his total inability to convey any movement or speed when action scenes crop up. The final insult occurs early, when actual photographs of Kevin and Jessica are used in the book. This is not only weird, it’s off-putting. Seeing an animated Sonic interact with flesh-and-blood children is just… Creepy.

Though it gets the cover, “Last Game Cartridge Hero” is only one of three stories in “Sonic Live!” “The Substitute Freedom Fighters” is written by Rich Koslowski and drawn by Art Mawhinney. Running parallel to the main story, it involves Larry the Linx and Cyril the Eagle grabbing Sally’s recruits and going to rescue the main team. Digging up Larry and Cyril, two characters that had already been forgotten, was an odd decision. They’d be mostly forgotten again after this, for years. However, this is a straight-ahead action story and works all right in that regard. Seeing Dylan pick a lock or Hamlin smash into a squad of SWATBots at least shows the characters can be useful. Mawhinney’s artwork is, naturally, extremely good. There’s not much to this story but, compared to the atrocious title story, it comes off way better then it would’ve otherwise.

In the very back of the book is the second part of the “Knuckles Quest” story arc. The Ancient Walkers’ vague hints sends Knuckles to a strange building in an obscure part of the Great Forest. There, he battles a series of bizarre monsters. Knuckles notices that the creatures are from fairy tales and that they fade into nothingness upon defeat. He realizes a sorcerer is at work here. The hunch is right, as Merlin Prower is responsible for this. He sends Knuckles on the next step of his quest.

Scripting wise, there’s not much to “Knuckles Quest 2.” The echidna shows up, whoops some monsters, makes friends with the man responsible, and gets sent on the next section of his fetch quest. The story’s not even that exciting as an action piece, as Knux makes short work of each monster. One factor saves the story entirely. Patrick Spazinate provides pencil. And, holy shit, is this an awesome looking story. Spaz’ work is, as expected, incredibly detailed, stylish, dynamic, and action packed. He’s pretty much the perfect guy to draw a story about Knuckles punching out a series of monsters. For the record, he fights a critter that looks like a Cacodemon from “Doom,” leopards with fiery whips growing from their backs, an ogre, a Chinese dragon, and the Grim Reaper. I want this story painted on the side of my van.

Neither of the back-up stories are great but they are mildly entertaining. This stands in stark contrast to the title story. “Sonic Live!” is not so much bad as it is deeply miscalculated in every conceivable way. The story was a mistake. It never should’ve been written, much less illustrated and printed. Archie has buried the story, refusing to re-publish it. Who can blame them? [3/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 12

 
Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 12
Publication Date: April 1994

Issue 12 would be a good-looking if mildly unremarkable issue of “Sonic the Hedgehog” if it wasn’t for one thing. It features work from all three of the head writers at the time. The first story is from Mike Gallagher. The second is from the Penders/Kanterovich team. The last is from Angelo DeCesare. This allows us a good opportunity to compare and contrast the different style and approaches of three of the voices who would define the comic’s early years.

Mike Gallagher’s “A Timely Arrival” opens the book. After scraping the shit out of multiple Robotnik robots, the dictator thinks up a way to erase the hedgehog once and for all: Send him back in time! Casually cracking the secrets of time travel, Robotnik dumps Sonic back in prehistoric days. There, Sonic befriends his distant ancestors, a boghog name Sonugh, who has problems with a rotund madman named Robughnik and a group of friends that include Princess Sal-ugh. Eventually, the Freedom Fighters get him back to his own time.

Like all of Gallagher’s work, the tone is incredibly silly and light. The premise basically recalls a sitcom. Sonic going back in time and fighting dinosaurs is one thing. That’s cool actually, even if the dinosaurs talk and crack jokes too. Meeting a group of identical ancestors is a little much though. Many of the jokes are very silly, especially the entire bit about Robughnik. An earlier gag about Sally watching soap operas is also groan-worthy. Another trademark of Gallagher is self-reflective jokes. Sonic breaks the fourth wall when crashing back in his own time. The entire story is built around pre-exisiting familiarity to the “Sonic the Hedgehog” universe. Having said that, this is actually a pretty good Gallagher story. Another trademark of the author is a ecological slant. Sonic is so enraged by Robotnik cutting down trees that he catches the roof on fire on his way out. The joke about Sonic inventing hedges, and thus inventing hedgehogs, is amusing. I like the Freedom Fighters being dependent enough to rescue Sonic all on their own. It’s silly but rarely actively bad, just light-weight and disposable. (It also features the Prehistoric Freedom Fighters asking the readers if they want to be seen again, another Gallagher quirk.)

The second story, “The Bold-Headed Eagle,” is from Penders and Kanterovich. While racing through the mountains, Sonic accidentally runs off a cliff. He lands in the nest of Cyril the Eagle, who believes himself to be the last eagle and spends his days hiding from Robotnik. Sonic attempting to teach the eagle to fly again alerts them to the dictator, who is then undone by his own hubris.

If “The Bold-Headed Eagle” is a Penders work, it’s definitely an early Penders work. The writers’ typically verbose dialogue is on display, which is a problem. The story hews closer in tone to “SatAM,” as Robotropis looks more like the cartoon and Snivley plays a big role. It also introduces a new character, Cyril the Eagle, who is then revealed to have a nearly identical family, another thing Penders would become notorious for. However, it’s interesting to see Ken’s style co-exist alongside the comic’s early, goofy tone. Robotnik appears to stop Sonic inside a ram-shaped vehicle, which looks like something out of “He-Man,” while wearing lederhosen. Cyril, who is literally bald, wears a cardigan, and walks with a cane, is a pretty silly character too. Notably, he wouldn’t appear much as the comic got more serious. Though badly hampered by Penders’ puffy dialogue, it’s not a bad story. After being a quipping jerk for the last eleven issues, it’s nice to see Sonic evolving into a compassionate, helpful person.

The third story is entitled “The Lynx is a Jinx” and was written by Angelo DeCesare. Robotnik’s SWATBots are performing another sweep of the forest, forcing Sonic and company to clear out the innocent animals. While there, Sonic meets Larry, a lynx whose bad luck is contagious, usually leading to catastrophe for those around him. Fearing for his friends’ lives, Sonic follows Larry alone, hoping to find a place for the feline. Naturally, Robotnik soon attacks.

Okay, my thesis is wrong. “The Lynx is a Jinx” is actually much better then Angelo DeCesare’s previous work. There’s not quite a tidal wave of puns. Sally is mean to Larry but she actually has a good reason for it. It’s also not an entirely light-weight story. The threat of Robotnik harming the inhabitants of the forest is very real. Larry’s depression about being an outcast is treated seriously. However, the crux of the story is still pretty silly. Magic doesn’t exist yet in the Archie comic, so Larry’s weird ability to affect the luck of those around him seems really out of place. The way it plays out, with Larry using his jinx abilities to defeat Robotnik’s latest scheme, is sadly predictable. Another definite DeCesare element: the rat-rod Robotnik attempts to run Sonic down with. That is, as the kids would say, random.

(Notably, both of these stories would introduce characters that would rarely be seen again. Under Ian Flynn’s pen, Larry would eventually develop into something of a fan favorite but that’s 226 issues from now.)

Tying all these stories together is Art Mawhinney’s outstanding artwork. This is especially notable in the final story, where the Great Forest seems like a lush, alive place for the first time in the comic’s run. Mawhinney’s action is excellent, Sonic’s running and fighting seeming especially lively. Sonic burning off the page and his scuffle with the dinosaurs are both nice moments. The expressions are brilliant, especially Larry’s perpetual sad sack frown. I love how Mawhinney’s artwork shows a clear connection to SatAM but he also adapts brilliantly to comics. It’s cartoony, lively, and silly during Gallagher’s story. It’s more focused and serious in DeCesare’s story. 

While still on the “good, not great” side of the critical divide, issue 12 may very well be the most balanced “Sonic” comic yet. The writing is pretty good from all four scribes, the artwork is great, and the issue progresses smoothly and satisfyingly. [7/10]