Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 247

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 247
Publication Date: April 2013

In April of 2013, when I picked up issue 247 of Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” series from my local comic shop, I had no idea how significant it was. Yeah, it was seemingly wrapping up some long lingering plot lines. It was the last issue before the much hyped Mega Man crossover began. I – and most of the comic’s loyal readers – had no way of knowing that this was destined to be the final issue taking place in the original continuity. That this simple comic was were 21 years of stories, characters, and lore was going to end.

“At All Cost, Part One: Fate Interrupted” begins with Team Fighters cornering the Death Egg at its Arctic refueling platform. With the help of the Arctic Freedom Fighters, our heroes successfully enter the base. They are soon joined by Silver, who has finally deduced that Sally is the historical traitor he’s been pursuing. That saving her, and de-roboticizing her, will prevent his catastrophic future from coming to be. Robotnik, meanwhile, panics. After Sonic comes extremely close to his goal of saving his beloved princess, Eggman frantically activates another Genesis Wave. Thus begins a crossover. And that’s where the comic book, as it existed for twenty one years, fucking ends.

From the moment Flynn introduced him into the book, he’s had Silver the Hedgehog chasing this mythical traitor. And it’s always been dumb, an excuse to keep Silver coming back to the comic’s present. Fittingly, this dumb idea wraps up on an incredibly underwhelming note. Silver deduces that Sally must be the traitor, more-or-less by process of elimination. He realizes that there never really was a traitor. That the subtleties of events – Sally being turned into an evil robot against her will – got lost to the slow march of time. This could’ve been an interesting commentary on how history is shaped, often being distorted over the ages. But, because Flynn has always played this as a genuine mystery, instead of some Quixotic quest on Silver’s behalf, it comes of as a total shrug of a conclusion. The answer to the question has been in front of us the whole time.

Not only does this seriously give the impression that Flynn didn’t think up an ending to Silver’s quest until the last minute, it also disrupts the story’s pacing. This issue isn’t really about who Silver’s proposed traitor is. It’s about rescuing Sally. However, because Flynn has to shoehorn this half-hearted resolution in, the mission is interrupted. Team Fighters stops cold so they can argue with Silver about his deduction, seemingly forgetting they’re on a time-sensitive mission here. (Sonic is literally shown pacing the room at one point.) It’s a serious “get to the fireworks factory” moment. Stop the debates, you hedgehogs. We’ve got a princess to rescue. Maybe the people actually invested in Silver’s quest feel differently. But this is my blog, so I declare those people to be objectively wrong.

Putting this serious flaw aside, issue 247 is a solid action comic book. It’s fun seeing Team Fighters battle side by side with the often underutilized Arctic Freedom Fighters, even if they ultimately end up having very little to do in this issue. Ahklut the orca reappears, determined to get revenge on Sonic and Silver for freeing Rotor’s herd a while back, and smashes the underwater tunnel the team is traveling through. A super angry orca, flashing a mouthful of serrated teeth, turns out to be a very motivating threat. The fight with Mecha Sally doesn’t go on very long but is entertaining while it lasts.

Team Fighters’ mission in the Arctic is running parallel to some business back at home. Nicole’s unveiling of the newly rebuilt Castle Acorn is interrupted by the nanites going nuts. Cream then realizes that her Tails Doll has been missing every time something like this has happened. Its cover blown, the Doll then transforms into a giant, hideous monster.

This is a far more satisfying payoff than the reveal about Silver’s nonexistent traitor. First off, it plays off Tails Doll’s fanon reputation as a source of horror. Secondly, it shows Cream making herself useful by noticing something nobody else has. Lastly, I like the way Rotor immediately believes the little bunny, dismissing the cliche of the grown-up never believing the kid with the crazy story. If I had to look for a flaw in this subplot, it would be Tails Doll revealing his status as an infiltrator so quickly. But a little doll suddenly growing into a huge, grotesque horror actually is a decent cliffhanger, as opposed to the book’s primary ending.

On the artwork front, this issue sees the return of Evan Stanley. Stanley has gotten better with every appearance and her artwork really comes into her own here. Her art has a slightly more American style superhero comic book feel. Rotor and Gustav gain a more sinewy, heroic build. But everyone is definitely still on model. Stanley's action is excellent, especially the fight with Akhult. Her work on facial expressions are very good. Unlike a lot of artists on the book, who seem content just to emulate Yardley, Stanley brings her own style to the table. Which I like a lot.

It’s entirely impossible for me to separate my feelings for this individual comic book from my feelings about the decision to reboot the series. This comic book makes me mad. Five years later, I still feel an immense sense of frustration. I’ve spent way too much of my life invested in these characters and their world. Seeing it end would be one thing. Seeing it stop midway through a two-parter, to leave the characters at one point and then pick up in an entirely different universe, is another. Before, I’ve referred to the original continuity as ending on a cliffhanger but that’s not entirely accurate. This is more like the pages of a novel suddenly going blank three chapters from the end.

There is no sense of finality, of conclusion, of satisfaction. It is extremely obvious that Ian Flynn had every intention of wrapping this story up naturally after the crossover was done. But because Archie is bad at paperwork, because the company never valued the book and treated the former writers like shit, because Ian Flynn sucks at sticking the landing, a panel of everything fading to white in the middle of the action is the closest thing the comic as we knew it got to an ending. Yes, it pisses me off. Yes, I consider the decision to reboot midway through a fucking two parter a betrayal of the fans who supported this series for two decades, no matter how shitty it got. Yes, I believe Archie handled the fallout of the Penders lawsuit in as awkward a fashion as possible. Flynn is at fault too, for allowing the Mecha Sally storyline to drag on for an entire year. It really all should’ve been settled before the continuity nullifying crossover began anyway.

But this is not the time or place for that rant, I suppose. (Believe me, that rant is sure as fuck coming soon.) It is not fair to judge issue 247 as the very unexpected, clearly unplanned ending to twenty one years of comic book history it is. As a story, it’s fine. Some pacing issues but mostly okay. I’d give it a [6/10.] The massive amount of baggage that comes with Archie frantically slamming the restart button is not this individual comic book’s fault.

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 241

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 241
Publication Date: October 2012

Don't you just love a misleading cover? Issue 241's cover makes it look like the big conclusion to the comic's recent events, when it only sort of wraps some things up. It also features several characters on the cover who do not appear in the book. The Secret Freedom Fighters, while Robotnik's role is pretty minimal. However, there's something bittersweet but this usual comic book shenanigans. This comic marks the final appearance of several of those characters before the reboot. Many more minor Archie exclusive cast members take their final, unknowing curtain bow in this issue.

“Unraveling” follows two story lines. Somewhere across the continent, Team Fighter follows the Death Egg. Eggman is on the run until he cooks up a last minute scheme that distracts Sonic and friends for a while. Meanwhile, in Mobotropolis, more stuff is going down. Naugus continues to loose control of his body. Mina puts on a benefit concert to un-exile Nicole. Mina's mom takes over Rotor's seat on the Council of Acorn. This news upsets Naugus and further exacerbates his condition.

Yes, the villain's scheme might be “Unraveling” but Flynn is undoing many of the dumb-ass plot points he's introduced over the last year. This issue sees Geoffrey St. John finally betray Naugus, rejecting the evil wizard and the stupid decision to turn him into a traitor in the first place. Mina uses her music to encourage the community to welcome Nicole back, doing away with the stupid decision to write her out of the book for a few issues. (Mobotropolis' populace still remains far too easy to manipulate, via the power of song.) This all prefaces the city as a whole turning on King Naugus. Say what you will about Mecha-Sally but that was a plot mix-up that created new story opportunities. Making St. John Naugus' apprentice, Naugus becoming king, and having the city turn on Nicole were unnatural story decisions that existed more to push through ideas than to naturally move the story forward. I'm glad we're done with them.

Flynn doesn't seem to admit that he's unfucking his own mistakes here. Instead, these story turns fit into the issue's theme of forgiveness. Mina admits to her mistakes and apologizes to them. This allows the city's citizens to do the same. Nicole, in turn, forgives the Council for exiling her. One of the aspects that marks Naugus as a villain is his inability to change and move on from past transgressions... Which makes his constantly transforming physical state a rather ironic twist. I don't know if Flynn did that on purpose.

Naugus cracking up does give Steven Butler an excuse to draw some fucked-up monsters. And it's clearly something he enjoys. The wizard spends most of the issue in a state of high stress, his body mutating. His metal claw repeatedly morphs into a lobster claw. Smaller crustacean claws sprout from his torso. A big, red, bumpy tail falls out of his ass. Naugus is constantly drooling and sweaty. In a book whose cast is primarily made up of cute animals, you can tell Butler is really relishing the chance to draw a hideous mutant. As you'd expect, Butler's artwork is extremely strong in general.

There's a fair bit of humor to Naugus' breakdown. The wizard touches upon the idea of possessing someone else's body, in order to get his consciousness out of a physical form that is going beserk. First, he attempts to talk King Acorn into entering into a magic pact with him. Despite Max being almost entirely senile by this point, he still has the strength of will to reject the King's plan. Next, Naugus attempts to trick Jules into giving up his body. Sonic's parents bring up everything bad Naugus has ever done to them and their son before telling him to get the fuck out. The way Butler draws Jules and Bernie's annoyed faces, even including Muttski growling at the wizard, makes this scene even funnier. Naugus' skills are degenerating to such a degree that he can't even get old men to fall for his bullshit.

Continuing the trend that started with issue 240, Sonic barely appears in issue 241. Sonic, Amy, and Tails are many miles away from Mobotropolis. The action beat feels perfunctory.  Eggman discovers a sprig of the Krudzu Hybrid Hydra on the Death Egg. Running low on options, he combines the plant-machine with the busted-out shell of a Titan Metal Sonic. Yet it only takes Team Fighter a few pages to take down this kaiju-sized threat. It's pretty evident that Flynn is more invested in what's happening in Mobotropolis and only includes these scenes to give the hedgehog hero and his Sega-approved co-stars an obligatory appearance. It's a decent fight scene but has little reason to be in this comic book.

Geoffrey St. John is among the characters to make his last appearance in this issue. That's a shame, since the comic wraps up on an tantalizing plot point with him: Naugus possessing the body of his apprentice. The ending also teases the start of the “Endangered Species” storyline, which would write out most of Ken Penders' echidna characters even before the reboot would come along and blank-slate nearly the entire universe. So I guess it's a good thing that this is a pretty strong issue, since this era of Archie “Sonic” is coming to an abrupt close very soon. [7/10]

Sonic Universe: Issue 44

Sonic Universe: Issue 44
Publication Date: September 2012

In retrospect, it's pretty sad that Ian Flynn spent so much time setting up the Secret Freedom Fighters. After several months, and endless stories it seems, of build-up, the new team finally got their four issue arc in “Sonic Universe.” And then, in a few months, all but one of them would be wiped out by the reboot. I guess that just goes to show that the reboot really was sprang on Ian Flynn and his team at the last minute. Then again, there were some plot lines that got set-up and didn't even get as much payoff as this one. Guess we should've been lucky this story was delayed a few months.

Part four of “Unsung Heroes” is clearly a Public Enemy fan as the subtitle implores you to “Fight the Power.” Naugus' plan to bend the Council of Acorn's collective minds to his will is ready. The Secret Freedom Fighters interrupt the ritual and take the fight to the wizard. Meanwhile, the Council attempts to assemble above. Luckily, Larry the Lynx is there, his bad luck constantly preventing the meeting from going forward.

“Fight the Power” is primarily an action story. It should probably not be surprising that the main way the Secret Freedom Fighters disrupt Naugus' magic spell is with punching. Silver and Shard fight Naugus. Elias and Silver fight Naugus. Lyco and Leeta fight Geoffrey. Elias fights Geoffrey. Pretty much every combination you can think of plays out. As a fight scene, it is pretty cool. There's so much going on that it's hard to get bored. Despite outnumbering the enemy, Naugus and St. John are formidable enough to keep the tension high.

In fact, the stakes get more and more high as the issue goes on. The subplot concerning Naugus loosing control over his own body continues to build here. Even after seemingly winning the day by exploding his magical altar, the Secret Freedom Fighters aren't out of the woods yet. Naugus freaks out, grows more monstrous, and attempts to trap the team in the tunnels. It's a neat trick on Flynn's behalf, keeping the drama going even after the plot is more-or-less resolved.

Luckily, this isn't just a punching and kicking orientated issue. Flynn wraps the comic up with a surprisingly bittersweet series of panels. In narration boxes, Harvey Who talks about how the Secret Freedom Fighters' good deeds can never be publicly acknowledge, how they most operate from the shadows and give up the things they want most. Flynn contrasts these words with shots of Elias looking in on his dying father and Larry watching the other members of the Substitute Freedom Fighters leave the Council building. The last two shows Shard watching Uncle Chuck, Jules, and Bernie have a pleasant dinner together. This page was probably meant to emphasize the personal sacrifices the characters are making by becoming spies. What it actually ends up doing is giving us insight into the sadness and dissatisfaction each member feels with their lives. Which is actually a far more noble goal.

Speaking of Larry! Harvey Who smartly realizes that someone who generates bad luck shouldn't be around during the big fight. Instead, he puts Larry's jinxing to good use. The scenes of the Council of Acorn's meeting being repeatedly interrupted by stupid bullshit – the new bill of rights they've come to sign going missing, the power in the building going off – are pretty funny. It's amusing to see that, even in an action book like this, people can still be inconvenienced by stupid bullshit. These moments also provide decent comic relief to the big fight scene happening underground.

Geoffrey St. John's character arc in this story line has been one of its most promising elements. We got some pay-off to that development here. St. John is still serving his master but not in the most enthusiastic manner. When the Secret Freedom Fighters pop in, he uses the fight as an excuse to not help Naugus. He even rather literally tosses Elias a hint that he's going back over to the side of the angels. In a surprisingly chilling panel, St. John outright leaves Naugus to die in the explosion. Of course, the wizard survives and Geoff has to backtrack but it's still a surprisingly nasty turn of events. It seems St. John really is fed up with his boss' bullshit.

Issue 44 wraps up by promising a conclusion to Silver's quest for the traitor. For those who are reading through these books for the first time, I'll just say the resolution to that is super underwhelming. The Secret Freedom Fighters arc was pretty uneven. However, even its weaker issues managed to be pretty entertaining. If nothing else, it's a fun idea, even if Flynn had to jump through way too many hoops to get it rolling. [7/10]

Sonic Universe: Issue 43

Sonic Universe: Issue 43
Publication Date: August 2012

Issue 43 has Ian Flynn addressing some of the issues I've had with the Secret Freedom Fighters story arc. Part three of “Secret Heroes,” subtitled “Occupational Hazard,” fuses the two story lines of the arc thus far. Silver and Elias' teams escape their missions by the skin of their teeth. They regroup in Mobotropolis, reporting their failures to Harvey Who. Meanwhile, Ixis Naugus explains his latest plan, a magical spell to take over the mind of the Council of Acorn, to Geoffrey St. John... And the skunk is not entirely okay with that.

Usually, I address the artwork at the end of these review but I'm doing shit backwards today. Since I've looked at hundreds of his illustrations over his years on the comic, I feel qualified to speak about Tracy Yardley's artwork. Though he's done lots of great work over the years, he has his flaws too. A same-y quality can fall into his work and he frequently gets sloppy. It sometimes feel like he's phoning it in. And his work on issue 43 has that quality. The facial expressions can be identical or uninspired. Everyone's on model but a little lifeless at times. Yardley has done so much “Sonic” art over the years that it starts to blend together at times.

Anyway, that aside, let's talk about the plot. Flynn uses this issue to expand on the mythos of the Ixis wizard tribe. The issue begins hundreds of years ago during the Forgotten War, showing Mammoth Mogul and a previously unseen bird-wizard named Ixis Vale. This is a callback to a very obscure bit of lore. All the way back in issue 53, Naugus used “Vale's bones!” as an exclamation. Now, years later, we actually see Naugus retrieve the bones of Ixis Vale to use them in an incantation. This also further defines the Ixis order as something that's been around for a very long time.

But what's most interesting about “Occupational Hazard” is the development we get on Geoffrey St. John. From the moment it was revealed that Geoffrey was a traitor, and an apprentice of Naugus, I felt like Flynn was kind of screwing over the character for no reason. However, that attitude snaps back some with this issue. Upon hearing that Naugus plans to use magic to instate total tyranny over Mobotropolis, St. John gets seriously pissed. He signed up to protect his kingdom, not to serve the mad whims of a control freak.

Honestly, I'm not sure why Geoffrey St. John hasn't noticed before that Naugus is a bad guy. However, the skunk having a crisis of conscious about his mission is refreshing. Yardley's panel here I like the most is a slow zoom on St. John's panicked face. Later, Silver has a conversation with the skunk where he sells out his master's plan. It doesn't undo all the bullshit damage Flynn has done to St. John's personality but it's a step in the right direction.

I guess it's weird that I found the antagonist of the story way more interesting than the heroes. One of the things I like the most about this issue is a passing detail, a bit of backstory. Upon seeing Shard's power crystal, St. John recalls that his team – as in the Majesty's Secret Service – retrieved Metal Sonic's melted remains out of the Mt. Mobius' caldera. Apparently there's a slight continuity error here, as Valdez wouldn't have been on the team at this point, but whatever. It feels a small gap in the backstory out and that's the kind of bullshit lore I appreciate.

As for what's the Secret Freedom Fighters are up to in this issue, we don't see much of them in action. There's a cute bit where, after Silver ends his talk with St. John, the team pops out of little hiding places around the area. I like the interaction between Harvey Who and Elias, which shows the young prince growing into more of a strategist. I also like the little bit where Harvey gets pissed at the team for their screw-ups. Apparently he didn't foresee the inexperienced fowling on their first mission.

Issue 43 is mostly set-up for the big finale, as it's most preoccupied with explaining what a threat Naugus truly is. It's a slower paced issue, focusing more on character development, which is a nice change following the action-packed last two issues. Mostly, I like this slightly sloppily-plotted comic for centering Gefforey St. John's personality. I don't recall that plotline really getting a conclusion before the reboot so this is probably the closest we'll come. [7/10]

Sonic Universe: Issue 41

Sonic Universe: Issue 41
Publication Date: June 2012

After what feels like six months of set-up, Ian Flynn has finally gotten to the Secret Freedom Fighters arc of “Sonic Universe.” It seems, as the original Archie universe neared its end, Flynn became a little preoccupied with organizing the comic's vast cast into various new teams. In the main book, the remaining members of the Knothole gang has split up into Team Fighters and Team Freedom. And here comes the Secret Freedom Fighters, composed of one fairly popular Sega hedgehog and five C-list-and-lower comic characters. Why Flynn was suddenly fascinated with this concept, I don't know. Unlike when Marvel or DC pulls this stunt, there were no new action figures or tie-in books to sell. Let's see if we can figure out why.

Part one of “Unsung Heroes,” which is referred to as “Secret Freedom” on the cover, shows the newly formed team on their first mission. Harvey Who sends Silver, Larry and Shard on a mission to track Geoffrey St. John to the Windy Valley region of Soumerica. It seems St. John is trying to recover some Ixis magic lore or something for Naugus. The three would-be spies argue among themselves, reveal their location, and manage to alert St. John to their presence without capturing him. Back near Mobotropolis, it seems Elias, Leeto, and Lyco are doing an equally on their half of the mission.

At its core, “Unsung Heroes” has an appealing premise. Taking a bunch of ragtag misfits and putting them on a team together can produce fruitful results. This format allows Flynn a chance to further establish the personalities of his cast of old, new, and basically new characters. The issue also has a fairly direct, easy-to-grasp objective. Our heroes are tracking Geoffrey St. John, trying to figure out what he's up to. Should be easy, right?

But there's a problem. These guys kind of suck at their job. Harvey Who is a spymaster after all and the Secret Freedom Fighers are ostensibly spying on St. John. So what do they do? They stumble into two separate traps, nearly getting themselves killed twice. They loudly bicker, repeatedly forgetting to use their code names. If the bickering didn't reveal their location to their target, Shard starts blowing shit up. They don't even manage to capture St. John after blowing their cover. About the only thing the so-called Secret Freedom Fighters pull off is putting a tracker on St. John's hoverboards. Seems to me if they had stopped at that, this mission would've been more successful.

But I suspect authoring a crackling espionage thriller was not really on Flynn's agenda. Tom Clancy, the man is not. Instead, this issue is really about the interplay between the team. On that regard, it's fairly successful. Shard continues to establish himself as the MVP of the group. It seems this iteration of Metal Sonic has only grown to resemble his fleshy counterpart more as he's lived longer. Shard is a snark extraordinaire. He's a real smart-ass around his teammates. However, Flynn keeps the constant backbiting from being annoying. In fact, it's charming as hell. Shard is incredibly entertaining.

Shard may not be the most calculated robot around but at least he contributes some firepower and high-tech gadgets. What does Larry the Lynx bring to this team? Flynn throws in a series of panels explaining who this obscure character is, what his deal is, and why he's on the Secret Freedom Fighters for the single person who reads “Sonic Universe” but not the main “Sonic” book too. After that, Larry nearly falls to his death. He then trips and activates a trap, alerting St. John to the team. I get what Flynn is trying to do. In a round about way, Larry's bad luck is revealing secrets. However, he mostly just draws attention to why someone with serially bad luck shouldn't be sent on sensitive missions like this.

Silver and Shard's bickering reveals a good point. This half of the team is composed of a former villain, someone who has previously attacked Sonic at least once (in addition to repeatedly showing himself to be a poor detective), and someone who constantly has bad things happen around him. The other half of the team is made of a former monarch with little field experience and two randos nobody has heard of before. And they seem to be doing as badly as Silver's team. How is this anyone's idea of a team of spies? If Flynn meant this as some sort of stealth parody/critique of Penders' old “On His Majesty's Secret Service” arc, which had a similarly questionable line-up, I'd get this. But the plotting is pretty serious, even if the character interaction is typically snarky.

I really don't dislike this comic book at all. It's quickly paced. The action sequences are fun. The characters are entertaining together. There's even some potential future conflict set up, as Silver seems to be discovering that his mentor, Mammoth Mogul, wasn't such a nice guy originally. However, there's just enough gaps in the plot's logic that I can't quite get on this one's side. Sorry, that just sticks in my teeth. I'm seem to recall this arc getting better as it went on so here's hopin'. [6.5/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 235

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 235
Publication Date: April 2012

The transformation Ian Flynn pulled off with Silver the Hedgehog is pretty impressive. At least for me personally, I was initially dismissive of Silver. He struck me as a desperate attempt to copy the fan popularity Sega had achieved with Shadow. You know, basically a recolor of Sonic with a flashy gimmick. This time, psychic powers instead of the stoic bad-ass routine. However, by playing up both his earnestness and his inexperience, Flynn managed to humanize Silver and make him far more likable. Yet, despite his prominent presence on the cover of issue 235, Silver's appearance is not the most important thing going on here.

“Remember the Fallen” begins in the distant future, with Silver uncovering a previously hidden library. After uncovering Antoine's journal, he comes to the conclusion that the coyote was the traitor to the Freedom Fighters that he's been looking forward. As he goes back in time, stranding himself in the past by using up his last Chaos Emerald, Silver discovers the truth. Antoine is still in a coma. And the Freedom Fighters are still mourning his sacrifice, each in their own way.

“Remember the Fallen” has Ian Flynn forcing the Freedom Fighters to deal with something they don't normally endure: Failure. The loss of Antoine, even if he's only comatose and not dead, is weighing heavily on all of them. Each one is dealing with this trauma in their own way. Tails has locked himself up in his work shop, devoting himself to rebuilding the Tornado. Amy Rose is focusing on her work in the city, in hopes of distracting herself. Sonic has holed up in his bedroom, playing his guitar. Even Geoffrey St. John, who was pretty pissed at Antoine just a day before, pays his respects to the fallen soldier. It's interesting to see these cartoon characters dealing with the quasi-death of a friend.

Flynn does not retreat from the emotion of the situation. There's a lot of crying and hugging in this issue. Tails' dad snaps him out of his exhaustive working state, leading to tears and hugs. Sonic's parents ask Amy about her obviously fractured mood, causing her to break down and cry. Most controversially, Bunnie runs away from Mobotropolis after having a talk with her husband's comatose body. Would Bunnie, someone who has never backed down from a challenge before, run away like this? It's hard to say, seeing how she's never dealt with the potential death of her husband before. Sadly, this is a story arc that would be left largely unresolved because of the impending reboot. Meaning Flynn would never really get to justify this possibly out-of-character moment.

The hugging and crying is not limited to the corporeal characters. The distrust against Nicole rising in the city reaches its crescendo. Naugus convinces the Council of Acorn to exile Nicole. How do you exile a computer program that lives in every corner of the city? Well, it has something to do with limiting her personality strictly to the computer monitors in HQ. It's a shaky plot turn. Personally, it bugs me that the Council of Acorn, including Uncle Chuck, would allow this to happen. Only Rotor is so disgusted that he retires. Pushing the Freedom Fighters into such a desperate situation is one thing but most of the stuff dealing with the politics in Knothole continue to bugs me.

The emotional core of the story is so clear and strong that it's not immediately apparent why Silver is in this comic book. The flash-forwards to him in the ruined, post-apocalyptic city are literally hundreds of years apart from the story's current events. Silver walking around Knothole, looking for Antoine, doesn't even provide much of a framing device to seeing the Freedom Fighters in their mourning state. However, Silver's role in the story becomes evident soon. Believing Antoine is the traitor provides shaky reasoning for Silver to get stranded in the past, taking a one-way trip to the book's present. In the final few pages, a despondent Silver is recruited by Harvey Who, further setting up the Secret Freedom Fighter story arc Flynn will be debuting soon.

Oh yeah, Silver's also in this issue to provide the seven-to-twelve-year-old boy crowd with a required action beat. When Sonic hears that Silver believes Antoine is the traitor, he looses his temper. The blue hedgehog spin-dashes at Silver through the wall of his hut, grabs Silver by the quills, and drags him into Antoine's hospital room. It's mostly an unneeded action beat in an otherwise emotionally driven issue. However, it does lead to one fantastic moment. Enraged by the loss of his friend, Sonic ends up snarling at Silver, dismissing him as a fool who dishonors the loyalty of his friends.

Yardley's pencils are pretty good too. I especially like the little touch that the windows of Sonic's hut are shaped like the logo he popped out of in the very first Sega game. It's a really strong issue, dealing with serious themes, that is downgraded from a really high score do to Silver's odd role in the story or the unconvincing subplot involving Nicole. Otherwise, I admire Flynn for going deep with the emotions. In 2012, I found this issue the latest in a long line of bummers for the book. Separated by a few years, I can see the honesty and rawness of the emotions he's employing. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 234

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 234
Publication Date: February 2012

Antoine is prominently placed on the cover of issue 234 and there's good reason for that. “Unthinkable,” 234's cover story, begins with Elias and his family preparing to be escorted out of Mobotropolis. Following Naugus' rise to the family, the royal family no longer feels welcomed. As they pile into the Mobo-Cruiser – first time in a while we've seen that – the Freedom Fighters gather around as their personal bodyguards. But Eggman is ready, his Death Egg looming in the sky above. He sends a small army of Egg-Swats, led by Mecha Sally and a Metal Sonic, to ambush the motorcade. Elias and his family get to safety but the Freedom Fighters pay a horrible cost.

As far as “Sonic the Hedgehog” comics go, “Unthinkable” is a very tense action story. The stakes seem higher than ever, with the future of the monarchy and our four-color friends hanging in the balance. There's actually something ominous about the way the Death Egg appears in the sky, dropping enemy shoulders. Maybe things feel so serious because the Freedom Fighters get their asses kick. The newly weaponized and even more powerful Mecha Sally completely catches them off-guard. The Tornado is destroyed, yet again. Bunnie is still adapting to her newly wholly organic state, which means the Freedom Fighter is down one of their strongest members. Things escalate as more and more enemy robots converge on the location, the hero's feeling genuinely overwhelmed.

Another reason this conflict feels more weighty than usual might be due to the extra emotional weight. The Freedom Fighters are still not use to their beloved Princess being a killer robot enslaved by their greatest enemy. Mecha Sally is cruel and efficient, slicing through enemies with wrist-mounted laser swords. (An addition Flynn would keep after the reboot undid everything else.) As Mecha Sonic did, she also retains just enough of her normal personality to make her robotic state even more shocking. Such as when, in a nice touch, Flynn has her quote SatAM classic “Sonic's Nightmare,” by asking Sonic where he was when the brain's where passed out. At this point, Mecha Sally is still a shocking development and the book is using her excellently.

Usually, the comics open with a brief narration box, introducing readers to the comic's world. This issue is a little different. It opens with an excerpt from Antoine's journal, talking about the days' events. This is a memorable approach, giving us a look into the mind of one of the most complex Freedom Fighters. He continues to express annoyance at the direction the kingdom and his wife's current state has taken but remains optimistic about his friends. About how besides them is always an honor. This is especially poignant considering what happens near the end of the issue.

Because this is the issue where Antoine dies. I mean, sort of. When Robotnik orders an about-to-self-destruct Metal Sonic to attach itself to Elias' Mobo-Cruiser, Antoine races over on a hover board, grabs the robot, pulls him away, and receives the full brunt of the explosion. In a shocking series of panels, he's tossed to the ground in a heap. Bunnie cradles his body and begins screaming wildly. Sonic is stunned and silenced, forced to do a very rare thing: Stand still. It's a shocking, powerful event. As originally planned, it was meant to be Antoine's death. Flynn ultimately just put him in a coma instead, realizing fans would be royally pissed if he killed one of the book's most beloved character. (And the whole ordeal ended up being unresolved because of the reboot.) If Antoine really had died here, it's a heroic and weighty death, one worthy of him.

Helping sell this serious moment is some excellent artwork from Steven Butler. His more humanoid features on the furries look a little odd, especially Mecha Sally's weirdly shapely robo-hips. But when the book needs serious mood and grit, Butler can provide it. Eggman looks especially intimidating aboard the Death Egg. The panels devoted to Antoine's sacrifice are obviously the most important. You feel the impact of the blast leap off the page, before Butler pulls back, showing Antoine's lifeless body bouncing across the battlefield, his sword landing in the ground. Which leads to a panel of Bunnie, watching horrified, the panel around her crumbling as she watches her love be fatally wounded. It's great stuff. Butler even manages to make the somewhat silly Egg-Swat design – a combination of Robotnik's old SWATBots and the sillier Egg Pawns from the Sega games – actually kind of intimidating.

Next up in the back pages is “Dark Hearts.” The story takes place slightly before the cover story. Naugus uses his staff to contact Eggman. He promises to give the doctor some intel in exchange for further information. Naugus realizes that this Robotnik is not technically the same one he knew and asks to hear the former Robo-Robotnik's previous encounters with the presumably identical version of Naugus that existed in his dimension. Eggman happily tells him, describing a brief adventure in the Zone of Silence. Naugus, in return, informs him about Elias' caravan leaving that day.

“Dark Hearts” mostly exists to inform us of two things. First off, no, despite what he's said, Naugus is not putting his villainous past behind him now that he's king. He's colluding with the enemy to help assassinate the former ruler, and apparently doing so behind St. John's back. The story is also here to inform new readers of Eggman's convoluted origins. Beyond that, “Dark Hearts” is devoted to a mildly amusing encounter between the classic SatAM version of Robotnik and all of Naugus' various weirdos. And there is a certain degree of novelty in seeing that Robotnik again after so many years. Mostly, it's worth reading for Ben Bates' artwork. Bates has fun with the Zone's fantastical world and Naugus' bitching crystal throne.

I remember having pretty mixed thoughts about this issue and the surrounding story arcs when it was new. I mostly remember feeling like my heart was being jerked around, watching these characters I love get tortured by fate. In hindsight, and mostly because the reboot I didn't know about then is just around the corner, this issue plays a lot better. Yes, it's an emotional gut punch but it's not done cheaply or simply for shock value. In fact, the emotional weight of this story makes it one of the best in a while and an early contender for best of 2012. [8/10] 

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 233

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 233
Publication Date: January 2012

2011 ended on something of a cliffhanger, with the announcement that Geoffrey St. John would be going on trial for his obvious treachery. Surprisingly, that reveal got the first cover of the year. I guess that shows you how niche an audience this series always went for. That it could drop a bunch of obscure references and get away with it. While I certainly recognize Hershey, Warlord Kodos, and King Acorn in his Black Rider armor, even I had completely forgotten about Hip and Hop. Those are the kangaroos from “Sonic Spinball” who had a one-panel cameo back in issue 6 before appearing briefly as judges in issue 40. Enjoy this while it lasts, because most of this shit won't be around much longer.

In fact, the cover story is even called “The Trial of Geoffrey St. John,” cause Flynn wanted this to feel like an event. Sonic and Tails clean up some of the wreckage from the Battle Bird Armada's recent invasion of Mobotropolis – hope you were reading Sonic Universe to figure what the hell that was all about – and quickly rush over to the courthouse. There, Antoine has Geoffrey on the stand, questioning him about his allegiance to Naugus and his years of deception. Things get pretty heated, especially once the topic of Hershey comes up, but the trial does not go the way the Freedom Fighters were hoping.

“The Trial of Geoffrey St. John” is essentially Flynn attempting to justify his somewhat asinine plot twist about St. John being both a traitor and a wizard. While on the witness stand, St. John reveals some previously undisclosed info. That, following his father's death, he found a magical ring in his belongings and began communicating with Naugus, who was still trapped in the Zone of Silence. That he was working with the Freedom Fighters and the Rebel Underground to stabilize Mobotropolis, preparing for Naugus' eventual return. (And, by night, training to be a wizard.) This also gives him a chance to cover the character's long, convoluted history for those you weren't there at the time. In fact, a lot of “The Trial of Geoffrey St. John” is recap of ten year old comics.

It's pretty sloppy, as far as retcons go. Naugus being able to communicate between dimensions strikes me as unlikely, considering what a pain in the ass it was to get from Mobius to the Zone of Silence. Geoffrey working with the good guys in order to set up a stable kingdom for Naugus is... Convenient. By far the sloppiest retcon is Naugus just going on a rampage when first brought back to Mobius. Flynn has St. John admit his boss acted “rashly” and decided to lay low until he regained his cool. Uh-huh. And St. John suddenly pulling magical abilities out of his ass remains widely out-of-character, no matter how much glue Flynn applies.

There's a couple of things I do like about this story. First off, Antoine points out that everyone who was on St. John's secret squad were former Badniks, outside agents, and someone who attempted to assassinate the Princess. All of whom would've been viable patsies if Geoffrey needed one. That's a pretty elegant solution to Ken Penders' baffling character picks. I also like young St. John's rage at the Overlanders who killed his father, giving some grief and emotion to this story. And, despite most of what we know about the character being a lie, he really did love Hershey. That eases over her blunt, off-screen death a little. (Though Flynn leaves Hershey's fate a bit open-ended – no body was found – suggesting he could've brought the character back if he wanted to.)

And, hey, we've got a back-up story too. “From the Shadows” does not star Shadow. Instead, it's about Prince Elias. Faced with a city turned against him and a usurper to the crown, he turns to his parents and wife, hoping to move back to the safer Feral Forest. King Max is too senile to react while Megan wants him to stay. Frustrated, Elias turns to a shadowed figure on the outskirts of Mobotropolis. It turns out to be old spy master Harvey Who, another very obscure character who had one appearance in the book's early years and has since been forgotten, who is quickly talked into helping dethrone Naugus, suggesting Elias form a team.

What's most entertaining about “From the Shadows” is Harvey Who ripping into King Max. He blames the King for pretty much every misfortune that befell Mobius. Who warned him about Kodos, Naugus and Julian, only to see all three would-be conquerors be promoted. Yes, what we've suspected for years is true: Max was a terrible fucking king. If nothing else, this biting re-introduction makes us like Harvey immediately, which is pretty good for a goofy Dave Manak character that showed up in one panel ten thousand years ago. I also like the first scene, which shows Elias' dismay at his father's degenerating state. That's a nice touch. So it's a solid prequel to the Secret Freedom Fighters story arc Flynn was already cooking.

I have mixed feelings about the cover story. It's actually pretty good but deals with a plot point I still think is really dumb. And it's ending, where St. John is found guilty and then immediately pardoned by Naugus, kind of invalidates the whole thing. Still, it's not a bad issue I guess. The back-up is decent and the artwork, from ever-reliable Steven Butler and a quickly improving Evan Stanley, is solid all around. (Also, the fan art section in the back features a pretty bitchin', custom Mecha Sally action figure. I wish I had one of those...) Hopefully I'm not this conflicted about all the other comics that came out in 2012. [6.5/10]

Sonic Universe: Issue 35

Sonic Universe: Issue 35
Publication Date: December 2011

Is this a petty complaint? “Sonic Universe” was a series launched to explored the other corners of Archie's Sonic-verse, away from the main book and its main characters. For the most part, the series focused on that objective. From time to time, the book would forget its own mission statement and have Sonic and the Freedom Fighters play a major role in the story. Such as in the “Journey to the East” arc and now again here. It bugs me a little, because I feel like the book is violating its own gimmick in these moments. I guess that's nerdy nitpicking. But whatever, this is my blog.

“Baby Rising” begins with the Battle Bird Armada arriving above Mobotropolis. Using Dr. Fuckuorokov's latest device, the Armada quickly breaks through the city's force field. The Freedom Fighters quickly mobilize to protect their community from the latest invasion, while King Elias rushes the by-standers to safety. Sonic and Naugus stand up to the Armada but they prove more difficult to overcome than expected.

Oh yeah, the Babylon Rogues are there too. Putting Sonic and Tails on the “Independence Day” inspired cover wasn't just to give this spin-off book some more sales rack recognition. They are essentially the main characters of this issue, along with the rest of the Knothole team. The Babylon Rogues have been reduced to bit part players in what is ostensibly the story arc all about them. If you picked up this book expecting some hot Babylon Rogue action, you were probably disappointed.

Maybe it's just me but sidelining the super bland Sega-created lot actually causes this sluggish four-parter to perk up a little. The focus here is definitely on action. You've got Rotor slipping back into his Nanite suit, flying around and blasting bots. Sonic is taking the fight directly to the Rogues. Tails and Speedy get another confrontation. Maybe it's just because characters I actually give a shit about are now involved in the action but this is the first part of the “Babylon Rising” arc that really works for me at all.

Yardley's writing skills are already showing improvement. Aside from a few groan-worthy lines, including a really embarrassing “Angry Birds” shout-out, his dialogue is evening out. It seems shifting the focus to characters we have a pre-established connection to is doing wonders for this story. Nicole's fragile emotional state is a reoccurring point. She can barely bring herself to try and protect the city. When Elias reaches out to her in the woods, she quickly withdraws her holographic lynx form, which is a really touching scene.

I'd say Yardley's narrative skills have improved a lot except for two fairly important points. First is his continued attempts to make the Battle Bird Armada a creditable threat. He goes too far trying to portray them as bad-asses. Previously, the Armada was single-handedly defeated by an eleven year old. Now, they are cracking Mobotropolis' defenses in seconds and blwoing up Castle Acorn. Worst yet is the treatment of the Battle Kukku. Once again, Yardley shows this ridiculous looking character being an unstoppable physical force. He punches Ixis Naugus, one of the most powerful supervillains in the book, into submission within a few panels. As in last issue, having the Battle Kukku suddenly display such immense strength is startling and unintentionally funny. It's the worst kind of overcompensation, taking a previously childish threat and suddenly having them act like big-dick deals.

The second problem is that the story is a little overcrowded. The Battle Bird Armada's invasion of Mobotropolis comes at a pretty awkward time. Yardley has to insert his story into an entirely unrelated story arc. So we get passing references to Bunnie loosing her cybernetics, Naugus' continued struggle with the voices in his head, the people of Mobotropolis turning against the Acorn monarchy, and Geoffrey St. John's arrest. Keep in mind, the issue also has to make room for the Rogues' continued presence in this story. It's just shy of being overstuffed. If you were reading this series a few issues out of sync, you would be really confused.

If I actually gave a shit about the Babylon Rogues, I would probably be annoyed by them being sidelined in their own story. However, as annoying as “Sonic Universe” abandoning his gimmick suddenly can be, this shift in focus doesn't bother me too much. For the first time, the “Babylon Rising” arc doesn't feel totally perfunctory. It's still a pretty busy, shaggy story but I'll give it some points. [6/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 232

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 232
Publication Date: December 2011

As Archie's flagship “Sonic” title wrapped up in 2011, the book was going in all sorts of new directions. Issue 232's cover story, “Dark Tidings,” begins with Naugus happily accepting love from the populace of Mobotropolis. This greatly annoys Sonic but he has a lot of other things on his mind. He races around, informing others of Sally being roboticized and trying to set things right. Meanwhile, Bunnie faces a new discovery of her own.

I have no idea if Ian planned it this way. Honestly, considering he's complained about “Genesis” being a rushed development, I suspect things were originally suppose to go differently. Either way, it seems “Dark Tidings” is here to set up an entire year worth of story arcs. The citizens of Mobotropolis are crying out for Naugus to become their new king, giving Elias a headache. Sonic is trying to consolidate the Freedom Fighter forces in the face of their latest loss, eventually heading to the Floating Island to get Knuckles' help. Geoffrey St. John ends up getting arrested for treason. Bunnie has been resorted back to a fully organic state. It's a lot to take in and, to Flynn's credit, he balances it pretty well.

Ultimately though, this is not the most important development. Sonic, in a moment of anger, reveals to Elias what happened to his sister. Elias responds in abject shock. When Sonic explains the circumstances to Knuckles, the echidna's reaction is hot-headed anger. The conversation gets so heated that Sonic and Knuckles nearly come to blows. Sonic is processing his grief in his own way. His drive to solve the problem, to push through his pain and anger to a viable solution, is certainly in character. By far, the most touching sequence comes when Sonic attempts to talk to Nicole. The A.I. responds with a simple text screen, explaining that she watched her closest friend sacrifice herself. It's a powerful moment and the kind of raw emotion this issue needed a little more of.

As for the continuing intrigue of Mobian politics, I'm not sure how to feel. The citizens of Mobotropolis come off incredibly badly here. Their willingness to turn so completely on the heroes they've known and supported for decades, in favor of a clearly shifty motherfucker who has previously been a villain, makes them look like idiots. This may be intentional on Flynn's behalf. At one point, someone in the crowd with a clearly uninformed grip on what a monarchy is asks why the city can't pick their own kings. Yet it's mostly another month of a pretty shaky plot point being pushed through. Flynn was determined to follow this “Naugus is the true king” plot point out until its logical conclusion the reboot.

Ben Bates is still on penciling duty and his work looks notably different from the last issue. The artwork is a little looser and more cartoony than Bates' previous work. The character's facial expressions are more exaggerated and comical. Usually this works pretty well, especially when focused on everyone's highly emotional states. However, when the focus turns to Naugus' villainous proclamations, his threat level is underminded a little by looking so goofy. Bates' work is energetic and, I guess in a story low on action like this one, that kinetic focus went to the looks and appearances of the cast. It works all right.

One of the many plot points introduced in “Dark Tidings” is the reveal that Naugus' magic has inadvertently returned Bunnie to an organic state. “Fragile” focuses on Bunnie's reaction to this change. Antoine notices his wife sulking in a corner. Antoine is happy that Bunnie has finally been returned to normal, a goal they've been running towards for years. Bunnie, however, is feeling uncertain. She no longer has her super powers. She can no longer be the team's muscles. She feels newly fragile and weak.

The emotional core that only showed up a little in the cover story blossoms in a serious way with “Fragile.” Bunnie's reaction to her changing state is totally natural. At this point in her life, she's been a cyborg longer than she hasn't been. So suddenly loosing her powers and abilities is a big shock. Mostly, “Fragile” is focused on Bunnie's doubts and Antoine showing her love and reassurance. And that's why these two are maybe the book's best couple, due to how much they clearly love and support each other. Jamal Peppers' artwork is really strong. He smartly contrasts Bunnie's superpowered past with her currently weakened present. His grasp of facial expressions and body language further roots this story in emotion and meaning. The story was written by entities calling themselves Scott and David Tipton, who were not seen before or after, but the duo clearly knows these characters extremely well.

So there you go. You've got a cover story that's not too bad. There's a lot of plot going on and not all of it is horribly interesting. However, when the emotional core shows itself, it's pretty good. That same element is what makes the back-up story probably the year's best. So I guess that even outs to about a [7/10]. About a third of that positive score is thanks to “Fragile,” though I liked “Dark Tidings” okay as well. Sometimes, that's how it goes.