Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 113

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 113
Publication Date: August 2002

When Archie published the final Sonic Super Special, “Naugus Games,” it sent a ripple of revulsion through the fandom. Fans were disgusted that Archie would dare present such a shoddy product and ask us to fork over our valuable money for it. The artwork, the story, all of it smacked of laziness. “Naugus Games,” sadly, is not the sole credit of “Many Hands,” the amateurish artist of that book. Issue 113 of “Sonic the Hedgehog” is Hands’ second, and thankfully last, contribution to the series. Continuing the theme of laziness, Archie’s staff couldn’t even be bothered to write an original script to accompany the shitty art. Instead, this comic is an adaptation of an old SatAM episode.

Which episode? Season two’s “Cry of the Wild,” otherwise known as the first appearance of Lupe and the Wolf Pack. As in that episode, Sonic, Sally and Antoine enter a cave system while on a recon mission. After the entrance is sealed, they encounter the canines. Soon, the two Freedom Fighter groups form an alliance. Afterwards, Snively arrives in a hovercraft, forcing the two groups to work together in order to defeat the enemy.

My primary question after reading “Cry of the Wild” is “why?” Why would Archie publish an adaptation of an eight year old cartoon episode? Moreover, why would they publish such a crappy adaptation? Once again, I have to assume that a deadline had to be met and quickly. This is presumably why they dusted off an old script, which needed little rewriting. This is presumably why they summoned Many Hands from whatever circle of hell it resides in, in order to quickly scribble the pictures. If Archie really needed a comic book on the shelves in August 2002, Jesus Christ, a set of reprints would’ve been preferable to this.

The artwork, of course, is absolutely fucking hideous. The comic lures you in with that spiffy cover and Jay Axer’s nice frontispiece. It then hits you in the face with the horror of Many Hands. The colors are hideously flat and sloppy, often blurring outside the damn lines. Characters frequently bend off-model. In the world of Many Hands, there’s no such thing as “on model.” The characters are shapeless blobs, that can stretch and squish in any direction. Faces morph, arms and legs change in length, and backgrounds are hastily sketched. Sonic and Snively probably get it the worst, twisting in grotesque ways. But at least Many actually draws the entire book. There are no panels composed totally of snowflakes or darkness. That elevates issue 113 slightly above “Naugus Game.” The artwork shits on you but it's not shitting directly in your mouth, is what I'm saying.

Archie doing a direct adaptation of a SatAM episode also strikes me as strange. While the comic has always drawn from the cartoon show, for its world and its characters, the book has never been directly connected to it. The comic is its own thing, sharing attributes but ultimately disconnected. The book would go on to do things the cartoon show never could. It’s tone ultimately became darker, its world bigger, then the Saturday morning cartoon that inspired it. So just sticking an old TV script into the comic universe is a really weird decision.

“Cry of the Wild” ostentatiously serves a purpose though. Lupe and the Wolf Pack never got a proper introduction in the comics. When they first wandered on-panel in issue 46, it was with the presumption that Sonic and the gang had met them before. So issue 114 shows us that first encounter. However, “Cry of the Wild” doesn’t really succeed in that goal. Sonic and the gang fall into the wolves’ powwow room but, instead of getting a proper meeting, they run right off to discuss the plot. There’s no character development for Lupe, as she spends the entire issue detailing Robotnik’s influence on their area. The rest of the Wolf Pack remains as thinly sketched as ever. Honestly, we were just as well off with their prior introduction, wandering out of the woods into a secret meeting.

I haven’t seen the original “Cry of the Wild” episode in a long time. I don’t remember very much about it. However, I’m sure it handles the action elements of the story much better than this. Part of this can be blamed on the shitty artwork. The scenes of Sonic running from Snively’s hovercraft are so badly sketched that you can barely tell what’s going on. Hard to get excited by that. The entire last act is a repeated series of encounters between Sonic and Snively, each one more roughly illustrated then the last.

There is one thing interesting about issue 113, other then the question of why it exists in the first place. It marks the sole official appearances of Ari the Ram and Dirk the Rhino, two minor but important SatAM characters, in the comic book. Many Hands draws Ari like he’s a bird. Anyway, this is obviously a terrible comic book and I’m ashamed to own it. Archie would retire Many Hands after this, preventing the book from reaching a level this low ever again. [2/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 112

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 112
Publication Date: July 2002

Here’s something unexpected: An entire issue of Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” devoted solely to character development. And it’s not even Sonic, Tails, or Knuckles getting the development! Instead, the writers turn their eyes on Antoine and Uncle Chuck.

In Benny Lee’s “Mistaken Identity Crisis,” Antoine is feeling a little self-conscious. His newly reintroduced dad is very impressed with Sonic’s courage and heroism. Antoine, probably due to his years of cowardice, feels a little underappreciated. So the coyote and the hedgehog devise a plan. Reality, which includes a guest appearance from Zonic the Zone Cop, has other plans.

Once again, I’ll point out that Benny Lee’s writing feels somewhat disconnected with the rest of the book. For example, he writes Antoine as something of a coward, even though he long ago outgrew that characterization. Yet Lee still ends up adding some depth to Antoine and his father, two frequently neglected characters. “Mistaken Identity Crisis” doesn’t focus on a big action set piece or plot mechanisms. Instead, it’s a simple story about Antoine trying to prove himself to his dad, to win the love of a father that’s been out of his life for the last ten years.

Anybody familiar with literary stereotypes can probably see where this is going. In the end, Antoine proves that he’s actually far stronger then he thought. That this strength was inside him the whole time. Naturally, he also learns that he didn’t have to prove anything to his father, that his dad loves him regardless. This emotional payoff is cheated a little by the short page count but Lee makes his point. Father and son are brought closer, a pay-off the book earns.

What makes this understanding possible is a rather goofy, comedic contrivance. Zonic the Zone-Cop literally drops out of the sky at the story’s beginning. When he regains consciousness, he tells Sonic that Anti-Sonic is loose in this zone. Naturally, Antoine encounters the evil Sonic, assumes him to be the real Sonic in disguise, and cold-cocks him with a single karate chop. Aside from totally nerfing Anti-Sonic – an already comedic villain that is so defanged by this point that a single blow can defeat him – it’s the kind of goofy writing you’d expect from a cheesy sitcom. Yet it lets Benny Lee to tell a pretty sweet story, so I’ll allow.

The second story, Karl Boller’s “Forgiven,” turns the focus towards Uncle Chuck. The Knothole Freedom Fighters gladly welcome back the robotocized Lupe and the Wolf Pack, as their free will was returned along with the other Robians. Uncle Chuck, however, declines the invitation to the party. Chuck is feeling guilty, as he was the one responsible for robotocizing Lupe and the others, while under Robotnik’s control. A heart-to-heart is necessary to work this out.

Lupe and the Wolfpack have been excluded from the book for nearly three years, following her previous appearance in Sonic Super Special #11. I don’t know why Ken Penders wrote her out, considering she was part of the original SatAM cast. Maybe he thought she just wasn’t popular or well rounded enough? Or maybe he just has a boner for killing off strong female characters? Either way, Lupe is back. She’s still a robot but at least she’s got her soul back. It’s a welcomed return, considering she’s always been a potentially great character that’s never gotten her due.

What makes “Forgiven” powerful is how it focuses on Chuck’s guilt. That’s something the book has never really explored, if robotocized Mobians can still feel and see the things their programming forces them to do. It turns out they feel everything... Which is a huge burden fro someone like Chuck. We’re also not used to seeing Uncle Chuck, usually a stable mentor, in a vulnerable state. He’s already feeling guilt for inventing the Robotocizer in the first place. Though it only occupies a few panels, the reader really feels Chuck’s pain. To see him accepted, and loved, by his friends and family at the end is genuinely touching. “Forgiven” is one of Karl’s most affecting and well orchestrated stories in quite some time.

A familiar name returns to illustrate both stories. Art Mawhinney defined the look of the book in its early years but hasn't drawn an issue in a while. There’s some growing pains here, as Sonic’s new anime-inspired look is an odd fit for Art’s more traditional style. Yet it’s still great to have the guy back. (I also missed Mawhinney’s habit of adding personality to the background characters, making Knothole seem like a more populated place.) His cartoon cuteness is well suited to the opening story, with its goofy humor. Meanwhile, his ability to convey feeling is well utilized in both stories. Even Lupe, as a robot, gains an extra level of expression. So Art hasn’t lost any of skills in the time since he last drew the book.

In order to pad the issue out to full length, Archie sticks some more of those Sega Data Files in the middle of the book. Even though Ken has been doing these for a while, he’s just now including biographies for Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails. (And Amy Rose too, who is still just a supporting player right now.) Penders being Penders, he also throws in a detail genealogy of the Brotherhood of Guardians. All this really does is draw attention to how similarly Ken draws his echidnas. It certainly doesn’t distract from issue 112’s overall quality, which is one of the best comics the series has seen in quite some time. [8/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 111

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 111
Publication Date: June 2002

First thing first, I want to talk about that cover art. It’s pretty good but that’s not my problem with it. Issue 111 would begin a strange trend with Patrick Spaziante’s “Sonic” covers. Most of the cover would be devoted to the main story, while a large image in the corner would feature the duel leads of the back-up story. I don’t know if this was Spaz’ decision or something ordered from on-high by Archie. Thankfully, this would only happen four times over the next year. It, however, seemed to point the way towards the lame “magazine cover” gimmick Archie would adopt in December. Mostly, it just distracts from the main image so I wonder why the decision was made.

With issue 111’s cover story, Karl Bollers continues to clean up dangling plot thread from the previous year. In the genuinely kind of cleverly entitled “Kids of the Spider Woman,” Uma Arachnis’ brood of ninja spider hatchlings attack Castle Acorn. At first, Sally and Sonic believe the royal family is endangered. Soon, they learn the truth. Driven by their mother’s genetic memory, the spiders are after the Sword of Acorn. Since the Sword has been getting increasingly clingy, Sally decides to just let the arachnids have it.

I’m not sure how to feel about Sally’s continued feeling towards the Sword of Acorn. It seems like Karl isn’t sure either. At first, Sally doesn’t want the Sword removed, thinking it’s possession is her destiny. This seems to contradict last issue’s “All for One.” Later, she’s afraid to let the Sword take control of her, resisting her destiny once again. In the end, she decides to ditch the blade, figuring the spiders are a better caretaker anyway. Giving Sally some doubts and uncertainty is fine, good even. Yet it also seems like the writer is uncertain of how to approach her.

Bollers attempts to build some suspense around the ninja spiders’ impending attack of the castle. Sally informs the King of her vision last time. As a precautionary measure, guards are stationed all around the kingdom. This leads to some mildly atmospheric panels of beefy soldiers standing around, probably some of Ron Lim’s best work. However, we already know from Sally’s vision last time that the spiders are going to attack Sonic and Tails. Which kind of drains any of the tension. Naturally, the ninjas get in with ease and start to tear shit up.

Uma’s kids also beat Sonic up really easily. I mean, I guess there are six of them and one of him. By the same accord, letting fresh characters wack the hero so easily seems like a lame attempt to boost the new additions. Sally just letting the ninjas walk away with the sword makes sense, from a narrative perspective. It disposes of that pushy plot point, at least for a while. Yet it’s not the most satisfying ending. Either way, we hopefully won’t see an obsessive magical sword and spider ninjas for a while.

During the cover story, Amy Rose and Rob O’ the Hedge return to Knothole. This wasn’t given much attention, because of ninjas, but Karl devotes a backstory to their arrival. Rob decides to stay in Knothole for a while. Not to watch out for Amy but because he spots Antoine’s Dad. That is, the robot general that Rob had been fighting for years. Except now the General’s free will has been restore. After some spying and snooping, Rob and the elder D’Coolette get to know each other, overcoming their differences.

“I’ll Shoot the Sheriff” is primarily a comedic story and mostly amusing. Rob’s hostile attitude towards the General actually makes a lot of sense, considering the characters’ history. A series of goofy panels are devoted to Rob spying on Antoine’s dad. By, for example, popping out of a lake or peering into his window. This turns on the next page, when D’Coolette promises to show Rob he’s not evil anymore. What follows is a montage devoted to the two becoming friends. By playing cards, telling ghost stories around a fire, and practicing archery. It’s silly but cute, addresses a viable plot point, and gets the job done in just a few pages.

Archie continues to stick Jay Axer with the back-up story. The artist makes the most of it. “I’ll Shoot the Sheriff,” typically, looks gorgeous. Part of the reason those silly panels devoted to Rob and D’Coolette bonding work is because the amount of expression Axer adds to his artwork. As always, the detail Axer brings to the character designs and the background are impressive. He's also good at emphasizing action, with speed lines and color circling the General slamming his fist on a window seal or Rob revealing a winning hand. Compared to Lim’s work on the cover feature, it’s like night and day.

Issue 111’s third story continues the character-focused but slightly comedic atmosphere. In “Trouble with Grrrls,” Sonic is pursued by a mob of wild fangirls, eager to get his autograph. The hedgehog and Tails retreat to the forest, where the young fox asks his idol about his feelings towards the female gender. Sonic admits that he doesn’t want a steady relationship, believing it’ll hold him down.

This isn’t the last time Sonic would be characterized this way. In an especially reviled future arc, Ken Penders would write the hedgehog hero as a serial dater, eager to abuse his fame to get with different girls. It’s never felt right for Sonic, considering he’s obviously been in love with Sally for years. Sonic’s reasoning to Tails just ends up reducing his personality. He doesn’t want to demystify his “cool” image. That she would slow him down or insist on eating first. Jesus Christ, Karl! Sonic’s a child soldier, not a rutterless teenage boy. (The story also suggests that Sonic does have some feelings for Mina, a plot point I thought had been buried.)

That aside, I don’t totally dislike “Trouble with Grrrls.” The opening scene, with Sonic running from the eager fan girls, is funny. (Though, once again, Archie forgets about Amy Rose, Sonic’s number one fan girl.) Sonic and Tails having a heart-to-heart is certainly appreciated, even if I’m not a fan of their conversation. Lastly, Steven Butler returns to draw this one. Seems like we haven’t seen his work in a while, doesn’t it? It’s as high quality as usual. Considering his strength for drawing sexy females, he was a good choice to draw a mob of horny fan girls. His character work on Sonic and Tails is valuable too.

The cover story of issue 111 has a good idea but isn’t executed perfectly smoothly. The second story is cute. The third raises some questions that I’m not sure needed asking. Overall, it’s yet another mixed bag. But let’s look on the bright side. At least we won’t have that dumb sword to kick around for a while, right? [6/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 110

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 110
Publication Date: May 2002

During 2002, my fandom for Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” comic did not burn its brightest. I was still reading the book, because I really do love the characters and their world. But, I’ll admit, I was having a harder time caring about what was happening during this period. My passion would ebb and flow wildly during the long Dork Age. The only thing I remember about issue 110 is how much I didn’t care about it, how inconsequential the story seemed.

So what of that story? “Station Square Attacks!” follows up on the events of the “Crouching Hedgehog, Hidden Dragon” arc but in the least interesting way. After giving Station Square some vital information on Robotnik, the city’s computer system decided the best way to handle the mad doctor is to nuke him. The Royal Family realizes that the fall-out from a nuclear blast that size would destroy the continent’s ecosystem. (Never mind that Robotropolis was already nuked once before.) Sonic and Tails ran into the doctor’s city, hoping to reason with him. Instead, he threatens to put up the city’s shield, protecting Robotropolis while screwing the rest of the area.

“Station Square Attacks!” leaves me with a lot of questions. Where did Station Square, a city hiding inside a mountain for centuries, get nuclear weapons? How do they have access to uranium, much less a factory to manufacture the warheads? Did they take the missiles with them over 10,000 years ago? If so, why? Up until recently, the city had no enemies, much less anybody they needed to wipe off the map. Moreover, the computer system launching weapons of mass destruction without the president’s approval seems unlikely. You’re telling me there’s no fail safe, nothing to prevent Station Square’s insane super computer for dropping nukes on a foreign power? 

The script doesn’t get any less convoluted once Sonic and Tails get to Robotropolis. The idea of the heroes willingly coming to Robotnik and attempting a truce is interesting. Yet far too much time is devoted to the characters arguing about the position of a force field. It’s all set up for another underwhelming Ron Lim action scene, where Robotnik chases Sonic and Tails, each trying to prevent the other from reaching the force field controls.

The conclusion of the story also raises some questions. Sonic gets the timing just right, so Robotnik puts the force field up right after the missiles have flown inside the city limit. But if all of Robotropolis goes up in a mushroom cloud… Wouldn’t the shield generators get incinerated too, causing the fallout to affect the local area? I also dislike how casually Sonic allows his greatest enemy to get nuked. I mean, I know Robotnik’s evil but Sonic shouldn’t have made that decision so lightly. After Tails points out that Mobius’ capitol city has been destroy, Sonic laughs it off, pointing out Knothole is better anyway. The whole story is poorly organized, to say the least.

Ken Penders takes this month off, as issue 110 only contains two stories. The second of which is another Bollers’ joint, focused on Sally. “One for All” has the Princess being possessed by the Sword of Acorn. While in a trance-like state, Sally communicates with the Source of All. Robotropolis getting nuked has apparently evaporated the Source, leaving the Sword and Crown of Acorn as the last link between the monarchy and God, I suppose. Whoever is speaking for the Sword tries to convince her that she’s destined to take her father’s place but Sally isn’t having it. At that point, Queen Alicia snaps her daughter out of the trance, ending the story.

It’s all a bit of (hedge)hogwash. Back in Sonic Super Special 11, Sally told the mystic forces behind the Source of All to get bent. Whoever controls such things clearly didn’t get the memo. Once again, the Source tries to push Sally around but the Princess remains uninterested in someone else controlling her fate. Considering how inactive Sally was in 2001, it’s nice to see her being tough and not giving any fucks. Maybe the mystical pool of molten gold is just desperate, since the near-by nuclear blast dried it up, somehow. Which may be the entire point of this story, for Karl to kill off another ill-conceived plot point. Considering I’ve always thought the Source of All was dumb, I’m not going to miss it.

The story is a bit of nothing but the artwork is awesome. I don’t know why Archie let a chump like Ron Lim draw the cover story and stuck the clearly superior J. Axer on the back-ups. This might be Axer’s best work, thus far. Sally and the others look incredible, with the right balance of detail, expression, and proportion. Axer is the first person to draw the Sword of Acorn like an actual magical relic, by detailing strange runes on its blade and handle. The story also allows Axer to draw some trippy visuals. The shot of Sally standing before a streak of space looks like something Steve Ditko might’ve drawn. The same effect is utilized for the talking sword, which helps sell a ludicrous premise. So, mildly dumb story but boss artwork.

Benny Lee’s run of mildly good story breaks with 110’s seriously lame cover story. The back-up story isn’t much better, falling back on the book’s weakness for mystical bullshit, but at least the artwork is great. So it goes. [5/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 109

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 109
Publication Date: April 2002

Boy, that’s an eye-catching cover, isn’t it? Disappointingly, Archie’s cover designers have lied to us once again. Sonic experiences no “ice-solation” in issue 109. He does travel to the frozen north but the Freedom Fighters are there to keep him company. He doesn’t float on an iceberg at any point. I swear, I think Spaz sometimes just drew what ever he wanted. Anyway, on with the adventure.

If you thought the pun on the cover was bad, check out the title. “I Herd It Through the Pipeline.” Oy vey! Sonic walks in on Rotor crying over a photo of his family. Apparently because he forgot – he has a busy life – Sonic asks for a reminder about what happened to Rotor’s herd. They are still in the frozen Arctic, under Robotnik’s control. Sally quickly surmises that the Sword of Acorn may be able to reverse the mind control. The Freedom Fighters leap into Rotor’s upgraded bathysphere and track down his walrus family.

If his first two issues are any indication, Benny Lee’s writing has a strong episodic quality. Both the last issue and this one were relatively stand alone stories. I’ve actually got no problem with this, as it keeps the book from feeling like a soap opera. If it wasn’t for the obvious comic book attributes, this would feel like an episode of SatAM. In the first chapter, the Freedom Fighters decide to rescue Rotor’s family. They then proceed to do so, among lots of action. It is simple writing but satisfyingly so. Considering how convoluted the book has gotten over the years, it’s nice to see the heroes gain an objective and succeed at it, in the space of one issue. It’s also way pass time for the series to resolve the plot point of Rotor’s family. They’ve been floating out there – both literary and figuratively – for far too long.

“I Herd It Through the Pipeline” is primarily an action story. The Freedom Fighters work as a team so rarely these days, so watching them smash robots together is satisfying. (Even if Tails and Antoine are absent from this adventure and Rotor and Sally mostly sit on the sidelines.) There’s a decent action beat early on, when a robotic sea serpent crushes Rotor’s submarine, forcing them to escape via bubble-shaped pods. Yet all the action pushes the emotional content a little to the side. Rotor’s reunion with his family is covered in one panel. Sally’s increasingly creepy connection with the Sword of Acorn is only hinted at. Robotnik is reduced to a yelling face on a computer screen. The whole thing is a bit rushed, even if the story ultimately gets the job done.

What follows next is “The Crush.” While chasing after Sonic, Mina the Mongoose runs into Princess Sally. The two have a heart-to-heart. Mina picks Sally’s brain for information on Sonic, trying to figure out the enigmatic hedgehog. Through this conversation, Sally learns that the kiss she witnessed wasn’t Sonic’s idea. As the two part ways, they’re no closer to figuring out Sonic but have a better understanding of each other.

Maybe Karl Bollers is giving Benny the action stories, while he handles the emotional beats. “The Crush” is a brief five pages but sneaks in plenty of heart. The story probes the hearts of the young women. Mina is frustrated that she can’t grab Sonic’s attention. Sally, meanwhile, expounds on Sonic’s personality. How she can see through his cool guy antics to the caring, compassionate heart inside. By the end, the two gain a mutual respect for each other. It also successfully buries the Sonic/Sally/Mina love triangle, with Sally understanding that Mina’s feelings for Sonic are simply an unrequited crush. Hopefully, the book’s main power couple can start talking again. No, it wouldn’t pass the Bechdel test but it’s still a touching little tale.

Jay Axer’s artwork is pretty great too. I think he’s the first person to draw Mina without making her look ridiculous. (Though she still doesn’t look much like a mongoose.) Axer shows a great strength for expressions, which is important to a story like this. A beautiful panel shows Sally’s concern, when the topic of Mina and Sonic’s kiss comes up. Her immediate relief, upon hearing the truth, is also well conveyed. The page devoted to Sally’s perception of Sonic is nice too, as it shows the hedgehog goofing around in amusing ways. The final panel, of Sally sweetly smiling to herself, is the perfect emotional bow on top that this story needed. It’s clear that Axer’s great talent for detail and motion isn’t the only thing that makes him a great artist. He understands these characters.

For the final story of issue 108, Ken Penders wraps up the “Reunification” arc. Knuckles leaps between Dimitri and Remington’s pistol, seemingly sacrificing himself… Until revealing a few pages later that he’s fine, as his Chaos powers more then protect him. This diplomatic gesture allows Dimitri to continue his negotiations with the Echidnopolis leaders. Lara-Su, meanwhile, prevents an assassin from taking out Julie-Su before getting zapped back into the future.

I like Lara-Su but I’m not sure why Ken brought her into this story line. Throughout “Reunification,” Knuckles and Julie-Su’s future daughter has mostly been a passive character. This part is really the first time she’s done anything, as she attempts to stop Remington and save her mom. Upon returning to the future, Ken bluntly lays out Lara-Su’s entire history, thanks to some deeply unwieldy exposition from future Julie-Su. Lara-Su wasn’t sent back to save her dad, because her dad becomes a power mad dictator. (At least in this time line.) She was presumably sent back to save Julie-Su, creating something like a stable time loop. The story ends before Lara-Su has any time to react to this news. It’s certainly not a graceful why to get the info out there and does a disservice to the promising young character.

At least the conclusion shows that echidna politicians can occasionally agree on something. Dimitri appears to be turning over a new leaf and actually reaches a peaceful compromise with the Brotherhood. Let’s allow a little technology on the island – which, as far as I can see, has already happened – but maybe not threaten to blow up the city because of it, m’kay? It might still be a smoke-screen. Lien-Da is seemingly planning a takeover of the Legion and there's some rumblings about Remington's actual allegiance. But I’m not real concerned with that plot point. That characters talking things out can actually resolve something on the Floating Island is what interest me.

The cover story wraps up a little too neatly but is still a decent read. The middle story is charming and well done. The final tale is only okay but does feature some very good pencils from Dawn Best. All of that measures out to make issue 109 a solid book. Let’s conclude with an already completed crossword puzzle, the latest in Archie’s bizarre quest to get kids to devalue their comic books. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 108

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 108
Publication Date: March 2002

Issue 108 of Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” series would see two new names being added to the creative staff. The first of which is writer Benny Lee. It’s long been suspected that Lee was a pseudonym for one of the book’s established writers – either Bollers or Penders – choosing an assumed name to circumvent contractual obligations. The other new addition is Jay Axer, the second fan artist Archie would recruit. Like Dawn Best, Axer would contribute some great work to the series but be badly utilized by Archie. So the book was changing without really changing at all.

In Lee’s cover story, the awkwardly entitled “Robotnik x2 = Trouble!,” Eggman is concerned that Knuckles’ god-like powers are messing with the different zones. Evidence of this soon pops out of one of the doctor’s devices. The original Dr. Robotnik – the one that died during “Endgame” – appears. This Robotnik considers the newer one too cruel and flees to Knothole Village. There, the monarchy cautiously invites him into the city. Sonic isn’t too sure. Soon, his suspicions that this Robotnik is just as bad as the other one are confirmed.

It’s very rare that bad guys stay dead in comic books. (Well, it’s very rare that anyone stays dead in comics but you get my point.) Archie had already sort of resurrected Dr. Robotnik, by transforming Robo-Robotnik into the Sega-version of Eggman. Yet it was somewhat inevitable that the original version of Robotnik – the one resembling the portrayal of the character on SatAM – would also eventually return. “Robotnik x2” utilizes this comic book premise in a typical manner. The old Robotnik appears terrified of the new one and attempts to defect. Yet anyone could guess the truth, that the two versions of the villain are in cahoots.

What ultimately makes “Robotnik x2” mildly interesting, instead of totally tedious, is how the displaced Robotnik interacts with the Freedom Fighters. Sonic is immediately suspicious of the guy but he appears so pathetic, that the monarchs take pity on him. (This marks the second time King Max has allowed a genocidal dictator into his kingdom. The same dictator, even.) This results in a one page montage of Robotnik and Sonic having sitcom-like interactions. He smashes a window in Sonic’s hut while playing golf. The hedgehog trips on a banana peel Robotnik just threw on the ground. He ruins a pool party with an ill-timed cannonball. It’s super hacky but Sonic’s frustration is admittedly amusing.

The hedgehog is right, of course. The new/old Robotnik is evil and the entire scheme has been a rather obvious trap. In a double-twist, the Freedom Fighters realized the doctor’s treachery. They play his own plan against him, destroying the machine that brought old Robotnik back and allowing the copy to crumble apart, due to unstable molecules or something. It doesn’t make for the most satisfying ending but Lee at least seems aware of how trite the plot is. I also like the casual interactions between the Freedom Fighters he creates. Such as an early scene where the team plays hide and seek with Tails.

It’s a nearly good story that features some truly hideous artwork. I know I’ve continuously shit on Ron Lim’s artwork every chance I get but the guy keeps finding new ways to disappoint me. His rendition of Classic Robotnik is completely ugly. He’s overly rotund, even by Robotnik’s standards. His face looks like a melting candle, his chin doubling to tumor-like sizes. In one especially unforgivable panel, his head looks like a pile of mashed potatoes. Robotnik isn’t the only one who gets it bad though. In one panel, Dr. Quack morphs into a Cronenbergian horror, with a massive head, an all-consuming bill, and stumpy little hands. Everyone else, of course, has huge heads, big eyes, blank expressions, and noodle limbs.

Benny Lee’s debut is pretty short, allowing Archie to squeeze two other stories into the book. The second story, “A Girl Name Hope,” has Sally presenting a letter to her parents. It’s written by Hope Kintobor, who explains her origin. She discusses how she felt while living in Robotropolis, frightened by Robotnik’s eventual treachery. She then details how happy she’s been in Knothole and requests a chance to stay. When the King approves her request, Hope gives Sally a big hug.

 “A Girl Named Hope” has about two elements in equal helpings. The first recaps the parts of Hope’s history that we already know. Her initial fear of the Mobians, eventual rejection of Robotnik’s evil, and fleeing his city. It moves on to more interesting stuff after that. Such as how accepted she feels in Knothole. She grew up in a space ship so Knothole’s forested location is the most beautiful thing she’s ever seen. We get a peak into her early life, about living on a ship, learning an Overlander skewered history of Mobius. Yet living in Knothole, seeing the love and companionship of the residences, has made her realize how wrong this lesson was. Bollers’ text is simple but touching, making hope’s eventual acceptance all the more poignant.

The story’s good but what really elevates “A Girl Named Hope” is Jay Axer’s artwork. The amount of detail and expression Axer brings to the table is comparable to Spaz. The amount of detail in the panel of Hope looking over Knothole is impressive. Yet he also brings some unique, personable elements that I like. In Hope’s memories, her first encounter with Sonic shows him as a fanged monster. (Not unlike the Werehog Sega would one day inflict on us.) The scenes of the Mobians living among themselves – Antoine and Bunnie enjoying a romantic meal, Tails repairing the Tornado – are nicely conveyed. It’s an impressive debut. Axer also contributes the eye-batching frontispiece, which would’ve made a nice cover.

The final story continues the “Reunification” story Ken has been telling. Knuckles’ reunites with his mother, who is alarmed by both his greenness and his new political views. Knuckles also learns that his mom is pregnant, that he’ll have a half-brother soon. Meanwhile, Dimitri makes his case before Echidnopolis’ council of elders, who aren’t quite convinced. Lara-Su continues to observe her teenage father, uncertain what he’ll do next.

Instead of focusing on action or mythological grand-standing, the third part of “Reunification” focuses on ideological differences. We finally learn why Knuckles doesn’t use his god-like ability to escape the Dark Legion. Apparently, at some point, Knuckles began to agree with Dimitri. There’s been no prior evidence of this change but, sure, let’s go with it. When Knuckles explains this to his mom, she’s upset. However, both sides have validity. Knuckles claims Echidna history is full of self-serving assholes eager to rewrite the truth, which it is. Lara-Le counters by pointing out that Dimitri is a known terrorist who has attacked the island multiple times, which is also true.

Maybe Dimitri is turning over a new leaf, since he makes a reasonable, peaceful presentation to the echidna politicians. Knowing Ken, this is probably just a smoke screen for Dimitri’s next, easily foiled scheme. For the time being, it’s playing up the villain’s already existent sympathetic side. It’s still a bit more interesting then what Lara-Su is up to, which is mostly observing from afar and being vague about her mission. She has magical powers now, it seems.

Aside from Ron Lim’s stinky pencils in the beginning, 108 is a good looking issue. Jay Axer and Dawn Best both do some fine work. Story wise, it’s probably the best comic in quite some time. The cover story doesn’t quite work but is okay. The first back-up story is quite good. The second one presents some interesting opportunities, which likely won’t be followed up on. I’ll take it! [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 107

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 107
Publication Date: February 2002

Over his run as head writer, Karl Bollers would attempt to incorporate real world issue into Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” series. Racism, industry’s affects on nature, and unrequited love were some of the issues he would tackle over the years. More often then not, it was a bit awkward. No “very special issue” of “Sonic” is more awkward then issue 107. Karl would discuss the topic of abusive relationships… With dragons. Internet reviewers, who are always hypercritical of this book, have not been kind to this story.

In order to insure that the dragon threatening Station Square is properly taken care of, Sonic is forced to work with a special G.U.N. strike team. It’s the same team, Sonic discovers, that captured him in “Sonic Adventure 2.” They track the hostile dragon to a water fall in the outskirts of the island. Inside the lair, they meet Ducly. Turns out, the violent dragon is her mate. And he doesn’t treat her very nice. Soon, the volatile situation escalates to violence.

Here’s the upside: Dulcy is back! We haven’t seen the much neglected seventh Freedom Fighter since issue 78, an editor’s box reminds us. I wish she was back under better circumstances. Yes, Dulcy has acquired an abusive boyfriend. Who hits her often and hard enough to break her arm. It’s true that a children’s comic book was probably not the best place to address this very serious real life issue. Actually showing Dulcy getting slapped around was in questionable taste. Karl doesn’t really address the circumstances of an abusive relationship, just making it one aspect of a longer story. I’m sure he didn’t include Zan smacking Dulcy for shock value but it’s such an awkward inclusion, that’s how it feels.

If only that was the sole problem with “Crouching Hedgehog, Hidden Dragon: Part 2.” Sonic teams up reluctantly with G.U.N.’s special strike force, which is given the unwieldy name of Paladin Team Sigma Alpha-2. Karl obviously intends Sonic’s caustic relationship with the team to add some excitement to the story. Instead, the Paladins are just assholes. They actively work against the Freedom Fighters and bluntly resolve the story, by blowing up Zan’s cave. (Which proves Station Square didn’t need Sonic to save the day.) They also look ridiculous, with their anime bad boy hair cuts.

Ron Lim has shown no aptitude for drawing the “Sonic” characters. One assumes he did better work on his previous superheroes gigs. How else would he get this job? Yet, in this story, Lim proves that he doesn’t know how to draw humans either. The Paladin Team has squishy, vague faces. Too often, he skimps on the details, making the military men look even more undefined. The Station Square President and his team also look utterly ridiculous. Lim continues to draw the Freedom Fighters with huge eyes, inexpressive faces, and overly spindly bodies. It sucks, even by the standards set by Lim’s other issues.

How about that back-up story? “Reunification: Part 2” proves that Knuckles’ attempts to reverse the effects of the Quantum Beam was successful. His friends and family are back on the Floating Island. This is observed by Lara-Su, who introduces herself as Jani-Ca. Meanwhile, Dimitri and Lien-Da wonder what Knuckles will do next with his massive powers. When the villains bring Knuckles back onto their ship, Constable Remington is shocked to see the Guardian working with the Dark Legion.

Well, at least everyone is back on the island. That’s just like Ken. He disappeared almost all of Knuckles’ entire supporting cast for a whole year and then brings them back with a shrug. It should be a joyous occasion, considering how long I’ve been waiting for this to happen. Instead, Ken fumbles this as well. The Chaotix are zapped into a random ruin, bickering among themselves. The Brotherhood appear in Haven, commenting on how fucked up it is. At least Knuckles gets a reunion with his mom. (He does talk to his dad, via force ghost powers. Which is, you know, dumb.) However, any emotional interaction between Lara-Le and her son is handled in far too brief dialogue bubbles.

Knuckles – and nobody else, for that matter – notices that Jani-Ca has the Knuckles’ clan distinctive hand spikes. Jani-Ca spends too much time as a passive observer, commenting on Knuckles’ strange color via thought balloons. Dimitri and Lien-Da realize Knuckles’ massive power, even if the Guardian himself doesn’t. Like I’ve said repeatedly, why is he letting the Dark Legion boss him around? Why can’t he just de-atomize their asses, if he really is more powerful then Enerjak ever was? If the conclusion is any indication, where Knuckles willingly goes with Dimitri, this story turn will mostly exist to create stupid melodrama. As if the book needed more of that.

So issue 107 has some problems. The cover story is not well balanced, contains some major story oversights, and tackles a real world issue in a tacky manner. Ken Penders continues to show his weaknesses in the back up story, though Dawn Best’s pencils are quite nice. Tellingly, abusive dragon boyfriends and pretty boy commandos have rarely been spoken of since then. Here’s a connect-the-dots puzzle. Did I do it right? [4/10]