Sonic Prime, Episode 1.5: Barking Up the Wrong Tree

Sonic Prime, Episode 1.5: Barking Up the Wrong Tree

Original Release Date: December 15th, 2022

Picking up where “Sonic Prime” left off, “Barking Up the Wrong Tree” begins with Thorn and Sonic battling it out. Now gifted with the ability to grown huge trees whenever she wants, thanks to the Prism Shard bonding to her hammer, Thorn goes about her quest of restoring the forest. Through this conflict, Sonic learns how the Scavenger and Rose first went from friends to enemies and how she turned so suddenly on them. Sonic helps them talk it out, after the required amount of fighting and arguing. Yet Sonic’s multiversal adventures are far from over… 

They say that “power corrupts” and everything I’ve learned about human nature and history has taught me this is true. Yet it still amuses me that, the minute Thorn Rose develops a new ability, she immediately goes full supervillain. She does everything but cackle wickedly while running through the forest and spouting new trees wherever she wants. Her laser-focused intensity on this one goal, of protecting Nan's restoring trees, really makes her look like a total fanatic that was just waiting for an excuse to go nuts like this. 

This is questionable writing, which is not helped by the general rushed, shallow quality of the scripts here. (Rose keeps referencing protecting "The Green," like she's Swamp Thing or some shit, and what this means exactly is kept frustratingly vague.) Yet it does lead to some fun action sequences. Thorn's ability to instantly generate an obstacle in his path is a good way to counter Sonic's speed. Scenes of him getting tossed into the air by a tree sprouting under his feet or being imprisoned in a circle of roots are clever. Inventively designed action sequences continue to be the main draw of "Sonic Prime."

"Barking Up the Wrong Tree" does represent the closest "Prime" has come thus far to really winning me over. After a brief refresher of last episode's cliffhanger, Sonic recalls a memory. Playing out as a flashback, we see a time Amy threw a party for the hedgehog. A palm tree becomes a symbol of all the memories of good times he's had with his friends. Of the connection he's made with this found family. It's a little goofy and heavy handed but it's still the closest the show has come yet to actually making me feel anything for these characters. Sonic loves his friends. Seeing incredibly strange, mixed-up versions of them causes him distress and he's eager to get back to his home dimension. It really shouldn't have taken until the fifth episode to get to this point but, well, here we are. 

The power of friendship will be, I suspect, the primary moral of this series. Amy Rose's hammer swinging abilities may be her flashiest superpower but her role as the feeling, empathetic center of five-man band is her greatest attribute. As a further example of how much his friends mean to him, of how much he's learned from them, he uses an Amy style powwow to talk out the problems Rose Thorn has with the Scavengers. Their conflict is founded in understandable feelings, that where just taken too far in the heat of the moment. It's a win for conversational de-escalation. I even like how Sonic admits that Amy's method is a lot harder than it looks. 

It's a good ending but it's also one that feels a little rushed. After fifteen minutes of running and fighting and arguing, Sonic resolves all of the problems between Thorn and the Scavengers within a few minutes. The moment where Thorn collapses to the ground, realizing her campaign has gone too far, definitely feels like it comes out of nowhere. Yet the writer's heart is in the right place. I continue to like how Thorn's issues with the others stems from environmental concerns, from human nature's tendency to take more than we need. Always good when the "Sonic" writers remember this franchise's "Save the Rainforest" roots. 

Another reason why that emotional climax seems rushed is because the show still has more stuff to do afterwards. Sonic still has to race off and find the Paradox Prism shard. He has to have a vague vision of Shadow, who seems to be stuck in the spaces between dimensions, and he has to get launched back to the New Yolk City setting we just left. I guess it's fitting that a "Sonic" cartoon just can't slow down and is always running forward. Yet "Prime" continues to be frustratingly premise-driven, even in an episode like this that actually takes a little time for the characters. 

The comic relief continues to suck ass too. There's way too many jokes about eating tree bark here. A moment of Sonic pantomiming a conversation with hand puppets is almost unbearable. Big the Cat's role in the flashback made me roll my eyes. I did like a joke about Mangy attempting to speak though. And Sonic's love of chili dogs being a universal constant. More shit like that. Less jokes built around people acting like dumb-asses for no reason. 

If "Sonic Prime" had this balance, of action, character development, and plot from the beginning, my reaction would've been "Hey, this might turn into a good show eventually." Instead, we're more than half-way through the first batch of episodes and "Prime" is only now getting here. It makes me pessimistic that this show will ever find a satisfying balance. Yet, for the time being, "Barking Up the Wrong Tree" is my favorite episode of this program. [6.5/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Scrapnik Island: Issue 4

Sonic the Hedgehog: Scrapnik Island: Issue 4

Publication Date: January 18th, 2023

This is how good the last issue of IDW's "Sonic" miniseries, "Scrapnik Island," is: It honestly made me forget about issue 56 of the main series, a comic I actually really liked! I'm sitting here, reading the conclusion of "Scrapnik Island," and thinking "Damn, IDW "Sonic" is off to a hell of a start this year!" Totally slipped my mind that this is actually the second "Sonic" comic published this year. I guess it's just the inevitable effect of a supernova blocking out the light of another star, even if that other star shines brightly on its own. Ya get what I'm saying here? This is a good comic book! 

We begin with Sonic strapped to a table while the Scrapnik Mecha Sonic monologue about his villainous plan. The device is tied to Sonic's head, another Eggman cast-off, will transfer Mecha's consciousness into Sonic's body. This, the robot believes, will allow him to escape the island. The other Scrapniks interrupt the process and destroy the machine... But not before Sonic and Mecha's minds are linked. They hear each other's thoughts as they fight through the enormous furnace inside the Death Egg. And this also provides Sonic with some insight into his enemy's thought process and motivation. 

All along, I've said that "Scrapnik Island" is the closest thing to a pure "Sonic" horror comic we've ever gotten. The monster movie ambiance have definitely come and gone throughout the mini-series. They are mostly absent in this final installment... Except for one element, early on. When Mecha Sonic is pontificating about his evil plan, he does so next to a big switch on the wall. When the time comes to activate the machine, he cranks that switch and sparks fly through the air. Ah, now those are some delightful mad scientist movie vibes! We just need some lightning strikes and a flickering Jacob's Ladder to really make the atmosphere complete. I'm a Frankenstein nerd. I appreciate these things. 

Those fall to the side soon enough but I don't mind it, as this issue is very focused on something else. As Mecha Sonic and his organic double battle it out, our hedgehog hero gets a peek at his opponent's inner thoughts. It seems that super villain verbosity rubs off on Sonic too, as he's thinking thoughts about "This anger... This sadness..." Sonic soon hears the robot thinking about pain, about being abandoned. After a big fight scene, Mecha Sonic lands in a pile of rubbish careening towards a fiery incinerator. He bemoans to Sonic that this is what he deserves, as he has failed in all his programmed endeavors. He failed to stop Sonic for Eggman and he failed to protect the Scrapniks for Sigma. In that moment, the villain considers himself "trash" and even envies Sonic's freedom from doubts like this. 

I can't help but relate to this. I don't know about you guys but I live every day of my life with what my therapist calls "intrusive thoughts." It's part of my OCD or depression or PTSD or some other undiagnosed condition with a D in it. I frequently have to fight back thoughts that I'm a failure, that I'm never going to achieve my goals, and that I should just give up and settle into being a useless piece-of-shit my whole life. It's only been the recent addition of medication that these thoughts have started to become more manageable and not cause me daily distress. Don't freak out about it in the comments. It's just my life.

So, yes, cartoon robot version of a cartoon hedgehog, I know what it's like to feel like trash. And this is where the most poignant moment of "Scrapnik Island" emerges. This is, after all, a comic about discarded robots bonding together and being rebuilt into functioning units again, with no defined purpose beyond just living their lives. This is a story about those deemed "trash" coming together to form a community, to be independent. The image of Mecha Sonic spiraling towards a "Toy Story 3" fire pit, consigning himself to the scrap pile to be melted into slag, literalizes the feeling of giving into depression and sinking into non-existence. 

Sonic, of course, does not take this for an answer. He tells him to “cut the crap,” the most mild of swears that was still enough to scandalize some poor delicate souls on Twitter. The hedgehog declares to Mecha Sonic that the individual gives himself meaning, that self-determination makes life worth living. That nobody – yourself included – can call you trash. He reaches out a hand and grabs a hold of Mecha. This alone might've been touching enough but Sonic has officially shattered his ankle at this point. It's only when Tails and the other Scrapniks appear that the two hedgehogs, one flesh-and-blood and the other steel and circuitry, are pulled from their impending doom. 

This moment could have been another example of this franchise's favorite moral, one that is so common in kid's media, about the power of friendship. Yet “Scrapnik Island” actually takes this one step further, into something almost profound. The other Scrapniks surround Mecha and comfort him. The robot looks at his own hands, under his own control. He acknowledges that life is full of uncertainty and that it can be scary, but those that you love and that love you in return keep you going forward. This is true, in my experience. My girlfriend, my mom, and my closest friends are the people that help me through the pain of existence. 

This moment is summarized by two panels that might've been sappy or unearned in your typical “Sonic the Hedgehog” comic book. Sonic actually cries. I guess the comic got around Sega's rule of Sonic never showing serious emotions because the tears are result of what Mecha is feeling in that moment, of the still lingering psychic bond between them. Instead of the sunflower Mecha was protecting being a plot device, it thankfully remains a symbol of the robot's evolution that is pinpointed in the final panels. This comic earns the emotions necessary to make these moments soar. 

The last issue of “Scrapnik Island” does all this and still fits in Sonic being a bad-ass. After the other Scrapniks wreck Mecha's machine and piss him off, the two launch into a big elaborate action sequence. Despite having the hedgehog equivalent of the Boot on his shattered, pained ankle, Sonic goes superspeed while fighting with Mecha. He pushes pass his limits and slams broken foot right over Mecha's head, busting the cast open in the process. This is a classically awesome Sonic moment, of the hedgehog's boundless determination pushing him to new levels of badassery. It's what we want to see our little blue boy do.

At this point, it almost goes without saying that issue 4 of “Scrapnik Island” is also gorgeous looking. Jack Lawrence's action sequences are vibrant and animated. He packs so much emotion into the characters' faces, making the heaviest moments in this comic hit the hardest. The little beads of sweat on Sonic's face as he runs, signaling his pain, or just the way Mecha tilts his head says so much. The panel where an enraged Mecha threatens to crush the other Scrapniks is fantastically intense. Nathalie Fourdraine's colors continue to be the real star of this mini-series. Shading makes every moment pop. Whether it's the shadows of Mecha's lab, the blue glow of his electric experiment, or the orange heat of the incinerator room, it all invokes the correct feelings in the reader. It looks perfect.

“Scrapnik Island,” with its presence of multiple old school Sega enemies or a climax obviously inspired by the OVA, could have just been an act of nerdy homage for us “Sonic” dweebs. Instead, Daniel Barnes and his team made this a wonderfully immersive series full of surprises and emotion. “Scrapnik Island” isn't just my new favorite IDW “Sonic” mini-series. It's not just the best IDW “Sonic” comic thus far. It might be the best “Sonic” story I've ever read, period. I sincerely hope Sega or whoever allows Mecha Sonic and Mecha Knuckles, both of whom get a big send-off here, to return in future stories. Moreover, I especially hope Daniel Barnes gets to write more IDW “Sonic” stuff. I loved this entire story arc and this final issue especially. Consider this one of the few straight-up raves I've ever written for this blog. [9/10]

Sonic Prime, Episode 1.4: Unwelcome to the Jungle

Sonic Prime, Episode 1.4: Unwelcome to the Jungle

Original Release Date: December 15th, 2022

Just when we were getting used to the dystopian New Yolk Coty setting, the fourth episode of "Sonic Prime" literally drops the hedgehog into another alternate zone. In "Unwelcome to the Jungle," our speedy hero arrives in a version of Green Hills overgrown with massive trees. He soon meets versions of Rouge, Knuckles, Tails, and Big who have been reduced to primitive savages. They are practically starving to death as a monster, deep in the jungle, keeps them foraging for food. Sonic agrees to help the so-called Scavengers against this monster, in exchange for helping him find the next shard of the Paradox Prism. The monster, predictably, is not exactly what he was expecting. 

Four episodes into "Sonic Prime" and I think I've figured this show out. "Prime" is all about throwing wacky variations on Sonic's friends at us, within archetypal settings. The previous episodes, further burdened by establishing the show's premise, dropped Sonic into a dystopian city with dark, cyberpunk versions of his friend. This episode, presumably the start of a second arc, introduces caveman-like riffs on the gang, living in a similarly bleak but slightly more colorful jungle setting. (Given the very game level-like name of Boscage Maze.) 

I can speculate on why Sega, WildBrains, and Man of Action would go in this direction for a "Sonic" cartoon. It's a premise that demands familiarity with the video games. We can't experience the fun of seeing riffs on the "Sonic" gang unless we've already played the games they appear in. Meaning there's no risk of "Prime" ever outshining the product it's ostensibly meant to promote. Even more cynically, this premise allows countless opportunities to introduce new riffs on fan-favorite characters that Sega can then sell toys or mobile game skins of. Even Sonic, the one consistent cast member, gets a Jungle Tracker Batman style update in this episode. His footwear mysteriously gains a jungle camo color scheme and he can now sprout Wolverine style claws from his gloves. How very toyetic. 

Essentially, this means "Sonic Prime" is all gimmick and no heart. Given the speedy, action-centric pace of this show, it seems unlikely to me that we'll be getting to know any of these new action figures​ variants very well. "Prime" is, seemingly, just about the fun of mashing up the "Sonic" supporting cast with easily understood ideas like cyberpunk or the Savage Land. This is frustrating, as it's going to keep the show from ever being character driven or emotionally compelling. But it's not fair to criticize a program for what it isn't. Okay, "Prime" is about Sega Sonic leaping through the modern equivalent of the old Archie "Sonic" multiverse. Alright, let's see if the show succeeds at making that idea fun. 

If nothing else, the Boscage Maze is a better Planet of Hats than the dystopian New Yolk City. We've already seen Sonic and the gang as freedom fighters, waging a guerrilla war against Robotnik and his grim, industrial city. They made a whole cartoon about that, if you haven't heard. The jungle premise, filled with primitive Stone Age takes on the gang, has more novelty than that. I'm especially amused by "Mangey," this zone's Tails who is a feral, dog-like wild child. Seeing Tails snarl at people or scratch his ear with his hind leg made me chuckle. 

It becomes obvious quickly that this "monster" is actually Thorn Rose, a very pissed off take on Amy who wields a huge stone hammer and rides around on a Phorusrhacidae inspired giant pink Flicky. This show is really going to exploit the idea of turning Amy Rose into a hardened bad-ass, isn't it? Prim, Gnarly, and Hangry don't seem too different from normal Rouge, Knuckles, or Big. Though the desperate setting has made them all a little grouchier and unhinged. I like Gnarly replicating Knuckles' fist spikes with big-ass thorns. I wonder if we'll get a Witch Doctor Eggman or if "Prime" will launch off for the high seas before we get there. 

If nothing else, a jungle setting does allow "Sonic Prime" to touch upon this franchise's long-ignored ecological themes. During Sonic's first battle with Thorn Rose, he knocks an innocent little Flicky into some quicksand. He quickly picks the bird up, dusts it off, and sets it free. This proceeds Thorn explaining her rage at the Scavengers: She says they only take and consume without caring for the natural world at all. She motions to a collection of tree stumps, evident of deforestation attempts one assumes, as evident of this. It seems Thorn speaks for the trees and doesn't like it when anyone harms the ecosystem. I always get a kick out of later "Sonic" iterations remembering the tree-hugger roots of this franchise. 

It remains to be seen if "Prime" will go anywhere with this idea. Rose is, after all, the antagonist of this episode. She seems a little unhinged and the final seconds here promises another rumble between her and Sonic next time. I guess that's to be expected from a show that clearly prioritizes action. The fight scenes admittedly aren't as cool here as in the previous three episodes. Sonic getting hammered around the woods is a gag that gets old. Only the scenes where he uses the claws in his gloves and shoes are really innovative. The character animation seems a little looser in general here. Something about the way this show animates Big's face really doesn't sit well with me. 

I'm trying to make peace with what "Sonic Prime" is but the comic relief still bugs me. Turning Sonic's friends into jungle-dwelling lunatics produces one or two decent gags. I like Gnarly, who has an almost Jack Nicholson-esque quality to his voice, getting defensive about his "home." (A lean-to made of some leaves.) Yet the extend scenes of these guys fighting over an octahedron shaped strawberry wear out their welcome quickly. It gets eaten by a Froggy lookalike eventually and I couldn't help but wonder why the Scavengers just didn't try and eat the frog instead. I wish we had more scenes of Sonic figuring out how to use his other senses to fight an enemy in a dense jungle setting, rather than get more moments of him hugging confused people or dropping underwhelming wisecracks. 

I'm still grappling with what "Sonic Prime" is and whether it appeals to me at all. "Unwelcome to the Jungle" does feel a little sturdier than the last three episodes, if only becomes the alternate universe concept is established by now and it doesn't derail the narrative flow by leaping around in time. I guess we'll see if the next few episodes do more with this jungle-dwelling crew or if they'll just remain amusing ideas that never become fully intriguing characters. [6/10]

Sonic Prime, Episode 1.3: Escape from New Yoke

Sonic Prime, Episode 1.3: Escape from New Yoke

Original Release Date: December 15th, 2022

The third episode of "Sonic Prime" does not immediately pick up with the cliffhanger we were left on last time. It flashes back to Green Hill Zone, before the Paradox Prism was shattered. This leads to further scenes of Shadow being grouchy before we return to New Yoke City. Nine manages to reprogram Rusty Rose before she crushes Sonic. Immediately, Sonic and the others get to work fighting their way through the Chaos Council’s defense as they approach the Paradox Prism deep within the forest… Or a shard of it anyway, as Sonic uncovers that he’s more responsible for the shattering dimensions than his enemy is. 

There’s a moment in “Escape from New Yoke,” after Sonic and these edgy versions of his old pals escape the room they were trapped in. The group is strutting down a hallway, with lots of fancy editing and slow motion emphasizing the heroes walking together as a group. It seems to be “Sonic Prime” saying to its viewer: The wait is over! The band is back together! The gang is all here! Avengers assembled! It’s suppose to be a big fan pleasing moment. 

Yet there’s an obvious problem here: We don’t actually know who these characters are. Okay, yes, we know who Amy and Knuckles and the rest are. Yet these specific versions of Sonic’s friends remain thinly sketched archetypes at best. We don’t know why the New Yolk version of Amy is a cyborg under control of the Eggmen. We don’t even know what Route and Knuckles’ underground resistance is fighting for exactly, outside of some vague notion of restoring freedom. It really seems to me that “Prime” is counting entirely on the audience’s built-in fondness for Sonic’s supporting cast to do a lot of the heavy lifting here. 

What’s most frustrating about this approach is that the script itself acknowledges that these characters are totally different from Sonic’s friends as he knows them. There’s a scene where he introduces each member of the squad under the persona he’s familiar with, only for each one to correct. This isn’t happy-go-lucky Amy Rose but grim, robotic Rusty Rose. Rebel and Knucks, not Rouge and Knuckles. A better strategy than randomly introducing these alternate versions of familiar characters, and running headlong into the action scenes, would’ve been… Ya know… Actually taking some time to get us invested in these guys.

That’s the sad facts of the case here: I don’t really care about these characters, not yet anyway. We’ve learned a bit about Nine, and his background was intriguing, but he’s still kind of a prickly jerk to everyone. Rusty Rose, being a cold and logical cyborg, is almost designed to be free of personality. All it takes to flip her from evil to good is Nine reprogramming her, which really emphasizes that there’s not much depth to her. I like what I’ve seen of Rouge and Knuckles, or Rebel and Knocks’ rather, banter. Yet there’s almost none of that here. 

In addition to making it hard to be invested in the story, the characters being so vague makes it hard to care about the outcome of the action scenes. And that's a major issue, as "Escape from New Yolk" is almost entirely made up of action scenes. It's one elaborate scrap after another. The heroes fight off the robots in the laboratory before being chased down a spiraling staircase. Dr. Deep – otherwise known as Hipster Eggman – slips on a samurai inspired robotic armor and leads another squadron of robots after the gang. There's even a chase around the building between Sonic and Dr. Babbles. (That's Baby Eggman.)

It's not that I can't enjoy these scenes on a surface level. They are well animated and cool to watch. The fight in the staircase, that has Sonic and the gang leaping up and down the various levels, is very well orchestrated. The animators clearly had fun with Rusty Rose's telescoping robot limbs, engineering a number of neat action beats around them. But it's hard to be too engrossed in any of this when we barely know the people doing the fighting. What is Dr. Deep's deal? Why does he put on a samurai-inspired armor? What are these people fighting? Why does any of this matter? And it doesn't help that the good guys don't seem to struggle much with the endless supplies of robotic mooks they have to fight off. Nine shoots a few over his shoulder without even looking. 

Three episodes into “Sonic Prime” and I can’t escape this feeling that the show’s priorities are all mixed-up. You see that in the show’s continued focus on an oblong story structure. What is the point of the opening flashback here? It shows the tail end of Sonic’s fight with Shadow, the so-called ultimate lifeform racing off in pursuit of his blue counterpart. It shows Sonic’s friends fighting Badniks and being annoyed that their hero is late. Other than that, this clip of the "Before Prism Shatter" dimension doesn't really establish much. It's almost as if "Prime" wants to tease fans by giving us these little tastes of "normal" Sonic content before racing back to the alternate universe shenanigans the show is actually about. 

The only hints at a deeper personality we get for the supporting cast come through in frankly intrusive comedy. The old man Eggman – I think he's called Dr. Done-It – hobbled after his counterparts. Dr. Deep does a dance number as he puts in his armor, to the annoyance of the other villains. Sonic's enthusiasm annoys the grimdark heroes. All of this stuff feels like a desperate attempt to distract us from how shallow everything feels. Only two jokes made me laugh here. That would be everyone having the duck under a giant laser as it continues to rotate around the room and Nine's exasperated reaction to a comment Sonic makes. Otherwise, the gags here are lame and distracting. 

What's especially irritating about the mood-pausing jokes and one-liners is that... I think "Sonic Prime" wants to be a serious TV show. In the last third, Sonic finally reaches the Paradox Prism only to see that it's a shard, not a full crystal. He regains his memory of the universe shattering event and realizes he's responsible. Sonic shattering the Prism is what caused all these alternate universes. Now, he's determined to fix this and put everything back to how it was. This is presumably what the "journey of self-discovery and redemption" line in the Netflix plot synopsis was about. 

That's what driving Sonic in this narrative: A desire to bring back the friends he knows and loves and undo the mess he caused. This episode ends with him grabbing the shard and presumably getting zapped to another alternate universe. Does that mean this is the last we've seen of the New Yolk City heroes? Is the crumbs of characterization we've gotten for them all we're going to get? Leaping through "zones" to grab shards of a bigger plot device is very much in-keeping with the "Sonic" video games... But that's a gameplay device, not a narrative one. If every dimension Sonic visits is just going to be a short trip, we probably won't get a chance to familiarize ourselves with any of these mixed-up cast members. 

Three episodes into "Sonic Prime" and I'm still feeling the frustration I felt in the debut. There's certainly still time for the show to establish itself yet, considering there's only eight episodes in the first half of this season, time is running out for this show to get its grounding. "Sonic Prime" looks cool and has its fair share of interesting idea but the entire affair has been seriously lacking in heart so far. [5/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 56

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 56

Publication Date: January 4th, 2023

Something I both love and merely tolerate about this fandom is how "Sonic" comic readers can't agree on anything. I have seen two reactions to the 2023 kick-off issue to IDW's "Sonic" book. One of which was in a Discord server I hang out in, where someone said issue 56 is Evan Stanley's best writing yet. On Twitter, meanwhile, I caught a glimpse of someone saying the issue was a major drag, that they were sick of Surge and Kit, and found the entire storyline melodramatic. This fandom contains multitudes, doesn't it? This is just a further testament to how no two "Sonic" fans can agree on what they want this franchise to be. (Or maybe it just speaks to how Discord is a place for community and bonding while Twitter is a place for vomiting your worst opinions out into the void.) 

What of issue 56's actual content? The admittedly overlong "Overpowered" arc concludes this month by continuing the battle royale that started last time. Sonic, Tails, Surge, Kit, Eggman and Metal Sonic duke it out within an old Starline base. As Surge pushes her superpowers to their absolute limit, she tears the base around them apart. Sonic and Tails are aware of the Imposters' traumatic origins now but can they convince them to give up their fight? 

The "Overpowered" arc has been extremely uneven, ping-ponging between tedious fight scenes based around new superpowers and further exploring the mental illnesses that have led Surge down her villainous path. Evan Stanley admittedly finds a strong dynamic to build the last installment on. On the second page, Tails immediately tries to connect with Kit. Even when the kitsune has his red eyes of psychotic determination glowing, Tails manages to level with him sidekick-to-sidekick. Being the more empathetic of this duo, it's easy to imagine Kit switching sides. He's already kind of done it. Thus, this issue manages to mine a decent bit of tension out of the question of whether Kit will make the right decision. Will he continue to be driven solely by his programmed devotion to Surge? Or will he do what's right and abandon senseless violence? 

I guess some might be disappointed by his eventual conclusion. No, Kit does not challenge everything we know about his character up to this point. His love for Surge is too great to abandon her. Yet his reasoning does strike me as compelling. Kit has come to believe that neither Sonic nor Eggman – or, in the past, Starline – give an honest goddamn about him or Surge. They only want to use them as weapons to further their causes. To make this seem even more petty, Kit phrases it this way: These parties only court the Imposters to prove that their beliefs are the correct one. Isn't that what drives most conflict here in the real world? A conviction that you are more right than the other people? 

What makes Kit's conclusion here especially powerful is that I don't think he's wrong either. Obviously, the book that is named after him is going with the logic that Sonic the Hedgehog is the morally correct party here. Stanley makes sure to include a scene in the last part of this book, of Tails and Sonic selflessly supporting and helping each other. To emphasize that friendship, a desire to help the common good, and genuine empathy for each other is what drives Sonic and the Restoration. Yet Sonic does want Surge and Kit to fight against Eggman and Starline's programming. Sonic does believe that his way is the morally correct way. 

The book definitely understands that Surge's mission to murder their oppressors and burn down the world is needlessly destructive, not to mention self-destructive. But I've got to applaud Stanley for continuing to take Surge and Kit's dilemma so seriously. These two have been used their entire lives. Nearly everyone they've known, certainly everyone they've ever looked up to, has done nothing but manipulate them for their own causes. Of course, they aren't going to trust anyone easily. Moreover... Maybe a third option should exist. Surge and Kit have been wrong and they do have the right to be angry. There are flaws in the binary system that Sonic and Eggman are stuck in. Some outsiders, anti-heroes that are truer anti-heroes than whatever the fuck Shadow is right now, are probably necessary. 

I know this is a children's comic that owes a lot of its narrative style of shonen action anime, where villains eventually defecting to the side of good are extremely common. Surge and Kit will probably end up redeemed and among the good guys eventually. If not, it's just as likely that one or both of them will be destroyed or defeated by their own actions, much the way Starline was. Yet I sincerely hope Stanley and Flynn stick to their guns on this, of Surge and Kit recognizing a need for something outside of the system – in this case, the system being the unending conflict between Sonic and Eggman – to exist. That would add so much more complexity to the comic's world. This book is always in need of just that.

On a more analytical level, this issue is good because everything that comes out of Surge's mouth is the hardest shit ever. When Sonic says he got off on “the wrong foot” with Surge, she responds by saying her foot should be on his throat instead. When attempting to hold Sonic underwater and drown and/or electrocute him, she grunts out a hell of a monologue that ends with the sentence “There is no freedom for me... Not while you're still alive!” She's just casually dropping stone cold lines like that left and right in this issue. Also, she swings Metal Sonic around by the wrist which reminded me of Rama Rao swinging a motorcycle as a melee weapon in “RRR,” so that's awesome too. If this comic just becomes Surge owning people as harshly as possible, I would support that.

Like most of the rest of this story arc, this issue is almost entirely made up of one long action sequence. While the effectiveness of such a narrative can vary, this one handles it nicely. Probably because the action keeps constantly. Keep in mind, that panel of Surge whipping Metal Sonic around like a rag doll occurs in the first few pages. From there, she then turns herself into a living fireball and explodes those glass tubes full of green water. The heroes tumble through a huge hole in the ground, the threat of drowning and electrocution appears, and everything wraps up with the entire building collapsing around everything. The pace is relentless and furthers the frenzied feeling that grips this entire issue. It helps that Sonic is so clearly flummoxed by Surge's increase in power, his face panicking beautifully. All very much a positive.

Though the artwork could've been a little cleaner. This is not any shade on Evan Stanley's pencils, which are actually really good. The opening splash page is bitchin'. The panels devoted to Kit looking sinister or Surge being unhinged and intimidating are great. Sometimes the action gets a little uncertain to follow. I don't know if the comic has done a great job of making me understand what the extent of Surge's powers are, because that's when I tend to get confused. When she's glowing like a rainbow with radiant bad bitch power, some of the leaps and wrestling that follows takes a couple of looks for me to grasp what's going on. The scene involving Metal Sonic's force field doesn't flow the smoothest either. The same is true of the moment when the Dynamo Cage is overpowered and cracks. Maybe I'm just bad at following this stuff, as this is a complaint I've made before. 

If I have any problem with this issue at all, it's that Eggman is written as maybe too much of a goofball. He mostly just hangs out on the sidelines, shouting at Metal and Surge. Pumping up his own genius, lobbing softball insults at Sonic. The exchange where he saves the hedgehog from electrocution is mildly amusing. Yet, by the final set of pages where he's comically climbing out of the wreckage, wet and humiliated but seemingly unharmed, I felt maybe his status as the series' primary villain had degraded a little. This is a bit of a bummer, especially after Flynn did such a good job at making Eggman actually intimidating for the first time in a while during issue 50. 

That's a minor complaint though, one that borders on a nitpick. “Overpowered” probably could have been broken into two story arcs, especially since these last two issues form much more of a coherent whole than the ones that proceeded it. I'm not going to do a takes-backsies on declaring it the weakest story arc of 2022. Yet this issue is still a fairly strong one. Mostly, whenever Stanley focuses on Surge's growing psychological problems and emotional resentment, or Kit's unhealthy fixation on her, it's good. That's way more compelling than whatever new superpowers the bad guy has this week. I continue to be very interested in seeing where all this is going. [7/10]

THE 2022 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG COMIC BEST/WORST LIST!

I think I've made this point over and over again the last few months but seriously: 2022 is going to go down in history as one of the best years to be a “Sonic” fan. We got a new movie, which was generally agreed upon to be an improvement over the first and another box office success. We got a new game, which has been fairly well received and strong sales. A new animated series has started. While it's a bit too soon yet to judge fan reaction, I've seen more people liking it than not. If you ignore the minor debacle that was “Sonic Origins,” 2022 was nearly an entire year without the “Sonic” franchise embarrassing itself!

In all seriousness, it was a great year for hedgehog fanatics everywhere. The IDW comic book also had an especially good year too. In fact, after nearly five years, I think this was the year where I finally decided that I actually really like this comic book. When at its best, IDW “Sonic” is a well-written and character-driven series. Which isn't to say there aren't some flaws here, as there are with anything. Yet I think I can easily say 2022 was my favorite year for IDW “Sonic” yet.

It was also a prolific year for the comic. We only got eight issues of the main series but the sher volume of other stuff more than made up for that. All of these issues came out in the last twelve months. That's a lot, right? That left me with plenty of material to assemble for this year's Best/Worst List. So let's get into it.

The issues covered in this retrospective are:

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 48-55

Sonic the Hedgehog: Imposter Syndrome: Issue 2-4

Sonic the Hedgehog: Scrapnik Island: Issue 1-3

Sonic the Hedgehog 2: The Official Movie Pre-Quill

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW) Annual 2022

Sonic the Hedgehog: Tails' 30th Anniversary Special 

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW) FCBD 2022

BEST COVER STORY:

Ian Flynn, “Escaping the Empire” (Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 51)

Evan Stanley, “Wound Up” (Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 49)

I wouldn't normally do this because even I admit it's cheating but... Fuck it, right? This is my award show and I can do whatever I want. So, here, we have the VERY FIRST EVER tie on one of my Best/Worst lists. If I'm being honest, issue 49's “Wound Up” was probably my favorite story of the year. The early scene where Belle attacks her friends is suspenseful but it proceeds an emotional moment for her, loosing her precious MotoBug friend and finally finding emotional solace with her creator, “Mr. Tinker.” This was the moment of tear-filled catharsis that Belle's entire character arc was building up to and it was well executed.

Yet “Escaping the Empire” from issue 51 was also excellent. That was such a beautifully paced issue, that stuck our heroes in a tight situation and had them running for their lives. Sonic and Tails had to out-think their opponents and escape their pursuers. This was an action-packed issue that kept the readers' blood pumping the entire time. There were some surprises too, that satisfactorily followed up on the events of the previous issue. Pretty good for an issue that fans will probably most remember for that fuckin' “Big Oof” panel. 

Anyway, both these issues whip ass. 

WORST COVER STORY:

Ian Flynn, “Imposter Syndrome: Part 4” (Sonic the Hedgehog: Imposter Syndrome: Issue 4)

As previously established, this was a really good year for IDW's “Sonic” comic... But there was one issue that genuinely pissed me off. After three issues of build-up, of uneven quality, “Imposter Syndrome” ended with a great big stinkin' cliffhanger designed to bring us right into issue 50. Essentially, the entire mini-series was just a long-winded advertisement for the latest landmark issue. The conflict this whole story was building towards was never intended to play out in this mini-series. How frustrating is that? This incomplete status was most obvious in the final issue of “Imposter Syndrome.” Bogus, man.

BEST BACK STORY:

Ian Flynn, “Guardians” (Sonic the Hedgehog Annual 2022)

Choosing “Guardians” as the Best Back Story is also a bit of a cheat, as it's the first story in this year's annual. However, the annuals are kind of made up entirely of back-ups, when you think about it? Well, regardless of how you classify, “Guardians” was definitely the highlight of this year's annual. A character-driven story focused on the particular dilemmas that Knuckles and Blaze share, it really probes into the characters' motivations and personality in a nice way. It also had a really cute conclusion, proving that Blaze does appreciate her friends even if she sometimes puts her job first. 

WORST BACK STORY:

Ian Mutchler, “Another Grand Adventure for Jet the Hawk” (Sonic the Hedgehog Annual 2022)

It's just the nature of the beast that each year's Annual tends to have one stinker.. “Another Grand Adventure for Jet the Hawk” was undoubtedly the low-point of 2022's annual. Jet, not the most complicated guy to begin with, is reduced to a whining, entitled, obnoxious little brat. Essentially listening to Jet bitch and moan like a spoiled rich kid is the main joke of this thin, largely annoying story. When Whisper screams at him to shut up, the reader understands exactly how she feels. 

BEST STORY ARC:

Daniel Barnes, “Scrapnik Island” (Sonic the Hedgehog: Scrapnik Island: Issue 1-3)

This story arc hasn't actually ended yet, as the final installment is scheduled to come out this month. Yet I feel confident in saying that “Scrapnik Island” is my favorite long form “Sonic” story of the year. In fact, depending on if they stick the landing or not, “Scrapnik Island” may go down as one of my favorite IDW “Sonic” stories period. Essentially, a horror themed “Sonic” mini-series is so totally in my wheelhouse. It has a really cool setting, switching between a sunny beach and the shadowy depths of the Death Egg. The frazzled Mecha-Sonic is proving to be a compelling villain. E-117 Sigma and his Scrapnik buddies are adorable. The central conflict of the story, that gives Sonic a fucked-up ankle and has him consider the humanity of his enemies, is rich. The use of dialogue-free panels and little moments of character expression have all been great. I just love this comic and don't want it to end. “Scrapnik Island” rules. 

WORST STORY ARC:

Evan Stanley, “Overpowered” (Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 52-55)

This story arc, which is stretching on for five issues for some reason, is also not over yet. The last part comes out on Wednesday. And giving “Overpowered” the dubious honor of “Worst” Story Arc is pushing it. I actually think the second and fourth entries in this arc are pretty good. The more “Overpowered” focuses on Surge's psychological trauma and weakening mental state, the better it is. Yet there's a few clunkers in here too, that spend too much time on setting up new superpowers for the villain and linger on repetitive action scenes. In a year with very few long story arcs, “Overpowered” definitely feels like it could've been trimmed down to four issues without missing any of the good stuff. 

BEST MAIN COVER:

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 49 – Adam Bryce Thomas

I say this every year but IDW's “Sonic” book is really an embarrassment of riches when it comes to cool looking covers. It's hard to narrow it down to just one sometimes... Yet a clear favorite emerge quickly. Adam Bryce Thomas' moody cover art for issue 49 is another all-time-fave for me. Belle brooding ominously, her face in shadows and eyes glowing, makes the cute little puppet girl actually look kind of creepy. That's helped by the green-tinted, spooky forest around her and shimmering Badniks. In a year that has flirted a lot with horror movie vibes, this one goes  along way towards capturing that particular feeling while looking gorgeous at the same time.

WORST MAIN COVER:

Sonic the Hedgehog: FCBD 2022 – Adam Bryce Thomas

Adam Bryce Thomas pulls off the rare hat trick in the Covers category, this year. Granted, it's not like this is a particularly terrible cover or anything. It's just generic as hell. The image of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles posing over what appears to be the “Get Blue Spheres” special stage, in front of a generic synth-wave backdrop, tells us nothing about the story inside this comic. This feels like a placeholder image that just ended up going to press. It's also fair to say that Thomas was clearly having an off-day in general here, as the heroes' hands and feet seem unusually large even by their typically exaggerated standards. Plus, emphasizing the bottom of Sonic's shoes was a weird decision. You get the impression that this was a cover that was quickly thrown together with minimal effort, IDW deciding not to expend too much effort on a comic that would be given away for free. 

BEST VARIANT COVER:

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 55: RI Cover – Nathalie Fourdraine

There were so many bitchin' variant covers this year. I was really torn between the winner in this category and Adam Bryce Thomas' retail incentive cover for issue 2 of “Imposter Syndrome.” Yet I guess I'm feeling drawn to the moodier images tonight, as I just couldn't deny the power of Nathalie Fourdraine's cover for issue 55. Surge looking so small and tormented as the shadows of her imaginary oppressors appear large on the wall behind her is a very compelling image that tells you everything you need to know about this plot point. Her harassers aren't real but the effect they have on her mind and soul are very serious indeed. It's nice when a single image conveys so much meaning and emotion.

WORST VARIANT COVER:

Sonic the Hedgehog: Tails' 30th Anniversary Special: RE Cover – Stan Sakai

Stan Sakai is a beloved and influential artist, for his long-running and critically adored “Usagi Yojimo” comics. He is also, notably, not a “Sonic the Hedgehog” artist. We've seen this happen before, where talented artists are hired to draw “Sonic” work and their inexperience with the styles and quirks of this series become immediately apparent. Sonic looks off-model as fuck here, appearing more like a comic strip character with strangely knobby elbows. The squirrel type animal he's rescuing is very odd looking, with asymmetrical eyeballs. The positioning of the lake and Badnik in the foreground seems misaligned with the tree as well. Also, it's a bit weird that this cover, for the Tails' 30th Anniversary Special, doesn't feature Tails at all! It really feels like an image Sakai was commissioned to draw at a convention, that he dusted off during a lunch break, that somehow ended up on the cover of the comic. 

BEST STORY ART:

“Scrapnik Island: Part 1” – Jack Lawrence (Sonic the Hedgehog: Scrapnik Island: Issue 1)

In addition to being really well written, “Scrapnik Island” just looks fucking cool as well. The combination of Jack Lawrence's dynamic, fluid artwork with Nathalie Fourdraine's atmospheric colors has created some of the prettiest “Sonic” comics I've ever laid eyes on. I high-light issue one mostly because its images of Sonic being chased through the Death Egg by the hodgepodge Scrapniks, zombie movie style, scratched a very specific itch for me. Yet really the entire mini has looked fantastic so far. I'm glad this book exist for many reasons but Lawrence and Fourdraine being allowed to cut loose like this is a big one.

WORST STORY ART:

“Hero Camp” – Abby Bulmer (Sonic the Hedgehog Annual 2022)

Considering the Annuals often exist to allow artists who haven't worked much with these characters a chance to play around with them, it feels a little mean to give “Hero Camp” the Worst Art award. Yet Abby Bulmer's work here just really wasn't working for me. Everyone looks a little too round, a little too cute in this particular story. All the facial expressions look kind of the same and you never get much of a sense of what anyone is thinking. It's not a terrible looking story by any means but I think Bulmer needs a little more time drawing these characters before she gets the hang of it. . 

BEST NEW CHARACTER:

Scrapnik Mecha-Sonic

2022 technically, I think, had the most new characters introduced out of all of IDW's run so far. Yet the majority of those were random Badniks and their more fucked-up but cuddlier cousins the Scrapniks. Not exactly fully developed and complex characters... Though a malformed robot ended up being my favorite new addition to the cast this year anyway.

Mecha Sonic, as he is now known, has been around since “Sonic & Knuckles.” In all that time, the robotic villain never got much in the way of character development. He was just another mechanical copy of Sonic, a big scary robot to fight, that was totally overshadowed by the original Metal Sonic. Yet the character being resurrected as a mismatched Scrapnik in IDW has added unexpected complexity to this tin can. In “Scrapnik Island,” Mecha Sonic has developed a love for agriculture and a desire to move past his destructive programming. Yet the sins of the past linger, his mind corrupted by his mixed-up state and the memories of what Eggman built him to do. The result is a scattered villain that endears both sympathy while never loosing his intimidation factor. Plus his little buzz saw leg reminds me of a TMNT action figure and that's cool.

WORST NEW CHARACTER:

Witchcart

When obscure Sega villain Witchcart was redesigned for Archie “Sonic” as “Wendy Naugus,” she wasn't the most compelling or deep character. Yet at least she had a decent gimmick going for her, of being Naugus' older, teasing sister that frequently out-schemes him as much as she works along side him. 

2022's Tails Anniversary Special saw the original Witchcart being introduced into IDW canon and she couldn't even achieve the limited characterization that the previous iteration had. The new-old Witchcart leans hard on the annoying gimmick of rhyming all of her dialogue. This grows old immediately. And that's pretty much the sole feature she has, aside from being a cackling cartoon witch! I get that there was limited space to devote to her in this one-shot and that such a simple character doesn't present too many opportunities to begin with. But I was hoping Flynn and the gang could have done a little bit more with Witchcart. It's weird that her trio of henchmen are more interesting than she is. 

BEST IDEA:

Psychologically Complex Villains

Four years into this comic's existence, it seems a compromise has finally been reached. The Sega-created characters are never going to be allowed to get too complicated or angsty. They remain as archetypes. The cast created for the comic, meanwhile, are allowed to be as conflicted and multi-layered as the writers want. The dynamic between these two standards has actually led to many good moments, especially in 2022. 

Undoubtedly, my favorite manifestation of this has been the character development given to Surge. She's gone from a one-note bullying tomboy character in her first few appearance to probably the most complicated villain in the book's history. Surge is lashing out at the world that hurt her. She wants to burn it all down because, as long back as she can remember, she's been manipulated and abused. Yet the longer she fights to achieve this goal, of being the most powerful bad bitch around, the more her constructed persona starts to crack up. It's only a matter of time before the barely concealed trauma that drives Surge bubbles totally to the surface and I can't wait for that. 

To a lesser degree, this year also delved a little more into Starline and Mecha Sonic's mindset, suggesting that gifting their villains with some real psychological depth may be an instinct going forward for this series. I hope so!

WORST IDEA:

Promotion Over Pacing

The editors and execs at IDW really wanted issue 50 of IDW to be an event. It seems like promoting the anniversary issue became the main purpose behind the comic for about six months. This desire ended up ruining the “Imposter Syndrome” mini-series, which was revealed in his final issue to be an extended set-up for the pivotal issue. Now, #50 was a good issue but that doesn't change how diverting all the needs behind the series towards promoting one singular installment of the series fucking wrecked the pacing for a while. This kind of “writing for the trades” style narrative is frequently a problem in superhero comics and it seems the infection has now spread to IDW “Sonic” as well.