Sonic the Hedgehog (1993), Episode 2.02: Sonic Conversion

Sonic the Hedgehog (1993), Episode 2.02: Sonic Conversion
Original Air Date: September 17, 1994

When I think of “SatAM,” an essential aspect of the show’s narrative that comes to mind is Uncle Chuck being a double agent within Robotropolis, a soul-infused Robian working within the city and for the Freedom Fighters. So it’s always a bit surprising when I revisit the show and rediscover that Uncle Chuck acting as a spy didn’t even appear in the show until the second season. As part of their attempt to further serialize “SatAM,” Ben Hurst and Pat Allee would bring back Uncle Chuck for season two following his appearance in the first season.

While in Robotropolis to gather supplies for a De-Roboticizer, Sonic encounters his Uncle Chuck, still operating as a soulless robot slave. After returning to the village, Rotor successfully gets his De-Roboticizer to work. Bunnie is returned to a totally organic state. Sonic, eager to restore Uncle Chuck, rushes off to grab his uncle, bring him to Knothole, and restore his fleshy humanity... However, not all the tests have been run and it’s soon discover that the effects quickly wear off. So now, a robot acting under orders from Robotnik is right in the heart of Knothole.

“Sonic Conversion” is an episode with a really strong premise. From the first episode, “SatAM” has always presented Roboticization as Robotnik’s most terrifying weapon, that removes the souls from the people of Mobius. Is there any better metaphor for the way authoritarian dictatorships strip away people’s humanity than a machine that literally turns living things into robots? And a machine that undoes these effects would be the Freedom Fighters’ greatest retaliation against their enemy. The effects such an invention would have on the characters, most of whom have been personally touched by it, can't be overstated. And then the script rips that victory away almost as quickly, a great source of interpersonal drama.

Granted, Hurst and Allee never actually explain how Rotor’s de-roboticizer works. (For that matter, nobody has ever satisfyingly explained how the regular roboticizer works.) How or why something like this would reverse after a few hours seems similarly difficult to imagine. This is far from the only leap of logic in the episode. “Sonic Conversion’s” rather cheesy ending has Sonic restoring Uncle Chuck’s free will, if not his organic body, simply by pleading with him. This is not the strongest or most interesting resolution, though somewhat forgivable considering you can only cover so much ground in a 22 minute cartoon. Also, Sonic’s sneaker suddenly have a magnetic feature out of nowhere.

Once again, Hurst and Allee had “There must always be losses” as their guiding principal while working on this show. You can clearly see this in “Sonic Conversion.” Yes, Sonic gets his uncle back but it’s in a compromised form. The existential threat of Roboticization is only dismissed for so long. The episode wraps up with Sonic blaming himself for rushing into saving Chuck, endangering his friends. Sally assures him that things have turned out alright but it’s still notable that the episode ends with Sonic feeling kind of down. Can you imagine Sega ever allowing this, when “Sonic can never loose or be sad” is one of their corporate mandates?

Another element of “SatAM” I think of as always being there is the lingering resentment Snively feels towards Robotnik. Certainly, the Archie comics always heavily played up this angle. While season one hinted at these feelings, “Sonic Conversion” is the first episode to really feature this. Early on, while activating his latest invention, Snively grumbles about how much he hates his boss. It’s really fascinating to me to see the origins of this particular story point. One really enjoys listening to Charles Adler and Jim Cummings snipe at each other. It makes me imagine a wacky sitcom where Snively and Robotnik are college roommates or something,

Yet the weird push-and-pull of season two, where the show becomes more serialized and thematically rich but also featuring more goofy comic relief, continues here. “Sonic Conversion” has several moments of broad, physical comedy that really stand out. While heading into Robotropolis to retrieve necessary parts for Rotor’s machine, Sonic melodramatically lets himself be captured. After being brought into Robotnik’s inner chamber, he proceed to spin the villain around super-fast in his chair. Talk about undermining the intimidation factor of your primary villain. This moment is still less bizarre than a sequence where Tails brings a sandwich into the workshop, which ends up tossed into Antoine’s mouth. It seems season two has turned Antoine into a complete buffoon, dismissing the occasional competence he showed in season one. Also, Dulcy still brings some goofy, kid-friendly slapstick with her too.

The humor is not the only way season two is proving to be different from the first. The musical score continues to be different. And, honestly, I really miss the original music. The new, more synth-driven score is simply not as sweeping or epic as the Alan Silvestri-inspired season one music. Also, you can’t help but continue to notice the different design choices. Rotor’s complete re-design, Sally has her vest, Antoine is a little goofier looking, the Lake of Rings looks entirely different, and Knothole in general looks a little sunnier. Also, new red, flying SWATBots continue to appear, having seemingly replaced the egg-shaped shuttles so prominent in the first season. None of this stuff is bad necessarily but it is odd to see how actively the series was being retooled after only its first go-around.

Before I wrap up, I’d be remiss not to mention what might be Robotnik’s weirdest creation. It’s the not-so-effective superweapon he debuts in this episode. He calls it the “Virtual Reality Shriek-Bot,” which is certainly a collection of words. Not helping matters, I thought for sure they were saying “shrink-bot” at first. So what exactly is a Virtual Reality Shriek-Bot? Well, it’s a super-fast drone jet specifically designed to outpace Sonic. Robotnik pilots the machine himself with a virtual reality headset — even though that’s not, ya know, what virtual reality is for — that cause his face to appear on the front of the plane, all stretched out and distorted. “Virtual reality” was a largely meaningless buzz word at the time, that was attached to all sorts of kids media that wanted to appear high-tech. But Robotnik personally projecting his ugly mug onto a plane is... Kind of weird.

While absolutely not flawless, “Sonic Conversion” grapples with some big emotion and some interesting ideas. That alone makes it a stand-out for the still young season two. In fact, this episode was originally aired as the season two premiere. Considering it’s both slightly stronger than “Game Guy” and more connected to the show’s lore, it probably was the better episode to open the season with. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 23

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 23
Publication Date: November 27, 2019

Well, after rearranging my schedule a bit I have finally caught back up with IDW’s “Sonic” comic. Devoting the last month to reviewing the comic’s most recent issues was not, as you might’ve suspected, part of my plan. However, it got to the point where, if I didn’t do it now, I probably wouldn’t ever do it. Meanwhile, I had fallen so far behind that there wasn't any practical way to put these reviews out as weekend bonus content and get them all out before the end of the year. (Also, real life intervenes: I now work on weekends, making it hard to post stuff on Sundays.) Considering I still often forget IDW “Sonic” is a thing, there’s a strong chance I will similarly fall behind in the future. But, for the time being and at this moment, I am current. Woo-hoo, I guess.

“The Last Minute, Part Three” depicts what Sonic was getting up to while Tails and Amy where getting their asses kicked. While out running across the countryside, trying to burn off the Metal Virus and provide data for Tails, Sonic comes across Barricade Town. It’s infested with Zombots and Eggman and Starline are currently testing various ways to control the zombies. (In-between bickering about their different approaches to supervillainy.) Sonic crashes the party, tangoes with Eggman while Starline silently considers his options. The hedgehog hero nearly gives into the Virus while the bad guys vamoose. He speeds ahead just to get the news that Restoration HQ has fallen.

Even if I’ve been pretty critical of Flynn’s plot construction throughout the Metal Virus Saga, I will say one thing: He’s been doing some really interesting things with Sonic, as a character, throughout all of this. The hedgehog continues to feel doubt, uncertainty, serious anger, and exhaustion. Upon coming across Barricade a Town, he double-guesses his natural instinct to look for survivors. He doubts his own heroism, maybe for the first time, and blames himself. And being force to run non-stop for so long is taking a physical toll... A toll which is obviously symbolic of Sonic choosing between hope, the desire to continue the good fight, and nihilism, giving into despair. The more extreme story has pushed Sonic to some really interesting places as a hero and I’ve got to commend Flynn for that

Sonic’s anger is an important aspect. It was his idea to give Eggman a second chance, to allow him to be Mr. Tinker. Now, this has indirectly led to a zombie outbreak bringing the world to its knees. In other words: Eggman has violated Sonic’s most altruistic feelings, his capacity for forgiveness. And the hedgehog is pretty pissed about that. He threatens to lock up the mad scientist for good this time, which is probably as close as a Sega will get to letting him threaten to kill Eggman. It’s one thing when a super villain cooks up a plot to conquer the world or physically hurt the good guy or someone he loves. It’s quite another for a bad guy to emotionally wound his enemy like this. To, perhaps, even push Sonic to challenge his own ethics. I really hope Flynn explores this more though I’m doubtful he will.

Especially because Eggman’s characterization is kind of all over the place in this issue. Starline’s issues with Eggman are becoming increasingly justified, as the villain has made some seriously dumb decisions. Apparently, he hasn’t inoculated himself and Stsrline against the Metal Virus because no such anti-virus exist. And, when he says this, they are hanging out above a Town absolutely crawling with infected. That’s just poor planning. I guess I just have to give IDW the benefit of the doubt again and admit that maybe this version of Robotnik really would be that sloppy. But, I don’t know, it’s still feels like a justification for potential plot holes. Flynn also hints that Eggman is both more unhinged than previously thought and also misses being the friendly Mr. Tinker. It’s entirely possible I’m just missing Archie Eggman, who was sometimes unhinged but pretty consistent in his planning and personality.

At least Starline is crystallizing into a clear character at this point. After being wishy-washy on this for a while, the moral of Starline’s subplot is emerging as “never meet your heroes.” He’s straight up bickering with Eggman as the issue starts and is actively planning behind his back at this point. On one hand, I like this because I miss Snively, always being around and resenting his boss, scheming to betray him. At the same time, Starline is very different from Snively, motivated more by his desires to do world domination the “right” way and not a petty sense of entitlement. By the same card, it’s looking like this will be the second story arc in row where Eggman is supplanted by one of his own minions and I don’t want Flynn to lean on that idea too much.

Part of Starline’s scheme involves using the Deadly Six to control the Zombots. And, right now, I’m just waiting to see where Flynn plans to take this one. The Zetis fully intend on double-crossing Starline, as revenge against Eggman humiliating them. Starline is all-too-aware of this and has procured the magic conch shell — by the way, I’m still not over how fucking stupid that plot device is — needed to controlled the Zetis. So which of these double crosses will succeed? I guess it’s just a matter of waiting and seeing. But I’m beginning to feel like all these plot points are starting to pile up. Ian better get to the fucking point soon.

I guess I’m bitching a lot but I actually do like this issue quite a bit more than the last few. If only because Sonic is growing in some very interesting ways and Flynn is actually exploring that direction, at least at this moment. This issue also features some wonderful Jack Lawrence artwork and one of the more intense Zombot encounters in recent memory. You actually wonder if Eggman or Sonic are actively in danger a few times here. Been a while since this book has made feel something like that. So, while I continue to have some problems with the ongoing plots, I do feel the need to give this particular issue a positive score. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 22

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 22
Publication Date: October 23, 2019

As I’ve noted in the past, the “Sonic” franchise doesn’t reference Halloween nearly as much as a major horror buff and October 31st devotee like me would prefer. However, IDW devoting almost all of 2019 to a zombie-themed story arc has made their “Sonic” a kid-friendly horror book right now. So, fittingly, the end of October didn’t go by without some notice. Issue 22 features a plot appropriate for its October 23rd release date. Even better, a variant cover has the “Sonic” gang dressed-up for trick-or-treating. Omega is a giant jack-o-lantern, Shadow is a vampire, Knuckles is a mummy, Tails a mad scientist, Amy a gothic Lolita, Silver is Nights, and Sonic wears a Werehog hoodie. Bats and pumpkins and candy are present. You have no idea the sheer joy this image brings me.

But that has nothing to do with the issue’s actual content. (Which is a shame, as a story about the gang just going out and having some spooky fun would probably be great right about now...) Instead, “The Last Minute Part 2” shows us how Restoration HQ fell to zombots, as referenced last time. Amy freaks out about the state of the world and Vector argues with Gemerl about dragging the zombified Charmy into the room. This is all a prelude to a random citizen revealing himself as infected. Soon, Zombots have taken over the entire building, claiming both Vanilla and Vector. Only a few make it away.

Like any other popular genre, the zombie movie has its familiar cliches. Flynn has clearly studied these movies and TV shows but doesn’t seem interested in reflecting on their tropes very critically. He indulges in two of my least favorite zombie story stereotypes. First is when people, locked in a location as the world falls apart outside, start bickering among themselves. Gemerl is still learning not to be an asshole, though Vector probably should be criticized for bringing an infected individual, contained in a fragile glass bubble, into a crowded base. But the issue’s main sin is the truly played-out plot twist of an infected person somehow making into a quarantined area and hiding their infection until it’s too late. I can’t believe Flynn plays that one, the hoariest of zombie cliches, so straight.

The noble self-sacrifice is another zombie cliche and “The Last Minute Part 2” does that as well. Throughout this story arc, Flynn has repeatedly referenced Cream keeping a joyful, upbeat personality during this crisis. To the point where I’m sick of everyone praising Cream’s childishly naive attitude. (Yes, I know she is literally a child.) She’s doing this to combat her reoccurring nightmares and the general atmosphere of entombing dread. But Flynn has hammered that same point several times now and I’m bored of it and bored of the character. Instead of throwing the little bunny to the glittery masses as I’d hoped, her mom pushes her daughter away for her own safety.

So, yes, the emotions are high and the situation is downbeat and I’m really ready for the heroes to get a win now. But, ya know, as least it feels a little more humane when compared to the last few issues. Flynn earns points for focusing on characters and their emotions in this moment. Vector is allowed to be unerringly attached to his buddy, even if he’s a zombie now. Amy is allowed to be overwhelmed. Cream is allowed to cry and Vanilla is allowed to be grateful her daughter is safe, even as she’s being turned into a Zombot. There’s a token stop over in Lost Hex, Zavok planning on betraying Eggman naturally, just to remind readers that plot point is still a going concern. But the people (animals?) are given precedence over the grinding, crushing mechanics of the narrative and that’s the way it should be.

One of the most unexpected joys of IDW “Sonic’s” second year has been Flynn redeeming Vector as a character. The Chaotix I love to hate got to be a convincing bad-ass a few issues back and gets to do the same again here. Yes, dragging the infected Charmy back to HQ is some, shall we say, typically Vector-esque planning. Yet there is something noble about his refusal to abandon his friend. Fittingly, Charmy ends up contaminating Vector. Just as they are escaping, the bee flies through the door. The crocodile bear-hugs him, saving the others but infecting himself. Calmly, even coolly, he walks into the zombie zone, never threating about the nanite ooze spreading over his body. He even slickly tells Espio he’s in charge of the Chaotix now as he goes. Goddamn, Ian, stop making Vector cool! It’s fucking up my processors!

After filling in for a few pages last time, Priscilla Tramontano gets to do an entire issue this time. It shows the typical growing pains of a new artist getting use to the “Sonic” style. Tramontano’s action sequences are kind-of stiff. When Amy hammers herself into the air or Vector kicks down a door, it just looks awkward and hard-to-follow. Her characters look a little too geometrical in general, too round in some spots and too straight-lined in others. I wonder if the two pages she contributed to the last issue were drawn after this? Those had a sense of motion and dynamism, while these panels are seriously lifeless.

Vector going against all previous display events and being awesome proves to be the main highlight of another ho-hum issue. After a strong start, the Zombot Crisis has fallen into repetitive or cliched plotting. I never thought a relentlessly bleak run of “Sonic” comics like this would tire me out. I read and loved a lot of relentlessly bleak “Sonic” fan fiction as a teenager! But the book is really needing a change of pace, location, or story in the very near future. (But we won’t get it, because this story arc is scheduled to go on for at least another three months.) [5/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Tangle & Whisper: Issue 3

Sonic the Hedgehog: Tangle & Whisper: Issue 3
Publication Date: October 23, 2019

Before we go any further with this review of issue 3 of “Tangle & Whisper,” can I ask what is up with the last two main covers? After the perfectly serviceable first issue cover, the ones for the second and third strike me as a little weird. Instead of high-lighting dynamic action sequences or the friendship between the two title characters, we’ve been greeted with close-ups of Tangle and then Whisper’s faces as they make tense facial expressions. Neither tell us much about the story within or look all that exciting. Apparently, the main covers all connect in one image, though that still doesn’t explain why these individual covers are so uninvokving. The alternate covers are all superior because they high-light the qualities I mentioned above. It’s just an odd choice, is all, especially for a series that has made so many right decisions otherwise.

All right, enough bitchin’. Issue 3 of “Tangle & Whisper” has the two ladies sitting in the blasted-out crater Mimic left them in. After much urging, Whisper finally opens up about her past. She was once part of a team of anti-Eggman mercenaries, the oft-mentioned Diamond Cutters. After years of fighting against the Empire, things became especially heated after Sonic’s disappearance during the events of “Sonic Forces.” That was when Mimic betrayed the team. Tangle witnessed this via the recording in Whisper’s mask. After this, the duo recommit themselves to avenging the fallen friends and decide to take the fight to Mimic.

While it definitely sometimes feels like there is an emotional leash on the main “Sonic” book — probably because there is — the spin-off mini-series is fully embracing big, weepy emotions. Whisper has officially wormed her way into my heart, as we now learn the depths of her trauma. As she describes and technologically displays what happened to her, we clearly see the pain these events have left her with. Her stern declaration of “Never forget, never forgive” is pretty striking. Even more effective, Tangle doesn’t hide how much this affects her too. After watching the footage of the Diamond Cutters’ deaths, a trio of panels are devoted to her collecting herself. That’s some good shit, right there.

Perhaps because the book is so earnest about its emotions, maybe that’s why its moral about the power of friendship — usually such a trite message in kids’ media — is actually pretty effective. There’s a fantastic panel where, after Whisper tries to push Tangle away, she declares that friends look after each other, no matter what. (A smaller panel on the same page, which depicts Tangle nearly bursting into tears, really shows how good Evan Stanley is at facial expressions.) Afterwards, Whisper gives her a big hug. There’s no grandstanding, no repeatedly enforced lesson-of-the-week. Instead, this shows how friends heal one another, through empathy and support.

Flynn has been slower to introduce new characters in IDW, following the flood of new cast members that appeared right after the Archie reboot. Since we are getting our proper introduction to the Diamond Cutters in this issue, this stands as one of the larger character introductions lately. They are Smithey the lion, the engineer and the leader of the group; Slinger the Ocelot, our hot-shot marksman; the adorably named Claire Voyance, a telepathic howler monkey; and then Whisper and Mimic. While we still don’t know much about this team, it’s clear the family-like bond they had through the obvious care Claire and Slinger show towards Whisper. Though I’ll admit, I’m a little disappointed they are “anti-Eggman mercenaries,” instead of something perhaps more morally gray, and that they all wear the same type of dumb mask Whisper wears. (Since they’re dead, I have no idea if Flynn plans to do more with these guys but, considering the obvious amount of work that went into designing them, perhaps more flashback appearances will happen someday.)

The “Sonic” franchise is preoccupied with gimmicks and flashy tech, probably because it is a series targeted at children. This frequently plays into Flynn’s worst tendencies as a writer. However, he finally finds a good use for sci-fi tech in this issue. Whisper’s mask apparently records just about everything that happens to her. All of the Diamond Cutters’ masks were linked too, meaning she can access what her friends saw too. So instead of relying on a typical flashback, Flynn can depict more in-the-moment recreations of events. Secondly, adapting the point of view of these characters in tense moments — such as when their shuttle invaded by slimy clones of Shadow — feels a little bit like a found footage horror movie. Which is a neat approach and pairs nicely with the Zombot shenanigans in the main book.

Though the scene with those Shadow Androids recall the zombie action a little too much. And I’m not sure if we need yet more robotic or semi-robotic versions of the hedgehogs. Also, I don’t know if the reveal that the mask also let its wearer talk directly with their Wisps is necessary. We’ll see if Flynn does anything interesting with that. Another minor issue I have with this part concerns Mimic. We learn that he's working directly with Eggman, that he’s another toady that the dictator gets to boss around and threaten. I sort of liked the previous assumption, that the octopus is just a deeply self-interested and sadistic free agent, better. Oh well, it’s not too big a deal.

“Tangle & Whisper” remains strong as we head into its last issue. I already liked Tangle but getting to explore Whisper’s past has really allowed me to open up to her. The story is more intimate and emotionally driven than the main book at the moment. Will Flynn be able to stick the landing? I guess we’ll find out if IDW ever stops delaying its books. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 21

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 21
Publication Date: October 2, 2019

Something that’s starting to disappointment about the Metal Virus saga is that it’s so urban thus far. Just going from the games, Sonic’s world is one full of diverse locations. We are talking dessert, beaches, mountains, polar icecaps, enormous casinos, etc. instead of dropping a Zombot horde into the surreal spiraling landscape of the Green Hill Zone, the saga has mostly been content to display the Mecha-zombies overtaking various, nearly identical looking cities. I get this, from a narrative perspective. Eggman is focusing on densely populated areas, to spread the Infection more. That’s where the most people, that need protecting by the good guys, are gathered. But, as issue twenty-one touches upon the exact same set-up as the last few issues, it’s starting to get boring.

This is “The Last Minute, Part One.” The city — that looks like all the other cities — this time is Central City. That’s where Tails’ workshop is located. Eggman jizzes another dollop of grey goop from his Faceship and soon the city is overrun with Zombots. As the zombies spread, Tails toils away in his laboratory on a cure. He finally cracks a cure but just as the infected make it inside, forcing a speedy retreat that looses him his research. Tangle and Whisper also arrive to do what they can, save people, and contain the outbreak. But soon another city has fallen to the shiny tide.

You might notice that synopsis above doesn’t mention Sonic at all. Yes, Flynn gives the titular hero a break in this one. He’s out running as fast as he can, providing Tails with the data needed to engineer a cure, and only appears in one panel. So Tails, Tangle and Whisper are our heroes this time. That’s kind of cool. Even if this zombie outbreak is getting increasingly same-y, it is sort of cool that Flynn is giving us peeks at other corners of the world during this apocalyptic time. Now how about we see what the fuck Knuckles and Angel Island are doing during all of this, Ian? Just standing back and watching his friends suffer?

Anyway, this issue also has Flynn returning to one of his more peculiar characterization. That of Tails as a hyper-capable bad-ass. After the Zombots break in to his workshop and smash the hard drive containing the newly designed cure, Tails jumps into the Tornado 2 from “Sonic Adventure 2.” Instead of using this airplane to, ya know, fly above the encroaching zombie masses, Tails blasts his way out with machine guns and races through the city streets. He then has to self-destruct, tearfully one must add, to make his final escape. On one hand, I guess this makes sense. (Tails being an action hero, not Flynn’s insistence and adding a shoot-out and car chase to this issue.) He can fly, is as fast as Sonic, and also a super-smart engineer. But does someone who talks to his airplane/car/death-bot like it’s a person and cries when he abandons it also need to be a super-cool hero? Isn’t this kid like ten?

Despite potentially being an intimate story about what folks are doing to survive during the zombie outbreak, “The Last Minute” mostly exist to further push the plot ahead. Tails might loose his research but that he invented a cure once suggests he can probably do it again. Meanwhile, a sequence in the middle of the book has Starline recruiting the Deadly Six, in his plan to take control of the Zombots behind Eggman’s back. The Zetis, of course, plan on betraying him as soon as possible. It’s all machinations to move this arc into its next phase. Which is fine but I do wish Flynn had saved room for a little more character interaction, considering these events are so heated, instead of focusing mostly on plot and action.

While I’ve overall applauded the darker direction this comic has taken in 2019, I’m starting to get a little exhausted with this increasingly dire situation. Tails has a cure in his grasp but then it’s yanked away at the last minute. He’s rescued by Amy Rose and an airship, only to learn that Restoration HQ has fallen. (The events of which will be depicted in the next issue.) Maybe only one or the other should’ve happened. This is starting to feel less like natural story developments and more like contrivances to keep the plot, that should be heading into its last act by now, going on longer. Considering we already know the Metal Virus arc will last into the next year,  the 25th issue, that’s really what I’m expecting.

Another odd thing about issue 21 is that the art situation. I recently learned that Tracy Yardley will be taking an extended break from the “Sonic” books. This required a last minute artist change for this issue... Or artists change, I should say. Three people had to be brought in to make up for Yardley’s sudden absence. Archie vet Lamar Wells teams with someone named Reggie Graham to pencil the first ten pages. Wells and Graham do fine, though their work isn’t as kinetic as what we’ve gotten use to. The action is slightly stiffer and characters aren’t as expressive, with weirdly thick lines. Jennifer Hernandez handles most of the rest of the book, her work having slightly more personable faces. (Tails’ reaction to the Zombots getting into his workshop is funny.) Weirdly, two random pages — depicting Tails’ escape and the Tornado blowing up — are handled by Priscilla Tramontano, who has mostly done covers up to this point. Tramontano’s work is slightly looser than Hernandez or Wells but also a little more dynamic, which might be a fair trade-off.

So I think it’s fair to say the Metal Virus saga is officially in a rut now. Instead of exploring the horror and tension inherent in the zombie outbreak situation, Flynn has fallen back on repetitive plotting and action. With some questionable plotting decisions, issue 21 is maybe the weakest edition to the arc yet. [5/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Tangle & Whisper: Issue 2

Sonic the Hedgehog: Tangle & Whisper: Issue 2
Publication Date: September 4th, 2019

This seems par the course for “Sonic” comic books. Back in the Archie days, fans would often express disappointment or at least frustration with the main “Sonic” book. Meanwhile, “Sonic Universe” was almost always universally beloved. Even the arcs I thought were bad have some enthusiastic fans. Now that “Sonic” is at IDW, the situation seems similar. Fans have become increasingly impatient with the Zombot plot. Meanwhile, the same people are heaping love on “Tangle & Whisper.” It’s almost as if not having a clueless corporation put inane restrictions on your storytelling makes for a better read. Go figure! Let’s see if the spin-off mini-series remains as strong in its second issue.

The eponymous duo have perused shape-shifting villain Mimic to an old Eggman base. (Identifiable by Eggman’s insistence on slapping his face on everything.) The two know it’s a trap but head inside anyway, as Whisper is determined to stop this guy as soon as possible. Mimic’s shapeshifting makes him a tricky adversary to fight though. Soon, Tangle and Whisper both find themselves caught off-guard by the baddie. It soon becomes apparent that the grudge between the wolf and the chameleonic evil-doer is very personal indeed.

It’s official: I have grown from finding Tangle and Whisper’s night-and-day friendship cute to thinking it’s full-blown perfect. This mission really shows their difference. Tangle likes to rush in and do everything at once. Whisper prefers to take things more slowly. Ultimately, neither approach works real well. But that doesn’t matter because watching these two play off each other is delightful. The opening page has Tangle’s goofiness making Whisper wince. Yet, later, the two connect on a more personal level. Tangle is energetic, not clueless, and she recognizes when someone is in pain. She’ll listen and it’s clear that’s what Whisper needs most of all.

These characters are still relatively new too and this mini-series is allowing them to grow in a number of interesting ways. After getting tricked by Mimic, Tangle is shoved into a giant safe. She comes very close to freaking out, hinting that the lemur might be claustrophobic. Which certainly makes sense for someone so use to swinging around through the air. (And certainly makes more sense than, say, a pyrokinectic who can fly being afraid of heights.) But Whisper is the real grower this time. Yes, she was a part of the same mercenary team as Mimic. It’s clear that her team members were her friends and their death wounded her deeply. Moreover, this makes her especially unwilling to loose Tangle, her newest friend. While the moment where Whisper tries to push her away is easy to predict, it’s still pretty touching.

Most of the new villains introduced by IDW haven’t exactly blown me away. Most have struck me as blatant emulation of long-established “Sonic” characters. (Starline for Snively, Rough and Tumble for Scratch and Grounder.) Yet Mimic sure is making an impression already. Fittingly, this is a villain who delights in tricking people. He shows a truly venomous glee when pulling one over on our heroes. He’s also as capable of wounding people emotionally as physically. When Whisper has him pinned down, he assumes the form of her deceased friends and coldly makes the case that their deaths are Whisper’s fault. What an asshole! And what a good foil for someone as mentally fragile as Whisper. (Though I do wish Flynn hadn’t revealed Mimic’s true form — a cephalopod with that creepy doll face — so soon. That’s a mystery that might’ve been fun to stretch out a little more.)

As you’d expect from a story of a quiet wolf hunting a shapeshifter, “Tangle & Whisper: Issue 2” starts out with fairly low-key action sequences. Whisper is sneaking around the building while Tangle ignores her demand of stealth by leaping around wildly. I definitely should have seen it coming but Mimic tricks Tangle by disguising himself as Whisper. Like, I one hundred percent should have expected that. Yet, somehow, I was caught off-guard by this either because Flynn successfully drew me in with the character’s interpersonal drama, misdirected me by suggesting Jewel would be Mimic’s main disguise, or I’m just having an especially off day. Either way, it’s a good swerve.

Flynn then throws away this subtlety by packing the back half of the issue with explosions and a giant robot. Yes, Mimic throws a giant robot at Whisper before exploding the compound with a bunch of bombs. Only the implementation of the same safe Tangle was locked in waves the heroes from the blast, a clever deployment of Chehkov’s Rule that I also should’ve seen coming. These theatrics strike me as largely unnecessary. I guess Ian figured he had to throw in a Badnik so people would remember this is a “Sonic” book. I guess seven-to-ten year old boys are still the target audience for these comics, even if every “Sonic” reader I know is in their twenties or thirties, so we’ve gotta get some booms and crashes in here.

Still, it’s a minor issue with what is otherwise a pretty good comic book. The artwork is good too, Evan Stanley continuing to do a fine job showing these characters emotions and personalities. I also like the peeks we get at Whisper’s deceased teammates — a shiny cat, a lion who ties his mane into a beard, and what’s either a gecko or a green monkey — and it looks like we’ll see more of them next time. While declaring it overall better than the main IDW “Sonic” title might be a bit premature, “Tangle & Whisper” has definitely had two good first issues. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 20

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 20
Publication Date: August 28, 2019

I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again, at least as long as I keep reviewing comics written by Ian Flynn: Flynn likes his fight scenes, his match-ups. This is perhaps a wider symptom of the entire “Sonic” fandom. After all, the early days of the Archie “Sonic” series was frequently about finding new excuses for Sonic and Knuckles to wail on each other. Those comics were fun in their own way because they were all about those fights. Flynn, however, tends to stick his fisticuffs in the middle of on-going story arcs, where we have things we care about slightly more than watching Sonic and Shadow duke it out again. And so it comes to pass that he does the exact same shit with this year’s Metal Virus saga, with Sonic and Zombot Shadow getting issue 20’s cover.

“Crisis City Part Two” picks up with Sunset City still in the grips of the Zombot invasion. While Rouge and the Resistance tries to get the uninflected safely out of the city, Sonic and Omega fights off the ever-encroaching Zombot tide. This is made all the more dangerous now that Shadow is infected and leading the horde. Sonic only makes it out, right before his own infection takes over, thanks to Silver and Tails intervening. Back at Restoration HQ, Tails searches for a cure while the situation feels more and more hopeless. Meanwhile, aboard Eggman’s Faceship, Dr. Starlight makes plans of his own.

As I’ve come to expect by now, Sonic and Shadow’s fight is among the least interesting thing about this comic despite ostensibly being the marquee attraction. It’s not like we’ve never seen these two punch it out before. You’d think Shadow being a zombie now would add some novelty to the fight. While the so-called ultimate lifeform is perhaps more brutal than usual, he lacks his cunning and various superpowers. So it just comes down to some punchy-punchy between friends. At least the fight scene features some acrobatic flips, kicks and grapples. I’m willing to give Jack Lawrence credit for that, as Flynn’s previous fights were rarely martial arts based.

Luckily, Flynn doesn’t devote the entire issue to this repetitive combat. After Silver swoops in and saves the day — you’d think his ability to psychically heft whole crowds of people out of the way would’ve come in handy before now — Flynn slows things down. As Sonic enters Restoration HQ, we get a sense of how this recent upheaval has affected people. A powerful sequence involves Amy loosing contact with a military unit over her headset, we readers only seeing her panicked reaction. Clearly, the situation is weighing on the usually upbeat Amy Rose. (Honestly, one of the best things Flynn has done at IDW is make Amy Rose, Sonic’s one-note fangirl, into the totally credible leader of the good guys.) When Sonic mentions to Rouge that Shadow didn’t make it out of Sunset City, we get a solitary panel of the bat grimacing to herself before returning to her typical bravado. It’s nice moments like this that show us these characters have emotions and souls. And that a zombie apocalypse, even one with less gut-munching than usual, would absolutely try that.

Sonic himself feels that strain too. In fact, his condition is preventing Sonic from sleeping, adding to his distress. It’s an increasingly hopeless situation... Which Flynn can only maintain for so long. The issue wraps up with Tails suggesting Sonic’s speed might provide a cure to the Virus. As if the writer is too afraid to let stuff get naturally dark without reminding us that, unlike most zombies scenarios, this one can be reversed. That focus on keeping the story moving forward continues with the final scene, which suggests Starline is going to seek out the technokinectic Deadly Six to help take control of the Zombot horde. That’s a reasonable plot turn — and I continue to be interested in Starline’s inevitable betrayal of his mentor — but I wish Flynn let us simmer in despair a little longer. I guess I shouldn’t expect that of a children’s comic.

A much better relief from the existential dread of zombies taking over the world is goofy robots. Omega continues to be a source of amusing humor. The giant kill-bot’s commitment to destroying anything Eggman has touched leads to him bluntly dismissing Sonic and the other’s concerns. Though the temptation to add another high-profile casualty must’ve been overwhelming, Flynn has Omega survive being torn apart by Zombots... Probably because the homicidal robot being reduced to just a head and forced to interact with Tails was too good a chance for dry sass. There’s also a mildly funny interaction between Sonic and Gemerl, that gives the former Dad-Bot some personality.

A one more thing stuck out to me about this issue. After arriving at Restoration HQ, Sonic is greeted by Cream. The little rabbit is as upset about what’s happening as everyone else, and is having nightmares about her Chao friends. Yet, because this comic is determined to make Cream a paragon of wholesomeness, she’s staying upbeat for the refugees... That’s right, the Restoration is housing refugees from the various cities claimed by the Zombot outbreak. And I’m probably reading too much into things but Ian Flynn writing an explicitly pro-refugee comic book in summer of 2019 seems significant. I’m sure Flynn will deny any political slant about this plot point when I bother him on Twitter about it later tonight.

The Metal Virus crisis continues to drag a little. I still feel like the plot is stagnating, instead of moving forward. However, I definitely prefer emotional issues like this over action-heavy ones like last time. Hopefully, the story arc will find more of a balance between these two options soon enough. [6.5/10]