Knuckles the Echidna: Issue 31

Knuckles the Echidna: Issue 31
Publication Date: October 1999

The “King of the Hill” story arc continues with its second chapter, “The Thrill of the Hunt.” Knuckles and Monk are cornered by an Overlander calling himself Hunter. He captures Monk and talks Knuckles into coming back to his lair with him. As his name suggests, Hunter likes to pursue the most dangerous game. Knux and Monk are his next targets. Outfitted with shock collars, the two enemies are forced together to defeat their captor. Meanwhile, Locke and Archimedes try to get to the bottom of this.

Last issue, I referred to Hunter as an uninspired riff on Kraven the Hunter, a well established Spider-Man villain. There’s little doubt in my mind that Ken was ripping off Marvel, as Hunter has similar facial hair and clothes to Kraven. Yet the character’s lack of originality runs deeper. “King of the Hill” also rips off “The Most Dangerous Game,” a piece of well-trotted literary ground. Hunter has a large manservant, a detail-lacking robot called Aryu-One-Two. He considers hunting living beings a sport. While inside the lair, Knuckles discovers a series of mounted Mobian heads. (Pollo the Bear, from “SatAM,” appears to be among them.) This grisly scene is taken directly from the 1932 film version of “The Most Dangerous Game.” Ken’s not done paying “homage” to his influences. Hunter also, at one point, fires a grey version of Scaramanga’s Golden Gun.

This standard “Hunting Humans Mobians” story line is also mashed up with a standard “Enemies Forced to Work Together” story line. Monk’s bravado immediately has him stunned by Hunter. After the villain laboriously explains his modus operadi, Knuckles and Monk are tossed out into the Floating Island. As you’d expect, the two have to work together in order to survive. Hunter outfits both Mobians with shock collars, so they’ll cooperate. I’d assume Ken ripped this off from “Battle Royale” but the movie wouldn’t come out until the next year. (Oh yeah, Hunter also threatens Julie-Su. You know, that character you’d much rather be reading about.) However, Monk is still such a thin sketch of a character. He spends the majority of this issue unconscious. There’s no dynamic between the gorilla and Knuckles, meaning their force partnership lacks tension.

Because it’s impossible for Penders to write a “Knuckles” comic without forcing in the Brotherhood of Guardians, Locke appears in the story too. Inside Haven, Thunderhawk and Sabre notices that something has disrupted their signals. This is the work of Hunter, which the reader can figure out immediately. Locke and Archimedes, meanwhile, have to investigate further. I don’t know what business Locke and Archy have in this story. I’m assuming they’ll eventually save Knuckles’ ass? Otherwise, their presence drags down the pacing of a story that is already moving at a snail’s pace.

“King of the Hill” having a lame concept, weak execution, and introducing unneeded new characters isn’t enough. The story has to look like shit too. Ken’s pencils aren’t just ugly and lifeless. They’re often incoherent. An early scene has Hunter stunning Monk and I have no idea what happens in those panel. The faces of Monk, Knuckles, Archimedes, and Locke manage to be simultaneously stiff and unpleasantly stretched out. Ken flat-out does not know how to draw guns, as Hunter’s firearms often look like weird tube devices. Lastly, Hunter, Monk, and Aryu-One-Two have deeply unappealing designs. Penders makes no attempt to adapt them to the Sega/Archie house style. They do not look like they belong to this world. Ken’s writing skills may be debatable but his drawing skills are undeniably lacking.

The back-up story to “Thrill of the Hunter” is equally uninspiring. “The Best of Friends” continues Espio’s conflict with the now robotocized Valdez. The mechanical chameleon explains how he became captured by Robotnik. The dictator has sent the Robian to the Floating Island to locate Knuckles and the Master Emerald. When Espio fails to cooperate, Valdez robotocizes Liza, the female chameleon that is both men’s object of desire.

If the subplot involving the Brotherhood strips the cover story of any forward momentum, the back-up story screeches to a halt because of Valdez’ lengthy flashback. Did we really need to see the extended scenes of Robotnik capturing him, robotocizing him, and further programming him? Couldn’t that have been handled in a few panels, instead of two pages? Liza’s fate could have grafted the story an emotional heart. We discover that Valdez and Espio are both rivals for Liza’s affections. That she was working with the now robotic lizard in hopes that Espio could reach him. However, we just met this character last month. We know nothing about her. I do not care that she’s being turned into a robot. Add in Colleen Doran’s lifeless, ugly illustrations and you’ve got another dud.

I continue to wish that “Knuckles” got the axe three issues earlier. “King of the Hill” remains an uninspired story arc with a mountain of problems. Somehow, I don’t expect things to turn around in the last volume. [4/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 78

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 78
Publication Date: October 1999

The cover art of issue 78 of Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” certainly brings back some memories. The issue is the first to use the newly redesigned “Sonic” logo, which the book retains to this day. Secondly, a blurb on the cover assures readers that their subscription is Y2K compatible, back when the world was terrified calendars switching over would bring about the computer apocalypse. Moreover, the cover gives me a waft of nostalgia because it features a number of characters mostly exclusive to this era of Sonic. Even if the reboot hadn’t happen, I kind of doubt that Dr. Quack and his kids would be featured on a cover today.

The cover story, “Changes,” is another more low-key effort from Karl Bollers. With most of the free Mobians relocated, King Acorn officially designates Knothole Village as the new center of the Kingdom. He also knights Sonic and recommissions the Freedom Fighters, now that freedom must be fought for again. Despite these changes, Sonic and friends are troubled by the losses they still feel. Meanwhile, Dr. Robotnik makes movements on his next master plan.

“Changes,” which I feel compelled to sing as “Cha-Cha-Changes,” continues Bollers’ efforts to make King Max less of a dick hole. By knighting Sonic and recognizing that the world needs the Freedom Fighters again, he essentially recognizes that the kids were right along. That’s right, it only took the reemergence of their greatest enemy for King Acorn to actually respect the heroes. I know the King will be acting like an asshole again before too long but it’s nice to see some positive developments in his personality, even if it’s temporary. Sonic becoming a Sir also provides some humor to the proceedings. It even forces Geoffrey St. John to acknowledge the accomplishments of his long term rival.

“Changes” is a story without any big conflict or action beats. Instead, it’s a story focused almost exclusively on characters. Uncle Chuck’s recent abduction by Robotnik continues to weigh heavily on Sonic’s mind. Despite being knighted and reunited with his parents, Chuck’s loss makes our hedgehog hero feel like a failure. He’s not the only Freedom Fighter feeling some parental angst. Antoine’s own father remains a robotocized member of Robotnik’s army. The comic smartly contrasts Antoine’s childhood memories of his father with his dad’s current state. Lastly, Elias continues to worry about his mother, who remains comatose, and his future responsibility as King. Compared to Sonic and Antione’s very real problems, Elias’ concerns seem far pettier.

For that matter, kids missing their parents is the primary emotional heart of this story. When yous top and think about it, a startling number of Freedom Fighters are orphans. As the former residents of Mobotropolis move back into Knothole, the newly introduced Mina feels sorry for herself, since her mom was left behind. That’s when a stray run-in with Rosie – who I don’t think we’ve seen since issue 54 – has Mina shepherding a trio of orphans around. The comic wouldn’t know what to do with Mina for years, eventually making her yet another love interest for Sonic before she found her calling as a pop star. However, this scene at least shows her as a good kid with a kind heart. It’s certainly more touching then the moments devoted to Nate Morgan. Morgan moves into Uncle Chuck’s old laboratory. I doubt he intended it this way but it looks like Bollers has replaced a beloved, established character with his own, far more contentious creation.

While the story turns its attention towards the characters in Knothole, Robotnik is still planning for the next story arc. In a handful of panels, we see the robotic dictator planning ominous, wicked things. (He’s also still doing that creepy thing with his arm.) These scenes are, of course, setting up the “Sonic Adventure” adaptation, which would begin next month. We also get another scene of a shuttle traveling through space, headed towards Mobius. If I remember correctly, that’s a story element that wouldn’t be resolved for quite a bit longer. I can’t blame Karl for planning ahead but these scenes feel like unnecessary distractions from the main story.

Speaking of unnecessary distractions! In the back pages, Ken has continued to belabor the “Tales of the Great War” story line. Jules and Bernie continue to tell their story around the camp fire to the younger Freedom Fighters. We see Jules become the first victim of the Robotocizer, Uncle Chuck immediately regretting his invention. Meanwhile, the Mobians win the Great War after King Acorn defeats the Overlander leader in a duel. This, however, is just a prelude to Robotnik’s takeover of the city.

As I mentioned last time, the “Tales of the Great War” story line was interesting as long as it was chronicling rarely explored bits of the backstory. Now, Ken has more-or-less caught up with himself. There’s little room left to be filled in but he’s continuing anyways. We now see, in detail, how Jules became a robot and how Charles became a chili dog stand owner. About the only new piece of information here is how King Acorn won the war. It’s a fairly useless story, hampered by some of Ken’s most melodramatic dialogue in a while. Chris Allan’s artwork has improved slightly but still seems far too cartoonish and loose for this story.

James Fry’s pencils for the main story are fine, by the way. “Changes” doesn’t match Bollers’ previous high water mark, issue 54’s “Running to Stand Still,” but it’s in a similar mold. As mentioned many times before, Bollers’ best work wasn’t his action and plot heavy story. Instead, his writing shined when turned towards the more personal moments. [7/10]

Sonic Super Special: Issue 11 – Girls Rule!

Sonic Super Special: Issue 11 – Girls Rule!
Publication Date: October 1999

Here in 2016, the big comic companies have gone out of their way to introduce new major female characters or slot other women into more prominent roles. You wouldn’t think anyone would have a problem with simple inclusions like this… Actually, if you do think that, welcome to the internet! I’m very flattered you chose to visit my blog first.

Anyway, by 1999, Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” series had amassed a decent sized female cast. The company had even already attempted a woman-led series, with the ill-fated “Princess Sally” mini-series. For the eleventh Sonic Super Special, Archie decided to try out a similar tactic. All five stories featured in the issue revolved around the women in Sonic and Knuckles’ lives. (No, Amy Rose isn’t featured. The comic wouldn’t give her a bigger role for a few more issues.)

The first story revolves around Sally, still the most important lady in the comic at this point. “Ascension,” set before Robotnik’s reemergence and subsequent take-over of Mobotropolis, has Sally facing her destiny as future monarch of Mobius. She crawls into the Source of All, that weird golden pool in the basement of Castle Acorn. A direct conduit with the forces behind the universe, the Source shows Sally visions of her past and her future. Afterwards, it’s her decision to accept her fate or not.

Every story in Sonic Super Special Issue 11 was written by Ken Penders. By giving Ken so many pages to express himself, we get the full run of his talents and flaws as a writer. In “Ascension,” for example, we see the Penders obsessed with self-involved mythology and cosmic malarkey. The Source of All is an especially dopey plot element I’ve never liked. Literally making the House of Acorn divinely attuned seemed like a heavy-handed attempt to justify why an advanced civilization like Mobius still has a monarchy.

Having Sally directly interact with the Source doesn’t make it seem any less pushy. It shows the Princess her past, appears as her father and brother, before showing her a glimpse of the future. That is, the same future first introduced in “Sonic: In Your Face,” where Sally and Sonic are married with kids. What purpose this has on the wider story – beyond setting up the “Mobius: 20 Years Later” story Ken had been wanting to tell – I don’t know.

Somehow, this all amounts to the Source hoping Sally becomes Queen. She decides to ignore the comics puddle and follow her own path… Which was what she wanted to do all along. So what was the point of this journey again? At least “Ascension” isn’t too visually unpleasant a story. Jim Valentino, after drawing some seriously ugly stories for Archie, finally seems to grasp these characters. Sally, who spends the whole story in the quote-unquote “nude,” is mostly on-model. The use of shadows and lightning are fairly evocative. Some of the effects are cheesy and Valentino’s work is occasionally rather flat. Still, it’s easily his best work for Archie so far.

The second story, “Solo,” revolves around Hershey the Cat. Geoffrey St. John and Hershey sneak into Robotnik’s compound. While St. John is on the look-out, Hershey investigates Eggman’s computer. After discovering that her former teammate Valdez has been robotocized, as revealed in Issue 30 of “Knuckles,” she sneaks out and sets off an explosion.

Ken also draws “Solo.” While I’ve said lots of shit about Penders’ artistic abilities, “Solo” actually doesn’t look too bad. It’s a story devoted to stealth and investigation, which means there’s none of Ken’s static action. Robotnik’s new design looks fairly awkward and Hershey’s proportions are often off-center. Still, it’s definitely one of his better illustrations. As for the story, there’s not much to it. Hershey, hardly the most loved female Freedom Fighter, hasn’t had much development since her introduction in “Endgame.” At least she actually shows some confidence in this one, managing to go the whole story without being betrayed or screwing up. (Though St. John still needs to help her.) It’s a pretty forgettable story but not terrible or anything.

The third story, “Family,” centers around Lupe and the Wolf Pack. The wolves return to their home town, to find it wrecked by the new Robotnik’s forces. Soon, the wolves are taken hostage by a team of Robians led by a still brain-washed Uncle Chuck. After robotocizing Lupe’s children and one of her teammates, Lupe herself is ushered into the robotocizing tube. With her last ounce of free will, she clears the way so the rest of the Wolf Pack can escape.

“Family” should be an upsetting story. Uncle Chuck acts out-right evil in it, making cruel and sadistic statements on the behalf of his new master, Robotnik. Lastly, the story concludes with Lupe effectively being killed off. As a character that dates back to the SatAM series, Lupe’s exit from the series shouldn’t have been made lightly. And “Family” does feature some effective, powerful moments. Lupe’s response to seeing her kids roboticize is anguished rage. Yet Lupe, a born leader, is also pragmatic, always thinking of ways out of this situation. Even after being turned into a robot, her force of will is so strong that she can hold off the process’ mind control for several minutes, allowing the rest of her family to escape.

All of these events should impact readers greatly. There’s a few problems though. First off, “Family” takes up only six pages, which is hardly enough space to properly explore the emotions at play here. The perhaps bigger problem is that Lupe and the Wolf Pack, as they exist in the comic, haven’t gotten much character development. Though Lupe is a character we’re attached to, because of the cartoon, her comic counterpart has never been well utilized. Ultimately, “Family” is well intentioned but underdeveloped. Colleen Doreen is officially credited with the pencils but I suspect Art Mawhinney performed some uncredited clean up. Several panels closely resemble his work, which is quite different from Doreen’s other art we’ve seen.

Fourth in the book is “Upgrade,” revolving around Bunnie Rabbot. While working outside in Knothole Village, Bunnie collapses. Dr. Quack quickly checks on her. He deduces that her biological body parts and mechanical robot parts are in conflict with each other. The two components are rejecting one another. Her options are limited. Her choice is a risky de-robotocization process or upgrading her parts, preventing her from ever being wholly organic again. During this difficult time, Bunnie and Antoine comfort each other.

“Upgrade” reaches the emotion that “Family” couldn’t quite grasp. Unlike Lupe, Bunnie has been thoroughly developed as a character. This is a story totally focused on characters. Bunnie is frightened by the possibility that she might loose her abilities and usefulness to the team. Or she most face the fact that she’ll never be wholly organic again. Ultimately, the heart-to-heart with Antoine is the climax of the story. He lets her known that he’ll always love her, no matter what. It’s a really sweet moment.

And one slightly undermined by the story’s conclusion, where Bunnie happily accepts her sleek, new robotic parts. For such an emotional tale, a conclusion this gung-ho strikes the reader as slightly insincere. Still, “Upgrade” is definitely the stand-out story in this collection. (James Fry’s artwork, by the way, is serviceable, if a little too loose.)

The last tale here focuses on Julie-Su, Knuckles’ much beloved but often sidelined girlfriend. “Shadows” has Julie-Su exploring her past. After riding her bitchin’ hover bike back to the Dark Legion base, destroyed all the way back in issue 3 of “Knuckles the Echidna,” she encounters a man who claims to have raised her. What follows is an extended flashback, detailing Julie-Su’s origins and her time in the Dark Legion.

“Shadows” is, if nothing else, gorgeous to look at. It’s one of the all too few times Patrick Spaziante actually drew a whole story. In his style, Julie-Su’s grace and badassery is fully illustrated. Such as the scenes devoted to her exploring the broken down base, weapon drawn. Spaz’ work is, of course, insanely detailed. Every nook and cranny of the destroyed base is shown in vivid, rich detail. The few action beats in the story are brought to life brilliantly, leaping off the page. Framing the flashbacks in pink neon lines makes the story easier to follow too.

“Shadows” looks great but I wish its script was better. The story is designed to fill in Julie-Su’s back story. The best sequence is devoted to her own recollections as a Legionnaire, as she reflects on the militaristic routine she lived through and the cruel treatment from her superiors. Once Julie-Su encounters the elderly echidna Simon, he totally takes over the story. Penders enters full-on exposition mode. We learn that Julie-Su is the half-sister of Kragok and Lien-Da, the off-spring of former Dark Legion leader Luger. Following both of her parents’ deaths, Julie-Su had her memory wiped by her half-brother. (This event perhaps explains Julie-Su’s sometimes inconsistent motivations. It’s also lazy, another example of a Penders’ protagonist being manipulated by other, grander forces.)

In other words, Ken falls back on his awful habit of telling, instead of showing. He shovels a crap ton of character information on us, loosing the emotional bead of Julie-Su learning about her past and being reunited with her foster parents. Her reunion with her foster mom, by the way, happens entirely off-panel. The story ends before she can meet her again. I really wish Ken could’ve expanded “Shadows” into a story arc in “Knuckles,” allowing more room for the emotional aspects and letting the flashbacks play out in a more natural fashion. But, no, we had to get that storyline about Knuckles fighting a gorilla instead.

By packing five stories into 48 pages, the “Girls Rule!” special becomes especially uneven. “Upgrade” is very nearly a classic while “Family” and “Shadows” both have good moments, even if they overall fall short. “Solo” and “Ascension” mostly exist to tell us things we already knew. Still, a female focused quarterly is an idea I really like conceptually. If Archie was still doing mini-series in 1999, it could’ve easily broken these five stories up into individual books, which would’ve solved some of their problems. As it is, Sonic Super Special Issue 11 is still a solid read. All the stories are compromised but the parts are greater then the whole. [7/10]

WHY DO I OWN THIS?: Sonic Christmas Blast (1996)

(What with the holidays coming up this weekend, dear Hedgehogs Can't Swim readers, I'm going a little easy on today's update. Over at my movie review blog, I have a re-occuring feature called "Why Do I Own This?," dedicated to figuring out why I own so many terrible movies. Last December, I reviewed the Sonic Christmas special. I've decided to post that review here, in honor of the upcoming holiday. This review was written for readers not well-versed in "Sonic" lore, so it's a little different then my usual work here. Regular updates will resume on Monday. Merry Christmas and happy Hanukkah.)

Over here at Film Thoughts, my on-going devotion to Sonic the Hedgehog doesn’t come up much. Back in the nineties, there was a brief period when the Sega Genesis and its blue dude with ‘tude actually outpaced Nintendo and Mario in popularity. That period in time was short-lived. Though Sonic’s made some in-roads here of late, thanks to a sort-of well liked cartoon and shake-ups with the comic book, fans of the blue hedgehog are still looked down upon in most corners of the interwebs. But maybe I’m getting ahead of myself. Back in 1996, Sonic was still somewhat popular. Looking to cash in on that popularity, and playing off both of the cartoons that where still relatively fresh in the kids’ minds, a Christmas special was created. Yes, “Sonic Christmas Blast” exists and it’s bad. So why do I own it?

The folks on Sonic’s home world are shaken, especially the kids, when Santa Claus announces to the masses that he’s retiring. As his replacement, he’s nominated Dr. Robotnik. The obese mad scientist wildly abuses his new power as Robotnik Claus. He forces children to give him gifts and punish those who do not. Naturally, this is all a scheme by the villain. The real Santa is imprisoned. When Sonic the Hedgehog gets whiff of his arch-enemy’s latest ploy, he races into action to set things right. Oh, also there’s a magic ring and not the usual kind of magic rings either.

There were two Sonic the Hedgehog cartoons in the nineties, both of which aired simultaneously. The Saturday morning cartoon, simply known as “Sonic the Hedgehog” but referred to by fans as “SatAM,” remains well regarded for its serious writing, grim setting, and ensemble cast. The daily “Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog,” meanwhile, was goofy as shit. “Sonic Christmas Blast” is, naturally, set in the latter’s world. (Sort of. More on that in a minute.) Therefore, the Christmas special is chockablock of low brow, utterly inane slapstick humor. While dressed as Santa Claus, Robotnik’s gut shows. His henchmen, Scratch and Grounder, attempt to crush Sonic. All they do is reveal there’s boss’ plot because they’re idiots. Afterwards, Sonic dresses up as another character to dispose of them. This is just the tip of the moronic iceberg that is “Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.” Befitting that series’ style, the animation is incredibly loose, lacking in detail and structure.

Weirdly, despite featuring lots of misbegotten humor, “Sonic Christmas Blast” actually isn’t as focused on dumb jokes as you’d expect. The Christmas special, even with only a thirty minute run time, attempts to squeeze in a real plot. Sonic rescues Santa Claus from Robotnik’s Arctic prison. For reasons I can’t remember now, Santa has Sonic perform a series of test in order to determine his worthiness. All of this is blatantly setting up the special’s last act. Santa is safe but there’s still not enough time to save Christmas. “Gee,” the special makes its viewer wonder, “I wish there was a character with super speed near-by!” Yes, using a plot device handed to him by his love interest earlier in the special, Sonic zips around the world, delivering presents and humiliating Robontik. Christmas is saved, you guys. Hoo-ray for Sonic Claus.

About the only reason “Sonic Christmas Blast” is of interest to obsessive-compulsive Sonic nerds like me is because it weirdly blends elements from the different cartoons. Like I said, the special is seemingly set in the world of “Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog,” due to its setting, character designs, and generally ridiculous tone. Yet there are weird remnants from the Saturday morning series. Sonic and Tails refer to a battalion of Robotnik’s robots as “SWATBots,” a concept exclusive to that series. Most importantly, Princess Sally appears in the special. Hilariously, she has no spoken dialogue. When she has an opportunity to talk, Sonic instead buries her in a pile of gifts. She does not factor into the finale. What, Kath Soucie wasn’t available? I’m sure this is reading like Chinese to most of you. To people familiar with Sonic the Hedgehog and its bizarre tangle of continuities, you’ll appreciate how weird and dumb this all is.

Why Do I Own This?: Okay, so “Sonic Christmas Blast” isn’t good. Obviously. I didn’t even have to watch it to tell you that. An animated special whose premise boils down to “Sonic saves Christmas!” was never going to be good. Despite that, there’s a very simple reason why I own this. It’s Sonic, you guys. Truthfully, a Sonic Christmas special is such a bizarre, dumb concept that there was no way I wouldn’t own it. Occasionally, I inflict it on friends at parties which, you know, has made me very popular. Oddities like this, regardless of quality, are one of the reasons I adore this character and his stupid universe. [4/10]

Knuckles the Echidna: Issue 30

Knuckles the Echidna: Issue 30
Publication Date: September 1999

The “Knuckles the Echidna” series would be over before the end of 1999, the comic wrapping up with a modest two-year-and-change run. I don’t know if the series’ cancellation was due to poor sales or industrial shifts inside Archie. Considering the “Sonic” suite of books would soon to be clipped down to just one, I suspect the latter is true. If “Knuckles” had ended three or four issues sooner, it would’ve wrapped up with low key, personal stories. Issue 29 or “The First Date” story arc would’ve been a good note to go out on. But the somewhat misguided love child of Sega and Ken Penders instead had to limp on for one more story arc.

The “King of the Hill” three-parter begins with a bizarre ape-like creature climbing aboard the Floating Island, after seemingly lassoing part of the island. This is Monk, a gorilla who used to bully Knuckles when both were younger. Monk’s abuse got him exiled from the island by the Brotherhood. Now, he’s back for revenge. Soon enough, Knuckles and his former tormentor are fighting again. Meanwhile, a mysterious and armed Overlander has also set his sights on the Guardian.

Throughout the “Knuckles” series, how often Ken Penders would indulge his Penders-ness would vary from issue to issue. Usually, the Brotherhood of Guardians and their treatment of Knuckles were the outlet for his worst tendencies. Issue 30’s cover story, “Bad to the Bone,” instead focuses on some of Penders’ other annoying quirks. The story is filled with bizarre pop culture references. Upon reaching the Island, Monk quotes “White Heat.” For some fucking reason, a whole page is devoted to Knuckles reading “2001: A Space Odyssey.” And not an echidna version either but the original book. (The same page also references Ken’s “The Lost Ones,” because of course it does.) Though only briefly glimpsed in this issue, the story arc’s main villain is a thinly veiled rip off of Kraven the Hunter. There’s also some heavy handed anti-gun imagery. It’s incredibly distracting and often annoying.

The “King of the Hill” story arc seems written to expand Knuckles’ rogue gallery. While Hunter would be focused on soon enough, Issue 30 is mostly devoted to introducing Monk. The character does not make an especially compelling entrance. The character is supposed to be a gorilla but he looks more like a purple Bigfoot. He also wears one of those sumo wrestler loincloths, which is deeply unflattering. The character has been holding an incredibly petty grudge for a decade, making him seem even more uninteresting. By the time the two meet again, Monk is so clearly out of Knuckles’ league, he seems more like a minor annoyance to the echidna then a great villain.

A part of me suspects that a heavy-handed moral about bullying is where this storyline is headed. The flashback shows a hopelessly naïve Knuckles playing with a yo-yo. Monk then steals the yo-yo, gives Knuckles a homoerotic bear hug, and tosses him from a tree. Presumably, this was not the only incident where Monk bullied Knuckles. If it is, that makes the following seem like even more of an overreaction. Because Knuckles has always had his secret granddads there to bail his ass out, the Brotherhood of the Guardians ejected Monk from the Floating Island. And not like with robots. Personally. They dressed up like Satanists, picked the gorilla up, and threw him off the Island. In other words, the bullied victim never even had a chance to stand up to his bully!

The script is pretty shitty but the artwork is much, much worst. Ken Penders provides his own pencils. Issue 30 makes a good case for why that happened so rarely. The opening pages are awkwardly constructed, seemingly showing Hunter kissing his rifle before stiffly firing it. Ken’s handle on action has only gotten worst. Monk’s climb aboard the Island features many hideous angles. Characters’ faces freeze in bizarre expression. Despite the gratuitous speed lines, the panels are utterly lifeless, lacking any sense of motion or movement. Ken has a faulty understanding of proportion, as Knuckles and his opponent frequently shift size. Lastly, Monk is just an ass ugly design. He doesn’t look like he belongs in this book.

At least Ken didn’t draw the back-up story. “Hiding in Plain Sight” stars Espio the Chameleon. After introducing Julie-Su to newly minted Chaotix Ray the Squirrel, Espio rides into a group of chameleon. An older chameleon collapses, causing Julie-Su to carry him to safety. Espio, meanwhile, is led by his former friends into an ambush. Valdez the Chameleon has been robotocized and is seemingly leading a Robotnik-sanctioned invasion of Rainbow Valley.

“Hiding in Plain Sight” is, sadly, not much of an improvement over the cover story. The opening pages make it seem like more of a Julie-Su story. The introduction of Ray is strictly a formality, as it has nothing to do with the rest of the story. The old and injured chameleon popping out of nowhere borders on the comedic. The ending reveal that Valdez has been roboticized annoys me. Ken hadn’t used the character in a while so, instead of developing him further, he just decided to turn him into a robot. That’s lazy and sloppy. (The story also features one of those stupid not-horse creatures.)

New-comer Colleen Doran’s pencils are not much better then Ken’s. Characters often go off-model, with the length of limbs or sizes of heads shifting from panel to panel. Julie-Su’s hair constantly changes. Ray the Squirrel looks like pasted-in Sega clip art. The backgrounds are all uninspired jungle scenes. At least none of the new characters are as grossly unappealing as Monk. They’re just indistinct.

Neither story line in issue 30 is very promising. Why do I have this sinking sensation that the “Knuckles” book is going to end on a whimper rather then a bang? [4/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 77

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 77
Publication Date: September 1999

By this point in the history of Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” series, the comic was thoroughly serialized. Issue 77 follows up immediately where the last book left off. However, while the previous month’s offering was action-packed, September of 1999’s release is a more character focused story.

“Rebel Without a Pause” – another referential and punny Karl Bollers’ title – begins with the Freedom Fighters returning to Knothole Village. Except for Sonic and Sally. Tails, Bunnie, and Antoine fear the worst has happened. Luckily, Sonic and Sally escape a Shadow-Bot ambush with Dulcy’s help. Upon returning to Knothole, the Princess and the Hedgehog both have a more personal encounter with King Acorn.

I have two minds about the Freedom Fighters returning to Knothole. On one hand, it’s disappointing to see the series backslide after “Endgame’s” conclusion. Seeing Sonic and friends take back Mobotropolis after fighting for it for so many years was worthwhile. On the other hand, I’m a bit of a traditional when it comes to “Sonic.” Seeing the Freedom Fighters operating out of the forest, entering Knothole through a hidden slide, and converging inside grass huts hits a sweet spot for me. Yeah, they’re hiding from a mad dictator but there’s still something homey about being back in Knothole.

The action beats in “Rebel Without a Pause” are fairly minor. Sonic, Sally, and Mina (along with a furry patterned after “Tenchi Muyo’s” Aeka) travel the desert between Robotropolis and the Great Forest… Which is a thing I guess exist. Sonic and Sally share some cute dialogue, both showing that they care for the other, before the robots show up. Dulcy saving the day is only sort of a cheat. After all, we saw her fairly recently, back in 74. Mostly, I like that Karl Bollers is remembering that Dulcy is still around. It’s good to see the comic dipping into its extensive cast.

“Rebel Without a Pause” is a fairly brief story but it does feature one very satisfying moment. After Sonic and Sally return to Knothole, both are expecting a stern lecture from King Acorn. Instead, the King is just happy Sally is alive. When talking to Sonic, the King points out all the times the hedgehog has directly disobeyed his orders… And then congratulates him for getting the job done anyway. Even after being freed of Ixis Naugus’ negative influence, King Acorn has spent way too much time being a prick recently. To see him see past petty bullshit and actually appreciate the heroes for what they accomplish is way overdo. Sadly, the King’s characterization would continue to shift between these two extremes for quite some time.

“Rebel Without a Pause” is a pretty solid story. Except for its bizarre interlude, which is literally referred to as an “interlude.” Two whole pages are devoted to Robotnik continuing his quest for the location of Knothole Village, while still suffering from the virus Snively infected him with last time. Meanwhile, a one-page spread is devoted to a space ship flying towards Mobius. It’s been so long since I read this section of the comic’s history that I do not remember where this particular plot thread is headed. Even if I did, it still breaks up the flow of an otherwise decent story.

Even though the main storyline is featuring lots of change, Ken Penders is still finding time for his “Tales of the Great War” back-up feature. At night, Amy Rose and friends gather around a camp fire. Jules and Bernie regale them of a story from the Great War. This time, they talk about Bernie, Chuck, and Jules heading out on a secret mission. Jules is injured by an Overlander and his situation looks grim. That is until Uncle Chuck considering using a risky new technology to save his brother’s life.

In other words, this entire seven page story is devoted to foreshadowing Jules being robotocized. Which, you’ll notice, is something we all ready know about. Instead of using the “Tales of the Great War” stories to fill in Mobius’ distant past, Penders has reached the more recent past. We already know that Uncle Chuck invented the robotocizer, that it had the unforeseen side-effect of sapping people’s free will, that Julian “Soon To be Robotnik” Kintobor would use it as a tool of suppression. Penders is re-trending old ground.

He’s also gratuitously extending the page count. We get unneeded panels devoted to Bernie blasting an attacking Overlander or Rotor’s dad driving a weird vehicle through the forest. The last page shows Robotnik’s schemeing more and more to overthrow King Acorn, something that has been repeatedly foreshadowed. It’s all unneeded at this point. Exploring the origins of the war was interesting but now “Tales of the Great War” has seemingly outlived its usefulness.

James Fry’s pencils on the cover story are solid, though his overly anime-esque artwork will still take some getting use to. Chris Allan draws the back-up story. While his pencils are getting slightly better, he still draws the Mobians like “Tiny Toon Adventures” cast members. The back-up story is weak but the cover story is strong, making issue 77 worth reading. [7/10]

Knuckles the Echidna: Issue 29

Knuckles the Echidna: Issue 29
Publication Date: August 1999

Following the end of the “First Date” story arc, Archie’s “Knuckles the Echidna” series continues to be in a low-key mood. Issue 29 would be the final stand alone issue in the “Knuckles” series, as the comic would only run for three more issues after this one. The issue is focused on wrapping up a long lingering bit of history, one fans actually care about. As the cover proudly proclaims, Princess Sally is taking one final trip to the Floating Island.

In Knothole, Sally continues to bitch out her dad for keeping her mother and brother’s existences a secret. She travels to the Floating Island on a diplomatic journey, hoping the Brotherhood of the Guardians can assist the Freedom Fighters in their new war against Robo-Robotnik. She’s also there to seek further help with her mother’s illness. While on the island, Knuckles and the Princess put to rest the borderline romance/friendship they’ve shared since childhood.

If there’s one reoccurring theme in “My Special Friend,” issue 29’s sole story, it’s that authority figures are secretive, evasive, passive-aggressive assholes. Sally is annoyed that her father kept secrets from her. He insists he did it for her own good. Sally even finds a way to justify her father’s long since forgotten order to disassemble all of the Robians.

Once on the Floating Island, she meets with the Brotherhood. After her reasonable request for aide, the Brotherhood shoots her down. Not because the echidnas lack the resources to help out. They don’t. The Guardians refuse because they believe the other Mobians to be intellectually inferior. Because they try to peacefully co-exist with their enemies, instead of just wiping them off the map, thus creating “a constant state of war.” This is the same group that previously tried to nuke the dingos or lock them in a pocket dimension. The Guardians apparently consider nuclear genocide and perpetual imprisonment more humane then peace. The Brotherhood have always been huge assholes but this is a crowning achievement of douchery previously unseen.

The Brotherhood’s decision to be massive cocks isn’t even the main thrust of this story. Instead, the lingering emotions between Knuckles and Sally is much more important. This story definitely finds Sally in a grouchy mood. Upon greeting Knuckles, she yells at him for not telling her about her mom. Knuckles’ honest answer – that he didn’t know – seems to soothe her annoyance. The two teens soon bond over their parents being shifty ass-wipes.

After the Brotherhood rejects her proposal, Sally and Knuckles have another heart-to-heart. They reminiscence about their childhood play dates. He tries to let her know that his family’s opinions do not represent his own. However, he also admits that there’s nothing he can do to sway their thoughts. The story ends with Sally leaving the island, asking Knuckles how they can continue to be friends when the Floating Island is indifferent to her strife. It’s a downbeat ending, political and personal. It also, effectively, forever dissolves whatever romantic tension that’s ever existed between Sally and Knuckles.

Despite the heavy issues of trust and intercontinental politics, “My Special Friend” is still a fairly light-hearted issue. The issue begins with Catweazle – remember him? Me neither – badgering Knuckles about his new step-dad. The Brotherhood may be enormous pricks but they greet Sally with a smile. It’s honestly kind of hilarious to see the normally hyper-grim Spectre smiling, waving, and soft-balling compliments at Sally. There’s some light humor, when Knuckles and Col. Sommersby discuss his mother’s cooking.

This issue is probably most notorious for correcting a continuity error from the comic’s beginnings. Remember how Sally used to be blonde or brunette in the comic’s earliest issues? Apparently, during some previously unseen adventure predating the series’ start, Sally tumbled into a vat of mysterious chemicals. Her skin didn’t turn chalk white. Instead, her hair and fur just shifted colors. It took awhile for it to wash out. Honestly, it’s a long road to cross just to correct a coloring error but, whatever, I’ll take it.

In the main “Sonic” book, Art Mawhinney has mostly been busy drawing the back-up stories. With issue 29 of “Knuckles,” he returns to a cover story. While I love Art’s pencils, he seems to be having a slightly off-day here. Sally is drawn with a thinner face, oval eyes, and a more elongated body then usual. Knuckles, meanwhile, is a bit chubbier then expected. Even Art’s most serious artwork has kind of a cute edge to it. After mostly seeing the Brotherhood drawn by grittier artist like Manny Galan or Jim Valentino, it’s somewhat disarming to see them drawn so adorably by Mawhinney.

Even while having an off-day, Art could deliver some fantastic moment. A series of panels devoted to Sally bowing her head, upon realizing that her dad sucks as much as Knuckles’, is quietly devastating. Considering this is a story about diplomacy and emotions, and facial expressions have always been specialties of Art, he was a good choice to draw it. Even if Sally and Knuckles look a little odd.

After heart and plot were at odds throughout the “First Date” story, it’s nice to see that Ken could occasionally balance those elements more gracefully. “My Special Friend” is admittedly a bummer of a story. But that’s okay. Life during wartime is rarely easy. Stories like this make me wish Sally could’ve guest-starred in Knuckles’ book more often. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedeghog: Issue 76

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 76
Publication Date: August 1999

During my review of issue 75 of Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” series, I expressed some disappointment that the series was returning to the established formula of Robotnik ruling over Robotropolis, while Sonic and the Freedom Fighters hide in Knothole Village. I can’t help but wonder if head writer Karl Bollers’ attitude was similar. The cover story for issue 76 is entitled “Business as Usual.” Do I dare detect a hint of sarcasm there, Karl?

Following the end of last month’s issue, Robotnik 2.0 and his fleet of powerful ShadowBots have successfully taken over Mobotropolis, reestablishing Robotropolis. Luckily, most of the Mobian citizens, including the King and Nate Morgan, have escaped to Knothole. Sonic and the Freedom Fighters, meanwhile, have crashed their space shuttle in the middle of the city. Snively reminds the Freedom Fighters that, since this new Robotnik has access to the old Robotnik’s files, he knows the location of Knothole Village. (The doctor, you may recall, finally located the village during “Endgame.”) Sonic distracts the robotic army while Sally and Snively hack into Eggman’s computers and deletes the aforementioned information.

“Business as Usual” may be business as usual but at least its entertaining business. Issue 76 has a solid foundation for its story. If the population of Mobotropolis is going to relocate to Knothole Village, making sure Robotnik can’t find the village is important business. It’s a matter of time too, as Sally and Snively have to race to delete the info before Robotnik thinks to check it. Bollers’ script builds a decent sense of suspense from this race against time. Yes, there’s no reason Robotnik couldn’t just scan the forest with aerial drones until he pinpoints the village’s location. Then again, there’s no reason the original Robotnik couldn’t have done that too. Considering this is a story element – the doctor’s search for Freedom HQ – the series ran with for nearly fifty issues, I’m use to justifying it.

Issue 76 also breaks the team into units, which is a good way to maximize story function. Half of the script is focused on Sally and Snively sneaking into Robotnik’s fortress and hacking the computers. Snviely remains an uneasy ally. As soon as they land on Mobius, he wants to skedaddle but Sonic guilts him into staying. While inside the Egg Dome, Sally is attacked by a ShadowBot. Since Bollers has seemingly forgotten that Sally is more then capable of taking down SWATBots by herself, Snively has to rescue her. The Princess outright comments on how weird it is to be working with someone who previously tried to kill her. However, considering Snively’s cowardice, and the fact that the new Robotnik is even more psychotic then the old one, I like his temporary alliance with the Freedom Fighters.

Meanwhile, Sonic goes about doing what he does best. No, not running fast, eating chili dogs, or cracking puns. He smashes through a crap ton of robots, wasting fifty ShadowBots in several minutes. A clever action beat has him melting the ShadowBot’s feet into the asphalt below. Showing that he has a lot in common with his predecessor, the new Robotnik takes the time to curse that hedgehog.

After wrecking some shit, Sonic takes the time to make a new friend. He spots Mina the Mongoose, who is futilely attempting to sneak inside Robotropolis and rescue her captured parents. Since Sonic is still bumped that Uncle Chuck and Muttski are brain-washed again, the two bond over their shared angst. Mina would quickly become a controversial character, since a new potential love interest was the last thing Sonic needed. Still, their little conversation provides a decent emotional beat to what is otherwise an action-centric story.

Issue 76 also introduces a new regular artist into the Archie fold. James Fry, who is credited only as “Fry,” would quickly become a regular artist within the book’s pages. Fry’s style is heavily anime influenced. He draws the characters with giant, shining eyeballs. They all have noodle legs, huge hands and feet. However, Fry’s work is still quite good. Once you adapt to his style, you see that Sonic and the gang are all on-model. The anime style artwork allows for a decent amount of expression on the character’s faces. Fry also has a solid grasp on action, as the scenes devoted to Sonic taking out the ShadowBots are well done. (Fry also has a tendency towards random in-jokes. In a crowd scene, you can easily spot Mr. Snuffleupagus, Bean the Duck, Donald Duck, and furry versions of “Tenchi Muyo’s” Ryoko, Sasami, and Mihoshi.) Not everyone is a fan but Fry does decent work in his premiere issue.

Despite the story seemingly leaving little room for it, Ken Penders continues to include some “Tales from the Great War” in the back story. Antoine, Bunnie, and Tails escort Sonic’s parents out of Robotropolis. Along the way, Tails insist on checking out the library and making sure Jeremiah is okay. While inside the library, Jules pulls one of Kirby’s volumes from the shelves. Despite the group being on the run from Robotnik’s forces, he still pauses to read a story from the book.

Sadly, this is hardly an essential bit of backstory. The flashback that unfolds details a young Jules, Charles, and Bernie encountering a small band of Overlanders. Among the attackers is Colin Kintobor, Julian “Robotnik” Kintobor’s brother. (And Snively’s dad.) That’s mostly the purpose this story has. In addition to giving Colin Kintobor a proper introduction, it also introduces Cocoa the Cat, Hershey’s mom. Which isn’t very interesting. What’s more amusing is seeing teenage versions of Jules and Bernie flirt. Otherwise, this Tale is a totally unneeded addition.

A mediocre backstory can’t distract from the solid cover story. If Robotnik must be back, this is the kind of story I prefer to see. [7/10]

Knuckles the Echidna: Issue 28

Knuckles the Echidna: Issue 28
Publication Date: July 1999

In the final part of “The First Date” story arc, Ken Penders’ seems intent on wrapping up all the story’s plot threads. Knuckles’ approaches his mom for advice concerning his up-coming date with Julie-Su. Turns out, the date is falling on the same night as a surprise birthday party Lara-Le is throwing her son. She organizes the party with Julie-Su and Locke. Meanwhile, Knuckles makes peace with Vector and his parents.

“The First Date” three-parter is an idea I like more conceptually then in actuality. Considering how constantly insane Knuckles’ life is, slowing things down for an arc and focusing on character relationship was a great idea. Moreover, the story line finally allows Knuckles and Julie-Su to get serious, putting aside that stupid “soul touch” concept in favor of actually developing their attraction.

And it sort of did that, in a way that was slightly jumbled if relatively amiable throughout. For example, this issue turns the focus from Knuckles and Julie-Su’s upcoming date – the event we’re really invested in – towards Knuckles’ surprise birthday party. Feels slightly like a cheat, since there’s been so much build-up towards the Guardian and his would-be girlfriend finally having some personal time together.

How many times has the book drudged up Locke and Lien-Da’s failed marriage for extra drama? Issue 28 seems to bury that plot point once and for all. While Locke is spying on Knuckles and his friends like a total creep, Lien-Da gives him a call. She asks him to come to their son’s birthday party, the two assuring each other they can put their problems behind them for the sake of their child. At the party, Knuckles’ parents tell him they have a big announcement. His reaction is one of the story’s most unnoticed and saddest moments. He wonders if his mom and dad are getting back together. Hope springs eternal for this child of divorce, apparently. Lien-Da and Locke assure him that will never happen but they’ll continue loving him. It’s a potentially strong emotional beat that probably deserved a little more attention then it got.

That’s not the only instance of forgiveness in this story. After nearly tearing his stupid head off last time, Knuckles and Vector make up. Both basically admit they acted too rashly, deciding to forgive and forget. This seems to dismiss the serial asshole behavior Vector has been displaying from the beginning. The book even acknowledges that, with a hilarious exchange where Espio flat-out admits that people wonder why they hang out with Vector. See?! Everyone knows he’s useless! Still, the Chaotix are back together again. That’s good, I guess.

With everything else the issue is handling, the eponymous first date gets sidelined. It basically comprises two pages. Knuckles shows up as Julie-Su’s apartment. She slips on a slinky, little black dress. (This isn’t the only example of blatant fan service for us Julie-Su fans. Earlier, she appears wearing only a big t-shirt.) The two walk to their destination, exchanging some mildly flirtatious dialogue. That’s when this story line collides with the birthday party plot thread. At the party, they dance a little, which is a cute moment, before locking lips. That’s a moment I wish the story spent a little more time building up to.

Chris Allan continues to do the artwork for this story arc. His work in the last two issues was frequently off-model and overall a bad fit for the book. In issue 28, Allan looses his fucking mind. In several panels, Knuckles, his parents, and his girlfriend become lankier. Sometimes, Knuckles appears to grow several pounds of muscle. Allan apparently previously did work for Archie’s Ninja Turtles comic. It seems he thought he was drawing Raphael and Leonardo at times. Near the end, Vector suddenly becomes a muscled monstrosity. It’s ugly as hell. Once again, Archie reached out to artist who clearly had no attitude for drawing these characters.

Luckily, series regular Manny Galan is back to draw the back-up story. (Save for Andrew Papoy drawing a single page, for some reason.) Unluckily, the story arc devoted to Mighty, Nic, and Fiona searching for Ray continues to be a jumbled mess. Mighty throws open a vault and discovers Ray clinging to a magical crystal. In flashback, it’s revealed that Robotnik originally powered the prison camp with this stone. When Sonic and Mighty escaped, Ray grabbed the crystal and blinked out of reality. Apparently, he’s been floating between dimensions for the last decade. Also, Fiona reveals that she sneaked out of the camp on her own.

If I had to guess, I’d assume that Ken really wanted to tell this story. Perhaps he had trouble justifying devoting three cover stories to a quartet of minor supporting characters. So this plot got shoved into the back of the “Knuckles” book. You can tell this was a bigger idea that the writer clipped down. The page devoted to Ray disappearing while Sonic and Mighty escaped the camp borders on incoherent. How Nic rescues Ray from his trans-dimensional fate is a total narrative shrug. Throughout it all, the script never provides a reason why Mighty cares about Ray so much. The stuttering squirrel is a thin sketch, with little personality. Meanwhile, the entire business with Fiona seems shoved in for no reason. It’s a mess... Which is a shame, as the concept showed some promise. A story devoted to a young Sonic and Mighty wrecking Robotnik’s shit probably could’ve been a lot of fun.

To say issue 28 is a disappointing conclusion betrays the intentionally low stakes this story had. It could’ve been great but some pretty awful artwork and a script that leaps around too much brings it down. The back-up story, meanwhile, feels seriously abbreviated. Oh well. [6/10]