Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 5

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 5
Publication Date: September 1993

Michael Gallagher’s goofy scripts, with their focus on obvious puns and low-brow slapstick, would define the early years of Archie’s “Sonic” title. But they wouldn’t do it alone. With issue five, Angelo DeCesare would begin penning stories. DeCesare would write for “Sonic” on-and-off for years, contributing a handful of minor elements to the mythology without ever making much of an impression. You’d be mistaken for assuming Gallagher wrote the stories this time, as DeCesare does little to distinguish himself from the series’ primary writer up to this point. Despite some minor movement forward over the last two issues, number five has “Sonic” slipping back into sophomoric silliness.

Once again, the comic is broken up into two stories. In the first, Robotnik invites the Freedom Fighters to an Olympic Games-style sports tournament of his own devising. If the Freedom Fighters can achieve victory in even one of the events, the dictator will spare their lives. If Robotnik’s goons win every event, he will roboticize the rebels. This should be an easy victory until Robotnik switches out Sonic’s sneakers with a pair of shoes that saps his energy. Later, the villain sends a robotic termite – obviously called the Termite-Nator – to Freedom HQ, where the cybernetic insect begins to eat the rebels out of house and home.

DeCesare doesn’t show much strength for narrative clarity. I know the series is still a light-weight gag comic at this point, but these two stories push the audience’s suspension of disbelief. Why in the hell would the Freedom Fighters ever agree to Robotnik’s tournament? Why would they put themselves within arm range of their enemy? The story also seems to imply that Sonic gets his super-speed from his sneakers. The comic has already established at this point that Sonic’s shoes merely protect his feet from air friction. The comic, once again, forgets the Bunnie Rabbot is supposed to be a regular cast member at this point. Her super-strength certainly would’ve come in handy during the weight-lifting competition. Throughout the early years of the comic, Robotnik’s goal would be to locate the Freedom Fighters’ secret lair. In the second story, he sends a package to Freedom HQ. I guess the Mobian Postal Service doesn’t communicate with the mad dictator in control of the planet? Even a screwball comedy has to have some interior logic. Issue 5 definitely stumbles in that regard.

The first story is a fairly basic variation on the sports episode every nineties kids cartoon had to do. There’s little to recommend about it. I like the taunting SWATBot that makes an early appearance. I like that Tails’ becomes angry at the machine too. At this point, Tails is still mostly defined as an in-awe fanboy for Sonic so any display of other emotions from him is welcomed. There’s also a bit of novelty in watching Sally attempt to out-swim a robotic octopus. Considering Sonic’s fear of drowning lent this blog its name, I can’t imagine he would’ve been much help in that round. The Termite-Nator is a minor villain that’s always stuck in my brain for some reason. I don’t know why, as the story he’s in is fairly goofy, the villain has no personality, and he would never appear again. He is defeated by swallowing Sally’s super-thick pancake batter, a non-glamorous way for any bad guy to be disposed of. Speaking of minor contributions to the lore, this comic also marks the first appearance of Splats, a Sega-style badnik that never actually appeared in any of the Sega games.

Maybe I always remember the Termite-Nator because of his colorful, amusing design. This issue both shows off the strengths and flaws of Dave Manak’s art. He’s great at cartoony character designs and goofy facial expressions. I like Sally’s look of regret after her pancake batter is used to defeat the enemy. I like the Freedom Fighters’ expressions of righteous indignation during the Olympic games. Manak’s action scenes, however, frequently come off as flat or lifeless. When Antoine attempts the long jump, it just looks like he’s going for a pleasant stroll.

Once again, I have to remind myself that the comic gets better. Issue five is yet another step back to the inconsequential slapstick comedy that sadly defined the series’ first year or so. [4/10]