Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 14

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 14
Publication Date: June 1994





As I’ve mentioned roughly ten thousand times since starting these reviews, the early years of the comics were closer in tone to the “Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog” weekly cartoon, despite being based on “Sonic the Hedgehog,” the Saturday morning series. People like to say that, as time went on, more SatAM elements would creep into the comic. This isn’t necessarily true. As time went on, the comics would become their own weird thing. However, issue 14 does feel a lot like an episode of SatAM and does include a handful of elements from that show. If the script cut down on some of Archie's trademark puns, it’s very easy to imagine this fitting in with the Saturday morning cartoon show.

Like most issues at this point, issue 14 is split between two stories. In the first, “Tails’ Taste of Power,” Sonic leaves Tails to take care of Rotor’s greenhouse. For some reason, Rotor is in possession of the Tree of Wisdom, which is introduced with no explanation or reasoning. Anyway, Tails’ duty has him feeling a little unappreciated and, on a whim, he eats the sole fruit from the Tree. This, naturally, makes him an immediate genius. Using his newfound intelligence, Tails defeats one of Robotnik’s robots with ease. His brilliance also goes to his head, as he begins to act like a snobbish prick. Deciding he’s smart enough to defeat Robotnik on his own, Tails flies into Robotropolis… Just as the super intelligence given to him by the fruit wares off.

Angelo DeCesare, the most inconsistent writer working for Archie at the time, starts with a cheap sitcom premise. Tails becoming super-smart could have been played for the easiest of lame jokes. The comic does feature some easy gags, such as Tails using overly long words, which at one point crowds the other characters out of a panel. However, the jokey dialogue is kept to a minimum. The plot is mostly played for character development and tension. Tails’ becoming super-intelligent is enough to defeat the Shredbot, a machine left over from “Hooked on Sonics,” a SatAM episode. However, the Tree of Wisdom gifts knowledge, not maturity. Subsequently, Tails turns into a pretentious asshole, bossing his friends around. He learns this lesson the hard way, when the effects of the fruit wares off, forcing Sonic to save his ass. It’s a slightly preachy lesson but DeCesare’s script handles it in a really smart way, sneaking a message about not being a prick and respecting your friends into an exciting story.

That excitement mostly manifests in how “Tails’ Taste of Power” treats Robotnik. Considered a joke throughout most of the comic at this point, Robotnik is suddenly a threat. Earlier, the Shredbot comes dangerously close to shredding Sally and Bunnie. When Tails marches into Robotnik’s lair, he’s immediately captured. The villain announces his intentions to kill the youngster. Notably, Sonic defeats Robotnik not by smashing shit with his spines but by outwitting him. He convinces the dictator that the medal Tails is wearing is a bomb. During a surprising tense series of panels, we wonder whether or not Robotnik will buy the hedgehog’s bluff. Later in the series, I doubt he would. But at this point, it’s still probably. For a comic that was cracking jokes about muck covered moons last month, this is surprisingly balanced, mature writing.

The second main story embarks on a similar tone, though it’s a little less successful. “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” is a Penders/Kanterovich joint. While playing with his officially licensed Freedom Fighters marionettes, Robotnik gets an idea. Together, the Freedom Fighters are a force to be reckoned with. Separated, they’ll be easier to pick off.  He puts up a fake mall front, which attracts Sally and Bunnie. Underestimating them because they're women, the villain expects to crush them easily. Turns out, not so much, as they easily defeat him.

Something Ken Penders gets criticized for – one of many things he gets criticized for -  is his tendency to write female characters that are tough and have lots of action but are still marginalized in a stereotypically feminine way. “Faux Action Girl” is what TVTroupes would probably call it. And, yes, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” is very much in that cheesy “Girl power!” mold. Despite all the attempts the script makes to paint Sally and Bunnie as capable action heroes, they’re still lured into a trap with the promise of shopping. Once the ass-kicking begins, they spout empty platitudes like “Male chauvinist pig!” Or “Girls can do anything!’ Or “Never underestimate the Power of a Princess!” It’s ladled on a little too thick, especially the final panel where the two say Sonic thinks too much about shopping.

(In addition to that, Penders and Kanterovich are still striking a weird balance between action and the comic’s goofy humor. Robotnik is a bit of a joke. He’s introduced playing with toys, a joke taken straight out of “Spaceballs.” In general, there’s a bit too many puns and quips in the dialogue. I’m not sure if this is Penders or Kanterovich’s fault.)

Yes, it’s a little heavy handed. But that doesn’t mean I dislike the story. Just a few issues ago, Sally was a moody drama-queen and Bunnie’s biggest aspiration in the world was to be a hairdresser. (or, uh, a haredresser.) In this story, they’re facing down Robotnik with courage. They flip SWATBots over their shoulders and smashes the machines to pieces. Sally is even seen performing a back-kick, which would become something like her combat trademark. They even tie up Robotnik and his lackeys. (They don’t murder him there and end the war single-handedly, probably because this is a kids’ comic.) What I’m saying is there’s a definite novelty to seeing the female leads cut loose like this. It’s satisfying to see both characters kick ass like we all know they’re capable of.

Once again, Art Mawhinney does the art for nearly the entire book. His expressive faces are put to good use in “Tails’ Taste of Power.” His aptitude for action comes into play in “Girls Just Wanna Fun.” Most importantly, all the characters look like they’ve stepped right out of SatAM. The only complaint I have about his artwork is that he draws Crabmeat kind of weird, giving the robot overly expressive blue eyes. The only story he didn’t pen is “Do-it-Yourself Sonic,” a three pager conceived by Ken and Mike and drawn by Dave Manak. But we’ll get to that on Wednesday. Until then, I’ll say that Issue 14 is probably the best issue of Archie’s Sonic series yet, the comic finally fulfilling some of its potential. [8/10]