THE 1993 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG COMIC BEST/WORST LIST!

 

For me, the undisputed king of Archie Sonic comic reviewers – if such a thing can be said to exist at all – is Dan Drazen. Drazen first began publishing his thoughts on the comic on an e-mail news letter, beginning at least as far back as 1995. Afterwards, the reviews began appearing on his personal website. For a long time, he was the old man in the fandom and, in addition to his reviews, wrote a number of respected fanfics. Dan’s position in the fandom was such that, for a brief time, he was the official comic reviewer for Archie, receiving the books earlier and posting his reviews on the company website.

Drazen was probably the first person I ever saw who examined this goofy comic series I love so much in any sort of critical way. As the years went on, he set up his own style of review, where he would rate the stories on Brains (narrative), Eyes (artwork), and Heart (emotional resonance.) The book was obviously never going to be what Dan wanted it to be. Going back and re-reading the old reviews, he sometimes comes off as a grumpy old man. Our opinions vary wildly, as opinions tend too. Either way, his reviews still strike me as a definitive take on the series and are a big inspiration for Hedgehogs Can’t Swim. My attachment to his work is such that, when he stopped publishing reviews last March, amid a growing disillusionment with the series, I actually got bummed out.

Perhaps what I’ll miss the most from Drazen’s reviews are his yearly Best/Worst List. Every year from 1996 to 2013, he would write-up his favorite and least favorite stories, artwork, and other aspects from the book’s previous year. As an extended homage to Dan’s work, as I work my way through the comic’s run, I plan on doing the same as wrap up a year’s worth of comic books. I’ll be using most of the same categories Dan laid down.

Without further ado, here is:
 

THE 1993 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG COMIC BEST/WORST LIST!

I’ll be covering the following issues during this retrospective. (I’m fudging slightly to include all of the original mini-series.):

Sonic the Hedgehog (Original Mini-Series): #0-#3
Sonic the Hedgehog: #1-#8

BEST COVER STORY:
Mike Gallagher, “A Crowning Achievement” (Sonic the Hedgehog (Original Mini-Series) Issue 2)

At this point in the series’ history, the book wasn’t much more than a collection of goofy, one-shot comedy stories. The material was pretty dire, for the most part. However, I managed to really like one story from this first year. “A Crowning Achievement” has some decent stakes, actually putting Sonic on an adventure and having him use his brain as well as his speed to out-wit his enemies. Out of the extremely silly original mini-series, this may be the most serious story as well. (Which means there’s still plenty of goofiness in it.)

WORST COVER STORY:
Mike Gallagher, “The Spin Doctor” (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 6)

Unlike many big titles from the big companies, Archie’s “Sonic” series was usually written by no more than two or three people at a time. As we go through these flashback retrospective, you will frequently see the same name winning both the best and worst awards in the writing category.

Though Gallagher would eventually write some good stories for the book, much of his earliest work is typified by lame puns, broad characterization, and corn ball humor. “The Spin Doctor” doesn’t even attempt to get an eye-roll out of the reader. An eight page advertisement for Sega’s “Sonic Spinball” video game, it heavily condenses the plot of the game, tosses in some lame gags, and calls it a day. No attempt is made to retrofit a video game’s plot to the comic format. No attempt is made to build something more from this story. You’d get more out of reading the Wikipedia article about the game. It’s hella’ lame, you guys.

BEST BACK STORY:
Mike Gallagher, “Rabbot Deployment” (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 3)

It’s weird to think that Bunnie Rabbot, a beloved member of Sonic’s supporting cast who was a part of the Saturday morning cartoon show from its first episode, wouldn’t appear in the comic until issue 3 of the on-going series. Like most of the early stories, “Rabbot Deployment” is goofy, full of jokes, and relatively light on the drama or menace. Despite that, it’s a decent page-turner, featuring some fun action and properly introducing Bunnie into the book’s world.

WORST BACK STORY:
Angelo DeCesare, “Sonic’s Christmas Carol” (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 6)

Issue 6 strikes again. Doing a spin on “A Christmas Carol,” with a series’ characters in the place of Charles Dickens’ various archetypes, was old hat even back in 1993. (The Muppets did the same thing just a year earlier for one example.) The Sonic version contains no laughs or pathos. It does not comment on Dickens’ work. By placing the “Sonic” cast members into this familiar story, it does not deepen or challenge the characters as we know them. Using Robotnik as a Scrooge stand in doesn’t even make any sense. It’s not only the worst “Sonic” story of 1993, it’s still one of the worst stories to ever appear in the book, period.

BEST STORY ARC and WORST STORY ARC:
N/A

In the fast-and-loose early days of the comic’s history, there was no such thing as story arcs. Every plot was contained to the singular issue. Continuity was very loose back then, as characters and concepts would disappear from issue to issue. Forget it, Jake. It was the early nineties.

BEST COVER ART:
Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 1 – Dave Manak

Dave Manak’s artwork is uneven on the best days. It’s angular, loose, cartoony, and frequently ugly. Despite that, I still kind of like some of his artwork. The cover for the first issue of the on-going, for example. Showing the Freedom Fighters beset on all sides by Robotnik and his minions, it does a decent job of quickly establishing the team’s personality and what they’re up against. It’s also pretty cool looking, with more detail and action then Manak usually featured.

WORST COVER ART:
Sonic the Hedgehog (Original Mini-Series): Issue 2 – Scott Shaw!

Scott Shaw’s vibrant, colorful artwork is superior to Manak’s in every way. Despite that, Shaw’s covers were always somewhat lame and generic. Issue 2 of the original mini-series has maybe the most generic. A static shot of Sonic fleeing from a rocket, eye-piercing black-and-yellow speed-lines make up the background. Sonic is high-lighted against the word “ZOOM” in huge letters. Sonic himself seems slightly off-model and, as was frequently the case in the first year, the cover does not reflect on the story in any way. In other words, not Shaw’s best work.

BEST STORY ART:
Scott Shaw!: “Run, Sally, Run!” (Sonic the Hedgehog (Original Mini-Series): Issue 1)

His covers might have been a little rough but Shaw’s panel artwork was a lot of fun. The reason I single this story out is because it probably shows off Shaw’s talent for capturing motion the best. There are many scenes of Sonic and Tails flipping through the air or running around. The facial expression are also clear, funny, and detailed. Despite the overall silliness of the story, Robotnik and his robots are still mildly threatening looking.

WORST STORY ART:
Dave Manak: “Vertigo A Go-Go” (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 2)

As I said, even on a good day, Manak’s work was slightly rough. This short back-up story truly shows off the limitations of his pencils. The perspective work is seriously off, as Sonic is shown from multiple, unflattering angles. Verti-Cal and horizont-Al have generic designs and most of the story takes place against a swirling vortex of color. It sucks.

BEST NEW CHARACTER:
Bunnie Rabbot

There was no contest here. Bunnie, as depicted in the comic at this point, doesn’t resemble the sweet, empathetic but quietly tough character from the cartoon much. She shows an obsession with hair-dressing and making embarrassing Southern-fried puns. That’s just where the book was in 1993. Still, there’s a reason Bunnie remains a fixture in the series to this day. The superstrong cyborg rabbit added something to Sonic’s supporting cast that wasn’t there before.

 
WORST NEW CHARACTERS:
Verti-Cal and Horizont-Al

In the book’s early, comedy-centric days, many one-shot characters and villains would be introduced, many of them based on puns. Verti-Cal and Horizont-Al should have been one-shot adversaries. Mister Mxyzptlk-style all-powerful imps, the two play goofy pranks in an alternate dimension where they have total control over all motion and direction. Despite the duo being nothing but annoyances, and their location in another universe making the odds of Sonic crossing their path again unlikely, Al and Cal would put in a few scattered appearances in the book over its long run. I don’t know why.


BEST IDEA
The crumbs of an on-going mythology

When I say “on-going mythology,” what I really mean is “the thinnest wisp of continuity.” In the first year, we saw a prototype version of King Acorn’s magical crown, the origin of Sonic’s rings, and a little exploration of the weird world of Mobius. It’s not much but, even in these early issues, you can see the signs of what a weird, fascinating book Archie’s “Sonic” series would eventually become.


WORST IDEA:
Slapstick and Bullshit

What else? In order to make it through these early issues, one has to have a high tolerance for sophomoric comedy, puns, Fourth Wall leaning gags, unearned and undeserved potshots at more popular comics, random references to pop culture, and characters acting out in service of lame jokes. To say the series gets better is slightly misleading, as the quality has always fluctuated wildly between the two poles, but the series will certainly change a lot over its long run.