Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 26

 
Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 26
Publication Date: July 1995

I’ve commented before about the wild tonal shifts this series underwent in its early years. It still varies from issue to issue at this point. Last time, I reviewed the “Sonic & Knuckles” one-shot, whose tone was relatively serious and closely in line with the SatAM series. Now, here comes Issue 26 with a story that feels like its right out of “Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.” Heck, Robotnik even hangs out in a hill-top tower, like he did in that series, and Snively is reduced to a pun-slinging sidekick, recalling the role played by Scratch or Coconauts. At times, the constant back-and-forth between mostly serious and mostly silly can really give the reader whiplash.

In “Way, Way Past Cool,” Sonic and friends are enjoying a pleasant summer day down by the stream. That is, until a freak snowstorm blows in. Soon, the entire area is below zero and everyone is freezing. Naturally, Robotnik is behind this freak weather change. He has created a device to drastically change the weather, expecting to wipe out the Freedom Fighters with me. When the frost-bitten furries take coverage in a cave, they meet another group of Freedom Fighters which may help them turn the tide.

This is a fairly basic story. The bad guy cooks up a standard plot – a big ass freeze ray is not exactly the most original scheme – the heroes scramble for a while before regrouping and finding a solution. The early scenes of the Freedom Fighters wandering through the snowstorm is mostly devoted to goofy puns and threating about what’s happening. Robotnik is in pure silly mode, yelling and screaming in a mock-serious fashion, acting like a comic relief villain. Though freezing to death is a fairly serious threat, the story doesn’t treat it very seriously.

If Issue 26 has anything memorable about it, it’s the introduction of a new group of Freedom Fighters. I’ve always liked new teams being introduced, as it makes Mobius feel like a more fleshed-out world. It’s good to know that Sonic and his friends aren’t the only ones out there rebelling against Robotnik’s regime. However, this issue doesn’t get much time to develop the Arctic Freedom Fighter’s personality. Guntiver the Wolf is the blandly heroic leader. Augustus the Polar Bear is the big guy. Flip the Penguin is the carefree, fun-loving one. And Erma and Sealia are the girls. All Erma does is help chip Sonic and friends out of a block of ice later one. Sealia does nothing. The character designs are funny and interesting but the team is so thinly sketched, it’s hard to care much about them.

 
Still, there’s some okay moments in “Way, Way Past Cool.” The scene of Sonic sliding on the ice in the cave is mildly amusing, showing that his speed isn’t always enough to make it out of a situation. Seeing the two teams come together is mildly satisfying, as is the catapult the heroes build out of nowhere. Snivley is in groveling, suck-up mode here, doing his best to appease his boss, which is one of my favorite Snivley modes. Mostly though, I wish the story made better use of its snowy setting and its new cast. Dave Manak’s angular, goofy artwork doesn’t help matters much.

The back-up story, “Fortified,” is a lot better, if equally disposable. While exploring the woods, Sonic twists his ankles. This leaves the Freedom Fighters without their most valuable member. The group explores the woods before coming to an abandoned wooden fort. Robotnik is right on their trail, in a tree leveling bulldozer. With Sonic out of commission, Rotor builds Bunnie a suit of armor from the old scrap metal lying around the fortress.

First off, it’s always nice when this series remembers that Bunnie exist. I don’t think she’s contributed to a story since Issue 23. The comic was still finding a use for her at this point. In this story, the writers seemingly realizes that she is actually the most powerful member of the team. When Rotor whips her up some body armor, she easily shreds a whole team of SWATBots. The sudden appearance of an old fort really comes out of nowhere. However, the story is breezy and fun. With Art Mawhinney’s typically spot-on artwork, forested setting, and a focus on the ensemble, “Fortified” really feels like a lost episode of SatAM. Not a super memorable one but an entertaining one nevertheless.

So I guess what I’m saying is you can skip the cover story and go straight to the back-up. [6/10]