Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 33

 
Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 33
Publication Date: February 1996

As I’ve mentioned before, as a child I didn’t read every issue of “Sonic the Hedgehog” as soon as it hit the newsstands. Many issues alluded me for years before I finally had a chance to read them. One such issue was number 33. I saw the cover several times in the preview sections at the end of every book. There’s no doubt that 33 has a very eye-catching cover. Sonic is up to his hands and knees in… Something. Some sort of orange, bubbling substance. As a young kid, I assumed it must've been lava or a similar substance. When I finally got around to reading the comic, I was disappointed by the reveal. It’s snot, you guys. Or, even worst, another type of bodily fluid.

Yeah, “Let’s Get Small” is that type of story. Sonic returns to Knothole Village to find the place weirdly deserted. Rotor, visibly very ill, informs him of what happened. While Sonic was out, the Freedom Fighters order some take-out. Unfortunately, the fast food place was a front for Robotnik. He infected the food with his new nano-bots. Now, all the Freedom Fighters are extremely sick. Using some re-purposed Robotnik technology, Sonic shrinks himself down to microscopic size and enters his friend’s body, like “Fantastic Voyage” minus the submarine. Inside, Sonic meets Rotor’s “Auntie Bodies,” who is overwhelmed by the “Paris-Site’s’ force.

We are deep in goofy territory here, people. A microscopic journey into someone’s immune system is not that uncommon of a story. (I’m pretty sure the Atom does it about once a year.) Because Sonic doesn’t have a spaceship or a bitching super-suit, the story comes off as far more… squishy. Dave Manak seems to really delight in detailing the interior of Rotor’s body, with nerves, postulating sores, and squirmy tissue walls. At one point, Sonic is covered in green and grey goo by weeping lesions. It’s just gross, you guys. And since Sonic is deep inside his buddy’s body, this is technically the goriest issue of “Sonic” Archie would ever publish.

Then there’s the issue of the puns. Rotor’s immune system is personified as Auntie Bodies, an old lady version of Rotor in a dowdy dress, with grey hair and a cane. Paris-Site, who looks like a greasy corn kernel, wears a beret, has a pencil mustache, and carries a cane. Mike Gallagher apparently missed the memo that this comic already has one character that speaks with an exaggerated French accent. Paris-Site’s accent is actually even more incomprehensible then Antoine’s. A second antagonist named Fever doesn’t even get a punny name, as he’s just a being made of flames. There are also jokes about “micro-bars” and “cellular phones.” All of this is excluding the obviously goofy fast food business.

The story has relatively high stakes. Sonic is, after all, fighting for the lives of his friends. However, let’s get small has a disappointing ending. Sonic’s pep-talk gives Auntie Bodies the strength to fight back. Together, they clobber Paris-Site and Fever. Similar insurrections are going on in the other Freedom Fighters’ bodies. Sonic then spin-dashes into Rotor’s nose, so he’ll be sneezed towards the shrinking device. Oh, and here’s a super-nerdy nitpick about the story. The device Sonic uses to shrink himself was taken from the portable Roboticizer the Freedom Fighters seized back in issue 3 of “Sonic.” Wouldn’t it have made more sense to use the actual shrink ray Robotnik invented back in Issue 8’s “A Little Sonic Goes a Long Way?” Or is this an example of a nerdy reader remembering an obscure detail that the writers forgot about?

Clearly not done rising the comic to a new artistic standard, issue 33 also tags on two Penders-drawn stories. The first of which is yet another entirely useless continuation of the on-going Knuckles subplot. Knuckles himself doesn’t even appear in this two pager. Instead, a hooded figure – which we now know is Locke, Knuckles’ dad – watches his son, Archimedes, and the Chaotix from a computer set-up. Each appears in a different monitor, detailing events seen in previous two-pagers. The short story hints at the plot to come, by mentioning Mount Fate. Otherwise, this is another example of Penders dragging this story on and on some more. This plot could have been told in a single back-up story but Ken was bidding his time until the “Knuckles” mini-series got a green-light. That’s still three issues away so we’ll probably see this story dragging its feet some more before it finally reaches some sort of point or relevance. (At least the artwork's not too bad, since the two pages revolve around a hooded guy looking at some computer screens.)

As pointless as that one is, the second back-up is actually way worse. “Sonic Shot” has Sonic and friends indulging in a game of hockey. A bored Snively, along with a group of SWATBots, show up and ask if they can play. Robotnik ends up announcing himself and decides the game should be played for keeps. Sonic and friends naturally whoop the robot’s ass and win the game. I can only assume Penders is a hockey fan and felt the need to incorporate his favorite sport into a Sonic story. The details don’t make much sense and this kind of story was basically already covered, all the way back in Issue 5. Ken’s artwork actually shows some improvement here. Instead of looking like paper cut-outs moved around a stationary background, there’s actually some sense of flow and movement to his panels. However, all the characters still wobble off-model a couple of times. Snively looks especially unflattering in Penders’ bland, shaky style.

If you’re looking for a classic “Sonic” story, you can skip Issue 33. The cover story is goofy and honestly kind of icky. The back-up stories are varying degrees of useless. This is a filler issue, if I’ve ever seen one. No future writers, not even continuity-nerd Ian Flynn, have felt the need to reference Auntie Bodies or Paris-Site. Cool cover aside, there’s not much to recommend. [4/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 32

 
Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 32
Publication Date: January 1996

A few issues back, Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” series uncovered the old “hero gets amnesia, unwillingly works for the bad guy” story troupe. Despite being a haggard cliché, that issue became my favorite of the 1995 season. To open 1996, the comic would try its hand at another well-known story device: The defrosted caveman. Mummies of prehistoric men frozen in ice have been found before but just melting the ice isn’t, you know, enough to bring them back to life. In fiction, it’s a different story. “Blast from the Past,” issue 32’s cover story, puts a Sonic spin on this concept. Since this is back before the whole “Mobius is Earth thousands of years into the future!” idea, the caveman is actually a cavebear.

“Blast from the Past” begins with a dramatic one-page spread of Sally falling into an icy crevice. (Though this recalls the not-too-far-off “Endgame” arc, Tails rescues her in time.) The Freedom Fighters are in the frozen mountains of Mobius for some reason when a gang of SWATBots ambushed them. Turns out Muttski, Sonic’s roboticized dog, led them there. After escaping the machines, Sonic and friends stumble upon a frozen Neanderthal man bear. They take the block of ice back to Knothole Village, where it naturally melts. Dubbed Mobie, the cavebear starts wrecking shit in the village before returning back to the mountains. Despite his dislike of the critter, Sonic takes chase.

“Blast from the Past” has two emotional threads running through the story. The first of which involves Mobie. He’s a pretty silly character. First off, he doesn’t look much like a bear. Instead, he resembles the classic caveman design, with some furry Sonic elements added to it. The plot follows the traditional outline of stories like this: The caveman is accidentally thawed out, thanks to a device called Glaciator which we’ve never seen before and would never see again. A man out of time, Mobie immediately starts freaking out, smashing shit with his club. The Freedom Fighters’ attempts to communicate with him only remind the caveman of his family, all of whom are assuredly dead now. (The comic kind of skims over that last point.) Because this is a Sonic book, they had to involve him somehow. So Sonic goes from being annoyed by Mobie to learning to like the big guy. That makes sense, since Mobie just wrecks shit upon being defrosted. The reconciliation between hedgehog and cavebear is a bit rushed though.

This is because “Blast from the Past” has to sneak in another emotional plot. Sonic’s Uncle Chuck returned in Issue 30, the robotocized Mobian regaining his free will. 32 heavily features Muttski, Sonic’s pet dog. Having spent lots of time around him, Muttski can easily track Sonic’s scent. (How a robot can smell is another issue all together.) The story directly deals with Sonic’s reaction to his best canine friend becoming a robotic killing machine. This provides the story with its emotional heart and works a little better then the Mobie A-plot. Disappointingly, even that plot thread has a too easy resolution. Off-panel, Uncle Chuck restores Muttski’s free will, Sonic regaining his beloved pet, at least in robot form. Mobie, meanwhile, is left in a jungle, safe from Robotnik but still lost in a strange new world without his family.

Stuck between the book’s two stories is another two-pager from Ken Penders, “Prisoners.” Picking up where “The Hunt is On!” from “Knuckles’ Chaotix” left off, the Chaotix awaken in a darkened room. A voice speaks to them, telling them not to get violent. After a minute of talking, he opens a door and reveals himself to the heroes, if not the reader. I really wonder if it was a page-count thing or a conscious decision on Penders’ behalf to stretch the reveal of Archimedes out so damn long. Tiny stories like this really do nothing but irritate the reader and belabor the point. Soon enough, Archimedes would be revealed and Knuckles’ story could actually begin moving forward. Even though it’s only two pages long, “Prisoners” still features some very flat, awkward artwork. Penders really doesn’t know how to draw Mighty. Every time he appears in this story, his shape changes some.

Issue 32 wraps up with the second part of “Tundra Road,” the Rotor story that began the previous month. Rotor is rescued from the arctic waters by two members of the Arctic Freedom Fighters: Sealia and Augustus. Teaming up, they take the fight to Robotnik, sneaking into his base with the old Trojan Horse ploy. Though they wreck his base, Rotor’s family ends up on an ice floe, floating out into the ocean, still hypnotized. Instead of trying to rescue them, Rotor heads back to Knothole Village.

Yeah, “Tundra Road” ends on an odd question mark. I’m not sure why Rotor couldn’t have jumped into his submarine and pursued his family, protecting them until he can figure out how to cure them. I mean, I understand the real reason. Rotor can’t stay away from Knothole Village for too long, in case he’s needed for a story. Yet the hero leaving his mother, little brother, and friends alone to float through the wilderness seems awfully callous. Rotor teaming up with the Arctic Freedom Fighters is a natural story decision, considering the location. The Trojan Horse bit is a little odd. Personally, I wish “Tundra Road” could’ve had a third part. Or was expanded into a three issue mini-series, which I suspect might have been the original plan. It would’ve given Rotor more time to explore his situation and allow the story to have a proper conclusion. Instead, it had to be squeezed into two back-up stories. Rotor’s mom and little brother wouldn’t be mention for years afterwards.

The cover story isn’t bad but every tale in issue 32 is slightly strangled by the page count, trying to do too much in too little space. [6/10]

THE 1995 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG COMIC BEST/WORST LIST!

1995 has to have been one of the busiest years for Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” series. Within the span of twelve months, the company would put out ten regular issues of the series, two separate three issue mini-series, and three one-shot specials. That’s enough hedgehog and echidna action to satisfy anyone, I’d imagine.

1995 was also a year of impressive growth for the comic’s mythology. This was the year Ken Penders – controversial as his name may well be – really started to build up the comic’s world. The groundwork for his divisive “Knuckles” solo series was laid, the main cast doubled, and myth arcs that wouldn’t be resolved for years were first introduced. ’95 was also the most serious year for the comic yet. Good or bad, for better or worst, this was the year the comic truly started to break away from the cartoon shows and video games that spawned it.

All right, enough yapping. Let’s get on with it. The issues covered in this retrospective are as follows:

Sonic the Hedgehog: #22-31
Princess Sally (Mini-Series): #1-3
Tails (Mini-Series): #1-3
Sonic and Knuckles
Sonic Triple Trouble
Knuckles' Chaotix

BEST COVER STORY:
Ken Penders, "A Scrambled Hedgehog" (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 27)

Issue 27 didn’t reinvent the wheel. The central crux of the story – hero gets bopped on head, looses his memory, and is recruited by the villain against his friends – has been done many times before and after. However, “A Scrambled Hedgehog” is a damn satisfying yarn. It doesn’t undermine the seriousness of Sonic turning on his friends. Sally and the Freedom Fighters are smartly portrayed, as they immediately realize something is off for Sonic. Moreover, this is an action packed issue, devoted to Sonic blasting through Knothole’s defenses, that moves so quickly that the flaws barely register.

WORST COVER STORY:
Ken Penders, "A Robot Rides the Rails" (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 31)

Like I said, Penders’ stuff is divisive. It’s not that “A Robot Rides the Rails” is a god-awful piece of shit. Instead, it’s an awkward story, held down by heavy exposition. The characters stumble towards their objective without focus. Despite its name, the Dynamac-3000 is not a dynamic threat. As far as evil robots go, it’s pretty boring. And neither of the main heroes defeat it either. If not the worst, this is easily the most forgettable story of the year.

BEST BACK STORY:
Mike Gallagher, "Growing Pains Part 2" (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 29)

While Tails’ mini-series proved disappointing, the back-up stories leading up to it featured the best characterization the two-tailed fox yet. Tails grows a lot over these two stories, as he feels betrayed by his idol, rebels, falls in love, gets his heart broken, and strikes a major blow against the enemy. The second part of “Growing Pains” is high-lighted as it features most of the action. The story borders on melodrama at times – what with Tails’ pronouncements about his lost youth – but somehow it works. Lastly, Tails’ tale wraps up on a bittersweet image, of the robotic Fiona Fox shedding a single tear.

WORST BACK STORY:
Ken Penders, "The Hunt is On!" (Knuckles' Chaotix)

Pender strikes again! “The Hunt is On!” has a mysterious threat appearing out of nowhere, defeating and capturing Knuckles’ friends. Where this threat comes from isn’t expanded on, the story lurching forward without much explanation. The way the enemy strikes – floating balls of doom, sudden robots – are deeply uninspired. The worst part is that all of this is a huge misdirect. The man behind all this chaos will soon be revealed as Knuckles’ mentor! That eventual reveal tells me that Penders was just making shit up as he went along.

BEST STORY ARC:
Ken Penders, "A Scrambled Hedgehog"/"Saturday Night's Alright for a Fight" (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 27-28)

I’ve already written about the pros of “A Scrambled Hedgehog.” Promising beginnings have been spoiled by weak follow-up before in this comic. However, issue 28 is a lot of fun too. It doesn’t wimp out on Sonic rumbling with his friends. Many characters get their abilities and talents shown off during the battle too. The ending is a little cheesy but these two comics make for a fun read.

WORST STORY ARC:
Ken Penders, "Fire Drill"-"First Contact"-"The Hunt Is On"-"Lost... and Found Part 1" (Sonic & Knuckles, Sonic Triple Trouble, Knuckles' Chaotix, Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 31)

As lame as “The Hunt is On!” was, it was part of an even lamer story arc that would stretch on into the next year. ‘Stretch’ is the important word there. The final part of the story to appear in 1995 was “Lost… and Found Part 1,” a story that ran for all of two pages and did nothing but belabor the point. In other words, all of these short stories are just saving time until the “Knuckles” mini-series started. It also features Penders’ worst habit: His self-involved myth-making that involves grand, terrible destinies that are rarely elaborated on. Booo.

 
BEST COVER ART:
Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 29 - Patrick Spaziante

Spaz did a lot of good work in 1995. His covers for 21, 22, 25, and the one-shots are all quite good. (He wasn’t the only cover artist doing good work, as Art Mawhinney’s moody cover for issue 30 is a clear runner-up for this award.) However, issue 29 features his best work yet. It’s an unnerving image of Sally, gasping in terror while her famous red hair is tossed about, being transformed into a robot. Her flesh twists into machinery above her, emotion struggling against the robotization process. It’s no use and a sinister machine emerges. Meanwhile, Sonic and Dulcy watch, helpless to prevent the destruction of their friend’s soul. Intense stuff for a kid’s book, huh?

WORST COVER ART:
Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 23 - Dave Manak

Issue 23 features one of the goofiest stories of ’95, though I have some mild fondness for it. The cover, on the other hand, I have less affection for. Car-Heeem glowers overhead, looking like a D-list Marvel villain. Sonic and Robotnik are squeezed into a glass orb in the alien’s hands. Robotnik looks constipated while Sonic looks like Sega clip art. The whole thing is presented against an uninspired space background.

BEST STORY ART:
Patrick Spaziante, "The 3 Stages of E.V.E." (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 21)

I nearly gave this award to Art Mawhinney’s work in issue 28, which featured some moody use of shadows and exciting action. Yet you can’t ignore Spaz’ proper debut in the book. The action explodes off the page, aided by Spaziante’s dynamic and excellent pencils. He contributes a fantastic sense of motion to an action-packed story. The combination of intimate detail and manga-influenced action makes issue 21 an awesome looking comic. Any time Spaz would draw an issue in the future, it would be an event. That’s the reason why.

WORST STORY ART:
Ken Penders, "The Hunt is On!" (Knuckles' Chaotix)

I’m not done bashing “The Hunt is On!” just yet. Penders is uneven as a writer but far worse as an illustrator. If Spaz’ action feels practically animated, Penders’ action is totally inert. When characters get tossed or beaten, they look like cut-out paper dolls stiffly moved around. His sense of scale is off, as Charmy and others shift size throughout the story. It’s not a good look. If Spaz’ pencils were greatly anticipated, Penders’ pencils were always dreaded.

BEST NEW CHARACTER(S):
The Chaotix

In 1995, Knuckles would go from being a loner to having a team of friends and partners. The Chaotix are clearly defined from their first appearance. They’ve also all got fuckin’ superpowers, which correspond to their personalities. Mighty is super strong, which fits his boisterous but also gentle personality. Espio is mysterious and knowledgeable, which is appropriate for a chameleon who can disappear. Charmy is flighty, since he's both a bee and the youngest of the team. And Vector… Okay, Vector is totally useless. Aside from him, the Chaotix have always been a favorite of mine.

WORST NEW CHARACTERS:
Guru Emu

I’m a fan of the Downunda Freedom Fighters too. (If Barby Koala had gotten a little more development, she might have claimed the above award.) As irritating as Vector is, at least he occasionally contributes something. What about Guru Emu? When you’re fighting a guerilla war against a robotic dictator, why would you want a pacifist hippy around? That’s Guru Emu’s biggest problem. He’s a lame visual joke that’s out of place.

BEST IDEA:
Deepening the World and the Cast

In 1995, five new teams of Freedom Fighters would be introduced. Sonic and his friends would travel around the world, into the depths of the ocean, to the freezing north, and to islands on the other side of the globe. Sonic’s girlfriend and sidekick would have adventures of their own, without their hedgehog companion, gaining new love interests and enemies. In the first two years, it felt like the comic rarely traveled beyond Knothole, Robotropolis, and the Floating Island. In 1995, Mobius began to feel like a real world.

WORST IDEA:
Mythological Wheel-Spinning

I’ve already mentioned Ken’s bad habit of setting up huge story lines that rarely paid off. Despite this, they were constantly referenced in grave tones. The crumbs of Knuckles’ grand, terrible destiny as a Guardian – and all the considerable baggage that came with it – were started this year. We also learn about Tails being a Chosen One, a myth arc the comic wouldn’t resolve for a long time. Hammered-home and unending gobbledygook like this would quickly became my least favorite thing about this book. And it all started here.

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 31

 
Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 31
Publication Date: December 1995

If this blog hasn’t made it immediately clear, I have a real love/hate relationship with Ken Penders. I’m not even talking about the whole lawsuit thing, that would bring down the series’ entire continuity years later. Even before then, he was a hit-and-miss talent. As a writer, the guy cooked up most of the series’ mythology, writing many of the series’ best stories in its early years. However, he was prone to lame dialogue and an over-reliance on exposition, prolonged “mysteries,” and belabored build-up. And as an artist… Yeah, he’s not a great artist. (Defying common sense, he’s actually gotten worse with age.) Penders draws and writes most of Issue 31 and it doesn’t reflect his best work.

The “Princess Sally” mini-series was one of Ken’s babies and “A Robot Rides the Rails,” 31’s cover story, feels like it was conceived as a follow-up to that mini-series. Sally embarks on a solo mission, tracking down a train containing Robotnik’s latest mechanical weapon. When the Freedom Fighters realize she’s run off on her own, Sonic and company immediately race to catch up with her. Sally’s not alone though, it turns out. Geoffrey St. John, also on a mission to destroy the machine, is on the train as well. Soon enough, Sally and both her suitors run afoul of the Dynamac-3000.

Just on a pure plotting level, there’s nothing wrong with “A Robot Rides the Rails.” It’s a fairly straight forward “robot of the week” (month?) story. It gains some novelty by giving Sally the lead role. Some early, catty dialogue between herself and NICOLE is a high-light, the computer slowly developing a personality. Tossing Geoffrey St. John and Sonic into the same story is a nice touch, as it brings that love triangle into the forefront. Luckily, the script doesn’t let that element overwhelm the plot. Geoffrey and Sonic trade some barbs and nasty looks but don’t let their squabbles get in the way of the mission.

Unfortunately, the story has a lot of other problems. “A Robot Rides the Rails” is real heavy on the awkward exposition. NICOLE, Rotor, and St. John all prattle on about the plot. In one sequence, NICOLE discusses the robot’s weakness, bringing the story’s pacing to a violent halt. Despite its train setting, the story lacks forward momentum. It truly feels like a collection of random encounters at time, the cast stumbling through the story with the thinnest of objectives. By pushng the Freedom Fighters to the sidelines, focusing only on the most powerful members of the team, it drains the plot of any danger. The Dynamac-3000 is not a compelling threat. It’s a lame Transformer rip-off, that awkward changes shape, never seemingly threatens the bad guys, and is easily taken out. Geoffrey’s men, winkingly named Dolph and Jean-Claude, show up right at the end to blow up the robot. Lame.

As for the artwork… Jesus Christ, the artwork. It’s not flat-out terrible. The characters are mostly on-model and it’s always clear what’s going on. It’s just so incredibly flat. There’s no sense of movement, action, energy, or speed. Look at when the robot burst from the top of the train, Sonic gets zapped by a stray laser, or any time he attacks the machine. It’s just so fucking dull to look at. Even the characters look bored half the time. Rotor’s eyes are half-opened as the plane approaches the train! Moreover, Penders makes some rookie mistakes. His perspective work is off. In one panel, Sonic looks like a giant and Rotor looks tiny. His path of direction isn’t always clear. When Geoffrey fires a net gun at the Dynamac-3000, the projectile seemingly changes direction in mid-air! His posing is usually awkward, such as when Sally touches down on the train on the first page, seemingly dislocating her pelvis.

 

Just when you think its over… We get more Penders’ artwork! “Lost… and Found! Part 1” is a totally useless story. Stretching on for all of two pages, it picks up where “The Hunt is On!” from “Knuckles’ Chaotix” started. Knuckles wanders through a desolate desert, thinks about his friends, while someone watches him, ominously talking about his destiny. Jesus, Ken, just get to the point already. How long have you been stretching out this Archemedes business? The art is flat and indistinct. This story is useless and I don’t know why it’s in the book.

Luckily, Art Mawhinney and Mike Gallagher arrive to add some life to this issue. As I’ve previously mentioned, Archie was clearly eager to launch a spin-off from their “Sonic” series. Even though the “Knuckles” book would be getting a test-run soon enough, they still gave the most unexpected of characters a solo back-up story: Rotor! In “Tundra Road,” Rotor receives a message from a radio that’s been inactive for years. He hears the voice of his mother, coming from Mobius’ frozen north. He jumps in his submarine, heads for the Arctic, and finds that Robotnik has hypnotized his entire family and all the other walruses in the area. The tyrant plans to use the walrus slaves to build a huge freeze ray.

After several pages of dull Penders’ artwork, Art Mawhinney’s expressive, animated work is so desperately needed. When Mawhinney started drawing the book, his pencils beautifully replicated the look of the SatAM series. By now, he’s developed his own style, that’s rooted in the series’ established look but more expressive and detailed. Check out the block-headed Icebots or Rotor’s beany-clad little brother. His gift for facial expressions really comes in handy, in-between Robotnik’s angry scowling and Rotor’s shock. The plot, meanwhile, is rooted in honest emotional, as Rotor seeks to protect his family. In other words, it’s personal.

In short, the cover story and first back-up are both pretty lame while the secondary back-up makes up for a lot of those flaws. Still, I don’t feel comfortable giving book #31 more then a [5/10.]

Knuckles' Chaotix

 
Knuckles’ Chaotix
Publication Date: November 1995

Of all of Sega’s poorly received game systems – which included such best sellers as the Nomad and the Pico – none were more ill conceived then the 32X. The second add-on for the Genesis, visually it resembled a tumor growing out of the top of the system. The console was hampered by the Genesis’ own ailing life-span, mechanical problems, cumbersome hardware, and a meager gallery of games. Of course, the 32X wouldn’t have been a proper Sega system without a Sonic game! And it got one, kind of. “Knuckles’ Chaotix” was an odd-ball spin-off starring Knuckles with a peculiar control gimmick salvaged from a scrapped game called “Sonic Crackers.” Though mostly ignored upon release, the game has developed something of a following among Sonic dorks. Like many of the Sonic games released during this time, Archie would loosely adapt it as a 48-page special. The comic’s legacy is more obvious, as it added many important characters to Knuckles’ supporting cast.

The video game involves an island-spanning amusement park called Carnival Island and new MacGuffins called Power Emeralds. The comic simplifies this slightly. The setting is now Happy Land, an amusement park that has sprung up on the Floating Island and the Power Emeralds are now Robotnik’s attempts to replicate the Chaos Emeralds. Aside from the new characters, Metal Sonic’s appearance, and a brief cameo from the power ring rubber band thing, the book ejects everything else. Anyway, the plot: Sonic and the Freedom Fighters are invited to Happy Land, much to Knuckles’ consternation. Naturally, it’s a trap. Teaming up with shyster Renfield T. Rodent, Robotnik traps the Freedom Fighters inside the Hall of Mirrors and strips Knuckles of his powers. The echidna has to team up with a new group of heroes to stop the villain and rescues the good guys.

“The Chaos Effect” is a straight-forward thumping action story. It quickly establishes its conflict, introduces the new characters and their abilities, and barrels towards the action. The carnival setting is fun, though could’ve been utilized more. Only the Hall of Mirrors gets any real page time. Wouldn’t an action scene set on a roller coaster or the Ferris Wheel had been fun? For once, sidelining the other established characters in favor of Knuckles’ makes sense. His name is above the title, so Sonic and friends getting trapped early on is okay. Renfield T. Rodent (who sounds like Warren T. Rat from “An American Tail” in my brain) is a fairly silly villain though compelling in his greasiness. He’s more like a sleazy, crooked businessman than a traditional supervillain, which makes for a nice contrast with Robotnik. Speaking of which, Robotnik’s plan in this is awfully flawed. Trapping the Freedom Fighters but leaving Knuckles running around shows the fat man carrying the Idiot Ball. Even without his knuckles spikes or gliding abilities, Knuckles is obviously still a threat to his plan. Moreover, the Power Emeralds can apparently do anything the plot requires, from powering the amusement park to allowing Knuckles to grow to giant size.

More then any of this, “The Chaos Effect” is focused on introducing the Chaotix. It does so quickly and succinctly over four pages in the middle of the book. Charmy the Bee (who sounds like the Honey Nut Cherrios Bee in my brain) is introduced buzzing around, in an perpetually up-beat mood. Espio is introduced blending in with a tree before dropping some punny dialogue, branding him as both mysterious and somewhat street-smart. Vector, already previous seen in the Triple Trouble book, hips and hops into the scene. Mighty the Armadillo busts through a wall with his super-strength while acting all laid back about it, revealing him as obviously the best member of the team in its current incarnation. Only robots Heavy (who sounds like Baymax in my brain) and Bomb get the short end of the characterization stick. Heavy mostly spouts exposition while Bomb just clicks and grins. Still, as far as a story with only so many pages to do everything, it gets the job done.

The plot and cast set up, the story runs head-long into the action. Robotnik grabs Metal Sonic out of cold storage and sics ‘em on the heroes. Despite knowing each other for all of five minutes, the Chaotix are already functioning as a team. The story does a good job of high-lighting each of the team member’s abilities. Charmy flies to get Metal Sonic’s attention, Espio disappears as a decoy, Mighty punches him through two goddamn buildings, Bomb blows the fuck up, and Vector… stands on the other end of the rubber band? The conclusion is just fun in its comic-book-y silliness, with Metal Sonic transforming into his intimidating super-form, Titan Metal Sonic. Amusingly, Knuckles gets a super-size power boosts immediately afterwards and dismantles the robot in seconds. It’s not high art – even Art Mawhinney’s otherwise excellent pencil falter a few times, as he’s obviously not use to drawing Knuckles – but it’s an entertaining story.

I wish the two back-up stories provided a little more meat to chew on. “Tag! You’re It!” is about the Chaotix playing an aggressive game of Tag. All the story really does is establish their personalities a little more, which is nice. It also teases the Archemedes character once again, Penders’ continuing to spin his wheels until he can get the Knuckles solo series up and running. Harvey Mercadoocasio’s artwork is angular and harsh but he shows a better grasp on these characters then he did the last time he drew a “Sonic” book.

Sadly, “Knuckles’ Chaotix” wraps up with a real stinker of a story. “The Hunt is On!” was both drawn and written by Ken Penders. The plot is a big nothing. The Chaotix wander across the island, each stumbling into a new lame trap. There’s a hole in the ground that Vector falls into, flying blue balls knock Charmy out, a badly design robot tangles with Mighty, and Espio is abducted by someone off-panel. Then the story ends with another teasing of Knuckles’ wider-ranging mythology. This one really shows off Penders’ limitations as an artist. The characters are so flat. When Charmy is knocked out, it looks like he becomes a cardboard cut-out. Mighty’s fight with the hideously designed random robot ends with both of them lying on the ground in very awkward positions. “Knuckles’ Chaotix” is a fun book overall but “The Hunt is On!” is just a lame, lame story.

Still, that cover story is lots of fun and the first back-up isn’t terrible. The video game this special promoted would slip into obscurity but the characters it introduces would become Knuckles’ best friends and primary supporting cast. It’s a significant contribution to the “Sonic” universe for those reasons. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 30

 
Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 30
Publication Date: November 1995

In the Saturday morning cartoon show that primarily inspired Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” comic, Sonic’s Uncle Chuck was a very important character. A spy for the rebellion inside Robotnik’s home turf, Chuck also represented everything that was at stakes for the Freedom Fighters. He was their friend and loved one, his very free will was at stake, and getting him back wasn’t going to be an easy task. Despite being so important to the series’ mythos, Uncle Chuck didn’t appear much in the comic up to this point. He played a role in the early issues of the original “Sonic” mini-series and showed up in Issue 16. Besides that, he’s been surprisingly absent. Well, issue 30 announced its intentions to bring Chuck back, by placing him right there on the cover. If they couldn’t make it any clearer, the cover story is entitled “The Return of Uncle Chuck.”

In Robotropis, Robotnik and Snively are working on a new portal generator, to suck even more of their enemies into the Void, the alternate universe where Robotnik stuck King Acorn. However, there’s a malfunction and the fat man is sucked inside as well. Snively uses this opportunity to seize control of Robotnik’s empire. The experiment has an unforeseen side effect though: Uncle Chuck regains his free will.

In his many reviews of the comics, the Original Grumpy Old Man of the Sonic Fandom Dan Drazen would rate the stories on their “Heart.” Usually, he found the comic felt short of whatever heartiness he desired it to have. For once though, I think a little more heart would’ve helped this story. Getting back his Uncle Chuck has been Sonic’s main motivation for most of the series. However, when Uncle Chuck reappears with his free will intact, Sonic seems much more excited about getting to eat his uncle’s chili-dogs again. The story ends with Chuck hanging out in Knothole with the Freedom Fighers, which seems like way too easy a victory for them.

Truthfully, Issue 30 is more focused on moving the plot forward then on emotional manners. Snively’s resentment of his own uncle has been hinted at plenty of times. “The Return of Uncle Chuck” is the first story that actively shows Snively attempting to dethrone Robotnik and take his place. However, as this and future stories would show, Snively is kind of incompetent. It takes all of one issue for the Freedom Fighters to defeat his plan. Though his main idea – attaching the Void portal to the front of a plane and zapping all the other Freedom Fighters into an alternate universe – wasn’t an awful idea.

Angelo DeCesare wrote this one and it’s the writer in a goofy mood. The script lays on the puns and the resolution seems way too easy, especially since it involves Robotnik and the Freedom Fighters coming to a temporary truce. Art Mawhinney did the artwork for this one and, while his work is overall very good, he seems a little off in a few panels. He never seems to quite nail Uncle Chuck’s design and even Snively and Bunnie seem slightly off-model a few times. Not Art’s best work.

Issue 30 has a weird back-up story. It’s called “Who Keeps Stealing My Chaos Emeralds?” It’s a totally goofy piece of slapstick, wherein Coconuts keeps setting traps for a thief, only to have them back-fire on him. It’s written by Paul Casitglia, a writer who never did much work for the series. Castiglia out-right references the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote shorts, which were obviously an inspiration for this story. The only reason it warrants mention at all is because Pat Spazante, the most respected of Sonic artist, drew it. Naturally, Spaz’ pencils are extremely good and he provides a fantastic scene of cartoony chaos while maintaining the usual amount of detail and animated energy he’s known for. Why Spaz would choose to draw such a pointless little story, I don’t know.

Anyway, Issue 30 gets a [6/10.]

Tails (Mini-Series): Issue 3

 
Tails (Mini-Series): Issue 3
Publication Date: December 1995

Issue 3 of the “Tails” mini-series opens with exposition and more exposition. Athair confirms what we suspected in the last issue. The Great Crater is where the Floating Island, and a scientifically advanced city of echidnas, floated into the sky to avoid a white comet from striking them. Athair then explains that he’s Knuckles’ great-grandfather, thanks to some helpful illustrations on the wall of his cave. Possessed by the spirits of the Ancient Walkers, Tails then expounds on how the Chaos Emeralds fell from the sky in prehistoric times, granting a few dinosaurs immortal life… And how the gems’ great power has been abused over the years, most prominently by an echidna scientist. (Yet again, this is more foreshadowing for Knuckles’ mini-series in Tails’ comic.) Lastly, a prophecy about someone bringing all the chaos emeralds together is dropped, with Tails hinted to be that person. If Tails is going to develop into a great hero, he certainly doesn’t show it any here, since he spends the whole series getting his butt kicked.

At least Tails actually gets a little involved in the action this time. CrocBot activates his secret weapon, a giant robotic ram called... Sigh... the CD-ROM Ram. This tosses Barby Koala all the way into Tails’ lap, setting up that doomed ship. Tails flies her back into the action, distracts CrocBot enough so that Robotnik’s supply blimp pulls a Hindenburg, and helps Guru Emu take out CrocBot at the very end. Even then, Tails is only assisting the story’s real heroes save the day. You get the impression that Mike Gallagher wanted to write a DownUnda Freedom Fighters mini-series, not a Tails mini-series.

Listen, I like the convoluted mythology of the Archie “Sonic” series. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be wasting so many hours reviewing the damn things. Yet I’ve never been a super big fan of the book’s tendency to favor long-winged prophecies. Do prophecies in fiction ever actually work? All it does it build up to some big event that the story can, in no way, live up to. The Chosen One concept has become one of the most overused and stuffy plot points in modern genre fiction. Tails being a Chosen One is one of those storylines that the “Sonic” book wouldn’t be bothered to resolve for years. Forcing it into his mini-series, when he seems especially incompetent, certainly doesn’t boost the legend’s believably any. It mostly just bogs the book down in a bunch of mumbo jumbo.

What about that action? After spending two issues doing nothing but scheming, CrocBot finally gets to show off his villain credentials some. As goofy as it is, the CD-ROM Ram does wreck the Downunda Freedom Fighters’ collective shit. Yet when he has the opportunity to murder his enemies, when he leaps in a battle tank, CrocBot instead just runs away, making himself vulnerable to his defeat. The dude’s a giant robotic crocodile in a nuclear-powered murder tank. Why didn’t he make mincemeat of the Downunda Freedom Fighters, especially when they were already weakened from a previous battle?

The “Tails” mini-series ends with Tails realizing that he’s needed back in Knothole, despite currently being in a now badnik free country with a hot older koala woman who definitely wants to jump his bones. The story could’ve spun this into Tails learning a lesson. After spending three comic books being way in over his head, maybe he should’ve realized that Sonic and Sally are right to treat him with kid’s gloves. The book doesn’t really play that up. There are some tearful goodbyes before Tails jumps in the Sea Fox and heads home.

The “Tails” mini-series was seemingly built upon wasted potential. Devoting a whole book to Tails, especially when he was at his most angry and annoyed, could’ve deepened his personality considerably. The mini-series introduces a bunch of new characters but doesn’t have the time or patience to develop them much. All the mythology-building and prophecy-humping the book did would be more successfully expounded upon in other series. It’s a shame. In the post-story editorial, even Scott Fulop doesn’t seem enthusiastic about telling future stories about Tails. The best thing the book does is expand upon Sonic’s world, which probably would’ve happened any way.

It’s a bummer. The main book would continue to struggle with what to do with Tails, exactly. Eventually, Sega would decide that Tails was a kid genius mechanic. However, Rotor already held that title in the comic. It wasn’t until Rotor was slightly retired that Tails would start to find his niche. That’s a long ways off, readers. All of this is character development that could’ve been handle in this book. The weirdest thing about the “Tails” mini-series is that Tails himself doesn’t play nearly a big enough role in it. [5/10]

Tails (Mini-Series): Issue 2

 
Tails (Mini-Series): Issue 2
Publication Date: November 1995

In my review of the first issue of “Tails,” I said that it was all right that Tails was a little inexperienced. He’s still growing up. However, issue two returns to the same pattern a little too closely. His new aquatic friends carry Tails the rest-of-the-way to Downunda. There, he sets out in stopping Crocbot’s plan. This, however, does not go according to plan. A horde of robotic Wing Dingoes show up and beat the shit out of Tails. The fox’s extraordinary luck continues when the Downunda Freedom Fighters show up to kick ass. Battered, Tails is carried to the mysterious Great Crater to be healed by the terribly mysterious Athair. Meanwhile, Wombat Stu, a member of the Downunda Freedom Fighters, is captured and interrogated by Crocbot.

 

Like I said, Tails slipping up once or twice is fine since he’s still new to this heroing thing. However, to have nearly the exact same circumstances befall him again in the next issue is pushing it a little far. In both issues, Tails tries to take down some bad guys, succeeds in offing a few, before getting his ass whipped, necessitating a new group of heroes to appear and rescue him. Keep in mind, we’re already pass the half-way point here. Combine the first two issues and Tails spends about a third of his solo series unconscious! It definitely doesn’t make him seem like the most proactive protagonist, that’s for sure.

What writer Mike Gallagher seems far more invested in is his own creations. Just as the first issue introduced the Forty Fathom Freedom Fighters, the second issue introduces the Downunda Freedom Fighters. As I’ve mentioned before, I like the idea that there are other Freedom Fighter groups out there on Mobius, looking to stem Robotnik’s empire in every corner of the globe. As a kid, I always liked this team. They are all composed of native Australian animals. On one hand, that makes them one-step shy of being national stereotypes. On the other hand, I like the multicultural element that brings. The designs are straight-forward and appealing. Most importantly, with the exception of anachronistic hippy Guru Emu who does nothing but stand around bitching, they are all very tough characters. They decimate a team of robots with their bare hands. Barby Koala karate chops a robot dingo in half, for example.

(Also, Walt Wallabe has a pouch, despite only female wallabes having those. The obvious answer to this confusion is that Mike Gallagher couldn’t bother to look up wallaby physiology or assumed viewers wouldn’t notice or care. Looking at it now, it’s kind of fun to imagine that Walt is transgendered and the Sonic comic has secretly had an LGBT character right out there in the open all along. The modern internet being what it is, I’m surprised nobody has seized on this.)

Unfortunately, the story moves so quickly that their toughness is the only thing that defines the Downunda Freedom Fighters. We know that Walt is the leader, that Guru Emu is useless, and that Barby Koala is the toughest bitch on the continent. (And she does it all while wearing high-heels, because even cartoon animals were sexualized in the nineties.) But what’s Duck Bill and Wombat Stu’s motivation? They don’t get any development of their own.

 
I do like those winged dingoes though. That’s certainly a memorable element. Just like Crocbot, they are cool looking villains that, otherwise, don’t contribute much. Once again, Crocbot fumes about his plans to overthrow Robotnik. It’s really the only personality the guy has. He’s got such a hate-on for his boss that he nearly blows his own cover every time. He threatens to do something awful to Stu, after he’s captured, but never delivers. The “Tails” mini-series is increasingly looking like a book with interesting characters that have no personality.

Which brings us back to Tails. He spends the last third of the book down in a crater, one of his tails bandaged and his arm in a sling. He wanders around, bumping into statues of the Ancient Walkers and encounters Athair. Long time readers know that Athair is Knuckles’ great-grandfather. What Knuckles’ great-grandfather is doing in Australia isn’t revealed. Even as a kid, I knew that echidnas are native to that continent. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the Great Crater is the place where the Floating Island ascended into the sky. In short, all of this is foreshadowing for Knuckles’ backstory… In Tails’ book. Gee, that’s not fair. It seems like even the writers treat Tails like he’s an unimportant kid.

There are some interesting ideas floating around in here. The “Tails” book drops a ton of new characters on us and they all have potential. However, the story is running forward at such a speed that there’s no time to develop any of them beyond thin sketches. That combined with making Tails a supporting character in his own solo book is making this mini-series a bit of a disappointment. [6/10]