Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 41

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 41
Publication Date: September 1996

Back in issue 36, Ken Penders expanded the Archie Sonic universe into previously unseen, surreal territory. Turns out, Sally’s dad survived in an alternate universe called the Zone of Silence. There, he had been driven mad, with no memories of his life on Mobius, and rode around in a totally metal suit of armor. Though rescuing her father has been Sally’s primary motivation since day one, this plotline has taken a back seat for a while. With issue 41’s “…and One Shall Save Him,” Penders gets back to this story line.

Sonic does a dramatic dive into Robotnik’s fortress, which is still rebuilding from the earthquake and nuclear detonation that have affected it recently. Sonic easily snatches a device from the fat man and gets out of there. Turns out, what Sonic pilfered was the missing piece Rotor needs to make the portal neutralizer work properly. Sonic, Sally, and Geoffrey St. John return to the Zone of Silence to rescue King Acorn. This is easier said then done as the Zone has strange rules and properties of its own that make it difficult to navigate.

If Pender’s goal was to make the Zone of Silence seem confusing, he succeeded. “…and One Shall Save Him” is one of most incoherent story that has ever appeared in the Sonic comic. Shit just doesn’t make any sense in the Zone of Silence. King Acorn spends time chatting with his toady, who is a literal toad, before he sees his daughter before him. Sonic, Sally, and Geoffrey then float through the void. They see the events of Issue 36 unfold before them again. They then see how Acorn arrived in the Zone and how the weird, grey creatures that serve him found him. This is a very clumsy way for Penders to deliver some exposition. I guess having the characters see the events unfold before them, because of some weird time wedgie thing, is more elegant then just having someone say it. Yet “showing” has never felt more cumbersome then “telling” before.

This is before the story just totally looses its shit in the second half. Sonic attempts to confront the mad king but that doesn’t go well for him. Sally and St. John are nearly sucked into a vortex, along with a bunch of the king’s grey minions. (This is the closest the book comes to replicating Spaz’ eye-catching cover art.) Because of the unstable time zones at work, the Sonic from earlier in the book also attacks King Acorn. This allows Geoffrey to activate the neutralizer, which shoots a huge fireball and dumps everyone, the King included, back into Mobius.

Confused? I don’t normally spend that much time recapping the comic’s events but Issue 41 really calls for it. It’s a totally incoherent mismash of ideas. A place where time is unstable, and past and present events cross over on each other, is an interesting idea. However, it’s executed with no grace. Furthermore, the properties of the Zone are all over the place. Sally and Geoffrey spend most of the issue floating around aimlessly. King Acorn, meanwhile, can fly through the air on his black horse. Ladle on a thick layer of technobabble courtesy of Nicole and you have a story that’s nearly impossible to follow.

 
As if the script itself wasn’t confusing enough, Archie also handed this issue’s artwork over to an experienced illustrator named Kyle Hunter. Hunter clearly has some skill. His opening page, showing Sonic bungie-jumping into Robotnik’s lair, is moody and interesting. Yet most of his work here is just awful. It’s clear that Hunter has no experience drawing these characters. Not a page passes without one of the main characters going off-model. Hunter doesn’t seem to understand that Sonic has a neck, as his head frequently appears to float on his shoulders. In one panel, Rotor’s head turns around completely on his shoulders. Once we make it to the Zone of Silence, things become even more incoherent. It’s frequently difficult to figure out what’s happening. He often draws King Acorn with a human physique, which is weird. As for Acorn’s alien henchmen, most often they resembles indistinct grey blobs. When the heroes find themselves watching the events from Issue 36, the book just reuses Art Mawhinney’s artwork. The contrast between the two artists is whiplash inducing.

Issue 41 also lacks an emotional heart. Sally finally retrieves her father, which has been her goal forever. Yet she shows no sign of relief or hope. About the only emotional element we get here is a brief squabble between Sonic and St. John. This is not the last time the hedgehog and the skunk would come to blows over Sally’s hand. As a kid, I remember loving Spaz’ cover art for this issue and being so disappointing that the interior art didn’t live up to that. As an adult, I’m blown away by how poorly assembled this one is. [4/10]