THE 1996 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG COMIC BEST/WORST LIST!

1996 is one of the years in Archie Sonic history that I remember most vividly. This was the year that my passion for the book really grew. It definitely had some crowd-pleasing elements for the young kids. There were fights between super-powered robots, the introduction of honest-to-god supervillains, and one big plot reveal after another. Reading these issues as an adult, the book continued to have some very steep peaks and valleys. 1996 produced some of the best and some of the worst “Sonic” stories. Let’s, as a cartoon hedgehog famous for running fast might say, do it to it.

The issues covered in this retrospective are:

Sonic the Hedgehog: #33-44
Knuckles the Echidna (Mini-Series): #1-3
Sonic Quest (Mini-Series): #1-3
Sonic & Knuckles: Mecha Madness
Sonic Live!

BEST COVER STORY: 
Ken Penders and Mike Kanterovich, "Heart of Darkness" (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 36)

“Heart of Darkness” is invested with emotion and risks. Sally is shocked that the mad villain they encounter is her father, a revelation that pushes her to tears. Sonic has to choose between saving the day and protecting Sally’s feelings. He ultimately chooses the former, a decision he immediately regrets. The story also expands on the universe’s mythology and features some bitchin’ Art Mawhinney artwork. While the King Acorn story arc would soon become a millstone for the book, this first entry remains an impressive achievement.

WORST COVER STORY:
Ken Penders, "The Last Game Cartridge Hero" (Sonic Live!)

Well, this was inevitable. Just on a structure level, “The Last Game Cartridge Hero” is not good. Sonic and his newly introduced human sidekicks bounce from one incoherent plot element – Sonic pulling some human kids into his world? – to the next – interdimesnional robot Robotniks? – and onward. Ken Penders’ decision to bring his son and his niece into the “Sonic” comic-verse has been widely mocked. And rightfully so, as it’s a writing choice that stinks of juvenile wish fulfillment and bad fan fiction. With some flat artwork being the rancid cherry on the shit sundae, we have one of the most notoriously misconceived stories ever published by Archie.

BEST BACK STORY: 
Ken Penders, "Fathers and Sons" (Super Sonic vs. Hyper Knuckles)

By building the story around a father teaching his son some lessons, Penders’ finds an ideal outlet for his exposition-heavy dialogue. The story is the root of Knuckles’ daddy issues, as he reflects back on his contentious relationship with his father and Locke’s eventual disappearance. Knuckles’ personality, back story, and environment all get a much needed expansion. I wouldn’t always be a fan of Locke but “Fathers and Sons” is still a pretty good story.

WORST BACK STORY: 
Ken Penders, "Bedtime Tails" (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 38)

That’s right, Ken pulled off the four-way hat trick. “Bedtime Tails” is the kind of lame joke story that the comic should have outgrown by this point. Starting with Tails regaling an ill Sonic with his shitty fan fiction, the story then builds into an extremely unfunny spoof of “The Fantastic Four.” “Unfunny’ in the sense that there’s barely any jokes. There are no gags about the “Fantastic Four’ or any reason to combine the Sonic cast with those characters. The resolution – the Robotnik/Galactus mash-up is given some Twinkies – is what passes for a joke in this stupid story. It’s essentially the Sonic version of a Seltzer and Friedberg movie, though admittedly with fewer fart jokes.

BEST STORY ARC:
Mike Gallagher, Mecha Madness (StH 39 - Sonic & Knuckles: Mecha Madness)

“Mecha Madness” was the Archie Sonic event of 1996 and, unlike so many comic book events, it actually lived up to the hype. The story line began with a bold concept: What would happen if Sonic got robotocized? The answer? He would just start wrecking everybody’s shit. From there, the two-parter built into a spectacular series of action set-pieces. Mecha-Sonic vs. Bunnie! Mecha-Sonic vs. Knuckles! Mecha-Sonic vs. Mecha-Knuckles! Despite the constant escalation, the story never looses its pacing, by rooting its excitement in a real sense of danger. Yeah, the resolution, involving a magic ring, was disappointing. But who cares when a story satisfies this much?

WORST STORY ARC:
Ken Penders, "Rites of Passage!" (Knuckles the Echidna (Original Mini-Series): 1-3)

Calling “Rites of Passage!” the worst story arc of 1996 might not be entirely accurate. Instead, it’s more aptly described as the most disappointing story arc of 1996. Practically every exciting reveal the book sets up it then fumbles. “Wow, a “Knuckles” mini-series! I bet it’ll be devoted to Knuckles and the Chaotix having crazy adventures together!” Nope. The Chaotix are benched for the entire mini-series. “Wow, Knuckles receives a super powerful villain of his own, the neigh omnipotent Enerjak!” Yeah, except Enerjak doesn’t seem to know how varied his multitude of powers are and goes down like a chump. “What’s that? An expanded role for Knuckles’ dad, Locke? Interesting!” Not so much, as Locke spends the entire book improbably getting his son out of jams while watching from afar. While not without its moments, “Rites of Passage!” is simply nowhere near as satisfying as it should’ve been.

BEST COVER ART:
Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 43 – Patrick Spazinate

Spaz provided some bitching cover art during 1996 and it was tricky to narrow it down to just one. What about the metal album worthy image from issue 36, which featured Sonic and Sally powerless before an intimating rider clad in black armor? Or the striking cover that adorned issue 41, which showed Sonic, Sally, and Geoffrey St. John are up to their shoulders in a mysterious white light, beset by grasping grey arms?

All of those are awesome but I decided to go with the more contemplative cover of issue 43. In a story devoted to memory, we see Sonic literally walking into the past. He’s framed on both sides by King Acorn and Robotnik facing off against a wrecked cityscape. Instead of going for action, the cover is painted in a sepia tone, implying a past littered with regrets and a future that’s uncertain at best.

WORST COVER ART: 
Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 42 – Patrick Spazinate

In a year where the extraordinarily gifted Spaz provided all of the covers, there really isn’t a “worst” candidate. However, out of all of Spaz’ work this year, issue 42’s cover is definitely his most awkward. Sonic is running so fast, his knees are practically in his face. Sally falls through the air, her body twisting in an uncomfortable pose. Despite running forward, the other characters don’t appear very lively. They seem frozen in place. Meanwhile, the action takes place against a non-descriptive forest background. The posing is odd and the concept is uninspired, even if everything else about Spazinate’s work is quite good.

BEST STORY ART: 
"Rage Against the Machine" - Patrick Spazinate (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 39)

While the art in the story’s second half, featured in the “Mecha Madness” one-shot, is no less spectacular, issue 39 features some of Spaz’ boldest images. The artist’s fabulous sense of motion is beautifully deployed when Mecha-Sonic goes on his rampage, destroying a giant Crabmeat or fighting with Bunnie Rabbot. Speaking of which, Bunnie has never looked more powerful and dynamic then when Spaz drew her. When Spazinate gets to cut loose and draw extended frames or large splash pages, his gift for exquisite detail, anime-esque fluidity, and irreproachable head for action all come to the foreground. It’s sweet as hell, yo.

WORST STORY ART: 
"...and One Shall Save Him" - Kyle Hunter (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 41)

There was no shortage of bad art in the book this year. Brian Thompson and Manny Galan were both brought onto the book and neither artist showed much skill for drawing these characters. As off-model as Thompson and Galan’s work could be, at least I could actually understand what was going on. (And Galan would eventually find his footing as the regular artist of the “Knuckles” series.) Kyle Hunter’s work in Issue 41 is as incoherent as the story accompanying it. Characters twist and bend in implausible ways. Sonic and friends float through a void with no sense of direction. When new characters appear, they are indistinct blobs of color. Hunter would never work on the book again and it’s no wonder why.

BEST NEW CHARACTER:
Dimitri

As a supervillain, Enerjak never quite lived up to his potential. However, Dimitri’s fall into evil is all too understandable. The path that leads him to villainy isn’t paved with tyranny or madness. Instead, he sets out hoping to help his people. After being restricted at every turn by politics, he decides to break the law to achieve his goal. That passion makes for a compelling start, even if he becomes a standard supervillain after receiving god-like abilities. Oh well.

WORST NEW CHARACTER(S): 
Auntie Bodies and Paris-Site

Most of the new characters introduced this year were kind of useless. The Combots got a big introduction but never actually did anything. Fly Fly Freddie had one of the ugliest designs ever seen in the book, before being killed off in his next appearance. Though I hate to give this award to what amounts to a pair of one-shot joke characters, it had to be done.

Auntie Bodies and Paris-Site represent Mike Gallagher’s weakness for puns at its most god awful. “Antibodies” being portrayed as a matronly old woman version of the host body is the kind of base-level word play a grade schooler could’ve come up with. “Parasite” becoming a French-themed goon, meanwhile, barely makes any sense. At least you associate grandmothers with kind behavior. What the fuck does a Frenchmen have to do with invading viruses, beyond the obvious wordplay? Thankfully, the book would never feel the desire to anthropomorphize the character’s immune systems ever again.


BEST IDEA: 
The stakes continue to be raised

In 1996, Sonic would further grapple with his beloved uncle and pet dog’s robotic states. Robotropolis would be rocked by an earthquake and get a nuclear bomb dropped on it. Sonic would be robotocized, nearly kill his friends, and be put on trial for crimes he didn’t commit. Sally would suffer a near-fatal injury. Later on, she would discover her father’s true whereabouts and see that he has gone mad with power. Even after rescuing him from a surreal alternate universe, Sally would continue to struggle with getting her father – the one she remembered – back, as the king was gripped by a weird illness. Knuckles, meanwhile, would learn that an ancient ancestor of his once became a mad god and tried to enslave the world, before being buried for eons under his own collapsed fortress. The point is: Shit got real in 1996, to the betterment of the book, its characters, and its world.


WORST IDEA:
New writers and artists that don’t know the territory.

Over the course of 1996, two new writers would join the book. While I have few criticism with Rich Koslowski’s work, former editor Scott Fulop would show little understanding of these characters and their world. His contribution to the book include a co-writer credit on the “Knuckles’ Quest” story arc, shenanigans involving Mammoth Mogul, and King Acorn’s magic crown. In other words, hardly beloved additions to the universe.

Meanwhile, the new artistic talent required sarcastic quotation marks around the word “talent.” Oh, it’s true, that Manny Galan would, in time, become one of my favorite artist on the book. His early work, though, was often off-model. Brian Thomas, meanwhile, was ill-suited to the series, with his attempts to blend his style with the book’s style resulting in some awkward drawings. Yet none compared to Kyle Hunter’s hideous artwork.

I’m sure Archie’s desire to introduce new talent to the book had the best of intentions. But maybe they should have just let the established guys continue to do their collective thing.