Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 59

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 59
Publication Date: March 1998

With issue 57, Archie’s “Sonic” series promised to re-focus, since the heroes’ primary antagonist was newly dead. There was probably a handful of reasons for this. The publisher obviously wanted to keep the brand alive in the years after SatAM’s cancellation. The book would have to change in order to survive. There was another reason, I suspect. With the launch of the “Knuckles” spin-off, head-writer Ken Penders was pre-occupied with his pet series. Other people started to juggle the main “Sonic” series. A modified format would allow new writers to try new ideas. Or old writers to re-visit old ideas, as is the case with issue 59’s “Opposites Detract.”

While traveling across Mobius, Sonic and Tails spot a dimensional anomaly. A weird portal has cropped up in the middle of nowhere. While investigating, Sonic and Tails are drawn inside. The dimension belongs to Horizont-Al and Verti-Cal, the gravity-and-physics ignoring goofballs Sonic had encountered twice before. The effects of the Ultimate Annihilator have warped the formerly care-free demi-gods. Now war-like madmen, they battle for control of their pocket universe. After spotting Sonic and Tails, Al and Cal possess the heroes, forcing them to carry on their combat.

Issue 59 is probably the best example of how Archie’s “Sonic” series has changed since its inception. When last seen all the way back in issue 2, Verti-Cal and Horizont-Al were very silly guys. Goofy, bald, squat, and comically dressed, the duo used their unlimited power to play games with each other and play harmless pranks on anyone who stumbled into their zone. Now, Al and Cal have transformed into huge, armored entities that are covered in guns and cannons, locked in eternal combat with each other. It’s a startling change and shows how far the book has come from its cartoonish roots.

There’s one problem though. Previously voted the worst new characters of 1993 (by me), there’s a reason Verti-Cal and Horizont-Al have been rarely used since then. Though writer Mike Gallagher has written some good stories, even his best work tends to have a goofy edge. Turning his silliest creations into armored, war-crazed madmen seems like Gallagher is overcompensating. It doesn’t help that, even as weapon-wielding robots, Al and Cal are still awfully silly looking.

The book leans on the after effects of the Ultimate Annihilator once again, a plot device I was happy not to see for a while. Worst yet, the story ends without any definitive conclusion. Sonic and Tails escape the pocket dimension. Al and Cal are still all fucked-up but Sonic is just happy to be out of that pickle. Jeez.

It’s all a round-about way of getting to the story’s actual point. Sonic and Tails fight each other. The natural order of comic books dictates that fans like to see people fight. Despite being best pals, how many times have Superman and Batman fought? How often due the Avengers scuffle among themselves? Sonic and Tails, being hetero life partners, would never fight under normal circumstances. Yet fans were surely curious to see who would win between the two. Friends turning against each other is good drama too.

Of course, also under normal circumstances, Sonic would crush Tails in minutes. I don’t know if Gallagher could’ve thought up an easier way to get the heroes to both fight and fight as equal. When Al and Cal choose the fox and hedgehog as their combatants, both are transformed. Both wear metallic armor. Sonic gains a pointed head-piece. Tails gets a metallic headband and both get stabbing implements. If this was a comic book that had action figures, you’d almost think the story was a round-about way to introduce some new toys. Even with the help of Art Mawhinney’s excellent pencils, the designs are a bit odd looking. There’s a reason Sonic and Tails don’t hang out in battle armor very often. It doesn’t suit them.

The fight fares decently. Tails using his newly bladed tails as a saw is a clever inversion of Sonic’s usual shtick. I also like how easily the hedgehog defuses this maneuver. Sonic bending his spear into a boomerang is kind of neat too. Even when both wear extra-dimensional battle armor, Sonic still bests his sidekick with ease. The actual scuffle, not counting the pre-fight posing or the heroes’ coming to their senses, only lasts three pages.

That conclusion is another weak element of the issue. The power of Sonic and Tails’ friendship is what prevents them from destroying each other. There’s no logical reason for this to happen. It just does. It’s a cheesy moral and a weak conclusion to the tale.

Archie is smartly continuing with the Tales of the Freedom Fighters back-up series. This time, we see what Sally is up to while Sonic and Tails are traversing the globe. Story-wise, not too much happens in “The People’s Princess.” Sally, Rotor, Lupe, Hamlin, Hershey, and some new guy named Erik go sky-diving. Presumably, this is a training exercise. The team land in different locations, Sally befriends a possum family living on the outskirts of the forest, and later they return to Mobotropolis. That’s it.

However, a slow-paced tale like this allows for some much needed character development. While parachuting, Sally is actually seen having fun. That’s something she hasn’t done in a while. The meeting with the hillbilly family shows Sally that the people see her as a hero, even if she sometimes doesn’t. We also see how much of a natural leader Sally is, helping her team out of a minor jam. There’s not much to it but I like it anyway. Manny Galan, whose Freedom Fighters usually look off-model, does excellent work here. The facial expressions are great, the action is dynamic. He makes the cast his own without straying from their established looks.

A low-key but likable back-up story doesn’t quite make up for the lame cover story. Still, it counts for something and probably bounces this issue up from “skipable” to “worth owning.” [6/10]