Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 61

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 61
Publication Date: May 1998

Just as Mike Gallagher previously returned to his much unloved Horizont-Al and Verti-Cal concept, the same writer revisited another favorite creation of his in issue 61. Unlike the gravitationally challenged twins, the Downunda Freedom Fighters arguably deserve more love. Considering one of the points of the post-“Endgame” story arc is Sonic and Tails exploring their world, traveling back to Downunda even makes sense. Despite the Australia inspired characters getting the front cover, there are two other stories in issue 61.

The poorly titled “Outback Gut Check” begins with Guru Emu and Wombat Stu in a cage, surrounded by angry platypuses. Luckily, Sonic, Tails, and the other Downunda Freedom Fighters arrive to rescue them. Except for Duck Bill, that is. Apparently the platypus went power mad following Crocbot’s defeat in “Endgame” and led a revolt among his species against the other Fighters. Now, Sonic and the rest have to figure out what’s up.

You never really know what you’re getting when Mike Gallagher’s name is on the script. Though he’s delivered mini-epics like the “Mecha Madness” saga, even his best work has a goofy streak. “Outback Gut Check” is not Gallagher’s proudest moment. The story follows a dull construction. Sonic and the gang rescue Guru and Stu, Walt Wallabe explains what’s up, the heroes have another encounter with the hostile platypus on a river, before they wander into Bill’s headquarters. The reveal is disappointing as well. Turns out, Crocbot is behind it. He slipped a mind-control chip on Bill’s head at some point. Crocbot’s disembodied torso has been delivering orders to the platypus ever since. That’s a sloppy explanation. It also doesn’t explain how Bill successfully rallied the other platypuses into revolution.

The emotional heart of the story, how the other Downunda Freedom Fighters feel about Bill’s betrayal, is shoved into the margins of the story. The other element of heart involves Barby and Tails’ growing feelings for each other. Many fans find the romance between Tails and the much older Barby to be gross, Ian Flynn among them. It’s never bothered me. Sonic and his friends are all technically kids anyway. Tails has always acted a lot older than his canonical eleven years too. Besides, Barby’s affection is never anything more than some hugs and kisses. It’s more cute than anything else. If the series actually allowed its characters to grow up, Tails and Barby could’ve had a serious relationship in a few years. Though potentially interesting, this aspect of the story occupies a few word bubbles at best.

Another problem with “Outback Gut Check” is the artwork. Long time inker Harvey Mercadoocasio draws this story. Harvo’s art has varied in the past from awful to passable. Issue 61 is also not one of his better days. The characters are gangly, angular and pot-bellied. The character’s limbs are often out of proportion with the rest of their body. Harvo frequently draws Barby with a body befitting a human female, instead of a furry creature. The platypus gang gets it the worst, all of them looking like indistinct blobs of bills, beaver tails, and jagged bodies. Even the colors are ugly, blurred and washed-out.

The first of the two back-up stories also focuses on Sonic and Tails’ travels around Mobius. In “Total Turbulence,” the Winged Victory runs into a rough storm cloud… That just happens to be control by Ixis Naugus. Though the sorcerer attempts to scuttle the heroes with the turbulent weather, Sonic and Tails survive by flying the plane right into his face. That’s it.

What purpose does this story serve? Mostly, it’s to remind us that Ixis Naugus is still out there. Sonic’s’ journey around the world was technically about tracking the wizard. Admittedly, this hasn’t come up much recently. Considering Sonic and Tails will be fighting the wizard again in two issues, Bollers probably felt it necessary to remind us of his existence.

The other reason this brief four pager ran was to introduce us to Steven Butler. Butler would become the regular illustrator of the book for a while after this. While not everyone is a fan, I’ve always loved Butler’s work. He had a grasp on the character’s designs while bringing his own style to it. There was also a certain gritty, sexy quality to his work that I like. That isn’t shown off to much in this story. Truthfully, Naugus looks pretty silly. However, the four-pager does show off how good Butler is at action and dynamic frame layout.

The last story continues the “Tales of the Freedom Fighters” back-up. After nearly getting blown up by a still lingering Robotnik trap, Geoffrey St. John’s partner Fleming tells him he’s ready to retire. Geoffrey decides to round up a new team. He travels to the Floating Island and recruits a chameleon, finds Wombat Stu in Downunda, and recruits Hershey the Cat from his own office.

I wish more insight into St. John’s choices were made. Valdez the Chameleon isn’t even named in this story. He doesn’t get a proper introduction, appearing in two whole panels. Why Stu is chosen boils down to St. John liking his youth. Considering Downunda is in a transitional state, you’d think he would want to stick around. Hershey doesn’t even get that much. It’s kind of a bummer of a story. At least Art Mawhinney’s art is nice.

All of the above combine to make issue 61 underwhelming. [5/10]