Knuckles the Echidna: Issue 17

Knuckles the Echidna: Issue 17
Publication Date: August 1998

After taking a one issue break to focus on more emotional matters, Ken Penders’ “Knuckles the Echidna” series gets back to business as usual. In other words, the comic returns its focus to expanding its own mythology, introducing more characters, and further developing Knuckles’ grim destiny as a super hero or some shit. Let’s get through this.

A strange figure approaches the Floating Island. An echidna with robotic eyes, he first encounters Julie-Su and attempts to beat her up. What an asshole. Meanwhile, Knuckles meditates, learning how to understand and control the new powers he’s suddenly developed. The Brotherhood, including Tobor and Knuckles’ other ancestors, watch from a far, like always. Until there’s a sudden power outrage. Knuckles meets up with Julie-Su, who has subdued the intruder. The strange echidna claims to be Tobor, explaining that he unwittingly switched places with a Dark Legionnaire decades earlier.

“The Guardian Who Failed” engages in much of the flawed writing that characterizes most of “Knuckles’” weaker issues. Yet, somehow, Ken manages to balance out these issues into some sort of satisfying whole. I suspect this is because the Brotherhood of Guardians actually do something in this issue, besides ideally observing and arguing among themselves. It’s not a lot, truthfully. The power goes out and everyone rushes around. The Guardians check on two of Haven’s patients, including Hawking (who still hasn’t fucking died, somehow) and someone who will soon be revealed as Sally’s mom. It’s not a lot. Yet just actually having the Brotherhood take some friggin’ action, for once, makes a big difference.

Something else I like about this story is that its places Knuckles’ new powers in some sort of emotional context. The young Guardian is introduced sitting, legs crossed, atop an Echdnian skyscraper, meditating. Archimedes appears and notes that this is quite a change from Knuckles’ usual approach to spiritual matters. As Knuckles points out, he’s been going through a lot lately. Even though the series is seventeen issues old, all the family and responsibility Knuckles has recently gained still hasn’t really been focused on. Now, he’s got superpowers as well. Once again, it’s not a lot. But the book actually pausing to acknowledge its hero’s struggle, to point out that Knuckles is still just a kid really, is a nice touch.

So what about Tobor? He does not get the most inviting introduction. Attempting to choke out the best character in the book is not a good way to endear a new character to the reader. Once Tobor is pacified – which happens entirely off-panel, by the way – he explains his back story. This stuff feels pretty functionary. Hawking suddenly thrust the Guardian’s responsibility on his son with little warning. The Dark Legion popped out of a rip in reality. The leader, Moritori Rex, made some sweeping statements to the populace. Before he can reach the hearts and minds of the people, he picks a fight with Tobor. They have a tumble that’s described as an epic struggle but only takes up one page.

Afterwards, both are buried in rubble and Tobor’s dad accidentally grabs Moritori Rex instead of his boy. Never mind the huge plot hole that Hawking can’t tell his own son apart from a different an echidna. (Apparently even Penders realizes his re-colors look nearly identical.) Or how suddenly all of this information is dropped on us. By this point in the book’s history, I’m just used to that stuff.

At the very least, the story roots Tobor’s introduction in some okay emotion. Knuckles’ reaction to discovering yet another family member is one of resigned acceptance. The echidna is quickly getting accustomed to new relatives popping out of the wood work. What he does next is the interesting part. After listening to Tobor’s story, he gives the guy a big hug. That’s kind of a funny moment but maybe there’s more to it. In his extended flashback, Tobor talks about how his own dad was a jerk to him. Apparently that runs in the bloodline. Maybe that’s why Knuckles instantly relates to the guy. The tears Tobor sheds is a bit hard to take seriously, though. At the very least, the hug is a nice moment.

“The Guardian Who Failed” ends on a decent cliff hanger too. We the reader obviously know that the person claiming to be Tobor is actually a Dark Legion double agent. Why Moritori Rex has been undercover so long, and why he’s waited until now to act, are all questions I’m sure the book will totally fumble in answering. More importantly, the last page shows Knuckles confronting Kragok – Remember him? – in prison. It’s about time the comic follows up on that plot point. Issue 17 has got many of the same problems the book has always had but this one still worked out okay. [7/10]