Knuckles the Echidna: Issue 25

Knuckles the Echidna: Issue 25
Publication Date: April 1999

Man, I missed Manny Galan. That’s the first thing I noticed about issue 25 of “Knuckles the Echidna,” the book’s first and only anniversary issue. After three issues of Jim Valentino stumbling his way through Penders’ garden of Guardians, the book’s regular artist is back on duty. Even after the three month break, it’s obvious Galan has slipped a little. Issue 25 features some looser expression and some shaky action. It’s clear that Galan does his best work when he’s regularly honing his craft.

Anyway, the plot. While Knuckles and Julie-Su are out, cleaning up the mess the Dark Legion left last time, Knux spots his dad. He immediately runs and catches up with his pop. Instead of fleeing like a pussy, Locke actually acts like a grown-up and faces his own son. Leaving Julie-Su in the middle of the city, they fly off to Haven together. Knuckles asks his dad why he abandoned him as a child. Instead of giving him a proper answer, Locke delivers a history lesson, circles around to Knuckles’ grand and secret destiny, and the book acts like that makes up for everything.

The issues I have with Locke and the Brotherhood of Guardians is well established by this point. While I don’t hate Ken Penders nearly as much as the rest of the internet, these guys play into his worst tendencies as a writer. That is, his reliance on vague, poorly explained mythology and his inclination towards cheap and nonsensical conclusions. However, “Childhood’s End’ had potential. After bumping into him a few times recently, Knuckles and his dad finally have the chance for a heart-to-heart. Maybe Locke could explain to Knuckles why he abandoned him for years on end. Why he’s been neglecting his duties as a father. Of course, that would require a writer who could actually acknowledge that Locke and the Brotherhood have ever been wrong about anything.

Oh, Locke explains some stuff to Knuckles. We find out why the Brotherhood has a history of abandoning their boys. Apparently, centuries ago, a young Guardian got himself killed while rumbling with some Overlanders and the Dark Legion. His dad, who was hiding out in Haven instead of helping, felt guilty about this. So the Brotherhood’s solution… Was to leave their sons unintended on the island, spying on them from a distance? That’s supposed to stop something like this from happening again? Nope. There’s no emotion or resolution here. Just bold-face exposition.

The most bold-faced of that exposition concerns maybe this comic’s most annoying element: Knuckles’ grand and grim destiny as the Greatest Guardian of All. We discover that Locke was plagued by nightmares during Lara-Le’s pregnancy. Consulting Athair, he learned that these were visions from the Ancient Walkers of a great battle Locke’s son would face. Determined not to fuck this up, Locke bathed Knuckles’ egg in Chaos radiation. This is why Knuckles has spikes on his hands. This is why he has a boatload of special powers which allow Penders to write himself out of corners. Who gives a shit. The most interesting thing about this revelation is that Locke essentially named his son after his birth defect. That would be like if Bree Walker’s parents named her “Pinchers.” 

So what are Locke’s crimes totaling to now? He abandoned his son as a child, was emotionally cold to his wife, and performed unethical medical experiments on his offspring while he was still a fetus. Despite all of this, the author continues to insist that Locke can’t do anything wrong.

Moreover, the Brotherhood in general can't do anything wrong. While Stepphenwolf was guarding the island, a crew of Overlanders showed up to attempt a raid. (Among them was one of Robotnik’s ancestors.) Using his bad ass magical powers, Steppenwolf immediately scared them off. Meanwhile, Locke’s prophetic dreams points towards Knuckles battling Robotnik in the far future. As in, Sonic’s archenemy. If it wasn’t apparent already, we now know who Ken Penders’ Gary Stu self-insert is. It’s not Knuckles. It’s not even Locke. It’s the entire concept of the Brotherhood of Guardians.

So what do I like about “Childhood’s End?” Like I said, Manny Galan’s artwork is solid, if not up to snuff with his usual work. Rembrandt’s reaction to his son’s death is the sole moment of genuine pathos in the book. That’s because it’s the only time any of the Guardian’s actually take responsibility for their actions. Locke and Knuckles abandoning Julie-Su in the middle of the city is total bullshit. Having said that, her reaction – where she calls Knuckles a jerk and then denies having feelings for him, like the tsundere she is – is amusing.

“Childhood’s End” concludes with Knuckles and Locke saying they love each other and walking off, arms wrapped around their shoulders. Issue 25 in no way earns this because Locke hasn’t really admitted he’s done something wrong. Clearly, Ken doesn’t believe he did. Instead of being a touching and cathartic meeting between father and son, “Knuckles’” anniversary issue is another heaping load of exposition and another excuse for Ken to masturbate his ego. [4/10]