Sonic X: Issue 30

Sonic X: Issue 30
Publication Date: February 2008

With this review, I wrap up my second year of consistent blogging here at Hedgehogs Can't Swim. What a difference a year makes. I began 2017 with the final issue of “Knuckles the Echidna” and the precursor to the “Sonic Adventure” adaptation. I was very nearly at the point where this comic book stopped being good for a long time. Now, at the end of 2017, I'm in one of Ian Flynn's best runs on the series. I wish I had something fancier to commensurate the upcoming three year anniversary of this project but... I don't. Let's get on with the review.

Remember how I said a while ago that it was clear “Sonic X” was never going to rise above its own mediocre standards? I thought, maybe, the book was attempting to better itself with that Perfect Chaos two-parter last time. With issue 30, the series slides back into the “not great, not bad” groove it's existed in for most of its run. In fact, issue 30 is so focused on gimmick-based story telling that there is no set-up at all. We begin with Sonic and his friends in a wacky situation. The script, from Ian Flynn, extrapolates from there.

If the title - “Big Top Terror!” – and the cover art didn't clue you in, this story is the “Sonic X” take on the Evil Circus troupe. Since this is a kid's book, the horror aspect of that concept isn't pushed too far. The clowns are intimidating, not evil. The side show is excluded entirely. Yet this story still revolves around Eggman placing Sonic and his friends inside of a circus. The acts are made extra dangerous as a way to mock the pain and terror the heroes are feeling. This being the “Sonic X” version of Eggman, he is defeated by his own incompetence.

“Big Top Terror!” is pretty thin gruel but it does, one must admit, utilize the circus setting very well. Very few of the elements you associated with the circus aren't at least nodded towards. The aforementioned intimidating clowns, which appear on the first page, are robots built by Eggman. Yes, they march out of a small clown car. Knuckles is also forced to dress as a clown, getting pletted with creampies and selzer water. Sonic is forced to walk a dangerous tightrope, while juggling deadly items. Tails and Cream are drafted to become lion tamers, though Eggman's robot lions aren't very interested in being tamed. There are robot elephants too, which Amy contends with. Eggman is the ringmaster, naturally. There's not much plot but at least Ian commits to the circus thing.

This set-up does lead to some decent action scenes. There's a fun scene where Amy attempts to fight off the robot elephants with dual hammers. Instead, the elephants grab the hammers with their trunks and chase after her. Knuckles fights his coulophobia by punching some robot clowns apart. In a cute touch, one of the robot clowns is obviously patterned after the Joker, acid-spitting flower included. Later, the clown's equipment is utilized against them.

A big issue with “Big Top Terror!” is that it's far too easy for Sonic and the gang to escape Eggman's plot. Sonic essentially just runs away. When the time comes, he's had enough and leaps off the high wire. Tails and Cream fly out of the animal cage. They have to stop and rescue the Thorndykes but that's pretty much the only thing keeping them there. If Eggman designed this circus to contain Sonic and his companions, the doctor did a shitty job.

This is not the only example of incompetence from our villain. Early on, Decoe and Bocoe appear in the circus. They're dressed as acrobats and are insistent on joining Eggman's circus of crime. The doctor immediately dismisses them. Yet the duo still want to be included. Later, they break into the big top and perform their act. This distraction is what allows Sonic and the others to escape. Eggman's sidekicks ruining his plan doesn't stop there. Bokkun was locked up at the beginning fo the story, so his sugar hungry ways wouldn't ruin the plan. The little devil breaks out anyway, gets into the cotton candy, goes nuts, and drives a cage into the circus tent. Why does Eggman keep these guys around?

Despite the qualms I have with the writing, the artwork in “Sonic X” has been consistently good here of late. James Fry returns to draw this one. He sticks to the “Sonic X” template, of course, and seems to be taking some cues from Tracy Yardley. Fry's facial expressions and action sequences here recal Yardley. There are some cool moments.. An early page depicts Eggman with the Ringmaster's microphone and whip, a striking image. Knuckles' fight scenes with the clowns are well done. Though not horribly distinguished from the book's other artwork, it still looks pretty good.

In conclusion, number 30 is yet another mildly entertaining but generally forgettable issue of “Sonic X.” The book runs with the circus stuff but does so in service of a really thin story. I don't want to say Flynn phoned this one in. Let's just say it wouldn't surprise me to discover he wrote this script very quickly. I wish I had more to say about it than but... Nope, not really. Let's move on. [6/10] 

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 185

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 185
Publication Date: February 2008

It seems increasingly likely one aspect of Ian Flynn's legendary run on Archie's “Sonic the Hedgehog” will become notorious. He'll be remembered for story arcs that just go on and on, sometimes for years. This is a bit of a shame since, in the earlier days of his run, Flynn was really good at pacing. His event storylines usually only lasted four issues. He often spaced shorter stories between the longer ones. Issue 185 would begin a short, two-parter called “Mogul Rising,” attempting to reestablish Mammoth Mogul as part of Sonic's rogue gallery.

This story is subtitled “Needful Things” and, sadly, doesn't feature Max Von Sydow as a satanic antiques dealer. Anyway, the comic begins with Mina and Ash arriving in New Mobotropolis. After getting a look at the remains of Knothole, something that shocks Mina, Sonic shows her the new city. Next, Mammoth Mogul calls the hedgehog to visit him in prison. He issues a vague threat, which Sonic laughs off. That night, Mogul enacts his latest villainous scheme. He activates latent curses he's marked three characters with in the past, turning them into his sleeper agents. Soon, Mina, Tails, and Mighty the Armadillo are descending on Sonic.

Roughly a hundred times, I've referenced how Flynn devoted himself to clean up the book's mess and reestablish character's personalities. Amazingly, one somewhat contentious character didn't need that treatment. Mina the Mongoose, once an extremely controversial character, had actually found her place in Sonic's world before Flynn's soft reboot. As yet another love interest for Sonic, she was frequently aggravating. As the biggest pop star on Mobius, she suddenly found a purpose. Mina has been on her world tour for a while but this issue brings her back home. The panels devoted to her shock and confusion over Knothole's ruins are quietly touching.

Still, Ian does manage to fix one problem with Mina. One of the silliest aspects of the character Karl Bollers cooked up, in a desperate attempt to give her and Sonic something in common, was giving Mina super speed. It never made much sense and, after music became her life, her quick running was quickly forgotten. Flynn, meanwhile, cooks up a reason while this silly plot point existed. A wizard did it. Mammoth Mogul placed his mark on Mina during the Second Fall of Mobius, gifting her with superspeed so she'd get close to Sonic. It's a little thing but I appreciate it.

We have gotten a peak into the past of the Chaotix before, albeit mostly devoted to how they met Knuckles. While Mogul is activating his latent control over Mighty, we get a little peak into the Chaotix's history. Turns out, Mighty is the child of two professional thieves. He also has a little sister, a plot point that Flynn would eventually get around to expounding on, sort of. His parents were eventually incarcerated, separating Mighty from his family. This explains a lot about his character. His bond to his friends, his need to help people, the balance between his great strength and kind heart. (Mighty's strength was also a gift from Mogul, an interesting choice.)

In the past, Mammoth Mogul's evil schemes have boiled down to saying vague things, making awkward attempts at attacks, and getting his ass kicked. In “Needful Things,” the villain actually cooks up a decent plot. Yes, revealing that the elephant wizard had some sort of magical hold over three of Sonic's friends for years is slightly sloppy. But at least this scheme leaves the villain with some leverage. He's forcing Sonic to fight his own friends, forcing the hedgehog to make some difficult decisions. It shows that, under Flynn's pen, Mogul would rise to a higher level of bad-guy-ery.

Back in issue 170, Mike Gallagher dropped a goofy back-up story about Sonic fighting some long forgotten Badniks. In this issue, for some reason, Gallagher trots out a sequel. In the deeply awkwardly entitled “The Misfit Badniks' Salty, Soggy Sequel,” the Misfit Badniks have found a way to double Pseudo-Sonic to King Kongian proportions. They hope to use this to get their revenge on Sonic. Instead, the Forty Fathom Freedom Fighters swim and dismantle their scheme extremely quickly.

This is a Mike Gallagher joint revolving around the Forty Fathom Freedom Fighters. Archie “Sonic” readers with long memories will know what this means: A shit ton of puns. Get a load of this crap: A robot says “Holy 10W-40!” “Drop in for a bite,” said while someone gets bitten. “Let me show you how you conduct yourself,” said during an electrocution sequence. “Ouch! Rabbit punch!,” which is said after someone is punched by a rabbit. “You must be in shell shock,” said to a creature with a shell. In-between this shit, Gallagher sneaks in references to Bottlenose being a ninja and the secret plankton spy network present in the ocean. Don't act like you forgot about this. Mike Gallagher sure as fuck didn't.

However, “Soggy Sequel” at least ensures we won't see the Misfits Badniks again. After a brief fight, Fluke the Whale floats in, crushes Pseudo-Sonic and the rest of the Badniks. To prove to the reader that these characters are super duper dead, Fluke then folds their remains into a cube. Yes, all that talk about Pseudo-Sonic being a giant now amounts to exactly nothing. While I do have some affection for the comic's earlier, goofier days, I won't be missing these guys. Gallagher being who he is, he still ends this story by asking the reader if they want to see the Forty Fathom Freedom Fighters again. Surely, this was a story that had been sitting on a shelf somewhere, for years, right?

So anyway, the cover story is solid. There's some good story telling there, expanding on the mythology in meaningful ways. It certainly made me want to pick up the next month's issue, though I probably would've done that anyway. Hey, the back-up story is totally useless but, eh, sometimes those are the brakes. [7/10]

A Dreamcast for Christmas

Dear Hedgehogs Can't Swim reader, you've probably noticed I like to do something special for the holidays. Today is Christmas and I can't imagine just posting a regular update. Would you tolerate getting torn away from your families just to read a regular review of an Archie Sonic comic? I mean, you would because you have no friends. But for the rest of you, I decided to deliver a little gift.

I think Christmas is by far the most nostalgic of all holidays. For most of us, it brings back memories of gathering around the tree with your parents, opening gifts and presents. Hopefully, the holiday warms your hearts as you recall times of generosity and togetherness. That's certainly true for me. So here's a personal recollection of one of my favorite Christmas memories, which just happens to relate the topic of this blog.

The year was 1999. I had turned eleven in June. That holiday season, there was one gift on my wish list. The Sega Dreamcast had come on in September. You sure as fuck can bet that the September 9th release date, trumpeted as 9-9-99 by the advertisements, was an event for me.

As a huge Sonic nerd, I desperately wanted a Dreamcast. I needed “Sonic Adventure” pumped into my veins. Since the Saturn era came and went without much attention in America, the Dreamcast seemed like Sega – and Sonic with it – was making a big comeback. I was excited. I was beyond excited. I was hyped as fuck.

However, when I was young, my family didn't have a lot of extra money. I didn't get a Sega Genesis until after the Saturn had come out, when the console prices had been sliced in half. I had my share of toys but video games were generally too pricey for my parents to justify. After my parent's divorce the prior year, I went from living in a two paycheck house to a one paycheck house. So money was even tighter now. As much as I desired a Dreamcast, I didn't expect to receive one.

That year, we had Christmas at my Dad's place. My parents weren't trying to work things out or anything. Instead, they were making an effort to visit each other on the holidays. My mom has never paid attention to video games, finding them annoying and a huge waste of time. My dad, however, usually kept abreast of these things. He knew exactly how much I wanted a Dreamcast. But, like I said, I didn't expect to actually receive one. When I got a look at the pile of gifts under the Christmas tree, I didn't see a box big enough to fit a Dreamcast inside. I was disappointed, internally, but outwardly I kept my composure. After all, I was still receiving plenty of other stuff.

I remember the look and the feel of the room very vividly. This kind of stuff sticks with you, I guess. My dad had set up the gifts in a side room. A few months later, after he was done moving, this would become my bedroom on the weekends I stayed there. There was a huge bay window on the right wall. On that Christmas morning, the room was bathed in light. This, I recall, made the tanned linoleum floor practically golden. It certainly set the scene. I'm pretty sure my mom was still wearing her work scrubs from the hospital, as she probably worked at the hospital the night before.

To be totally honest, I do not remember any of the other gifts I got that Christmas. I know there were plenty of other things. Considering what year it was, I probably received some Transmetal era Beast Wars and Animorph Transformers toys, since those were new at the time. Whatever the other gifts where, I was happy to have them. Even if, secretly, in my heart, I still wanted that Dreamcast. As the pile grew smaller and I worked my way through my booty, I had almost forgotten about the Dreamcast.

That was when my Dad motioned to a corner of the room I had previously ignored. He pointed to a side table, covered with a long table cloth, and told me I had missed one. My heart raced. I stuck my hand under the table and pulled out a large box. In my childhood brain, the box seemed far bigger than I'm sure it actually was. This was it. I quickly tore away the wrapping and was presented with my heart's desire: A brand spanking new Sega Dreamcast, in that beautiful white, purple, and orange box.

I can't properly describe in words how overjoyed I was. Some of you where probably kids once. I'm sure you had That One Gift, that Christmas present that ended up defining the entire year for you. That's what the Dreamcast was for me. Years later, I'd find out that my Dad was hugely irresponsible with money around the holidays. (And, you know, in general.) That he would max out his credit cards to get me and my sister the best gifts. That, when my parents where married, my mom was the only thing keeping his ridiculous spending in check. I'm sure there was some truth to that old adage of recently separated parents trying to sway their child's opinion with lavish gifts. Knowing the kind of person my dad was, I'm sure that's exactly what he was doing.

I didn't care about any of that shit in 1999. If my dad was trying to buy my love, he totally succeeded. I couldn't have been happier at that moment, as I eagerly plug in the Dreamcast and booted the thing up. The opening load screen – the ball bouncing across the white space, bringing the letters to life, followed by the spiral logo swirling into view – still holds intense nostalgia for me. Shit, the date and time menu, a red outlined box against a sky blue background, hits me right in the memories. Since my previous video game experience had been totally within the 16-bit era, the Dreamcast seemed incredibly high-tech.

And my dad was well aware of the mania I had for the “Sonic” series. I only had one game to unwrap with my Dreamcast but, you can bet your sweet ass that it was “Sonic Adventure.” After the torturous seeming set-up process, I was playing “Sonic Adventure.” Within minutes, I was sailing down Emerald Coast, collecting rings, smashing robots, and getting familiar with that game's notoriously shitty camera work.

I think the Dreamcast was the last video game console I really loved. Naturally, I consumed “Sonic Adventure” 1 and 2 and even tried my hand at “Sonic Shuffle,” which I hated. Many, many hours of my youthful life was given to “House of the Dead 2,” the “Marvel vs. Capcom” duo, the “Power Stones” series,  and “Jet Grind Radio.” I wish I had a more nuanced reason for this overriding love beyond my Sega loyalty but I'm pretty sure that was a big part of it. My fascination with arcade games, and the Dreamcast's similarities with arcade technology, might have played a role. But there was no way I was aware of that at the time. I just loved that whirling, whining gray box.

Pretty much every chance I had, I was playing that damn thing. I can recall two specific mornings. One was probably only a few weeks after Christmas. We had gotten a huge snow storm the night before. Certain school was canceled – it was – I booted up my Dreamcast and tried to struggle my way for Big the Cat's stupid fishing levels. Another time, I woke really early in the morning for some reason, around five, even before my dad was up. Figuring I had the time, I popped in “Evolution” and played for a few minutes before my dad groggily marched in and asked me what the hell I was doing. Ah, youth.

I wore my Sega fanboy label with pride, once the Playstation 2 came out. When the Dreamcast's life span was prematurely ended, partially due to that other system's popularity, I held a grunge against all of Sony for years afterwards. I actually refused to buy a Sony DVD player for that reason. I realize now that was fucking stupid but, hey, I was eleven.

I played my X-Box a lot all throughout high school. Yet I remember, out of that generation of gaming, I picked the X-Box primarily because the shape of the console's controllers reminded me of the Dreamcast. Within a few years, I'd more-or-less leave gaming behind. My interests would go elsewhere, as I found the hobby expensive and time consuming. Online gaming is something I've never gotten into, as I had no interest in being called slurs by an Estonian teenager, which also sped along my exit from that world.

I actually still have that original Dreamcast, which has somehow survived several moves. Occasionally, I'll get the need to dig it up, plug it in, and play. That's always a nostalgic experience, always bringing to mind the Christmas morning I just recalled. Of course, I've played newer games and newer systems. But there's just something about the Dreamcast that's still special to me. The time and the place played a big role. Those are the kinds of memories you hold on to, that drift into your mind sometimes and make you smile or laugh.

So Merry Christmas, Hedgehogs Can't Swim readers. I know this update was a little off-topic but I think December let's you get away with that. I hope your holiday is shiny and bright and we'll be back to business as usual on Wednesday.

Sonic X: Issue 29

Sonic X: Issue 29
Publication Date: January 2008

I doubt Archie planned it this way. Twice in the same month, they published a comic book were Sonic transformed into Super Sonic. In both cases, he appears on the covers, facing down the big enemy he fights within the comics. What are the odds of that? Was this just a funny coincidence or was it planned that way? Did the “Sonic X” editors and the “Sonic the Hedgehog” editors talk to each other at all? Anyway, on with the review.

Having successfully fused Perfect Chaos and his Green Robots, Eggman sends the frightening new creation – Chaos-Bot – in the direction of Station Square. Unlike in “Sonic Adventure,” Eggman now maintains complete control over Perfect Chaos. With the Tornado-X without a power source, Sonic has to count on the Thorndykes to airlift them to the city. The hedgehog convinces Perfect Chaos to give him some Chaos Emeralds, allowing him to transform into Super Sonic. And then the fight is on.

As far as “Sonic X” stories go, “Green-Eyed Monster” is about as serious as it gets. Eggman now has Perfect Chaos totally under his control. He immediately goes about smashing Station Square to pieces. The monster explodes buildings, tosses Super Sonic through entire structures and drowns the city's coast with a huge tidal wave. Think about how many people this would kill. We're talking thousands of people likely dead, with the property damages easily stretching into the billions. Naturally, this goofy kid's comic does not address these issues but even hinting at such things is way darker than “Sonic X” usually is.

Sadly, this serious mood is undermined by a bunch of goofy comedy. The characters immediately go about peppering their speech with puns and punchlines. Eggman refers to his monster as “hybrid” technology. His robotic henchmen audibly wonder if Eggman has just asked the world to bow before him. Bocoe and Decoe later wonder if their boss might actually win, before immediately changing their minds as soon as Sonic and the gang arrive. In an especially silly gag, the Chaos-Bot partially refuses Eggman's orders like a stubborn dog. Going from this to urban destruction leaves the reader with tonal whiplash.

At least the Thorndykes actually contribute for once. Not Chris, of course. He mostly just hangs out in the backseat of the Tornado. His granddad, meanwhile, pilots the bi-plane up to Angel Island, giving Sonic and friends a pathway to the bad guys. Still, it's more than Chris usually does, which is whine and get everyone in trouble. For the record, I'm also happy to see the real Tornado again. This RoboTech knock-off Tornado X thing that Tails flies around in is super lame looking.

As the cover promises, the back half of the book is devoted to Super Sonic and Perfect Chaos fighting it out. As far as comic book rumbles go, it's pretty cool. Sonic gets smashed into a building. It's not the last time he's whipped around by the water monster's big-ass tentacles either. In retaliation, Super Sonic shoves Perfect Chaos through a building or two. There's lots of weaving through laser blast. One clever, if slightly implausible moment, even has Chaos teleporting around the city. Tracy Yardley's artwork is fucking awesome here, as the artist clearly relishes a chance to draw Super Sonic strutting and posing among a wrecked city.

The script, in a real surprise, even manages to generate some decent tension. Attention is drawn to how temporary Super Sonic's state is. How he needs to stop Perfect Chaos immediately. This is short-lived though. Once again, the script undermines its own suspense. The only reason Sonic can transform into his super form is because Perfect Chaos breaks the control Eggman has over him long enough to loan the seven Chaos Emeralds to the hedgehog. Eggman spends the whole issue bragging about the remote control he has, which gives him total control over Chaos. Sonic doesn't attempt to grab this device until the book is nearly over, because of the Rules of Dramatic Comic Writing, one can only assume.

So it's very nearly a good comic book. One other thing makes this comic book special, in the sense that it's “unfortunately unique.” I don't know if Archie was getting money from the government or if Yardley was just really passionate about living green. For whatever reason, several pages end with a short panel of Cream and Vanilla giving the reader tips on recycling and not being wasteful. This is weird enough but what makes it unintentionally funny is how put upon and annoyed Vanilla looks in these panel. As if someone was forcing her to deliver these trite, pace disrupting PSAs. I don't know if Yardley did that on purpose or if it was a happy accident. Either way, I'm grateful.

Nearing the end of its run and “Sonic X” is showing some serious growing pains. You can feel the creative team wanting to move pass the corporate mandated formulas and jokey tone. Yet those same restrictions are holding them back, forcing them to reel in stories that clearly should have been something more. This back and forth leads to another uneven issue, one that easily could have been more with a few changes. Oh well. Here's another one of those mood splintering PSAs. [6/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 184

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 184
Publication Date: January 2008

Ian Flynn started 2008 with the conclusion to the “Enerjak: Reborn” story arc. It's yet another issue focused on remaking a cluttered world. By the end, Knuckles would be back on the Floating Island and villains would make new alliances. Flynn also managed to really piss Ken Penders off with this issue, by drawing further attention to what a cunt his favorite character is and then killing him off in such a way that contradicts Locke's other death scene, in the “Mobius: 25 Years Later” arc. Let's get to the meat.

Now transformed into Super Sonic, the hedgehog finally has the ability to oppose Enerjak. While Sonic and Knuckles fight above Angel Island, Julie-Su and Archimedes race for a way to revert Knuckles' transformation. Locke, meanwhile, is still hung up on killing his own son. Both efforts are stymied by Dr. Finitevus, who has placed a hex on the Master Emerald. In order to break the spell, someone must willingly sacrifice their life.

As far as title matches go, Super Sonic vs. Enerjak is a good one. In the past, the two getting power boosts – whether it be from their super forms or from getting turned into robots – were such big deals, that Archie devoted double-length issues to the fights. “Chaos Angel,” the metal band worthy title of the concluding chapter of “Enerjak: Reborn,” doesn't have as much room to explore the rumble. Still, it's a good fight. Knuckles blasts away whole sections of the island. Sonic remains utterly unmoved by these displays of power, giving him noggles, snatching his mask away, and mocking him the entire time. When Enerjak attempts to strategize, by teleporting the hedgehog underground, Super Sonic just keeps coming at him. Yes, it could've been a crazier fight. Enerjak could literally take Sonic apart, atom by atom. The fight could've been bigger, more abstract, but it's still fun to read.

What's ultimately disappointing about “Chaos Angel” is the explanation Flynn gives for Knuckles' turn to the dark side. The hero gets an easy out. Knuckles wasn't actually convinced by Finitevus' logic, corrupted by his unlimited power, or even consumed by his own darker impulses. Instead, Finitevus put a spell on him. When Knuckles got zapped by the Master Emerald, his mind was bent towards Finitevus' goal. After turning back to normal, Knuckles' conscious is totally clean. He had no control over his own actions. It's a weak solution, robbing Knuckles of any responsibilities for his crimes. He was bad. Now he's good again. It's overly simple writing.

Another weakness of this story is how Dr. Finitevus continues to act like a typical comic book villain. The albino echidna warlock clearly has a weakness for monologues. When confronted by Julie-Su and Archimedes, the doctor immediately explains his master plan. How he cursed Knuckles, how he put him under his control. Stupidly, he goes on to explain how to undo his own plan. He foolishly assumes that the heroes wouldn't be willing to do what it takes to stop him. That's pretty bad villain-ing, dude. Never underestimates the good guys' heroic streaks. Keep your weak spots to yourself, bro.

Most of “Enerjak: Reborn” was about Flynn simplifying the convoluted mythology Ken Penders created for Knuckles. The Brotherhood is gone. The Dark Legion is weakened. Lastly, Locke's chronic dickery is heavily criticized. In this issue, Knuckles' dad gets raked over the coals by both Julie-Su and Archimedes. Neither can believed he'd be willing to murder his own son, to cover up a mistake he essentially committed. Weirdly, for such a thick-headed shithead, these words actually reach Locke. Julie-Su claims Locke hates his son. Locke claims he doesn't but her statement clearly pierces his armor.

Locke being Locke, he can't actually apologize for anything. Instead, he makes a grand gesture. When Finitevus reveals that the curse on Knuckles can only be undone by a willing self-sacrifice,  Locke stands up. Flynn is attempting something similar to what he did with Tommy Turtle. A widely disliked character regains his honor by dying to save others. It doesn't work as well here, since Locke remains obstinate until nearly the end. There's not very much poetry to these scenes. The story is over so quickly after Locke's sacrifice, that Knuckles and friends barely have time to react. Tommy's death had grace and meaning. Locke's death is done mostly for plot reasons.

The back-up story is simply entitled “Anything.” Lien-Da throws herself on the mercy of someone unseen. She bemoans how Enerjak stole their cybernetic implants from them, the very thing that made them Dark Legionnaires. She explains the history of the organization and her role in it. Of course, she's talking to Robotnik. He happily accepts her offer, creating a new organization: The Dark Egg Legion. But Lien-Da doesn't quite get what she asks for.

Like the last two back-stories, “Anything” expounds on the echidna mythology a little. We learn about the Dark Legion's origin and the philosophy that drives them. Lien-Da even provides an explanation for why people who clearly don't considers themselves villains go by the name the Dark Legion. She says they “had to hide in the dark” to survive. That's a nice touch, Flynn. Otherwise, “Anything” is plot heavy, about uniting two divergent groups and further streamlining Sonic's world. However, we do get a little peak into Lien-Da's personality, in her clear appetite for power and the casual way she mentions murdering her own father.

At the end of the “Enerjak: Reborn” arc, I'm left with mixed feelings. The story was as tightly plotted as Flynn's work usually is. The action was usually satisfying. However, this one was a little too preoccupied with the battles. Moreover, it contained some hacky cliches and undersold a few good ideas. It was a long way to go for Flynn to de-bloat Penders' mythology. The issue also sets up future plot threads, with Scourge and Fiona returning to Moebius and Knuckles taking up his mantle of Guardian again. The whole experience wasn't bad but a few minor tweaks would've made this a much stronger read. [6/10]

Sonic X: Issue 28

Sonic X: Issue 28
Publication Date: January 2008

With the start of 2008, we reach the final year Archie's “Sonic X” book would be published. The series would end up with a nearly four year run, which is pretty good for a book tying in with a Saturday morning cartoon. (The “Sonic X” animated series officially ended production in 2004 but ran in syndication for much longer.) Don't think my coverage of the series is wrapping up any time soon. “Sonic X” ran up until December of '08, so I've got twelve more issues after this one. Either way, “Sonic X” is arguably entering the home stretch.

“Green-Eyed Monster” begins with Sonic and the Thorndykes at a science conference. Chris' dad and grandfather are being rewarded for medals for their achievements in clean energy. The conference is interrupted by a sudden blackout. Apparently the event inspired Eggman to try something similar. He has built three robots, each powered by clean energy sources. Sonic races out to fight them but the machines prove harder to beat than expected. Even with the help of his friends, it's an uphill battle. And Eggman has something even more sinister planned.

In 2008, “green energy” had become more-or-less a fad. People were driving electric cars, bagging their own groceries, and putting solar panels on their roofs, all over concern about their “carbon footprint.” In June of that year, there would even be a cable channel devoted to the “green” lifestyle, the short-lived Planet Green. Serious concerns about our planet's future is one thing but this wasn't much different from the way folks freaked out about gluten or unboxing videos a few years later. It's pretty strange but not surprising that “Sonic X” would feel the need to comment on this.

Once you think about it, this becomes even weirder. In the world of “Sonic X,” a cleaner energy source than wind, water, or the sun exists. The Chaos Emeralds put off enough energy to allow an island to float indefinitely in the sky. With an emerald, robots can run forever. The Chaos Emeralds have even shown the ability to change the physical properties of things. Better yet, the Chaos Emeralds seemingly generate no waste or side effects. I mean, Knuckles spends nearly all day standing next to the biggest, most powerful Chaos Emerald and doesn't even have a low sperm count! It seems to me that a Chaos Emerald or two could power a whole city indefinitely. This would make traditional clean energy sources, like wind or hydro-power, totally obsolete. I guess they're pretty rare but Eggman never seems to have trouble getting a hold of one.

Sorry, I guess I got carried away thinking about the actual ramifications of this comic's world. What about those giant robots? The Green Robots have pretty cool designs, looking a little better thought-out than the usual “Sonic X” robots. Considering previous issues have featured such uninspired designs like a giant slot machine and a huge leprechaun, this streamlined, colorful machines are a big improvement. In a gimmick well used by Megaman, each one utilizes a different element for their attacks. One robot shoots hyper-concentrated water jets. Another has a huge propeller, generating gale strength winds. The solar-powered robot shoots fucking heat beams.

Having such dynamic villains does lead to some decent fight scenes. In a nice touch, the Green Robots actually outmatch Sonic at first. The constant heat beams and water blast catch him off-guard. He has to strategize a little more, using the environment to redirect the robot's attacks. Even then, it's not until Amy, Tails, and Knuckles join the fight that Sonic really begins to make a difference. There's some fun panels of Amy smashing shit with her hammer and Knuckles holding up a big machine foot.

Tracy Yardley returns to write “Green-Eyed Monster” but, interestingly enough, doesn't draw it. Instead, Steven Butler once again provides the pencils. While Butler's work on the main “Sonic” book is often excellent, his “Sonic X” work has been inconsistent. It continues in that mold. Every once in a while, in a panel of Sonic avoiding the robot's attacks, you get a sense of Butler's excellent use of motion or gritty aesthetic. Otherwise, he has to squeeze his artwork into the “Sonic X” house style. It leads to a competent but rather bland looking book. It's a problem “Sonic X” has never really shaken off.

It's been a while since “Sonic X” has featured a multi-part story. “Green-Eyed Monster” is actually the beginning of a two parter. The issue ends with Eggman successfully capturing the Master Emerald. He uses the Green Robots to draw Perfect Chaos out. Chaos fuses with the machines, producing a more easily controlled massive monster. Considering “Sonic X” is usually a goofy, low stakes comic, seeing an issue where Sonic struggles to win and is outsmarted by his enemy is a pretty unusual sight.

A part of me feels like this could be the turning point for the “Sonic X” series. Will we get more serialized stories like this, with higher stakes, bigger action, and more serious threats? Well, probably not. Issue 28 isn't that great of a book, as its still beholden to the robot-centric, action heavy style of the series. Still, I wouldn't mind this silly tie-in series being a little more like this a little more often. [6/10]

THE 2007 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG COMIC BEST/WORST LIST!

In his second year as head writer on Archie's “Sonic the Hedgehog” series, Ian Flynn continued to kick ass. Ian spent most of his first year making the book, you know, readable again, chopping through the narrative debris left by writers past and rebuilding what was left into something that made sense and was fun to read. Flynn continued to do this in his second year, turning abandoned plot point into meaningful elements and smoothing out convoluted mythology.

Yet 2007 was also devoted to something else. With a world partially remade, Flynn could start doing new things. Giving Sonic and friends a new city, essentially allowing them to retrieve their long lost capital, changed the dynamic of the series in an interesting way. This changed Robotnik's goal too. Characters became more pivotal. Ian even found a way to make G.U.N. make sense.

Add it all up and you have a year of amazingly consistent stories, probably the most overall even twelve months of quality the book ever had. Also, uh, the “Sonic X” series continued. Let's get on with it. The comics covered in this retrospective are:

Sonic the Hedgehog 171-183
Sonic X 16-27

  
BEST COVER STORY:
Ian Flynn, "Union" (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 174)

This was a hard choice. “I Am” from issue 171 is a fan favorite, a really good comic book that actually gave Shadow the Hedgehog some personality while running super smoothly too. As good as that issue was, my heart belonged to issue 174's “Union.” Devoted to Bunnie and Antoine's wedding, Ian presents a series of wonderfully charming character interactions.  Bunnie's joy, Antoine's anxiety, Sonic and Sally's still awkward relationship, or Knuckles and Julie-Su discussing their future: All of these things are on display in a way that isn't convoluted but natural. I wasn't a huge fan of the subplot involving Espio's trip to Megatropolis, but otherwise this was such a touching, well executed story.

WORST COVER STORY:
Joe Edkin, "Muerta! Las Vegas!" (Sonic X: Issue 19)

I hate to keep beating up on “Sonic X” but it's easily the more uneven of Archie's two series. While the main “Sonic” book was having a great year,  “Sonic X” spent most of 2007 stuck in a mediocre quagmire. Probably the least appealing issue was 19's “Muerta! Las Vegas!”  It had writer Joe Edkin leaning on the lame formula for the series that was mostly left behind by this point. Sonic and friends to something wacky, Eggman builds a giant robot based on this event, and Sonic saves the day after he grabs a power ring. Add to this some bizarre character beats – Sonic spending most of the issue out of the city, Chris getting cocky, Amy getting mean for trivial reasons – and you've got a slog of a read.

BEST BACK STORY:
Ian Flynn, "Worth the Effort" (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 172)

I've never denied my blatant favoritism towards Julie-Su. She got some good moments to herself this year, especially once the “Enerjak: Reborn” arc began. Yet 172's “Worth the Effort” cast her in an interesting role: Mentor to Amy Rose. Through their interaction, we learn a lot about both characters. About Julie's devotion to Knuckles.

Ian also uses this story to justify two conflicting portrayals of Amy Rose. He successfully combines the hammer-wielding warrior woman she's become in the comic with the Sonic-obsessed fan girl she was everywhere else. Amy isn't a fave of mine but this is solid writing too, allowing fans to have both versions.

WORST BACK STORY:
Ian Flynn, "High Stakes on the High Seas!" (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 180)

2006 was hampered by a few back-stories which existed just to sell video games. Ian backed off on this in 2007... Except for once. “High Stakes on the High Seas!” exists to inform readers that a new handheld “Sonic” game is available. The set-up – Sonic and Tails awaken on a beach! - is detached from the main plot. We quickly rush through the plot of the story, involving an evil robot named Captain Whiskers seeking a magical MacGuffin. While Marine the Raccoon has potential as a character, this back-up is so thin that there's no room to really develop here. “High Stakes on the High Seas!” is totally disposable.

BEST STORY ARC:
Ian Flynn, "House of Cards" (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issues 178-179)

“Eggman Empire” was the big event story of the year and was, admittedly, quite good. Yet my favorite was “House of Cards.” Playing out in issues 178 and 179, the arc is focused squarely on Tails' anger and resentment – mostly based on him dating Fiona – boiling over. The conflict between the two friends plays out honestly, the two coming to blows for reasons that actually make sense. The resolution to that fight, where the two fight it out, is genuinely touching and sweet. Both characters admit that they've made mistakes.

This plays out alongside a story of political upheaval in Mobotropolis, where Amadeus Prower finally converts the society from monarchy to democracy. This story line isn't as well developed as the conflict between Sonic and Tails. Yet it's still pretty well done, especially the conclusion, where Amadeus and Elias also talk out their problems. The result is a satisfying action story that also makes room for character, allowing that interaction to resolve the plot.

WORST STORY ARC:
Ian Flynn, "See You Later Chao" (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 173-174)

“See You Later Chao,” playing out in the back pages of 173 and 174, wasn't directly based on a video game. But it certainly feels like one of those stories quickly thrown together to advertise a product. The two-parter belatedly introduces the Chao into the Archie-verse. These digital pets don't have much of a purpose in the actual mythology, making this introduction trivial. The story also greatly simplifies Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Robotnik's personalities. It's forgettable at best, totally expendable at worst.

BEST COVER ART:
Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 175 - Patrick Spaziante

There were a couple of decent runner-ups in this category. Tracy Yardley's cover art for issue 179, showing an enraged Sonic tearing through a poster of his former best friend, was certainly striking. Patrick Spaziante's cover art for issue 21 of “Sonic X” was really neat, depicting Sonic and his supporting cast as action figures on a toy store shelf.

Another Spaziante cover ended up claiming this category though. For this year's milestone issue, Archie lured Spaz back to the main book. The artist illustrates an intense image. Sonic, defeated and in chains, lifted into the art by Dr. Robotnik. It's a powerful picture, showing the comic's greatest hero totally vanquished by his greatest enemy. By high-lighting the cover against a totally black background, it makes the illustration pop even more.

WORST COVER ART:
Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 182 - Tracy Yardley

Tracy Yardley isn't the cover artist Spaz is but he mostly did solid work in 2007. The only real problem with his cover for issue 182 is how crowded it is. The background features Enerjak looming above villainously, Dr. Finitevus reaching forward with an evil palm, some black squiggly lines, and Robotnik's Egg Fleet sailing through the sky. In the foreground, Sonic races forward awkwardly and Shadow goes radioactive. Any one of these images, by themselves, would've made a fine cover. All shoved together and it's a bit messy.

BEST STORY ART:
"Eggman Empire" - Tracy Yardley (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 175)

Tracy Yardley handled most of the interior artwork this year and most of it was really good. The use of shadows in “House of Cards: Part 1” added a nice atmosphere. The focus on character expressions in “Unite” helped sell that story. The disintegrating digital backgrounds in “I Am” were a really nice touch. The only runner-up not to come from Yardley was Steven Butler's work on “Undone,” a back story from issue 181. Butler brought his expected level of gritty detail to this story.

What ended up coming out on top was Yardley's work on issue 175's “Eggman Empire.” And you can thank a series of specific images for that. Sonic racing into Knothole, seeing the city blasted to flaming debris, is some of the most shocking images to ever appear in Archie's book. The shots that follow, heavily contrasted panels of Eggman crushing Sonic's strength and confidence, are equally impressive.

WORST STORY ART:
"Speed Lines!" - David Hutchinson (Sonic X: Issue 20)

I swear I'm not intentionally picking on “Sonic X.” David Hutchinson continues to be the comic's most uneven artist. When really on the ball, he's great. His pencils for issue 19's Rouge-centric story were quite good. His work on the series' very next issue was of opposing quality. The action scenes are a little too static. The character work was a little too scratchy. Sam Speed and Eggman look slightly sketchy. The giant robot at the story's center looks kind of odd, as if Hutchinson was clearly uncomfortable drawing a big mecha machine. I'll clarifiy that the artwork here isn't terrible, it's just slightly off. I suspect Hutchinson rushed through some of these pages.

BEST NEW CHARACTER:
El Gran Gordo

See! I don't hate “Sonic X!” Truthfully, there weren't very many new characters introduced in Archie's main “Sonic” book in 2007. Aside from Marine the Raccoon – who I like but had such a small role – there was no new characters in that book that year. Even picking “Sonic X's” El Gran Gordo is kind of a cheat. The pro-wrestler is, after all, actually Eggman. I still conflicted over whether the book's sudden interest in grappling was dumb fun or just dumb. Either way, seeing the villain get to embrace a previously unseen heroic side was fun. Eggman likes being a ham and receiving praise from a loving crowd changed him for the better. Amusingly, Eggman doesn't forget his bad guy side even while playing the hero. One funny panel had him defending Eggman's honor! All in all, it was a cute transformation.

WORST NEW CHARACTERS:
S.O.N.I.C.X.

The idea behind the egregiously acronymed S.O.N.I.C.X. was interesting. A group of humans that have all been wronged by Sonic, some intentionally, some unintentionally, ban together to defeat him. Yet Ian Flynn didn't use this as a chance to explore Sonic's unintended effects on this world or allow him to show any guilt at all. The bigger problem is that the S.O.N.I.C.X. members are all idiots. There biggest gaffs include monologuing at Sonic when they had the chance to kill him and marking their evil Sonic clones with their organization's name. Thus a promising idea is sunk by simplistic, juvenile writing. Oh well.


BEST IDEA:
Re-establishing Characters

In 2007, several important Sonic cast members had their personalities refocused. Shadow the Hedgehog finally found his purpose in life, breaking away from Robotnik and becoming a free agent. Fiona Fox becoming Scourge's amoral moll might've wasted some promising development for the character but at least she has a purpose now. Dr. Finitevus' formally unseen master plan was finally revealed. Amy Rose got to be both Sonic's number one fan girl and a bad ass hammer woman. Even Sonic got some work done, finally burying his moronic days as a swinging ladies' man.

Most importantly, the Princess Sally we know and love is back. Ian had her taking a bigger role on the battle field. He had her apologizing for her previously bouts of out-of-character-ness. He re-established her considerable skills as a leader and tactician. The bitchy, whiny, forlorn Sally we've been stuck with for too long is only a memory now. (In a nice symbolic touch, so her's long hair.) The People's Princess is back.


WORST IDEA:
Combat Over Character

For all the great character work he did in 2007, that year also revealed a bad habits of Ian Flynn's: His tendency to throw fight scenes into every story. How many match-ups get we get in 2007? Big fights between Sonic and Robotnik, Sonic vs. Tails, Amy vs. Julie-Su, Amy vs. Fiona, Sonic vs. Scourge several times, the Chaotix vs. the Destructix, Shadow vs. Enerjak, Sonic vs. Enerjak, and probably a few others I forgot. Usually, this was fine. Sometimes, it felt like Ian was pushing aside character to make room for these fight scenes. The balance between character work and the need to please the combat-happy seven-to-twelve boys crowd is something Ian would struggle with throughout his entire run.

Sonic X: Issue 27

Sonic X: Issue 27
Publication Date: December 2007

Like I said during the previous “Sonic X” review, I was torn on the plot point of Eggman moonlighting as a pro-wrestler. On one hand, it was kind of fun, getting to the see the villain embrace a previously unseen heroic side. On the other hand, it was also fucking stupid. As someone who prefers Robotnik to be a sadistic dictator, seeing the character written as such an obviously comedic character makes me feel weird. Issue 26 ended on an especially unpromising sequel hook which is, naturally, followed up on in this issue. For better or worst, Ian Flynn and Archie's “Sonic X” series would be running with this pro-wrestler thing.

Eggman's El Gran Gordo wrestling persona has taken off to such a degree that the President is in attendance at his latest match. The grappling contest is interrupted when Bokkun, sporting a big ass cape and a Snidely Whiplash mustache, busts in. He holds the stadium hostage, getting help from two massive robots, and starts making a bunch of insane demands. Luckily, around the same time, Bocoe went to make a truce with Sonic, hoping the hedgehog would snap Eggman out of his heroic persona. The hedgehog arrives just as Bokkun's robots attack. Once again, Sonic and Eggman have to temporarily team up to protect each other.

Once again, I must point out that I've never watched “Sonic X.” What is Bukkon's purpose on the cartoon? In the comics, he strikes me as a more annoying GIR from “Invader ZIM.” He's a small, quasi-cute thing that shouts random bullshit and contributes nothing else to the plot. So Bokkun transforming himself into a supervillain is a mostly terrible idea. Once the origin of his change in personality is revealed – Bokkun ate too much candy and is on an insane sugar rush – the reader becomes even more unable to take this plot point seriously. Okay, okay, I know we weren't supposed to take it seriously. That doesn't make it any better of an idea.

What is amusing about “Conquest is Like a Box of Chocolates” is Eggman's increasing enjoyment of his El Gran Gordo persona. The bad guy has grown to genuinely love the spotlight, being adored by the public as a hero. He's gotten so into this, that his own henchmen are starting to get concerned. What makes this gag land is how Eggman, even when fully in character, can't totally let go of his villainous tendencies. El Gran Gordo saves the President, causing the politician to compare the attacking robots to one of Eggman's scheme. El Gran Gordo than defends Eggman's honor, calling him a fine bad guy. It's a good gag.

Of course, Eggman's turn towards the light side was designed to be short lived. After Sonic rushes in and starts fighting Bokkun's robots, he convinces Eggman to reveal his true, villainous colors. This leads to a temporary truce between hero and villain. (Yes, Flynn just did this exact same plot line in the main “Sonic” book but, if it helps, the context is entirely different here.) Even this doesn't pay off in the best way. How does Eggman defeat Bokkun? He pins him until the sugar high wears off, at which point the robot-thing passes out. Not exactly the most proactive of action sequences.

Having said that, the giant robot shenanigans in this issue are a good time. In an amusingly goofy gag, the big machines that attack the stadium are modeled after the Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots. Naturally, Sonic facilitates the one robot knocking the other robot's block off. The other action beats are solid. Such as when Bokkun tangles Sonic up in his cape. How that resolves, with Sonic flipping the little robot through the air, is a decent visual.

Steven Butler shows up to draws this one. Last time Butler drew for this book, I pointed out how his usual style seemed restrained by the “Sonic X” house style. Butler mostly avoids that problem this time out. Except for Sonic himself, who looks pretty awkward in a few panels. Otherwise, the pages devoted to Eggman wrestling or the giant robots look nice. Butler brings the excellent amount of detail and motion we expect from him. This is easily one of the best looking issues of “Sonic X” thus far.

I feel a little torn on this one. The central ideas inside this comic book are pretty doofy and the story construction is preposterous. However, the execution tosses in enough good gags and solid artwork for me to recommend it. Silly and disposable, that's the “Sonic X” byline, but that's not always a bad thing. [7/10]