Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 94

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 94
Publication Date: February 2001

Issue 94 was not a well received issue in 2001. It made some bizarre changes to Sonic’s world, many of which wouldn’t stick very long, likely because of how poorly received they were. I agree that many of these new additions were poorly thought out. However, I’ll admit that I like number 94 a little better then the last few issues. We’re knee-deep in the Dork Age here so I’ll take what I can get.

Six months have passed since Sonic was stripped of his title as a knight and Elias has assumed rule of Knothole. The new King has increased the village’s infrastructure. He’s built a new castle, hospitals, and schools. With this new order, new rules have come. Now, everyone under the age of eighteen has to attend school. This includes Sonic, Tails, and the many other former Freedom Fighters. It’s a change that doesn’t sit well with the hedgehog hero. His continued separation from Sally especially concerns him. Meanwhile, Robotnik, Snively, and Athair continue their own affairs.

I tend to dislike time jumps. Usually, it’s an excuse for writers to mix things up, introducing drastic shake changes to the world, without putting in the work to develop these events. Comic books especially love to do this. How often has the DC Universe jumped weeks or months into the future, introducing readers to a world that’s totally different? (At least until the status quo is inevitably re-introduced?) Karl introduces something similar, if a little less intense, here.

Mostly, it’s a bad idea. Apparently a large numbers of Overlanders have moved to Robotropolis, where Robotnik enforces strict laws on them. Knothole has suddenly grown from a tiny village to a small city, which seems like an unlikely change. The dumbest addition is forcing teenagers to go to high school. Why would Prince Elias expect former child soldiers like the Freedom Fighters to attend school? As Sonic says early on, why would a hero like him need to learn algebra? Forcing Sonic and friends into a high school setting is especially miscalculated. Why would an action adventure series want to change its focus to high school drama?

Knothole High’s dress code is also questionable. Bunnie dresses like Daisy Duke and Rotor dresses like a Homie, bizarre decisions at odds with their personalities. (And what could a technical genius like Rotor possibly learn from high school-level science classes?)

It’s deeply ill conceived but Karl almost makes it work. He does this by focusing on Sonic’s frustration with this change, an annoyance the reader shares. Physics class drags on for the speedy hedgehog, bored out of his mind. Mostly, he misses Sally. The two have been separated for months and Sonic’s heart is aching. Sally feels similarly shoved into a box that doesn’t suit her. Sadly, Bollers even stumbles with these plot points. He makes it seem like Sally, a proven warrior and tactician, has spent all this time pining for her missing lover. Moreover, I can’t imagine Sonic and Sally – people used to breaking the rules to succeed – would ever put up with such unnecessary laws.

Boller’s handling of the other subplots vary. Athair appears suddenly in the school, whisking Tails away to some undisclosed location. Who knows where that story line is headed. Bunnie seems to resent Mina for reasons that aren’t apparent. At least the Overlander drama in Robotropolis is starting to move. Hope is suspecting that Robotnik is up to something fishy. Her stepdad has his suspicions but mostly just seems happy to be home. Snively has been brought back into the story, a character that has been greatly missed. One of this issue’s best moment has Snively presented with a chance to strike back at his father, a man he greatly resents. But who’s to say if anything of this will build towards something meaningful?

Karl Bollers and Ken Penders have something in common. Both are struggling with balancing their mini-epics. In "The Best Laid Plans," the echidnas of Albion attempt to drain Knuckles of his new found powers. The procedure is painful for the young Guardian. Charmy and Saffron fly in, seeking to rescue their friend. Nack and Nic, meanwhile… Don’t contribute very much, deciding to flee the area after Knuckles starts to go nuclear.

Hey, remember where this story line started? With the Chaotix, Knuckles’ mom, and everyone on the Floating Island getting zapped into another dimension? With Julie-Su getting captured by the Dark Legion? I know I’ve been saying this every time but… Jesus Christ, Ken, please get back to the shit we care about! Instead, the writer wastes our time with more mystic bullshit. Knuckles, with his new green color, has achieved a power potentially greater then Enerjak. This seems to be the dark, horrible destiny the Brotherhood have been referencing for roughly forty thousand issues. Naturally, the Albion echidna’s attempt to control Knuckles’ power goes horribly wrong. After escaping, Knuckles teleports away. Hopefully on the way to resolving the plot point we give a shit about? God, I hope so.

Knuckles’ new found superpowers are obviously so great that I can’t imagine the Albion scientist ever would’ve been able to control them. Making Knux a physical god makes the story’s other plot developments needless. There was probably no reason for Charmy and Saffron to free the Guardian, since he probably would’ve escaped anyway. There was certainly no reason to have Nack and Nic in the story. They share some dialogue and then leave town, deciding this is out of their leagues. Gee, Ken, if you were going to check back in on these characters, maybe you should have had them actually contribute to the fucking narrative?

Issue 94 is a deeply mixed bag. In the cover story, Karl does some things I like while introducing some extremely dumb ideas. The back-up story, meanwhile, remains incredibly frustrating. Ken’s latest arc is just dragging along, refusing to acknowledge the details we’re invested in. Upside: James Fry contributes some solid artwork to the cover story. Downside: Ron Lim draws the back-up, where he totally screws up Nack’s face and draws continues to draw Knuckles like a pencil. But at least he actually bothered to draw the fucking backgrounds. [5/10]