Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 115

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 115
Publication Date: October 2002

I don’t remember much about this era of Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” comic. I never stopped reading the book but I wasn’t paying very much attention to it at this time. Issue 115, however, is one I definitely recall. It sticks in my memory for being such a blatant throwback to the book’s earlier, goofier days. The cover story revolves around a fantastical plot development that isn’t really in line with anything else happening in the book at this moment. It’s a totally self contained story, that comes and goes without leaving a lasting effect. Not that issue 115 is a bad issue – it’s passable – but it definitely sticks out for tonal reasons.

Unsurprisingly, this is another one from the pen of Benny Lee, perhaps explaining why it’s a stand alone story. In “Meanie in a Bottle,” Sonic is tossing a stick around with his robotic dog, Muttski. After the pet leaps into a lake, Sonic defies the title of his blog and jumps in after him. From the lake bed, he retrieves a mysterious bottle. The bottle contains a genie. And he’s a real asshole too. Instead of granting Sonic three wishes, he zaps both the hedgehog and his pet. As a result, Sonic looses his speed and Muttski gains it.

This is how inconsequential a story “Meanie in a Bottle” is: The genie that drives the plot doesn’t even have a Mobius Encyclopaedia page, an otherwise comprehensive guide to the book’s universe. There are some things I like about the story. Sonic’s concern for his dog, when he dives into the water and won’t surface, is sweet. Focusing on the relationship between Sonic and Muttski is nice, considering the robot dog doesn’t usually get this much attention. The montage of Muttski experiencing super speed – which involves him stopping a burglary, playing with Tails and Sally, and dragging Sonic around – is funny in a dumb way. Sonic’s disappointment when Muttski grabs the stick right out of his hand, before he even throws it, is amusing as well.

I guess my problem is how immature the story feels. The hero plucking a genie out of nowhere seems like an especially random story turn. The genie just being a prick for no reason happens primarily for plot reason. Sonic defeats the pesky djinn by locking him in Muttski’s belly and demanding he obey his wishes. Considering the genie obviously has magical powers, I’m not sure why this is such a problem for him. It’s not that I dislike the story’s total disconnect with the rest of the book. I’ve praised Benny Lee’s episodic writing before. It just seems to me that the story was conceived and written quickly, without too much thought being put into it.

However, there is one thing about “Meanie in a Bottle” I can praise without reservations. Art Mawhinney shows up again. It’s clear Art is still adapting to Sonic’s post-Dreamcast design. He somewhat awkwardly squeezes the green eyes, buckled shoes, and longer spines onto his classical Sonic design. His design for the genie is quite generic. Yet his strength for expressions still benefits the story. Sonic’s concern for Muttski and his eventual exhaustion, after loosing his speed, are clearly and vividly displayed. Even if this isn’t the best story, it’s still nice to see that Art’s art is as top notch as ever.

Ken’s “Ultimate Power” arc continues in the back. Mammoth Mogul insists Harry, apparently the only cab driver on the Floating Island, take him to see Dimitri. The supervillain proceeds to hold the other supervillian hostage, demanding Knuckels puts in an appearance. Meanwhile, the Guardian goofs around with his friends while Lien-Da continues to plot her take-over of the Dark Legion.

How rarely do we get to see Knuckles kick back and relax? It’s nice to know that, occasionally, the young Guardian feels the need to frolic with his friend. Sadly, Ken can’t let this moment breathe. He immediately has Espio ask how Knuckles got green, which segues into a discussion about his abilities. (He then uses those powers to summon a bouquet of flowers for Julie-Su. Which is sweet, even if Julie-Su doesn’t seem like the kind of girl you get flowers for.) That particular sequence concludes with Knuckles running off to his dad to get some answer. Which is weird, considering Locke has never in his entire life given his son a straight answer about anything.

While this is going on, more plot relevant manners are happening. By now, it’s clear that Lien-Da is using Dimitri’s illness as a way to seize power. Meanwhile, it’s also quite obvious that Mammoth Mogul intends on zapping Knuckles’ power next. I’m not especially concerned with this stuff but at least it’s moving at a decent pace. That’s better than how sluggish the Chaos Knuckles saga had been, up to this point. Dawn Best draws again, though I wonder if Ken didn’t do some uncredited pencils on this one. Knuckles and friends looks a little awkward in a few of the panels.

Issue 115 doesn’t feature three stories, as had become common practice. Instead, more of Spaz’s unused designs are shoved into the middle of the book. It’s mostly character and costume designs, loose doodles hardly worth commenting on. What is tantalizing is a page devoted to an anime-style alternate universe story Spaz apparently pitched. The story would’ve featured a weirdo supervillain Snively and very cute versions of Sonic, Sally and Bunnie. I guess it wasn’t meant to be? This mid-book spread may actually be the most memorable thing about a passable if not especially notable issue of the series. [6/10]