Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 157

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 157
Publication Date: December 2005

Do you see what's up ahead? It's the light at the end of the tunnel. Issue 157, in addition to ending a lousy year for the book, would begin head writer Ken Penders' final story arc for Archie's “Sonic the Hedgehog.” After wrapping up this story, Ken would leave Archie once and for all, allowing a new writer to come in and yank the series out of the creative rut it has been in for years. But we're not quite there just yet. Let's get through these next three issues together.

Even though he's only been gone for a few issues, Shadow's return to the comic is trumpeted on the cover. (I'm sure Sega's ill-conceived “Shadow the Hedgehog” video game coming out around the same time was a big factor in this decision.) The so-called ultimate life form feels drawn to a mysterious laboratory on the edge of Station Square. Inside, he finds a video of Doctor Gerald and a new version of Metal Sonic. The two synthetic hedgehogs wail on each other until they both collapse.

Ken's departure from the book, reportedly, was due to his frustration with Sega insisting he write stories featuring Shadow the Hedgehog. Maybe that reluctance might explain why “The Good, the Bad and the Unknown” and this story were so lame. The untitled cover story for issue 157 raises a bunch of underwhelming plot points. “Sonic Adventure 2” is reportedly part of Archie cannon, by this point. Despite this, Shadow is still shocked when the recording of Dr. Gerald informs him that he was created to take revenge on the government.

If Ken was hoping to give Shadow some development with this story, he squanders it by devoting the rest of the story to a fight with Metal Sonic. That's a thoroughly underwhelming spectacle too.  Shadow takes a rocket punch to the face. A Mega Man looking hand blaster is traded back and forth between the combatants. Liquid nitrogen and an electric live wire are utilized in unimpressive ways. The battle concludes with both fighters unconscious, making all five pages of this thing seem like a wasted endeavor.

In truth, the back-up story is actually the main drawl of this issue. “System Shutdown” begins with Robotnik, still in his bathrobe, getting a rude awakening. Someone has hacked into his computer system, threatening to completely take down his network. He's so concerned by this that he travels to Knothole, hoping to create a truce with Sonic. After the required fight, the hedgehog flies to Megatropolis, uncertain if he's entering a trap or not.

There's an interesting idea at the root of “System Shutdown.” Robotnik coming to Knothole as a diplomat, looking to forge a temporary partnership with the Kingdom of Acorn has potential. The book has bandied a similar concept around from time to time – such as in issue 19 – but never took it very seriously. Granted, I'm not very impressed with the panels devoting to Rotor and Tails standing back while Robotnik waltz into town. That seems unlikely. But the idea has merit.

Sadly, Ken doesn't exploit this premise for much. Instead, “System Shutdown” dissolves into one of the silliest fight scenes in the comic's history. Sonic rushes out at Eggman, only for the mad doctor to judo toss him to the ground. After some kung-fu posing, Robotnik even flips Sonic over his shoulder. This is ridiculous for a number of reason. Robotnik has never been a physical threat to Sonic, instead utilizing robotic devices and henchmen. Suddenly gifting the fat man with fighting prowess only baffles and annoys the reader. The justification for this sudden change – something to do with holograms – is equally awkward.

After the mandatory fisticuffs, Robotnik gets Sonic to work with him by promising to turn Jules organic again. This presents several issues, most of which is nitpicking, I'll admit. It's been established by this point that Jules can't be reverted to a flesh-and-blood state, because he'll die. Later, Eggman asks Jules if Uncle Chuck still feels guilty for “Helping him robotocize millions” and mentions how Sonic has been a thorn in his side for a decade. Hold on a minute, Ken. This Robotnik isn't the one that helped Chuck build the robotocizer. This Robotnik has only been feuding with Sonic since issue 75. That original Robotnik is still dead. I know this is the nerdiest type of pettifogging but you'd expect Ken – who has been working on the book nearly the whole time, after all – to keep track of these things.

That dramatic reveals that follow are hardly worth talking about. Once in Robotnik's city, Sonic, Rotor, and the others are attacked M, who has been seemingly taken over by some outside influence. At the end, she invites an army of Metal Sonics into Robotnik's lab. (They are drawn with the “Sonic Heroes” design, which is the closest this book would ever come to adapting that game.) There's some bullshit about the warning the doctor received having a twelve hour delay, which is a major ass pull. It's all a bunch of underdeveloped plot points crashing into each other, leaving the reader little reason to care.

The only real reason to read this one is for a handful of panels concerning Sonic's emotional state. Apparently, the boy has been staying up at night, strumming his guitar and pining for Princess Sally. This information almost justifies why Sonic has been behaving so badly lately. He's not screwing around with Fiona and Bunnie because he's horny. He's just trying to fill the void Sally left. There's two problems with this angle though. First off, Sally doesn't even appear in this story, making Sonic's situation seem rather one-sided. Secondly, Jules insists Bernie doesn't ask any questions. Because Ken just doesn't know how to write likable, honest parents that actually care for their kids.

Ron Lim draws the whole issue, by the way. He's showing some minor improvement. That fight between Shadow and Metal Sonic looks okay. But his work is still characterized by stiff movement and overly loose character work. As 2005 comes to a close, things are still sucking pretty bad. But the worst of it is behind us now so let's keep moving forward. [4/10]