Sonic X: Issue 16

Sonic X: Issue 16
Publication Date: February 2007

The tendency for Archie's “Sonic X” book to acknowledge the monthly holidays continue. While the main book remains in a future without earthly celebrations, the Earth of “Sonic X” pauses once more to feature a calendar event on the cover. Issue 16 devotes itself to Valentine's Day. On one hand, this is sort of surprising, considering the seven year old boy audience this book aims for. That's the kind of crowd that thinks girls have cooties. Then again, the shipping have always been deeply entranced in the Sonic fandom. So laugh, you SonAmy weirdos. This is as close as the two hedgehogs will be allowed to get.

“Valentine's Fray” doesn't have Sonic finally accepting Amy's insistent demands for dates because he's actually interested in the girl. Instead, he lost a bet with Knuckles. Amy is none the wiser and is overjoyed for a chance at romance with her favorite hedgehog. Sonic, however, is clueless about dating. So he asks the Chaotix – whose expertise on this matter he greatly overestimates – and gets three different ideas for a date, combining all of them. News gets back to Eggman, who decides to use this romantic adventure as a chance to take Sonic out of the picture for good.

Issue 16 of “Sonic X” would have Ian Flynn returning to the spin-off book. Flynn is a writer that likes to satisfy his fans. So the writer cooks up a scenario that will please the Sonic/Amy people without officially hooking the two up. Sonic reluctantly agreeing to date Amy is a nice touch. Of course, he ends up having a good time. At the end, just as it seems like maybe he's developing feelings for the pink hedgehog, Sonic backs off. He denies Amy a second date. It's a pretty cute balance, even if Flynn's script here has none of the depth of his work on the main book.

Flynn's comedy works best when rooted in his characters. “Valentine's Fray” is nowhere near as funny as its aiming for, as its comedic gags are pretty limp. However, there's one bit that did make me laugh. Sonic goes to the detectives, assuming their detectiv-ing includes knowledge of what females like. He is wrong. Much to Vector's chagrin, Charmy announces that none of the trio has ever been on a date. This keeps the cluelessness about the opposite sex that Vector shows in Archie's other “Sonic” book while dropping his creepy misogyny. Honestly, the idea of the Chaotix being virginal nerds, totally clueless about women, makes them more endearing.

The big gags in “Valentine's Fray” concern how Sonic and Amy's date goes wrong. Eggman figures Sonic will be distracted, making this a good time to strike. Instead, the hedgehog is as alert as always. Both intentionally and unintentionally, Sonic foils the bad guy's schemes. An attempt to blow them up with bombs results in Sonic and Amy getting a fireworks show. A booby-trapped hibachi grill goes off early, roasting Decoe and Becoe instead. Lastly, Sonic and Amy head to a carnival. Eggman's attempts to corner them in a haunted house, a hall of mirrors, and a roller coaster all backfire.

It's a classical comedic set-up, recalling the likes of Tom & Jerry and Wile E. Coyote. Amy remains unaware of the dangers, having a great time all throughout the date. Eggman's schemes screwing up so badly results in the kind of cartoony punishment you'd expect to see in a Loony Tunes short. It's not exactly hilarious. In truth, it actually further defangs this version of Eggman as a serious threat. Yet, considering this is far more of a light-weight kiddie book then the main comic, it got me to smile once or twice.

Todd Wahnish continues his work on "Sonic X." This time, he doesn't distinguish himself from the various other “Sonic X” drawers very much. His work is more consistent then Tim Smith, as Wahnish's backgrounds are more vivid and he doesn't have Smith's occasional off-model moments. Yet Wahnish trails behind David Hutchinson's best work, as this features none of the atmosphere or strong character work that is Hutchinson's strength. Truthfully, Wahnish's work is fine. He sticks to the established model, going out of his way to maintain the comic's connection with the cartoon show. It's not bad to look at. It's totally fine, truthfully. Yet it's also not very memorable.

While the “Sonic X” Valentine's Day special trails behind the highly entertaining first half of the Halloween special, it is a better written affair then the weak Christmas special. This is a pretty forgettable issue but not an unpleasant reading experience either. I mean, even on an off-day, Ian Flynn knew what he was doing. It looks like “Sonic X” stuck with the holiday theme for at least one more issue. We'll see how that goes soon enough. [6/10]