Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 175

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 175
Publication Date: May 2007

Archie had always made a big deal about the anniversary issues of “Sonic the Hedgehog.” Every twenty-five issues – every two years – the book would throw some fancy graphics on the cover, drawing attention to that number in the corner box. Most comics only trot out this kind of treatment every 100 issues. The reason I suspect that Archie brought out the bells and whistles every twenty-five issues is because the company never thought “Sonic” would run very long. “Sonic's” seventh anniversary issue would be the first such issue Ian Flynn would write, the first of several.

 
Sonic and friends relax at Freedom HQ. When Sally asks about his good mood, Sonic calmly states that he believes the Freedom Fighters have Robotnik on the run, that it's only a matter of time before they win. His optimism is misplaced. Snively, wearing a specialized robotic suit, tears the roof off Freedom HQ. He uses handheld teleporters to capture most of Sonic's friends. An air fleet bombs Knothole Village to the ground. Robotnik appears wearing battle armor specifically designed to combat Sonic's abilities. Sonic fights him but he can't win. Robotnik flies away, the hedgehog's will crushed.

The central point of “Eggman Empire” is something that Sega's notorious corporate mandates wouldn't have allowed a few years later. This is an issue asking what would happen if Sonic lost. Flynn was going to take this comic book's hero to his lowest point. Sonic getting his ass whooped and getting his home burned down wasn't just about the shock value. It was symbolic of what Flynn was doing to the book. Ian spent most of his first year disposing of extraneous elements left over by the previous writers, about putting the mess the comic had become back in order. He was blasting stuff away. After this issue, Sonic would have to reinvent his world. After this issue, Flynn would begin to truly make the comic his own.

Just blowing Knothole up and beating the shit out of Sonic wouldn't have been any different from the shock value stuff the big two pull all the time. Ian makes this stuff matter by opening the issue with the Freedom Fighters being themselves. The Chaotix play a video game, casually competing with each other. One of my favorite moments shows Rouge's attempts to flirt with Knuckles, much to Julie-Su's chagrin. Tails, cloistered into a computer room with Rotor, wonders about his relationship with Sonic and parents, not totally at peace with either. It's such a nice series of scenes, showing the joys and concerns of everyday life in Knothole, among characters we've grown to love over a ten year period.

And then it all gets torn away. Ever since Karl Bollers made the decision to have Robotnik discover Knothole's location, I've often wondered why the tyrant just didn't flatten the entire village with bombs or nukes. In “Eggman Empire,” Flynn has Robotnik essentially do just that. Snively tears the roof off Freedom HQ, grabbing most of the Freedom Fighters. Sonic then races through Knothole, seeing locations that mean a lot to him – Uncle Chuck's dinner, his parent's home – ablaze. The lake of rings is a crater. The entire city has been razed to the ground. This is still technically a kid's comic. Seeing images like this is surprising, if not startling.

As an anniversary issue, this one features some big action. Snively's attack on Freedom HQ features an awesome bit of Mighty ripping the mech's arm off and smashing it over the robot's head. But the big action arrives when Robotnik touches down in the ruined Knothole, wearing an impressive mechanized battle armor. Some cool moments that follow have Sonic surfing on the missiles Robotnik launches. Or Sonic dodging the Green Hill style wrecking ball or laser beams the suit is outfitted with. Tracy Yardley really makes these sequences come to life.

Yet that's not what's truly impressive about this fight scene. While blasting and beating Sonic, Robotnik gives him an earful. He reminds him of his failures: Tommy Turtle's death, Jules still being robotocized, Princess Sally dumping him. He brings up the not unbelievable fact that the Freedom Fighters' petty resistance has never had much of a chance against his heavily armed empire anyway. (That Robotnik brought Knothole to its knees within the span of an issue certainly supports that theory.) What stings the most is the hardest bit of truth the villain lays on our hero: That, after fighting him for so long, the planet isn't any more free than before. He's not just crushing his body. He's attempting to crush his spirit. This level of psychological warfare isn't something we're used to seeing from the bad guy. It's the most intimidating Robotnik has been in a long time.

Flynn knows how to write the Eggman as a competent villain. He also knows how to write Sonic as an endearing hero. The hedgehog's spirit is not so easily crushed. He keeps on fighting and fighting. One of the issue's most notorious moments has Sonic showing off the full extent of his speed. After Robotnik claims Sonic has reached his limit, he launches off on a run. He runs from the location of Knothole – which, as we all know, is deep in the heart of modern day Georgia – and up the entire East Coast, before returning to hit Robotnik's mech with a super speed punch. All within the span of a few seconds. That's, you know, really fucking fast. Even then, Robotnik's armor survives with just a dent.

I've always felt that Yardley's artwork is slightly goofy, even on his best day. But the guy knows what he's doing. The artwork in “Eggman Empire” is fittingly moody. The sight of Knothole, ablaze, is conveyed with the proper amount of power. Shadows are utilized excellently, making Eggman's entrance especially impressive. The design work is solid too. Robotnik's armored suit – which we would later find out is named the Egg Beater, an excellent pun – is actually one of the cooler looking designs. Obviously based off the final boss from “Sonic 2,” the potentially unwieldy weapons of a shield and a wrecking ball are actually incorporated smoothly into the overall design.

Of course, this is a comic book. Robotnik doesn't kill Sonic when he has the chance. Instead, he chooses to live him alive and humiliated. The Freedom Fighters aren't murdered, blasted to bits by some sort of super ray. Instead, they've been teleported into Robotnik's Egg Grape prisons, his “Matrix” style organic battery system. Tails, Knuckles and Amy, three of his most powerful allies, are still around and kicking. Naturally, the heroes are left alive to make a comeback next issue. That doesn't drain issue 175 of its power. It's an impressive bit of action, full of several genuinely effective shocks, and gives us some decent insight into Sonic and Robotnik's psychology. Good job, Flynn. [8/10]