Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 179

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 179
Publication Date: August 2007

I've mentioned it, once or twice before. The critics of Archie's “Sonic the Hedgehog” series frequently dismiss the comic book as a “furry soap opera.” Because, even in 2017, furries are still the bullied schoolyard punks of the internet. What's weird is that these critics don't target the comic's actual moments of overheated melodrama. Such as the seemingly endless Sonic/Sally/Mina triangle or the godawful way the comic handled the Princess and the hedgehog's break-up. Instead, they frequently target the “House of Cards” two-parter. Which is weird, since this is actually a pretty good story line. But you can't please some people, especially in the “Sonic” fandom.

In the depths of New Mobotropolis' prison facility, Sonic and Tails continue their fight. Soon, the conflict explodes out into the forest surrounding the building. Yet the brawl between the former best friends is mostly a distraction. While Sonic is preoccupied with Tails, his parents have sneaked into the Royal Palace. Peaceful negotiation between Amadeus and King Elias quickly break down, the two leaders fighting with one another. Will reason prevail?

Flynn has been building up the showdown between Sonic and Tails since he came onto the book. Comic book readers being who they are, the “who would win in a fight?”query has naturally been applied to Sonic and his sidekick. “House of Cards” shows that the two-tailed fox is more capable in a fight than either the reader or Sonic maybe imaged. Ian applies a little science, figuring that Tails must be able to swing his tails with an awful lot of force. It's sort of satisfying that the younger Freedom Fighter holds his own against his mentor, even pushing him back a few times.

Yet the emotion behind the fight is more interesting. At first, Tails brings up that old chestnut about Sonic and the others treating him like a kid. He brings up how badly the Kingdom has treated his dad a few times. While these are probably valid reasons to be pissed-off at Sonic, these read as slightly insincere motivation for Tails to turn against his best friend. Turns out, this is intentional on Flynn's behalf. After trading some punches, Tails explodes into tears, revealing that he's heart-broken Sonic dated Fiona. Even though he knew the real Fiona felt nothing for him, Tails still can't believe his friend would betray him that way. This wouldn't be the first time a brotherhood came to an end over a female.

What happens next is surprising. Sonic... Apologizes? He admits that his head wasn't in the right place when he began dating Fiona. That he was still on the rebound from Sally dumping him. He even hoped that dating Fiona would help Tails get over his crush on her. (Which is a bit like saying “I screwed that girl you liked for your benefit, buddy.”) Not only does this settle the lingering plot point of Sonic and Fiona's relationship – another case of Flynn burying the previous writer's mistakes – it's also a really sweet moment. Eventually, the two friends hug it out, talking through the resentment that brought them here. Flynn had done a good job of making this fight between friends seem natural, not like your standard comic book breakdowns in communication. In the end, communication is what saves the day, not fisticuffs.

There's a similar dynamic between the book's other fight. When Amadeus marches into the royal bedroom, King Elias is waiting for him. The two attempt to negotiate something but their mutual hardheadedness leads to swords and those weird glaive things Elias carries being drawn. The reasoning behind the fight is a little too sloppy. Amadeus wants the people to be given the power immediately. Elias thinks the monarchy has its place. Having said that, the fight is pretty cool too, with lots of blades being swished through the air, making contact and clanging.

Continuing the theme of characters resolving problems with words, this fight also ends peacefully. Sally marches in, tells the two grown-ass men to stop fighting, and to actually listen to the other side. This is another example of my favorite attributes of Ian Flynn's early run: Un-fucking Sally's character derailment. Once again, he takes the time to show the Princess is cool under pressure, clearly thinking of a solution while those around her are arguing about petty bullshit. Which is why Sally is a leader and an all around bad ass. It's hard to believe this is the same character that spent months standing around in the castle, pining for Sonic and letting her parents boss her around. In a way, it's not. This is the real Sally Acorn and it feels so good to have her back.

If Flynn's early work on “Sonic” continues to be defined by taking out the trash, all of “House of Cards” has really been about explaining why the hell the civilized side of Mobius is sticking with an insane monarchy who used to base all their decisions on whatever a magical glowing pool of goo said. The answer was apparently “Tradition!” while the solution here is allowing Mobius citizens to elect a council of officials, with the King weighing in as the tie-breaker. It's not dissimilar to how England transformed from a monarchy to a republic and clearly means big changes inside Knothole. So it's good to see the city dragged into the 20th century or whenever the hell this is suppose to take place.

What really makes part two of “House of Cards” flow is Ian sneaking in little moments of humor, helping to smooth out the more dramatic actions that make up the book's center. While Sonic and Tails are fighting inside the prison, Bean shouts typically bizarre nonsense. Later, the imprisoned bad guys begin to take bets on who will win. Nicole gets a strong moment, when she summons Sally after Elias explicitly forbid her from waking his parents. Probably my favorite moment in the issue is when Sonic and Tails, after reconciling, race towards the castle. They expect to walk in on a fight between Amadeus and Elias. Instead, they find them peacefully drinking tea together.

The book ends by teasing the next in-coming story arc, revolving Enerjak's return. While that's a decent cliffhanger, what I really like about that final scene is Sally and Sonic chit-chatting while watching the townsfolk walk up to the ballet box. Quiet conversion is a fitting conclusion to a story arc about people talking through their issues, instead of punching each other. Highly emotional stakes and a steady handling of conflict made this a pretty great two-parter, still highly regarded as one of Flynn's best contributions to the series by most reasonable people. [8/10]