Sonic X: Issue 24

Sonic X: Issue 24
Publication Date: September 2007

Through its thus far twenty-four issue run, Archie's “Sonic X” comic had yet to establish much of an identity separate from the cartoon show that spawned it. That the book would constantly reference the events of the show, even interrupting its own stories to make room for ones on the cartoon, didn't help matters. In the past, “Sonic X” has functioned the best when throwing logic to the wind and focusing on goofy action stories, usually in service of obvious homages to eighties classic cinema. Issue 24 doesn't feature any random shoutouts to “Gremlins” or “Evil Dead” but does give the Sonic version of another popular comic book troupe: The villain that copies the heroes' abilities.

Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, and Chris for some reason are on a talk show. Each of them discusses their individuals abilities and superpowers. The reporter asks them to participate in an obstacle course, the heroes showing off their unique strengths. Unbeknowst to the hedgehog and his friends, Eggman is recording this entire event. He's gathering the information from the broadcast and pumping it into his latest invention: The X-Robot. Once unleashed, the machine can copy the abilities of Sonic and company, besting them with their own powers.

Like I said, the super villain that copies or adsorbs the abilities of the heroes is a well trotted troupe. Marvel has its Super Adaptoid. DC has Amazo. These are only the most well known examples and I'm sure many more exist. The X-Robot is the Sonic-verse's late addition to this cliché. For what it's worth, the machine is a formidable enemy. Visually, he combines the silhouettes of Sonic and friends rather cleverly, pouring a silver finish over all of them. Action wise, he can counter most anything Sonic and friends throw at him. Though lacking in personality, I honestly hope Archie brings back the X-Robot. It's the first “Sonic X” adversary to actually feel like a threat.

The obstacle course is another frequently featured story idea. Considering Sonic and his partners have their basis in video games, I'm surprised its an idea Archie hasn't minded more often. (I think Robotnik set up an obstacle in the early days of the mainline book? I can't remember specifics.) There is a certain entertainment factor in watching the gang do what they do best. Sonic runs fast. Knuckles shows off his super strength. Amy smashes shit with her hammer. Weirdly, and amusingly, Tails' flying abilities is only referenced, not actually shown.

There's a rather obvious moral to the story. Sonic and his friends take on the X-Robot one by one, each getting easily defeated. It's only when they decide to work together that they can best the machine. This is a rather obvious solution. The heroes shouldn't have fought the robot by themselves, anyway. Material ranging from “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and, well, Archie's other “Sonic the Hedgehog” book have featured similar solutions before. Yet, considering this is an action driven story, I don't mind this too much.

Another reason “Camera Hog” works pretty well is that Eggman's goofy comic relief shenanigans are mostly kept to a minimum. Becoe and Docoe get in a few lame lines while recording the TV show. Considering how brain dead characters usually are in this book, it's refreshing that Chris Thorndyke recognizes the robot behind the camera. Baffingly, he still doesn't do anything about it. Otherwise, Eggman mostly sits back in his lair and directs the X-Robot, save a line or two about how obsessed humans are with television. (Which is hypocritical, of course, considering this version of Robotnik has gotten most of his ideas for killer robots from TV.)

I probably should've mentioned before this point who wrote this story. Tracy Yardley, who has only worked as an artist before this point, decided to try his hand at writing with “Camera Hog.” While I found most of Yardley's future writing credits on “Sonic” uninspired, Tracy writes to his strength with this one. It's a simple, action based story, providing lots of chances for the high energy fight scenes that Yardley does well with. He even manages to sneak in some cute, character based humor. The X-Robot activates its Amy-based abilities and looks at Sonic. A little heart floats above the machine's head, obviously mimicking the pink hedgehog's affections as well. After Sonic spin dashes the machine, that little heart breaks. It's a tiny moment but one that made me chuckle.

Over all, “Camera Hog” doesn't measure up to the work that Flynn was doing in the main “Sonic” book at the time. For the often mediocre “Sonic X” series though, it really stands out as a fun and amusing little story. There's not much meat on the bones, as far as narrative or character development goes, but sometimes watching the good guys fight a super powerful robot is enough for me. [7/10]