Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 184

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 184
Publication Date: January 2008

Ian Flynn started 2008 with the conclusion to the “Enerjak: Reborn” story arc. It's yet another issue focused on remaking a cluttered world. By the end, Knuckles would be back on the Floating Island and villains would make new alliances. Flynn also managed to really piss Ken Penders off with this issue, by drawing further attention to what a cunt his favorite character is and then killing him off in such a way that contradicts Locke's other death scene, in the “Mobius: 25 Years Later” arc. Let's get to the meat.

Now transformed into Super Sonic, the hedgehog finally has the ability to oppose Enerjak. While Sonic and Knuckles fight above Angel Island, Julie-Su and Archimedes race for a way to revert Knuckles' transformation. Locke, meanwhile, is still hung up on killing his own son. Both efforts are stymied by Dr. Finitevus, who has placed a hex on the Master Emerald. In order to break the spell, someone must willingly sacrifice their life.

As far as title matches go, Super Sonic vs. Enerjak is a good one. In the past, the two getting power boosts – whether it be from their super forms or from getting turned into robots – were such big deals, that Archie devoted double-length issues to the fights. “Chaos Angel,” the metal band worthy title of the concluding chapter of “Enerjak: Reborn,” doesn't have as much room to explore the rumble. Still, it's a good fight. Knuckles blasts away whole sections of the island. Sonic remains utterly unmoved by these displays of power, giving him noggles, snatching his mask away, and mocking him the entire time. When Enerjak attempts to strategize, by teleporting the hedgehog underground, Super Sonic just keeps coming at him. Yes, it could've been a crazier fight. Enerjak could literally take Sonic apart, atom by atom. The fight could've been bigger, more abstract, but it's still fun to read.

What's ultimately disappointing about “Chaos Angel” is the explanation Flynn gives for Knuckles' turn to the dark side. The hero gets an easy out. Knuckles wasn't actually convinced by Finitevus' logic, corrupted by his unlimited power, or even consumed by his own darker impulses. Instead, Finitevus put a spell on him. When Knuckles got zapped by the Master Emerald, his mind was bent towards Finitevus' goal. After turning back to normal, Knuckles' conscious is totally clean. He had no control over his own actions. It's a weak solution, robbing Knuckles of any responsibilities for his crimes. He was bad. Now he's good again. It's overly simple writing.

Another weakness of this story is how Dr. Finitevus continues to act like a typical comic book villain. The albino echidna warlock clearly has a weakness for monologues. When confronted by Julie-Su and Archimedes, the doctor immediately explains his master plan. How he cursed Knuckles, how he put him under his control. Stupidly, he goes on to explain how to undo his own plan. He foolishly assumes that the heroes wouldn't be willing to do what it takes to stop him. That's pretty bad villain-ing, dude. Never underestimates the good guys' heroic streaks. Keep your weak spots to yourself, bro.

Most of “Enerjak: Reborn” was about Flynn simplifying the convoluted mythology Ken Penders created for Knuckles. The Brotherhood is gone. The Dark Legion is weakened. Lastly, Locke's chronic dickery is heavily criticized. In this issue, Knuckles' dad gets raked over the coals by both Julie-Su and Archimedes. Neither can believed he'd be willing to murder his own son, to cover up a mistake he essentially committed. Weirdly, for such a thick-headed shithead, these words actually reach Locke. Julie-Su claims Locke hates his son. Locke claims he doesn't but her statement clearly pierces his armor.

Locke being Locke, he can't actually apologize for anything. Instead, he makes a grand gesture. When Finitevus reveals that the curse on Knuckles can only be undone by a willing self-sacrifice,  Locke stands up. Flynn is attempting something similar to what he did with Tommy Turtle. A widely disliked character regains his honor by dying to save others. It doesn't work as well here, since Locke remains obstinate until nearly the end. There's not very much poetry to these scenes. The story is over so quickly after Locke's sacrifice, that Knuckles and friends barely have time to react. Tommy's death had grace and meaning. Locke's death is done mostly for plot reasons.

The back-up story is simply entitled “Anything.” Lien-Da throws herself on the mercy of someone unseen. She bemoans how Enerjak stole their cybernetic implants from them, the very thing that made them Dark Legionnaires. She explains the history of the organization and her role in it. Of course, she's talking to Robotnik. He happily accepts her offer, creating a new organization: The Dark Egg Legion. But Lien-Da doesn't quite get what she asks for.

Like the last two back-stories, “Anything” expounds on the echidna mythology a little. We learn about the Dark Legion's origin and the philosophy that drives them. Lien-Da even provides an explanation for why people who clearly don't considers themselves villains go by the name the Dark Legion. She says they “had to hide in the dark” to survive. That's a nice touch, Flynn. Otherwise, “Anything” is plot heavy, about uniting two divergent groups and further streamlining Sonic's world. However, we do get a little peak into Lien-Da's personality, in her clear appetite for power and the casual way she mentions murdering her own father.

At the end of the “Enerjak: Reborn” arc, I'm left with mixed feelings. The story was as tightly plotted as Flynn's work usually is. The action was usually satisfying. However, this one was a little too preoccupied with the battles. Moreover, it contained some hacky cliches and undersold a few good ideas. It was a long way to go for Flynn to de-bloat Penders' mythology. The issue also sets up future plot threads, with Scourge and Fiona returning to Moebius and Knuckles taking up his mantle of Guardian again. The whole experience wasn't bad but a few minor tweaks would've made this a much stronger read. [6/10]