Sonic X: Issue 29

Sonic X: Issue 29
Publication Date: January 2008

I doubt Archie planned it this way. Twice in the same month, they published a comic book were Sonic transformed into Super Sonic. In both cases, he appears on the covers, facing down the big enemy he fights within the comics. What are the odds of that? Was this just a funny coincidence or was it planned that way? Did the “Sonic X” editors and the “Sonic the Hedgehog” editors talk to each other at all? Anyway, on with the review.

Having successfully fused Perfect Chaos and his Green Robots, Eggman sends the frightening new creation – Chaos-Bot – in the direction of Station Square. Unlike in “Sonic Adventure,” Eggman now maintains complete control over Perfect Chaos. With the Tornado-X without a power source, Sonic has to count on the Thorndykes to airlift them to the city. The hedgehog convinces Perfect Chaos to give him some Chaos Emeralds, allowing him to transform into Super Sonic. And then the fight is on.

As far as “Sonic X” stories go, “Green-Eyed Monster” is about as serious as it gets. Eggman now has Perfect Chaos totally under his control. He immediately goes about smashing Station Square to pieces. The monster explodes buildings, tosses Super Sonic through entire structures and drowns the city's coast with a huge tidal wave. Think about how many people this would kill. We're talking thousands of people likely dead, with the property damages easily stretching into the billions. Naturally, this goofy kid's comic does not address these issues but even hinting at such things is way darker than “Sonic X” usually is.

Sadly, this serious mood is undermined by a bunch of goofy comedy. The characters immediately go about peppering their speech with puns and punchlines. Eggman refers to his monster as “hybrid” technology. His robotic henchmen audibly wonder if Eggman has just asked the world to bow before him. Bocoe and Decoe later wonder if their boss might actually win, before immediately changing their minds as soon as Sonic and the gang arrive. In an especially silly gag, the Chaos-Bot partially refuses Eggman's orders like a stubborn dog. Going from this to urban destruction leaves the reader with tonal whiplash.

At least the Thorndykes actually contribute for once. Not Chris, of course. He mostly just hangs out in the backseat of the Tornado. His granddad, meanwhile, pilots the bi-plane up to Angel Island, giving Sonic and friends a pathway to the bad guys. Still, it's more than Chris usually does, which is whine and get everyone in trouble. For the record, I'm also happy to see the real Tornado again. This RoboTech knock-off Tornado X thing that Tails flies around in is super lame looking.

As the cover promises, the back half of the book is devoted to Super Sonic and Perfect Chaos fighting it out. As far as comic book rumbles go, it's pretty cool. Sonic gets smashed into a building. It's not the last time he's whipped around by the water monster's big-ass tentacles either. In retaliation, Super Sonic shoves Perfect Chaos through a building or two. There's lots of weaving through laser blast. One clever, if slightly implausible moment, even has Chaos teleporting around the city. Tracy Yardley's artwork is fucking awesome here, as the artist clearly relishes a chance to draw Super Sonic strutting and posing among a wrecked city.

The script, in a real surprise, even manages to generate some decent tension. Attention is drawn to how temporary Super Sonic's state is. How he needs to stop Perfect Chaos immediately. This is short-lived though. Once again, the script undermines its own suspense. The only reason Sonic can transform into his super form is because Perfect Chaos breaks the control Eggman has over him long enough to loan the seven Chaos Emeralds to the hedgehog. Eggman spends the whole issue bragging about the remote control he has, which gives him total control over Chaos. Sonic doesn't attempt to grab this device until the book is nearly over, because of the Rules of Dramatic Comic Writing, one can only assume.

So it's very nearly a good comic book. One other thing makes this comic book special, in the sense that it's “unfortunately unique.” I don't know if Archie was getting money from the government or if Yardley was just really passionate about living green. For whatever reason, several pages end with a short panel of Cream and Vanilla giving the reader tips on recycling and not being wasteful. This is weird enough but what makes it unintentionally funny is how put upon and annoyed Vanilla looks in these panel. As if someone was forcing her to deliver these trite, pace disrupting PSAs. I don't know if Yardley did that on purpose or if it was a happy accident. Either way, I'm grateful.

Nearing the end of its run and “Sonic X” is showing some serious growing pains. You can feel the creative team wanting to move pass the corporate mandated formulas and jokey tone. Yet those same restrictions are holding them back, forcing them to reel in stories that clearly should have been something more. This back and forth leads to another uneven issue, one that easily could have been more with a few changes. Oh well. Here's another one of those mood splintering PSAs. [6/10]