Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 186

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 186
Publication Date: March 2008

Welcome to 2018, dear Hedgehogs Can't Swim readers! I wish I was opening my third year of consistent blogging with something special. Instead, I am beholden to my schedule. So here's a review of another issue from the Ian Flynn years. Happy New Year.

The second part of “Mogul Rising,” “Devil's Due,” begins where the first left off. Tails, Mina, and Mighty are in the grips of Mammoth Mogul's psychic control. First, they attack Sonic, each one speaking with the sorceror's voice. After it becomes clear, the hedgehog won't agree to the villain's demands, he changes strategy. Mogul commands each of his friends to march into certain death. If Sonic grabs a Chaos Emerald for Mogul, allowing him to escape, he'll free his friend. It's a tricky decision for the hedgehog.

And it's a compelling read. Sonic can outrun or outfight most bad guys. While Mogul usually presents more danger than some of the hedgehog's other enemies, the mammoth's grasp of strategy has never been great. In “Devil's Due,” he thinks about his evil plan a little more. He strikes at Sonic's heart, instead of his body. He commands Tails to fly into the upper atmosphere, until he collapses and falls to his death. Mina is forced to run into the middle of the ocean and stop, surely drowning. Mighty is told to march directly into Megaopolis, facing capture or death. Sonic can't save all of them at once. And if you want to hurt Sonic, you have to hurt his friends.

This isn't the only intelligent aspect of Mogul's latest plan that is surprisingly well thought out. Sonic is blackmailed into grabbing Mobotropolis' Chaos Emerald, walking to Mogul's cell, and handing him a new power source. This enables the villain to escape, his power doubling. Normally, this would be a precursor to a big fight. Instead, Mogul calmly leaves. He explains the reason why first. He doesn't expect to beat Sonic, having been bested every time. However, Mogul has realized one important thing. He's immortal. Sonic isn't. So he'll just outlive the hedgehog, waiting to rule Mobius once Sonic and his friends are dead. This is also a pretty brilliant plan, the kind of thinking you'd expect from a villain who has been alive for several millenia.

“Devil's Due” also revolves around pairing Sonic with an unusual partner. After Mina attacks the hedgehog, Ash intervenes. He's disturbed by his girlfriend becoming violent and talking with an old guy's voice. Even though Sonic and Ash hate each other, they are forced to work together on this mission. Flynn doesn't delve into it more than that. There's no heated dialogue about why Ash resents Sonic, about whether some chemistry dangles in the air between the hedgehog and the mongoose. Yet their occasional banter adds a little something extra to the story.

“Devil's Due” is also the debut of a new artist. Sort of. The layouts are provided by Tracey Yardley. Matt Herms completed Yardley's pencils. It's hard to say how much Tracey did on this one and how much is Herms'. The two have similar styles. Occasionally, a face or movement will seem a little different. Otherwise, this just looks like Yardley drew it. Which isn't necessarily a complaint. The artwork is quite good. Mogul looks intimidating when his eyes glow. The night time setting provides an interesting mood for the story.

The back pages feature a Knuckles centric story called “Honor Bound.” A guilt ridden Knuckles surveys the damage he did as Enerjak. He flies over the ruins of Albion, where a large portion of the echidna population has been moved. He meets with General von Stryker, walking the dingoes back to the inner island. Lastly, he approaches the Chaotix, who he is most nervous about meeting. It takes a pep talk from Rouge before Knuckles can stand to face his friends again.

At the end of the “Enerjak: Reborn” story, I complained a little about how Knuckles being under Finitevus' control robbed him of responsibility for his actions as Enerjak. This may be true but Knuckles feels differently. “Honor Bound” shows the echidna as unable to talk to his mom and little brother, who have relocated to Albion. He questions his role as Guardian, if he's cut out for the job. Moreover, he feels responsible for his father's death. It's pretty heavy stuff for a kid's book and I applaud Ian for going there.

“Honor Bound” is also about pointing how Knuckles' world is changing. Flynn brings the comic a little closer to the games, by moving the Master Emerald onto his own tiny island called Shrine Island. A key sequence has him personally apologizing to General Stryker. Considering the dingoes have always been treated terribly by echidna society, it's refreshing to hear Knuckles invite them back to the inner island. The majority of the echidnas moving to what remains of Albion is something I feel less certain about. I always sort of liked Echidnopolis but it seems Ian is really determined to gut Penders' mythology. Loosing Locke, the Brotherhood, and a bunch of other fooey was fine. But I'll miss Knuckles' home town.

Flynn hints at future story lines. Before blowing out of Knothole, Mogul makes some ominous references to his future plans. After she talks Knuckles out of the bushes, Rouge cryptically mentions planning something herself. Regardless of where we go next, issue 186 is a very strong issue. The cover story has some strong emotional stakes and features some smart writing. The back-up grapples with the emotional consequences of recent events. Both are appreciated. [8/10]