Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 187

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 187
Publication Date: April 2008

The cover of issue 187 of Archie's “Sonic the Hedgehog” features some characters that we haven't seen in a while. To what purpose does Ian Flynn dig up these relics? It could be because he wants to exploit the deep history this comic has. Maybe he wants to toss a Grounder or a Dylan Porcupine out as a nod towards long time readers. Maybe he's just a fucking nerd? If you're looking for answers to this question, this question that nobody but me was asking, do not expect to find them in this comic book. Anyway, on with the review.

“Mister Popular” begins with Geoffrey St. John and Rouge the Bat going undercover in the Casino Nights Zone. The area has been rebuilt by Mammoth Mogul, who has suddenly gotten into the gambling business. In the back room, he meets with the Destructix. He has a new mission for the criminals. Meanwhile, Sonic and Sally explore the Great Forest, mournfully examining the remains of Knothole village. Their heart-to-heart is interrupted when Bean and Bark, soon followed by the other Destructix, attack them. After a scuffle, they capture Sonic, taking him back to Mogul's lair for nefarious reasons.

One of the first things Ian Flynn did when he first came onto the book was make Anti-Sonic an actually compelling character, turning him from a laughingstock into the genuinely threatening Scourge. In 2008, Ian decided to focus on rebuilding Mammoth Mogul as a character. His transformation wasn't as severe, as Mogul gets to carry his previous characterization. However, going from a universe destroying threat (that was somehow always defeated) to the owner of a casino is a pretty severe step-down. It's all part of Mogul's new strategy, to out-think his opponent rather than crush him with brute force.

As I mentioned in the first paragraph, Ian loved to dig up obscure characters. Previously, he stuck Sally's Substitute Freedom Fighter team on the Council of Knothole. In the halls of the Casino Nights Zone, Mogul has employed some of Sonic's earliest enemies. Scratch, Grounder and Coconuts – otherwise known as Robotnik's toadies from “Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog” - are now working as waiters, bartenders, and bouncers. Flynn takes this even further, by including some of the “Sonic 1” Badniks as lower level workers. Sort of funny that, just last time, I was commenting on how Mike Gallagher killed these guys off just for Flynn to bring them back in the very next issue. I guess that's comics for you.

I've probably made about a hundred references to Ian's tendency to clean up the tangled mess previous writers gave him. It turns out this isn't just a habit of his concerning other people's work. In “Mister Popular,” Flynn also takes the time to clean up some of his own plot points. Merlin Prower briefly appears. He wipes away the curses Mogul left on Sonic, Tails, Mina, and Mighty. He even removes any lingering influence Dr. Finitevus' hex might have had on Knuckles. Was it entirely necessary to clarify this point? Probably not. But it is nice that Flynn cares that much about the little details, about resolving minor plot points that fans might have picked up on.

All of this stuff is fine and good but it's not the reason I really like this story. Instead, that moment between Sonic and Sally makes the whole issue. The two begin by bonding over the mutual guilt they feel over failing to save Knothole. This shows that the scars of the past linger on. These aren't the only scars that haven't healed yet. Sally reflects on the years they've spent fighting Robotnik, how they were only kids when they started.

That's when the conversation turns towards Sonic and Sally's shared past, the stuff we really care about anyway. When the topic turns towards their love life, Sonic forgives Sally for the infamous slap back in issue 134. The character still hadn't lived that down, even by this point. Getting Sonic to forgive Sally was the last step needed for the fandom to forgive her. Ian had done so much to fix Sally's personality recently. Now, with this one scene, he's started towards fixing the comic's one true ship. Sega's mandates would keep Sonic and Sally apart but moments like this, when they draw close, touch, and share intimate whispers made the romance live on, even if it was just as subtext.

Amusingly, this romantic moment is interrupted when a bomb drops down in Sally's lap. Thus begins this issue's obligatory action sequence. The action set pieces are fine, I suppose. Sonic tangles with Bark. Sonic tosses Flying Frog, Drago, and Predator Hawk around. He dodges blows from Sgt. Simian and Lightning Lynx. What makes this action sequence pop a little more are the small touches of humor. Sally temporarily convinces Bean and Bark to fight on their side, by appealing to their nature as mercenaries and Bean's love of shiny things. In an earlier scene, Sonic can't bounce quips off Bark because the bear is mute, something he comments on. Moments like this elevate what would just otherwise be another fight scene.

The previous issue featured Matt Herms working from Tracy Yardley's outlines. Herms goes solo on “Mister Popular,” allowing his own style to shine through. Herms' artwork is superficially similar to Yardley's, featuring enough of the same quirks not to put reader's off. Yet Herms has his own quirks. He's a little more stylized than Yardley's work. The characters have rounder faces and arms. Herms makes Bean looks especially cute. His pencils are a little awkward at times. A panel of Sally back-flipping from a rock is a little hard to follow. Yet Herms still does a good job.

About the only problem I have with this particular comic is that Ian starts the story with Geoffrey St. John and Rouge in the casino, in some sort of Bond homage, and doesn't follow up on it. Otherwise, I really enjoyed this one. My status as a hardened Sonic/Sally shipper is no secret. My bias are clear and I do not care. That moment in the forest bumps the entire issue up a grade and it was already pretty good to begin with. [8/10]