Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 190

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 190
Publication Date: July 2008

Hey, take a look at that cover! During the early days of the “Knuckles” title, Patrick Spaziante used to gift us with triptych covers all the time. It looked like “The Darkest Storm” three-parter would be our last one of those. Yet it appears Tracy Yardley decided to take a shot at something similar with the “Brand New Moebius” two-parter. Honestly, it's sort of bold that Archie was willing to publish a “Sonic” comic that didn't technically have Sonic on the cover. (I guess, to the untrained eye, Scourge is basically the same character.)

The battle royale continues from last week's cliffhanger. With Sonic and Scourge now inside Freedom H.Q., the two hedgehogs begin to rumble. Scourge reveals that he's conquered his home world in a few weeks and intends on taking over this version of Mobius next. Meanwhile, in Robotnik's city, Knuckles and the Chaotix hold off another attack from the Dark Egg Legion in order to rescue the remaining Chaotix.

In my previous review, I noted how Ian Flynn has finally transformed the Freedom Fighters' Mirror Universe counterparts into distinct characters. He gave a few of them new visuals gimmicks and each got a unique nickname. In “Duality,” the second part of “A Brand New Moebius,” Flynn literally has Scourge announce that he's distinguished himself and his team from their heroic doppelgangers. So I guess you could say I called that one.

Though the likes of Boomer, Princess Alicia, and Miles are more distinct then they've previously been, Scourge is still Flynn's main focus. The villainous hedgehog spends a little too much time talking about his accomplishments in his home dimension, when perhaps Ian should have shown us. Yet the comic does make the point that Sonic's evil clone is more dangerous than he's ever been. There's a panel where Sonic nearly pushes Scourge back through the portal. After Fiona pulls him back from the edge, he angrily snaps at her. He's grabbing his crown back but the panel is drawn in such a way that it looks like he hit her. Following this, there's a striking panel devoted to the Suppression Squad looking on, dismayed and disturbed. The point is clear: Scourge isn't a joke anymore. He's a dangerous, potentially unhinged character who frightens his own henchmen.

The Suppression Squad is such an effective collection of bad guys that... They actually win. At least temporarily. After trying the same strategy they employed in issue 24's “When Hedgehogs Collide” - switching fight partners – the two are still locked in a stalemate. Sally actually instructs the heroes to fall back. Considering SEGA's hard line “Sonic Can't Loose” mandate, it's always a surprise to see the hedgehog suffer a setback like this. Flynn makes it apparent that this loss especially stings. This isn't like loosing to Robotnik, a genius with an entire army behind him. This is Scourge, a character who was defeated by pre-bad-ass Antoine in a prior appearance. The author makes sure to show how pissed Sonic is to retreat from these guys.

Still, for all the world-building and character growth on display here, this is primarily a story devoted to fisticuffs. Sonic gets tossed into a wall, the Antoines lock swords, Princess Alicia receives a spin-dash to the groin. Tails stomps on Miles' head. Scourge even kicks Amy Rose in the jaw, which especially infuriates Sonic. If that seems like grist for the SonAmy crowd, Flynn still sneaks in some flirtatious banter between Sonic and Sally. Honestly, Sonic and Sally's sly battlefield relationship is increasingly becoming one of my favorite things about the book. It's not the only romantic moment among the chaos. Bunnie also takes a moment to make sure Antoine's head isn't getting clouded by a thirst for revenge. Awww, they really do care about each other!

Flynn's script is still splitting time between Knothole and Robotropolis. It works a little more smoothly this time. This is thanks to a similar strategy as the above. After the Dark Legion opens fire on the Chaotix, Vector of all people gives Knuckles' a pep talk. Letting the Guardian know that now isn't the time for self-pity, that the Dark Legion still willingly allied themselves with a genocidal dictator. This, along with the renewed objection of rescuing Charmy, Saffron, and Ray, gives this end of the plot some more focus. And, hey, it's always fun to watch Mighty and Julie-Su tearing shit up.

There's even a slight pause, seemingly answering a minor complaint I had with the last issue. Dimitri's weird new scorpion body gets quickly destroyed. Afterwards, Knuckles outright asks the guy why he would align himself with someone like Robotnik. Dimitri then implies that he's actually planning to dismantle the Eggman Empire from the inside. So, in one quick writing move, Flynn restored the complexity and duplicity that Dimitri is known for. Good job.

In fact, “Duality” is a big improvement over the first half in a lot of ways. The focus is still on mindless fighting but the threat is more serious, there's more room for the cast's personality, and the conclusion comes with a big cost. The first half of “A Brand New Moebius” was fun but Ian really sticks the landing. [8/10]