Sonic X: Issue 31

Sonic X: Issue 31
Publication Date: March 2008

With the dawning of a new year, I have certain completed missions to look forward too. Today's review covers another mediocre issue of “Sonic X.” If you're as sick of this as I am, there's only nine issues of this series left. The end is neigh. Let's get this over with.

“The Return of El Gran Gordo” revisits Chris Thorndyke's previously displayed fondness for professional wrestling. He watches a match with his granddad, in which a wrestler named Andes the Ginormous calls out El Gran Gordo. This declaration incenses Eggman. He cooks up a scheme that will allow him to return to the ring while throwing off the accusation that El Gran Gordo and Eggman are one and the same. While Chris excitedly watches his favorite wrestler get back in the ring, Sonic runs across the city stopping another rampage from someone who appears to be his archenemy.

There's a fairly obvious narrative switcharoo going on inside “The Return of El Gran Gordo.” While Eggman's wrestling persona grapples with Andes, Sonic races after someone else appearing to be Eggman. This act of double vision briefly confuses Sonic. The reader is less affected. Writer Ian Flynn lays down his cards a little too early. The second Eggman, instead of robbing banks, is robbing candy stores. This leads to the obvious reveal: Bokkun is disguised as Eggman, in order to distract from the wrestling ring and clear El Gran Gordo's name. The version of Sonic in the main book would probably figure that out immediately.

For better or worst, the pro-wrestler stuff is back. I continue to be very ambivalent towards this. On one hand, it allows “Sonic X” to cut loose in a goofy way that's markedly different than its usual goofiness. On the other hand, it's fucking stupid and so totally divorced from what you expect to read in a “Sonic” comic. El Gran Gordo returning so quickly, only three issues after his last appearance, suggests a certain degree of desperation. Fans presumably responded to the character, or else he wouldn't be coming back so soon. At the same time, I also suspect the “Sonic X” editor just had no other ideas.

What made the El Gran Gordo persona memorable was how it changed Eggman. He liked the attention from the crowd. Having fun as a heroic, masked face made him doubt his commitment to villainy. Disappointingly, issue 31 doesn't grapple with Eggman's shift in personality. Instead, he gets back in the ring strictly to defend his wrasslin' honor against a new challenger. His feelings and insights into the situation aren't even breached when Eggman starts getting his ass kicked. El Gran Gordo won his previous victories by cheating. He's actually wrestling on his own now and gets his ass kicked. You'd think a situation like that would make him question why he's drawn to do this.

I will say this about the action scenes: It provides an opportunity for some decent Tracy Yardley artwork. This issue certainly packs in the grappling. Eggman gets body slammed. He gets tossed into the ropes and clotheslined. He gets tossed overhead and thrown to the canvass on several occasions. Andes the Ginormous doesn't have a molecule of the charm the real Andre the Giant had. You can only see Eggman get beaten up so many times before it looses its entertainment value. Say what you will about the action but, like I said, Yardley draws it well.

If “The Return of El Gran Gordo” was just devoted to wrasslin' and turbo-broad comedy, it would've been a standard issue of “Sonic X.” What makes this story drop down a grade for me is the subplot involving Chris Thorndyke. How fucking gullible is this kid? He knows his favorite wrestler and the man who has attempted to kill him multiple times are the same person. And yet he still cheers on El Gran Gordo. In a sickeningly sappy panel, Eggman gets inspired to win the match when he spots Chris crying in the audience. Normally, I figured this was a sarcastic swipe at an hopelessly hokey cliché. But this is “Sonic X” we're talking about. This book isn't that observant.

It's hard to tell if Ian Flynn was getting anything out of writing these “Sonic X” stories. His passion for the mainline book and its universe was obvious. You could tell how much fun he had writing it. His “Sonic X” scripts are phoned in. The attempts at comedy sharper than slapstick, such as Sonic referencing the ancient “40 Cakes” meme, are fairly tin-earred. The ending suggest we'll be getting more El Gran Gordo next month, meaning I'll continue to have mixed feelings about this book. Hopefully, Ian will leave the sap behind. [5/10]