Sonic Universe: Issue 6

Sonic Universe: Issue 6
Publication Date: July 2009

It recently came to my attention that, at least among certain corners of the Sonic Tumblr fandom, that the future set story lines are not well regarded. Consider me surprised. Back in the day, I remember Archie Sonic fans generally enjoying “25 Years Later.” When Ian Flynn revisited the setting with the “Sonic Universe: 30 Years Later,” I wasn't hanging out on Sonic forums very much. But I enjoyed it at the very least. That story line would continue to roll along solidly in issue 6.

“Dark Siege” is densely plotted, as far as these things go. It concerns the Dark Presence's multi-pronged attack on Sonic's kingdom. Tails and Mina are attacked in their hotel room, the kids barely escaping. Lara-Su leaps into action just as Silver, who was trying to explain his mission to King Sonic and Queen Sally, gets knocked unconscious by an undercover agent. Lara-Su, Sonic, and the Prower kids run off to fight against the attack just as Lien-Da digs into the castle's bowels and frees Shadow. That's quite a lot of story for a short comic book.

In 2009, Silver the Hedgehog was still regarded by most fans as an unfortunate symptom of the widely loathed “Sonic '06.” The time tossed, telekinetic hedgehog's previous appearance in the ass end of the “Hedgehog Havoc” story line did little to change the image fans had of him. He was another self-serious, super powerful, ambiguously allied character. With issue 6 of “Sonic Universe,” Flynn begins his rehabilitation of Silver. After announcing his serious goal, saving the world from some catastrophe brought about by a traitor, Silver immediately stumbles. He's not certain he's in the right era. When he questions Sonic about the mechanics of time travel, the King tells him not to worry. Later, he's face-palming, realizing he's screwed up. In other words, Silver is an inexperienced kid, uncertain what to do and prone to frequent mistakes. This humanizes the superpowered character, suddenly making him likable.

Something Flynn did well during his last stop over in the “25 Years Later” setting was establishing the bond Sonic and Sally have as husband and wife. You certainly got the impression that they loved each other, unlike the clear resentment that boiled under their conversations when Penders wrote the couple. One of the highlights of “Dark Siege” is a conversation Sonic and Sally have in the middle of the book. Sonic insists Sally take the kids and flee. She is resistant to this idea, refusing to be the damsel in distress. This leads to a brief argument that ends with a big kiss. Awwww. They argue because both are worried about each other's safety, their frustration is based in love. That's how you do it.

We don't have as much of a bead on Tails and Mina's relationship but Flynn still handles their one scene together in this issue well enough. After Tails is gassed by a Dark Presence agent, Mina grabs the kids and speeds out of the hotel room. (Which is a nice reminder that Mina has super speed.) It says a lot about Mina that her first instinct is to make sure her children are safe. Mina also shows some strength when heading back to rescue Tails. She still gets knocked unconscious but angry and driven are moods that fit Mina surprisingly well. I kind of wish Flynn brought that same attitude to modern day Mina a little more often.

There's some decent action sequences in this one too, mostly devoted to showing that King Sonic still has it. After the family maid reveals herself to be a double agent, Sonic slams her into the wall with surprising ferocity. Seems he doesn't appreciate someone endangering his wife and kids. Later, he teams up with Lara-Su. She's already taken some soldiers out off-screen but Sonic spin-dashes the sole remaining agent into unconsciousness. This leads to a potentially absurd moment. The Dark Presence has hacked the castle's security system. Which includes, for some reason, laser cannons in the wall. It's a silly sequence but watching Sonic and Lara-Su dodge some red laser blast of death is, admittedly, an arresting visual.

The second part of “30 Years Later” rolls along very nicely. Except for one detail. We still don't have much of a bead on the story's enemies. Yes, it's established that Lien-Da's grudge against the royal family is entirely personal. Yet the rest of the Dark Presence seems to be acting evil strictly so the story can have a villain. The closing scene, where Lien-Da awakens King Shadow, is strictly perfunctory. However, the Dark Legion subplot does produce one scene I like. After the assassination attempt, Lara-Su immediately confronts Rutan, Lien-Da's son. The argument between cousins is defused when Dimitri enters the scene, talking some reason into Lara-Su. I continue to like Future Dimitri's characterization as a mellow elder, whose days of villainy is far behind him.

The second “Sonic Universe” story arc isn't balancing character development and action as deftly as the first did, thus far. Still, I like the little details we've seen and generally enjoy how lived-in this universe feels. It's clear that Flynn is so comfortable with the “Sonic” cast by this point that he has no problem writing older, more mature versions of them. Will King Shadow's reemergence derail this story line? Well, I guess we'll find out. Until then, I'm sticking with the positive score. [7/10]