Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 4

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 4
Publication Date: April, 25, 2018

Well, here we are, running into week four of IDW's new “Sonic the Hedgehog” comic book. From this point on – or at least until IDW starts adding more books or reboots it or something – the comic will be coming out on a monthly basis. Which means these weekend updates will also go down to once a month, whenever the book comes out. Hope you've enjoy extra Hedgehogs Can't Swim content because you'll be getting slightly less, if no less than you normally get, from now on.

“Fallout: Part Four” begins exactly the way the first three parts of “Fallout” have. As the sun sets on Mobius Sonic's world, the hedgehog hero runs into another town in peril from the Badnik horde. Inside, he discovers a local, a lemur named Tangle, defending the city. Soon, the duo becomes a trio when Blaze the Cat literally drops out of the sky. The three work together to save the day but they all suspect that their fight is far from over.

Issue 4 does not break from the formula I was complaining about last time. The outline is exactly the same as the first three issues, with the minor variation of two friends helping Sonic save the day this time. However, the crumbs of an on-going mythology are starting to form here. Blaze has arrived in Sonic's zone because the Sol Emeralds told her a great disaster was forthcoming. Sonic assumes this to be a reference to “Sonic Forces” (the events of the game, not the game's reception) but, by the issue's end, none of them are so sure. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. Good because it gives us more grist, more lore, and more of a reason to latch onto the new book. Bad because I fear Flynn is going to drag this shit out for as long as possible, a very bad habit he displayed at Archie that probably isn't going away.

However, part four of “Fallout” does address a minor complaint I had with the previous issues. I get the impression that Sonic and friends are actually taking this fight somewhat seriously. Yes, there are still some quibs being traded in-between fucking up robots. However, that reads a little more like the characters trying to relieve tension in-between the violence. There are more Badniks, including a pretty cool giant Motobug, and it appears our heroes are being a little more challenged than usual. (Even if they still completely decimate a robot army in the span of twenty pages.) Sonic even loses his perpetual smirk for a few panels! Or maybe its just the dusk setting that makes things seem slightly more serious. Baby steps but I'll take it.

Before the IDW comics began running, the company made a big deal about Tangle the Lemur. (Their mystery tactics mostly ended up giving us Sally fans false hope. There's no way they didn't know that was going to happen.) I'm happy to say that Tangle is delightful. She's has a stretchy, prehensile tail that leads to some interesting action beats. Moreover, she has a slightly anxious and shy personality that I can relate to. There's a really funny panel where, like a new girlfriend unable to grasp the in-jokes between old friends, she watches in confusion as Sonic and Blaze chat. Later, she's baffled when Sonic explains Blaze's origins. I already like Tangle a lot and I hope Flynn gets back to her soon, instead of leaving her undeveloped in favor of widening the cast more, like he did in the post-reboot Archie comics.

Issue 4 also brings Blaze into the fold. I neither like nor dislike Blaze. I've always felt she had potential but we rarely get a peak at her actual personality. Her status as a time/dimensional traveler and a firebending pyrokinetic tends to take precedence. Well, due to how action-heavy this issue is, Blaze continues to be defined mostly by her superpowers. However, there's the thinnest wisp of romantic chemistry between her and Sonic that at least makes their interaction a little more meaningful. (Or maybe I'm just desperate to ship Sonic with a princess, any princess.)

With issue four, IDW assembles a collection of familiar Sonic artist. Evan Stanley, another regular illustrator from the Archie days, comes aboard. In the hierarchy of art we've seen in this book so far, I'd put Stanley's work above Tracy Yardley and Jen Hernedez but below Adam Bryce Thomas. There's a little of the same atmospheric lighting Thomas brought, with the setting being a burning city during twilight. Stanley's action is energetic and creative, especially that fight with the Motobug. His facial expressions are funny and vivid. Tangle, in particular, really gets a lot of her personality from Stanley's artwork. All the qualms I have with the plotting thus far aside, IDW's “Sonic” book has looked pretty damn good thus far.

The ending of this issue sets up Eggman's inevitable return while also confirming that he's not the one behind the Badnik invasions that have been going on. In-between the teases concerning the Master Emerald last time and this issue's lack of closure, I suspect Flynn is going to drag that plot point out for a while. Hopefully, now that he's done establishing the comic's central conflict and introducing the supporting cast, he can get down to the business of making us actually care about this world and these characters.

So, now that IDW's month long experiment is done, how do I feel about the new comic series thus far? I have very mixed feelings. It really feels like that arena of Sonic fans that never want Sonic to have friends or supporting cast members, that just want stories devoted to the hedgehog running around and bashing robots, have gotten their wish. If the book continues to be this formulaic and light-hearted, my interest is going to fade very quickly. My hope is that Flynn is playing the long game and will, hopefully sooner rather than later, start to delve into the heart of these characters.

As of now, the new series is a pretty and mildly entertaining concoction that simply means nothing to me. I'm giving this one a [6/10] and most of that is for Tangle.