Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 208

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 208
Publication Date: January 2010

I went into 2010 with an unusual amount of optimism. I was going to graduate college in a few months. At the time, I was in love with a beautiful young woman who I wanted to marry. Things, uh, didn't work out. By the end of the year, I was adrift in the worst depression I've ever faced in my life. Hard times were ahead. None of this has anything to do with Archie's “Sonic the Hedgehog,” which was headed for some changes itself in 2010. So why bring these things up? That's a good question! On with the review!

Ever since the Iron Queen and her cronies marched into Megaopolis, Archie had been calling the on-going story the Iron Dominion. With issue 208, a two-parter actually called “Iron Dominion” begins. It begins with Snively begging forgiveness from Regina. He wins her back after pointing that New Mobotropolis is made entirely out of nanites. In other words, the enemies' city is composed of machines that the Iron Queen can manipulate with her technomagik. She immediately lays siege to the city. Sonic, Sally, Tails, and Monkey Khan barely escape as their city is twisted by their latest enemy.

When the Iron Queen and Snively first attacked Knothole a few issues back, I wondered why she didn't use her technomagik to manipulate the nanites then. I guess I assumed that she could just magically sense when machinery was near-by. Or, at the very least, Snively would have informed her of this factoid. This is not the case. In fact, it appears that Snively just became aware of Mobotropolis' status as a nanite city. Maybe I missed the memo that this isn't common knowledge among Mobius' villains. Or, maybe, Flynn specifically wanted to hold off on these events happening until later in the story, for maximum pay-off. Either way, it feels like something that should've happened.

Once the Iron Queen rides over to Mobotropolis' gate, we are treated to a surprisingly effective scene. Nicole projects a hologram to Regina and politely asks her to fuck off back to Megaopolis. In response, the Iron Queen waves her magic stick. Even though Nicole is a hologram and presumably can't feel pain, her face twists in horror as her body is torn apart. The Queen then reassembles the Holo-Lynx as Iron Nicole, her brainwashed slave. Considering this is a kid's book, seeing a beloved character go through such an awful process is pretty shocking.

That scene with Nicole casts a relatively grim mood over the proceedings. At first, the comic sticks with that. Darkness falls inside Mobotropolis. The population panics. The dome snaps shut over the city, preventing Bunnie from escaping. These moments are very effective, conveying that the Freedom Fighters have seriously screwed up. Disappointingly, Ian doesn't maintain the darker mood. Even though their city is falling around them, Sonic and Tails still have room to crack jokes. About how it's too dark to see their opponents or how Tails' snarkiness is rubbing off on Sonic. I know quipping, even in the face of sure death, is Sonic's thing but it kind of derails the tone.

That approach, of focusing on the character interaction as the Iron Queen's forces storm the city, does lead to two excellent moments. The first of which involves Antoine and Bunnie. Antoine insists his wife escape while she still can, fearful that the villain will use her cybernetic parts against her again. She has that chance, when Vector pulls out a warp ring and Mighty begins carrying off citizens. Instead, Bunnie stays by her husband's side, determined to fight beside him even when danger is all around. And that's why these two are the comic's most consistently great couple.

Meanwhile, Snively takes some time to gloat in his uncle's face. As I've mentioned before, Snively's cocky moods are fun. For years, he's been the universe's punching bag and all his previous attempts at cues have blown up in his face. So seeing Snively lording something over Robotnik is amusing. Even if the doctor is so far out of his head that he doesn't even know what year it is. Yardley's artwork makes sure to emphasize how ridiculous Snively looks even when paired with his self-serious dialogue, reinforcing the fact that Snively actually sucks at being an evil overlord, no matter how much he desires it.

There are other smaller moments that work well in this issue. Such as Amy Rose going toe-to-toe with the Iron King, being a massive badass without sacrificing her trademark girliness. Yet Flynn is still hammering home the love triangle between Sally, Sonic, and Monkey Khan. It's especially out of place in this story. When the city is in danger, Khan putting his hand on Sally's shoulder or Sonic showing off to the Princess seems ill advised. Ken's public display of affection really draws attention to what's wrong with this love triangle. Sally doesn't seem to mind that Khan has his arm around her, right in front of Sonic. Do you really think that Princess Sally Acorn – a super observant, experienced field commander who has known Sonic since they were both children – would disregard his feelings so callously? Seems unlikely.

So issue 208 is a very uneven package. The central idea is good but one that should've happened much sooner. There are some great moments during the chaos of the Iron Kingdom's invasion of Knothole. There are also some moments that really take me out of the story. Still, the good stuff – especially that scene between Bunnie and Antoine – elevates the whole issue. I'm forced to give this a positive grade. Forced, I tells ya'! [7/10]