Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 219

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 219
Publication Date: November 2010

Lately, I've been talking about Ian Flynn's habit of sneaking smaller, more character-oriented stories in-between the major story arcs. After two neat little two-parters, Flynn is back towards ramping up the next major storyline. The direction the comic would go in over the next few months is controversial among fans, as most everything is, but it'll at least be something a little different. Robotnik will remain in hiding for a little while longer and the heroes will combat another threat, closer to home. For better or worst.

“In Service to the King,” another two-parter, begins with Geoffrey St. John making a surprising announcement to Sonic. He wants to go on a mission with the hedgehog. The secret agent tells the Freedom Fighter that the king has asked him to retrieve a Chaos Emerald from Feist's Special Zone. To help power the city or something. Sonic, always up for an adventure, agrees. The two quickly make haste to the Special Zone and compete in a game for the god-like panda-thing. But not everything is as it appears. Meanwhile, Mina is troubled by a more personal issue.

I guess it just depends on the execution. Right now in “Sonic Universe,” I'm complaining about Flynn writing just another mindless collection of fight scenes. Over in the main book, Ian throws together another straight-ahead action story that is really just a precursor to a larger plot. But this one is actually good! Sometimes, you just want to see Sonic run through a psychedelic landscape and grab a Chaos Emerald. Perhaps what elevates a simple story like this is pairing Sonic with Geoffrey St. John. The two have had an antagonistic relationship over the years but now are working together peacefully. Peacefully but begrudgingly. Seeing Sonic and St. John trade some barbs while running around on an adventure is pretty damn amusing.

Looking back on it, I've enjoyed every visit to Feist's Special Zone since Flynn introduced the idea a while ago. There's definitely something to be said for watching Sonic navigate a wacky, multi-color pocket dimension. I also sort of like Feist as a character, as there's an absurdist humor to a giant panda bear making god-like proclamation. It usually makes for pretty good action scenes too. Sonic zipping through a bomb-filled turnpike is always fun to watch. How Flynn ends the sequence – with St. John calmly zapping Sonic and snatching the Chaos Emerald – is a good little joke too.

Of course, there is a downside to this. The final set of panels reveal St. John heading towards Mogul's casino with the Chaos Emerald and referring to Ixis Naugus – still a half-mad, raving animal – as Mobius' true king. This is setting up an upcoming plot twist I'm no fan of. Ian Flynn will soon reveal that Geoffrey St. John, formally the most loyal agent in Knothole, has actually been a traitor this whole time. I'll get into why I dislike this reveal soon enough but will say that it makes for a captivating cliffhanger.

Tucked in-between the other events are a few scenes concerning Mina Mongoose. Turns out she's been suffering from nightmares, following the Iron Dominion's occupation of New Mobotropolis. After telling Ash – who she was being rather snippy with a minute before – he tells her she should write these feelings into her music. The direction this would head in would also be controversial but, all around, it's good writing. It makes sense that Mina would still be traumatized by what happened during the Iron Dominion arc. She's never been much of a soldier anyway and all that chaos happened right in her backyard. That she asserts herself with Ash, who is then understanding, shows both have undergone some character development. Ash is no longer a manipulative, abusive boyfriend and Mina is developing more of a spine.

Lastly, I want to compliment the artwork. Jamal Peppers, after contributing some fantastic linework to a number of back-up stories, finally got a cover story gig. He doesn't disappoint. The opening page, devoted to Mina's nightmare, is suitably horrifying. The pages showing her emotional outburst are also quite impressive. Sonic's race through Feist's game is beautifully orchestrated. While Peppers' lines remain clean and concise, his characters on-model, what I really like about his artwork is how expressive it is. You can see little quirks and grins in his characters' faces, allowing them to really come to life.

We're not quite done yet. Ian sneaks another five-pager into the back pages. It's time for another corporately mandated video game adaptation, forcing Flynn to throw us another out-of-continuity “Another Time, Another Place” story. “Sonic Colors,” both the video game and the comic book version, see Sonic and Tails visiting a high-tech amusement part on a satellite. There, they discover a race of shape-shifting aliens called Wisps. They also quickly learn two other things: Robotnik is exploiting the wisps as natural resources. And they can fuses with Sonic, giving him temporary special abilities. Naturally, the hedgehog uses the latter knowledge to disrupt the doctor's plans.

These “Another Time, Another Places” stories are usually pretty dreadful, Flynn forced to stick unsatisfying, quickly assembled prologues to whatever Sega's new video game was into five brief pages. So, as far as these things go, “Sonic Colors” is pretty amusing. The jokes are terrible. The back-up introduces Orbot and Cubot into the comic, Robotnik's obnoxious comic relief sidekicks. There's a super lame gag about Tails' mistranslated something the Wisp says, getting gibberish in return. Aside from the dumb jokes, this story features (fittingly enough) a colorful setting. The weird aliens and psychedelic backgrounds are enough to sustain a brief five pager and nothing else.

It feels minor compared to the superior “Thicker Than Water” story arc but issue 219 is a lively one. The cover story has some fun action and makes room for character development. The back-up is bright and brief. The artwork is great all around. You're not going to hear too many complaints about this one from me. It doesn't reinvent the wheel but I'll take it. [7/10]