Sonic Universe: Issue 20

Sonic Universe: Issue 20
Publication Date: September 2010

I'm going to be upfront about something: I don't love Tails. I don't dislike Tails and, yes, I acknowledge that he's the staple glue. Yet the undying devotion certain corners of the “Sonic” fandom have towards the two-tailed fox gives me pause. In the video games, Tails was often nothing more then a preferential player two character. His flight abilities were cool but that was about it. In the early cartoons, he was too often depicted as a whinny, tag-along kid sidekick that contributed little to the plot. The comics ran with this characterization for years before Tails finally developed a personality outside his bro-tastic love for Sonic. All of that's fine but there are other supporting characters in the “Sonic”-verse, both the games and comic books, that I'm way more interested in. Still, it was inevitable that Tails would get a second shot at his own story, which finally wraps up in issue 20 of “Sonic Universe.”

The final part of “Trouble in Paradise” doesn't get a pithy subtitle for some reason. Anyway, the issue begins with Tails, Antoine, and Bunnie facing off against Dr. Fukurokov's Mole Mech, a drill-nosed killer robot armor. After an extended fight with the machine, it's defeated. Only for Tails to discover that Speedy pilots the device. Afterwards, the bombs planted earlier begin to detonate. Tails, Bunnie, Antoine, and the rest of the Battle Bird Armada scramble to evacuate the island before it sinks into the sea... Or, at least, that's what it looks like is going to happen.

In his (negative) review of this story arc, Dan Drazen noted that Ian Flynn came dangerously close to writing Tails as a hyper-confident Gary Stu here. In my previous review, I also noted this, suspecting Flynn was making up for Tails' wimpy portrayal in his previous mini-series. I dismissed it then but I'm officially sick of this now. Tails absolutely comes off as a cocky asshole here, the plot bending in odd directions in order to show off his skills. Tails is never really challenged in this issue. Everything goes more-or-less according to his plan. He defeats the Mole Mech without breaking a sweat, the mechanical beast going down after a wrench is thrown at it. While Bunnie and Antoine are panicking, hoping to escape the island before it sinks, Tails is casual. This is because he knows they aren't in any real danger, that the island is actually a secret airbase. Flynn did a better job of noting Tails' adolescent insecurities in the previous issues but not here. It drains the tension out of the story when the hero is this certain of his victory.

Further affecting the issue's quality was Ian's decision to devote the entire first half to the fight with the Mole Mech. Visually, the machine is quite goofy looking, not making it the most intimidating threat. Flynn's choice to stick close to the original video game design may also be questioned. Giving the robot arms made of orbs, connected by an electrical signal, doesn't seem very practical. This is proven when the machine gets its arm tangled in a chain, another element that doesn't make it seem like a very serious threat. As I mentioned above, after plenty of build-up, the machine goes down very easily. Yardley's artwork crosses into incoherence, as Tails and T-Pup fly around the robotic armor, eventually causing it to fall over. In short, the Mole Mech isn't an effective villain, is thwarted too simply, and takes up far too much of this issue.

Following this disappointment, the comic finally reaches a few interesting tidbits. After besting the Mole Mech, Tails hears the pilot crying for help inside. It turns out to be Speedy. Tails puts aside their differences, in order to rescue his rival. For a second there, it seems like the two have gained some mutual respect for each other. Considering what a bully Speedy has been previously, that would be a big step and a compelling change. Instead, Flynn immediately tosses this point away. After a few short panels, Speedy slaps Tails away, calls him a name, and flies off. So much for character development.

Throughout this story arc, Bunnie and Antoine's rapport has often been more compelling than Tails' upsetting this little corner of the Battle Bird Armada's minor empire. We get some of that in this issue too. Bunnie casually correcting her husband's somewhat mangled English is cute. When the situation seems to become grim, Bunnie reassures her husband that Tails knows what he's doing... Before snipping at Tails, asking if really does know what he's doing. As the island reveals its status as an airbase and floats away, Bunnie and Antoine rise out of the rubble, sharing a rocket-booster assisted smooch. Honestly, I kind of wish Bunnie and Antoine had been the stars of this arc from the beginning.

The story is more-or-less wrapped up at that point but Flynn sticks in a brief resolution. He uses this extra space to gratuitously sprinkle some sequel hooks on the audience. The connection between the Battle Bird Armada and the Babylon Rogues are made more explicit. Some sort of conflict between the two is set up for a future encounter. Considering I care about the Rogues even less than I do the Armada, I am not looking forward to that particular arc. Nevertheless, it is nice to have Tails, Antoine, and Bunnie back in Mobotropolis by the end.

“Sonic Universe's” “Tails' Adventure” arc started off strong, with some light-hearted adventure and solid character work. By the end, it collapsed into underwhelming action scenes, sloppy plotting, and an overemphasis on Tails' skills and abilities. That's just how it goes some times, I guess. I'm sure we'll get all-the-way through satisfying “Sonic Universe” arc again some day. [5/10]