Sonic Universe: Issue 22

Sonic Universe: Issue 22
Publication Date: November 2010

Archie's “Sonic the Hedgehog” series provided a very full toy box for Ian Flynn to play with. Sometimes, I fear, a few toys too many. Not too long ago, he wrote a story called “Hedgehog Havoc” which messily threw together practically every hedgehog in the book for a big and mostly pointless fight. Just judging by its cover, “Sonic Universe's” “Treasure Team Tango” arc is heading towards a similar area. In its second issue, the conflict between Amy's ragtag Team Rose and Shadow's more organized Team Dark gains a third corner, in the form of the so-called Hooligans. Oh boy, here we go.

The second half of “Treasure Team Tango” is subtitled “The Cruzada” – are we sure Ian isn't making these dance words up? – and begins with Amy's team and Shadow's team butting heads. They are fighting over the control of the Sol Emerald. Cream's Chao, Cheese, grabs the jewel and zips out of the cavern the teams are fighting in. This seems to conclude the conflict... Until Team Rose discovers that Nack the Weasel, Bean the Duck, and Bark the Bear – otherwise known as the Hooligans – are also after the Emerald and successfully snatch the Chao and the jewel.

The prophecy has been fulfilled. Last time, I recalled this story moving towards another one of Flynn's undistinguished fight-fests. And so it does. Most of this issue is devoted to scuffles between the various groups. What makes this especially perturbing is that the fight scenes really have no reason to be happening. Before Team Rose and Team Dark comes to blow, Blaze outright questions Shadow about the previous time they worked together. That they've been allies in the past. Shadow shrugs this off, insuring the fight scene will follow. How or why the Hooligans are after the Sol Emerald isn't even expanded on. Flynn just wanted to throw in as many competing teams as possible.

This sloppy writing would at least be justifiable if the fight scene was sort of cool. Sadly, “The Cruzada” does not represent Flynn's best work. The comic seems a little too enamored of Blaze the Cat's pyromaniac superpowers. She blocks a barrage of E-123 Omega's fire power with a wall of flames. She then scoops up the robot up with a spinning spiral of fire. She turns into a burning battering ram, tossing Nack's bike into the air. In an especially incoherent panel, she apparently seizes one of the Sol Emeralds with a lasso of flame while setting Team Dark ablaze. I have no idea if this stuff is adapted from the video games, as I've never played any of the games Blaze appears in. Moreover, none of it is especially interesting to me.

Like I said, the comic does not reveal why Nack and the Hooligans are after the jewel, though presumably they've been hired by Robotnik to retrieve it. Whatever the reason, the characters don't really contribute much to the narrative. After his recent treatment in the book, it's hard to believe that Nack the Weasel was ever anything like a serious threat, who nearly assassinated Mina and poisoned his former partners-in-crime to death. When paired with the utterly farcical Bean the Duck – whose totz rAnD0m dialogue is starting to loose its novelty – the character has become a complete joke. The Hooligans are not threatening enemies nor intended to be. They are just another obstacle thrown into the story, to keep the heroes from retrieving the MacGuffin.

If “Treasure Team Tango” contributes anything to the book's overall world, it's fleshing Cream the Rabbit's personality out a little more. Yes, she's still established as a perfectly pleasant little girl, very polite to everyone. Yet this comic does show that she's capable of more. When the Hooligans threaten Cheese the Chao, Cream launches into a violent rage. There's an obvious joke here. “Oh, look! The nice little girl is attacking a grown man!” Yet it also shows that Cream, no matter how polite she may normally be, doesn't appreciate people harming her best friend. Which is something, I guess.

There's also one or two smaller moment that makes this issue mildly amusing. Upon witnessing Blaze's ability to dismantle heavy fire with a different type of fire, Omega immediately asks if they can be friends. Maybe even more than friends. That's not the only time Flynn uses the giant murder-bot as a comedic straight man. Later, when attempting to shake Cream down, the little girl starts screaming and crying. The robot is confused and annoyed by this, politely asking her to stop. That stuff made me chuckle.

The last panel of this issue suggests that Flynn may be bringing a fourth team into this melee. That's pretty much the worst thing he could do but I honestly don't remember if that comes to past. Either way, I have no idea how Flynn is going to maintain this story line for another two issues. It's already pretty thin gruel. Maybe something will surprised. Tracy Yardley's artwork is pretty good too, at the very least. [5/10]