Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 224

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 224
Publication Date: April 2011

Some Sonic fans will only be satisfied if Sonic is out there, fighting Robotnik. Now, don't get me wrong. I like this too. However, I like to consider Robotnik simply one member of Sonic's rogue galleries. I like variety in my comic book hero/villain fights. I don't want to see Batman fight the Joker all the time either. Yet some readers consider any of Sonic's other enemies, like Naugus or Scourge or whoever, to be a distraction from the real big bad. So I'm sure this crowd was pretty happy to see the Eggman on the cover of issue 224, proclaiming his proper return to the book, since being benched back in issue 200.

“Chaos and the Crown: Part Two” begins in the middle of the action. Outside the Royal Palace, Sally and the other Freedom Fighters tangle with Geoffrey St. John, still trying to determine the exact nature of his treachery. Inside the Throne Room, Sonic and Naugus fight it out, trading speedy blows and magic powers. Ultimately, the conflict comes to a premature end when the Council decides to hear Naugus' claim to the Throne out. Meanwhile, Robotnik's plans are just about ready to come to fruition.

Issue 224's sole story is divided pretty evenly in two halves. The first half is focused primarily on action, while the second half is a little more dialogue heavy. And the action theatrics near the beginning are pretty great. Naugus shoots a plum of flame, which Sonic blocks with the new Sword of Acorn, which apparently used to be Sir Connery's sword. To counter this, Naugus uses his crystalline magic to form a matching sword. This leads to a super cool action beat, of Elias leaping into action and slashing through Naugus sword with his own. Outside, the fights remain neat. St. John is entwined by Bunnie's bionic arm, while just avoiding blows from Sally and Antoine.

However, the fleet-footed action ends up being short-lived. As I said, the Council of Acorn quickly decides to listen to Naugus' pleas. This strikes me as ridiculously unlikely. If a dangerous sorcerer, a known enemy of the crown, barged into the Royal Palace in a violent way, the primary concern should be detaining him. Even if Naugus had peacefully appeared, I still find it difficult to believe that Knothole's government would take him seriously. If anything, he should be a wanted criminal, considering his prior acts of terrorism against the Kingdom. About the only reason the Council allows Naugus to talk – aside from Flynn insisting on pushing this plot thread forward – is because the Prowers continue to resent Elias and want him off the Throne. It's bullshit, in other words.

At least the people of Mobotropolis being willing to trust Naugus makes a little more sense. Well, sort of. I'm sure at least some of these citizens were around during the wizard's previous attacks. That aside, they are awfully scared of Nicole and Flynn makes sure to show how the wizard can protect. This also leads to a somewhat poignant scene of Nicole, picking up a pile of crystallized nanites, which are dead forever. However, the plot twist of St. John turning traitor continues to be unjustifiable. Instead of writing a flashback to Hershey's death, Flynn continues to have the characters simply talk about it, drawing attention to how crass her death really is.

As the cover trumpets, in the background, Robotnik plots his latest return. As the issue nears its conclusion, we discover what the mad doctor has been up to all this time. He has converted the Egg Dome into a brand new Death Egg, which rises into the heavens at the very end. The last time the Death Egg appeared in the comic was all the way back in 1996, during the “Death Egg” mini-series. Considering the Death Egg is one of Eggman's most famous creations, it's surprising that the massive ship has only appeared briefly. “Sonic Quest” is not too terribly well regarded either, so this was a second chance for the vehicle, a chance for Flynn to give Eggman's flying super-fortress a bigger entrance. And it mostly succeeds at that, as the book ends on a hell of a cliffhanger.

Ben Bates continues to kick ass on penciling duties. The action scenes look great. Bates is really good at conveying a sense of movement and motion. The panels devoted to Elias leaping into action are highly dynamic and striking. He's good with character work too. The panel devoted to Nicole, in shock over the dead nanites, wouldn't be nearly as effective without Bates' skills. Art wise, I've got no complaints about this one.

So it's another mixed affair. The art is great and there are individual moments I like. However, I continue to really dislike the writing decisions Flynn has made recently. Luckily or not, depending on your perspective, we'll be taking a break from this storyline real soon with Archie's 2011 summer event. But that's another story for another day. I'm giving issue 224 a [6/10.]