THE 2011 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG COMIC BEST/WORST LIST!

2011 was the twentieth anniversary of the “Sonic” franchise. As an unusually morbid kid with an unusually deep connection to this franchise, I often wondered when the “Sonic” franchise was going to come to an end. Post-”Endgame,” I remember getting really sad thinking about the series potentially ending. Little me's fears were misplaced, as the series was still running over a decade later. (And continues to run, in one form or another.) To celebrate this impressive milestone, Sega released “Sonic Generations,” one of the better modern “Sonic” games.

It was a banner year for the franchise in many ways. However, focusing solely on Archie's comic series, things were less certain. The main book was in a slightly awkward area, floating between the end of the Iron Dominion series and the dreaded forthcoming reboot. In the middle came “Genesis,” a bright spot during a time where Flynn was juggling a lot of different ideas, not all of them sticking. “Sonic Universe,” meanwhile, was rocketing between some of its best and some of its worst story lines.

So let's get to it. The issues covered in this retrospective are:

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 221-232
Sonic Universe: Issue 24-35

BEST COVER STORY:
Ian Flynn, "Genesis - Part Two: Friends and Fate" (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 227)

There were some good runner-ups to this title. “Changing Tempos” from issue 221 and “The World Can Wait” especially from issue 222 were probably more complex, interesting stories. However, they were also dragged down by some of the lame subplots bothering the book this year. In comparison, the second part of “Genesis” was so much simple fun. Seeing Sonic and the Freedom Fighter getting close during an adventure, running through the second half of Sega's original “Sonic” game. There's even some surprisingly effective emotional stuff, when the heroes believe they've lost Antoine. It's a really fun issue.

WORST COVER STORY:
Tracy Yardley, "Babylon Rising - Part One" (Sonic Universe: Issue 33)

I feel bad for beating up on Tracy Yardley's proper debut as a writer. However, “Babylon Rising” was a fairly weak story line. Its first entry was especially poor. Yardley's dialogue is ridiculous. His narrative structure is too much like a video game, characters walking through formulaic action scenes. When that wasn't the focus, the comic was instead bogged down with exposition. The worst part is that it stars the Babylon Rogue, an uninvolving trio of bland, flat characters.

BEST BACK STORY:
Scott and David Tipton, "Fragile" (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 232)

There weren't too many back-up stories this year, barely enough to fill out these two categories. “Fragile” really stood out that. Bunnie going organic again is a plot point still hasn't gone much of anywhere yet. However, this story builds on the emotions of that event, focusing on Bunnie's fears of being all flesh again and Antoine being her dedicated, understanding spouse. It's a simple, character-focused story but one that maybe means the most to me out all of 2011's “Sonic” stories.

WORST BACK STORY:
Ian Flynn, "Sonic Generations" (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 230)

This, on the other hand, is utterly forgettable and completely disposable. I can't really blame Flynn for not putting much effort into these video game tie-ins. They are extended ads. As long as he informs the readers that the video game the story's promoting exists, he's done his job. “Sonic Generations” is a true zero effort back-up. It's basically a rushed version of the game's prologue, telling us little about the game's premise. “Generations'” central gimmick – a team-up between modern Sonic and classic Sonic – isn't even covered.

BEST STORY ARC:
Ian Flynn, "Fractured Mirror" (Sonic Universe: Issue 25-28)

We got two of my favorite “Sonic Universe” story arcs this year. “Inside Job,” from issues 29 to 32, turned Scourge into a lovable loser before rebuilding him as a major villain. However, that one had some pacing problems in the middle and fumbled at least one character's back story. A little more smooth, over all, was “Fractured Mirror.” A showdown between Silver, the original version of Lara-Su, and an evil version of Knuckles was both a solid action story, with huge stakes and some decent emotional roots. It's also cool to see some events, set-up a decade ago, paid off on. Considering how ambivalent I was to him initially, it says a lot that Flynn eventually made Silver such a likable lead.

WORST STORY ARC:
Tracy Yardley, "Babylon Rising" (Sonic Universe: Issue 33-35)

Giving “Babylon Rising” the Worst Arc award probably isn't fair, considering there was still one part left to publish at the end of 2011. “Chaos and the Crown,” an underwhelming two-parter devoted to my least favorite subplot this year, probably should've gotten this distinction. However, those two parts of “Babylon Rising” are such clunkers. I don't care about the Babylon Rogues and Yardley's hacky execution did not make me care. The plot was sloppy and the action uninspiring. Sorry, Tracy.

BEST COVER ART:
Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 221 – Ben Bates

There were so many beautiful covers in 2011! Do I go with Spaz' gorgeous rendering of the “Sonic 3” box art? “Sonic Universe” 30 was funny and 27 was really dynamic. However, ultimately I gave the art to Ben Bates' cover for “Sonic: 221.” It's a collage that beautifully blends four characters. It flows together so nicely, being really nicely assembled and in such an eye-catching manner.

WORST COVER ART:
Sonic Universe: Issue 33 - Tracy Yardley

You know, there's very few covers I didn't like this year. The Free Comic Book Day special was pretty uninspired. “Sonic Universe: Issue 24” was a little crowded. What grabs this dubious distinction was issue 33 of “Sonic Universe.” Not because it's a bad image but mostly because Yardley throws in some unseemly blur effects, which just come off as tacky.

BEST STORY ART:
"Genesis - Part Two: Friends and Fate" - Patrick Spaziante and Tracy Yardley (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 227)

Likewise, there was some great artwork this year. Steven Butler's work on “The Rematch,” from the FCBD special, and Ben Bates work on “Chaos and the Crown” was both fantastic. But there was pretty much no way Spaz and Yardley's work on “Genesis” wasn't going to grab this honor. For the anniversary book, Archie really pulled out all the stops. Spaz and Yardley's artwork is crisp, detailed, and dynamic. The images leap off the page with life and energy. It's such a fucking pretty comic book, you guys.

WORST STORY ART:
"Haunted" - Evan Stanley (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 231)

Gone are the days of Ron Lim and Many Hands. All the artwork in the book these days are good. However, occasionally something hits the page that isn't quite good as the rest of the stuff. Evan Stanley would soon grow into a very reliable penciler. Her work on “Haunted,” a back story from issue 231, needed a little extra work. It's a little too anime-esque, Naugus looking a bit silly. It says a lot that a still pretty good looking story is the worst art the book had to offered in 2011.

BEST NEW CHARACTER:
Dark Enerjak

For years, the book teased the possibility that Knuckles was going to turn evil some day. There was this fear that his powers would grow too vast to control. While regular Knuckles ended up as Chaos Knuckles or Enerjak before, he was ultimately always redeemed. With the “Fractured Mirror” arc in “Sonic Universe,” we saw Dark Enerjak, an epically evil version of Knuckles that would receive no redemptive arc. A truly intimidating and powerful – and not to mention fantastically designed – villain, he would certainly become one of the most memorable if short-lived addition to the book.

WORST NEW CHARACTERS:
King Maxx

To be totally honest, there were no new characters this year that I truly disliked. Looking through the crumbs of introductions in 2011, King Maxx came up. An evil version of King Acorn? Eeeh, did we really need that? The character mostly existed as a plot device in “Inside Job” and didn't add much to the overall lore of the book.


BEST IDEA:
Genesis

There was so much change happening in the book in 2011. Political turmoil and upheaval in Mobotropolis was followed by Eggman's return and concluded with Sally's transformation into a soulless robot. Coming in the middle of all this insanity was the “Genesis” story line, a four-part breath of fresh air that got the franchise back to basics. Was it the best, most innovative, or dramatic story of the year? Nah. However, “Genesis” was an event that mostly lived up to the hype, getting readers excited for the book. Most importantly, it was a lot of fun and fantastically assembled.


WORST IDEA:
King Naugus

If you've been reading my reviews recently, you're probably aware of how much I dislike Ixis Naugus returning to Mobotropolis and convincing the population that he's the proper King. It just makes everyone in the city look like idiots, believing that this obviously evil villain actually has their best interests at heart. It leads to the Freedom Fighters being forced to deal with someone that is a pain in the ass. It's an awkward, unnatural attempt to create drama in the story and one that, at this point, was already dragged out for too long.