Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 240

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 240
Publication Date: August 2012

Look, there's another Greg Horn cover and it's exactly as boring as his last cover! Granted, at least the image of Amy making a little heart with her hand tells us something about her personality, as opposed to the utterly generic image of Sonic he created last time. And I'm thankful Horn didn't resort to his usual techniques when portraying female characters and make Amy into an impossibly posed, half-naked, pouting porn starlet. I guess Archie just couldn't resist getting a big name like Horn involved in their silly, funny animal book. Could've been worse, I guess. Could've been that other Greg.

But let's talk about the actual comic book. “Heroes Part Two: For the People” has Team Fighter rushing to inform Mobotropolis of the Death Egg's approach. Their communique only partially gets through by the time Robotnik is directly over the city. It's up to Rotor and his team of misfits to save the day. Despite Eggman's sabotage and army of robot weapons, the team manages to fight off the invasion. They do, however, get some help from Harvey Who's now fully formed Secret Freedom Fighters. Also, Naugus continues to loose control of his own body to the voices in his head.

Issue 240 is an issue of “Sonic the Hedgehog” that barely has Sonic in it. And, honestly, it might be all the better for it. Though I have nothing against Sonic and friends running around the world, my heart is in Mobotropolis with the Knothole crew. Team Fighters' adventures have been so transient that I've felt a little adrift with this book recently. Returning home and focusing on the fate of the Acorn crown – even if Sally, Bunnie, and Antoine are out of the picture at the moment – is refreshing. By going back home, it reminds us what's at stake and why we care in the first place.

Part two of “Heroes” is mostly devoted to giving Team Freedom a chance to shine. Though I was initially very underwhelmed by the line-up of Rotor's team, their adventure here is pretty effective. Everyone's personality is given a chance to shine. Rotor accommodates himself to the role of leader fairly well. Cream is eager to help but still childish enough that she gets frightened. Heavy is overly analytically, even in the heat of combat. (And he still sounds like Baymax in my head.) Flynn mostly writes Big the Cat as a big dumb pet, staring dumbly and speaking simply while also smashing robots with his super-strength. It's not an all-star line-up or anything but the characters seem to work together well.

Of course, the only reason Robotnik's army can get into the city in the first place is because of Operation: Deadly Cuddles. Let's talk about that. During the assault on Mobotropolis during issue 231, Eggman dropped a Tails Doll out of the sky. Cream, assuming it was a simple toy, adopted it. Of course, the Tails Doll is actually an Eggman drone that can disrupt nanites and spy on the Freedom Fighters.

For those not in the know, Tails Doll is a very obscure Sega character that is something like Tails' counterpart to Metal Sonic. It was introduced in “Sonic R,” the glitchy racing game that came out on the Saturn in 1997. There's an obvious reason Flynn introduced this forgettable character into the comic fifteen years after his first appearance. Due to his creepy doll face and uncanny ability to float, somebody wrote a lame creepypasta about the character. And, because Sonic fans love stupid bullshit, this led to Tails Doll actually becoming kind of popular. Flynn hints at Tails Doll's internet fandom by making him a figure of suspicion, and eventually weirdly vivid body horror, in the book. As an in-joke unlikely to be caught by those unaware of the online fandom, I guess that was an okay decision.

The fine print at the start of the book says “Heroes” is the prelude to the Secret Freedom Fighter arc, currently playing out in “Sonic Universe.” Never mind that we were two issues into that story by the time this book came out. In their first in-continuity appearance, the Secret Freedom Fighters accomplish more than they have thus far in their own story. They make short work of the new Metal series robots Robotnik deploys. Larry's bad luck generation actually comes in handy, destroying two EggSWATS. Moreover, they actually act in a stealthy manner, helping out Team Freedom without alerting them to their presence. You'd think Flynn would've led with this, instead of having this issue come out after the “Universe” arc started.

After taking a one issue break and letting Jamal Peppers draw things, Steven Butler is back on penciling duties. Once again, I'm partial to Butler's work. His action is great. His character work is expressive and detailed. It's all good stuff. The second half of “Heroes” is much stronger than the first, managing to balance character development and action better. It also includes the Secret Freedom Fighters in a way that's far less distracting. Good on you, Flynn. [7/10]

Sonic Universe: Issue 42

Sonic Universe: Issue 42
Publication Date: July 2012

I guess I should've mentioned this earlier. With issue 41, “Sonic Universe” became the longest running “Sonic” spin-off book, beating “Sonic X's” 40 issues and “Knuckles'” 32 issues. It sure feels like we got to this point a lot faster than we did, doesn't it? Maybe it's because of nostalgia, as time just runs faster when you're in your twenties (which I was when “Universe” was being published) than when you're a kid. (Which I was when “Knuckles” was being published.) Or maybe Flynn's fast-paced, interconnected plotting just made “Universe” go by a lot quicker, more-so than the frequently snail-slow “Sonic X.” Whatever the reason, this was book was now going where no “Sonic” spin-off title had gone before.

“Unsung Heroes Part 2” is given the vaguely Lovecraftian subtitle of “The Terror Below.” It back tracks slightly to before the previous issue's story. Apparently King Naugus has made a daily ritual of flying down into the huge hole that, thanks to the Battlebird Armada, is the former location of Castle Acorn. At the behest of Harvey Who, Elias, Lyco, and Leeta follow Naugus down into the pit to see what he's up to. The team has to work through their own struggles as they discover an unnerving secret about Naugus.

“The Terror Below” is a much more tense story than the first part of “Unsung Heroes.” A lot of this has to do with the setting. Half of the Secret Freedom Fighters are crawling through a series of underground tunnels. Naugus is much closer and far more dangerous than St. John was last time. If this wasn't claustrophobic enough, after Naugus is alerted to their presence, all three heroes remember that the wizard can control the elements. He re-directs the tunnels, trapping the three in a labyrinth. He then causes huge crystals spike to burst through the ground, nearly skewering all of them. (Of course, Naugus could've just use his elemental powers to collapse all the tunnels or suck all the air out, killing the spies instantly. But he doesn't do that because, you know, comics.) It's a taut set-up and used fairly well.

Last time, I pointed out that none of the Secret Freedom Fighters seem especially well-chosen for the job. Issue 42 has Elias commenting on that very concern. In narration bubbles, he says that this motley gang wouldn't even have been his fourth choice. Flynn doesn't justify this decision but he does use it to develop Elias a little more. Deep in the tunnels, the former King reflects on his own failures and mistakes, realizing he has no right to judge anybody else for their inexperience. Which is a nice character beat, even if being in a dangerous situation with incompetent or fledgling co-workers is actually a really good time to start judging people.

Leeto and Lyco are growing on me. The twins are showing some quirks I like. Leeta has a fear of heights. Both sisters seem to be having some fun, despite being on a crazy and potentially deadly adventures. Without undermining the seriousness of the threat, Flynn allows them to bring a little levity to the adventure. Both girls are strong-willed and ready for adventure, which is displayed in the otherwise unnecessary flashback that shows Who recruiting them personally.

Also interesting is the way Naugus is cracking up. It seems the voices in his head are having more and more influence on him. To Elias and the twins, it just looks like the wizard is talking to himself. When he thinks he's alone, the spectres of the Order of Ixis convince Naugus to reveal his uglier, more troll-like true form. (This is officially known only as “Ugly Naugus” and was a bit of a precursor to Flynn literally making him a troll in the Post-Genesis Wave 'verse.) What exactly the villain is up to still isn't known but his instability is making him more of a threat than ever before.

As a spy story, “The Terror Below” is still pretty lacking. Once again, Flynn has this new Freedom Fighter team reveal itself to the person they're tracking. That's like the number one thing a spy isn't suppose to do. However, Flynn is clearly having fun with the trappings of the high-tech spy movie. The gliding suits the three are given are pretty cool looking. The action sequences, involving escaping Naugus' fiery form, are pretty solid too.

Tracy Yardley's art is a bit on the loose side this time. Lyco and Leeta are a little too cartoony at times. However, this issue is still a lot of fun and a big improvement over the first part of this story line. (I also like the Bond inspired cover art, even if the story really has nothing in common with a James Bond movie.) Focusing more on the seriousness of the threat and less on the cast bickering made for a better, more tense comic book. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 9

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 9
Publication Date: September 19, 2011

Now that we’re well into September, we are coming up on the end of the first year of IDW’s “Sonic” books. Though my feelings about the series are still very mixed, I will continue to point out that Ian Flynn learned some lessons during his years at Archie. At least at the moment, he’s not needlessly dragging shit out for forever. The mystery around the new villain was answered quickly. Now, it looks like we are already heading towards the climatic confrontation between Sonic and his new end boss. After the first four issues, I was really worried we were heading back into “Shattered World Crisis” territory.

We head into the “Battle for Angel Island” arc here, which looks like it’ll occupy the rest of 2018. Amy rallies the Resistance, including Shadow and Rouge. Neo Metal Sonic has taken over Angel Island, the Master Emerald is under his control, and the good guys figure that’s probably bad. After heading towards the Island, the group breaks off into several teams. While most of the gang fight off Metal’s army of Badniks, Sonic and Knuckles take the fight right to the big man himself.

There’s been some debate in the Archie Sonic fandom recently about whether or not Flynn actually liked the Freedom Fighters. Which is a totally asinine argument, as Flynn did more than anyone to build those characters up and fought for their inclusion in the reboot. In fact, I actively suspect that Flynn misses the Freedom Fighters even now. The Resistance in the new comic play a similar role. They operate out of an underground but high-tech base. They have a female leader, Amy slotting into a Sally-esque tactician role surprisingly well. The gang even have a spiffy airship they can pile into, though the Battleship lacks a catchy name like the Freedom Fighter Special. Most importantly, Sonic and his friends remain underdogs, fighting against a villain with more power and more resources.

While Flynn’s previous four-parter was devoted to repeating the same formula four times in a row, it looks like he’s actually using the space afforded to him by that length this time. The first part of “The Battle for Angel Island” isn’t just set-up for the rest of the story. We see the Resistance talking and hanging out on the ship, as they head into battle. Sonic and Tails make chit-chat, that reemphasizes their bro-ship and the anxiety they feel over the forthcoming conflict. Shadow wonders if Whisper can be trusted. Most charmingly, we see Silver, Tangle, and the Chaotix play some cards, in hopes of taking their minds off the possibility they could die today. (Tangle displays some shifty playfulness here, the lemur continuing to be a highlight of the new book.)

Little character moments like this makes the cast look more like real people. It gets us more invested in the conflict to come. Flynn, in fact, focuses a lot on the character’s doubts and fears here. Knuckles spends most of the trip brooding. The echidna really feels like he fucked up. He left his Island behind to assist the Resistance and now Metal Sonic has control of the planet’s most powerful plot device. And I’ve gotta agree with Knux on this one. He did fuck up. See, this is why it helps to have a supporting cast to Emerald-sit while you’re out cracking open cold ones with the boys. Still, I like that Flynn is allowing Knuckles some depth and angst.

He gives Blaze a similar treatment, for reasons I’m still not sure of. Similar to Knuckles, she’s worried about leaving her home dimension to assist her friends. An extraneous page is devoted to her asking if she can just go Burning Blaze and just melt Metal’s army to slag. Tails has to explain why they can’t do that, for convoluted reasons. That moment really feels like Flynn beating nit-picky fans to the punch. I really hope he’s going somewhere with this, a theme of being pulled between friendly loyalties and personal responsibilities, and not just setting up some dumb plot turn involving the Sol Emeralds. The little moments, where Blaze reflects on how she lacked friends once or swallows her fear of heights before jumping out of the Battleship, are way more compelling.

When Neo Metal Sonic was re-introduced, I actively wondered if a new(-ish) villain determined to slavishly follow the old villain’s schemes was worth it. However, Flynn has made some steps to distinguish Metal Sonic from Eggman. Lacking the Doctor’s eccentric personality, Metal Sonic comes off as much more ruthless. When Sonic and Knuckles confront him here, he calmly explains how he’s going to turn them into black marks on his floor. That’s a genuinely intimidating moment and it builds towards a solid cliffhanger. I like Metal Sonic’s insistence on physically breaking his greatest rivals personally.

Tracy Yardley provides the pencils this time. I wonder if the long-time “Sonic” artist was actively jealous of the critical praise Adam Bryce Thomas has received on this book. Because Yardley really steps up his game here. He adopts a more cinematic style than usual. He opens with two impressive double spreads, showing Metal Sonic’s grip on Angel Island and the entire Resistance at HQ. The shots of Blaze flaming on are given a lot of moody attention. In fact, a focus on shadows here really helps distinguish this issue visually. Especially in panels devoting to Knuckles’ angst or a possibly “Dark Knight Returns” inspired panel of the Resistance, silhouetted by a flashing lighting bolt, as they leap towards the Island. It’s a really good looking issue.

While I’m not sure where Flynn is headed with Blaze’s concerns, or if he’ll continue to balance character and action so well throughout the rest of this arc, I liked this one a lot. Taking the time to let everyone’s personalities breath a little, especially right before they head into war, was a really good idea. Matched with some above-average artwork and an effective villain, this proved to be a good read. I hope the rest of the arc is just as strong. [7 10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 239

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 239
Publication Date: July 2012

Starting with issue 239, Archie invited a big comic artist to provide the cover art for a few issues. Unfortunately, that artist was Greg Horn. Horn somehow became a superstar artist in the late 2000s despite his work frequently being gross and always being really off-putting. He usually draws super unappealing pin-up artwork, his female characters bending in all sorts of anatomically impossible poses. Horn also abuses the use of photographs as source material and digital painting techniques to the point that most of his work occupies the uncanny valley. To look at Horn's artwork is to see a thousand dead-eyed but weirdly detailed faces floating above generic porno-bot bodies.

Knowing all this, I'm not sure why Archie hired the guy. But I guess a big name artist is still a big name artist, regardless of their reputation or how at odds their usual work is with this book's style. So, for the first cover he provided, Horn contributed an excessively generic image of Sonic posing on an empty blue background. It looks like a piece of Sega stock art and is as weirdly shiny as everything else Horn creates. No sir, I do not like it.

Anywho, the plot: Issue 239 begins a two-parter entitled “Heroes” which does not, disappointingly, feature an unkillable cheerleader or Zachary Quinto eating people's brains. So Team Fighter has been pursuing the Death Egg across the globe. They see the air-ship stop above the Feral Forest and quickly deduce that Robotnik is looking to murder Prince Elias. As the heroes arrive, the town is beset by various killer robots, including Mecha-Sally. They attempt to fight them off and save Elias’ life but someone else interferes.

“Heroes” is an action oriented story with branching plotlines. This is a nice way to say that “Heroes” is another Ian Flynn joint that prioritizes combat over character. This is twenty-one pages composed almost completely of action. Sonic fights Silver Sonic.  Col. Sommersby fights Mecha-Sally. Amy Rose fights Mecha-Sally. Tails then leaps in for an assist. We even see T-Pup briefly fight Silver Sonic. All these fisticuffs are happening concurrently, so Flynn is constantly cutting between these various conflicts. It's entertaining but, once you get over the initial fun factor of good ol' violence, you realize this is a pretty thin story.

It's also, I'm afraid to say, another excuse for Flynn to set up the Secret Freedom Fighters. Yeah, I thought he was done too. It's another example of Archie's bad planning and shaky release schedule. This issue was obviously meant to premiere after issue 41 of “Sonic Universe.” During the invasion of the Feral Forest, Leeta and Lyco appear. They escort the former king to safety. Not only is this yet more exhausting set-up for Flynn's other story line, it also removes quite a bit of tension from the story. If Team Fighter had never showed up in the village, it turns out Elias probably still would've been fine.

If “Heroes” has anything going for it, is the small kernels of emotion and character development we get. Elias forbids Tails from telling Sonic the exact details of how he was rescued. When Sonic receives Tails' vague answer, there's a ambiguous panel devoted to the hedgehog and fox glaring at each other. Not only does this bring “House of Cards” to mind again, it also shows that coming so close to rescuing Sally just to fail yet again is beginning to weigh on Sonic. He actively wants to pursue her at one point but realizes he needs to stay and protect the village instead. I like the idea that the stress of the situation is starting to make our hero crack up and wish Flynn explored that more.

The fight between Amy Rose and Mecha-Sally also leads to a few good moments. Allowing Mecha-Sally to retain some of her personality, while still being primarily a murder machine, was a wise decision. During the fight, Mecha-Sally presents the possibility that Amy wants to destroy her, as a way to wipe out her primary romantic rival. She then follows this up by saying she was never Amy's friend. Amy rebukes both comments but the remarks clearly get under her skin. Mecha-Sally isn't just a physical threat. The Freedom Fighters aren't just concerned about her because she was once their friend. Sally has also known these characters for years, giving her plenty of information to manipulate her now enemies with.

Despite these handful of good moments, part one of “Heroes” is clearly just a minor issue on the way to another story. The issue concludes with the Death Egg arriving above Mobotropolis, clearly preparing for another strike at the city. Once again, Mecha-Sally gets away, allowing this story line to continue on even longer. There's very little pay-off or satisfaction here. Issue 239 mostly comes off as a stop-gap on the way to a more important and eventful comic book.

At least the artwork is good. Jamal Peppers' action scenes are incredibly dynamic. Amy and Sally's fight stretches across two pages, in one good example of the action leaping out at you. I even like the page where the damnable T-Pup uses an electric current to freeze Silver Sonic in its place. Scripting wise, this is a mediocre comic book, more of a tease for future events then a satisfying book on its own. [6/10]

Sonic Universe: Issue 41

Sonic Universe: Issue 41
Publication Date: June 2012

After what feels like six months of set-up, Ian Flynn has finally gotten to the Secret Freedom Fighters arc of “Sonic Universe.” It seems, as the original Archie universe neared its end, Flynn became a little preoccupied with organizing the comic's vast cast into various new teams. In the main book, the remaining members of the Knothole gang has split up into Team Fighters and Team Freedom. And here comes the Secret Freedom Fighters, composed of one fairly popular Sega hedgehog and five C-list-and-lower comic characters. Why Flynn was suddenly fascinated with this concept, I don't know. Unlike when Marvel or DC pulls this stunt, there were no new action figures or tie-in books to sell. Let's see if we can figure out why.

Part one of “Unsung Heroes,” which is referred to as “Secret Freedom” on the cover, shows the newly formed team on their first mission. Harvey Who sends Silver, Larry and Shard on a mission to track Geoffrey St. John to the Windy Valley region of Soumerica. It seems St. John is trying to recover some Ixis magic lore or something for Naugus. The three would-be spies argue among themselves, reveal their location, and manage to alert St. John to their presence without capturing him. Back near Mobotropolis, it seems Elias, Leeto, and Lyco are doing an equally on their half of the mission.

At its core, “Unsung Heroes” has an appealing premise. Taking a bunch of ragtag misfits and putting them on a team together can produce fruitful results. This format allows Flynn a chance to further establish the personalities of his cast of old, new, and basically new characters. The issue also has a fairly direct, easy-to-grasp objective. Our heroes are tracking Geoffrey St. John, trying to figure out what he's up to. Should be easy, right?

But there's a problem. These guys kind of suck at their job. Harvey Who is a spymaster after all and the Secret Freedom Fighers are ostensibly spying on St. John. So what do they do? They stumble into two separate traps, nearly getting themselves killed twice. They loudly bicker, repeatedly forgetting to use their code names. If the bickering didn't reveal their location to their target, Shard starts blowing shit up. They don't even manage to capture St. John after blowing their cover. About the only thing the so-called Secret Freedom Fighters pull off is putting a tracker on St. John's hoverboards. Seems to me if they had stopped at that, this mission would've been more successful.

But I suspect authoring a crackling espionage thriller was not really on Flynn's agenda. Tom Clancy, the man is not. Instead, this issue is really about the interplay between the team. On that regard, it's fairly successful. Shard continues to establish himself as the MVP of the group. It seems this iteration of Metal Sonic has only grown to resemble his fleshy counterpart more as he's lived longer. Shard is a snark extraordinaire. He's a real smart-ass around his teammates. However, Flynn keeps the constant backbiting from being annoying. In fact, it's charming as hell. Shard is incredibly entertaining.

Shard may not be the most calculated robot around but at least he contributes some firepower and high-tech gadgets. What does Larry the Lynx bring to this team? Flynn throws in a series of panels explaining who this obscure character is, what his deal is, and why he's on the Secret Freedom Fighters for the single person who reads “Sonic Universe” but not the main “Sonic” book too. After that, Larry nearly falls to his death. He then trips and activates a trap, alerting St. John to the team. I get what Flynn is trying to do. In a round about way, Larry's bad luck is revealing secrets. However, he mostly just draws attention to why someone with serially bad luck shouldn't be sent on sensitive missions like this.

Silver and Shard's bickering reveals a good point. This half of the team is composed of a former villain, someone who has previously attacked Sonic at least once (in addition to repeatedly showing himself to be a poor detective), and someone who constantly has bad things happen around him. The other half of the team is made of a former monarch with little field experience and two randos nobody has heard of before. And they seem to be doing as badly as Silver's team. How is this anyone's idea of a team of spies? If Flynn meant this as some sort of stealth parody/critique of Penders' old “On His Majesty's Secret Service” arc, which had a similarly questionable line-up, I'd get this. But the plotting is pretty serious, even if the character interaction is typically snarky.

I really don't dislike this comic book at all. It's quickly paced. The action sequences are fun. The characters are entertaining together. There's even some potential future conflict set up, as Silver seems to be discovering that his mentor, Mammoth Mogul, wasn't such a nice guy originally. However, there's just enough gaps in the plot's logic that I can't quite get on this one's side. Sorry, that just sticks in my teeth. I'm seem to recall this arc getting better as it went on so here's hopin'. [6.5/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 238

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 238
Publication Date: June 2012

Despite the cover focusing on Sonic and Mecha-Sally fighting, the two don't even meet in issue 238. Instead, part two of “Loyalty” continues the mission to rescue Lupe and Queen Hathor. Sonic and the others rush up on Eggman so quickly that he doesn't have time to finish Legionizing Lupe. Instead, he has to hightail it out of there with only a fraction of the repairs needed to the Death Egg completed. Tails tangos with Mecha-Sally on the way out. Hathor and Lupe are rushed back just to discover that no sudden war is brewing between the two faction. Instead, the Wolf Pack and the Felidae decide to work together to beat back Robotnik's remaining forces.

“Loyalty Part Two: Dire Choices” is a fleet-footed action story that rarely stops trucking. An element of speed is crucial here. Team Fighters' attack is so sudden that Robotnik is forced to retreat just as suddenly. It feels like a timer is running, as Sonic and friends are in a rush to free Lupe and get both leaders back home. At one point, a timer is literally running. Tails' fight with Mecha-Sally is cut short due to the Death Egg's forthcoming take-off. There's an impressive sense of speed and energy to this story, one that grabs the reader and pulls them along without stopping until the very end.

So it's an issue mostly composed of action. At least one of those action scenes is primarily focused on Leeta. Again, I don't know why Flynn chose two very obscure members of the Wolf Pack for his Secret Freedom Fighters. Either way, Leeta certainly makes an impression on the reader in this one, if only for her actions. She gets nearly a whole page devoted to kicking the shit out of Drago. (This is after Lupe rightly points out the flaws in his latest master plan, showing once again that Drago is the book's favorite punching bag.) Leeta and Lyco are primarily defined by their desire to leave home and help people around the world. Which is certainly more personality and development then they ever had before.

I also really like that twist ending of sorts. Part of the story's tension is driven by the idea that the peace between the Felidae and the Wolf Pack is a powder keg, about to explode apart at any point. Discovering the two are cooperating at the end could've deflated that tension and led to a weak ending. However, it's a pleasant enough surprise that the reader isn't disappointed. In a wonderful panel, where Lupe and Queen Hathor's peaceful handshake gets very tense, Flynn also acknowledges that this truce is still very unstable.

If there's any flaw with the second half of “Loyalty,” it's the role Mecha-Sally plays. Tails' fight with her here is very similar to the confrontation she just had with Monkey Khan in “Sonic Universe.” Though slightly reluctant, Tails faces Mecha-Sally directly and talks about wanting to bring her back home, to save her. The fights ends in a stalemate and Sally remains Robotnik's mechanized slave. It's increasingly seeming like Flynn is stalling time, trying to stretch out the tension of the one of the greatest Freedom Fighters being a robot for as long as possible. How many times is a former friend of Sally going to face her, just for the battle to be preemptively delayed?

The back-up story is entitled “Foundation Work.” Which is fitting, as its yet another story meant to set up the Secret Freedom Fighters. Shit, Flynn, how many of these are you going to do? You're making me miss the days when Penders would just toss a bunch of random characters together and call it a team! Anyway, the story shows Harvey Who settling into the secret base Nicole has picked out for him: The safe room that was built during the Iron Dominion. Uncle Chuck is building the team's latest addition when Larry the Jinx – remember him? Yeah, I didn't either – stumbles into the place. Who immediately decides the lynx is exactly what the covert espionage team needs.

Flynn has been building up and hyping the Secret Freedom Fighters for half a dozen issues now, making me sick of this story arc before it even begins. “Foundation Work” is yet another story devoted to moving the needed pieces into place. Leeto and Lyco's membership is confirmed. For the newbies, we learn that Harvey Who personally oversaw Uncle Chuck's old job as a spy, back when he was still a robian. Larry the Lynx literally falling into his position really doesn't make Who seem like the best spymaster though.

However, “Foundation Work” also introduces fan-favorite character Shard. Remember when the updated version of the original Metal Sonic had a change of heart? Well, at some point, his robotic body was recovered. Uncle Chuck has rebuilt him, using left over pieces form Metal scourge and Robotnik's other Metal Sonics. (A bit of lore, that Shard's pieces were also used to help build the Metal Sonic Troopers, is also drop.) Even in this brief appearance, the as-yet-unnamed Shard's sarcastic humor and up-beat personality adds a lot of life to a fairly perfunctory story.

The artwork here is also really strong. Steven Butler's work on the cover story continues to be excellent. His mastery of action makes the fight scenes really pop, especially the page devoted to Lyco kicking the shit out of Drago. Evan Stanley draws the back-up and brings a lot of grit and personality to this brief story. Though the back-up story could've been stronger, this is still a really solid issue. [7/10]

Sonic Free Comic Book Day 2012

Sonic Free Comic Book Day 2012
Publication Date: May 2012

It's Free Comic Book Day time again, readers. At least, it's time for us to, once again, flash back to that specific day in 2012. For the past two years, Archie gave away genuinely new comic books to celebrate this day. That was pretty cool as, the two years before that, they were content to simply throw some reprints at us. Well, the company was in a lazy mood again in 2012. 2012's FCBD edition of “Sonic” simply reprints issue #230. I'm not sure why Archie felt the need to reprint a story that was still so recent, other than 230 more-or-less setting up most of the current conflict in the book's then-on-going story line.

Turns out, though, I won't have to review a comic book I reviewed not that long ago with this one. Because Archie does include some extras here. In the back of the comic, after “Two Steps Back...” concludes, are a series of brief text stories detailing a different Freedom Fighters' reaction to the artificial Genesis world breaking down and everyone being zapped back to the Prime Zone. It isn't much, as each story is only a single page long, but at least it gives us something to talk about. Tales about Tails, Knuckles, Amy Rose, Bunnie, and Rotor are included within. This collection is given the rather awkward title of “Sonic: Genesis Awakenings”

Tails' story details him aboard the Tornado, watching Sonic sneak onto the Death Egg, before being attacked by the Flying Fortress. The Genesis Wave is then reversed, zapping him back to reality. Of all the stories in this collection, it seems the most superfluous. Tails' was actually involved in “Genesis,” so there's not too much new information here. The opening paragraphs gives us a peak inside the fox's mind during the infamous moment in “Sonic 2,” at the beginning of the Wing Fortress Zone, when the Tornado is shot down and Sonic bails out, leaving his friend behind. The conclusion mostly exist to describe the brief moment of confusion everyone on Mobius felt as reality is restored back to normal.

The rest of the “Awakenings” stories are focused on characters that weren't directly involved in “Genesis,” given us a peek at other corners of Robotnik's Sega-ified artificial world. Knuckles' story has him patrolling Angel Island, reflecting on his mission and his loneliness, before he's reunited in the Prime Zone with Julie-Su and Charmy. There's some nice juxtaposition between Sega Knux's solitary life and Archie Knux's companionship. But otherwise there's not much purpose to this one. Though Charmy mentions being detectives with Vector and Espio in the Genesis World, so I guess that's the official Sega bylaw concerning that trio now, as dumb as that idea is. (There's also something a little poignant about this, as it's also Julie-Su's last appearance in the book before the Frightful Pendersing removed her from the universe. Her lines about feeling like she was back inside the Twilight Cage may be foreshadowing of the “Endangered Species” arc.)

Amy's story drums up often forgotten bits of her personal history. In the Genesis world, Sega Amy plays with Tarot cards, decides her and Sonic are destined to be together, and briefly mentions Metal Sonic and Little Planet. This image of classic Amy as a flightly, love-struck little girl is then immediately contrasted with Archie Amy, a hammer-swinging hard-ass designated with keeping an eye on Geoffrey St. John. It's another example of how far the character has come... And a good example of why I prefer Archie's modern take on Amy versus the very boring version Sega first created for “Sonic CD.”

The last two stories are potentially more interesting as they concern characters that don't really have counterparts in Sega's classic games. Apparently, Bunnie spent Genesis inside a Prison Egg, trying to encourage the more animal-like mobinis around her that everything would be okay. What makes this little one-page tale interesting is Bunnie's reaction upon returning to the Prime Zone. She is startled for a second by her now-robotic limbs. While foreshadowing what happened to her in issue 232, it also gives us a peek at the mental compromises Bunnie faces everyday as a cyborg. (Flynn also points out that, in the Genesis world, Bunnie and Cream are cousins. Because all rabbits have to be related, I guess? That seems a little racist, bro.)

Rotor's story is the one that acts the most like a proper epilogue to “Genesis.” It begins with 'Boomer' back in the Oil Ocean Zone, watching the sky fill with white light, and having a conversation with Sally that he finds odd. Awakening back in Mobotropolis, Rotor debates putting on his nanite battle suit before deciding his friends have the situation handled. There's a definite ironic edge to Rotor trusting in Sonic's ability to get things done, considering all the bad luck that will befall the Freedom Fighters. However, Rotor's story here is probably the one with the least meat on its bones. It seems to mostly exist as a primer on what happened right at the end of “Genesis” and right at the beginning of “Two Steps Back...”

The “Genesis Awakenings” stories are an interesting experiment. Flynn actually shows himself to be a decent writer of prose. The wording can occasionally be a bit childish but it draws you in. His focus on character work remains strong. I could see him transitioning into a career as a decent YA writer if the comic book thing ever dries up. I honestly wish Archie had done this sort of thing more often. As a Free Comic Book Day special, this is still mostly a bit of a cheat. But at least it's better than just a full-on reprint. I'll give it a [7/10] mostly for the novelty factor.

Sonic Universe: Issue 40

Sonic Universe: Issue 40
Publication Date: May 2012

Sonic fans are not ones to let a good in-joke get pass them. The cover of issue 40 of “Sonic Universe” takes on a fighting game motif, the second such time an Archie “Sonic” book has done that. The cover is specifically paying homage to “Sonic the Fighters,” an obscure fighting game that only popped up in arcades. A secret character for the game was Honey the Cat, who was herself a homage to Sega's “Vitura Fighter” character. Part of me suspects that Honey actually becoming a proper character in the post-reboot universe wouldn't have happened with all that blink-and-miss-it throwback on this cover. Anyway, on with the review.

The fourth part of “Scrambled” is given the rather delightfully melodramatic subtitle “In the Name of Love.” Snively and the Iron Queen, him armed with the Iron Oni mech and Regina with her techno-magic, faces down Eggman. The mad scientist quickly calls in a giant robot of his own to do battle with his nephew. And then some other stuff happens.

It seems to me that, in all the years that Robotnik and Snively have secretly plotted against each other, I don't think they've ever actually come to blows before. In the conclusion of “Scrambled,” the two finally fight it out. It's pretty well done too. Amusingly, when Eggman drops a giant robot out of his mustache flier, it's an Egg Beater armor made entirely from plastic, porcelain, and polymers and operated entirely with wires. That makes it entirely unaffected by the Iron Queen's techno-magics. Amusingly, Robotnik doesn't even need the armor to defeat Snively. He undermines Snively's Iron Oni with his tool kit more than anything else. Moreover, finally allowing a fight to take place allows all the resentment that has simmered between them for years to boil over.

All throughout my coverage of the Iron Queen's various appearances, I've widely assumed that the Iron Queen has no actual feelings for Snively. That she's only using him. It's a pretty obvious conclusion. However, Flynn has never outright stated that Regina is just using Snively. In issue 40 of “Sonic Universe,” we finally have this confirmed. During the middle of the fight, Eggman yells at Snively that he's obviously being manipulated. In the last part of the comic, it becomes clear to how little Snively actually means to her.

Oh yeah, Monkey Khan is in this comic book too. His role in the plot is pretty minor. He ends up under the control of both Robotnik and Iron Queen pretty quickly but that ends up not contributing much to the story. Ultimately, his role in the story is to keep Mecha Sally from immediately swooping in and destroying Snively. At the end, Robotnik taunts him some more about Sally's current state. But that's about it. Monkey Khan has very little reason to be here but I guess Flynn makes his inclusion pretty painless.

The comic relief in the last few issues have been slightly distracting. There's a little bit of that here, with Cubot and Orbot cracking some jokes. Mostly, however, “Scrambled” concludes on a gleefully mean tone. Robotnik completely destroys Snively. His slapdash attempt to overthrow his uncle is undone. He looses his girlfriend. In the end, Robotnik even completely supplants his role in the Eggman Empire. The real Snively is left in a small prison, beaten and bruised, his spirit totally crushed. And Robotnik mocks him all for it. Astutely, he says that Snively “brought his A-game and [Eggman] still won.”

And that's a bit of a tragedy, isn't it? Once again, “Scrambled” brings attention to the strange balance of pity and disgust we feel towards Snively. He desperately wants to be a serious villain but he just doesn't have the skills to hack it, making his attempts likelier to illicit sympathy. Very few plot points of the original Archie Sonic universe were resolved before the upcoming reboot. There's a few lingering plot points here, like the Iron Queen's new role in the Eggman Empire. However, the rivalry between Robotnik and Snively is brought to a very satisfying conclusion. I'm sure Snively would've been given more to do if the original story had continued. But, as far as I'm concerned, him rotting forever in a cell after yet another failed insurrection is the sad fate he deserves.

Jamal Peppers' artwork is quite good too, the artist no longer being content to copy Yardley. Instead, he's doing his own thing here. After the super lame “Babylon Rising” story arc, “Sonic Universe” is back in prime shape with this one. “Scrambled” is probably my favorite story arc from the spin-off book's entire history. Funny how that worked out, isn't it? [8/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 237

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 237
Publication Date: May 2012

After thinking on it some more, I've realized another problem I have with Ian Flynn's decision to split up the remaining Freedom Fighters into two separate teams last issue: It's something the book has essentially already done. After “Endgame,” when the Knothole crew was in a time of strife, Sonic and Tails packed up, jumped on an airplane, and decided to fly around the world.

While the circumstances are very different, the Team Fighter concept is very similar. Sonic and Tails are uprooting themselves from the area when they're needed the most. While the World Tour story arc had its purpose – showing how Sonic's world has changed post-”Endgame” – as far as I can tell, there's really no reason for the main crew to go around the world now.

The uninspiredly entitled “Loyalty,”  with the egregiously italicized subtitle “The Right to Rule,” has the newly formed Team Fighter heading back to the Mysterious Cat Country. As the Death Egg floats overhead, Eggman sends Mecha-Sally to destabilize the region. The Freedom Fighter-turn-robot snatches both Lupe and Queen Hathor, causing suspicion to sneak into the uneasy peace between the two groups. Sonic, Tails, and Amy arrive at just the right time, in order to prevent war from breaking out again.

While I'm still burned about Flynn sending the characters on this adventure, I will admit that returning to the Mysterious Cat Country isn't a bad idea. First off, it's always nice to see Lupe and the Wolf Pack. As one of the oldest and most iconic supporting characters in the Archie-verse, seeing these cast members is a treat. Moreover, the conflict between the Wolf Pack and the Felidae has been mined to solid results in the past. The root of the conflict, that neither side is exactly wrong and that their peace is always precarious, makes for good drama. By building all of “Loyalty” around that premise, that Sonic and friends are trying to prevent war from unjustifiably breaking out, lends this issue some tension. Even if the issue itself is mostly set-up and a few uninspired action sequences.

Up to this point, Mecha-Sally's threat level has been more symbolic than anything else. Just the sight of  the Freedom Fighters' leader being turned into a weaponized, robot slave was startling enough. Here in issue 237, we see that Mecha-Sally is dangerous not just because she's a really powerful robot. Turns out Mecha-Sally maintains Sally's skills as a strategist. Grabbing Lupe and Hathor separately, knowing both sides will blame the other and war will begin again, is entirely her idea. That's a nice touch, making her an intellectual threat too.

There's also another ulterior motive behind traveling to this corner of Mobius. Sonic, Tails, and Amy arrive at the Wolf Pack's base just as Lobo is deliberating what to do. The trio realize that if they bring Lupe back before Lobo and the other's finish talking out the next course of action, they can prevent further violence. Two of the young Wolf Pack members, Leeta and Lyco, decide to tag along with Team Freedom. Apparently, the twin sisters want to travel anyway. All of this is setting up Leeta and Lyco's inclusion in the upcoming Secret Freedom Fighters “Sonic Universe” arc.

Why Flynn would highlight these two very obscure characters – yes, I had forgotten about them by this point too – is something I still haven't quite figured out. Maybe he just wanted more female representation? Either way, the sisters don't do too much this issue besides walk around with machetes and dodge some laser fire.

In the back pages we get “Heart to Heart.” The story begins with Mina the Mongoose heading into Freedom HQ. She's there to apologize personally to Nicole, who has retreated further following Antoine falling into a coma and Bunnie leaving the city. Mina and the A.I. have a heart to heart – oh yeah, like the title – and eventually put their differences aside. Then Harvey Who busts in and asks Nicole for a favor, because Flynn just wants you guys to get hyped for the Secret Freedom Fighter arc coming soon in “Sonic Universe” so fucking bad.

My big problem with “Heart to Heart” is that its emotions just aren't earned. There's individual good moments here. Nicole typing out simple text on-screen, talking about the friends she's lost recently, is still effectively stark and sad. However, I just don't buy Mina's apology here. She never really says she's sorry for raging against Nicole in the first place. She says she didn't mean to incite this exact reaction among Mobotropolis population. Which sounds to me like she's trying to shift the blame. Because, as far as I can recall, Mina was pretty specifically calling Nicole out at the start of all this. Then the story segues into Mina giving the depressed Nicole a pep-talk before yet another Harvey Who-related teaser, which further deflates a story lacking heart that desperately needed it.

So I'm not too sure what to think about this one. The cover story has a really good idea but is still more set-up than a fully satisfying story in its own right. The back-up has some fucking problems. At least the artwork is nice. Steven Butler is back for the cover story and does a great friggin' job. Yardley contributes some good work to the back-up. Hopefully all these plot points that Flynn are setting up pay off. [6.5/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 236

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 236
Publication Date: April 2012

I guess I sometimes give the impression that I'm not the biggest fan of Tracy Yardley. Listen, I like his work. When he's really bringing his A-game, he's among the best “Sonic” artist the book ever saw.  But as his tenure on the book went on, it seemed like his A-game wasn't brought very often. However, one time Yardley was really on the ball was the cover for issue 236. The cover is clearly designed to invoke a wartime poster, encouraging the people to fight and stay strong. Granted, the red, white, and blue color scheme doesn't make much sense on Mobius but those colors work together for a reason. The point is, it's one of my favorite covers.

“Cry Freedom” - oooh, that's a dramatic title – begins with Sonic seriously demoralized. After so many losses, he feels utterly hopeless. Luckily, Tails and Amy are there to snap him out of their funk. With Rotor, they make a bold proposal to the Council of Acorn. Two Freedom Fighters teams will form, one focused on protecting the city, the other focused on disrupting Eggman's empire abroad. This stradegy is put to the test as Robotnik's Death Egg floats over near-by Furville and attempts to take the village over.

“Cry Freedom” starts in a pretty compelling place. Within the span of about a week, Sonic has lost Sally, Antoine, Bunnie, Nicole, and the trust he had in the people of Mobotropolis. That's a pile-up that would bum anybody out, even if they are a speedy, quibbing hedgehog. I wish Flynn had explore the possibility of a hopeless Sonic a little more. It takes all of a page for Tails and Amy to talk him out of his depression. Spending more time would make the emotions Sonic is feeling more meaningful. (He actually says “The Freedom Fighters are done,” a pretty loaded statement for long time fans of this series.) It would also make him overcoming those feeling a bigger deal too. But Sega and certain insufferable Sonic fans get pissed if Sonic is sad for more than two seconds so here we are.

Back in 2012, the introduction of Team Freedom and Team Fighter is around the time my patience in the Mecha-Sally super-arc started to run out. It really felt like a compromise pitched at the “The Only Real Sonic is Sega Sonic” crowd. So now we've got the canon trio of Sonic, Tails, and Amy out there having adventures of their own. Meanwhile, Rotor is stuck at home with a bunch of B-listers, all of which are also drawn from the video games. The traditional team of Sally, Sonic, Rotor, Bunnie, Antoine, and Tails has been dissolved. And, yeah, the franchise's cast had grown much larger than that. The comic's world and the series has arguably grown beyond that core cast. But I can't help but feel like this new status quo, as temporary as it was meant to be, is a violation of what made me love this comic in the first place. I guess this makes me a sound like a bitter SatAM die-hard but SO BE IT.

Putting all of this stuff aside, I guess “Cry Freedom” is a pretty decent action story. The opening sequences devoted to Eggman invading Furville is solid. It also further emphasizes how ruthless Robotnik is getting, as he plans to stomp Furville strictly to crush Mobian morale. In a bit of mildly clever time shuffling, it's reveal that Eggman's invasion of Furville is happening after the events in Knothole. Sonic's Team Fighter leaps into the middle of the fight, quickly turning things around. This is meant to give us an idea of how Team Fighters will work. Sonic is the speedy one, Tails snipes EggSWATs from the Tornado, and Amy smashes shit with her hammer. And if you're into seeing that stuff, I guess it's entertaining.

The back-up story, “Leader of the Band,” attempts to do the same with Team Freedom in much less time. Rotor introduces the city to the line-up, which includes Big the Cat, Cream the Rabbit, and Heavy and Bomb. The introduction is questioned by Naugus, who reassures everyone in Mobotropolis that he alone can safeguard the city. At the point, the Tails Doll Robotnik dropped into Cream's hands back in 231 is a secret weapon. It activates a force field, damaging a building, and forcing Team Freedom into action.

“Leader of the Band” is a story primarily occupied with continuing Flynn's various plot threads. So we see Naugus having more difficulty controlling his schizophrenic inner battle. We see Rotor planning the seeds of mistrust against the new false king in the community. And we have this business with Tails Doll coming into focus. The plot mechanics are so thick, and the page count so short, that we really don't get a good idea of how Team Freedom will work. Rotor is the only one who actually has a personality. Big and Cream are one-note Sega characters that haven't been developed much, if any, past that. Heavy and Bomb, meanwhile, are complete blanks that haven't been seen since issue 154. (And that was a completely different, evil version of Heavy and Bomb.)

Maybe I'm just in a grouchy mood but it seems to me that issue 236, awesome cover aside, resolves some of the stuff Flynn has been setting up in the least interesting way possible. Instead of bringing the hearts and minds of Knothole together during a difficult time, he splits them up. Instead of reinforcing the core cast, he discards half of it. It was at this point that I really wanted the comic to get back tot eh stuff I love – Sonic and Sally and the Freedom Fighters kicking ass – instead of screwing around with this bold, brand new direction. [5/10]