Sonic Universe: Issue 38

Sonic Universe: Issue 38
Publication Date: March 2012

Look at that cover. If you're a fan of nineties sci-fi/comedy television or cult cinema, you probably recognize it as an obvious reference to “Mystery Science Theater 3000.” This is not the first time Archie's “Sonic” comics have referenced the much loved movie-mocking TV show. Robots based on Crow and Tom Servo briefly appeared in issue 52 of the main “Sonic” book. Aside from the presence of robots, neither series has much in common but I know I'm not the only person who's a fan of both. Both being franchises that originated in nineties, maybe it's likely that nerds that grew up with Sonic also grew up with MST3k. Anyway, that's not really related to the comic book I'm reviewing here.

“Scrambled Part 2: Family” begins with Robotnik leading an attack on Central City, the capital formerly known as Station Square. He's after Snively, who he's tracked to the city. The reason Snively has come to the home of G.U.N. Is to reconnect with Hope, his half-sister. He hopes to convince Hope to come with him to the Dragon Kingdom, so he can hook back up with Regnia. Meanwhile, Robotnik's forces – including Mecha Sally and Metal Sonic – quickly get into a fight with E-123 Omega and G.U.N.'s other robots.

In an interesting change of the norm, with “Family,” Flynn reverses his usual focus. The action scenes happen pretty much in the background while the emotions and the characters are front-and-center. So what about that action? Among Robotnik's troops in Station Square we see these new vehicles that look an awful lot like AT-ATs but with Robotnik's face on them, a really odd and kind of funny inclusion. Eventually, Mecha Sally and Metal Sonic end up attacking Omega from both sides, which is a decent action beat. They then proceed to rip through some jet fighters.

It's all pretty neat stuff but not what elevates this issue. Instead, it's the confrontation between Snively and Hope that makes the aptly named “Family” special. At first, Hope is frightened when Snively sneaks up on her like the creeper he is. However, he quickly calms her down by explaining that she's family, that he cares about her and wants to include her on his latest quest. And Hope almost accepts when Snively starts gloating villainously about his plans to take down both Robotnik and the Freedom Fighters. At that point, Hope violently backhands Snively, slips onto a Fire Shield – yes, Flynn just casually reintroduced a power-up that has been around since “Sonic 3” – and tell hims to get out of her life.

What makes this confrontation effective is that Snively isn't lying when he says he cares about Hope. He happily confirms to her that they share a father, that they're full-blooded siblings. He references the time he warned her about Robotnik flattening Knothole to the ground. Snively may be a miserable, pathetic bastard but he genuinely loves Hope. And her rejection really stings. That's the tragedy of Snively. He's not just a scheming baddie. He's capable of real human feelings and affection. But he's so obsessed with revenge, with taking the power he feels he's owed, that he alienates the last person in the world that might actually loved him in return. At the same time, Hope is totally justified in telling Snively to fuck off. It's sad, affecting stuff.  

“Scrambled Part 2” also creates a prime supporting role for the always delightful Omega. He's introduced marching into battle, relishing another opportunity to blast enemy robots and blow shit up. Seeing Omega wax romantically about the glory of violence is always entertaining. However, Omega even gets a touching emotional beat! After Snively runs off and Robotnik retreats, Omega sneaks down to find Hope in her lab, moping in her Fire Shield. He attempts to comfort the girl, asking her not to “leak” anymore before admitting he was not “built to comfort.” It's a moment that's both funny and surprisingly poignant for the same reason. Forcing Omega into an emotional, reassuring mode takes the death-bot out of his comfort zone.

There's one downside to “Scrambled Part 2.” The issue prominently features the G.U.N. crowd, most of whom are not especially compelling.  Out of all the Grandmasters, Hugo Brass seems to have the least amount of personality, his Legionizing turning him into a mindless automaton. Flynn even has Eggman asking Hugo why he's so fucking boring. Throughout the issue, it's also revealed that Robotnik has legionized the boy band commandos, those lame anime-haired soldiers Steven Butler introduced along with the rest of the Station Square crew. This stuff just makes me yawn. This is one of the few corners of the “Sonic” universe that I have zero investment in.

Jamal Peppers' artwork improves a little from the last issue, a little more of his own style sneaking into things. His rendition of Hope is certainly stronger than the overly round little girl Yardley draws. While the rocketing pace of the previous issue made me like it a little more, this is still a really strong issue. The interaction between Snively and Hope really pushes this one to another level. All things considered, “Scrambled” continues to be a really strong story arc. [8/10]