Sonic Universe: Issue 48

Sonic Universe: Issue 48
Publication Date: January 2013

The final “Sonic Universe” pre-boot arc is one of the most bittersweet for me. After a very rough start, it would solidify in its second half into a strong story. Moreover, it would focus on one character finally being reunited with a long lost relative... In a way that opened the window for future stories. Sadly, one of the mandates that Sega would begin enforcing post-reboot was that no Sega-created characters could have family members. So, even though Sega rarely even acknowledges that Mighty the Armadillo exists, his little sister was cast into the void. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

“All for One: Part Three” begins where we left off, with the Chaotix outside Sandblast City. Among the Sandblaster is “Flex,” who they immediately recognize as Mighty. At first, he acts like he doesn't want to associate with the other three but this is a cover, of course. The Chaotix pretend to be captives while Mighty heads over to the local Dark Egg Legion hang-out, ran by Bunnie's uncle Beauregard, and seeks out Mathilda, his little sister. Things, however, don't go as planned. Especially once the Sandblasters get involved.

Comparing the first half of “All for One” with the second is like night and day. This is the difference between writing a story where your central trio is surrounded by a bunch of lame new characters you don't care about and a story where they reunite with old friends and enemies. Part three is special for the way it deftly combines action and emotions. There are several solid action scenes. The story begins with a fairly well executed rumble between the Chaotix and the Sandblasters. Even better is a beat towards the end where Mighty casually walks into the Dark Egg Legion camp and begins to tear their tanks apart with his bare hands. The panels, which show him ripping treads off or opening up a tank like a tin can, are fantastically drawn.

These fun action scenes stand alongside major emotional moments, which are the main attraction of the issue. The best of these is Mighty's reunion with Matilda. After she reappears, Flynn gives us a brief explanation of her back story but this is almost unnecessary. Mighty hugs his sister, so happy to finally see her. Matilda's emotional growth, it seems, has been crippled by her tragic upbringing. She has no attachment or feelings towards Mighty. It breaks Mighty's heart, drawing attention to what makes this character so great: He's a big tough guy with a big soft heart. Reuniting with his sister has been his primary drive for a while now. Achieving that goal, but at the same time failing, is good drama.

This is not the only character development we get this time around. There's a small moment that shows some growth on Vector's behalf. When it's discovered that Mighty is merely pretending to be a Sandblaster, the other Chaotix rase him over the ways he's rejected Espio and Julie-Su (who isn't mentioned by name, due to the Fearful Pendersing), due to their uncertain loyalties in the past. At first, it seems Vector is going to be his usual obstinate self but, weirdly, he admits that he sometimes has a problem with forgiving people. That's... Surprising to hear. Self-reflection is not something we're used to seeing from Vector the Crocodile.

Ray the Squrriel has the exact opposite problem than many of the characters introduced around the same time. We know all about his backstory, how he spent a decade blipping back and forth through dimensions while clinging to a Time Stone. It's his personality that has been largely unexplored. We get a good probe into that here as well. While Mighty is away retrieving his sister, Ray expresses his fears that Mighty will abandon him, his surrogate family, now that he has a real family. The other Chaotix assure him this won't happen. But it's a good moment, letting us know that Ray also fears rejection and loosing those he cares about.

Another element improving part three over the first two parts is its antagonists. Lord Hood was a pretty lame baddie, with more-or-less nothing interesting about him. The Sandblasters, meanwhile, are compelling villains we've met before. The completely self-interested, treacherous, and isolationist Sand Blast Freedom Fighters are different from the usual power-mad tyrants or raving psychopaths the comic's heroes fight. The Sandblasters do not revel in their villainy. They believe their actions are totally justified. In fact, many of their goals aren't even evil themselves. It's their asshole methods that make them bad guys. This is evident in this issue. Jack Rabbit is still a petty bully and a ruthless thug. It's these elements that push the story towards conflict at the issue's end, leading to a fantastic cliffhanger.

Here's just the hard facts: Flynn is frequently at his best when playing in someone else's sandbox. His best work usually comes from improving upon or remixing someone else's work. Give him a group of interesting characters and he can grow them into something much stronger, as depicted here. Force him to come up with new characters on the spot, and we get the lackluster first two issues of this arc. This bodes well for the conclusion of “All for One” but not for the upcoming reboot. [8/10]