Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 248

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 248
Publication Date: May 2013

After two issues of stalling, we have finally gotten to the brawl between Sonic and Mega Man. I’m not sure what Ian’s method was here. Maybe he just really wanted to get that setup out the way, even though violence is the only reason we’re here. Maybe he intentionally scheduled things so that the fight would begin in the next issue of “Sonic,” so that Sonic-only readers wouldn’t miss the most exciting part. I don’t know. I just know that I would’ve led with the mindless violence and gotten to the other stuff later.

“When Worlds Collide: Part Three” is subtitled “No Holds Barred” and, indeed, there are no holds in this issue. With all prefaces out of the way, Sonic and Mega Man’s battle in Green Hill Zone can commence. While Eggman and Dr. Wily gleefully watch their greatest enemies wail on each other, the Roboticized Masters arrive with a pilfered Chaos Emerald. Mega Man’s family, meanwhile, finds a way to send help to their robotic hero.

Maybe there’s a third possibly I didn’t consider in the first paragraph. Maybe Flynn is just trying to pad this thing out so it’ll take up the entire summer. Whatever the reason, we are finally allowed to see the fight between Sonic and Mega Man. And it’s pretty cool. Sonic happily uses the environment against Rock. He tries to crush him with one of those floating platforms. He springs off the stage’s bumpers, to tackle and slam the robot. He runs into the loops to avoid fire. Mega Man does keep Sonic on his feet and gets in one good punch. And, yes, the sheer novelty value of seeing two video game icons beat the crap out of each other goes a long way.

Flynn can’t overcome a big problem hero-on-hero fights frequently face. Namely, these guys never try to talk things out or reason with one another before the fisticuffs begin to fly. Now, Sonic’s natural cockiness and impatience gives him something of an excuse. But what about Mega Man? At one point, he even thinks to himself how odd this situation is, how his opponent talks about fighting his own evil scientist and how he’s clearly not a robot. Rock shakes off this uncertainty, strictly so the fight can go on longer. Again, Flynn could have avoided these contrivances if he just had the Genesis Wave predispose both heroes to fight each.

While the writer has to push believablity to get the heroes to duke it out, the mad scientists’ reactions to each other are more likely. Eggman and Dr. Wily are best friends. They spend most of the issue flattering each other. Honestly, the constant praise is so ebullient, that I expect the villains to go down on each other at any point. They even share an “evil bro-fist!”

Allow me to read too much into shit. Eggman and Wily are amoral would-be tyrants that want to recreate the world in their image. Which suggests a certain narcissistic sociopathy. The two don’t actually know each other that well but see one another as kindred spirits because they reflect their narcissism back at each other. They’re so similar that they cease to be two people, united in their goal of world domination. Or maybe Flynn just thought it would be funny.

While the crossover has, thus far, been focused on the bad guys and main heroes, part three takes the time to develop Mega Man’s supporting cast. Dr. Light and Roll get more to do, while we meet Auto, who seems to be some sort of mechanical assistant to Light. When Protoman return to the lab, battle damaged, Light goes in for a hug. Proto steps back, showing that these two still have some issue to overcome, even in this idealized universe. There’s also a cute moment when Roll sternly talks Protoman into getting some repairs. It’s always cute when the stoic badass takes orders from the little girl, just because she’s that fucking persuasive. I’m getting a real Wolverine/Kitty Pride vibe from these two.

After two issues that seemed a little uncertain, Jamal Peppers’ artwork finally evens out. The two casts finally seem to go together. The Sonic characters are Sonic-y, the Mega Man characters are Mega-Man-y, but they both seem like they can coexist. The action is fluid and fun, though it stops just short of being truly dynamic. (Imagine what Spaz could’ve done with this fight.) Peppers’ facial expressions are also very strong in this issue, especially during that panel where Roll’s stern face is reflected in Protoman’s visor. That gives the mindless fighting some emotional resonance, even if just a little.

By the way, Mega Man totally gets his ass kicked. Sonic’s natural speed allows him to deliver numerous blows before the robot even has time to react. If his friends hadn’t intervene, Mega Man would’ve been toast for sure. I’m sure Ian is just playing up Sonic’s home field advantage this time. The issue concludes with Mega Man teleporting the hedgehog to his home city, suggesting that the Blue Bomber will dominate the next round of the fight. But I’m pretty confident that, in a straight-up gladiatorial match, Sonic still would’ve won.

Anyway, part three of “Worlds Collide” is easily the best so far. It’s still pretty silly and thin but at least the crossover is finally delivering on its promise of hot hedgehog-on-robot action. [6/10]