Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 11

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 11
Publication Date: November 28, 2018

I’ve seen this meme going around the Blog-o-sphere. This idea that 2018 has felt like it’s been going on for a hundred years, yet November sped by in a flash. I gotta say, I can relate to that. Thanksgiving has come and gone, Christmas looms, and November is practically over. I thought I was still hung-over from October but, no, apparently everyone feels this way too. The end of the month also means it is time for another issue of IDW’s “Sonic” book and my corresponding weekend update. After last month’s delays, I guess I shouldn’t keep you guys waiting for this one...

In its third part, “The Battle for Angel Island” seems to have reached its climax. Transformed into his draconian final form, Metal Sonic has snatched the Master Emerald away from its shrine. With the floating island now in free fall, the Resistance scrambles to save the day, Sonic thinking up a last minute plan. Meanwhile, some asshole named Dr. Starline has snatched kindly Mr. Tinker and seems determine to restore him back to his Eggman-y glory.

I’ve had so many mixed thoughts about Metal Sonic since he assumed the title of main villain earlier in the year. I’ve never been much of a fan of the character in general, finding his laser-focused determination to destroy Sonic an uninspired motivation. Yet in this comic series, his occasionally brutal tactics has certainly made him an intimidating villain from time to time. While allowing him to transform into a kaiju-sized robo-dragon seemed like a desperate way to raise the stakes, Metal Overlord or whatever he’s calling himself proves to be a convincing threat. Using his sheer size and power, he pushes the good guys to the limit. He gloats all the while in an especially overblown fashion, finally adding some theatrical color to this literally robotic enemy.

Better yet, Flynn didn’t rely on an easy out to save the day. Blaze exhausted her Burning super form last time. Sonic doesn’t have access to any of the MacGuffins that’ll make him go Super. If the heroes are going to save the day, they have to do it without their God Mode upgrades. That’s a nice way to raise tension. Moreover, watching the good guys think their way out of a scenario is far more satisfying than just having them press the “Instant Win” button that the super forms frequently prove to be.

So Sonic mocks Metal, playing on his obvious insecurities at being based on him. The Resistance gives it all they’ve got, attacking all at once. Tails rams Metal with the Egg Fleet ship he’s piloting, while Knuckles frantically tries to pry the Master Emerald loose. That former point is the most compelling, as Tails really risks his life by pulling off a suicidal maneuver. In other words: Heroes doing hero shit, ostensibly the reason we’re all reading this comic book. Sonic even expresses worry about Tails, when the young fox doesn’t immediately reappear after the fight is over. (This seems to bring the rear Tails had of loosing his friends, that he showed in the first issue, full circle.) Flynn doesn’t quite give everybody something notable to do, though he tries. Silver using his psychic powers to grab the heroes out of the air is a nice moment.

This issue also seems to suggest that the delightful Mr. Tinker subplot will soon be coming to an end. Rough and Tumble strap the kindly handyman down to a table while Dr. Starline applies some brain-zapping goggles. Starline, seemingly a sinister psychologist with an Eggman fetish, seems determined to bring the Doctor’s evil side back. Hopefully Flynn will play that for some drama, instead of just having the big bad immediately return to his old ways. If he wants to take a cue from his old “Sonic X” issues, where moonlighting as heroic wrestler El Gran Gordo made Eggman realize being good feels good, that would be nice.

Whether this Starline guy proves to be a compelling villain in his own right is still up in the air. He seems to have a somewhat effete attitude, making him different from most of the villains in this book. His little John Lennon glasses remind me of Kagato from “Tenchi Muyo!,” which is never a bad show to allude to. His design is definitely garish though. He wears a plum colored double-breasted blazer, pointy elf shoes, and a glove with a hypnotizing spiral on it. Not to mention the weirdest fucking comb-over on his head. Apparently he’s suppose to be a platypus but he looks more like a cetacean with a duckbill. Considering the similarly over-designed Whisper, piling too many accessories onto new characters is a real bad habit this book is showing.

Art duties this time are split between Tracy Yardley and Evan Stanley. Both of whom do fine though neither of their work is as flashy as it’s been recently. “The Battle for Angel Island” concludes on a suitably action-packed note. However, Flynn balances that action with some decent character moments and an appropriate deployment of dramatic tension. The arc started strong, flagged some in the middle, but seems to have wrapped up well enough. Sounds like Flynn will be doing a more slow-paced issue next time, which sounds like a good strategy. [7/10]