Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 251

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 251
Publication Date: August 2013

Well, here we are, guys. Issue 251 is the final part of the “Worlds Collide” crossover I’ve been talking about all month. But the comic is even more loaded than that. This is the last issue of “Sonic” connected to the original continuity. Mecha Sally makes a cameo here, alongside a spiffy re-design of Mecha Sonic. I hope you enjoyed that becomes it’s the last time we see that particular iteration of that character. Say goodbye once and for all to the “Sonic” comic we knew and alternatingly loved and tolerated for twenty years, because it’s a completely different animal from this point on.

Flynn giving the last part the super awkward subtitle “Worst of the Worst” is, I guess, somewhat justified as this part is subtitled the complimenting “Best of the Best.” Things are looking grim for our heroes. Sonic and Mega Man are captured, their friends are held back by Wily’s robots, and the mad scientist are about ready to rewrite all dimensions into their twisted vision. Luckily, the friendly Robot Masters arrive on the battlefield, sent by Roll. Knuckles, Protoman, Dr. Light, and Rush are freed up to help the blue guys. Now free, Sonic and Mega Man grab the Chaos Emeralds and go Super Saiyan. But the battle isn’t over yet...

Though it had one hell of a rocky start, “Worlds Collide” does wrap up with a properly cinematic conclusion. A lot is going on in this comic book. Flynn successfully conveys the scope of this story, showing different characters in different locations struggling against the odds. The stakes started too low but they are properly elevated now. Watching the heroes come together to save the day is satisfying. It feels like the climax of a big action movie and that’s nice.

I also like that Flynn doesn’t have Sonic and Mega Man save the day alone. The good Robot Masters make their first appearance in the crossover here, rushing in to give Sonic’s posse assistance. The Mega Man readers probably appreciated that. Without Knuckles, Sonic’s ass would be cooked. Considering the echidna hasn’t been given much to do in this story, that’s a nice turn of events. The rest of Sonic’s supporting cast is sidelined but, considering Sega and Capcom probably would have been fine with just the stars saving the day, it’s nice to see them included at all.

Of course, Sonic and Mega Man are primarily responsible for stopping the bad guys. Inevitably, Sonic transform into Super Sonic. Equally inevitably, Mega Man transforms into a similarly chromatic super form called Super Mega Man. This is absolutely the stuff of fan fiction crossovers, so it’s not surprising. Truthfully, Sonic going Super aboard the Death Egg and crushing a giant robot piloted by Robotnik is something we’ve seen before. It’s almost the exact same ending as the “Genesis” arc. Another problem is, once Super Sonic and Super Mega Man show up, the story’s tension totally deflates. The hedgehog reminds the boy robot repeatedly that they are effectively invulnerable in this form. They can no longer be hurt. Which totally throws the question of whether the heroes will succeed out the airlock. Nothing can stop them now.

By this point, Eggman and Wily’s friendship has completely dissolved. They are now begrudgingly working together, often snipping at one another from inside their death machine. Which is a different dynamic than what we’ve seen up to this point. Equally amusing is the villains choosing to sabotage each other in such a way that it costs them both their victory. It would seem hubris are Eggman and Wily’s greatest flaw. If both weren’t so certain they could outsmart the other, they probably would’ve won this. (Okay, no, they wouldn’t have, because this is a kid’s comic and they’re the bad guys. But you grasp my meaning.)

In the final pages of the crossover, after Sonic and Mega Man send Wily and Eggman plummeting into the planet’s upper atmosphere, they each attempt to Chaos Control their worlds back to normal. Mega Man gets the handle of it immediately and is sent back home. Sonic, however, is attacked by Eggman just as he’s about to reset his world. Thus, the set-up for the reboot is put in place.

I have very mixed feelings about this. I guess if the comic had to be rebooted, this would be the smoothest point to do so. But putting the dividing line in a crossover, in a weird continuity neutral zone, still feels like a cheat to me. Essentially, a different version of Sonic, without any of the history we know, just tossed away the version we do know. And the manner in which it happens – Robotnik tackles Sonic, causing him to fuck up the Chaos Control pattern or whatever – still feels like a desperation, last minute decision.

As you can see, I continue to be way more interested in this crossover’s affect on the main storyline than on its actual plot. Taking “Worlds Collide” on its own, it’s a mildly entertaining event. It had a rough start, a tedious middle section, but came together for an okay ending. But I still have a lot of problems with how Flynn executed this one and still don’t find it to be very satisfying as a whole. I’m giving this specific issue a [6/10] and would probably rank the entire crossover as a [5/10.]