Sonic Super Special Magazine: Issue 10

Sonic Super Special Magazine: Issue 10
Publication Date: January 2014

At the start of this year, I talked about what exactly the “Sonic Super Digest” and “Sonic Super Special Magazine” were. Out of the two reprints-filled publications, the digests always made more sense to me. Those were easily found in department stores and supermarkets, where the comic could potentially reach an audience that might otherwise be unaware of its existence. But the magazine? It was mostly found in book stores, most of which probably already had the actual “Sonic” comics in stock. This redundancy might be one more reason why the magazine would be canceled after three more issues, while the Digest would run until August of 2016.

Like the Digest, the magazine occasionally hosted brand new stories. Which is why I’m talking about issue 10. In fact, this wasn't even the first time time the magazine featured an original comic. Apparently, issue 3 included a prequel/advertisement for “Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Chapter Two.” I was completely unaware of this factoid until I was doing research for this review. That one came out a while ago and the story is out-of-continuity anyway, so I’m not going to bother with it right now. I will review it eventually, I assure you. My obsessive need to cover every Archie Sonic comic story means I’ll have to.

But, for now, let’s talk about “Sonic Dash,” the five page story exclusive to issue 10 of “Super Special Magazine.” It begins with Sonic running through the Seaside Hill Zone - which looks a lot like the Green Hill Zone - in search of some magic MacGuffin called the Red Star Ring. Though he hopes to achieve this goal alone, he’s soon joined by Tails, Knuckles, and Amy. Quickly, his day out becomes a race to see who can reach the Red Rings first. And that’s it.

If you hadn’t guessed by now, “Sonic Dash” is another quickie advertisement for Sega’s then-latest game. Like the “Sonic Jump” tie-in we previously discussed, this one is also meant to promote a mobile game. “Dash” was an “endless runner,” a genre of free-to-play games that was fairly popular at the time. While that style was a natural fit for the “Sonic” brand, it predictably left little room for story. What are the Red Star Rings? Where do they come from? What do they do? Why are Sonic and his friends so eager to collect them? Why are they located on long, boogie-trap filled pathways? Ian Flynn does not see fit to answer any of these questions across the story’s five pages.

Instead, he goes for comedy, which might have been the best approach anyway. Sonic seems to treat his latest quest as a leisurely, relaxing run. When his friends appear, his mood changes from shock to annoyance quickly. He even suffers some pratfalls because of the distraction. Seeing the usually cucumber cool hedgehog so agitated produces a sensible chuckle, which is probably the best a five pager meant to advertise a mobile game could do.

And, hey, the artwork is nice. As with “Sonic Dash,” Jennifer Hernandez provides the pencils. Once again, her work is superior to the script. Her facial expressions are bright and clear, which is especially important for a comedic story like this. Sonic’s reactions to his interloping friends is where most of the humor comes from. There’s also a good sense of speed and motion, which is also vital for a story where everyone is perpetually moving. Letting new artists cut their teeth on magazine quickies like this was a smart move but I don’t know why it took so long for Hernandez to graduate to proper comic artist. She clearly knows her stuff.

Like the digests, the magazines were primarily composed of reprints. This edition reprints both parts of “At All Costs,” showing newbies the last glimpse of the old continuity and the first look at the new one. Also included is “I Am,” from issue 171 of “Sonic,” and “Living Weapons,” from “Sonic Universe: Issue 1.” For some reason, only the first five pages of “Babylon Rising: Part One,” from issue 33 of “Sonic Universe,” are reprinted here. I’m sure you noticed that all of these stories carefully avoid any Ken Penders created cast members.

I’ll give the magazine this much: It does provide a little more bonus content than the digest does. The magazine includes previews of upcoming issues. That also means some behind the scenes tidbits, such as production artwork and raw pencils of new pages. There’s a letters page, publishing fan-mail. There’s also a review of the Wii-U version of “Sonic: Lost Worlds,” which I’m assuming is not an especially deep examination of the game’s flaws and strengths. In the back is an interview with colorist Steve Downer. Underwhelming trivia, pin-up posters, and doodles from Jon Gray are sprinkled throughout. It’s hardly your one stop spot for all “Sonic” news but I can tell Archie expended a little effort into making this more than just a collection of reprints.

Sonic completest will probably want to grab this for “Sonic Dash.” Though better than that “Sonic Jump” adaptation, it’s still pretty lame. The set-up - I hesitate to call it a “plot” - is senseless. The characterization is at its broadest. Amy is, embarrassingly, reduced to a fawning fan girl. Knuckles is a big, strong doofus. Needless to say, the story is not canon. But I laughed once, so I guess it’s okay. Flynn probably dusted the whole thing off in an evening. That’s as much effort as the task deserved, I’d say. I’m glad Archie shoved these things into the side publications, where they didn’t throw off the flow of the main comic’s plot and could be safely ignored. [5/10]