Sonic Universe: Issue 66

Sonic Universe: Issue 66
Publication Date: August 2014

Welcome to my review of issue 66 of “Sonic Universe.” Here we are at the final part of “The Great Chaos Caper,” thank god. The fourth entry in this arc is subtitled “Water a Way to Go,” in reference to the characters nearly drowning to death in a flooded mine shaft. That is maybe the shittiest pun to ever be featured in these comics. Which is saying a lot, since Mike Gallagher was a regular writer at one point. Then again, I guess it’s sort of charming that the book still features such crummy jokes, so many years into its lifespan. Some things never change, I guess.

Anyway, “Water a Way to Go” begins with Knuckles and the Chaotix trapped in said flooded mineshaft with a giant, pissed-off Dark Gaia monster. Meanwhile, the Hooligans are getting away with Chip and the Chaos Emerald. Thanks to some quick thinking and sloppy writing, the Chaotix escape the caved-in area. They pursue the baddies, the monster following them. Soon, another three-way battle ensues, with Chip and the Emerald as the prize.

“The Great Chaos Caper” continues to focus on pedestrian and juvenile humor. The less said about a disgusting panel of Chip hiding in Vector's mouth, the better. Flynn has used aggressively wacky characters as a crutch far too often throughout this story. Bean’s exhaustively goofy comic relief becomes the main focus in this issue. In the beginning, when it looks like the Hooligans might get away with it for once, he bitches that this adventure was insufficiently wacky. Later, Bean is baited by Charmy into attacking the Dark Gaia Titan. This leads to two pages of the duck yelling random bullshit as he bombards the monster with bombs. Enough already.

Yet this is not the only way the writing in this comic is insufficient. How do the Chaotix escape the tight squeeze they’re in at the issue’s beginning? Vector notices one of those beach ball switches, pointed out in the first part of this story, that regulates the mine’s water level. They flip it, opening a drain that allows them to escape. Gee, funny that nobody noticed that sooner? It’s almost as if Flynn placed that switch there suddenly because he wrote himself into an inescapable corner again. It’s another sloppy resolution, coming too soon after the overly convenient appearance of Chaos and Tikal over in the main “Sonic” book. You’ve got to stop doing this, Ian.

Worst yet, it’s a resolution that feels especially hollow. After devoting almost a whole issue to introducing him, Flynn reduces Chip to plot device status here. The wolf-chipmunk-bug contributes nothing to this story, other than being an object traded back and forth between the heroes and the villains. This issue is full of shit like that. After struggling with the Dark Gaia Titan for so many pages, Knuckles just beats the thing to death in the span of a few panels. That definitely feels like the kind of thing he could have done sooner. The issue also ends with the totally baffling decision for the Chaotix to let Knuckles watch over any Chaos Emeralds they find in the future, saying he’ll keep them safe. That... sounds like a scam. What kind of racket are you running here, Knuckles?

About the only thing I find compelling about this issue is the overriding melancholy of Nack the Weasel. As I said earlier, he very nearly completed this mission. He fails partially because of the incompetence of his partners. This is a guy who’s clearly skilled. He has his gun up against Knuckles’ head at one point. In the past, we’ve seen him outsmart Sonic and murder his foes. Yet the universe keeps shitting on him. This climaxes in a panel where Nack has a minor breakdown, going on about how sick he is of nothing ever going his way. That kind of angst is relatable. Flynn is pretty clearly playing Nack’s pain for laughs. He’s a goofy bad guy. We’re not suppose to relate or even root for him. Yet that relatable side makes the weasel way more interesting.

Another way that “The Great Chaos Caper” has been weak is how much it feels like an advertisement for future story lines. Relic’s subplot has been all about setting up the next arc, focusing on Eclipse making a home on Angel Island and plotting revenge on Shadow. The comic even turns its focus on Eclipse for one scene. The last page is set up for the forthcoming “Champions” storyline, the obligatory and tedious fighting tournament arc. Even though that’s several months away. Simply put: Why is this shit in this issue? Flynn, you could barely write this arc in a functional manner. Why are you trying to get us excited for your next disaster? I really wonder if all this isn’t just filler, as this arc was clearly a two issue plot stretched out to four.

It should be evident that I wasn’t much of a fan of this one. “The Great Chaos Caper” exhibits many of my problems with the post-reboot comic: A preoccupation with a lame mythology largely based off Sega’s vague and half-assed plots, established characters reduced to childish and annoying versions of themselves, simplistic A-to-B writing, a focus on weak action and even weaker comedy, and a general sense that the writer is either clueless, hopelessly overwhelmed, or totally phoning it in. The result is a four-parter that was a chore to get through and another comic book that, with the exception of one or two cute scenes, made me nothing but contempt. [4/10]