Sonic Boom: Issue 1

Sonic Boom: Issue 1
Publication Date: October 2014

Some time in the early 2010s, Sega decided that the “Sonic the Hedgehog” franchise did not have the international, multi-media reach it should have. Perhaps they were hoping to recapture the early nineties heydays, when the cool dude with ‘tude was ubiquitous enough that he managed to briefly dethrone Mario as the most popular video game icon. Thus, a new sub-series was conceived, one that would be wackier and zanier in order to appeal more to modern American kids. “Sonic Boom” would receive a huge multi-media push that included video games, a cartoon show, toys from Tomy, and a comic book from Archie.

We all know how this turned out. The video games were bad, memetically so. Fans hated the new designs, like the bulkier Knuckles, the blue-armed Sonic, and the generally more mummy-wrapped and lankier bodies. (Imagine how fans would’ve reacted if Sega had stuck with the even cartoonier initial designs.) Many fans resisted the idea of a comedy-centric Sonic series. Sega must have been so disappointed. It seemed like “Sonic Boom” had failed before it even really started.

However, “Sonic Boom” would eventually become something like the weird cult classic of the “Sonic” universe. The animated series, with its sitcom-esque writing that piled on the absurdity and in-jokes, would win a loyal following. (Despite Cartoon Network constantly messing with its scheduled air times and eventually shuffling it over to more obscure sister network Boomerang.) It was the first “Sonic” cartoon to have over a hundred episodes. Sticks the Badger would become a fan favorite. The toys were produced for many years. So the “Sonic Boom” spin-off franchise exists in a weird place, being both an immediate failure and surprisingly successful.

You could apply this same logic to Archie’s “Sonic Boom” series as well. The comic was well received by fans and apparently sold decently. However, Archie’s floundering finances meant the series only had an abbreviated, eleven issue run. We all know how loyal “Sonic” comic fans are. They kept “Sonic X” running for forty issues and insisted SatAM/AoStH elements stayed in the book throughout its entire lifespan. If Archie wasn’t such a horribly run company, I’m sure “Sonic Boom” would have lasted until the entire “Sonic” comic line abruptly ended a year later.

So, let’s talk about the actual first issue, shall we? The story contained within is entitled “Getting a Little Boulder, Part One of... er... One.” Because this is a comedy series, ya dig? Anyway, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy quickly defeat Dr. Eggman’s latest doom-bot on the beach of the island paradise they inhabit. Afterward, local eccentric Sticks appears to inform them that Tails’ house has been robbed. She’s a little mixed up because the actual house itself has vanished. Turns out, a cyborg rock golem emerged from the ground and carried the structure off in its head. Sonic and the gang quickly tracked the mechanical thief down and bring his homestead-stealing ways to an end.

Being a first issue, “Sonic Boom #1” has the baggage of having to introduce its cast. The episode in the beach with Eggman is devoted to showing how these versions of Sonic and friends are different from the regular ones. Tails and Eggman pause the fight to discuss the mechanics of his robot suit, annoying Sonic. So this Tails is more independent from Sonic and even more of a tinkerer. Eggman is a textbook Sitcom Arch-Nemesis, a comedic adversary meant to drive the plot but not actually hurt anyone. Knuckles is a big, strong dumdum, his idiocy easily setting up gags. Newbie Sticks is an oddball eccentric, fond of conspiracy theories and paranoia. Sonic is basically the same but even snarkier while Amy is the straight-woman.

So, in other words, everyone occupies an easily exploited comedic archetype. This is because all incarnations of “Boom” are, above all else, joke delivery machines. The comic stays true to this gag-heavy objective. It’s as if there was a quota to meet, so many jokes per page. Many of the gags lean on the meta. Characters comment on the introductory logos that appear in word bubbles when their names are spoken. The cast seems partially aware that they’re in a comic book. The humor is referential in other ways. There’s a “Back to the Future” callback during Tails and Eggman’s conversation. This is the sort of big, loose humor modern kids’ entertainment partakes of often.

“Getting a Little Boulder” isn’t written by one of the “Sonic Boom” staff writers though. Instead, Ian Flynn is behind the script. And you can tell Flynn is still adapting to these new versions of the “Sonic” cast. Flynn can be funny but his humor usually comes from character interaction. The writer tries this, mostly in the form of everyone responding with frustration and annoyance at dumbass Knuckles inability to grasp the simplest details. The book mocks Knuckles enough that you start to feel the other characters are being kind of mean to him. Considering the obviously not-serious cliffhanger, this was likely intention. However, it’s not a great look for our heroes to have in the first issue.

Still, issue one of “Sonic Boom” is definitely funny. The best gags tend to be the smaller ones. The brief glimpse we get at Eggman’s lair shows that he decorates everything, even his coat rack and welcome mat, with his evil logo. Every onomatopoeia is proceeded by the “ker-“ sound effect, an amusing gag. Sticks gets some of the issue’s biggest laughs. Such as her brief conversation with Amy about grammar. Or the overly enthusiastic way she describes the cyborg rock golem stealing Tails’ house. Still, the laughs here are more of the reasonable chuckle variety than gut-busters.

The focus clearly isn’t on action, though the panels devoted to Sonic and friends taking down the two giant robots are both well done. This is mostly thanks to Evan Stanley’s artwork. Stanley’s work on the main books is energetic but sometimes a little loose. With “Boom,” she has to stay true to the new series’ design schemes. So her edges are tightened up some while keeping that trademark energy. The result is a clean, colorful, and kinetic looking book that may be among Stanley’s best work.

So “Sonic Boom” definitely shows some growing pains in its debut issue. However, I remember this series finding its rhythm pretty quickly. Flynn’s best work tends to come when he has a blue print to follow and the actual animated series would provide that soon enough. I’m going to give “Getting a Little Boulder” a [6/10] but it’s one of my more enthusiastic sixes. I like Sticks and I like the goofy atmosphere. The book just needs to balance its comedic components a little better.