Sonic Super Digest: Issue 9

Sonic Super Digest: Issue 9
Publication Date: October 2014

Here we are, once again, talking about the Sonic Super Digest. In the handful of times when I’ve talked about this series and the Sonic Comic Origins exclusive to it, I guess I haven’t mentioned something: Unlike most of the comics I’ve talked about on this blog, I’ve never read these stories before. I was actually totally unaware of their existence for a long time. When I discovered what the digests contained, I looked them up and skimmed them. So this retrospective is the first time I’m actually getting some insight into the new origins for many classic characters. I’ve found my opinions have frequently changed upon a re-read but I guess you’ll just have to take these fresh.

Ian Flynn continues to work his way through the revamped histories of the classic SatAM cast. “The Belle in the Machine” focuses on Bunnie. Continuing where the last “Sonic Comic Origins” story left off, the Freedom Fighters are still working their way through a training simulation occupied by “Sonic Spinball” bosses. While waiting for a signal from Sally, Bunnie reflects on her past. She remembers how she was injured during Eggman’s takeover of Mobotropolis, how Uncle Chuck used his experimental Roboticizer to heal her, and the struggles – and eventual victories –  she endured adapting to this change.

Most of the Freedom Fighters’ post-reboot origins have not differed that much from their preboot histories. Most of the ideas were general enough – exiled princess turned resistance leader, cowardly would-be soldier turned hero, genius inventor separated from his family for whatever reason – that the book didn’t have to change them too much. Bunnie’s origin is probably the most different. SatAM never answered where Bunnie’s robotic came from while the comic did. Even though Mike Gallagher would never sue Archie, the company clearly still wanted to distance itself from any plot points introduced by previous writers. So now Bunnie, instead of being a random farmer abducted by SWATBots and rescued by Sonic mid-Roboticization, is a victim of Robotnik’s coup and Uncle Chuck is responsible for her cybernetics.

Perhaps a more vital difference is how Bunnie’s transformation affected her here versus how it did in the original continuity. Way back in issue 3 of “Sonic,” Bunnie takes about a page to recover from being partially Roboticized. She immediately embraces her new limbs, karate kicking and disabling giant robots before the story’s end. In the reboot, the healing process clearly takes much more time. Bunnie is shown wobbling around on her new limbs, unsteady and uncertain. Now, the support from the Freedom Fighters and Antoine’s love helps Bunnie grow into the strong, confident woman she is now. Which is very different from Bunnie’s original conception as someone who hides her insecurities with a confident exterior. But it also emphasizes how much the Freedom Fighters depend on each other, which is nice too.

I don’t know if Lamar Wells drew all of these stories at once and they were just published sporadically or if they were drawn as they were commissioned. I assumed the former at first, considering this is essentially one story arc being regularly interrupted by lengthy flashbacks. However, now I wonder if the latter is true. Wells is clearly having an off day with “The Belle in the Machine.” The earliest flashbacks, showing Bunnie as a child either frolicking with friends or being crushed by a collapsing house, are very flat in appearance. It’s a clear difference between the more action packed scenes in the present, like a cool panel of Sonic and Sally tearing up some chains. Those moments are up to Wells’ usual standards. But, whatever, we all have off days. It’s fine.

Proving that gimmickry never really died at Archie, this issue is promoted as a Special Edition of Sonic Super Digest. The special part manifests in a few bits of bonus content. Such as a Top Ten list counting down “Our Favorite Things About the New Sonic Comic Universe,” and brief articles about the Freedom Fighters’ new looks and the Shattered World Crisis. All of this stuff, but the top ten list especially, emphasizes how great the new continuity is supposed to be. In other words, these bonuses are propaganda from Archie. It’s painfully insincere corporate belching about how you should totally love the super great new universe, the previous timeline might as well not exist, and we have always been at war with Eastasia. I ain’t buying it but a lot of Archie Sonic fans actually think this way.

There's also a difference in which reprints are included in this digest. The last digest we covered featured some deep cuts, going all the way back to the comic's early years. This digest features stories exclusively written by Ian Flynn, from the last ten years or so. (And most more recent than that.) The reason for this is pretty obvious. In between the eighth and ninth digest, Archie got the memo that you can't republish old stories and art without paying the writers/artists residuals. That's probably common sense for most companies but not Archie, a company determined to be the sketchiest motherfuckers in an industry heavily populated by sketchy motherfuckers.  Though several stories are completely unrelated – like the still very new “Damage Control” from “Sonic: 257” and “Waves of Change: Part 1” from “Sonic: 260 – there was at least an attempt to theme some of these to Bunnie. She's a main character in parts 3 and 4 of “Trouble in Paradise” and “Thicker Than Water: Part 1.”

So what else can I say about that? Bunnie's rejiggered origin is fine, a decent take on the character that also fits in more with the revamped universe. The rest of the digest's content just sort of makes me laugh at how hard it was trying to promote a reboot that clearly saw some blowback. I maintain that the Sonic Comic Origins definitely should have been included in the main book, instead of shuffled over to an easily overlooked side publication like this. [6/10]