Sonic/Mega Man Free Comic Book Day 2015

Sonic/Mega Man Free Comic Book Day 2015
Publication Date: May 2015

Archie was frequently not great at scheduling. This was a problem when it came to their big events. Free Comic Book Day comes every May. Yet the April 2015 issues of Archie’s “Sonic” books take place after the events of that year’s FCBD special. Of course, most of these issues were all doing the same thing: Preparing the readers for “Worlds Unite,” the next Sonic/Mega Man crossover event. Yes, kids, the next five weeks or so will be taking us back to Crossover Land. Oh boy, am I excited. As they did in 2013, Archie split that year’s FCBD special between the speedy hedgehog and the Blue Bomber.

The Sonic half is devoted to “Sonic Comic Origins: Into the Unknown,” which seems to take place after the end of “Champions” but before the conclusion of “Spark of Life.” Sonic is going for a leisurely jog through a coastal area when Dr. Eggman attacks. This battle is interrupted when a massive dimensional wedgie opens up. Some sort of lava-y dragon harlequin baby pops out, causing Robotnik to flee. Luckily, Silver arrives on the scene and helps Sonic to put that thing back where it came from. Afterwards, the telekinetic explains that the events of the Super Genesis Wave has caused dimensional portals to open all throughout time. Gee, I wonder if those could allow people to jump between worlds and zones?

Before actually talking about this story, it’s time for one of my favorite activities: Needless nerd pedantry! The Sonic story contained within the 2015 FCBD is identified as a Comic Origins story. These have usually been used to expand on the new, post-reboot backstories of Sonic’s supporting cast. “Into the Unknown” gets this branding despite not being devoted to anyone’s origins. I guess we learn a little about Silver’s home world here but that’s about it. Unless the origin we’re learning here are for the Genesis Portals, which seems like a cheat. I’m just saying, Archie: Don't say this series of stories is for one thing and then use it for another thing.

Instead, “Into the Unknown” is devoted to two things: Action and exposition. Sonic and Silver refer to the monster as an ifrit, even though it doesn’t look like an Islamic fire spirit. Apparently, they fought this thing before during the events of “Sonic Rivals 2,” a video game I don’t think I knew existed an hour ago. Anyway, the action scenes are serviceable. There’s a couple of cool moments of Silver tossing Sonic through the air using his telekinesis. The fight is mildly neat but has a disappointing ending, with Sonic simply luring the monster back to its home dimension.

The second half of the story is devoted to explaining the mechanics behind the Genesis Portals. It seems you can’t just reboot an entire multi-verse without some unforeseen circumstances. It's as if the shards of the shattered universe are flying backwards and forwards through time, tearing holes in the dimensional fabric of reality. The science behind that seems... Questionable. But this is not meant to be actual ramifications of Sonic's actions during “Worlds Collide.” Instead, it's a convenient plot device to set up future crossovers and other inter-dimensional shenanigans. Under more than two minutes of scrutiny, this shaky justification for the incoming crossover is revealed as undeniably shallow.

This issue also happens to introduce one of my least favorite reboot characters. Hanging out with Silver in the future is Professor von Schlemmer. Like Breezie, von Schlemmer has is origins on “Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.” Like that version of the character, he's an eccentric but ultimately morally upright super-genius scientist. The comic ditches the cartoon version's more annoying attributes. However, it keeps his eye-seering visual components. For some reason, von Schlemmer has turquoise colored skin and blazing orange hair with a yellow lightning bolt through it. That kind of color palette was acceptable in a day-glo cartoon show but looks really out-of-place here. He also has oddly mechanical patches on his face and skin. It all makes him look like a half-undead corpse, some sort of weird Frankenstein monster. There's no explanation for why von Schlemmer is so viscerally unpleasant to look at.

Adam Bryce Thomas provides the artwork and, hey, it's pretty damn good. There's a fantastic sense of motion and action to Thomas' work here. Sonic always looks very sleek and fast, Thomas usually portraying the hedgehog in motion. The Ifrit looks fittingly grotesque, a giant and squirming whale baby made of bubbling magma. Yet Thomas' work is strong enough that it's visually compelling even when not focusing on the action scenes. A shot of Silver levitating Sonic, who is rather casually about the situation, gets most of its humor from Thomas' artwork.

So what about that Mega Man story? I had long since stopped reading the “Mega Man” comic by this point but figured, for the sake of professionalism, I should at least give this half of the free comic a look. “World of Payne” mostly revolves around Xander Payne, a reoccurring adversary of Mega Man's, exclusive to the comic book. The story is devoted to explaining his back story and seems to do this largely by recycling panels from previous comic books. Apparently Payne is an anti-robotics extremist, whose terrorist actions threatens both organic and mechanical beings. After an encounter with a time machine threw him into the future and back, Payne has been captured. In his cell, he rambles about future events... including another visit from a blue hedgehog.

I don't have too much to say about this one, other than the very strong pun in the title. Payne does seem to be a more compelling villain than Dr. Wily, who is primarily motivated by his ego and the petty need to humiliate his rivals. Though we don't see much of it here, I bet some of Payne's concerns about the effects robots are having on humanity are valid. So he's already way more complex than most of Mega Man's rogue gallery. I dislike using so many different artists and art-style in this story, which certainly leads to a schizophrenic appearance. And the set-up for “Worlds Unite” is as blatant and distracting here as it is in the “Sonic” half.

So it's a pretty mediocre Free Comic Book Day special. The “Mega Man” story is a glorified clip show, albeit one devoted to a fairly interesting villain. The “Sonic” story is mildly fun as an action story but offers little else, aside from rocketing us towards the next big crossover. I don't have especially strong feelings either way about this one, though they veer slightly towards the negative. [5/10]

Sonic Boom: Issue 6

Sonic Boom: Issue 6
Publication Date: April 2015

It’s so surprising to me that the old first issue gamble still works. You know what I mean: Relaunching a comic book series with a new number one issue. The prospector market for comics is dead and those DC New 52 number ones aren’t worth shit. Yet the big two still pull this crap all the time. I guess new readers are willing to jump on a new number one, in the hopes that’ll be a new beginning. Notably, Archie never performed this re-numbering scheme nearly as much, never re-launching the “Sonic” books even when they probably should’ve. I guess that’s why they devoted the cover of “Sonic Boom: Issue 6” to mocking the number one spiel. It’s kind of a messy, lame cover though, isn’t it?

Issue 6 begins a two-parter entitled “Everybody’s Super Sonic Racing.” Am I the only one who sings that to the tune of Loverboy? Anyway, Eggman sends a high-speed courier robot to deliver a message to Sonic. All the heroes are invited to participate in a friendly go-karting with the Doctor. Sticks is immediately suspicious and opts out. The others decide to see where this is going. Naturally, it’s a trap. Eggman has outfitted the go-carts with mysterious devices and littered the race track with traps.

When talking about “Sonic and Sega All-Star Racing” a while ago, I mentioned Nintendo’s “Mario Kart” series and the burning jealousy I imagine Sega felt towards it. Sega is still chasing that kart spin-off dream, since they are about to release another sure-to-be-mediocre racing game. There’s a big silly element that these (usually out-of-continuity) spin-offs ignore: Why is the hero and his most hated enemy going on a civil go-cart race together? It’s a logic gap this issue of “Sonic Boom” is designed to mock. Multiple times, the comic points out how ridiculous its entire premise is, even including a direct jab at the “Mario Kart” franchise.

So it’s a fruitful set-up for a comedy story. There’s a lot of amusing moments here, usually involving the various ways the racers crash. My favorite is Comedy Chimp. While racing, the devil on his shoulder encourages him to crash his kart, saying the tabloid attention it’ll get him will be worth any injuries. The angel on his other shoulder eagerly agrees with him, an amusing touch. Also funny is how Knuckles is taken out. Eggman has included a bomb-shaped robot among the racers. Knuckles later passes the machine and is so incensed by the other driver’s refusal to say hi that he ends up activating the bomb. This is the good kind of absurdity that “Sonic Boom” has become especially adapt at.

Not all the gags are as strong. Amy stopping her Kart because a line of (robotic) ducks is walking in front of her is amusing. If that gag had just gone on, if the parade of marching water fowl never ended, that would’ve been a good gag. Instead, the robo-geese turn hostile and attack Amy. Eehh, not as funny. I’m also not super fond of Orbot and Cubot taking each other out via bickering, though it is mildly amusing that Cubot’s airbag deploys after the crash.

I would’ve liked to have seen Sticks get involved in this craziness. However, her paranoia being correct for once – one hundred percent correct, it turns out – is both in-character and a solid joke. The meta gags of that nature are fairly strong in this issue. After Tails aimlessly slides off a cliff side, he breaks the fourth wall to explain different kinds of stupidity. A cute gag has Sonic tripping over his own introductory tag near the story’s beginning. That’s a clever way to break the traditional rules of comics. The “Ker-“ sound effect running gag continues and would be annoying if it wasn’t easy to ignore.

Once again, the art duties are being traded between Ryan Jampole and Jennifer Hernandez. As it was last time, there’s an easy way to figure out who drew which panels. If the characters look comfortable and expressive, if the action is funny and spiffy, that’s Hernandez. If the characters look stiff and awkward, if the action is flat and lifeless, that’s Jampole. This is most obvious in the panel where the cheetah-shaped courier-bot suddenly turns and runs away from Team Sonic. The way Jampole draws it makes it look like the cheetah-bot just randomly veers off to the left side of the panel.

While not as funny as the last few issues, “Sonic Boom” remains reliably entertaining with its sixth installment. It’s good to know when can always count on the silly versions of Sonic and the gang for some goofy, good-natured laughs. It’s a bummer there’s only five issues left and three of them are part of the “Worlds Unite” crossover. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 271

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 271
Publication Date: April 2015

Here we are at the end of “Champions,” guys. It looks like we’ve got one more regular issue of “Sonic,” and a few from the other various series, before we are all launched back into “Megaman” crossover land. I would say the crossover completely derails the momentum the rebooted comic had gained. Except the reboot still hasn’t picked up much speed, has it? After a year and change, we are still no closer to resolving the Shattered World Crisis. I know I keep harping on this point but, seriously, it should not have taken this long. You should really resolve the crisis created by the last crossover before launching into the next crossover.

Anyway, that’s all besides the point. The last part of “Champions” is subtitled “Finale: The Ones Left Standing,” which makes this story sound way more dramatic than it will actually be. Sonic and Knuckles continue their title bout, bantering all the while. That’s when everything descends into chaos. Bean explodes the generator, plunging the stadium into darkness. Metal Sonic swoops in and grabs the Chaos Emerald out of Breezie’s vault. The robot nearly gets away but Tails wallops him right at the end. The Freedom Fighters get the Emerald, Breezie makes lots of money, and the world is still hopelessly tittering towards total annihilation.

Fighting tournament arcs are suppose to build towards the big climatic final showdown. (Action anime usually milks several episodes out of final fight, because comics aren’t the only medium with pacing problems.) So it’s sort of funny that Sonic and Knuckles’ fight here is the least important part of the story. The two are joking and reminiscing the whole time. After Sonic learns that the Master Emerald got shattered again, he even offers to throw the fight for Knuckles. There’s no tension over who will win and who will loose. These two are basically playing, giving the audience a good show. And the fight is interrupted halfway through and never concluded. I doubt this was an intentional subversion of fan expectations but it’s sort of interesting when looked at through that perspective. Though I bet some people were still super disappointing.

Then again, it’s not like we haven’t seen Sonic and Knuckles fight before. The two heroes remind us, through dialogue, that they’ve fought plenty of times in the rebooted continuity. Who will win the Chaos Emerald is a serious question but “Champions” continues to be, more-or-less, a comedy. We get a farcical flashback, where Scratch, Grounder, and Coconuts each try to earn credit for discovering the Emerald in the first place. During Sonic and Knuckles’ fight, there’s a funny two page spread showing the enthusiastic reactions of everyone watching. Bean and the Hooligans continue to be ridiculous characters, the duck affixing bombs with bubblegum. This is a very goofy comic book.

Even the most serious moment, when Metal Sonic flies in and nearly gets away with the Emerald, is accented by comedy. No guards are present to challenge him, which confuses the robot. The series of panels of the Freedom Fighters attempting to stop him are silly and comedic. After Tails socks him, with Breezie’s re-activated security system and the other heroes standing in his way, Robotnik tells the robot to forget it. Metal Sonic lets the good guys just take the Emerald. They, in turn, let him fly away. The bad guy just... leaves. This would count as a complete anti-climax, if we were meant to take “Champions” seriously at all.

Ultimately, two small, character-related moments end up justifying this comic book for me. Tails whacking Metal Sonic away is not an accident. After the fox prevents the Emerald’s theft, Sonic declares him the ultimate champion of ultimate destiny. This moment plays nicely off that moment, two issues ago, where Tails felt like a chump for getting taking out so cheaply by Honey. Sonic essentially gives Tails the championship to make his little buddy feel better. Aww, isn’t that sweet? See, the blue hedgehog really is a nice guy. Why the official rule makers just go along with this announcement is a question this comic book doesn’t feel the need to answer.

I also like a scene that comes directly afterwards. Honey is signing a deal with Breezie. The cat points out all the obvious ways Breezie allowed Eggman’s interruption of the final fight to happen. Breezie reveals that allowing the villain to intervene made her tournament way more of a new story than it otherwise would’ve been. Nearly letting Metal Sonic get away with the Emerald made Breezie even more rich and famous. Honey is left unnerved by the other businesswoman’s calculating ruthlessness. It’s a solid moment because it shows the difference between Honey and Breezie, two characters that seemed somewhat similar up to now. The cat has morals and scruples. Breezie doesn’t, as her bank account and public profile are the only things that matter to her.

Besides those nice character-driven moments, I still can’t help but feel that “Champions” was kind of a waste of time. Again, if this had occurred after the world was saved, as a light arc meant to blow off some steam, I probably would’ve liked it more. Many of those problems remain present in this last part. By the way, Diana Skelly gets some help with the artwork from Ryan Jampole. If you need to figure out which panels he drew, just look for the ones where the characters’ heads awkwardly grow out if their shoulders like tumors. [5/10]

Sonic Universe: Issue 74

Sonic Universe: Issue 74
Publication Date: March 2015

I tend to consider “Spark of Life” solely the work of Aleah Baker. However, we must remember that she was still working from Ian Flynn’s outline. In issue 74 of “Sonic Universe,” I can’t help but wonder if their two styles conflicted a little. The action-packed climax of “Sparks of Life” reads very much like an Ian Flynn story. This ends up not totally meshing with Baker’s more intuitive and emotional writing. The two are still married so they obviously collaborate well in other aspects of life. But, while reading this issue, I found myself wishing that Flynn or Archie, or whoever made the decision, let Baker handle this one totally solo.

Part four of “Spark of Life” picks up with Sally in the digital world, standing in-between Phage and Nicole. Laser swords drawn, the princess does what she can to defend her girlfriend friend. The direct approach doesn’t work and the holo-lynx carries Sally to a safer location. The two devise a plan, to lock Phage out of Ellidy’s system, that might work. Meanwhile, in meatspace, the Dark Gaia monsters and Phage-controlled Badniks continue to close in on Ellidy’s lab. Outside, Tails and Big race to retrieve the Chaos Emerald before the bad guys do.

What ultimately proves most compelling about the last part of “Spark of Life” is seeing Sally and Nicole interacting. After spending most of the last issue separated, the two are together for all of this one. Throughout the story, Sally tells Nicole to flee and Nicole tells Sally to leave. Both times, the two remain by each other. That connection, sisterly or romantic depending on how you read it, is what drives the story. Seeing Sally and Nicole be so willing to protect each other grants “Spark of Life” a strong degree of emotional resonance.

Which is a good thing, as “Spark of Life: Part Four” is a little disappointing on a narrative level. Up to this point, Phage has been depicted as practically unstoppable in the digital world. She can manipulate the environment and overpower Nicole. But apparently the computer virus is not a great strategist. Sally and Nicole out-think the villain without too much effort, eventually locking her out of Ellidy’s system with some simple trickery. In her moment of defeat, Phage starts pathetically crying about how Robotnik will punish her if she fails. This might add some humanity to the villain but she was more effective as a cold, somewhat sadistic adversary. (And it turns out Nicole can hurt Phage. In another Evangelion homage, Nicole pierces Phage’s very Angel-like core with her very Lance of Longinus-style digital spear.)

What makes the conclusion more disappointing is the method Nicole uses to defeat Phage. In their moment of need, Ellidy slams the Red Star Ring into Nicole’s handheld, confirming that subplot’s status as nothing but a power-up. This transforms her into Overclocked Nicole, giving her the strength needed to lock Phage out once and for all. For a story so built around emotional needs, it’s a little disappointing that a plot device and a hastily introduced super form is what saves the day. Even if it is sort of neat to see a non-Sega female get a super transformation.

At the last minute, Baker does try to resolve the story’s emotional threads. Before leaving the island, Sally talks to both Ellidy and Nicole. The doctor admits he was an asshole to Nicole. Nicole explains how she understands that and blames herself a little for Nikki Ellidy’s death. The doctor then tells her to take the Red Star Ring with her, even though it’s the only one he has. It’s a gesture that suggests he accepts the holo-lynx. In a cute final panel, Nicole decides to ride back to Sky Patrol in her hologram form, so she can feel the wind on her face. It’s all very sweet and helps resolve some of my issues with the story’s otherwise brute force conclusion.

This issue is so focused on Sally and Nicole’s adventure online, that it’s easy to forget about what Tails and Big get up to. To Baker and Flynn’s credit, the scenes focused in this duo are pretty good too. Big is still a big dumb idiot but at least his hyper-specific super-fishing powers come in handy. It allows him to retrieve the Emerald from the lake bed just in time. Still, the ever-encroaching threat of killer robots and vicious shadow monsters makes Tails and Big’s quest feel especially time sensitive. The story probably, most definitely, could’ve survived without this subplot but it in no way distracts either. In fact, it’s pretty good.

Ultimately, “Spark of Life” is still the only universally agreed upon classic to emerge from the reboot era. I’ll admit, it’s a pretty good story. However, I found myself wishing the arc fused it’s emotional and narrative needs a little better. Was this a result of Flynn and Baker’s styles clashing? Who’s to say? Either way, despite some flaws, this was still a pretty good issue and a very good story arc all together. [7/10]

Sonic Super Digest: Issue 11

Sonic Super Digest: Issue 11
Publication Date: March 2015

It’s time to talk about another one of those wacky digest again. Perhaps to coincide with the then-running “Spark of Life” arc, Nicole would be the next Freedom Fighter to get the Sonic Comic Origins treatment. But we’ll talk about the story in a minute. Instead, let’s look at the digest’s cover. It sure looks like a generic piece of Spaziante art, the kind of thing he could’ve scribbled in a few minutes, doesn’t it? I was certain it was a piece of Spaz stock art Archie had lying around and, indeed, that’s exactly what it is. It’s a cropped image of Sonic from “Sonic Universe: Issue 76’s” cover.

I just assumed Archie was being lazy but there’s evidence to suggest this was a last minute replacement. The original solicitation said issue 11 of the Digest would have a Lamar Wells cover. You can find it online. It’s a fitting image of Sonic, Sally, and Nicole posing in front of a supernova. I can only assume Archie got cold feet at the last minute about featuring comic exclusive characters on the cover of the mass-market digest. Or, worst, about putting female characters on the cover of a book partially aimed at seven year old boys. Or maybe they just didn’t want to pay Lamar that week. So they threw a somewhat awkward Sonic image Spaz drew in his sleep on there instead. I have no actual evidence that any of this is true but, knowing what a slapdash business Archie is, it wouldn’t surprise me.

Anyway, “Sonic Comic Origins: Nicole” concludes the loose story arc that began in the previous year’s Free Comic Book Day Special. Apparently Sonic and the Freedom Fighters weren’t the only ones running through Nicole’s “Sonic Spinball” themed training simulation. Team Rose  – Amy, Big, Cream and Cheese  – are about to take on the Machine Zone boss. As the action goes down, Nicole reflects on her early years as a handheld computer. She thinks about how her friends made her more human than she originally was.

Nicole’s tale is definitely the thinnest of the thus-far published origin stories. Despite the title, “Sonic Comic Origins: Nicole” doesn’t actually get into how the holo-lynx came to be. This is presumably because the “Spark of Life” arc, the last part of which would be published two weeks after this digest, actually details the A.I.’s backstory. Instead of spoiling the ending to his own story, Flynn focuses on character development. We see Nicole watching the Freedom Fighters grow, growing along with them. Apparently, observing her furry friends helped Nicole realize her own humanity. (Furmanity?) Only being five pages long, this story can only hint at the loneliness Nicole felt at first, being unable to truly interact with anyone. It doesn’t even have the page room to show how Nicole developed the hard-light hologram technology that makes her physical form possible.

It’s fairly thin stuff but Flynn does include some substance. We learn that both of Antoine’s parents are dead in this timeline, thanks to a chilly panel were Bunnie and Antoine cry in his bed, while Nicole’s screen displays the death announcement. We see Sonic and Tails appreciate a sunset, Rotor and Tails joking around, Nicole present as a silent observer. These colder moments are contrasted with what we see on the next page, where Nicole actually interacts with her friends: Playing chess with Sally, rocking out with Sonic, cooking with Antoine, putting a blanket over a napping Rotor. It conveys a lot of emotion in just two pages.

Lamar Wells’ artwork is up to the task of conveying this emotion. Admittedly, Nicole looks a little odd in his style. He always draws her at an angle that causes her feet to taper off to a smaller point. However, his command of mood and expression is strong, helping to sell the emotional flashbacks. I also like the especially cute way he draws Sally. Wells’ version of the Princess always looks extra fluffy and cuddly. His action scenes are squeezed into small panels, which does them a disservice. (His original cover is fine too, even if Sonic, Sally, and Nicole all look a little like melting ice cream bars.)

The rest of the digest is, of course, filled with reprints. We’re long past the point when Archie could actually pull from their history of back issues, for fear of angering Ken Penders' or anyone else’s lawyers. So all the reprints are from the comic’s very recent past. The only preboot content here is “Sonic Generations” from issue 230 and the first two parts of “Treasure Team Tango.” The themeing is weak, as the only stories here to feature Nicole are 267’s “The Grand Tour” and all of “A Light in the Dark.” (Including “Consequences.”)  Otherwise, we get all four parts of “Total Eclipse,” part four of “Waves of Change,” “Knuckleduster” from issue 2 of “Sonic Boom,” “A Nice Day to Start Again” from 264, and a very random appearance from the “Sonic Dash” adaptation.

The only bonus content is a few pin-up illustrations and one coloring page, most of which are reused cover art. In other words, aside from the Origin story, there’s no reason for Archie Sonic fans to track this digest down. I would never suggest anyone resort to piracy but, if you really want to read the Nicole story and have no interest in owning a bunch of random reprints, it’s probably the best option. Anyway, the cover story gets a [7/10], mostly for being so darn cute.

Sonic Boom: Issue 5

Sonic Boom: Issue 5
Publication Date: March 2015

By 2015, Ian Flynn was the head writer for four separate comic books. He was scripting all three of Archie’s “Sonic” books as well as their “Megaman” comic. (This is aside from his occasional contributions to IDW’s “Ninja Turtles” titles.) While Flynn is clearly a hard-working guy who can handle a full dance-card, it’s no wonder that other writers began to work on some of these comics. Aleah Baker, Flynn’s more talented wife, handled some stories in the main “Sonic” series. Meanwhile, issue five of “Sonic Boom” would come from Bill Freiberger. A veteran TV/comedy writer - whose other credits include “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” “The Simpsons,” “Greg the Bunny,” “The Howard Stern Show,” and lots of other stuff - Bill co-produced the “Boom” TV show and wrote several episodes. So it made sense for him to jump over to the comic for an occasional issue.

Entitled “Eggtober Fest,” the comic begins with Eggman having an overwhelming desire to blow up a bridge. He already has a bridge but figures blowing up his own will be no fun. His attempt to sell the residents of Seaside Village the bridge is unsuccessful because they do not trust him. The villain attempts to gain their trust by performing good deeds. This is also unsuccessful. Finally, the doctor opens up a carnival amusement park in the hopes this will win people over. Typically, this also fails. So Sonic and friends have to come in and save the day.

Flynn and Freiberger obviously have very different approaches to writing comedy. While Flynn’s comedy is primarily character based, Freiberger’s humor focuses a lot more on shtick. There’s a lot more goofy one-liners and sight gags here than usual. Such as Eggman having to literally jump through hoops as he signs the paperwork to open his carnival. Or getting repeatedly thrashed by old people with canes. Freiberger’s use of fourth wall breaking humor is not as successful as Flynn, as a gag of Cubot and Orbot showing the doctor a helpful book is too on the nose. The robots provide a lot of sass, not much of it landing. (Though I did like the bit with the torches and pitchforks store, hacky as it is.) A reoccurring gag about the villain’s poor hygiene seems kind of mean.

The comic still made me laugh several times though. The reasoning behind Eggman’s schemes - selling his bridge before exploding it, earning the people’s trust so he can betray them - is nicely circular. In general, I continue to like this take on Eggman, who is desperate for villainous success but gets depressed when his plans fail. Bits involving Sticks scaring people away from the carnival funhouse with her conspiratorial ranting or Knuckles’ inability to understand up-selling also made me laugh. One of the comic’s best, absurd gags is in the very first page. Knuckles provides the opening narration, which presents as a speech to the community council.

Oddly, the issue written by a professional comedy writer features more action than Flynn’s previous four issues. After Eggman’s attempt to win the town’s trust fails, he calls in a horde of Badniks. Sonic and friends, naturally, smash them all up quickly. After the carnival scheme fails, he summons more killer robots. So we get some decent panels of Sonic and the gang using carnival rides as weapons against the machines. Like Sonic running inside a Ferris wheel, Amy smashing a mallet game, and Sticks surfing on a boat ride. It’s neat to see a wider variety of killer robots here than we did in the last few issues.

Aside from Eggman, we don’t spend much time with the rest of the main cast here. Sonic, Tails, Amy, Knuckles, and Sticks are stripped down to their barest attributes. However, Freiberger does open the book’s world up some. We actually meet some of the people who live in this village Sonic always has to save. Among them are nondescript members of the town, such as an old lady walrus with several kids and the town’s mayor. We also meet some of the fan favorites from the show: Hacky stand-up comic Comedy Chimp, stuffy intellectual Fastidious Beaver, and awkward teenager Dave the Intern. (Who is apparently a cabybara.) You’ll notice most of the humor with these guys simply come from their names. But, hey, making up a seemingly unimportant side character with a stupid name is one of my favorite gags too.

Steven Butler returns to “Sonic” here after a long absence and makes his “Sonic Boom” debut specifically. Butler clearly is somewhat restrained by the “Boom” house style. We don’t get too much of his gritty detail here. He even sometimes slips up, such as the weird way he draws Boom Sonic’s messier quills. However, Butler always delivers a quality product. I like the way he draws Eggman when he mopes or plots villainously. Naturally, the action scenes are also well done.

Issue five of “Boom” represents a slight dip in quality. Freiberger’s humor is a bit cornier than what we saw in the first four issues. However, I still got several reasonable chuckles out of this, so it earns a positive rating. If nothing else, I continue to like the absurd humor and low key setting of the “Boom”series. [6/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 270

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 270
Publication Date: March 2015

The regular cover for issue 270 of Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” is serviceable enough. It shows the four Sega-approved protagonist of the series, posing and displaying their various superpowers. Compared to the alternate cover though, it comes off as totally plain. I’ve expressed my fondness for the original two “Marvel vs. Capcom” games, which Archie previously did a throwback to. The alternate cover is another reference to that game. Drawn by  Brent McCarthy, it pays homage to the famous Japanese box art, showing Sonic and friends facing off dramatically. In a nice touch, it even includes a white curve to the left, befitting a Dreamcast game. And if you missed the joke, this cover is referred to as the “Marvel at This Showdown” variant.

Part three of “Champions,” subtitled “Raising the Stakes,” continues the fisticuffs and behind-the-scenes intrigue. Nack and Knuckles win their matches against Bean and Amy, Sonic and Tails watching from the bleachers. This builds towards the semi-final showdowns: Sonic vs. Honey and Knuckles vs. Nack. Meanwhile, Eggman watches from a distance, plotting on sending Metal Sonic in at the last minute.

Aside from presenting us with a bracket that I don’t think makes any sense, “Champions” does get slightly more psychological in its third part. It seems intimidation and out-thinking your opponent is just as important as brute strength or speed. During her fight with Knuckles, Amy is so distracted by thinking about Sonic - and whether she wants to fight him or not - that Knuckles easily smashes her. (This is cute, even if it’s hard to imagine the grizzled badass that was preboot Amy loosing like that.) Nack attempts to use psychological tactics against Knuckles, playing towards what he perceives to be the echidna’s mental weaknesses. This doesn’t work but it’s good to know Flynn considered brains as well as brawn in this fighting tournament arc.

The insight into the cast’s minds doesn’t just occur inside the ring. While watching Bean humiliate Nack, Sonic notices that Tails is feeling a little down. Apparently the fox is feeling a little embarrassed about his loss to Honey. There’s a good panel of Sonic’s face, showing how he had never considered his young friend feeling this way. He reassures him, saying that the world has seen Tails saving it many times, and that’s the end of that plot point. However, it’s nice that the comic took the time to acknowledge the characters’ feelings in between all the fighting and grunting.

There's been a light and humorous feeling running through most of “Champions.” This goes even further in the third fight, where the combat is mostly played for comedy. Aside from Amy being squished because she's lost in her own thoughts, the fights involving Nack are both played for laughs. As he's bombarded with bombs by Bean, he gets more and more irritated before snapping and giving the duck a harsh beatdown. As for his bout with Knuckles, the echidna calmly waits out the weasel's teasing before slamming him to the ground, back and forth, by his tail. There's even some humor in Sonic and Honey's fight, as she surprises him early with a body slam.

Adding to the humor, as it did last time, is Diana Skelly's artwork. Seeing Nack loose his shit, as Bean pelts him with explosives, is good for a laugh. It’s not the only time this issue plays the weasel’s misery for laughs. The scene of Knuckles whipping him back and forth like a koosh ball is pretty funny. So is Sonic’s blank expression of surprise when Honey flips him. The panel of Bean the Duck somersaulting through the air while doing different pose is goofily amusing too. While I really like Skelly’s artwork, I sometimes feel it’s a little too loose and cartoony at times. In the final set of pages, Sonic and Knuckles both go a little off-model.

Another cute element in this issues are the fake ads peppered throughout. Throughout the fights, we see the commercials that play through the televised fight. (Even though it’s clarified as being on pay-per-view later in the book.) We see Wes Weasely shilling Chao Cola, a commercials for a Chao version of “Sonic Boom” and “Chao in Space 3,” and some sort of program starring oddball ‘06 character Sonic Man. You’ll notice all of these are lame in-jokes that aren’t funny at all. However, I do like how these little moments expand on the comic’s world.

By turning the story into a farcical comedy in its third part, the “Champions” arc perks up a lot. If the whole thing is meant to be a goofy comedy, it becomes a lot easier to swallow all the logic holes in the story. I still don’t care who wins the tournament and gets the Chaos Emerald or whatever. But at least I’m more entertained now. [6/10]

Sonic Universe: Issue 73

Sonic Universe: Issue 73
Publication Date: February 2015

By the beginning of 2015, despite my many reservations about it, the post-reboot “Sonic” comics were rolling along. I may think the two stories diverge widely in their quality, but both “Champions” and “Spark of Life” are fan favorites. I might have felt like the overarching plot was barely moving but it was at this point that most Archie Sonic fans became comfortable with the new continuity. But what’s this I see in the corner of “Sonic Universe: Issue 73’s” cover...? “Worlds Unite in 3?” Feels like a threat, doesn’t it? “That’s some nice pacing you’ve got there. It would be a shame if a Megaman crossover happened to it.”

Anywho, “Spark of Life: Part Three” begins by defusing last month’s cliffhanger. Ellidy is angry with Sally because the princess has stumbled upon his shrine to Nikki, his late daughter. Apparently, Nicole began as a way to save the dying Nikki’s personality, which is why the doctor is so unnerved by her. As the argument escalates, Sally realizes the two are being influenced by Dark Gaia energy. They rush into the house before the monsters attack. Meanwhile, in the digital world, Phage reveals herself to Nicole. As the sentient computer virus threatens the A.I., Sally realizes she has to digitize herself if she hopes to save her friend.

Last time, I complained that the pacing was getting a little lackadaisical. Part three corrects that in a very serious way. The third part of “Spark of Life” gives this story two very urgent objectives. The first of which is for our heroes to survive the night, as the Dark Gaia monsters pound in their doors and windows. The second, even more pressing concern is saving Nicole from Phage. This story went from having a vague motivation to rocketing the reader into a very tense situation. Considering this story is all about establishing Sally and Nicole’s relationship, showing how far the Princess will go to save her digital BFF brings both the plot’s emotional and narrative needs together.

Issue 73 also has mysterious new enemy Phage revealing herself to the heroes. Phage isn’t much to write about on a design level, just a shape shifting blob of black pixels wearing an anime cat mask. Her desire to consume other networks and systems, to make herself more powerful, is a standard villain motivation. However, the character still proves to be effectively threatening. She has control over the digital world, putting Nicole in serious danger. Her very detached, analytical approach to everything contrasts nicely with Nicole while also making her actions seem rather sadistic. She’s a villain that works for this story, in other words. My only complaint is how quickly Phage reveals that she was sent by Robotnik. I would’ve preferred it if she was something that arose by itself, some side effect of the digital world’s existence.

I mentioned before that the reader has already figured out what’s going on with Dr. Ellidy and Nicole. However, Aleah Baker still handles the reveal very well. Ellidy was clearly so heartbroken by his daughter’s death that he never really moved on. Furthermore, he blames himself for failing to save her. Nicole doesn’t just physically remind him of his daughter. She also reminds him of that sense of failure. This really comes into focus during his argument with Sally. She points out that she understands that sense of loss, from the days when the King was gone. Ellidy points out that Sally got her father back eventually. Nikki is never coming back. The script makes us understand while Ellidy has acted like such a jerk, making him sympathetic while still clarifying his main flaw: His inability to see Nicole as a person.

Sally and Nicole are separated through most of this issue, not coming face-to-face until the very end. Yet there are two important moments where they communicate. First off, after Nicole is attacked by Phage and the Dark Gaia monsters swarm the house, Nicole sends a frenzied message, telling Sally to prioritize saving the world over saving her. (Oh yeah, there’s a Chaos Emerald on the island too.) That’s an impressive display of the A.I.’s attitude, that the needs of the many etc. Even better is a flashback, where Sally is awoken in the middle of the night by Nicole’s first attempt to create her hologram body. This scene is the first time Flynn would recreate a specific story from the old continuity in the new one, as it’s obviously based on issue 151’s “Stargazing.”  Nicole even says she wants to see the stars. It’s good to know some of the old universe’s heart is still floating around in the new one.

“Sonic Universe: Issue 73” is also the first time the Dark Gaia monsters feel like a threat. In their past appearances, the monsters were easily defeated. It rarely felt like our heroes were actually in danger. Here, the gang is attacked unexpectedly in the middle of the night. Tails and Big are awoken out of a sound sleep and immediately have to leap into panic mode. The creatures slam on the doors, trying to force their way, in a way clearly meant to invoke zombie movies. It totally works. For the first time, the comic actually leans into the reasons why hordes of weird creatures attacking at night is a frightening premise.

Once again, Aleah Baker proves that she’s got some serious chops. Part three of “Spark of Life” is a damn fine comic, nicely balancing narrative tension with the emotional concerns of the characters. Tracy Yardley’s cover and artwork is also pretty good. What isn’t too hot is the variant cover, drawn by Agnes Garbowska. It looks like it was done with colored pencils. Otherwise, this is a really good issue. [8/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 269

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 269
Publication Date: February 2015

One of the main components of the “Champions” story arc is this idea that, during a crisis, the world needs distraction more than ever. In theory, this makes sense. When you’re having a bad day, some senseless entertainment really helps take your mind off of stuff. In practice, I doubt this would work. If the world was literally coming apart, as it is in this comic book, even a nerd like me probably wouldn’t have time for movies or TV. If cities are being destroyed, families separated, and lives torn asunder, I doubt people would have money to blow in Breezie’s casinos or on pricey pay-per-view purchases or arena tickets. It’s just another example of how little sense it makes to do the “Sonic the Fighters” adaptation at this point.

I guess Ian Flynn and Archie didn’t expect us to actually think about the global ramifications of the comic’s events, not when there’s sweet fist fights to look at. “Champions: Part Two - Climbing the Brackets” details the beginning of Breezie’s tournament. Sonic and Amy defeat their opponents in the first round easily. Tails and Espio fall to Honey and Bean thanks to some good old fashion trickery. Knuckles unexpectedly finds himself fighting in the tournament, where he has to wail on Bark. All the while, Eggman plots in the background.

As you’d totally expect from a fighting tournament plot, issue 269 is centered almost entirely around action. For once, Flynn doesn’t sacrifice story for “who would win?” shenanigans, because the shenanigans are the entire point of this arc. What is disappointing is how similarly the fights in this issue play out. It only takes one page for Sonic and Amy to beat their opponents into submission. Tails and Espio are both defeated via tricky ring outs, with Bean actually refusing to punch Espio and Honey quickly dominating Tails. Nack’s battle isn’t even depicted on the page! If fisticuffs and spectacle were the main attraction here, Flynn should’ve worked harder to make the combat more exciting.

Of the melees in this issue, only one feels like a real showdown. Knuckles and Bark are a good match-up, as both are brawlers who primarily rely on brute strength. Fittingly, the two really wallop each other. They trade some crushing blows and Knuckles nearly gets smashed through a glass wall at one point. Focusing on the strength of the combatants, and how it hurts when they hit each other, makes for a fairly visceral fight. Knux is the only victor in this issue who really feels like he’s earned his win.

The action takes up so much of this book that the non-fight scenes stand out. The book opens with another flashback, with Breezie recalling her first betrayal of Sonic. Apparently, she was a homeless orphan before working for Eggman, an interesting insight into her personality that could’ve used more exploring. There’s a dumb scene where Knuckles and Chip snatch a Master Emerald shard off some fat human lady’s neck. (This moment is another reminder of how viscerally wrong it is to see “Sonic” characters casually interacting with regular humans.) Sonic has to race back to his hotel room after his fight, as the sun is setting. The panel of the Werehog chilling in front of his TV, bored, is sort of funny. Reminding us of the comic’s on-going concerns – Chip and the Dark Gaia, the Werehog, the shattered Master Emerald – just reminds us of how frivolous the fighting tournament really is.

With very little substance to attract the reader, this issue instead doubles down on the in-jokes and obscure callbacks. The flashback features Sonic fighting the Silver Sonic from the Game Gear version of “Sonic 2.” (This continues the hint last time that Flynn has combined the events of the Game Gear games and AoStH.) Wes Weasely gets another cameo, acting as the ring announcer. Weasely announces the tournament’s sponsor – HEXAexo and MeteorTech – which are both obscure Sega references. Amy’s opponent is a Mobian bore based Jane from “Fighting Vipers.”

Most notably, Sonic’s opponent is legendary Sega Saturn pitchman Segata Sanshiro. If you’ve never watched his absolutely insane Japanese Saturn commercials, I highly recommended you do so. Since Segata is massively strong and indestructible, I can only assume he let Sonic win the fight as a show of respect to the more popular Sega corporate mascot. Anyway, these little in-jokes are fun but far from essential.

Diana Skelly’s artwork remains energetic and likably cartoonish, Though her fight scenes are so energetic they can be hard to follow. Still, part two of “Champions” does little to address my problems with this story and introduces a few of its own. [6/10]

Sonic Universe: Issue 72

Sonic Universe: Issue 72
Publication Date: January 2015

Let’s open this review of “Sonic Universe: Issue 72” with some thoughts on Big the Cat, a character who is included in this arc for no particularly good reason. I’ve never liked Big the Cat, partially because his fishing levels in “Sonic Adventure” were fucking awful, but mostly because his personality is so one-note. He’s a character defined solely by his surface elements - large, likes fishing, has a pet frog - and seemingly lacks any inner life. Despite the character going from ironic in-joke to genuinely loved, I still dislike the huge dumbass. Having said that, Flynn makes him super protective of Sally in this issue and that’s kind of cute. It won’t stop me from making fun of him but it’s cute.

Alright, on to the important stuff. “Spark of Life: Part Two” begins with Sally and the team still on Dr. Ellidy’s island. The scientist explains to them that the Lake of Rings on the island has started producing Red Star Rings. Those are super powerful variants of the regular power rings. Sally and Big go to investigate the lake while Tails and Nicole stays behind to look for the outsider messing with Ellidy’s system.

I continue to admire “Spark of Life” for being a more character-oriented story than what we’ve been getting recently. There’s only one brief action sequence in this issue, when Sally and Big are attacked by the reprogrammed Badniks. Otherwise, this one is about the cast and their world. However, part two really feels like a middle chapter. The script is laying the mystery on thick. Ellidy’s connection to Nicole is still being hinted at and the last page suggests the doctor may be a sinister figure. The story’s true villain continues to move in the background.

The problem with this is the reader has already figured out both riddles. It’s already obvious that Ellidy based Nicole on his dead daughter. It was obvious as soon as we saw they were practically identical looking lynxes, that her physical appearance makes him so uncomfortable. The new villain hasn’t revealed herself to the characters but the readers already know about her, robbing that subplot of much suspense. We don’t know what Phage’s exact motivation is but it’s obvious she’s up to some bad shit. While there’s value in hanging out with the cast, I do wish the plot was moving a little faster. Or that Flynn and Baker hadn’t laid their cards down so early.

This issue also introduces the Red Star Rings, which were previously glimpsed in that “Sonic Rush” adaptation. In the video games, the Red Star Rings are usually objects to be gathered in order to unlock bonus content. Baker and Flynn changes it into a super powerful new type of Power Ring. I’m not really sure these things needed to be added to the comic continuity. In a world full of countless regular rings and far too many Chaos Emeralds, did we really need another exotic power source? As far as I can remember, the Red Star Rings mostly exist to give Nicole a super form later in the story. Which probably could’ve been accomplished with any number of other plot devices.

None of this is really what people remember about this story arc. Changing her back story, so Nicole’s original handheld form was Sally’s companion all throughout childhood, is significant. Now we get flashbacks of Rosie using Nicole to teach Sally about the pressures of being a tactician. Or an especially touching scene of a young Sally, after Robotnik’s takeover, confiding in Nicole. She talks about how hard it is to be a brave inspiration for the Freedom Fighters when she’s still a scared little girl who misses her dad. Sally and Nicole have always ostensibly been BFFs but the simple shift of Sally receiving her when she was a child changes everything. Now the A.I. has been Sally’s friend and closest confidant through the hardest years of her life.

Or, perhaps, more than just a friend. The “Spark of Life” arc became especially controversial when, after the “Sonic” books were canceled, Flynn announced on Twitter that he wrote Sally and Nicole as if they were lovers. The hints are blatant enough that I’m surprised more people didn’t pick up on it. Sally asks Big if he likes Nicole, even though she’s digital rather than organic. The extension of this question — Is everyone okay with an organic person dating a digital one? — is heavily implied. Earlier, Sally places her hand on Nicole’s shoulder in a way that seems a little more than casual.

Nerds being who they are, some people freaked out about this. Usually due to typical reactionary fears that those damn dirty liberals are inserting their gay agenda into the totally apolitical medium of comic books. (I don’t know how Sonic fans can think this way, considering Sonic is a socialist hero. But there’s also racist “Star Trek” fans, so some nerds are just fucking dumb.) I think the “Sonic” franchise badly needs LGBT representation. It reflects the world better, kids need to see that gay relationships are perfectly normal and, besides, there’s always been a huge queer component of the “Sonic” fandom anyway. It would’ve made sense for any number of “Sonic” characters to be gay. Old continuity Vector was always written as if he was deeply closeted. Tails has never had a satisfying relationship with a woman, has perpetually pined for Sonic, and is a total twink. The yet-to-be-introduced Jian and rebooted Dulcy sure would’ve made a cute couple as well.

I certainly do not mind Sally and Nicole being made lovers. But... As a lifelong Sonic/Sally shipper, this story choice fills me with complicated feelings. It absolutely makes sense for these versions of Sally and Nicole to have a more-than-platonic relationship. It’s also depicted well. And, because of Sega’s ridiculous mandates, Sonic can never have a romance with anyone ever again anyway. Yet I’m always going to long for the preboot days, when Sonic and Sally were officially an item. My head-canon justifies this by making reboot Sally bi and giving her an open relationship with Sonic and Nicole. Ya know, in case you were curious about my feelings towards the sex lives of cartoon animal video game characters.

But I digress. “Spark of Life” hits a bit of a bump in its second part. The emotional heart of the story remains strong but the plotting isn’t so certain in this one. Still, Aleah Baker’s mastery of these characters even makes a slightly off-paced story pretty damn good. [7/10]