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]