Sonic Universe: Issue 77

Sonic Universe: Issue 77
Publication Date: June 2015

That’s a good cover, isn’t it? At least, half of it is. During any big crossover, inevitably there will be an image of all the heroes lined up together. Seeing the four divergent groups pose together, dramatically starring down the bad guys, sure is cool. The bottom half lacks some zap though, doesn’t it? Instead of just having Sigma and his various sub-bosses opposing the heroes, Spaz or whoever dictated the image should’ve included the Deadly Six or something. A collection of differing heroes deserves a collection of differing villains, right? Am I nit-picking again?

Part five of “Worlds Unite,” comically entitled “Everybody in the Same Boat,” begins with our heroes gathering on the Sky Patrol, looking down at the world in turmoil. X informs the others of what a bad bitch Sigma is. Meanwhile, Eggman and Wily are being chased through the Lost Hex base by the Deadly Six, Sigma having discovered their betrayal. That’s when Xander Payne – and his new, portal generating eyeball – appears to rescue them. They are taken to the Sky Patrol and begin an uneasy truce with the heroes. The Sky Patrol is pointed towards Lost Hex, where Sigma awaits with an army.

Part five of “Worlds Unite” is very much a transitional issue. The chaos of the first act has brought everyone together. They are unified against a common enemy. The beginning of the story has wrapped up. Now, it’s time to move all the pieces into place and get ready for the second act. This is all too evident in the way “Everybody in the Same Boat” ends, with the good guys flying off to confront the more-than-prepared villain.

The blatant mechanics of the narrative showing is not a problem, for once. Flynn patches over that stuff by mostly making this story about the cute interactions between the integrated cast. Sonic makes chili dogs for everyone for lunch, which Sally bemoans. Sonic assures Mega Man he won their last fight, which the robot is skeptical about. X makes Cream his navigator, in a cute touch. Nicole and Quake Woman bond over their mutual status as machines learning to be more human. Zero and Antoine compare swords. Comedy Chimp tries to crack jokes around Break Man, who’s having none of it. Eggman and Tails admire the Robot Masters. Little touches like this makes our cast seem more alive, making us care more about the war they’re heading into.

Sticks, of course, steals the show. Her ramblings about “spy brooms" – set-up for Sonic’s half of the “Battles” sub-series – annoys and baffles Sally and Zero. She immediately develops a rapport with Xander Payne, the two soon comparing conspiracy theories. (I never thought I’d see the Freemasons and the Illuminati referenced in a “Sonic” comic.) Equally amusing is her tendency to confuse the main Sonic-verse characters with their “Boom” counterparts. She wonders where Sonic’s sports tape is and insist Knuckles can be buffer. As I’ve said before, Sticks’ kookiness adds a nice touch of comic relief to the crossover, which otherwise might’ve been too serious. Moreover, Sticks can totally get away with this stuff, as it’s one hundred percent in-character for her.

Really, the only complaints I have with this issue involves the villains. Xander Payne randomly dropping in to rescue Eggman and Wily feels like a bit of an ass-pull, albeit a necessary one. While the heroes are getting to know each other, Sigma is building his army, recruiting his various bosses  –including a giant, robot penguin, which is not exactly intimidating – from across time. I like Sigma when he’s gloating villainously but but I’m less invested when he’s just showing off his various superpowers.

This issue also brings a new artist onto the book. Edwin Huang came to prominence for his fantastic work on UDON's “Street Fighter” books. Unlike other big-ish name artists, who sometimes struggle to adapt to the “Sonic” house style, Huang has no problems. This is a fantastic looking comic book. Everybody is on model, with Huang's Sally looking especially expressive and excellent. This is not an especially action packed comic book, being devoted mostly to people standing around and talking, but still looks hugely dynamic. Huang gives everyone little physical quirks, their personality showing in their body language. Just the way Xander Payne holds his shoulders or what Sticks does with her hands tell us so much about who these characters are. It's awesome.

I know I've harped on this point but, really: “Worlds Unite” is just so much better paced than “Worlds Collide.” The last crossover felt like it took forever to get going and then rushed through everything after that. This story is hitting most of the beats on time, making us care about the cast, and showing the consequences for what happens. I'm glad Flynn can learn from his mistakes, at least some times. [7/10]