Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 278

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 278
Publication Date: November 2015

Issue 278 would be the last issue of Archie’s regular “Sonic” series published in 2015. That wasn’t planned. I know I’ve referenced the mysterious delay of the “Sonic” books that happened at the end of that year. After this, the main “Sonic” wouldn’t resume publication until March of 2016. “Sonic Universe” would take off November, December, and February. Archie’s official explanation for this involves them moving to new printing facilities. Yet knowing the quagmire of bullshit that followed in the next year, climaxing with all “Sonic” titles ceasing permanently, it’s hard to take Archie at their word. I guess what I’m saying is this is truly the beginning of the end.

But it’s not like anybody actually working on the book knew that, because Archie tells its freelancers nothing. So business otherwise continues as normal. “Face of the Enemy Part One: Friends in Need” begins with Sonic, Antoine, Big and Chip arriving in Shamar, a region of Sonic’s world obviously inspired by the Middle East. They are immediately attacked by the local Egg Army. Luckily, the local chapter of Freedom Fighters - Spike the Porcupine, Sonar the Fennic, and Trevor Burrows the Mole - arrive to help. Later, the united teams decide to sneak into a local base, which Sonic suspects of being a Gaia Temple. An ambush awaits them.

I continue to feel a great sense of disconnection with the comic’s ongoing plot during this point in its history. I’ll admit, as of this writing, I’m picking up the book after taking a month off. In that time, I’ve managed to forget any and all pertinent information regarding the Gaia Temples, Gaia Keys, Chaos Emeralds, and how they all fit together to fix the world. At this point, Ian Flynn feels like he’s going through the motions as well. This is a passionless narrative, involving heroes following MacGuffins from one location to the next. About the only interesting thing in this story is the scenes of them sneaking into the temple at the end, which are mildly fun.

It’s a total wash from a narrative perspective. However, we do get some small character moments that make this issue somewhat interesting. Upon seeing that the local Freedom Fighters - who are named the Desert Raiders, the Sonic News Network tells me - have patterned themselves after him, Sonic’s ego swells. While sneaking into the temple, Antoine has to reassure himself that he’s conquered his fear of the dark. Though intended as comic relief, that moment also shows that Antoine still isn’t quite the hero he imagines himself to be. Big even gets one or two funny moments, repeatedly spoiling Antoine’s fun by bluntly explaining their mission.

So what of those Desert Raiders? Like I said, they fashion themselves after the Knothole crew. Spike is a dead ringer for Sonic, Sonar resembles Sally, and Trevor looks a little like Rotor. If Flynn was a smarter, more subversive writer, I would assume this was a jab at O.C.s and recolors. Since he’s not, the Desert Raiders’ imitative fandom of Sonic and friends characterizes them as enthusiastic youngsters eager to fight. Upcoming reveals would show that Flynn clearly had more plans for these guys but the book’s cancellation would prevent them from coming to fruition. So, as they exist now, the Desert Raiders are peppy Freddom Fighters with a secret and not much else.

In the back pages, Aleah Baker continues to tell more compelling stories. Her “Hidden Costs” story continues into its second part. Bunnie and Cassia continue their fight over the Chaos Emerald above the mysterious temple. They eventually clatter through the stone roof, Cassia twisting her ankle in the process. Bunnie takes pity on the other cyborg and carries her through the temple. Meanwhile, Sally and Clove face each other. Instead of fighting, they have a tense conversation.

Baker’s priorities as a writer remains heartfelt. “Hidden Costs” would’ve been a senseless fight story in lesser hands. Instead, Baker makes this a story about empathy. Bunnie immediately resents Cassia, assuming the deer willingly gave up her wholly organic body. After their fight is paused, Cassia explains that her mechanical parts were actually replacing broken limbs, dying eyes and ears. The two discuss their differences and similarities, eventually forming a truce. Sally and Clove’s talk has a similar effect. Clove explains that further fighting will just lead to more misery for her people, something Sally also wants to avoid. It’s a story about understanding and character development, which was sorely needed after the weaker cover story.

Artwork wise, 2015 ends on a high note. Adam Bryce Thomas contributes some highly energetic artwork to the cover story. The action scenes have a kinetic motion to them, the characters stylishly moving around the battle field. His quiet moments are good too. The absolute joy the Desert Raiders feel at meeting their heroes is keenly felt. Any suspense that’s generated in the last scene is the results of Thomas’ detailed, shadowy illustration. Evan Stanley’s work on the back-up is not as consistently strong. The fight between Bunnie and Cassia is a just a little awkward. However, the tense and emotive scenes that follow makes up for that.

Once again, I’m digging Baker’s work much more than her husband’s. While Flynn has the characters on an endless fetch quest, Baker is injecting some heart in their conflicts. So I’m going to have to give this issue a split rating. The cover story gets a [5/10] while the back-up gets a really strong [7/10]. I guess the evens out to a [6/10], which seems to be the only rating I give out anymore.

Sonic Universe: Issue 81

Sonic Universe: Issue 81
Publication Date: October 2015

Issue 81 of “Sonic Universe” came out three days before Halloween in 2015. As usual, Archie’s “Sonic” titles does not acknowledge the most important holiday of the year. However, this issue is sort of seasonally appropriate. There’s a giant monster in this issue, who’s rather skeletal and creepy looking. He’s also a destroyer of worlds, which is probably pretty scary. Yes, both of these elements are typical parts of action/adventure comics. But, hey, I’m a Halloween freak looking for anything that might fit the occasion.

Anyway, part three of “The Silver Age” begins with our heroes in the grips of the villainous Council. The bad guys have hijacked Gold and Silver’s psychic powers to open a Genesis Portal. Silver and Von Schlemmer are sucked inside but they escape with the help of the Bits. All the Council really succeeds in doing is unleashing the Second Devourer, some sort of world destroyer giant monster that Gold has a history with. Now the planet is endangered. Oops. But Silver is going to put it to right.

“The Silver Age: Part Three” is an action-packed story. This actually makes it an improvement over the first two parts. We go from Silver and Von Schlemmer tossed into the void, to the monster’s escape, to everyone plummeting from the building. With a break-neck pace, that is constantly moving, there’s less room for Stanley’s flaws as a writer. She even manages to find a use for the previously useless Bits, as they help the heroes escape. There’s some stiff dialogue still but fewer contrivances, as the story barrels towards the confrontation between the good guys and the threat.

Not that we get out of here totally without some problems. The main emotional crux of this story occurs in the second half. When the Second Devourer tosses everyone out of the building, Professor Von Schlemmer is injured, getting knocked unconscious. Oh no, that incredibly annoying and creepy character we were only properly introduced to two issues ago is in trouble! Yeah, it’s hard to care about that particular incident too much. Not that I can blame Evan Stanley for wanting to take that asshat out of the story for a while.

I’m not sure if I actually care about Gold yet but I am somewhat interested in learning about her backstory. We find out she’s a refugee from another dimension, previously destroyed by the Second Devourer. This doesn’t explained her powers and she escaped her world’s devastation by apparently slipping through a randomly appearing Genesis Portal. Still, watching the clearly traumatized girl recount her history is decently effecting. Stanley clearly put more thought into Gold’s backstory than she did most of the script.

Something that I am disappointed about concerning this one is the fate of the Council. These masked tyrants had previously established themselves as pretty decent villains. They even get a good moment here, where they assure the heroes that their deaths will be for the good of science. Sadly, Stanley then throws them away a few pages later. Like so many mad scientists before them, the Council is destroyed by their own hubris. The Second Devourer turns them into stone, which is less satisfying than just watching them get squished. Still, it’s slightly disappointing that Stanley tosses out a decent set of villains so soon.

And what of that Second Devourer? It’s clearly based on the Time Eater from “Sonic Generations” and it’s odd that the comic doesn’t just straight-up call it that. As a monster, it’s a giant sized skeleton-fire-ghost monster that feeds off dimensions, I guess. It looks pretty cool. I’m not sure how I feel about this story collapsing into kaiju movie style destruction, honestly. Which is weird, because I usually love giant monsters. It does seem like a somewhat desperate attempt to make this story “bigger.”

I guess we’ll see if Stanley sticks the landing next time or not. Oh, and by the way, the writer makes sure to squeeze in two or three separate references to Silver’s memetastic catch phrase “It’s no use!” Because it’s not like that was an in-joke that was beaten to death by 2015. Anyway, it’s another issue I neither hate nor especially like. “The Silver Age” continues to roll along in a mediocre groove. [6/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 277

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 277
Publication Date: October 2015

When the reboot happened, the “Sonic” comic lost access to most of its history. However, a few things were still within reach. Once fans realized Flynn could still utilized elements from “AoStH” and “SatAM,” which became clear once Breezie made her debut, they started anticipating the return of certain characters. At least, I did anyway. “SatAM” had history and depth, two elements the new continuity needed more of. So it just became a question of when Flynn would find a place in the reboot for Lupe and Dulcy, if not Griff and Ari. The fan favorite wolf warrior would make her return in issue 277, a fact trumpeted on the cover.

“Thunder, Rain and Lightning” begins with Sonic and Lupe racing across the Lightning Fields Zone, pursued by the flying saucer-like E-118 Tau. After the machine gets fried by a stray lightning bolt, the heroes can converge. The Freedom Fighters have come to this area because Lupe, an old ally, is apparently the guardian of a Gaia Temple. Her Wolf Pack has been fighting Eggman’s forces and switched the locations of the Temples. At the end, Chip stumbles upon the decoy Egg Prison Eggman stuck the blue Chaos Emerald in a while ago.

There’s actually not much to “Thunder, Rain and Lightning.” (There’s no rain in it either, as far as I can tell.) It’s another stop on the road towards healing the Shattered World, the Freedom Fighters in pursuit of more Gaia Temples or Keys or whatever. The story doesn’t even end with them meeting that goal, merely being on the way towards it. Chip discovering the destroyed Egg Prison, the Freedom Fighters splitting into two groups, feels like a muted and stumbling attempt at an ending. There’s a lot of expositionary dialogue too, confirming that this is less a complete story and just a small slice of a larger event.

That’s because this issue isn’t about moving the Shattered World Crisis ahead much. Instead, this is meant to reintroduce readers to Lupe. Though beloved, Lupe has never actually played that big of a role in the Sonic-verse. It’s nice that Flynn not only brought her back but weaved her into the new world’s mythology. A large section of this issue is devoted to a flashback, depicting her first encounter with the Freedom Fighters. Apparently, Robotnik burned her village to the ground early in the war, killing her father. Sally and the gang rescued her and helped her rebuilt, which Lupe is eternally grateful for.

It’s nice for Flynn to build some emotion into Lupe’s new backstory. Honestly, it already feels like we know more about this new version of her than we ever did about the old one. I also wish he had just made that flashback the main plot, instead of shoving it into an underwhelming cover story. (The Wolf Pack is still around but they’re all new characters, as Ken invited the old ones.) Sadly, we wouldn’t see much of her before the book ended. The re-design is pretty good too, ditching the blue leotard for a more Native American-inspired skirt and shawl. Her proportions fit the Sega aesthetic better without sacrificing her immediately identifiable visual aspects.

The action sequences are not the main attraction. The fight with Tau is fairly short, Sonic and Lupe using one of those ring chains from “Knuckles’ Chaotix” to lure it into a lightning storm. I like Tau’s design, by the way. It reminds me of the Martian Warships from George Pal’s “War of the Worlds.” The flashback includes a nest moment where Lupe grabs away Antoine’s sword to slice open a Motobug. I also dig the cuter, smaller versions of the Freedom Fighters we see in these scenes.

As the end of 2015 approaches, it feels like the comic is making an effort to include more back stories. In fact, Aleah Baker's “Hidden Cost, Part 1” is longer than most back stories. It picks up right where the cover story left off. Sally and Bunnie, Nicole in tow as a handheld, go searching for the missing Chaos Emerald. After evading Eggman's parameter measures, they split up. Clove and Cassia are in charge of this area. Clove goes to investigate the irregularity, with Cassia sneaking off behind her back. Soon, Bunnie discovers the Emerald... And Cassia as well, who is itching for a fight.

Like a lot of Aleah Baker's work, “Hidden Cost” is partially about sisterhood. There's the explicit sisterhood of Clove and Cassia. Clove continues to show concern for her sister, who is eager to break free but still inexperienced. Then there's the symbolic sisterhood Sally feels with Bunnie and Nicole, displayed in the handful of cute scenes they have together. The first part of “Hidden Cost” is also built upon some cute interactions. Such as Cassia chastising a random goon, criticizing his video game skills. Or Bunnie and Sally rushing through a security checkpoint, thanks to Nicole's help. Even the concluding fight scene between Bunnie and Cassia seems more relaxed and funny than full-blown and rough.

It's another issue that looks nice too. Adam Bryce Thomas draws the cover story, expanding on the gritty style he displayed last time. The action scenes actually come off as slightly stiff, which is not like Thomas at all, but otherwise his work is pretty good. Sally and Bunnie look really cute in their panels. I like the intensity of the flashbacks. Thomas includes some nice flashy moments, like Sonic being yanked through the air away from Tau's path. Evan Stanley draws the back-up. Her work has expressive faces, conveying both comedy and pathos. Once again, the artwork in the book is of a high standard these days.

The cover story's biggest problem is that it doesn't feel like a complete story. It doesn't even feel like part of a complete story but, rather, a small clip from something larger. Otherwise, it's not too bad, if only because it gives us Lupe back. The back-up is a little more emotionally cognizant, thanks to the scenes with Clove and Cassea. Even then, it's not Aleah Baker's best work, though certainly not bad. I don't know, guys, I like it okay but, ya know, it's another reboot issue. [6/10]

Sonic Universe: Issue 80

Sonic Universe: Issue 80
Publication Date: September 2015

How long have I been reviewing “Sonic the Hedgehog” comic books? Four years or something? In all that time, I’ve written thousands of words about this stupid franchise. It hasn’t always been easy. Some issues do not inspire me to say much. Neither good nor bad, these mediocre issues don’t provide me with much material to talk about. “Sonic Universe” #80 is such an issue. It’s not awful, it’s not good, but there’s not much reason for me to care about it. But let’s see if I can squeeze out approximately 900 some words about this one anyway.

We return to Onyx City for the second part of “The Silver Age.” Professor Von Schlemmer wants to prevents Silver’s telekinetic powers to the Council. The hedgehog, however, gets stage fright and can’t perform. While he’s there, he does hear a voice compelling him to return that night. After Von Schlemmer shows him some of his useless inventions, they come back to the science building that night. They meet with Gold the Tenrec, a Council member concerned about their plans. Everyone soon gets captured and the bad guys use Gold’s own psychic abilities to intentionally open a Genesis Portal.

As I’ve said in the recent past, Silver’s tendency to screw up but keep trying is what made me like him. Evan Stanley seems to have gotten that idea a little mixed up. Here, Silver is surrounded by incompetence. Yeah, Silver screws up when he doesn’t show his powers to the Council. But that was probably for the best, considering how obviously evil those guys are. During the night time meeting, Von Schlemmer’s inability to use his inside voice gets the gang noticed. That character continues to prove himself unhelpful, as his inventions are delightfully eccentric while simultaneously being a complete waste of time. Gold isn’t very good at hiding her intentions, as the Council immediately discovers what’s up and captures her. This is a story propelled forward by the heroes making dumb mistakes.

This issue introduces Gold the Tenrec. (A tenrec is a hedgehog-y thing that isn’t technically a hedgehog.) Like a lot of post-reboot introductions, Gold has a fan following. Evan Stanley certainly gives her a personality. Gold clearly has self-worth problems. After she totally fucks everything up, she repeatedly apologizes. Beyond that, Stanley keeps her motivations somewhat vague, Gold simply saying she wants more from her life than what the Council can offer. Her name certainly suggests she was meant to partner with Silver in some way... Though not romantically, as Stanley claims she wrote the character as gay. What I’m saying is I don’t dislike Gold but we don’t learn enough about her here for me to like her or not.

That’s not the only introduction made in this issue, though it’s the only one of any value. We also meet the Bits in this issue, little robots that Von Schlemmer invented. They look like Sonic for no particular reasons, apparently being inspired by some bonus mode from “Sonic Colors.” How Van Schlemmer, being far in the future, is aware of Sonic’s significance, I don’t know. They are little, cute things that float around and make nuisances of themselves, speaking in binary and messing shit up. Yes, the Bits are yet more Cute, Small, Annoying Things, a character type this book has an abundance of. Other than helping Von Schlemmer around his lab, they do nothing. I would assume they were introduced solely as a thing toys could be made of, if Archie and Sega had ever bothered merchandising this series in anyway.

About the only thing I kind of like about this issue is the Council’s actions in the last act. After capturing Silver, Von Schlemmer, and Gold, they force a mask over Gold’s face. She starts to scream and freak out, her psychic powers being drained to open a portal. Von Schlemmer accurately identifies this as torture. The Council comes into their own as villains, amoral and ruthless, willing to do anything to further their goals. They don’t care that Gokd is hurting. They don’t care that opening a Genesis Portal could be detrimental to the city. They just care about extending their powers. Those are all good aspects for villains to have.

Tracy Yardley is still doing pencils. As usual, his artwork is perfectly fine without really distinguishing itself. I do like some of the later panels, when the trio are sneaking around the darkened science institute. The only real issue I have with Yardley’s artwork here is a scene where Von Schlemmer explains the origins of the Genesis Portals. You might notice that this is the exact same scene that appeared in the FCBD special a few months before. Not only is the dialogue recycled, Yardley redraws each of the frames originally drawn by Andrew Bryce Thomas. I can’t tell if that’s lazy, unnecessary, or both. Would just straight-up reusing Thomas’ page been better or worst? I honestly don’t know.

Two parts in and “The Silver Age” is still rubbing me the wrong way. Evan Stanley’s characters continued to be defined mostly by gimmicks. (Such as Von Schlemmer’s accent, which rises to excruciating levels here.) Her narrative continues to rely too much on contrivances and happenstance. “The Silver Age” still has time to get better but I’m kind of guessing it won’t. [5/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 276

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 276
Publication Date: September 2015

Even as it was racing ever closer towards oblivion, Archie’s main “Sonic” book was still breaking records. With issue 276, the book became the longest-running comic based on a pre-existing franchise. The previous record holder was Marvel’s “Conan the Barbarian” comic. Now, that’s according to the Sonic News Network. I’m pretty sure the various Disney comics probably have a more solid claim to that title but I don’t know what exact measurements the wiki is using to come to their conclusion. Still, 276 issues ain’t nothing to sneeze at. Think of the records the book could have continued to break if Archie wasn’t run by complete fuck-ups. I’m reasonably certain the series would be still be running today if not for corporate incompetence.

With “Worlds Unite” over, the “Sonic” book can get right back to the overarching story it’s been working on for over a year. Yes, the Shattered World Crisis continues, the Freedom Fighters still looking for those Gaia Keys. In “Cold Hearted,” this journey has brought Sonic and Rotor to the frozen north. They intentionally get themselves captured, so they can meet up with the also recently captured humans that guard the local Keys. Chip will break them out. However, the plan is complicated when Rotor meets the local Egg Boss... His father.

The cover refers to this issue as a “Brand New Story Arc,” which is wrong on all counts. The arc this one continues is the same one the book’s been focusing on since the reboot started. This is also a refreshingly stand-alone story, without cliffhangers or a “To be continued.” The plot is simple but satisfying, following a nicely organized A-to-B construction. The humor, like Sonic cracking lame puns or Chip grabbing sweets on his way out, is not distracting. Instead, it’s nicely incorporated into the story. The action scenes, especially the Werehog busting everyone out of the compound, are well done. Flynn even throws in a reason for the Werehog’s ridiculous giant cleats. They help him navigated the icy fortress.

More than anything else, this issue is elevated by a bead of emotional truth. The readers have known for some time that Rotor’s dad was employed in the Eggman army and that the teenage walrus didn’t get along with his old man. So this confrontation has been coming for a while. Despite long establishing himself as a Freedom Fighter, Rotor is still frightened by his dad. His words, about his son becoming an anarchist, about how he did what was best for their people, pierces Rotor’s skin. It takes a well written pep talk from Sonic to perk Rotor up. The story also ends on a nicely ambiguous moment. Rotor has escaped, and the Freedom Fighters have two more Gaia Keys, but his issues with his father are far from resolved.

That I like this issue so much now is surprising, as I kind of hated it when I first read it. That’s mostly because Sonic spends a lot of time here interacting with normal humans, a quirk of the reboot that still rubs me the wrong way. The guardians of the Gaia Keys are whatever this world’s equivalent to Inuits are, to go with the Arctic setting. But I guess I’m getting used to the new status quo. The two captured humans are a bickering married couple, which is a fairly cute touch. When Sonic gets back to their home, their young daughter can’t stop hugging his fuzzy body. That’s an even cuter touch. While it certainly would’ve made the interior logic of the universe more consistent if these guys were Mobians, I guess it’s not too bad that they’re regular fleshies.

Maybe the story wraps up in such a quick, concise manner because there’s a back-up story this month. “Back in Business” checks in on Eggman’s affairs post-crossover. He has recently completed Eggman Land, his amusement park/refinery. Despite that triumph, he’s still reeling from some recent failures, which Orbot too happily points out. That’s when he receives news that Metal Sonic, previously lost in a Genesis Portal, has been located. Eggman flies into the void to rescue his robotic creation.

While the cover story basically picks up like nothing happened, “Back in Business” is primarily devoted to putting Eggman’s affairs in order after “Worlds Unite.” How many Chaos Emeralds and Gaia-related accessories he has is explained. That he’s totally abandoned plans to invade Lost Hex, presumably because Flynn wanted to get back into that after the Shattered World Crisis was done. He’s even already started to forget the details of the crossover. Recovering Metal Sonic is, of course, the biggest stabilizing factor here. God (and Sega) forbid that Sonic’s metallic copycat be out of the book for more than a month.

Having said all that, this is not a totally bland refresher course. The back-and-forth Eggman has with the catty Orbot is mildly amusing. It’s seems some of his “Boom” counterpart has rubbed off on him, as Eggman has a childish and endearingly loser-ish streak in this story. The action scenes set in the cosmic void, a location Eggman describes as “trite,” are decent. He fights a weird, giant, deep sea eel-looking thing in the final boss armor from “Sonic 3.” Which is pretty cool. The last page reintroduces Naugus, as well as his new sister Wendy, which at least points towards the comic’s future.

It’s another issue that looks really nice too. Adam Bryce Thomas draws the cover story. This is really the point where Thomas went from a competent to truly fantastic artist. Thomas brings a grit and detail to his work that reminds me of Steven Butler. His action scenes are kinetic, really giving you a sense of motion. Even minor background characters, like Tundra’s mooks, are given some personality. Thomas’ artwork really shines during a silent page showing Sonic and Rotor’s escape, the two tearing though a hallway and a polar robot in a straight line. Evan Stanley’s work in the back-up is solid too. She clearly enjoys drawing a Eggman in an excited mood, while the psychedelic landscapes of the second half are also beautifully rendered.

Making sure the characters we care about actually have an interior life is a good way to get us invested in your stupid fetch quest plot, Flynn! Why didn’t you do this all the time? It’s good to see the book getting back on its feet after the massive action of “Worlds Unite.” The cover story is surprisingly great while the back-up is pleasant enough. That evens out to a [7/10] for me.

Sonic Boom: Issue 11

Sonic Boom: Issue 11
Publication Date: September 2015

The fallout of “Worlds Collide” was massive, the entire “Sonic” comic continuity being scrapped and started anew. At first, it seemed like “Worlds Unite” would not result in as huge an upheaval. Yet, following the crossover’s conclusion, Archie would cancel two of the participating titles. “Sonic Boom” would end immediately while “Mega Man” would run for a few more issues before being canned as well. When pressed, Ian Flynn would confirm that “Boom’s” cancellation had nothing to do with low sales but would not reveal the exact reason why.

It was soon apparent that things were not all well at Archie. Earlier in 2015, the company would attempt to Kickstart a modernized reboot of the “Archie” titles. When people complained about a major comic publisher asking for handouts from its fans, Archie would cancel the Kickstarter and go ahead with the series on their own. But it seems Archie really did need those handouts. In addition to the unexpected cancellations, all Archie titles would be mysteriously delayed the next year. One can assume that a general lack of funds was behind all of this. The company simply didn’t have enough money to relaunch their flagship titles and keep everything else running and on-time.

Of course, all of this proceeded more mysterious cancellations at the end of 2016, the remaining “Sonic” books only being the most prominent. (The new “Jughead” book, which Flynn also worked on, ended suddenly as well.) Once again, the publisher would remain mum on why the books ended. It’s hard not to assume the earlier mix-up and the later one weren’t related. Thus, autumn of 2015 was the beginning of the end for Archie’s “Sonic” titles. This was the point when it became clear to fans that this comic company was not run very well. And that Archie would sacrifice its licensed titles to preserve its mascot characters.

But all of that has very little to do with the final issue of “Sonic Boom!” So let’s actually start reviewing it. “Eggman Gets a Gorilla” begins with the mad scientist’s latest giant robot, the anime inspired MeBot, being easily destroyed by Sonic. Eggman decides a naturally occurring brute might serve him better. When the gorilla arrives, he immediately attacks Eggman and squats in his base. Soon, Sonic meets the otherwise laid-back gorilla, named Kyle, and lets the accident prone simian move in with him. This proceeds Kyle searching for a job, which also does not go well.

“Eggman Gets a Gorilla” was written by Sam Sandak Freiberger. If that last name looks familiar, it’s because Sam is the son of Bill Freiberger, one of “Sonic Boom’s” head writers who also contributed to the comic a little. Sam proves to be even funnier than his old man. There are a number of good, absurd gags here. Such as the gorilla switching from fearsome to a couch potato within a few pages. Or that opening bit, where Eggman includes an anime-esque backdrop for his bad ass robot. My favorite gag involves Kyle’s job search, where he fails through various occupations in quick succession. One of his short-lived gigs involves washing windows on a skyscraper, leading to a delightfully unexpected shout-out to “King Kong.”

Just like his dad, Sam is also fond of fourth wall breaking jokes. Some of these are a little sweaty, like Sonic getting an idea and then utilizing the suddenly appeared lightbulb. Or the sudden appearance of a Twitter hashtag. Most of them are better though. Eggman consults his past self during a brainstorming session. Later, Eggman advises Sonic to read an issue of this very comic book, a silly gag that is saved by Sonic’s deadpan response. I also like the comic cast continuing to interact with their own word balloons. Sam even managed to spruce up the thoroughly depleted ker-sound effect running gag, by having the onomatopoeia form into ever more complex algebra equations.

Surprisingly, the last issue of “Sonic Boom” also includes a back-up story. “True Stories,” sadly, does not involve the “Sonic” gang singing Talking Heads songs. Instead, it begins with Eggman loosing his ear piece. Bored and annoyed, he decides to actually use those spy cameras he installed around Sonic’s village. What he sees is not especially informative, to say the least. He then finds his earpiece in the worst way but, don’t worry, it ends up all right.

“True Stories” is a series of mostly wonderful gags. Most of these are pretty broad. Like Tails building a top secret dance instructor robot. Or Kyle reappearing to give Sonic a pie in the face and Knuckles buying a silly hat. Broad is okay though, as these moments are also pretty funny. I especially like the finale, where Eggman and Sticks realize they are spying in each other. It helps that smaller gags are sneaked in there. Like the dance instructor bot having goldfish in both his platform shoes and his wig. Or Knuckles describing himself as “afraid of commitment.” There’s also a gentle jab at anime Knuckles’ hat, which some interpreted as a stab at Ken Penders but was probably just a silly in-joke.

Though I’m sure the “Sonic Boom” staff was given little notice of the book’s cancellation, this does feel like a fitting farewell. “True Stories” gives us one more look at all the characters being silly. For one last time, at least on the printed page, we see Knuckles be dumb but overly eloquent. We see Sticks being paranoid, Amy overreacting to stuff, Comedy Chimp telling bad jokes, Sonic acting as a speedy straight man, and Tails inventing things. (Tails kind of got the shaft in this series, didn’t he?) More than any other, I’ll miss lovable loser Eggman. Watching him be deeply humiliated by his failures, repeat all his mistakes, and be placated by junk food was consistently hilarious.

Diana Skelly’s artwork, which fills up both stories, goes a long way towards selling many of this issue’s jokes. Her depiction of the Go Nagai style Eggman mech is pitch perfect. Skelly is especially good at facial expressions. Amy’s righteously angry face at a trolling Smile Bug makes an otherwise dumb joke work. Eggman declaring himself the angriest man in the world, before a pizza delivery changes his mind, is awesome. Yet Skelly’s loose, energetic, and cartoony style is composed enough to also sell the dry and bemused reactions people have to the insanity around them.

Good-bye, Archie’s “Sonic Boom.” You were a very amusing comedy series. When you consider the book’s brief run, it actually emerges as one of Archie’s most consistent “Sonic” series. I liked pretty much every issue of this book. The final issue promised that more “Sonic Boom” stories would appear in the Sonic Digest and Magazines. Aside from several reprints, this would not come to past. It’s hard to know if Flynn planned for more but just never realized it, due to Sega and Archie parting ways, or if the publisher was just feeding annoyed fans a line of bullshit. Considering Sega would abandon the spinoff franchise soon, more stories probably never would’ve happened anyway. Once again, the goofy but lovable sub-series got the short end of the stick. (Or Sticks, as it were.) Ker-farewell, “Sonic Boom.” I’m being utterly sincere when I say I’ll miss you. [7/10]

Sonic Universe: Issue 79

Sonic Universe: Issue 79
Publication Date: August 2015

When Dawn Best started drawing for Archie’s “Sonic” comic in 2001, it signaled an important change for the book. Before that, only professional comic writers and artist had worked on the series. Best was the first time someone was plucked out of the fandom to join the big league. When Ian Flynn joined the book in 2006, it was the first time a “Sonic” fan fiction writer had turned pro. By 2015, the majority of the comic’s creative staff would be made up of people who loved “Sonic” long before working on it in an official capacity.

Evan Stanley had a similar start. The same year Flynn was hired, she started writing and drawing a fan series called “Ghosts of the Future.” (She continues to work on it to this day.) After joining the book four years later, Stanley would mostly provide pencils for the comic. With issue 79 of “Sonic Universe,” she got a chance to write as well. Silver seems to be Stanley’s favorite character, as he is the star of “Ghosts of the Future.” With the “Silver Age” arc, she would have a chance to incorporate some of her fan theories into canon.

Set before the events of “Worlds Unite,” “The Silver Age” takes us into Silver’s future. And it’s a shitty place to live. A group of masked weirdos called the Council rule a polluted, industrial city with an iron fist. People are forced to work grueling hours and the laws are enforced by robot troopers. Silver hides from authority, practicing his telekinetic powers in secret, and fighting the forces-that-be in small ways. His abilities catch the attention of a disturbingly green human scientist named Professor Von Schlemmer. Schlemmer thinks Silver’s abilities can help fight the Genesis Portals. He tests this theory when a portal opens up right under their feet.

I was really reluctant to like Silver the Hedgehog. I found the bland Sega version to be a bore. It wasn’t until Flynn started writing Silver as a lovable dork, a hopeless bumbler trying to do his best, that I started to like him. The few times we’ve seen Silver post-reboot, he’s been written more-or-less the same. It seems Stanley has a radically different interpretation of Silver in mind. He’s a fairly grim character, hiding in a ruined cityscape, thinking serious thoughts to himself, and fighting the power in the small ways he can. In other words, Silver more resembles his boring digital counterpart. The only time we get a peak at dorky Silver is when he arrives at his garbage heap home and starts talking to himself.

Having a protagonist I’m resistant to like doesn’t get “The Silver Age” off to a great start. Also contributing to me disliking this issue is giving Von Schlemmer a major supporting role. I still find this character, with his gross green skin and annoying German accent, to be deeply unappealing. These creeper vibes are confirmed throughout “Sonic Universe” issue 79. The doctor intrudes into Silver’s private space uninvited and refuses to leave when told so. He then proceeds to touch or hug Silver, despite this clearly making the hedgehog uncomfortable. He then insists Silver comes to the science center with him, which the hedgehog doesn’t want to do. So the professor just picks Silver up and kidnaps him. I’m sorry, is this suppose to be charming behavior? Because the impression I’m getting is less “lovable eccentric” and more “inappropriate uncle.”

Furthermore, Stanley’s script relies far too much on coincidence. Just as Von Schlemmer is describing what a Genesis Portal is, a Genesis Portal appears right under them. The two are sucked inside, attacked by weird, black tentacles. Von Schlemmer says Silver can shoot laser beams and has the power to close the portal. Even though the hedgehog has no training to do this, he proceeds to blasts away the tentacles, snatch them from the void, and close the portal perfectly on his first try. It would have been less contrived and more relatable if Silver got to practice on some other portals before being tossed right into action. And it doesn’t help that Stanley repeatedly uses goofy sound effects like “Schweee.”

As for the dystopian setting... Well, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before, is it? The setting reminds me of a hundred other dystopian cities. In fact, the city Silver lives in heavily resembles the classic SatAM depiction of Robotropolis. Stanley seems to acknowledge the similarity with the designs of the Council’s robots, which look like beefed-up SWATBots. The Council are mildly creepy as villains, with their faceless mask and monotone inflections. However, the idea doesn’t really distinguish itself in an interesting or intriguing way.

Stanley writes but does not draw “The Silver Age.” (She does provides a pretty spiffy cover.) Instead, that duty falls to Tracy Yardley. It’s among the best work we’ve seen from him in a while. The city setting is atmospheric, Yardley utilizing shadows nicely. Silver does look like a bad ass, when he suddenly masters his powers inside the void. Despite his skills, Yardley still can’t make Von Schlemmer look like anything but the worst Frankenstein Monster ever.

So “The Silver Age” gets off to a rough start. I remember this whole arc being fairly disagreeable, so prepare for more negative reviews like this. This seems to continue the pattern of artists making poor debuts as writers. Then again, lots of fans seem to like this one, it often being listed among the best post-reboot story arcs. Maybe my opinion will perk up as I continue through it but I’m not getting my hopes up. [5/10]

Mega Man: Issue 52

Mega Man: Issue 52
Publication Date: August 2015

Here we are, at the final chapter of “Worlds Unite.” I know it only took me five weeks to get all these reviews out – less time than the four month period the story arc was originally published over – but it sure feels like we’ve been talking about this thing for a long time. I guess, compared to the Shattered World Crisis going on for about three years, or the decade it took to resolve the “Tails is the Chosen One” idea, twelve issues (plus two tie-ins) isn’t that much. Still, I’m ready to put the final crossover of the Archie era behind me for good.

By the way, did you notice that Flynn’s titles for this all sort together in alphabetical order? “Last Rights” picks up with Super Sonic and Super Mega Man facing off against Sigma’s most powerful form. The god-like heroes beat the megalomaniac reploid into submission quickly, before fucking killing him. The danger isn’t over yet though. The Unified World is deeply unstable, Sigma’s experiments pushing all the dimensions to their breaking points. While the heroes panic, Eggman and Dr. Wily are deep within Lost Hex. They are going to use the Master Engine to rewrite all of reality, to suit their needs. That’s when Xander Payne, who has lurked in the background for most of this thing, finally makes himself useful.

The final fight with Sigma is definitely anti-climatic. After eleven issues of Sigma boasting about what a bad-ass he is, we finally had a chance to see him in action. Yet watching him beat everyone up for a few pages last time, just for Sonic and Mega Man to defeat him in as many pages, is disappointing. Doesn’t Flynn know that these anime final boss battles are suppose to stretch on forever? I guess Super Sonic and Super Mega Man really are so OP, that they can dismantle a physical god within a few minutes. Granted, the way Sonic and Mega Man brutally execute Sigma –  blasting him from the front and back simultaneously –  is hilariously unexpected. (And deeply out-of-character but I guess desperate times call for desperate measures.) Still, I wish Flynn had organize things a little better, or gotten another issue for this plot, to allow the last battle between the heroes and the ultimate villain a little more breathing room.

There’s a reason Sonic and Rock roll over Sigma so quickly. This last issue isn’t really about the fight against Sigma. It’s actually about bringing “Worlds Unite” to a close. The climax of the story concerns the shared reality coming close to collapsing, presumably destroying all of existence when it does. This does lead to some effectively dour moments, when the guest characters realize none of their last ditch efforts will actually work. Billy Hatcher and his friends praying to their weird chicken god, who can not hear them, is probably the best example of that. I also like Vyse and Sir Arthur insisting on helping Sally and the Unified Army up until the end. Half of the script is devoted to the resolution, to getting everybody back home safe and sound.

During the last crossover, Flynn had Sonic and Mega Man Chaos Control everything back to normal. That doesn’t work this time, forcing another even crazier solution to things. Xander Payne has been following the whims of his visions, helping Eggman and Wiky escape and bringing them to the Master Engine. This would seem to contradict his anti-technology philosophy but it turns out destiny brought him here for a reason. Yes, the rambling zealot was right. He opens a portal through time with his magic eyeball, to right before Sigma transported himself to Sonic’s world. He then fires a gun into the space-time rift, eliminating Sigma, and ending “Worlds Unite” before it even began.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this. Story lines that end by wiping themselves from continuity are usually reserved for plots so awful, even the writers realize they need to be tossed in the trash. (Such as “Sonic ‘06.”) “Worlds Unite” was actually pretty good. Considering the precarious nature of mass crossovers like this, I guess it’s best from a legal perspective if the “Sonic” and “Mega Man” comics can never speak of this again. But it’s too easy, too clean. One simple act ends up resolving everything, the heroes having nothing to do with it. What was stopping Payne from doing that sooner, other than his own inability to put the pieces together before now? And wouldn’t it have been more satisfying if the good guys found some way to solve things on their own?

It feels like Flynn painted himself into a corner and Payne un-fucking shit through time travel shenanigans was the only thing he could think of that would fix everything. But it doesn’t fix everything, does it? There’s at least one plot thread left dangling at the end of “Worlds Unite.” The Zetis sure haven’t been mentioned in a while, have they? Despite playing such a prominent role in the story’s beginning, they totally vanished after the fight aboard the Sky Patrol. After Payne paradoxes everything back to normal, Eggman is taken back to the point right before he conquered Lost Hex. He calls off the whole thing, assuming correctly that his latest plot with Wily must’ve failed. So the Deadly Six was still out there, waiting for the comic to find a use for them.

And let’s do some fan-wanking here. What if Sonic and Mega Man’s Chaos Control had worked? This would’ve been a good way to bring back the original continuity, if Archie had written up the correct contracts or Ken Penders had fallen into a hole. Maybe the original universe hadn’t been lost. Maybe it was merely shoved into a pocket dimension or something. The main “Sonic” book could’ve been devoted to the original continuity and “Sonic Universe” could have continued the rebooted worlds. Of course, this never could’ve happened for many reasons. But a nerd can dream.

Other than being kind of lazy, the ending to “Worlds Unite” does feel good. The “Sonic” and “Mega Man” cast are returned to their respective homes, with only the vague recollection of something unusual happening. The first thing Sonic does is call up Shadow, making sure he’s still alive. To be honest, I had totally forgotten that the so-called Ultimate Lifeform was seemingly killed when the worlds merged. If that was suppose to be a big emotional event, Flynn should have focused on it way more. Still, that scene –  along with its Mega Man equivalent, where Roll welcomes Rock back home – does add a little emotion to the ending.  (Though more scenes showing the other characters making their way home would’ve been nice.)

On the very last page, Sticks suggests there will be lingering aftereffects from this crossover. That Genesis Portals are probably still floating around out there. This scene is obviously meant to set-up potential future crossovers. Sadly, this sequel hook would hang forever, due to Sega and Archie ending their partnership for still unexplained reasons that are probably Archie’s fault. And how would Flynn have topped this anyway, a story with almost a hundred principal characters?

Maybe I’m just happy this crossover, as enjoyable as it was, is finally over. Tyson Hesse’s artwork is very strong here, by the way. Honestly, it’s impressive that Flynn juggled this insanely ambitious story as well as he did. He mashed together sixteen different worlds and, all things considered, the result was relatively coherent and mostly fun to read. There are many things I would have done differently, especially concerning the ending, the progress of the story, and the chosen guest characters. But, hey, it was certainly way better than “Worlds Collide” was. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 275

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 275
Publication Date: August 2015

With the penultimate installment of “Worlds Unite,” the main Archie “Sonic” book has reached a surprising milestone. This is the comic’s 275th issue, its eleventh milestone issue. That’s an amazing run for any comic series and certainly unprecedented for a silly licensed book like this. However, this would also be the last milestone issue of the original “Sonic” comic, making this a bittersweet victory at best.

But there’s no time to talk about that, we are knee deep in a crazy crossover! A bunch of heroes from all over the multiverse are assembled and collected onto the floating “Skies of Arcadia” boat. The 76 member army faces off against Sigma, in his massive planetoid form. He produces an endless stream of minions but the heroes eventually conquer them, Sigma’s body falling to pieces. He’s not dead though, merely changed into an even more powerful form. The good guys have to deploy their final measures...

“Killing the Giant,” that’s the pithy subtitle Flynn cooked up for this one, is devoted almost entirely to action. This issue is the equivalent of the last act in a superhero movie, those climatic half-hour smorgasbords of CGI destruction. There’s actually very little dialogue, most of the pages focusing on our huge cast of good guys smashing the bad guys. (That makes this issue a quick read too.) I don’t hate it. Massive action scenes have their place, in comic books and comic-book-based movies. There’s nothing in the way of emotional pathos. There’s not much else to it besides the satisfaction of watching the heroes tear through an army of robots. But, hey, that is satisfying.

Since nearly the entire issue is focused on action, this becomes more of a showcase for the artist than the writer. Last time, I noted that Tyson Heese’s abilities were slipping a little, under the pressure of adapting to so many different styles. Well, either Ritz was aware of this or he was merely resting his drawing hand to prepare for the big finale. “Killing the Giant” looks pretty fucking amazing. Everyone looks just the way they are supposed to, first off. Secondly, Hesse brings an incredible sense of movement and speed to his action. The over six-dozen characters swing, punch, slice, jump, shoot, grit their teeth and Hadouken in a way that is fun and exciting to look at. This issue's success largely belongs to Hesse.

Flynn and Hesse do make a few moments stand out among the chaotic combat. Amaterasu’s bizarre celestial brush powers come in handle, drawing a shield when the “Billy Hatcher” gang needs it. Nights seems completely delighted by this battle, smiling the entire time. (Much to Reala’s chagrin.) Sally and the Freedom Fighters aren’t even left out. She’s seen slicing bots up alongside Protoman. Rotor is shown lifting up huge part of Sigma’s armor. There’s even some final bits, like Sticks randomly running off with Sir Arthur’s helmet and lance. Or Fastidious Beaver writing up his will as things become more grim,

Through it all, the theme of unity continues to emerge. The heroic Street Fighters and Shadaloo members put aside their differences, allowing Flynn to sneak two more characters – Balrog and Vega – into this. Mostly, the book delights in pointing out similarities among the crossover cast. Knuckles and Ken Shouryoken together. Sticks and Aika throw boomerangs. Bunnie and Protoman shoot energy blasts from their hands. Metal Sonic and Reala swoop through the air. Gillis Thunderhead and Spark Man both shoot lightning bolts. Axel makes bedroom eyes at the foppish shooter from “Skies from Arcadia” while Quake Woman drills a robot alongside another one of the pirates from the same game. My favorite panel has all the swordsman – Antoine, Zero, Ax Battler, the tiger dude from “Breath of Fire,” and that pirate guy – teaming up to slice some baddies. Flynn was clearly having fun with this.

Of course, it all leads up to Sigma pulling a Frieza, revealing a new form that’s smaller but more physically powerful than any of his previous ones. This plot turn feels rather tedious. The villain sweeps through the battlefield, disabling every hero he sees. Sigma can now even do seemingly impossible task, like blocking Amaterasu’s celestial brush. I know stories like this function by constantly upping the threat level but the main baddie just generating himself a Superman-level form doesn’t feel very inspired or interesting. Especially since we immediately figure out that this was done strictly to set up a showdown with Sonic and Mega Man’s Super forms. I guess there’s a rule somewhere that every major Archie “Sonic” event has to end with Super Sonic appearing to fight the final boss.

Because this is a milestone issue, Archie decided 275 had to have an extra long page count.  But they didn’t want to pay anyone to write and draw an actual story, possibly showing what some of the ancillary cast members got up to in all of this. So they just shove a reprint in there. They chose that totally bogus “Sonic Comics Origin” from 2015’s FCBD issue. It seems odd to include what amounts to a prologue to the story arc your reading into its next-to-last part. But I guess the idea was to give readers who don’t visit comic shops a chance to read a thoroughly mediocre story.

It’s not high art or anything. This book didn’t especially make me feel anything deep. It did make me feel a tiny little rush of fanboy excitement, seeing all these heroes together and kicking ass. And I’m old, so that definitely counts for something. “Worlds Unite” continues to roll along, as a big event that is inevitably reaching its even more action-packed finale. I guess I’m still pretty into it. [7/10]