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]