Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 284

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 284
Publication Date: July 2016

My opinion on Flynn deciding to stretch the Shattered World Crisis out for nearly three years is probably well known around here. I mean, I’m pretty sure I’ve bitched about it in almost every review I’ve posted since last December. But I will give this ridiculously long-winded build-up one thing: It made it easy to get hyped for the ending. When I read that the “Panic in the Sky” four-parter would finally bring the Shattered World Crisis to an end, I got far more excited than the book had made me in years. Granted, probably not for the exact reasons Flynn hoped — my reaction was less “So cool and exciting!” and more “Thank god it’s finally ending” — but still, excitement is excitement.

At the beginning of “Panic in the Sky - Part One: Best Laid Plans,” the Freedom Fighters are celebrating. They feel so confident in their plan to patch up the world, that Sonic is having the victory party before the victory. This proves to be premature. Tails Doll has allowed Phage into the Sky Patrol’s computers, crippling the ship’s systems. While Nicole attempts to wrestle back control, the Battle Bird Armada lays siege to the ship. Despite Sally’s best efforts, Speedy makes off with Chip. The ship’s engines are blown and it begins to fall through the sky. Meanwhile, Nack and the Hooligans break into Mobotropolis. With Metal Sonic distracting Gemerl, and the Witchcarters distracting the other forces, they successfully grab the Chaos Emeralds and Gaia Keys from the royal vault.

As I’ve observed in the past, watching our heroes get beat is often more interesting than watching them win. In “The Best Laid Plans,” the Freedom Fighters are caught completely off-guard. They are totally overwhelmed by their enemy’s striking so hard and so suddenly. Sally gets slammed into bars, Sonic can’t keep up, Bunnie’s strength is matched. Everyone is getting their asses beat. It’s a humanizing moment but also exciting to read, because it makes the book feel like it has some really big stakes for the first time in forever. It feels like the good guys might actually loose, that the heroes might come close to dying. This is, you’ll notice, the basic dramatic narrative tension of most action/adventure stories.

What makes this loss so meaningful is that the heroes put up a really good fight. Look at the siege of Mobotropolis, for example. Gemerl, who still hilariously acts like a perturbed stepdad, matches Metal Sonic blow-for-blow. It’s only after the villainous robot calls in the support of dozens of Badniks that Gemerl is overwhelmed. King Acorn, in one of the issues most delightful moments, bust out his own beam-sword and shield. He beats back the Hooligans before a sucker punch from Bark takes him down. The good guys tried their best... and they still lost. That’s some well earned tension there.

And “The Best Laid Plans” isn’t just a series of fantastically grim action beats. Flynn manages to find time for some quirk and humanity. Sally is trepidatious  about celebrating so early, which isn’t foreshadowing but Sally just being the thoughtful tactician she’s always been. Sonic’s cocksure reassurances to her are also totally in character. Showing how empathy drives him, Chip willingly gives himself up to Speedy rather than watch Sally get hurt. When Sonic spies Chip being snatched, he goes into a full-on panic which we rarely see from the hedgehog. There’s even a cute moment that nearly justifies T-Pup’s entire wretched existence. He hunts down Tails Doll in the ventilation shaft, like a terrier excitedly grabbing a rat.

So the cast aren’t just action figures being sent through the motions. They actually act like people, with thoughts and emotion. But not every action scene is that strong. Nicole’s encounter with Phage is definitely my least favorite of the subplots. It largely plays like a rematch of their fight at the end of “Spark of Life,” Nicole even going Overclocked again in an attempt to stop the taunting virus. While of course we care about Nicole, she does seem a little impervious in the digital setting. Especially when compared to the very physical threat her friends are dealing with at the same time. My favorite bit involving this story is how Phage growls out of a giant Tails Doll head, probably the first time an attempt to make Tails Doll creepy has actually worked.

Which brings me to my next point: I really like the artwork here! The illustrations are from Diana Skelly. Skelly’s style is very cartoony, which you’d think would be best for comedy. And her drawings are funny, such as when Sonic munches into a chili dog as that Sky Patrol is attacked. Or the goofy way Bean attempts to sneak past King Acorn. Yet her style is also hugely expressive, which really helps tell a story where our cast is panicking the whole time. Skelly’s work is also very loose and energetic, which further helps convey how fast and unexpected this strike is.

As tedious as the build-up to this has been — the long, long build-up — at least the end of the Shattered World Crisis is off to a good start. It’s good to know that Flynn can bring all the pieces together in a satisfying fashion when the situation calls for it. Will he be able to keep it up over the next three issues? Well, I guess we’ll find out soon enough. For now, I’m feeling good enough about this one to give it a positive score. [7/10]