Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 21

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 21
Publication Date: October 2, 2019

Something that’s starting to disappointment about the Metal Virus saga is that it’s so urban thus far. Just going from the games, Sonic’s world is one full of diverse locations. We are talking dessert, beaches, mountains, polar icecaps, enormous casinos, etc. instead of dropping a Zombot horde into the surreal spiraling landscape of the Green Hill Zone, the saga has mostly been content to display the Mecha-zombies overtaking various, nearly identical looking cities. I get this, from a narrative perspective. Eggman is focusing on densely populated areas, to spread the Infection more. That’s where the most people, that need protecting by the good guys, are gathered. But, as issue twenty-one touches upon the exact same set-up as the last few issues, it’s starting to get boring.

This is “The Last Minute, Part One.” The city — that looks like all the other cities — this time is Central City. That’s where Tails’ workshop is located. Eggman jizzes another dollop of grey goop from his Faceship and soon the city is overrun with Zombots. As the zombies spread, Tails toils away in his laboratory on a cure. He finally cracks a cure but just as the infected make it inside, forcing a speedy retreat that looses him his research. Tangle and Whisper also arrive to do what they can, save people, and contain the outbreak. But soon another city has fallen to the shiny tide.

You might notice that synopsis above doesn’t mention Sonic at all. Yes, Flynn gives the titular hero a break in this one. He’s out running as fast as he can, providing Tails with the data needed to engineer a cure, and only appears in one panel. So Tails, Tangle and Whisper are our heroes this time. That’s kind of cool. Even if this zombie outbreak is getting increasingly same-y, it is sort of cool that Flynn is giving us peeks at other corners of the world during this apocalyptic time. Now how about we see what the fuck Knuckles and Angel Island are doing during all of this, Ian? Just standing back and watching his friends suffer?

Anyway, this issue also has Flynn returning to one of his more peculiar characterization. That of Tails as a hyper-capable bad-ass. After the Zombots break in to his workshop and smash the hard drive containing the newly designed cure, Tails jumps into the Tornado 2 from “Sonic Adventure 2.” Instead of using this airplane to, ya know, fly above the encroaching zombie masses, Tails blasts his way out with machine guns and races through the city streets. He then has to self-destruct, tearfully one must add, to make his final escape. On one hand, I guess this makes sense. (Tails being an action hero, not Flynn’s insistence and adding a shoot-out and car chase to this issue.) He can fly, is as fast as Sonic, and also a super-smart engineer. But does someone who talks to his airplane/car/death-bot like it’s a person and cries when he abandons it also need to be a super-cool hero? Isn’t this kid like ten?

Despite potentially being an intimate story about what folks are doing to survive during the zombie outbreak, “The Last Minute” mostly exist to further push the plot ahead. Tails might loose his research but that he invented a cure once suggests he can probably do it again. Meanwhile, a sequence in the middle of the book has Starline recruiting the Deadly Six, in his plan to take control of the Zombots behind Eggman’s back. The Zetis, of course, plan on betraying him as soon as possible. It’s all machinations to move this arc into its next phase. Which is fine but I do wish Flynn had saved room for a little more character interaction, considering these events are so heated, instead of focusing mostly on plot and action.

While I’ve overall applauded the darker direction this comic has taken in 2019, I’m starting to get a little exhausted with this increasingly dire situation. Tails has a cure in his grasp but then it’s yanked away at the last minute. He’s rescued by Amy Rose and an airship, only to learn that Restoration HQ has fallen. (The events of which will be depicted in the next issue.) Maybe only one or the other should’ve happened. This is starting to feel less like natural story developments and more like contrivances to keep the plot, that should be heading into its last act by now, going on longer. Considering we already know the Metal Virus arc will last into the next year,  the 25th issue, that’s really what I’m expecting.

Another odd thing about issue 21 is that the art situation. I recently learned that Tracy Yardley will be taking an extended break from the “Sonic” books. This required a last minute artist change for this issue... Or artists change, I should say. Three people had to be brought in to make up for Yardley’s sudden absence. Archie vet Lamar Wells teams with someone named Reggie Graham to pencil the first ten pages. Wells and Graham do fine, though their work isn’t as kinetic as what we’ve gotten use to. The action is slightly stiffer and characters aren’t as expressive, with weirdly thick lines. Jennifer Hernandez handles most of the rest of the book, her work having slightly more personable faces. (Tails’ reaction to the Zombots getting into his workshop is funny.) Weirdly, two random pages — depicting Tails’ escape and the Tornado blowing up — are handled by Priscilla Tramontano, who has mostly done covers up to this point. Tramontano’s work is slightly looser than Hernandez or Wells but also a little more dynamic, which might be a fair trade-off.

So I think it’s fair to say the Metal Virus saga is officially in a rut now. Instead of exploring the horror and tension inherent in the zombie outbreak situation, Flynn has fallen back on repetitive plotting and action. With some questionable plotting decisions, issue 21 is maybe the weakest edition to the arc yet. [5/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Tangle & Whisper: Issue 2

Sonic the Hedgehog: Tangle & Whisper: Issue 2
Publication Date: September 4th, 2019

This seems par the course for “Sonic” comic books. Back in the Archie days, fans would often express disappointment or at least frustration with the main “Sonic” book. Meanwhile, “Sonic Universe” was almost always universally beloved. Even the arcs I thought were bad have some enthusiastic fans. Now that “Sonic” is at IDW, the situation seems similar. Fans have become increasingly impatient with the Zombot plot. Meanwhile, the same people are heaping love on “Tangle & Whisper.” It’s almost as if not having a clueless corporation put inane restrictions on your storytelling makes for a better read. Go figure! Let’s see if the spin-off mini-series remains as strong in its second issue.

The eponymous duo have perused shape-shifting villain Mimic to an old Eggman base. (Identifiable by Eggman’s insistence on slapping his face on everything.) The two know it’s a trap but head inside anyway, as Whisper is determined to stop this guy as soon as possible. Mimic’s shapeshifting makes him a tricky adversary to fight though. Soon, Tangle and Whisper both find themselves caught off-guard by the baddie. It soon becomes apparent that the grudge between the wolf and the chameleonic evil-doer is very personal indeed.

It’s official: I have grown from finding Tangle and Whisper’s night-and-day friendship cute to thinking it’s full-blown perfect. This mission really shows their difference. Tangle likes to rush in and do everything at once. Whisper prefers to take things more slowly. Ultimately, neither approach works real well. But that doesn’t matter because watching these two play off each other is delightful. The opening page has Tangle’s goofiness making Whisper wince. Yet, later, the two connect on a more personal level. Tangle is energetic, not clueless, and she recognizes when someone is in pain. She’ll listen and it’s clear that’s what Whisper needs most of all.

These characters are still relatively new too and this mini-series is allowing them to grow in a number of interesting ways. After getting tricked by Mimic, Tangle is shoved into a giant safe. She comes very close to freaking out, hinting that the lemur might be claustrophobic. Which certainly makes sense for someone so use to swinging around through the air. (And certainly makes more sense than, say, a pyrokinectic who can fly being afraid of heights.) But Whisper is the real grower this time. Yes, she was a part of the same mercenary team as Mimic. It’s clear that her team members were her friends and their death wounded her deeply. Moreover, this makes her especially unwilling to loose Tangle, her newest friend. While the moment where Whisper tries to push her away is easy to predict, it’s still pretty touching.

Most of the new villains introduced by IDW haven’t exactly blown me away. Most have struck me as blatant emulation of long-established “Sonic” characters. (Starline for Snively, Rough and Tumble for Scratch and Grounder.) Yet Mimic sure is making an impression already. Fittingly, this is a villain who delights in tricking people. He shows a truly venomous glee when pulling one over on our heroes. He’s also as capable of wounding people emotionally as physically. When Whisper has him pinned down, he assumes the form of her deceased friends and coldly makes the case that their deaths are Whisper’s fault. What an asshole! And what a good foil for someone as mentally fragile as Whisper. (Though I do wish Flynn hadn’t revealed Mimic’s true form — a cephalopod with that creepy doll face — so soon. That’s a mystery that might’ve been fun to stretch out a little more.)

As you’d expect from a story of a quiet wolf hunting a shapeshifter, “Tangle & Whisper: Issue 2” starts out with fairly low-key action sequences. Whisper is sneaking around the building while Tangle ignores her demand of stealth by leaping around wildly. I definitely should have seen it coming but Mimic tricks Tangle by disguising himself as Whisper. Like, I one hundred percent should have expected that. Yet, somehow, I was caught off-guard by this either because Flynn successfully drew me in with the character’s interpersonal drama, misdirected me by suggesting Jewel would be Mimic’s main disguise, or I’m just having an especially off day. Either way, it’s a good swerve.

Flynn then throws away this subtlety by packing the back half of the issue with explosions and a giant robot. Yes, Mimic throws a giant robot at Whisper before exploding the compound with a bunch of bombs. Only the implementation of the same safe Tangle was locked in waves the heroes from the blast, a clever deployment of Chehkov’s Rule that I also should’ve seen coming. These theatrics strike me as largely unnecessary. I guess Ian figured he had to throw in a Badnik so people would remember this is a “Sonic” book. I guess seven-to-ten year old boys are still the target audience for these comics, even if every “Sonic” reader I know is in their twenties or thirties, so we’ve gotta get some booms and crashes in here.

Still, it’s a minor issue with what is otherwise a pretty good comic book. The artwork is good too, Evan Stanley continuing to do a fine job showing these characters emotions and personalities. I also like the peeks we get at Whisper’s deceased teammates — a shiny cat, a lion who ties his mane into a beard, and what’s either a gecko or a green monkey — and it looks like we’ll see more of them next time. While declaring it overall better than the main IDW “Sonic” title might be a bit premature, “Tangle & Whisper” has definitely had two good first issues. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 20

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 20
Publication Date: August 28, 2019

I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again, at least as long as I keep reviewing comics written by Ian Flynn: Flynn likes his fight scenes, his match-ups. This is perhaps a wider symptom of the entire “Sonic” fandom. After all, the early days of the Archie “Sonic” series was frequently about finding new excuses for Sonic and Knuckles to wail on each other. Those comics were fun in their own way because they were all about those fights. Flynn, however, tends to stick his fisticuffs in the middle of on-going story arcs, where we have things we care about slightly more than watching Sonic and Shadow duke it out again. And so it comes to pass that he does the exact same shit with this year’s Metal Virus saga, with Sonic and Zombot Shadow getting issue 20’s cover.

“Crisis City Part Two” picks up with Sunset City still in the grips of the Zombot invasion. While Rouge and the Resistance tries to get the uninflected safely out of the city, Sonic and Omega fights off the ever-encroaching Zombot tide. This is made all the more dangerous now that Shadow is infected and leading the horde. Sonic only makes it out, right before his own infection takes over, thanks to Silver and Tails intervening. Back at Restoration HQ, Tails searches for a cure while the situation feels more and more hopeless. Meanwhile, aboard Eggman’s Faceship, Dr. Starlight makes plans of his own.

As I’ve come to expect by now, Sonic and Shadow’s fight is among the least interesting thing about this comic despite ostensibly being the marquee attraction. It’s not like we’ve never seen these two punch it out before. You’d think Shadow being a zombie now would add some novelty to the fight. While the so-called ultimate lifeform is perhaps more brutal than usual, he lacks his cunning and various superpowers. So it just comes down to some punchy-punchy between friends. At least the fight scene features some acrobatic flips, kicks and grapples. I’m willing to give Jack Lawrence credit for that, as Flynn’s previous fights were rarely martial arts based.

Luckily, Flynn doesn’t devote the entire issue to this repetitive combat. After Silver swoops in and saves the day — you’d think his ability to psychically heft whole crowds of people out of the way would’ve come in handy before now — Flynn slows things down. As Sonic enters Restoration HQ, we get a sense of how this recent upheaval has affected people. A powerful sequence involves Amy loosing contact with a military unit over her headset, we readers only seeing her panicked reaction. Clearly, the situation is weighing on the usually upbeat Amy Rose. (Honestly, one of the best things Flynn has done at IDW is make Amy Rose, Sonic’s one-note fangirl, into the totally credible leader of the good guys.) When Sonic mentions to Rouge that Shadow didn’t make it out of Sunset City, we get a solitary panel of the bat grimacing to herself before returning to her typical bravado. It’s nice moments like this that show us these characters have emotions and souls. And that a zombie apocalypse, even one with less gut-munching than usual, would absolutely try that.

Sonic himself feels that strain too. In fact, his condition is preventing Sonic from sleeping, adding to his distress. It’s an increasingly hopeless situation... Which Flynn can only maintain for so long. The issue wraps up with Tails suggesting Sonic’s speed might provide a cure to the Virus. As if the writer is too afraid to let stuff get naturally dark without reminding us that, unlike most zombies scenarios, this one can be reversed. That focus on keeping the story moving forward continues with the final scene, which suggests Starline is going to seek out the technokinectic Deadly Six to help take control of the Zombot horde. That’s a reasonable plot turn — and I continue to be interested in Starline’s inevitable betrayal of his mentor — but I wish Flynn let us simmer in despair a little longer. I guess I shouldn’t expect that of a children’s comic.

A much better relief from the existential dread of zombies taking over the world is goofy robots. Omega continues to be a source of amusing humor. The giant kill-bot’s commitment to destroying anything Eggman has touched leads to him bluntly dismissing Sonic and the other’s concerns. Though the temptation to add another high-profile casualty must’ve been overwhelming, Flynn has Omega survive being torn apart by Zombots... Probably because the homicidal robot being reduced to just a head and forced to interact with Tails was too good a chance for dry sass. There’s also a mildly funny interaction between Sonic and Gemerl, that gives the former Dad-Bot some personality.

A one more thing stuck out to me about this issue. After arriving at Restoration HQ, Sonic is greeted by Cream. The little rabbit is as upset about what’s happening as everyone else, and is having nightmares about her Chao friends. Yet, because this comic is determined to make Cream a paragon of wholesomeness, she’s staying upbeat for the refugees... That’s right, the Restoration is housing refugees from the various cities claimed by the Zombot outbreak. And I’m probably reading too much into things but Ian Flynn writing an explicitly pro-refugee comic book in summer of 2019 seems significant. I’m sure Flynn will deny any political slant about this plot point when I bother him on Twitter about it later tonight.

The Metal Virus crisis continues to drag a little. I still feel like the plot is stagnating, instead of moving forward. However, I definitely prefer emotional issues like this over action-heavy ones like last time. Hopefully, the story arc will find more of a balance between these two options soon enough. [6.5/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Tangle & Whisper: Issue 1

Sonic the Hedgehog: Tangle & Whisper: Issue 1
Publication Date: July 31st, 2019

Back in the early days of Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” series, the company published a number of mini-series starring some of Sonic’s friends. The “Sonic” franchise was at peak popularity at the time and the hedgehog books were, reportedly, among Archie’s best-selling titles during those days. They were eager to capitalize on this and produce a spin-off book, Knuckles eventually emerging as the most reasonable star.

The comic industry is really different now than it was in the booming early nineties. Even popular superhero characters have trouble selling books now. So, unsurprisingly, the tradition of random “Sonic” supporting cast members getting mini-series faded away with time. So imagine my delighted surprise when IDW and Ian Flynn announced that Tangle and Whisper, the most prominent of the new characters exclusive to the comic thus far, would be getting a four issue adventure of their own. It’s a tantalizing idea, since Tangle is delightful and a story totally focused on Ian Flynn creations would be less beholden to Sega’s corporate mandates. Perhaps IDW is hoping to launch a “Sonic Universe” style spin-off of their own, with this mini-series being a test run for that. After all, “Sonic” comic fans are used to picking up two series a month. Why not do that again?

And so our story begins with Tangle zooming around Spiral Hill Village, her home town. Since her adventure with Sonic and the Resistance ended, the lemur’s ADHD has only increased. She feels increasingly stifled in the folksy small town. That’s when adventure comes calling. Whisper comes running into town, blasting at what appears to be Sonic. The apparent hedgehog runs into Tangle and feeds her a line about Whisper being brainwashed. This is not true, the lemur discovers after tackling the wolf. Instead, a shape-shifting mercenary named Mimic is offing ex-members of his team, seemingly at Eggman’s request. Tangle joins a somewhat reluctant Whisper on her journey to stop this guy.

I’ve made no secret of how delightful I find Tangle. Her irrepressible enthusiasm for life and adventure has made her a clear stand-out in the book’s first two years. I’ve been pleased to see fans similarly embrace her, considering people usually hate the things I love. The early sequences here devoted to her accidentally messing up her town, and dreaming about how much fun her last adventure was, are absolutely adorable. I also love her loyalty and devotion to her friends, as she’s apologizing the entire time she’s tricked into fighting Whisper. In short: Tangle is a golden puppy and we must protect her at all cost.

As entertaining as it is to see, Tangle’s non-stop energy might be a bit overwhelming, if given free reign over an entire story. So pairing her up with the morose, calculating Whisper is a good idea. The two balance each other out. Tangle’s enthusiasm brings the shy Whisper out of her shell while Whisper’s intensity helps focus the lemur some. We can see this amusing interaction in the scene where Tangle convinces the wolf to let her come along on this adventure. Whisper, who I prematurely gave the Worst New Character award to last year, is definitely starting to grow on me. Flynn is making it increasingly clear that her quietness and literal mask is hiding some sort of past trauma. Hopefully we get to explore that soon and really get to know her. Also, Whisper’s Dock Martins makes me realize she’s actually a goth and I am predisposed to love all goth girls.

As for issue 1 of the mini-series, it actually does something surprising. This is one of those stories where a fight between two otherwise reasonable characters happens because of an easily explained misunderstanding. I usually hate that kind of shit. Somehow, it works here. I’m getting this is because Tangle’s obvious distress over fighting her friend turns this rumble into a comical set-piece and less of an action one. It’s also over really quickly, as Tangle snatches away Whisper’s mask (which was blamed for her attacking Sonic) and Whisper succinctly explaining what really happened after that. While a shape-shifting villain is exactly the kind of shit usually done to explain these sort of fights, at least the execution here makes sense.

Still, for all its pros, “Tangle & Whisper: Issue 1” is still beholding to setting up the plot of the rest of the series. The second half of this issue is devoted entirely to Whisper explaining that this Mimic guy is a bad dude, followed by a long scene where Tangle has to convince her to let her tag along. This is pretty typical of Ian Flynn’s writing, bringing the pacing to a screeching halt to further set-up the story. Ya know, man, it’s possible to pair action and plot especially since the story thus far is truly just “lets chase the bad guy.” At least he doesn’t devote the entire comic to this business and it hardly ruins how much fun the rest of this issue is.

Having said all that, I am intrigued by Mimic, even if he has the most generic name possible for such a character. Duplicitous shapeshifters are hardly the most novel type of adversaries — After all, Flynn frequently wrote Naugus as just that — but it’s still a character type with a lot of potential. Mimic has already established himself as especially calculating and brutal, good qualities for a villain to have. And he’s clearly connected to Whisper’s past. I’m going to go ahead and assume she’s the last survivor of Mimic’s killing spree. (Also: The panel where Mimic appears as a knife-wielding Sonic with black eyes and a stitch-y doll’s mouth clearly marks him as inspired by the “Sonic.EXE” creepypasta. While that meme and everything it has wrought is total garbage, it still amuses me to see Flynn referencing fan culture and incorporating more horror elements into the book.)

With Evan Stanley contributing artwork as energetic and expressive as the book’s cast, I’m happy to say that “Tangle & Whisper” is off to a good start. While IDW’s new book has still yet to fill the void left by the Freedom Fighters, not that anything could, I’m really pleased to see the comic committing to building up its cast and developing the new additions fans have already latched onto. Here’s hoping the rest of the mini is at solid as this first issue is. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 19

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 19
Publication Date: July 24th, 2019

Let’s talk about covers. As is typical by this point, issue 19 of IDW’s “Sonic” book has three available covers. A standard cover, a variant, and a Retailer Incentive cover exclusive to comic shops. I don’t know who decides what artwork gets used for which variant but I think they screwed up this time. Ryan Jampole’s art most represents the issue’s contents — informing buyers that, yes, Team Dark is in this one — but all the characters are in awkward poses and slightly off-model. Sonic also seems way too jovial for such a grave situation. Lamar Wells’ B-cover is better, showing Sonic grimly surrounded by Zombots in a dark area. Though it doesn’t reflect what’s different about this issue versus the other recent ones. The retail incentive cover, from Nathalie Fourdraine, is by far the best. It throws Team Dark into the classic zombie movie scenario of holding a door shot against a horde of incoming ghouls. It’s obviously the best of the three and I could have forgiven story accuracy for coolness factor.

But enough about that. Even though all these issues are a part of the longer Metal Virus/Zombot arc, Flynn feels the need to break the story into smaller installments. So this is “Crisis City, Part One.” Sonic rushes into Sunset City, where a Zombot outbreak is totally out of control. Team Dark is doing everything they can to fight back the tide and get non-infected people to safety, but it’s not enough. Sonic attempts to help but even he can only do so much. Shadow soon arrives and attempts to fight off the Zombots by himself... Which only results in getting himself infected.

The first half of “Crisis City” in no way shakes up the formula Flynn has been following for the last few issues. Sonic races into a new city overrun by Zombots, teams up with some old friends, internally wonders how much longer he can keep this up, before being forced to move on again. What does make this issue a little different from the last one is the ethical debate Sonic and Shadow have after the black-furred hedgehog arrives. Shadow contends none of this would have happened if Sonic had just let him kill Eggman back during his Mr. Tinker days. This is the old “Imagine how many people would still be alive if Batman killed the Joker the first time” debate. Sonic refuses to back down on his moral high ground, sticking to his guns that everyone deserves a second chance. Shadow maintains that he was right. I wish this issue grappled with this topic a little more, even if the middle of a zombie outbreak probably isn’t the right time to really get into it.

Of course, Shadow is right. It was inevitable that Eggman was going to relapse and pull a stunt like this, endangering hundreds of thousands of lives. At the very least, Sonic should have let Eggman be imprisoned or something. The book would never acknowledge this though, cause Sonic is our hero and I don’t think Flynn or Sega is interested in interrogating his moral perspective too much. As if to somehow prove Shadow wrong, Flynn has the other hedgehog act like a showboating asshole. He tries to take on the Zombot horde singlehandedly and, of course, gets infected. I guess this isn’t especially out-of-character for Shadow. I don’t think Archie Shadow, a more shrewd tactician, would do this. But maybe IDW Shadow would. Sega’s original is pretty conceited about the whole Ultimate Lifeform thing, after all. Still, it’s definitely a bit heavy-handed. Shadow disagrees with the hero and is immediately punished for it, via his own hubris.

Of course, there’s another reason this issue ends with Shadow becoming a Zombot. It gives Sonic and Shadow an excuse to fight next time. You can tell Flynn is itching for a big fight scene, as this issue is even heavier on action than the last few. Both Sonic and Shadow, over the course of this issue, spindash into big tornadoes, trying to clear paths or crowds. Sonic spin-kicks, buzzsaws and runs over enemies. Shadow, naturally, goes down fighting as well. It’s neat to look at but you also feel like the action beats are buffing up what is, otherwise, a fairly thin issue where the story doesn’t actually move forward much.

However, this issue does have one benefit over the previous one. Rouge and Omega are a lot more endearing than Cream and the new lame version of Gemerl. It’s cute that, even when the city is overrun by zombies, Rouge still takes the time to note that Sunset City was previously home to some excellent jewels. Sonic openly asks the bat why she’s so invested in helping the rabble before she notes that, hey, there will be no fun thieving to do if the world ends. As for Omega, he is the same lovable psychopath as always. Amusingly, when Sonic attempts to give Omega the same speech he gave Gemerl about not using lethal force against the Zombots, it does not work. Because Omega straight-up doesn’t give a fuck. And that’s why we love him.

Lastly, I want to shout-out the excellent artwork from Jack Lawrence. Just over his last few appearances, Lawrence has quickly become a fantastic “Sonic” illustrator. His action sequences remain highly energetic, which really helps elevate this issue in particular. I love how expressive his faces and body language is. You can really tell a lot about what the characters are thinking and feeling just by looking at them. This even extends to the background characters, like the family of bears Sonic rescues at one point. The dude also has a strength for realism. Omega or the armored truck Shadow makes his entrance in are both life-like in their detailing. I’m glad IDW has brought a new artist into the “Sonic” fold that really feels like they always should’ve been here. (Bracardi Curry’s overcast and tense colors also go a long way to improving this one.)

So it’s another issue I have mixed feelings towards. It has a little more depth than than last issue and better action without really addressing any of the problems I had with things. After a strong start, the Metal Virus arc still has yet to find its footing again. We’ll see if that improves. [6/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 18

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 18
Publication Date: July 3rd, 2019

As I write this, it’s the middle of November. I’m still recovering from Halloween. This is pretty typical of the 11th month of the year for me. After devoting myself totally to the spooky, scary season for two months, I’m both worn out and left wanting more. Micro-dosing with some creepy content - pumpkin donuts, the occasional horror movie - helps level me out. It’s a hair-of-the-dog scenario, for sure. Unexpectedly, catching up with IDW’s “Sonic” has helped me with that. The Zombot story arc is definitely the most horror-like content we’ve gotten from the franchise in years.

“Victims!” has Eggman continuing his spread of terror throughout the land. His next stop is Floral Forest Village, a small town home to Cream the Rabbit. Eggman specifically targets this area because of the mental distress it’ll cause Sonic. As the hedgehog races around, trying to fight off the Zombots and his own Metal Virus Infection, he’s soon accosted by Gemerl. Cream and Vanilla’s robot protector deems Sonic a threat. Soon, a conflict emerges as the Zombot outbreak continues.

“Victims!” represents the tedious part of the zombie movie where the characters start bickering among themselves. The story seems to tease a fight between Sonic and Gemerl, as if Flynn was nearly succumbing to his combat-over-character tendencies, before the characters and the plot realizes the zombie outbreak is more pressing. This is not the only time an ethical debate breaks out in the heat of the moment. Just when Gemerl is ready to use lethal force against the Zombots, Cream steps in and convince him to take it easy. That there are still people with souls under the virus and that they may be saved eventually. This seems like another set-up for the inevitable reversal of the virus. It’s also the comic admitting it’s a G-rated book for kids and that there will be no head shots or machetes-to-the-face forthcoming.

A while back, I asked if Gemerl would re-appearing in the IDW comic, after finding his dad-like personality in the Archie book endearing. Like that same week, it was announced Gemerl would be appealing in this issue. Disappointingly, Gemerl is not himself. Instead of the delightfully grouchy and wholesome personality he had in the Archie series, Gemerl appears here as... Just a robot. He barks statements in a mechanical voice. He speaks stiffly and technically. It’s a real letdown, taking a character that was previously entertaining and amusing and making him a complete blank. This feels like another one of Sega’s scumbag corporate mandates, “robots can’t have personalities” or some bullshit like that.

While I have lauded the surprisingly dark direction the comic has taken recently, I’m already beginning to feel like things are getting a little repetitive. This is the third issue devoted to Sonic running to a town, fighting off hordes of Zombots, scooping up his friends there, and leaving the town to the infected. Similarly, we are once again treated to multiple panels of Sonic feeling overwhelmed and frayed. This time, his interior monologue focuses on whether or not he can save himself as well as Cream. While I love desperate, introspective Sonic, it really does feel like Flynn is just starting to repeat himself here.

He comes very close to repeating himself more. All throughout the issue, the point is repeatedly made that Cream is an extraordinarily brave and bright child, that she is a force of light, positivity, and innocence in this crazy, mixed-up, shook-up world... So, like, she’s definitely going to turn into a zombie, right? That’s where this is heading, yeah? Nope, it turns out. Even though he subjected the similarly childish Charmy to this fate, Flynn does not have the balls to infect Cream. He doesn’t even turn Vanilla into a robot. Instead, he infects Cream’s Chao, Cheese and Chocola. Which certainly doesn’t have the same effect and is, in fact, kind of unintentionally funny. Seeing cute little Chao fly around as red-eyed, evil automatons is rather amusing.

In my previous IDW review, I noted some disappointment that Starline is not as complex a character as it initially appeared. Flynn backtracks a little bit here. It turns out Starline is growing disillusioned with his idol. Though not because of Eggman’s clear instability or eccentricity. It’s the villains’ inability to plan ahead that makes Starline doubt his adherence to the Eggman Empire. At one point, it becomes clear that the Zombots can not be controlled. Eggman just shrugs it off, assuming he’ll work it out eventually. This really rubs the perfectionist Starline the wrong way. I’m very curious where Flynn is taking this.

It looks like Flynn is doing something similar in the next issue, as Eggman is moving on to the next city, which Team Dark is already working to counteract. Hopefully after that, Flynn will shake things up again. Or else this Zombot story arc is going to wear out its welcome really quick, after a really strong opening. [6/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 17

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 17
Publication Date: May 22nd, 2019

As a big horror movie fan, I certainly love me a good zombie movie. I also think that zombies are pretty overexposed at the moment. Following the theatrical revival of undead flesh-eaters at the end of the 2000s, I’ve seen the shambling corpse premise becomes its own metaphor as the horror fad that just won’t die. A lot of blame for the zombie genre’s refusal to go away for a few years is owed to “The Walking Dead.”  Even though ratings are declining and fans agree the show is past its expiration date, AMC’s zombie soap opera is still among cable’s most popular shows.

Here’s the thing: Despite being a huge horror nerd, I don’t give a shit about “The Walking Dead.” I like zombie stories that have the good sense to wrap up in under two hours, not drag on for over ten seasons, a spin-off series, and an upcoming motion picture. So it never even occurred to me until someone pointed it out recently that the Zombot story arc in IDW’s “Sonic” comic might be Ian Flynn’s late-in-the-game attempt to cash in on “The Walking Dead’s” popularity. And maybe so. But while I’m sick of zombies in most every other area, putting them in a “Sonic” comic is still a pretty fresh idea at this moment. So considered me hooked, as of this writing.

Which brings us to issue 16 of IDW’s “Sonic,” entitled “Plague!” As teased in the previous issue, Eggman’s Metal Virus soon spreads from the countryside to the more metropolitan areas of Sonic’s world. Seaside City is soon overwhelmed by mindless Zombots, programmed to do nothing but spread their condition to every living thing they can find. The Chaotix are caught right in the middle of this. The detectives try to protect the innocent and hold off the violent Zombots. Sonic is soon sent into the city to help out but he’s still fighting off his own infection. Inevitably, not everyone makes it to safety.

Something that’s really compelling about putting the “Sonic” cast in a zombie movie scenario is that it forces the characters to make hard decisions. As the Zombots descend on the city, the Chaotix quickly realize they can’t save everyone. A cat lady is infected. As the virus spreads through her body, she screams and begs someone to help her. Vector, instead of trying to save her and endanger the rest of the group, corners her in a ring of cars. Despite the heroes’ best efforts, they still only manage to rescue a fraction of the city’s population. This is after a grim panel of the Chaotix exiting the office to see the city in flames, people fleeing in terror from roaming crowds of rabid Zombots. This comic is shockingly grim for a kids comic.

Yes, Flynn tries to lighten things up with occasional bits of comic relief. Just as Vector says their next client will be coming through that door any minute now, a Zombot bursts into the office. Later, Charmy eggs some zombies on with goofy facial expressions. But this is still a pretty downbeat issue. Especially in how it ends. Childish Charmy is angry that Vector left a citizen to be consumed by the Virus. He flies back to rescue the girl, only to be attacked by Zombots and pulled under. Yes, this issue ends with one of its youngest characters being seemingly turned into a zombie.

As grim as that moment is, it actually shows Flynn’s hand a little too early. Up to this point, only a pair of villains and unnamed background characters have been fully infected. With Charmy being dragged down by Zombots, a Sega character has been claimed by the Virus... Which means a full anecdote and eventual snap-back is forthcoming. There’s no way Sega would allow one of its characters to be de-facto killed off. I’m not shocked by this. I assumed all the Zombots would be returned to normal eventually. This is still technically a kids’ book. But it’s a little disappointing for Flynn to basically confirm that so early on in the story arc. (Though I totally get him going for the shock value inherent in seeing Charmy pulled into a crowd of ravenous zombies.)

However, this issue does see Flynn pulling off something I thought was impossible. He makes me like Vector. Minutes after the Zombots rip through the city, Vector is hefting up a Stop sign and whacking the zombies away. After that, he’s strategizing and barking orders at people. He’s making hard decisions that need to be made and marching forward, putting the needs of the many over the needs of the few. Vector is... Acting like a bad-ass? How is this possible? I’m as shocked and surprised as you. Maybe detaching Vector from his Archie characterization as a woman-hating wannabe hip-hopper was, it turns out, a good idea.

Oh yeah, Sonic is in this comic book too. Admittedly, the hedgehog doesn’t do too much here other than rush in and fight off some Zombots. However, our blue hero continues to grow increasingly desperate. After sending some kids to safety, Sonic pauses for one minute to consider his next course of action... Which causes the Virus to creep a little further up his body some. He then goes rocketing off, trying to run off his condition, and get back to the others faster. It’s clear this stress, of fearing for his own soul and saving others during this new crisis, is weighing on him. The novelty of seeing Sonic pushed to his limit hasn’t run out yet. It’s still pretty neat.

By the way, Tracy Yardley’s artwork is pretty good, even if I wish maybe someone with a grittier style was drawing this. Imagine what Steve Butler could have done with this story! Anyway, “Plague!” is another pretty strong issue, if not quite as impressively grim as issue 16. IDW’s series is still showing some amazing improvement in its second year. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 16

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 16
Publication Date: May 8, 2019

So where were we? The last regular issue of IDW’s “Sonic” series I reviewed detailed Eggman testing his new Metal Virus, turning Rough and Tumble into “Zombots,” and Sonic finding out he’s been infected. In the months since then, the Metal Virus story arc has continued to play out. I’ve seen fans go from embracing this new direction to growing sick to proclaiming that IDW “Sonic” has never been good. Ah, so the cycle continues. Now I get to experience this on-going myself and see whether it’s the greatest thing ever or if it blows more than your mom at a truck stop.

“Infection!” begins with Sonic and Tails hopeful they’ve beaten the mechanical virus infecting Sonic, via the hedgehog’s trademark speed burning through it. This is what they tell Tangle, who is visiting Tails’ workshop. However, Sonic soon realizes running it off is only a temporary fix. He’s still infected, can still spread the virus with a mere touch, and is still at risk of becoming a Zombot. Meanwhile, Eggman unleashes the Virus via his new airship on the unsuspecting Windmill Village. The Zombots are unleashed on the countryside.

Sonic is having a moment of self-doubt in “Infection!” and I like that. Initially, he’s enthusiastic as Tails tells him the virus has been beaten back. Upon realizing he’s still a carrier, he has a self-reflective moment. Flynn’s script has Sonic outright say it, via internal monologue. Usually, Eggman builds a machine Sonic can smash and that’s it. Now, he’s faced with a threat he literally can only outrun for so long. He’s a danger to his own friends. (Flynn smartly draws a parallel to the Werehog, though it looks like the Metal Virus won’t eventually become a superpower upgrade Sonic can use...) It’s a pretty bold place to put our usually carefree hero. Sonic is uncertain of his own victory, for once. He’s scared. and that’s really interesting to read.

Up to this point, the IDW version of Eggman hasn’t done much besides scheme in the background. This issue has him really cut loose as a villain for the first time in this series. For ground zero of the Metal Virus, he chooses the idyllic village that cared for him during his days as Mr. Tinker. It’s clear that a Eggman takes a real sadistic glee in destroying his wholesome former home. Flynn also provides some insight into Eggman’s motivation here in a way Archie weirdly never really got into. It’s an interpretation of Robotnik I’ve put forward myself over the years. He sees the world as chaotic, impractical, wildly out-of-control. Eggman longs to smooth the world out, bring it into order... Which also means making it utterly subservient to him, which appeals to his intense egomania. It’s certainly more nuanced than the Archie version, which never got much further than “he wants to take over the world because he’s evil.”

While Flynn is expanding Eggman’s personality, I’m still not too sure about Dr. Starline, the closest thing to a Snively we’ve got now. Previously, I was certain Flynn was taking Starline in a particular direction. As an eager fanboy to Eggman that is disappointed by the reality, either finding his eccentricities intolerable or being disgusted by his cruelty. In this issue, as Eggman bukakes Windmill Village with the Metal Virus and infects the countryside, Starline is ecstatic. He loves that his new boss is so brutal and efficient. So I guess Starline is just Eggman’s fawning toady? Hopefully, Flynn is going somewhere with this guy because that schtick will get old real fast.

After a somewhat eerie introduction last time, Flynn gives us a clearer view at what the Metal Virus can do this issue. And it’s pretty damn bracing, as far as a comic book starring a blue hedgehog who runs fast goes. As a tidal wave of hot metallic goo is puked over the village, we get a series of panels of the goat mayor trying to outrun the downpour and protect a child... he fails, both of them awakening as Zombots on the next page. We see a random citizen cower hopelessly as his friend is overcome and turned into a soulless automaton. Most shocking is when a mother watches the chaos from her window, hugging her child. Soon, the Zombots break down the door and tear child from mother, infecting them both. Shit, man, that’s pretty intense.

Flynn can’t depict the gut-munching gore of the zombie genre but he seems to understand why it’s such a powerful horror trope. It’s the sudden and irreversible breakdown, watching things you love and rely on — friends, family, neighbors, and the orderly structure of polite society — turn on you violently. Usually the zombie horde is a slow, creeping metaphor for the inevitability of death. Here, the Zombots are symbols of unerring conformity at the hands of an authoritarian dictator. But it still works pretty well. It’s a really well done sequence.

Honestly, issue 16 is so grim that we definitely need some comic relief. Luckily, Tangle is here to provide. She rides into Tails’ workshop on a dirt bike in the first page, enthusiastically ready to share her latest adventure. Her bafflement at Sonic running on a giant hamster wheel is amusing, as is her quick acceptance of it. When she goes in for a high-five, Sonic has to quickly dive out of the way, leading to a cute pratfall. Overall, Tangle’s high energy and unending upbeat attitude continues to make her an utter delight. There’s also a good joke when Eggman reveals his latest airship, which is essentially a giant flying version of his face, is called the Face Ship. Starline’s deadpan reaction to that is priceless.

Featuring some wonderfully energetic artwork, Diana Skelly and Jack Lawrence trading back and forth, issue 16 may be the strongest issue of IDW “Sonic.” Sonic and Eggman’s characters are allowed to evolve, Tangle remains delightful, and the Zombot sequence is pretty damn great. It is, I think, the closest we’ve ever gotten to a full-blown “Sonic” horror comic and I really appreciate that. I didn’t know Flynn has that in him, to be totally honest. [8/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Annual 2019

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Annual 2019
Publication Date: May 1, 2019

Long time readers of Hedgehogs Can’t Swim might have noticed I haven’t reviewed an issue of IDW’s “Sonic” comic since May. In fact, I know some of you have noticed, as I’ve gotten several annoyed comments from readers wondering when I was going to pick up the series again. I wish I could say I had taken a deliberate hiatus from the new on-going but the truth is, as too often happens, I’ve just drifted away from the series. Right when it seemed like it was getting better too! Well, now that Halloween is over and the end of the year looms, the regular animation reviews are going on hiatus so I can catch up with IDW’s blue hedgehog adventures.

So, anyway: In the world of comic books, “annuals” are a regular occurrence. For those of you who might now know, annuals are special, double-length issues published once a year — duh — that usually contain multiple stories from different writers and artists. Annuals have separate numbering from the main book, usually just being referred to by the year they are published. The stories contained within are usually a bit detached from whatever is happening in the main series at the time too. Weirdly, in the twenty-plus year’s Archie was publishing “Sonic,” they never once did an annual, opting instead for various one-shots and specials. IDW, however, clearly has different plans. Their first “Sonic” annual rolled out this past May.

We begin the annual with “Bonds of Friendship,” from the ever-reliable Ian Flynn with art by Jennifer Hernandez. The story has Tangle the Lamar returning to her home village, with Whisper in tow. The two eventually end up at the Mineral Museum (largely filled with treasure Tangle has gathered during her adventures) which is run by Tangle’s oldest friend, a nervous beetle with a glittery shell named Jewel. After introductions, the Babylon Rogues — making their first appearance in this continuity — bust in and steal everything... Including Jewel, which the dim-witted Storm mistakes for a large gemstone. Tangle and Whisper leap into action to save their friend.

“Bonds of Friendship” is clearly a prequel to the “Tangle & Whisper” mini-series IDW would begin publishing a few months later. It establishes the lemur and the wolf as a duo, while building up Tangle’s history and home town some. The boisterous Tangle and shy Whisper are cute together. Tangle’s stretchy tail and Whisper’s versatile Wispon leads to lots of creative bounding and flipping. It seems Tangle collects nervous types as Jewel — who seems likable enough, even if we only get a glimpse at her personality here — is also rather anxious. I was apathetic about Flynn utilizing the Babylon Rogues, as I never cared for them in the Archie series. However, here Flynn characterizes the self-obsessed Jet and the principled Wave as a bickering couple, which makes the Rogues way more neurotic (and therefore way more interesting) than previous iterations. Storm is still just a big dumb guy though. In general, it’s a cute story with some fun character interactions and some okay action sequences. Its cuteness is further bolstered by Hernandez's extremely adorable artwork.

Our second story, “Jet Set Tornado,” comes from Caleb Goellner, who was invited back to write after that awful “Team Sonic Racing” one-shot for some reason. Obviously set a few issues prior, it concerns Sonic and Tails testing out a new rocket booster for the Tornado. Sonic is allowed to drive, which Tails quickly regrets. The hedgehog activated the rocket booster carelessly and threatens the structural fortitude of the plane. That’s when the duo spots a heavily modified Balkiry, hauling stolen Resistance supplies. They chase the bird-bot into a volcanic region, destroy it without the wrecking the plane, and drop the cargo into some lava which I guess isn’t a big deal.

“Jet Set Tornado” is, admittedly, slightly better than “Team Sonic Racing.” There’s a bead of emotional truth to Sonic and Tails’ decisions, as Sonic makes the choice to risk himself to save Tails’ latest invention. But the story is still pretty bad. Goellner’s dialogue remains, at best, awkward. He fills the word balloons with technical phrases like “straightaways” and “volatile” and lots of talks of unscheduled landings, volcanic vents and geysers, boosters and payloads. Goellner still seems more preoccupied with the special abilities of vehicles than the characters’ personalities or a narrative with any tension or resonance. Jack Lawrence’s energetic pencils are wasted on this nothing of a story.

“Victory Garden” sees Evan Stanley returning to the writer’s chair for the first time in a while, co-scripting with newcomer Gigi Dutreix. Blaze is looking for Silver around Resistance HQ. It seems the futuristic hedgehog has taken an interest in gardening, amazed by how green the planet is now when it’s totally desolate in his time. However, he hasn’t had any luck getting anything to grow. Blaze scorches the Earth and informs Silver on some general rules on gardening, helping a bountiful crop grow in time.

“Victory Garden” is really just as technical as “Jet Set Tornado.” Blaze spends several panels explaining the role ashes play in gardening. The difference is this technical stuff reflects the characters’ personalities and interests. Silver’s dopey attempts at garden are adorable, continuing to show what a lovable klutz he is. As is his enthusiasm at how green and fertile the present timeline is. Blaze taking the time to teach him shows she likes the kid, thinks his interests are worthwhile, and wants to help him grow, figuratively and literally. It’s a really cute story, is what I’m saying. Stanley also provides some wonderful artwork. I love how warm and painterly her work has gotten recently.

Cavan Scott, a British writer best known for his work on “Doctor Who” but new to “Sonic,” contributes “Curse of Eggman’s Pyramid.” Rough and Tumble decide to break into a pyramid Eggman built a while ago, sure it’s full of treasure. Tumble is concerned about a rumored curse though. Soon, they run into Rouge, who is also supposedly looking for treasure. A “curse” makes itself known but not everything is what it’s seems.

Rough and Tumble are characters I have nothing against but probably never would’ve thought to build a story around them myself. However, “Curse of Eggman’s Pyramid” is largely a work of goofy comedy, which is a fine fit for the dim-witted skunks. Both are repeatedly caught off-guard by the pyramid’s traps. The more superstitious Tumble slowly converting the more assured Rough is worth a chuckle. Scott thankfully keeps the rhyming to one panel. Rouge’s intrusion into the story is worthwhile. It leads a genuinely cute ending, where we discover Rouge was acting on a behalf of a community of fennecs that have taken up residence in the pyramid. (And seeing Rouge dressed as a mummy is amusing too.) Diana Skelly’s cartoony artwork is especially well suited to this material.

The annual concludes with James Kochalka and Jon Gray’s “Sonic Fan Club.” It concerns a group of enthusiastic young Sonic fans, none of whom appear to be named. The club president, a snooty blonde deer/dog?, is soon challenged for leadership by another member of the club, a red fox in a purple pillbox hat. They decide to have a contest to determine the president, based on who is the most like Sonic. They have a foot race, test their rolling skills, and end up fighting a Badnik. That’s when Tangle appears and offers to help but just ends up tangling herself in her tail.

There’s not a lot to this one. At first, you assume the condescending club president will be humbled by story’s end. When they encounter the Badnik and he is clearly intimidated, it certainly looks like that’s where we are headed. Instead, Kochalka goes for that non-sequitur of an ending. A really poor touch is that Sonic affects the story — racing through and smashing the Badnik while Tangle is distracted — without ever actually appearing on-panel. It reflects on the story’s depth that none of the characters are actually named. Instead, Gray’s artwork and character designs do most of the talking. The butterfly girl, who looks a lot like Dot Warner, is my favorite. I’m sort of hopeful they’ll bring back some of these kids, just to keep expanding the still relatively new book’s cast. I’m on record as not being much of a fan of Gray’s highly exaggerated artwork. However, he’s gotten a lot better with time and wacky comedy like this is obviously where he’s best utilized. (Though his Tangle is noticeably off-model.)

Of the five stories in the Annual, only one is truly a dud. Ironically, this is the only one that actually stars Sonic. Evan Stanley’s “Victory Garden” is definitely the best if the bunch, with the latter two leaning towards wacky comedy in an amusing way. I hope IDW continues with the Annuals, to make room for the young series’ growing supporting cast. I guess, over all, I’d give this one a fairly high score as long as you ignore that stinky Caleb Goellner story. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog (1993), Episode 2.01: Game Guy

Sonic the Hedgehog (1993), Episode 2.01: Game Guy
Original Air Date: September 14th, 1994

The “Sonic the Hedgehog” franchise was probably at its peak popularity in the early nineties. At least, that's how I remember it anyway. I'm sure some spoil sport is out there, waiting to “well, actually” me about how “Sonic Adventure” or “Sonic X” or something was a bigger deal. But the point is, this was the only time in my childhood when I can remember other kids my age being as interested in “Sonic” as I was. “SatAM” obviously rode this popularity to some degree of success. ABC gave the greenlight to a second season... But not without some changes.

For “Sonic the Hedgehog's” second year, the network would demand some changes. Even though ABC had requested a darker, edgier “Sonic” show during pre-production, apparently “SatAM” gave them too much of what they wanted. Executives would ask for more comic relief in the second season. At the same time, Ben Hurst and Pat Alle would take more control over the series' overall direction. This would result in season two being more serialized than the first, with reoccurring new characters and a few plot points running through the season.

These wouldn't be the only changes. Season two would see some visual changes to “SatAM” as well. Sally would receive her trademark blue vest, the character taking the form I remember so vividly. For unexplained reasons, Rotor would be completely re-designed, becoming squatter and chubbier. Cam Brainard would take over voicing the characters, though his vocal delivery was not horribly different from Mark Ballou in season one. Some new musical cues would be introduced. You can tell that the production team had slightly more money in season two, as character designs would become slightly more detail and the animation a little livelier.

The first episode of the season is “Game Guy,” though it would actually air as another example of the network's needless tinkering. While Sonic, Sally, Antoine, Tails, and Dulcy – more on her in a minute – are out salvaging old Robotnik machinery to build a de-roboticizer, they encounter a new Freedom Fighter on the run from SWATBots. He calls himself Ari and claims that he's the leader of a seperate team. He tells Sonic that Robotnik has captured his Freedom Fighters. Sally is skeptical but Sonic is eager to help. It turns out to be a trap. Ari was telling the truth about Robotnik capturing his Freedom Fighters but he was being blackmailed into leading Sonic into a trap. It's up to Sally and Dulcy to save Sonic before it's too late.

Before we go any further, we need to talk about one of season two's most divisive elements. The season would introduce a previously unseen Freedom Fighter, a child-like dragon named Dulcy. Dulcy is not well liked by fans, widely being considered the Scrappy-Doo of “SatAM.” It's not a totally unfair accusation. Dulcy has a very cute and rotund character design, in addition to being a dragon, a highly marketable creature. (I guess Mobius has both dragons and dinosaurs now.)  She's prone to bouts of goofy comic relief. Throughout this episode, Dulcy hits her head multiple times and makes repeated pleas to an unseen mother. She inflates herself with air and holds it for a while, much to her annoyance and discomfort. She then blows freezing air over Robotnik and Snively, which doesn't seem to slow the villains down any. I had nothing against Dulcy as a child but, admittedly, she is a little annoying in this episode. We'll see how my opinion evolves as I continue my way through season two.

But let's discuss a character that actually affects the plot of “Game Guy.” What do we think of Ari? His design is kind of cool, being a less creepy-looking goat man than Griff. (Though his legs being so wooley they look like sweatpants takes some getting use to.) Unfortunately, Ari's character arc plays a lot like Griff's. He's introduced as a friend, revealed to be a traitor, but gets redeemed at the end. As a character, Ari seems a bit like a blank. He shows up, back-flips out of harms way, and immediately starts glad-handing Sonic. His change of heart happens so quickly, that was don't really have time to see what he thinks or feels about it. He's a cool ~man~ goat of action and has a certain degree of principals but he's still pretty thinly developed.

In general, I wish Ari's eventual betrayal of Sonic was a little less heavily foreshadowed. Sally, who was perfectly friendly to Griff and Baby T, is deeply skeptical of Ari. This instinct, of course, is entirely right. A few minutes after Sally makes that statement, we cut to Robotnik and Snively spying on the conversation, confirming Ari to be a double-agent. It's weird that the episode immediately confirms that instead of waiting a bit, after Ari leads Sonic to an Aztec-style pyramid that turns out to be a Robotnik-shaped fortress. That would've been a better time to dropt hat reveal, I think.

Ben Hurst's guiding principal as a writer, at least as far as “SatAM” is concerned, was always “There must be losses.” No matter how much the Freedom Fighters gain, it must always come at a price. This is true of “Game Guy.” Ari ends up sacrificing himself to rescue Sonic, getting drawn into the inter-dimensional portal meant for the hedgehog. I fully expected Sally and Dulcy to activate the powerful magnet they recovered earlier in the episode and pull Ari out. But, nope, the Ram is trapped inside a particular void, at least for now. Sonic is pretty distraught over it. Even if Ari wasn't a character we were especially attached to, I still like it when “SatAM” would force Sonic to actually feel things, to struggle with failure and mistakes.

So I guess I should talk about why this episode is called “Game Guy.” See, Robotnik's trap for Sonic involves a very specific design. The hedgehog is trapped inside a giant glass sphere and flung around an enormous pinball machine, which Robotnik controls. Every point Robotnik earns grows a giant vortex at the back of the game board.  Every point Sonic earns shrinks the portal. (Robotnik describes the portal as a “Void,” pretty blatantly setting up some events later in the season.) I suspect the pinball premise was chosen to tie in with “Sonic Spinball,” which was still a relatively new game at the time. Sonic being trapped inside a see-through glass ball also, coincidentally, ends up resembling “Super Monkey Ball,” a future Sega franchise.

Though it's a cool idea, the pinball concept is not as interesting in execution. While “Game Guy” is pretty well animated, at least by the standards of this show, the pinball scene does not look so hot. Honestly, the sequences of Sonic getting flung around the arena is rather sluggishly portrayed. You'd think the show would really emphasize the chaos of Sonic bouncing around bumpers and flippers. Instead, he just sort of floats between one and the other. At least the writers had the foresight to have Snively ask Robotnik why he doesn't just kill the hedgehog, since he has him trapped. The tyrant admits he would rather toy with his archenemy, instead of just crushing him. Okay, sure.

There's lot of flirty banter between Sonic and Sally. All of the Freedom Fighters get a scene here. Tails is on look-out duty in the first scene, Rotor helps take apart one of the captured SWATBots, Bunnie is... Just hanging around Rotor's workshop. Antoine attempts to compose a love poem to Sally and nearly gets her crushed to death, because Antoine acting like even more of a buffoon will be a reoccurring theme in season two. Even if not everyone is treated the best – and Sonic and Sally are still clearly the stars of the show – it's nice to see everyone show up. As always, the voice cast is an absolute delight. Jalleel White and Kath Soucie both sound so natural in this parts already.

For whatever reason, “Game Guy” would be referenced throughout other “Sonic” media made around this time. One of the juvenile reader “Sonic” novels put out by Troll would directly adapt this story. Funny enough, the very first issue of Archie's on-going comic would also feature the premise of Robotnik sticking Sonic in a giant pinball machine. Keep in mind, that comic was published in May of 1993. So either the cartoon drew inspiration from the comic or this idea was in development for quite a while. Or maybe making Sonic the center of a pinball game was just too obvious an idea to be resisted. That's probably it.

As for the episode itself... It's fine. It contains some ideas I really like, some I'm indifferent to, but the whole thing probably could've been done a lot better. Yet it's not a bad season debut either, setting up some of the concepts that would be explored more later and still containing a fittingly emotional conclusion. [6/10]