Sonic the Hedgehog: Bad Guys: Issue 3

Sonic the Hedgehog: Bad Guys: Issue 3

Publication Date: November 25th, 2020

I've written, several times over the years, about how comic books are notorious for having misleading covers. When children have been the primary target for your product for upwards of fifty years, that only seems natural. When a kid sees a cover about how Superman has turned into a gorilla or the Flash is a puppet now, their eyes light up with shock and awe that results in them immediately buying the comic in question. Kids are also more likely not to feel ripped off when nothing of that sort actually happens in the comic. Archie's "Sonic" series was certainly not above tactics like that. Remember when Sonic cradled Sally's dead body in his arms or our heroes were consumed by a white void full of monster arms? While I've done little but bitch about IDW's "Sonic" books, I'll give the company this much: They've done few misleading covers. Yes, the shocking event depicted on the cover of issue 3 of "Bad Guys" does happen. 

Volume three of "Bad Guys," which the Sonic News Network wiki informs me is subtitled "Trust Issues," begins with Starline doing another monologue... Except it's not Starline but Mimic impersonating him. Yes, Zavok and the octopus are well aware of the doctor's in-coming betrayal. The next day, the team raid the hub of Eggman's computer network. The new power cores Starline has outfitted his team with makes the job easier than ever. Just as the platypus thinks victory is within his grasp, Zavok and Mimic turn on him. 

From the beginning, "Bad Guys" has been interesting because of the different schemers plotting against each other within the team. Trying to figure out how aware of each other's plots Starline and Zavok were has been a lot of fun. Issue three is when Flynn cashes that check. It turns out Zavok has always been aware of Starline's plot and Mimic had his suspicion all along as well. This is a little disappointing, as I was hoping Flynn could milk that tension a little longer, but it does lead to another intriguing event. Now Starline has been (seemingly) outsmarted and outmatched, making us wonder if he can wiggle his way out of this predicament. Which is also pretty exciting and a good cliffhanger to leave things on, so Flynn continues to have my begrudging respect for this month.

It's a good thing this issue has such a strong dramatic hook to it. Otherwise, part three of "Bad Guys" is pretty simple. It's largely devoted to Starline's team crushing Eggman's defenses with ease. Supercharged by the Power Cores, they tear through the Eggnet Hub's protection without breaking a sweat. But, in its own way, these action scenes are kind of fun. We haven't seen what the Power Cores can do exactly, so there's novelty in watching a super-fast Rough or a more pumped-up Zavok tear some robots apart. Some times, you just want to see a team of goons working together and fucking some shit up, ya know? You get a certain rush from watching ownage like that getting laid down. 

Perhaps these admittedly tension-free action scenes are fun because we are kind of invested in these guys at this point. Somehow, Flynn has managed to get me to care about Zavok and Rough and Tumble. The zeti's calculating nature and shrewd powers of observation have taken him from a C-list "Sonic" villain in my mind to someone who is actually a compelling antagonist. Rough and Tumble - who I had pretty much no feelings towards, one way or the other - are also growing on me. In the truck on the way to the Eggnet Hub, the two compose a new poem to introduce their entire team. See, these two are the opposite of Zavok and Mimic, in the sense that they are totally clueless about the incoming betrayal. They are basically just big, dumb, hyper-destructive kids and that's endearing. Flynn should play up that contrast between their ultra violent and childish world views more often. 

If there's been any flaw at all with "Bad Guys," it's been Flynn's insistence on keeping Eggman to the margins. Considering that's the big bad these lesser bads are fighting against, you'd think he would have more of a presence. In this issue, his alarms alert him that the Eggnet Hub is being raided. Starline quickly hijacks the signal and says another location is being attacked. Eggman hedges his bets by sending forces to both locations. Honestly, the fact that Eggman has been even a little fooled by Starline's obvious manipulation undermines his supposed great genius. Considering how goofy he was in the "Recovery" arc, maybe Eggman is still licking his wounds after the whole Zombot fiasco. Or maybe Ian Flynn is just an inconsistent writer. You decide!

What is not inconsistent is the quality of the artwork. Jack Lawrence draws the opening and closing few pages of this book, providing his typically excellent pencils. The middle section of the book is drawn by Aaron Hammerstrom, who provided the atmospheric "Reflections" in this year's annual. You can immediately tell when Hammerstrom has taken over, as his style is far looser and more cartoony than Lawrence's. This is okay, as Hammerstrom's art provides the right kind of chaotic energy for this action scenes. I don't know if the "Battletoads"-like decision to have the guys grow giant hands and feet while kicking ass was just Hammerstrom exaggerating or an effect of the Power Cores. Either way, I like it!

While not being quite as strong as the previous two issues, the third issue of "Bad Guys" continues to be compelling. This mini-series is working because Flynn is actually balancing action and character development, something he should've tried during the tail-end of the Metal Virus Saga. Maybe that's because he's awarded more freedom when working with less well-known characters. I don't know the reason but I do know I'm enjoying this one and am actually looking forward to the exciting conclusion next month. [7/10]