Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 29

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 29

Publication Date: July 22nd, 2020

The Metal Virus Saga more-or-less started in March of 2019, after some brief foreshadowing. In July of this year, it finally wrapped up. Fourteen months is, admittedly, less time than the literal years it took Flynn to conclude the Shattered World Crisis. Yet, COVID-related delays aside, I still feel like this story could have been just as impactful as it was during its best moments without feeling like it’s been going on for way too long. But, whatever, issue 29 finally brings the second big saga of IDW’s still young “Sonic” comic to an end. 

“All or Nothing, Part Four” has the Zombot swarm closing in on Angel Island, after Zavok furiously threw a fistful up there. Sonic, Metal Sonic, and Silver do what they can to get close to the last Emerald on Zavok’s chest but it’s a real fight for them. At the grimmest moment, Sonic and Silver get close and transform into their super-forms. The Deadly Six are defeated but the fight is far from over. Super Sonic and Super Silver now focus their attention on pulling the Metal Virus from the planet’s population and using the Warp Topaz to drop it into the sun. But that is easier said than done...

In the early part of this issue, the situation seems grim. The Zombot horde — conveniently containing every one of Sonic’s friends that got infected — corners the last of the Restoration on Angel Island. In quick succession, Amy, Tails, and Knuckles all get infected. Even Eggman looks like he’s in trouble, thanks to Froggy leaping on him. (A well-time bit of comic relief.) One thing this arc has been good at, maybe a little too good at, is conveying a sense of grim desperation. Watching our heroes fight, and fail, is a sight that still packs some shock value. When Zavok smacks Sonic to the ground, his body almost entirely chrome, you do get a real sense that the world is at stake here.

But then Sonic and Silver go Super Saiyan, meaning the fight is pretty much over. Maybe it’s just me but it seems that the presence of Super Sonic used to mean a fight was about to get even more epic. Now, the super forms have gotten so ridiculously powerful, that they can dispatch any threat with ease. That’s exactly what happens here, as Sonic and Silver completely smash Zavok in one page. Once again, this really just seems to be a side-effect of Flynn’s shitty pacing. He has to shove the final fight and the destruction of the Metal Virus all into this issue. Something has to go, so we get a hopelessly anticlimactic face-off with Zavok. Silver even calls it anti-climatic, suggesting Flynn is all too aware of how shitty this is.

It’s a bad habit of Flynn’s that started with the “Genesis” event back in the Archie days. But perhaps he’s at least aware of how boring Super Sonic is. Because the fight with Zavok is not the main conflict of this issue. Instead, the real focus is on sucking every last bit of Metal Virus into space before the Warp Topaz shakes itself apart. Instead of focusing on Super Sonic’s unlimited powers, that provides a very limited time restraint for the story. Which makes for a far more dramatically sound climax, even if Sonic and Silver yanking the Virus away with their omniscient superpowers feels like a bit of a cheat. 

This is an action driven issue, as Flynn has a lot of story to cram into these brief twenty pages. Admirably, he still finds a little room for more emotional issues. As the Metal Virus is sucked away, we get a number of tearful reunions. Whisper glomps Tangle the minute she gets back to normal. There’s a cute joke about Rouge clinging to the Master Emerald — her one true love — in what might’ve been those final minutes. Most touching is Vanilla and Cream’s reunion. Mom bunny and her offspring tearfully hugging one another is adorable and all that. But Gemerl’s reaction, to stand back and let them have this moment, it’s really cute. Awww, you guys, he’s a robot and he’s not good at feelings. 

I would’ve liked it if Flynn had devoted a little more page space to this emotional fallout. And hopefully we’ll get that next time. (Though what I’d really like to see — the populace grappling with what they were forced to do while zombified — seems unlikely to happen.) Yet Flynn has one more dramatic event to deliver: Sonic vanishes after destroying the Metal Virus. Yes, after pulling a quasi-death cheat on nearly the entire planet, Flynn throws in one more. Obviously, Sonic isn’t dead. The comic book is named after him! Mobius “Sonic’s world” loosing its greatest champion after its darkest moment could be set-up for some good stories. Yet we all know that wherever in space Sonic got tossed this time will probably just be a brief pause before the Sega-mandated status quo is re-enforced.

After doing double-duty with Evan Stanley for a while, the book finally hands a whole issue to Adam Bryce Thomas. This was a natural idea, as dynamic and highly dramatic action sequences are exactly what Thomas specializes in. And he certainly delivers some of those. In fact, sometimes the panels are so action-packed, I’m not totally sure what’s happening in them. The series of panels depicting Sonic blasting the Virus into the sun are kind of difficult to follow. But it’s fine, as Thomas still clearly knows what he’s doing and this is another great looking issue. 

As the Metal Virus Saga wraps up, I still have a lot of mixed feelings. It started strong, capturing a sense of panic and bringing a new idea to the comic. It eventually went on too long, repetitive issues draining the novelty from the premise. It was somehow too grim but also not grim enough, as it piled on lots of hopeless scenarios but cheated where it actually counted. As Flynn piled on more characters and plot turns, he lost sight of some things and then had to sloppily wrap everything up too quickly. For what it’s worth, the arc also produced good moments, surprisingly redeeming some lame characters. Where does that average out to? We’ll figure that out eventually but for now Issue 29 gets a [6/10], the only rating I seem to give anymore.