Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 33

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 33

Publication Date: October 14th, 2020

Ian Flynn has been the primary writer of the “Sonic” comics since 2006, trading off with only a few other writers in all that time. (And that’s in addition to writing all of Archie’s “Mega Man” series and a couple other books here and there too.) Certainly Flynn has been great for “Sonic” and has written a number of stories over the years that I’m very fond of. Having said that, I’ve certainly had plenty of criticism for Flynn too. Especially lately. So I’m pretty pleased to see him hand over head writing duties to someone else for a while. While Flynn works on the “Bad Guys” mini-series, artist-turned-writer Evan Stanley will be handling the main book. I wasn’t a fan of Stanley’s “Silver Age” “Sonic Universe” arc but the story she wrote for last year’s annual is still probably my favorite “Sonic” thing IDW has published. So I approach her arc on the main book with a mixture of excitement and caution. 

“Chao Races and Badnik Chases” focuses in on Tails attempting to repair Omega, who is still just a head at this moment. He needs both a decoder for Eggman’s software and parts to put the murder-bot back together again. Rouge and Amy head off to a casino/amusement park called White Park, where a black market robot parts trader called Clutch is known to work. Their cover is entering Cream’s Chao, Cheese, in the casino’s Chao races. Gemerl comes along to protect Cream and Shadow seems to be chasing someone else at the park. Meanwhile, Sonic and Tails investigate an abandoned Eggman lab to uncover the computer code cipher. But they appear to be not-exactly alone there...

I’ve been accused of being overly negative here of late, so I’ll get my grievances about the first part of “Chao Races and Badnik Chases” — an issue I otherwise enjoyed! — out of the way first. Stanley showed off some awkward handling of narrative in “The Silver Age.” She’s gotten a lot better but there’s still some bumps early in the road here. The first act of this comic is pretty boring. Far more pages than necessary are devoted to setting up the story, all the characters being sorted into various teams before setting off on their own goals. The dialogue is laden with exposition, as every detail of the various plans are laid out. I was ready to check out on this one early. 

I was also skeptical of this issue because I knew so much of it was going to revolve around fuckin’ Chao. My indifference-bordering-on-hostility towards these stupid little baby things is well known. Until a recent exhaustive video on the topic, I didn’t even know anything about the Chao racing mini-game in the “Sonic Adventure” titles. I never played them and am baffled that Sonic Team spent so much time and energy on a dumb ass mini game instead, I don’t know, making sure the primary camera system in the main game actually functioned correctly. I’m still utterly baffled by the devotion and fascination people have with the Chao gardens and all their related content.

But that’s neither here nor there. The Chao race subplot here is, admittedly, dumb and probably a waste of time. The scenes devoted to Cheese’s apparent rivalry with a mean, Shadow inspired Chao — the personal pet of Clutch, we soon learn — are ridiculous. I was reminded a little too much of Maggie and Baby Gerald in the panels devoted to the two blobs glaring angrily at each other. Having said that the race scenes are kind of fun. Stanley’s pencils are energetic and emotive. Despite myself, I did end up rooting for Cheese as he works to make it across the finish line. He might be a stupid, simperingly cute little squish toy but he doesn’t give up easily and I respect that.

Generally speaking, this is a fun comic book. After the exposition-heavy first third, the dialogue and character interactions are cute and relatable. It’s amusing to see Amy take a breather from the chaos of the last year. Omega’s snide remarks provide chuckles. The suspicion Gemerl regards Rouge with is also amusing. The scene devoted to Rouge meeting Clutch are well-done. Probably inspired by the similar Renfield T. Rodent, the garish but sleazy possum provides a decent foil for Rouge. Both are duplicitous but Rouge is a little more honorable than this guy appears to be. Both are obviously trying to trick each other and it’s fun watching them dance around their true motives. 

We still don’t yet know what exactly Shadow has to do in this storyline. He’s snooping around the hotel and ends up fighting some glowing weirdo in a parka. I have no idea who this mysterious hooded figure may be, though Rouge seemed to recognize him earlier. Maybe it’s Infinite? I don’t know but the presentation is mysterious enough to draw me in. Moreover, the scuffle with Shadow is well done. It’s, notably, this issue’s only real action scene, providing a much needed relief from Flynn’s exhausting focus on fight scenes here of late. As for Shadow’s characterization, Stanley successfully hints that his douchebag exterior covers up a kinder spirit. 

This issue was originally suppose to come out in September but, in account of the delays, was released in the middle of October. So IDW didn’t plan it this way but the issue ends up being a kind of a Halloween special. Sonic and Tails explore a spooky abandoned lab. They have amusingly bro-y banter about ghosts and vampires. Some spooky Sonic and Tails Dolls appear and a shadowy figure is lurking in the background. Obviously, I love this and sort of wish the whole issue could’ve been devoted to this storyline. Wouldn’t it have been fun to have a little short horror story starring Sonic and Tails in October? But Stanley seemingly has bigger plans for this story, so we’ll see where she takes it.

My only other problem with “Chao Races and Badnik Chases, Part One” isn’t really Stanley’s fault. There’s almost no mention of the Metal Virus or Zombots here. Ya know, that massive crisis the comic spent the last year and a half on? It annoys me a little that the series spent so much time on that arc and now not only wants to move on but seems to want to forget it ever happened. I guess the “Recovery” two-parter — which wasn’t actually about the world recovering at all — is the only look we’re going to get at the aftermath. I get if Flynn and company want to stop talking about viruses and pandemics for a while. But you’d expect something like the Zombot plague to have a long term affect on the comic’s world. That the book is brushing the entire thing aside definitely feels like a cheat. (And also makes the last year and half feel like a huge waste of time.)

But like I said, that’s not Evan Stanley’s fault. Part one of “Chao Races and Badnik Chases” is mostly an amusing little issue. Once the laborious setup is out of the way, it’s fun watching these characters embark on wacky adventures of different stripes. Considering her history with narrative hiccups, I am wondering if Stanley will be able to balance all these different story lines in a satisfying way but I suppose that remains to be seen. For now, I’m going to give this one a positive score. See? I don’t hate everything all of the time! [7/10]

(Also of note, this issue contains a cameo from the O.C. of longtime “Sonic” comic reviewer, Bobby from “Thanks, Ken Penders.” It’s a nice shout-out to the fan community and I’m happy for her. Having said that, I am also insanely jealous. If you’re going to reference fan blogs, Stanley, where’s my shout-out, huh? Everybody reading this, please go harass Evan on Twitter until I am officially made a part of “Sonic” canon. Thank you and good night. (P.S.S.: please don’t actually do that. Not harassing anyway but maybe just gingerly pleading? That won’t hurt anybody’s feelings. Thank you and good night again.)