Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 34

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 34

Publication Date: November 11th, 2020

As I type this, I am now officially caught up with IDW’s “Sonic” comic. Four more issues — two more of the main book and the second half of “Bad Guys” — are scheduled to come out before the year is over. You, the reader, probably wouldn’t have noticed this at all if I hadn’t mentioned it, as the reviews will keep coming out at a regular pace. But the fact that I’m up-to-date on the series is the sign to me that Hedgehogs Can’t Swim is, at the very least, back for now. Until I wander horribly off-schedule again. Which will probably happen next month. 

Anyway, part two of “Chao Races And Badnik Chases” has Rouge, Amy, and Cream preparing for another Chao race. After Cheese wins again, Rouge looks to go through with her shady deal with Clutch... But Amy, Cream, and Gemerl insists on tagging along. This tips the gangster off that something funny is up. Before things turn too sour, Shadow leaps into action to save everyone’s asses. Meanwhile, Tails continues his attempt to hack into Eggman’s network, while Sonic stands by bored. This is when a marionette style robot named Belle makes an appearance. Sonic initially thinks she’s a threat but she seems innocent. This distraction alerts the base to Tails’ hacking, deploying the automated defenses.

Evan Stanley gets a lot of mileage out of pairing three of the franchise’s most prominent female characters together. The opening sequence, where the three talk around the breakfast table, features some really cute dialogue. Rouge and Amy represents two very different types of womanhood for Cream to aspire too. Amy likes to follow the rules, is focused on planning, dresses in traditionally feminine but conservative clothes, and has been in love with the same guy for twenty-seven years. Rouge is ambivalent to the law, is distracted by shiny things, dresses sexy, and is promiscuous. (Cream mentions how Rouge never came back to the hotel room last night, a probably innocent line dripping with connotations. Especially considering what a good mood Rouge seems to be in when she does appear.) These differences are noted in a very cute dialogue about Rouge robbing the hotel guests. It’s a bummer Sega characters are static, as I’d like to see how Cream would grow up with all these different role models influencing her.

Having said all that, perhaps Route should have focused a little more on planning. What exactly was her strategy with Clutch? She’d give him Cheese and then... Immediately take him back after getting the robot parts? That doesn’t seem like a very sound con job. We’ll never know how the original plan might’ve played out cause Stanley cheats a little. She has Shadow — who is still lurking around the hotel, looking for some sort of lead on Eggman — leap in and save the day. It’s a good thing he was there, huh? The comic was threatening to get interesting there, with its heroines forced to fight their way out of a tight situation. The truth is, I find it unlikely that someone as wily as Rouge would ever allow Amy, Cream, and Gemerl along for such an obviously dangerous mission. 

Presumably this is not the last we’ll see of Clutch, considering there’s two more issues in this arc and Stanley clearly put some time and energy into his design. We learn more about what kind of villain this possum is. He keeps his Chao in a cage and seems to mistreat them. He’s basically no different than thugs that run dog fighting rings. The impact of this reveal is a little softened, because the only one of Clutch’s Chao we know is the Shadow-style one that’s been bullying Cheese. If Stanley wanted us to understand more that he’s just an asshole because of his cruel master, she probably should have shown a little more of Clutch’s abuse. But I guess that would’ve stepped outside the boundaries of a children’s comic.

This issue is pretty evenly divided between the adventure at the casino and Sonic and Tails hanging out in the dank, abandoned Eggman base. Sonic’s visible boredom, which he alleviates by boxing a Knuckles doll, is mildly amusing. Mostly, this section is devoted to introducing Belle. The character was revealed on Twitter to much hype, as “Sonic” fans tend to immediately embrace new characters if they have a cool design. I was hoping Belle might be a villain, as I was getting some creepy puppet vibes from her brief appearances last issue. (Also, the comic severely needs a female villain that isn’t Zeena.) Instead, Belle is an innocent marionette carved by Mr. Tinker, with only defensive combat abilities. She wants to be reunited with her kindly inventor, a motivation that could turn tragic depending on how Stanley plays it. I was a slightly disappointed by this, because my idea was cooler and the comic already has one innocent little girl character, but we’ll see where things go. 

If nothing else, Belle does have a pretty neat design. A puppet-style robot is something we haven’t seen in the “Sonic” franchise before. The action scene, where Belle dodges around the jumpy Sonic, is fluidly done. Stanley makes good use of shadows and silhouette in several scenes, such as when Shadow is lurking about or when Amy questions Rouge’s motivation. Her propensity towards cute characters is a bit distracting though. When a horde of self-destructing Badniks is unleashed near the end, the threat factor is undermined a bit by them all being adorable ladybugs. Still, it’s a very good looking comic book.

Ultimately, the really cute interaction between the characters is why I’m going to give this one a positive score. I really love that opening banter — Cream is eating a perfectly square waffle, you guys — and impatient Sonic complaining. I’m not totally satisfied with how the main plot is unfolding and it remains to be seen whether Belle will develop into an interesting character. Over all, this arc has been fairly relaxed and entertaining. After the year everyone — including these fictional cartoon animals — has had, I’ll take it. I’m hoping Stanley really brings this one home in the next two parts. [6.5/10]