Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 43

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 43

Publication Date: September 1st, 2021

One of the various "Sonic" fan corners I hang out in features a person who complains loudly and obnoxiously every time an issue of IDW's "Sonic" comic is delayed. I blocked him a while ago but, before that, I would futilely attempt to explain that delays are common in the comic industry. IDW, in particular, is notorious for missing deadlines. This is the very grown-up and mature perspective I try to take but, I'll admit, IDW's fucked-up release schedule threw me for a loop today. I turned on my PC, ready to review an episode of an old cartoon, when I saw a notification that the new issue of IDW "Sonic" was out today. Issue 43's release date has been shifted so many times I forgot it was actually coming out on September 1st. So I got out of my comfy office chair, grabbed my tablet, booted up Comixology, and here we are now. 

Sorry, each of these recent comic reviews have opened with me complaining what an old man I am. Anyway, issue 43 is devoted to "Zeti Hunt, Part 3." We pick up where we last left off, with Sonic locked in a small room with the entirety of the Deadly Six. The hedgehog brawls with the six Zetis but eventually finds himself overwhelmed by their raw brute strength. Whisper helps out and Tails, with his electronic Zeti stopping devices, eventually arrives to help. Even after beating the monsters into submission, the trouble isn't over. Sonic is informed that Starline has kidnapped Belle. 

Almost this entire issue – as in 19 out of 20 pages – is devoted to the fight between Sonic and the Deadly Six. I like action in my action comics as much as the next guy. Flynn and his team find some novel moments to include in this lengthy brawl. Such as Zaz getting increasingly unhinged as he takes more of a beating from Sonic. Or Zavok picking up Zor, when he refuses to participate in the fight, and literally throwing him at Sonic. Still, there's only so much novelty to watching cartoon characters wail on each other for page after page. I wish there was a little more dramatic meat on this issue's bones. 

In fact, I didn't find myself becoming involved in this issue at all until Sonic started to loose the fight. Sonic is mostly able to handle the big colorful monsters but, after Zavok lands a lucky sucker punch on him, the tide of the fight starts to turn. I've said this before and I'll probably say it again, as it's a fact the "Sonic" franchise has trouble remembering sometimes: Fights are way more compelling when it looks like the hero might actually loose! When Zavok has his hand around Sonic's head, squeezing it like a stress ball, that's a compelling image. The issue needed more stuff like that. 

However, one thing remains consistent no matter how bad of a beating Sonic is taking: He's always a smart-ass. Some people complain about this too and it can definitely drain the dramatic tension from situations sometimes. However, here it is used well, I think. Sonic mocks Zavok's tendency to monologue about his grand, grim purpose by referring to it as failed poetry or rambling. It shows Sonic's tenacity, his unwillingness to give up, that he's still cracking jokes even when getting the shit beat out of him. It is what is commonly referred to as a "personality trait" and it helps enliven a fight-fest issue like this. 

Something else that keeps the pep up in this issue is when Sonic's pals help him out. Tangle goatses a hole in the steel door, whacking any Zeti that wanders by with her tail until Zavok yanks back. Whisper, always so whispery, fires some Wispon bolts into the room before Zavok uses his technopathy to scramble her mask. When Tails drops in, we get a good moment where he saves Sonic's ass by spindashing into Zavok's chest. It's nice to be reminded that Tails isn't just the tech guy but can do all the same special moves as Sonic. Again, brief moments like this add some color to an issue otherwise totally devoted to fisticuffs. (Also, the Chaotix get stuck in traffic and that made laugh while also raising some questions about the infrastructure on Sonic's world.)

In the past, we've seen multiple artist work on a single story, which I frequently suspect is to help lighten the work load of whoever the primary artist was supposed to be. This issue is split evenly between three different artists. And the shift in style is a bit jarring. Jamal Peppers does the first ten pages. I used to love Peppers' work on the Archie series but have been underwhelmed by his contributions to IDW so far. It seems Peppers has dropped the slightly sketchy pencil lines from his work, which always invoked a somewhat gritty feel. Without that, his art comes off as overly smooth and stationary. Or maybe he's just bad at drawing the Zetis. The Deadly Six come off as especially weightless, with wide-eyed and blank facial expressions, on his pages. 

When Bracardi Curry takes over on page eleven, it's really obvious. Curry's art has a fantastic sense of motion. His character work is stylized, and a little more jagged than the traditional "Sonic" artwork, which makes his action sequences even more distinctive. After five pages of excellent art from Curry, Thomas Rothlisberger takes over. After doing impressive work on the 30th Anniversary special and this year's FCBD issue, this is Rothlisberger's debut in the regular series. His talent really lies in facial expressions. Which is probably why panels devoted to Sonic and Tails being defiant while Zavok squishes them, or the clear masochistic pleasure on Zor's face after getting zapped with Tails' gizmo, really shine. It's a good looking book but having three people, each with such distinctive art styles, work on one issue does make for a slightly disorientating read. 

As we reach the end of the "Zeti Hunt" story arc, I do have to wonder what the point of all this was. Did Flynn just want to remind readers the Deadly Sox where still out there, doing zeti shit? Did he bring the colorful monsters back simply to occupy the main cast while setting up the upcoming "Imposter Syndrome" mini-series in the background? That really feels like where this is going but I guess we still have more issue in this arc for it to justify itself. This isn't a totally useless issue and the script does what it can to spruce up a story devoted totally to a fight scene... But it's still just an extended fight scene and only so much can be done with that. [6/10]