Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 44

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 44

Publication Date: September 15th, 2021

It's time for another monthly installment of "Zack Describes His Relationship with IDW's "Sonic" Series." By now, I think the new comic is officially beloved by the "Sonic" fandom, to a degree that maybe eclipses the Archie series. My Twitter feed is packed with fan art of Surge and Kit, two characters who haven't even debuted yet, and the announcement of the Whisper plush was met with orgasmic glee from many corners of the fandom. While I'm fairly invested in certain elements of the book, it still feels compromised in a way that bugs me. Which we'll discuss more as I talk about the brand new issue today. 

Part four of "Zeti Hunt" features very little of the Zetis. The Deadly Six is in custody at the issue's beginning. Sonic and Tails load them into a rocket, Gamera style, and shoot them back to their home world. Most of the issue is devoted to Belle being kidnapped by Dr. Starline. He intentionally provokes an emotional response in the puppet, so his computers can analyze the way her advanced robotic/wooden brain works. The Chaotix bust in and rescue her but Starline already has what he needs and gleefully escapes. 

Remember how I wondered aloud in my last comic review if bringing the Deadly Six back was just a way for Ian Flynn to occupy the Sega heroes, while he laid the groundwork for the upcoming "Imposter Syndrome" mini-series in the background? It brings me absolutely no joy to report that this hunch was one hundred percent correct. The final part of this story arc constitutes nothing but a brief epilogue. Zavok and his gang are already defeated by the first page and are quickly brushed off-panel, so the comic can focus on the shit it's actually interested in. There's a brief denouncement, where the Zetis land back on Lost Hex and promise they will return, stronger than ever, but that feels totally obligatory. It's Flynn's way of saying the Zetis will return someday but they are not a going concern for the present. And that's exactly what it feels like, the author patting us in the head and saying "Yeah, don't worry about these guys for a while."

In fact, Sonic himself has almost nothing to do in this issue. He explains the circumstances of Zavok's defeat and mocks the bad guys a little. There's one meaty moment in this entire exchange. When Zavok realizes Sonic is deporting them, instead of executing or empoisoning them, he laughs. Being a part of a proud warrior race, Zavok thinks mercy is a weakness. He promises he will return, worst than ever, and make Sonic regret this decision. This causes the hedgehog to reflect on the previous times this exact same thing has happened to him: When he let Eggman remain as Mr. Tinker, which eventually beget a world-swallowing apocalypse. How Metal Sonic returned from defeat to vex the good guys again. And how Shadow and Espio both chastised Sonic for allowing these things to happen. 

This seems to be an element of Sonic's personality Flynn has been building on. That his heroic qualities mean he always sees the best in people, even though this attitude has repeatedly bit him in the ass. This could lead to an interesting dilemma down the line, where Sonic questions his own tactics, his own morality, and wonders if he has the guts to make the hard decisions... But that's feeling increasingly unlikely. Sonic simply dismisses Zavok's taunting by saying he won't "sacrifice his principals out of fear." Instead, I'm beginning to suspect that this is Flynn's half-assed way to justify the Joker Conundrum: Where obviously dangerous villains stick around because of the rules of comic book plotting. Because they have to return eventually, because the comic can't just introduce a new bad guy every month. 

And I hate to keep bringing this up – complaining about these nebulous "Sega Mandates" is the worst cliché of Sonic comic fandom now – but it really does feel like something being imposed on Flynn. Insisting Sonic always be an ultra-good Good Guy, and that his enemies are never defeated forever, feels like something Flynn's corporate paymasters would do. The people of Mobius "Sonic's world" are never going to turn on Sonic because he keeps letting the villains walk away. Flynn will keep returning to this plot point, of Sonic wondering if he's doing the right thing, because he has to in order to keep his job. It's never going to pay off or resolve. It's the author trying to create depth out of the crumbs he's forced to work with.

And that represents my real problem with IDW "Sonic." It's chained to what Sega wants the "Sonic" franchise to be. Archie's "Sonic" was allowed, partly through corporate negligence, to become a completely unique version of Sonic. It's why, no matter how hard Flynn tries, no matter how many exclusive characters or decent stories are contained inside it, IDW "Sonic" can never be its own thing. It's always destined to be a spin-off to the video games, an ancillary product to the part of the franchise we're supposed to care the most about. And since most "Sonic" fans are invested in the video games, first and foremost, they're not going to complain about this. But I am, because I'm an old man. 

Flynn is obviously frustrated by these limitations too, which is why he's so clearly more interested in his own characters, that he can do pretty much whatever he wants with. Belle's story is allowed to have pathos, when Sonic's can only fake it. In this issue, we finally see Belle's backstory, how Mr. Tinker built her as an assistant. How she loved him and was beloved, in turn, by the villagers. And how they turned on her after the Metal Virus Crisis and dismantled everything Mr. Tinker built. We see how Belle's identity crisis is rooted in everything she thought she was being soundly rejected by those around her. This ties in with her function as a "fixer," because she even wants to fix the things that can't be mended, like her father figure letting her down or people being bigoted against robots. 

This stuff is good and I really feel for Belle in these scenes. When she lashes out in anger at Starline or cries softly in the corner, your heart goes out for this little wooden girl. And the way Vector caresses her head and tells her that she has friends here for her, that being around people who actually value her is the only way to "fix" these wounds, it's very touching. Yes, it is surreal to me to see Vector – who I'm so used to seeing written as a meatheaded galoot or buffoonish comic relief – play a role in an emotionally meaningful moment. In fact, Flynn also has Vector be the straight man to Belle's comedic overreaction earlier. So I guess the "Computer room!" meme is now a responsible adult in this comic book. Feels weird but I can roll with it. 

Since solicitations have already told us what is coming, there's not much suspense in what Starline is up to in this issue. Obviously, the information on Belle's brain will help him build the evil clones that are going to star in a mini-series in six weeks. Yet Flynn clearly still enjoys writing Starline. His type of villainy – ridiculously self-assured, refined and intellectual and more than a little flamboyant – is something the "Sonic" franchise doesn't quite have right now. He uses "gracious" as an interjection, says "my dear child" to Charmy, gingerly places Belle's cute little hat back on her head, and sails gracefully through the air while using his superpowers. Dr. Starline is the kind of guy who talks with his hands a lot. That's why, in my brain, he now sounds like Bill Hader's impression of Vincent Price. The point is Starline really enjoys being a bad guy, Flynn clearly enjoys writing that, and the reader picks up in that joy. 

So issue 44 is one I have a lot of mixed feelings about. Tracy Yardley's art is strong. He even does some cool things with the lay-out, when he has a page of Starline talking about his past with Eggman and Belle talking about her past with "Mr. Tinker" mirror each other. Starline's campy villainy is enjoyable and Belle's arc remains the most compelling thing the series has going right now. Yet this issue so sharply defines the limitations of this comic book and makes the last three issues feel like a fucking waste of time. I don't know, I guess that evens out to a [6/10]. I will definitely continue to bitch and moan about this shit so get used to it.