Sonic the Hedgehog 2: The Official Movie Pre-Quill

Sonic the Hedgehog 2: The Official Movie Pre-Quill

Publication Date: March 30th, 2022

When the "Sonic the Hedgehog" was first announced in 2014, I was skeptical of it ever making it to the big screen. All sorts of dumbass adaptations and projects get announced in Hollywood every day. Most of them never make it to theaters. When the movie made it out of Development Hell, into active production and before real movie cameras, I was still skeptical. I had dreamed about a "Sonic" movie for ages but never expected a real motion picture to live up to my half-mad imaginings. When that disastrous first trailer debuted, it seemed the video game movie curse had struck again and the "Sonic" film was doomed before it even came out.

Through all of this, the idea of a sequel never struck me as a probable proposition. Hollywood is franchise hungry but I have a "let's wait and see how the first one turns out" attitude towards these things. By some fucking miracle and extensive effects reworking, the first "Sonic" movie was actually fairly entertaining. Moreover, it made a lot of money. And now Paramount Studios is going all in on "Sonic." The sequel comes out next week. They've already announced a third film and a "Knuckles" spin-off streaming series. While the specific vision of a "Sonic" movie trilogy that existed in my head was never going to come to life, my dream of "Sonic" being an honest-to-God cinematic universe has somehow come to pass. What a time to be alive.

The release of a big budget sequel, that the studio is pinning a lot of future success on, brings with it a plethora of tie-in merchandise. There's toys, Happy Meals, VTubing experiments, and even a breakfast cereal. Most intriguing of all is the idea of a comic book tie-in. "Sonic" has a rich history in comics, as anyone reading this blog knows. IDW, the current publisher of "Sonic" comics, practically specializes in film and television tie-ins. So I was pleasantly surprised, but not shocked, when IDW announced a one-shot special to proceed the release of "Sonic the Hedgehog 2." You know the "Sonic" Movie Universe is the real deal when comic books expanding on its lore are coming out.

Much like the annuals that IDW has published in the past — which this "pre-quill" seems to be taking the place of this year — a selection of stories are included. The first of the five tales is "Hedgehog Day Afternoon," which involves a bored Sonic foiling a bank robbing plot... Which soon reveals a connection to the exiled Dr. Robotnik. The second story, "The Secret of My Distress" concerns Robotnik's minion, Agent Stone, following his boss' ruthless game plan to take over a humble coffee shop. "Always Bet on Red" follows Knuckles traversing the universe, ending up on a wacky casino world, and fighting a giant monster. "Two for the Road" has Tails also traveling through various "zones," trying to locate Sonic and being pursued by a mysterious force. Lastly, "Mushroom with a View" picks up shortly after the end of the movie and depicts some of Robotnik's adventures on the mushroom world he was stranded on.

All of these stories were plotted by Kiel Phegley, who previously wrote the novelization of the first movie as well as some other "Sonic" related books. Phegley has done a pretty good job at replicating the tone and feel of the film. This comic is surprisingly funny! This is most notable in the first story, where Phegley accurately recreates the voice of Ben Schwartz' quipping Sonic. He even makes several passing references to the hedgehog's loneliness, continuing to be the defining trait of Movie Sonic. His search for a good superhero codename and his ADHD-driven mischief he gets up to in Green Hills are all pretty funny. The story's antagonists, a group of scheming bank robbers led by a sardonic redhead named Lindsey, even gets a few funny lines. Her begging Sonic to shut up at the end of the story surprisingly made me chuckle.

Of all the stories in this book, "Hedgehog Day Afternoon" feels the most like it could be a scene in the actual sequel. It has pretty big action beats, when the robbers use a glove that belonged to Robotnik to activate some of his drones. Sonic saves the day with his typical speed and quick thinking, in a fairly clever manner. The story is also the only one in the book to give a sizable role to Tom, who helps out after hearing about the robbery while on a fishing trip with goofy Wade. He even gets involved in the action, swatting an Egg Drone with his fishing rod in a fashion that would make Big the Cat proud. This one ties into the first movie in a logical way, Robotnik leaving lots of exploitable tech lying around being a reasonable enough assumption. It's fleet-footed, funny, and entertaining and that's really all I can hope for from the "Sonic" movies.

Despite only having a few minutes of screen time in the first movie, Lee Majdoub's Agent Stone quickly became a fan favorite. (And, of course, a certain breed of fan immediately began to ship him and Robotnik.) The sequel looks to capitalize on that. Or at least this comic does. There's a certain degree of absurd comedy here, of Stone using supervillain tactics to upend the hierarchy of a humble coffee shop. Robotnik's grandiose monologue, which Stone replicates, is repeatedly contrasted against the inanity of his coworkers. His new boss is literally named "Karen." His assistant manager repeatedly emphasizes how little compensation is to be expected at this job. A coworker asks him to cover for her despite barely knowing him. Probably the funniest interaction occurs when another coworker asks Stone if he wants to hear his movie review podcast, Stone fires back with some sinister supervillain prattle, and the guy deadpans "That's a really weird thing to say, dude."

If nothing else, this amusing but fairly goofy story does develop Agent Stone as a character more. From the first movie, all we really know about the guy is that he's totally devoted to Robotnik and that he makes a mean goat milk latte. The story expands on that, as coffee still seems to be his main hobby but obsessing over Robotnik's teachings is his real passion. In fact, Stone's action come off as rather ruthless here. He frames Karen for money laundering, trotting her off to jail and using her one phone call to taunt her. The assistant manager gets dragged off by Egg Drones to parts unknown. Is... is that guy dead now? I kind of doubt Stone's job in a coffee shop will be all the important to the sequel's plot but, if nothing else, it paints a picture of Robotnik's sidekick as just as dangerous as he is. (And also furthers my suspicion that the character was inspired by scheming villainous sidekicks like Snively or Starline.)

The two middle stories are, I suspect, the ones that will be most interesting to hardcore Sonic nerds. "Always Bet on Red" is our first real look at the movie-verse version of Knuckles. And it's already apparent that he's quite different from other takes on the echidna. There's no mention of Angel Island or Chaos Emeralds. Instead, Knuckles is depicted as traveling from world to world with the same warp ring technology Sonic used in the first movie. He's still the last echidna and a treasure hunter of sorts but his primary goal seems to be to locate Sonic, for vaguely defined reasons. He also has weird glow-y, red energy punching powers, not unlike Sonic's electric blue running powers. It's already very clear that the "Sonic" movies are putting their own spin(dash) on "Sonic" lore. I'm still not sure how I feel about these changes but at least the movie is harkening back to Knuckles' original characterization: A gruff and angry loner who is driven by circumstances to act rashly, a mysterious past always being hinted at. In fact, this might be the surliest take on Knuckles that I've seen in a while, after so many years of him mostly functioning as comic relief. 

Honestly, world-building might be the main goal of this story. There's not much to the plot, which has Knuckles being snagged by some weird alien dudes, dropped into a fight with a giant lobster monster in a casino, and quickly punching it out. It's certainly a far more sci-fi orientated version of "Sonic" lore than what we are used to seeing. Yet there's still the occasional shoutout. The casino is called the Casino Nights Zone. It's populated mostly by furry humanoid cartoon animals. Vector and Espio have cameos. Mostly, though this is an introduction to the movie take on Knux and I guess it does its job in that regard. I wish we got a little more character development, a little more insight into his goals and his past, and less random giant space crabs. It also ends a little abruptly. But I guess all of the important stuff is being saved for the actual movie. 

We've already technically met Movie Tails, thanks to the end credits teaser of the first film, but "Two for the Road" feels like a more thorough introduction. Tails is also shown leaping around the galaxy through warp rings and doggedly pursuing Sonic. Yet he seems to be a little closer to the Tails we know than what we glimpsed of Knuckles in the last story. He's still an admirer of Sonic, treating Longclaw's shack as sacred ground and excitedly talking about Sonic's powers. He wants to find the hedgehog not just to save the world but also because he's a fan. He's also still the whiz kid we expect from Tails, creating a wacky device that can track people through the portals. This story also has more shout-outs to the classic games, with stopovers in the Marble Zone, Spring Yard, Aquatic Ruins, and Hilltop Zone. Which seems to confirm that all these places exist in the movie canon. (There's also a cameo from Rava the Destroyer, the lizard guy cut from the first movie. So even this early on, the movie "Sonic" verse is developing its own in-jokes.)

Mostly, this story works for a little better than the last one because it has more narrative drive. Knuckles getting abducted and fighting a monster was obviously just a detour on his mission. This story has Tails directly on his way to his cameo in the first film. He's being pursued, adding some tension and making the entire story a chase scene of sorts. There's a lot of talk of "Chaos Energy," furthering my speculation that the movie versions of Sonic and Knuckles get their powers from the Chaos Emeralds. Or may even be walking Chaos Emeralds themselves. So this one does a good job of whetting my appetite for the movie and getting me excited to see Tails on-screen, even if it also ends suddenly. Also, Longclaw died at some point. R.I.P. Owl Mom. 

The last story was, supposedly, heavily suggested by Jim Carrey himself, showing that the rubber faced comedian really must be invested in playing Robotnik. "Mushroom with a View" returns to the goofy, action packed tone of the first story in this collection. It's simply a tale of Robotnik monologing to himself in glorious fashion while eating magic mushrooms and fighting off some alien critters. The mad scientist's hammy, egotistic way of referring to himself and everything around him makes for an amusing read. The appearance of biting little mushroom creatures is kind of random but it concludes on a nicely fiery note. Stories like these is really what I expected from this comic, little side stories that won't spoil the movie's events but does fill the gap between the films a little bit. Watching Carrey-botnik rant and fight aliens is an entertaining way to spend five pages.

While the entire comic is written by one dude, who is a newcomer to IDW's "Sonic" line, the slate of artists contain familiar names. Adam Bryce Thomas draws the first story, Tracy Yardley penciled the second and fifth, with Evan Stanley handling the middle two. Since the movies are so very different visually to the usual "Sonic" settings, on account of starring actual human beings and being filmed on Earth, there were some challenges. Sonic looks great in Thomas' story and the action scene have the sense of motion you've come to expect from him. The humans are drawn in an animesque style that is a little distracting at times. Lindsey or the little beat cop we meet are cute but Tom does not especially look like James Marsden. 

Yardley is a lot better at adapting his cartoony style to real people. His art in the second story is expressive and fun while still being grounded. On the last story, he manages to make Robotnik resemble Jim Carrey while still having him look like a Tracy Yardley drawing. (Though the mushroom monsters are notably a little more exaggerated than everything else in the story.) Stanley's stories don't feature any humanoids, so it doesn't have that problem. Her artwork looks the most like your typical "Sonic" comic, if a little more detailed and realistic in terms of environments. And that works just fine for me. 

Ultimately, the "Sonic 2: Official Movie Pre-Quill" is about the fun little bonus I expected it to be. It gives us a peek at the new introductions the sequel will be making, while expanding on the movie universe's lore a little bit. It also doesn't give too much away, making the stories feel a little frustratingly thin at times. That's probably why the three tales devoted to characters from the first movie just doin' stuff work a best for me. Still, this comic made me laugh, kept me entertained, is consistent with the depictions from the first film, and successfully got me hyped to see the sequel. I think that means it did its job. Honestly, assuming part two doesn't totally flop and the Sonic Cinematic Universe is going to be a real thing going forward, I'd be really interested in seeing IDW do more comics set in this world. It's fun to see "Sonic" comics actually interact with other parts of the franchise, rather than being confined to their own little ghetto, for once. [7/10]

Sonic X, Episode 3.03: H2 Whoa

Sonic X, Episode 3.03: H2 Whoa

Japanese Title: The Water Planet Hydo

U.S. Air Date: September 24th, 2005

Japanese Air Date: March 27th, 2020

"Sonic X's" intergalactic voyage truly begins with the third episode of season three. Using the Master Emerald as a tracking device, Knuckles determines that the near-by planet of Hydo is home to a Chaos Emerald. Sonic is appalled to find what was advertised as a world full of flat, runnable terrain is actually almost entirely covered by water. This is a result of the Metarex army already stealing Hydo's Planet Egg. While Knuckles, Cosmo, and Cream search for the Blue Chaos Emerald, Sonic attempts to battle the local Metarex. When his hydrophobia inevitably gets the best of him, Amy and Chris swing in to save the hedgehog. 

It's still early in the season, so who's to say, but I can suspect the direction "Sonic X" may be going in from here on out. In this episode, Sonic and the gang's search for the Chaos Emeralds brings them to a planet defined by a singular gimmick. While there, they fight the Metarex army and restore the world by the end. This is an easy enough premise to repeat every week, changing the gimmick of the new planets accordingly. I'm sure the show will mix it up but I bet we have quite a few more of what TVTropes calls "Planet of Hats" episodes to come. 

I actually have no issue with this set-up. I like "Star Trek" after all and there's lots of fun that can be had with this idea. "H2 Whoa" does indeed amuse me with its variation on the "water planet" premise. That means lots of blue and some beaches. The Metarex minions on this world wear bipedal fish-like armor. This makes them resemble the Deep Ones of Lovecraftian lore a little bit and I can dig that. The info cards even inform us that these guys are called "Metarex Gilman," making the horror connection even more obvious. What we see of native Hydolians shows them to be batfaced humanoids. Which makes it funny that they named their world after the Latin word for "water." 

Aside from giving our heroes a chance to tango with some fish men, this episode's premise works for another reason: It brings up Sonic's fear of water once more. The "Sonic X" version of our hero has already gotten a big downgrade this season, no longer blasting through enemies with ease. The hedgehog is challenged even more by once again encountering his fear of the deep. I support this, as a hero that has the odds stacked against him is more compelling than a hero who can bulldoze through any threat. The episode mostly plays this for humor, as Sonic gets seasick inside the little personal submersibles Tails builds for everybody. He still gets to fight off some Gillmen, so Sonic isn't a total joke in this one either. 

Sadly, humor and mixing up the expected story beats a little is all the hydrophobia angle is really used for. Sonic does not face and conquer his fear of deep water in this episode. Instead, it ends with him plummeting to his doom when Chris shoots a new pair of sneakers at him. With these shoes, Sonic can run on water. He uses his new ability to kick some Metarex ass and that's pretty much where we wrap up. This reminds me a lot of the early episodes of the show, where the plot essentially ended with Sonic grabbing a Power Ring and becoming an even more unstoppable bad-ass than usual. 

Sonic doesn't get any character development but another member of the cast does. Chris Thorndyke continues to undergo a serious redemption arc. We learn that, in the last six years, Mr. Tanaka trained him in karate. He learned to drive multiple kinds of vehicles. (Which explains why he’s such a casual pilot now.) He patented several inventions and even had a part-time job at McDonald’s at one point. Good on the rich kid for pretending to be normal. Despite all he’s accomplished, he’s still stuck in his childhood body now — which is amusingly demonstrated when he tries to karate chop some fish men — and Sonic still perceives him as a child. While young Chris would’ve just moped about this, mature Chris decides to do what he can with the skills available to him currently. Which is when he builds those cool shoes for Sonic. Honestly amazed and impressed Chris grew up to be this functional!

While Chris is the only cast member to really grow here, others do get some fun stuff to do. Sonic is captured by the Gilman Boss — the official name for the big blue leader of the Gillmen, though I don’t know if the comparisons to a video game boss we’re intentional — after he falls in the water and freaks out. Amy sees this as an opportunity to, once again, earn Sonic’s love. She goes running into the Metarex base, swinging her hammer, and knocked lots of fish folks aside. I always like it when Amy displays her considerable superpowers and action hero capabilities. I especially like it when that is balanced with her girlishness, such as when she has an extended fantasy here about Sonic admitting his love for her after she saves him. 

Previously, I characterized the set-up for this season as rather bleak. The Metarex have been waging a campaign of destruction and conquest across the universe, seemingly wiping out the entire populations of whole planets. In this episode, we learn that things aren’t quite that hopeless. If a plant’s egg is retrieved and returned, the world will return to its previously fertile status. One assumes that millions of lives were ended when Hydo was flooded but I guess there’s still hope to rebuild and repopulate… At least for the worlds were everybody hasn’t already starved to death, I guess. The impression I got is that the Metarex have been at this for quite a while, so presumably their collective body count is still way higher than you’d expect for “Sonic” bad guys. 

I wish the supporting cast got a little more to do in this episode. Knuckles is reduced to a joke scene involving his shovel claws. Tails gets a largely superfluous (though admittedly nicely animated) sequence where he flies the X-Tornado. Cosmo spends most of the episode napping in a hill. There’s a brief scene set back on Earth, showing Chris’ friends and family pretty freaked out by his departure. (And also shows that his parents and grandfather have aged in no discernible way.) Still, this is a relatively fun one. It’s obvious that the change in premise has reenergized “Sonic X.” [7/10]

Sonic X, Episode 3.02: Cosmic Crisis

Sonic X, Episode 3.02: Cosmic Crisis

Japanese Title: The Spaceship Blue Typhoon

U.S. Air Date: September 17th, 2005

Japanese Air Date: March 26th, 2020

Suggesting the show may become more plot-heavy now, the second episode of "Sonic X's" third season picks up right where the last one left off. Chris, now in his childhood body again, steps through the Master Emerald. He has a tearful reunion with Sonic before the hedgehog collapses from exhaustion. As he recovers, Cosmo explains how grave the situation is. The Metarex are traveling the galaxy, destroying life on all the planets they find. It becomes clear the heroes have to gather the Chaos Emeralds before their enemies can. Luckily, Tails built a massive battle ship when no one was looking that he easily converts into a spaceship. Just as the Sonic Team is getting ready to take off, another Metarex warrior attacks. 

"Cosmic Crisis" is obviously one of those episodes designed to set up the rest of the season. Within this twenty-four minute installment, what is likely to be the motivating goal for the entire season is established. The good guys are going to be traveling across the galaxy, trying to collect the Chaos Emeralds before the bad guys can. They'll be performing this mission from a big ol' spaceship, which will obviously be their base of operation for the rest of the series. This premise is a little bit "Dragonball" and a lot of space opera, with the "Sonic" characters in it for some reason. But it's a bold direction nevertheless. 

I mused on Cosmo's personality little bit in the last review and we learn a lot more about her this time. The plant girl is still unfailingly polite but there's a good reason for it: She's a survivor of genocide. The Metarex killed off her entire species and she's the sole survivor. She's determined now to make sure nobody else ever experiences that kind of tragedy. Which is a pretty fucking heavy back story. Remember when this show was about the wacky adventures of a millionaire child and his furry friends? Cosmo is also kind of clumsy, we learn during a fairly cute bit of physical comedy. But I'm pretty on-her-side now, as I'd be with anybody with that kind of fucked-up background story. 

As grim as this show is getting, it still has some wacky humor. It even emerged pretty organically from the plot and character interaction. The heroes obviously need a large energy source to power their giant space ship. They decide to burrow the Master Emerald — which you'd think the Metarex would be interested in but I guess not — when Knuckles isn't looking. (Once again suggesting Knuckles is bad at his job.) The echidna is pretty reasonably upset about this but the heroes bully him into coming along on this intergalactic journey with him. I'm not exaggerating either: Cream nags at Knuckles and Amy threatens him with violence until he agrees to join them. That probably shouldn't be funny but it is. Knuckles' friends treat him badly and Amy is abusive, haha! 

I'm still skeptical if "Sonic X" can successfully blend this space opera stuff with more traditional "Sonic" elements. This is the second episode in a row to feature a Metarex robot warrior — this one is named Spike — who has the toyetic ability to change into a flying mode, shoots lasers from his fingers, missiles from his chest, and has a weirdly reptilian-like tail. The Blue Typhoon resembles the flying battleships we've seen in previous seasons of this show but also looks like White Base from the original "Gundam" somewhat. (With a little bit of Gotengo thrown in yet again.) "Sonic" has always been sci-fi but I associate tropes like this specifically with shows like "Transformers" and "Macross," both of which were obvious influences on the dorky guy who designed the show's mecha element. 

Yet, for what it's worth, "X" is at least attempting to blend these elements here. There's lots of scenes of Sonic and Knuckles using their specific superpowers to fight off Spike. Knuckles even digs a hole under the robot at one point, the first time in a long time that this show has referenced his digging ability. Once everyone gets aboard the Typhoon, they have to combined all their special skills to activate the ship's fanciest weapon. That includes Knuckles powering-up the Master Emerald with a chant, Tails and Chris using their brains, and Sonic spinning deep inside the ship. I thought Sonic was just using his speed to activate the "Sonic Driver" but, nope, the cannon actually fires him as a projectile. So you still get the required amount of Sonic smashing shit in this episode. It's a novel way of combining the different tropes at play here. 

And, oh yeah, what of Chris Thorndyke? This episode gives a shrug of an explanation with how he's returned to his childhood body — something went screwy during the teleportation process! — and then moves on as quickly as possible. Vanilla even knits him a perfect replica of his old clothes, so it's like Chris hasn't changed any at all. Except, it turns out, he has. First off, Chris apparently grew into the same engineering genius as his grandfather. He helps Tails space-ready the Blue Typhoon and is seen at the ship's controls in the episode's last third. This gives the whiny, clingy man-in-a-boy's-body an actual function in the show's cast. He's still really attached to Sonic. He's the one who gets to pluck Sonic out of the sky in the Tornado II after the hedgehog is shot out the ship's cannon. Yet something about the scene where Chris hugs Sonic close to his body after saving him seems to bring some serenity to the character. I have no idea how aware TMS was of the American fandom's reaction to Chris but it seems season three is already making some moves to address common criticism of the character, without sacrificing any of the development Chris underwent at the end of the last season.

"Cosmic Crisis" leaves plenty of dangling plot threads for future episodes to pick up. Eggman planted a tracking device on Sonic when he rescued him — I knew he was up to something! — and pursues the gang into space in the final minutes of the episode. Rouge also follows along, in her own private little flying saucer. Cream also leaves Vanilla on the home world. Since we already know Not-Mobius' natural resources are soon to dry up, now that the planet is without its Egg, one assumes Vanilla will have to learn to survive in the Mad Max-ian hellscape the world will soon become. At least that's what happens in the fanfiction I'm writing in my head right now. As for this episode, it's pretty good! I continue to be intrigued by the radical change in tone this season has already enacted. [7/10]

Sonic X, Episode 3.01: A Cosmic Call

Sonic X, Episode 3.01: A Cosmic Call

Japanese Title: A Messenger from a Meteor Shower

U.S. Air Date: September 10th, 2005

Japanese Air Date: March 25th, 2020

If you're reading this blog, you already know this but allow me to explain it anyway: "Sonic X" was, apparently, not all that popular in Japan. It's been said that "Sonic" has always been more successful overseas than in his home country. Yet more evidence for that statement can be seen in this show. The first two season of "Sonic X" had low ratings in Japan. In America and other parts of the world, however, the series was the most successful of any of the "Sonic" cartoons. And so a third season would be produced specifically for foreign markets. Season three of "Sonic X" wouldn't even air on Japanese television until 2020, presumably to help promote the movie or something. 

It seems tailoring the third season of "Sonic X" to western sensibilities worked. While reading up on this show, I found a lot of fans of this season. In fact, I found a lot of people who say this season is the whole reason to watch the show. Some even claim it's the best bit of "Sonic" animation period, with an epic story and tone that's far darker than the previous ones. All I know about this season is that Sonic turns goth for an episode, Tails falls in love with a house plant, and some weird Gundams are the bad guys. I guess it's time for me to really explore "Sonic X: Season Three." 

The tonal change is immediately apparent, as this episode opens with a sequence of Super Sonic battling a black robot warlord above Not-Mobius. The villain demands the Chaos Emeralds, causing Sonic to scatter them across the universe and plummet to earth. Meanwhile, Tails, Amy, and Cream are watching a meteor shower. That's when a small ship crash lands nearby. Inside is a plant girl named Cosmo, who has come to this world with a mission. That'll have to wait, as another evil machine attacks and Sonic — greatly weakened — and Knuckles have to fend off the unstoppable threat. But the danger is just beginning. 

This almost feels like a different show. Aside from a brief scene involving a typically jokey Bocoe and Decoe, this episode is characterized by rather grim action. Literally the very first scene features Super Sonic destroying a fleet of space ships floating ominously above his world. The plot is concerned with the fate of the entire planet and maybe the whole galaxy. Most of the episode is devoted to Sonic and the gang fighting with an indestructible machine armed with razor clawed tentacles. And this guy isn't fucking around. It feels completely different from even the most serious episodes of the previous two seasons. 

What makes these action scenes truly different is one important fact: For the first time on this show, it feels like Sonic can lose. The conquering cyborg he fights in the first scene, who wields a gold sword that makes light saber noises, seems to even have Super Sonic on the ropes. In the second half, Sonic tries spin-dashing the other attacking robot guy. It doesn't work. He just bounces off. Knuckles' punches and Tails' missiles are similarly ineffective. Considering every previous threat on this show could be destroyed just by Sonic winking at it, it's a pretty serious shift. (Though Sonic survives falling through orbit, so he's still a God-tier superhero.)

Previous "Sonic X" installments always had to balance wacky comedy, sentimental Thorndyke melodrama, and the occasional video game adaptation. Free of most of those obligations, "Sonic X" seems ready to head into a space opera style plot. Those evil invading robots are called the Metarex. They travel from world to world, stealing "Planet Eggs." That's a magical plot device hidden inside every planet that contains its life force. Without them, the world will slowly wither and die. Kind of crazy that we've gone from plots like "Sonic gets stuck on a cruise ship" to this. But I guess all "Sonic" media is destined to spin-off in weird, dark, sci-fi plots eventually. 

Most of the above information is explained to us by Cosmo, the plant princess that is rescued from an escape pod. This character seems to be a fan favorite and the one love interest for Tails people actually seem to like. Just based on this first appearance, it's hard to get a read on her. She spends most of the episode in something of a daze, seemingly uncertain if she can go ahead with her mission. (Which appears to be to recruit Sonic to fight the Metarex, which he was obviously going to do anyway.) Right now, she strikes me as a super polite young girl, a role pretty similar to Cream. But one that's been burdened with a grim destiny or something. We'll see how the show develops her. Also, she can jump out of airplanes and float to safety with her petal-like dress. 

With all this crazy alien invasion shit going on, you might be wondering: What's Eggman up to? He definitely seems to be up to something. He rescues Sonic from his fall, after discovering his body on the beach during his morning jog. (The visual of which is the best joke in the episode.) I don't know if this is part of some evil scheme the doctor is planning, if he's simply operating under "only I can defeat you" rules with Sonic, or if season three's pressing threats will reduce Eggman to a comic relief role. Either way, I'm intrigued by the crumb of complexity he shows here. 

In the middle of that big fight scene with the "Metarex Carrer" (which feels like a typo of "Carrier"), the episode suddenly cuts away. It's back on Earth, in eighteen-year-old Chris Thorndyke's laboratory, where he has completed the device that will allow him to travel to Sonic's world. It says a lot about Chris' personality that he would be willing to abandon his family and friends just to see Sonic again. He travels to Sonic's world with seemingly no way to get back either. So all that shit I wrote about Sonic finally giving the kid a sense of self-worth at the end of season two was premature, I guess. Clingy Chris is as clingy as ever. Also, for some reason, traveling through the Stargate and emerging out of the Master Emerald turns him back into a little boy. That's weird! But I guess having him be a teenager, who can drive and buy cigarettes and likes girls and gets boners, would've alienated the young viewers Chris is ostensibly the audience surrogate for. 

Some final thoughts on this episode: The first thing Amy does upon meeting Cosmo is threaten to hurt her if she so much as even implies a romantic interest in Sonic. Damn, Amy, maybe you need to chill out? No wonder the poor little house plant is so confused through most of this episode. Also, instead of creating a new ending theme to go with the new season, "The Golden Road" and the same accompanying animation is trotted back out. Booo! Bring back "To be free! To be shy!" Anyway, this episode definitely has me interested to see where season three is headed. [7/10]

Sonic X, Episode 2.26: A New Start

Sonic X, Episode 2.26: A New Start

Japanese Title: Memories of the Wind

Japanese Air Date: March 28th, 2004

U.S. Air Date: March 26, 2005

When reviewing "Morning of Farewells,” I noted how it really felt like the last episode of "Sonic X." If the episode hadn't concluded with Chris freaking the fuck out and slamming the abort button right as Sonic was about to go home, it would serve as a satisfying series finale. Then “Chris’ Long Journey” came along to totally wrap up his character arc and put the show’s emotional needs to bed. So I was really left wondering how the series would occupy itself for one more episode. But I guess I forgot that the "Sonic X" writers were masters at making filler episodes composed of wacky bullshit. 

We begin back on "Sonic's World," where Eggman has been fruitlessly annoying the populace by bellowing threats from his warship and doing nothing else. He's been impatiently waiting for a week for Sonic to return. Everyone else, apparently, is doing the same. Amy is pining, Knuckles and Rouge are bickering, and Tails spontaneously decides to have an air fight with Eggman's superior tech. I kind of like the implication that Sonic's world collapses into chaos without him. That without a blue hedgehog to bounce off of, all the other characters become dysfunctional and directionless. 

Luckily for all of us, Sonic returns half way through the episode. How does he return? Literally by magic. Super Sonic swoops out of the sky, saves Tails, and curb-stomps Eggman's fancy new battle cruiser into dust. (Not that he needed to be super to do that.) The script treats Sonic's return as such a matter-of-fact thing that it doesn't even get around to explaining how until the end. Apparently, after their little heart-to-heart, Sonic collected the Chaos Emeralds off-screen. I guess, without Eggman around, that proved to be less of a challenge. It's already been established that Super Sonic can Chaos Control things across the universe, so the idea that he could just teleport back to Not-Mobius isn't offensive... But it does make the super-form feel like even more of a blatant deus ex machina than ever before. It really feels like the writers just didn't want to make season three about Sonic, alone on Earth aside from Clingy Chris, gathering up all the emeralds again. 

This episode maybe isn't the best written "Sonic X" but it did manage to amuse me. Once again, "Sonic X" proves to be a pretty funny comedy about oversized personalities aggravating each other. After Bokkun correctly points out that Sonic didn't dump Amy because they were never dating, the pink hedgehog gets enraged in a solid sight gag. She embeds her hammer into the hull of Eggman's ship and there's a nicely subtle follow-up later on, where we see several more hammers also stuck there. Watching Knuckles and Rouge argue is also fun. She points out that he's been starring longingly at the moon since Sonic hasn't return, which is a lol. Things quickly escalate into Rouge beating the shit out of Knuckles and him definitely seeming like he's pretty into it, continuing the obvious BDSM relationship these two began in the tournament arc. Rouge being a dom is basically canon but I never considered Knuckles being a sub. 

This is not the only way this episode is preoccupied with romance. "Sonic X" teases the SonAmy shippers once again. Amy announced that she plans on waiting for Sonic forever. When he finally reappears, she's expectantly overjoyed. What follows is a lengthy montage — during which the entirety of "The Golden Road" plays, which I do not think was necessary — as she tracks him down. She begs Sonic to say he loves her and he seems to do just that — the dialogue is muted — but the dreamy filter around this moment also suggests this is a fantasy sequence. This show has sometimes gotten me to root for Amy's quixotic pursuit of Sonic, and like the occasional hints that he reciprocates her feelings. But this moment ladles on the sap a bit too much for my taste, in addition to making Amy seem a smidge pathetic. 

Also, remember two reviews ago when I said the show was indulging its love of mechanical designs one last time? Yeah, that was a lie. The person obsessed with jets and battleships managed to force more mecha madness into this season finale. Eggman’s ranting awakens Tails, who is greatly annoyed. He jumps in the Tornado and goes after the villain’s big elaborate Flying Fortress. That’s when he discovers that, back on Earth, Chuck installed a new battle mode into the Tornado. With the flip of a switch, the bi-plane turns into a sleek jet style airplane. Because the people who worked on this show thought jets were awesome and bi-planes fucking suck, I guess. Anyway, it’s a totally gratuitous sequence. 

Just when it feels like this episode — and more or less the whole series with it — is done, a curveball is thrown at us. We return to Earth, six years in the future, where Chris and his friends are now all super-brilliant scientist teenagers. Chris still has the same haircut but, otherwise, seems to have matured some. He even has a slightly flirtatious relationship with Helen, it seems. (Who seems to have inherited Sonic’s need-for-speed.) Oh yeah, he still hangs out with all the same people he was friends with when he was ten. Even an antisocial, maladjusted hermit like me hasn’t kept in touch with my middle school friends, but maybe it’s different when you’re rich. Frances doesn’t look that different and seems to have maintained her tomboy persona. Danny, meanwhile, has girlish eyelashes, earrings in both ears, and wears a pink tank top. I didn’t expect that but good for him for embracing his identity. 

I say Chris has matured but he’s clearly still preoccupied with Sonic. The big reveal is that he’s been rebuilding the Stargate thingy, obviously in hopes of reestablishing contact with Sonic and his friends. I’ve always been under the impression that TMS only ever planned to do two seasons of “Sonic X” but maybe this flash-forward does represent an attempt to leave the door open to further adventures. What these final scenes really do is show Chris and Sonic’s good-bye. Chris cries — of course — and screams into the darkness, suggesting he’s still not okay with Sonic leaving, even after they talked it out. Yet Sonic seems to cry a little too, so maybe it’s just a mutual tearful farewell. Either way, it’s still a surprisingly bleak ending that shows Chris Thorndyke’s psychological dependence on Sonic is far from over. 

Fucking around one last time is an amusing premise for an episode, though I do wish the show used this time a little more wisely. We only get a glimpse at what life is like on Not-Mobius. There's a brief shot of some Mobini frolicking in a non-descript city state. Also, seemingly everyone's home has a sign out front that says "The Home of [Resident.]" Though Vanilla's house doesn't say "The Home of Vanilla" but "The Home of Cream's Mom." Instead of exploring that mystery some more, the episode packs in stock footage of Chris Thorndyke being a big pussy. 

So it's another slightly weird, mostly amusing installment that isn’t too concerned with plot or arcs. Which makes it kind of an off-beat choice for what, as far as the showrunners knew at the time, would be the final episode of the show. But, as I’ve learned over this journey, “Sonic X” was kind of an offbeat show in general, so I guess it all tracks. Considering more of season two was devoted to game adaptations, maybe the writers and directors just wanted to cut loose with some shenanigans on this last one. You’ve got to sort of admire that. [6/10]

Sonic X, Episode 2.25: Friends ‘Til the End

Sonic X, Episode 2.25: Friends ‘Til the End

Japanese Title: Chris' Long Journey

Japanese Air Date: March 21st , 2004

U.S. Air Date: March 19th, 2005

It seems to me that “Sonic X” is fairly well regarded in the “Sonic” fandom, especially by the people who grew up watching it. This is, of course, with the exception of Chris Thorndyke, who is seemingly despised by the majority of fans. I’m betting TMS did not anticipate this because, truthfully, Chris is more the main character of “Sonic X” than Sonic is. Sonic’s emotional state remains largely the same throughout the series. Chris’ angst is what really drives the story more times than not. That becomes very apparent in the penultimate episode of season two, “Friends ‘Til the End.” The Japanese title even gives Clingy Chris top-billing by naming the episode “Chris’ Long Journey.”

After an extensive recap of the last episode — this one has a lot of stock footage in general — we return to Chris slamming the stop button on the Stargate thingamajig. He grabs Sonic’s hand and tears off into the night, running through the forest. The two embark on a road trip that, slowly, takes them to a vacation cabin the Thorndykes spent one summer together in. Chris’ parents are frantically searching for him the entire time, but Chris doesn’t want to return to them. He just wants to have Sonic. Around a campfire, Sonic and Chris talk out the boy’s issues and he seems to find some level of catharsis. 

All the time in these reviews that I’ve spend analyzing Chris Thorndyke’s clear neuroses, I wasn’t being entirely serious. Obviously the show didn’t put that much thought into it… Or did it? Because this episode begins with a lengthy flashback to Chris’ early childhood, to what seems to be the first time his parents left him alone in the mansion. He innocently asks his parents if they’ll return “if he’s good.” This proceeds a Christmas that Chris spent almost alone, as Ella gave him the gifts his parents delivered to him. No wonder this kid has such intense abandonment issues and no self-worth! He’s tied his entire confidence to his parents being there for him, which they’ve refuse to do his entire life. I feel validated that my arm-chair head shrinking of this cartoon character was right on the money. 

Since this episode is so focused on Chris’ psychological trauma, it forces Sonic into an unexpected role: Therapist. The hedgehog seems to understand immediately what the boy is going through and chooses to go on this journey with him. He listens to him, which I’m betting most people don’t. During that climatic scene around the fire, Sonic makes Chris understand that he is being selfish by forcing the blue hedgehog to stay on Earth. He does this mostly by getting the kid to talk it out himself. More importantly, he points out that many of the amazing things Chris did during the series was entirely his own actions. He doesn’t say “The greatness was inside you all along, boy” but might as well. He finally gets Chris to realize his own worth, gets him to see that it is not tied to his status as Sonic’s friend. Damn, Sonic, I never would’ve guessed that you were so good at the Talking Cure.

Amusingly, this scene does not really contradict my personal theory that Sonic actually dislikes Chris and avoids him most of the time. Throughout their meaningful discussion, Sonic reveals that he mostly puts up with Chris because the boy saved his life in that first episode. He feels obligated to spend time with him, which makes the kid cry. Presumably, that’s because he also assumes his grandfather, maid, and butler pay attention to him out of a similar sense of personal, professional obligation. The episode zips right pass this, to Sonic helping Chris out, but I definitely noticed. It was nice of Sonic to let this poor little rich boy down easy, instead of just saying “You’re weird kid but I’m sorry that happened to you.”

This episode also does something else I never expected “Sonic X” to do. It acknowledges that Nelson and Lindsey Thorndyke fucking suck. The billionaire, of course, expends no dollar in the search for his heir. He’s calling in the fucking military and robots and shit. Lindsey, ever image conscious, demands that they prepare a party and gifts for Chris’ return. Neither seem to consider that the boy ran away because of their failings. That’s when Chuck barges in and points out that, hey, maybe if they weren’t working all the time, Chris wouldn’t feel so lonely. Chuck even blames himself, pointing out that he was similarly work-obsessed when Nelson was a lad, that his son learned this behavior from him. All of this ignores that rich people don’t actually work but I still didn’t expect “Sonic X,” of all programs, to acknowledge the generational failures of parenting. 

When not deconstructing the psychological issues of the Thorndyke brood, this episode focuses on Sonic and Chris on the road. I’m partial to road trip stories so I kind of enjoyed those parts. The scenes of Sonic and Chris hanging out in a roadside dinner. Or Sonic committing breaking-and-entering when he snaps the lock on the old Thorndyke vacation home. (Which has apparently sat completely unused all these years, which is such rich people shit.) There’s even a scene of them hitching a ride with a very confused truck driver, after Nelson sics the black helicopters on Chris. There’s a coziness to these scenes that I really didn’t expect. 

In fact, this whole episode is much more laidback and character-based than I expected. There’s many quiet scenes, of Sonic chilling in the hay-filled bed of that truck. Or the two dudes gathering wood for the fire. I guess with Eggman out of the picture for now, it’s not like “Sonic X” had a super villain to drive the story. What else was there to focus on besides Chris’ childhood trauma? I really wonder what American kids watching this on the Fox Box for the first time in 2005 thought of such a slow-paced episode, when they probably expected something more action-packed for the penultimate episode of the season. I guess episodes like this is why so many people deride Chris Thorndyke as “whiny” (which is a fair criticism) or “taking the focus off Sonic.” (Which I don’t care about so much.)

But kids are stupid, so who cares what they think. I went into this show expecting to hate Chris, like everyone does, and have become surprisingly invested in his personal development. I didn’t expect that! That’s probably why an entirely character-centric episode like this hits a lot harder with me than maybe it does with other viewers. Either way, I’m glad Chris finally got some closure and emotional support. He may be a rich little fuck but I still felt sorry for such an obviously broken child. Hopefully this ending will prevent him from growing up into a super villain or, worse, another Jeff Bezos. [7/10]

Sonic X, Episode 2.24: Running Out of Time

Sonic X, Episode 2.24: Running Out of Time

Japanese Title: The Morning of Farewells

Japanese Air Date: March 14th, 2004

U.S. Air Date: March 19th, 2005

Once again, I'm struck by the difference in the English and Japanese titles for "Sonic X." The U.S. title for the twenty-fourth episode of the show's second season is “Running Out of Time" Not only does this title draw attention to improbable "time is going to die" plot point from the previous episode. It's also a pun, as time is literally running out while our heroes race to resolve the problem. "Running Out of Time" implies suspense, a need for action as disaster draws near. The Japanese titles "The Morning of Farewells," meanwhile, is mournful. It focuses on the characters saying goodbye and all the emotion that entails. It's a pretty typical difference in American kids media versus Japanese kids media, where one must continuously emphasize action while the other allows other, more complicated emotions to exist. 

And the Japanese title is also more accurate, as the looming threat of "time stopping" is sparingly referenced in this episode. Turns out it was nothing more than a plot device. Instead, the episode is more concerned with Chuck and Tails racing to finish the device which will take Sonic and his friends home. After the President makes a formal announcement about Sonic's departure, a hedgehog-hating general attempts a coup. This includes an attack on Eggman's base, which Sonic decides to defend against. This causes the villain to give Sonic the last piece necessary to make the Stargate. As everyone says their tearful goodbyes to the furries, Chris Thorndyke struggles with his feelings towards Sonic. 

One of my favorite things about "Sonic X" is when the show would explore the effect Sonic had on Earth and human society. We saw this last episode in the more-than-a-little bullshitty "Freedom Movement." And we definitely see it this episode. Not too many installments of this series have explored the idea that some people might not like Sonic and his friends. Considering the human race is naturally inclined towards xenophobia and racism, it seems realistic to me that a lot of people would hate and fear Sonic and the gang. In this episode, we see the direct consequences of that, when a "Dr. Strangelove"-like rogue general decides to go against the government stance and destroy the hedgehog and his pals. 

Though we never actually see the Sonic-hating general make an attempt on his life... In fact, the entire spiel might just be an excuse for to attempt a coup. All throughout "Sonic X," a probably unintentional anti-authoritarian subtext has repeatedly emerged, where members of the government, military, and police are depicted as incompetent nincompoops. This continues here, as the general is shown to be an egotistical idiot and fool whose plans are quickly defeated. Partially because he underestimated the power of Eggman and the Sonic Team, another reoccurring trope of this series. 

Let's talk a little bit more about that attempted coup, something else about this show that probably seemed more fantastical in 2004 than it does now. A group of black-suited agents — who recall both "Men in Black" and "The Matrix" — storm into the Oval Office and hold the president at gunpoint. Luckily, Rouge and Knuckles are there to save the day. In fact, I would have happily watched a whole episode devoted to these two playing "Die Hard" in the White House. The scene of Rouge sneaking through the air vents just for Knuckles to punch a huge hole in the wall is hilarious. These two have got a real John McClane/Zeus dynamic and I would have loved to have seen that play out more. 

Instead, Rouge karate kicks the agents into submission within seconds. That's because this episode is a little overstuffed with events. There's also a sequence where G.U.N. attacks Eggman's base. Even though his technology has been repeatedly shown to be superior, Eggman is still overwhelmed by this. For reasons I already can't recall, Sonic decides to protect Eggman against G.U.N., once again displaying his God-like ability to completely wreck the shit out of robots in seconds. This allows Eggman to reveal three new warships that then combine into a bigger warship, which feels like this show indulging its fetish for robots and mechanical designs one last gratuitous time. All of this barely connects with the rest of the plot, by the way. I didn't even mention the random appearance of the ARK in the story, which I still don't totally understand! 

If the designers felt the need to squeeze in another giant combining mecha, it might be because this really does feel like the last episode of "Sonic X." The entire last third is devoted to the Thorndyke family and friends saying tearful goodbyes to the gang. (Nelson and Lindsey stay at home, because they care about nobody but themselves.) Chuck hugs Tails and cries. Helen hugs Cream and cries. Ella hugs Amy and cries. Even Sam Speed gets to say a stereotypically macho stoic goodbye. There's some genuinely sweet moments here, such as when Ella gifts Amy her recipe book. Or when Rouge hands Topaz a special gem stone and the agent waits until she's gone to break down and cry. (And Tanaka pats her on the back, proving once and for all that Rouge is Topaz's real love and Tanaka is just the rebound.) There's also some unintentional humor here, in the hilarious repeated visuals of Tails and the others fading into the spinning, neon vortex like they are cardboard cutouts or something. 

Of course, the most important goodbye of all is Chris and Sonic. All throughout the episode, Chris reflects back on poignant memories of his time with Sonic. Such as a time — that probably seems super important to Chris but that I bet Sonic doesn't even remember — where they were sitting around the pool and talking. Finally, Chris puts on a cute little suit, shakes Sonic's hand and says goodbye to him. For a minute there, it really seemed like this show was wrapping up Chris' character arc. He was ready to say at goodbye to Sonic. He was ready to let go of this person who made a huge impact on him because he realizes that life goes on. That his value as a human being isn't tied to his friendship to a blue hedgehog. 

It seemed like that's where the show was going but, haha, nope. Chris Thorndyke is too fundamentally broken a human being to ever accept that. While shaking hands with Sonic, he screams "No!" inside his brain. This is foreshadowing to an even more desperate, pathetic action immediately afterwards. As Sonic walks towards the portal, Chris slams his hand down on what I guess is the machine's kill switch. I don't know if this will continue to imperil the world and the abstract concept of time. Or if he just stranded Sonic on Earth forever. If this planet and Sonic's home world are separated again, I'm assuming that would solve the problem. Either way, Chris' psychological problems, his fear of abandonment and inability to self-actualize, are so great that he really will endanger himself and others to make sure he's not separated from Sonic. Chris is becoming more of a tragic hero every day.

But, of course, the real reason Chris does this very dramatic thing, presumably, is that there's still two episodes left in season two. I'm not quite sure where the story can go from here, considering even Eggman has left Earth. If we're going to get to more episodes devoted entirely to how fucked up Chris Thorndyke is, well, I would probably love that. "The Morning of Farewells" is a pretty messy episode but there's just too much interesting stuff happening in it for me to give it a negative review. This show has layers, I guess is what I'm saying. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Imposter Syndrome: Issue 3

Sonic the Hedgehog: Imposter Syndrome: Issue 3

Publication Date: March 9th, 2022

Sorry for missing an update on Wednesday. As always, the start of the new year has thrown me for a loop, mentally and emotionally. I'm working on it, along with all the other typical real life responsibilities. The result is that I have ended up exhausted early in the evenings lately and unceremoniously passed out before ten most nights. This is why I fell asleep without updating the blog on Wednesday and, presumably, why I completely forgot a new comic came out then. I'll try and stay more on-top of things in the future though I can't guarantee I won't occasionally miss updates. 

Anyway, you didn't come to this blog to see me kvetching about my life. Instead, let's talk about the new issue of "Imposter Syndrome." Surge and Kit go through with their plan to dig into Starline's video archives. What they find are their origins. That they were once normal beings Starline modified, with genetics and robotics. That their minds have been melded through brainwashing and hypnotism, to be his slaves. Surge and Kit come away with a desire to learn about their original identities... And to take revenge on their creator. Soon, the duo have their own villainous plan. 

First off, I want to correct a misconception I've had about this mini-series. From the moment I've begun writing about this spin-off, I have referred to Surge and Kit as clones. Considering Starline had gathered genetic material from the heroes, it seemed natural to assume these two were created in test tubes. Now, that doesn't seem to be the case. Surge and Kit were instead outsiders that were chosen to become Starline's living weapons. They had a past before he made them who they are now. So they aren't clones but modified humans Mobians animals(?), which makes them closer to the MCU versions of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch than the "evil copy" trope.

This issue is front-loaded with exposition and backstory, but I don't actually mind it too much. Using the premise of Starline recording all his research for later reflection/ego stroking is a good visual, active way to infodump on the reader. Flynn also uses this chance to tie together a lot of the story arcs from the comic's first three years. Starline utilized elements from Belle and the Metal Virus to make Surge and Kit, while his encounters and character development in that time influence how his scheme evolved. Like the infamous "Author of All Your Pain" moment in "SPECTRE," it's a bit desperate to link clearly unrelated plot points together in an attempt to make it look like almost everything the comic has done before now has been building to this point. But I'll allow it.

In fact, Flynn even attempts to link "Imposter Syndrome" to the comic's very first ongoing arc. We learn that Starline's entire modus operandi was motivated by being rejected by Eggman at some point in the past. He specifically mentions wanting to belittle Metal Sonic, a clear reference to that robot taking over Eggman's empire at the series' beginning. This scene opens the issue and it recharacterizes Starline in an interesting way. On that first page, he doesn't seem like a calculating, genius supervillain. He seems like a ranting Redditor, incensed that his attempt to gain his idol's respect was rebuffed. Flynn hasn't really ran with the idea that Surge and Kit are a criticism of "Sonic" recolors — and by extension all the toxicity of the "Sonic" fandom — but this scene returns to that idea. It's a moment that says acting like an entitled fanboy is a bad path to go down.

Of course, it's always been obvious that everything Starline does is an attempt to overcompensate for the fact that he's actually a sweaty, awkward nerd. And that, no matter how much he proclaims himself as superior to Eggman, they both suffer from the same major flaw: Egotism. Both believe themselves to be too brilliant to ever fail. This is why Eggman has repeatedly unleashed eldritch abominations on the planet only to realize, too late, that they are too powerful to control. We see something very similar happen in this issue. Surge and Kit successfully turn the tables on Starline, even using his own hypnotism glove against him. (You'd really think he would've made himself immune to his own device!) It's the inevitable "Frankenstein" moment, when a doctor's creation — a manifestation of his own hubris — bites him on the ass. 

Through all the major reveals in this issue, Ian manages to correct a big problem I had with the first two parts of "Imposter Syndrome." He finally manages to make Surge and Kit sympathetic. Before now, these two were on the path Starline created for them, their (possibly intentionally?) one-note personalities given little room to expand. Now that they discover they've been wronged, that Starline stole their actual lives from them, you start to feel bad for this bullying brat and her simp. Surge even tears up a little when describing how her entire identity, as far as she knows, has been phony. And Starline's utter callousness towards her concern definitely makes him seem like the bigger villain. I hope, whenever we found out what their previous lives were, that they were runaway teenagers or something vulnerable, not prisoners or whatever. The irony of victimized people being turned into evil pawns against their wills will make them far more interesting. 

In fact, it would be easy to flip the script altogether. To have Surge and Kit follow the path of a hundred shonen fighting anime antagonists and have them switch sides. Realize that they don't want or have to be bad, that they rebel against the nefarious destiny that was plotted out for them. Instead, Flynn has Surge make the conscious choice to be evil, to burn down the entire system that has led to the situation she's in now. She wants revenge on Starline but she still wants to crush Sonic and Eggman. She plans on letting Starline think he's winning, before undermining him at a later date. If nothing else, this makes Surge and Kit stand-alone villains with an at least varied motivation of their own. They don't want to rule the world, they want to see it in ruins. Nihilists, man. We'll see how it plays out. 

In other words, this is the first issue of "Imposter Syndrome" that feels like it's actually telling a story with forward momentum, instead of just letting its new characters go through the motions. That makes it a decent issue with some solid art from Thomas Rothlisberger. (Though you can really tell when Mauro Fonseca- such a newcomer that he doesn't even have a Sonic News Network Wiki page yet, takes over.) I still feel like the story is moving too slowly, that the duo should've met Sonic by this point, but I'm more intrigued now than I was before to see how this will play out. [7/10]