Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 49

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 49

Publication Date: April 27th, 2022

A while ago, the people at IDW promised that the road to issue 50 of their "Sonic the Hedgehog" comic would be paved with epic events. That the landmark issue would be an exciting climax to everything that had happened in the book's first four years, that we'd see all the plot threads come together in satisfying and innovative ways. This, unsurprisingly, turned out to be mostly bullshit. It looks like the much-hyped event in issue 50 is just going to be a showdown between Sonic/Tails and Surge/Kit, something that feels like it should've happened three months ago. Dr. Starline's latest scheme still feels a little shapeless, Surge and Kit still haven't come into their own as characters, and Eggman has been kind of a non-player in the last few months. This is most apparent in issue 49, out today, which doesn't connect with any of the above plot points. Instead, it's all about Belle, the real centerpiece of the comic's "third season." (Which definitely feels like it has run longer than a season is suppose to at this point.)

The story – untitled in the comic itself but apparently entitled "Wound Up” – begins with Sonic and Belle running some tests at Tails' workshop. Helpful MotoBug – now given the adorable name of Motobud – has allowed Belle and Tails to reverse engineer a program to turn Eggman's Badniks into harmless little machines. The test is a success but something unusual happens that night. Sonic is awoken by Motobud scratching at the door, driven by a mysterious signal to escape. Belle appears and is being effected by the same signal. After successfully blocking whatever is hijacking Belle's brain, our heroes soon discover that every Badnik in the area is being commanded to march out towards the woods. It seems an Eggman-approved city has been erected overnight in the woods and Badniks everywhere are being summoned to it. The trio speed towards this fortress, Belle finally getting a chance to confront her maker. 

During the long-winded Metal Virus arc, I noted more than once that IDW's "Sonic" had unexpectedly become a horror series. This is a vibe that the book has surprisingly returned to a few times since then. Such as in the early parts of the "Test Run" arc and now in this issue. Most of "Wound Up" deals with Sonic and Tails' friend becoming violent for seemingly no reason at first. Belle, when under the influence of the signal, stares ahead blankly with ominously glowing eyes. There's a panel where her head swivels around on her shoulders, the way you'd expect an evil ventriloquist dummy in a horror movie to do. There's also a moment where she lunges right at Sonic's eye with the Exacto knife in her finger. While this issue never gets that slasher-y again after that, there's still a moody, sinister quality to this story that I really like. 

Of course, Belle's very first appearance implied the "evil puppet" angle that her design brings to mind before revealing that she's adorable and harmless. From that moment on, as more of her tragic backstory and her connection to Eggman was fleshed out, I always felt there was a high probability of Belle going over to the dark side. Ultimately, I'm glad the comic waited as long as it did to bring us this much-expected Evil Belle scene. Because now we are really invested in the little puppet girl. To see her innocent persona corrupted, and to know it's not her fault, really raises the stakes of this sequence. I honestly wish Tails didn't slap a signal blocking Zeti Zapper on her as quickly as he does. I would've liked to have seen the comic play with this premise a little more. 

In the second half of the story, our concern turns towards Motobud. The little guy is also affected by the signal, not acting like himself and driven ceaselessly towards the strange city. Luckily, we also care about Motobud by this point. First off, let's just pause a moment to acknowledge the simple elegance of naming this character Motobud. Because he's both a MotoBug and Belle's bud! Brilliant. (Belle has also stuck a little flower in place of his one antenna, to visually distinguish him from any other MotoBug and make "bud" a double-pun.) Over just the course of a few issues, I've gotten really attached to Motobud. And so has Belle. When she cuts a cord inside him in hopes of saving him from the brainwashing, but possibly deleting his personality in the process, it's a genuinely suspenseful moment. I guess giving an emotionally vulnerable character like Belle what amounts to a dog and then immediately endangering it is a cheap way to create pathos in a story. But I'm a sap for cute dogs/dog-like creatures so this worked one hundred percent on me. Please, Evan, don't hurt Motobud. He is a precious baby and must be protected at all cost. 

"Wound Up" is not done tugging on our heartstrings yet. After deactivating Motobud, Belle finds a little note folded up inside his shell. It turns out to be a letter from Mr. Tinker, that he wrote to Belle and had Motobud sneak out right before Dr. Starline brought back the Dr. Eggman personality. Now, from a narrative perspective, this is definitely kind of a bullshit plot point. Belle probably should’ve discovered this letter a while ago. Practically speaking, it’s hard to believe that there was a piece of paper just kind of stuck inside Motobud and nobody noticed. Or that it hadn't jostled loose before now. If Motobud's whole purpose was to deliver this letter to Belle, why hadn't he done so before now? And I'm also not sure how Mr. Tinker could become so attached to Belle before being captured by Starline. There's a lot of stuff that must've happened off-panel for this particular plot point to make sense. 

But the above paragraph is me being a pedantic, nitpicking dork. Belle discovers the letter at this moment because this is the most meaningful time for her to do so. It's really easy to imagine Ian Flynn writing this exact same scene but having the letter deliver some plot relevant information, something the heroes need to know to save the day. Evan Stanley, meanwhile, plays this scene solely for emotions. The letter has Mr. Tinker grappling with the realization that he must be a supervillain. He apologizes for what he's done and what he will do. Moreover, he refers to Belle as his daughter, says that watching her grow up made him proud, and that he'll always love her. Belle feels defeated in this moment, as the letter finally confirms to her that the man she's been searching for is gone. That everything she's done has been for nothing. Sonic confirms to her that she's already made a difference, that she already has friends. And that gives Belle the strength she needs to keep going forward. 

It's a touching moment, because it continues to show that Belle's self-worth problems haven't just gone away as she's been accepted by the Restoration. That the circumstances of her birth still weigh on her and that her unfulfilled relationship with her creator will continue to be a source of lingering anxiety. This is a strife that anybody who has some unresolved issues with a parent or still feels the effects of a fucked-up childhood – which is most people, I feel like – can relate to. It goes to show how much Stanley has grown as a writer that Belle's continued angst has rarely felt like whining or gotten annoying. We feel really bad for this little wooden girl. Some of us relate to her. We want to see her figure out her problems, resolve her issues, and become a happier and more fully formed individual. This scene is another step towards her realizing her own self-worth. And that Sonic is the one who gives her a pep talk, that he's the one to stand up and support a friend in a moment of need, is probably the most graceful use of this book's title character since it started. 

Ultimately, this is an issue that really hooked me and makes me want to come back next month to read the conclusion. It's got such a great set-up. We know nothing about were this city came from or why the Badniks are gathering around it. We can presume this has something to do with Eggman or Starline or both. I expect it'll all come to a head next time. But this issue's focus on Belle has me most intrigued to see her finally confront her “father” and receive some true absolution there. I guess the point I'm making here is this issue really grabbed me and got me more excited for #50 than all of “Impostor Syndrome” has managed to do so far. 

Stanley's artwork is wonderful too. Special notice has to go to the inking and shading on this issue, which goes a long way to making those night scenes so delightfully moody. This issue also features a brief interview with Thomas Rothlisberger in the back. They ask him what kind of animal he would be in the “Sonic” universe and responds that he'd be a turtle. “Thomas the Turtle. What could possibly go wrong?” Which seems like a pretty deliberate jab at a certain reptile. Anyway, this is probably my favorite “Sonic” related comic IDW has published thus far this year. It really worked for me. I hope this sets a precedent for the big anniversary issue next time. [8/10]