Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 52

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 52

Publication Date: August 24th, 2022

IDW's "Sonic the Hedgehog" comic, it seems to me, spent so much time building up to issue 50. The book's marketing department really wanted to emphasize how much of a key issue that was. It wasn't just the actual climax of the "Imposter Syndrome" story arc, it also paid off a number of plot points from the comic's last few years. Which brings us to an important question: What's next? If the series' status quo has been permanently shaken up – or at least as shaken up as Sega will allow it to be – where does the story go from here? There's plenty of hints of what the comic's direction will be in the near future. It certainly seems, if nothing else, Eggperial City is Eggman's new base of operation. (I imagine it'll be serving a similar role to what Robotropolis/Megaopolis did in the original Archie continuity.)

Yet the truth is that we don't know what the All New, All Different direction of IDW "Sonic" will be because the series is still dealing with the aftermath of issue 50. Issue 51 directly followed up those events and issue 52's story continues that cliffhanger. Sonic and his twisted ankle, Tails, Belle, and the still unconscious Kit flee through the city. Metal Sonic is in hot pursuit. Once Kit awakens, he uses his hydrokinesis to stall Metal Sonic long enough to allow the heroes to escape. Meanwhile, Surge digs herself up from the depths of Eggperial City, ready to begin the next stage of her evil plan.

I really loved the last issue, because it was a continuously tense escape scene. Our heroes had to scramble on their feet to escape a tight situation, pushing them to their limits. And just when they were out of the proverbial frying pan, Metal Sonic almost literally plunged them into the fire. That lead us into a set-up for an even more intense scenario. Sonic has a fucked-up ankle, the heroes are still deep behind enemy lines, and a pissed-off Metal Sonic is right on their tails. The opening pages really makes it seem like that's going to be the whole issue. Sonic and the others flee into a tight alley, hoping that'll slow Metal down, but he just slams into the wall right behind him, Just twenty pages of our hopelessly outmatched heroes trying to outrun a murderous machine. The original "Terminator," but with "Sonic" characters. 

That would've been great. Unfortunately... A mere four pages in, Sonic notices a catwalk overhead overloaded with crates and junk. How convenient! Tails flies him up there and, despite his twisted ankle, he pushes it into Metal Sonic's path. Following that, the quartet take a breather next to a series of water tanks, just after Tails points out that Kit's reservoir is empty. After escaping the city, Metal Sonic remains relentless, tracking the heroes down on the outskirts of town. Instead of getting a fight between an exhausted Sonic who can only use one leg and an angry Metal, the robotic hedgehog is called away by a separate crisis. Every time it seems like this issue is about to escalate the tension, our heroes get lucky. They don't survive because of their quick thinking or ingenuity. Improbable circumstances occur that allow them to get away.

Evan Stanley wrote this one. Remember the very first Archie "Sonic" story arc she wrote, "The Silver Age?" Even though that one is widely loved by most fans, I was very critical of it. Throughout that story, Stanley showed a bad habit of relying on coincidence and contrivance to move the plot forward. Stanley has improved as a writer in the seven years since those comics. Yet this issue shows her backsliding into this tendency in a big way. Sonic and the gang having a run of good luck while running from Metal aren't the only examples. As Surge is escaping the junkyard level of Eggperial City, she just happens to surface in a storage room. Inside that room, there just happens to be a discarded weapon that harnesses energy. What a useful object for a supervillain with electricity powers to stumble upon! Writing like this is amateurish and, frankly, I thought the "Sonic" comics had grown pass it. 

Having random luck repeatedly direct the plot so much is not my only problem with issue 52. Unlikely solutions like this also kills the pacing. Instead of building on the tension of those first three pages, Stanley is constantly pausing here. Sonic and the others delay Metal long enough for Kit to wake up and switch sides. Instead of focusing on the fight between Kit and Metal, the script then cuts to Surge. Instead of getting an exciting climax, the issue abruptly ends with Metal Sonic turning around and leaving. It's a wet fart of an ending, an unsatisfying non-conclusion to an issue with pacing that, ironically, never gets up to running speed. 

But I'm not surprised. She's unquestionably gotten better over the years but narrative construction has never been Evan Stanley's strengths. Instead, she excels at character development. When she shifts her focus in that direction is the only times this issue finds its footing. Kit's allegiance shift happens over the course of a few panels. Yet it doesn't feel unnatural, as the book has long since established the fennec as a sympathetic figure. When he wakes up, of course, his first thought is about Surge. It seems the water-bending vulpine isn't just predisposed to take orders from his belligerent big sister/domme figure. He immediately snaps into line after Sonic starts bossing him around. It's about as natural as a heel-face turn as the little guy could get. He's even a little reluctant and nervous after taking Sonic's hand, which is a nice, in-character touch. 

Before her attention turns to bullying Cubot – Cubot is in this issue, by the way – and acquiring a new power-up, Surge gets a good moment too. While climbing through the junkyard, she stumbles upon Dr. Starline's glove. This not only serves an indicator that Starline is really, most sincerely dead but also gives us further insight into Surge's personality. She tosses Starline's glove onto an electrical rail, causing it to burn. If her creator is dead, she's totally free of his plan for her. She can do or become anything now. Yet Surge immediately switches back into her bitter, disaffected teenager persona. "He was weak. I can do better. I will," she gruffly says. She's still stuck in that entitled rage, unable to move pass the pain of her origins. A few pages before this moment, she was stopped just before declaring that she wouldn't be thrown away like trash. Surge still feels abandoned and betrayed by the world. She's still determined to master and destroy it as revenge, to vindicate the hurt she feels. It's nice to see that, in just a few issues, Surge has grown from a catchphrase spouting delinquent to a complex villain clearly, but subtly, motivated by her psychological trauma. 

I’m compelled by Kit and Surge’s continued growth. It remains to be seen if whatever the comic is building towards between Metal Sonic and Belle is going to get interesting. It's clear the comic is going somewhere with these two. They interact again in this issue, Bella throwing herself in of Sonic to block his metal doppelganger. She gets a metal-plated bitch-slap for her troubles, suggesting that whatever connection they have clearly isn't very deep. I'm increasingly getting the sinking feeling that this potentially intriguing plot point – what if a little bit of Belle's humanity rubbed off on cold, emotionless Metal Sonic? – isn't going to amount to much. Not anytime soon, anyway. Clearly Surge is the focus for the present, as the previews for upcoming issues make clear. Either way, I am already feeling impatient over the suggestion that this comic might push Sonic's most two-dimensional adversary in a more complex direction, instead of just going ahead and doing that. 

It's a frustrating issue. That short little moment with Surge is absolutely the high-light. Otherwise, a script that is heavy on deus ex machinas keeps this one from being satisfying or even building up a decent head of steam. Hopefully Evan – who also draws this issue and it looks completely fine – actually has a solid outline next time and plans to do more with Surge then just give her a new batch of superpowers. The comic has a lot more potential than that and I'll be grouchy if it's all squandered. [5/10]