Sonic Boom, Episode 32: Mayor Knuckles

Sonic Boom, Episode 32: Mayor Knuckles

Original Air Date: July 20th, 2015

“Sonic Boom” races into politics with its thirty-second episode. The Ed Wynn sounding Mayor Fink, the seat of political power in Sonic's village, decides he wants to take a couple hours off to go fishing. Knuckles is the first person who walks into his office, so the mayor temporarily gives his power to the echidna for the afternoon. Knuckles is instructed to just stamp everything that comes across his desk. This, immediately, goes wrong as Knuckles approves every crazy bill that's presented to him. The town is plunged into chaos, Knuckles' friends turn against him, and even Eggman gets pissed off by the whole thing. 

I don't think "Sonic Boom" was making any sort of political statement with "Mayor Knuckles." Nor do I imagine Reid Harrison, by far the most gag-centric of "Boom's" regular crop of writers, intended a message. However, once politics enter the matter, one can't help but see certain things. It wouldn't take too much work to perceive "Mayor Knuckles" as a criticism of government spending too much on niche projects or glad-handing politicians that promise to please everyone, without considering the realistic consequences of that. Mayor Fink, from his name on down, definitely seems to be a self-interested fool. Him assigning Knuckles, the biggest buffoon in the village, any sort of power is obviously the clearest sign he's foolish. So maybe we should just read the message here as "politicians are smart enough to get elected but not smart enough to lead." 

All of these are, I suppose, valid interpretations but they are all kind of a reach, even by my standards. Instead, I think there's only one clear moral to "Mayor Knuckles." That would be "power corrupts." Knuckles enjoys the feeling of stamping shit. (I think this episode was largely inspired by the pure satisfaction of laying your stamp of approval on something.) He enjoys the praise people give him, for approving whatever stupid idea they have. His position allows him to change everything but this shields him from the consequences. Most of all, he enjoys the power to decide things. Keep in mind, this whole episode takes place over the course of a few hours. By the end, Knuckles is ready to grant himself absolute power over everything. The message that nobody should have that kind of power is clear, even if everything around it is goofy absurdity. This idea even extends to the other characters. Everyone in town having their ideas approved inevitably leads to chaos. Nobody should have absolute freedom to get whatever they want nor the authority to grant that freedom to anyone. 

While most "Sonic Boom" episodes seem to have a message of some sort, I think making the audience laugh is the show's primary goal. Luckily, "Mayor Knuckles" succeeds in that regard as well. The confounding bureaucracy of government work is always a good source for laughs, especially when surrounded on all sides by sheer goofiness. Eggman's constant frustration with his inability to get discussion time with the mayor, constantly being told to "take a number," even though the number dispenser is empty, speaks to a very real type of frustration. Once the absurd number of new bills and laws Knuckles has approved start to kick in, you get some really fun goofy shit. Like Eggman forced to try and activate his wrist-mounted laser with his elbow. Or the reoccurring walrus lady refusing to walk because the moving sidewalk she asked for has stopped working. 

I think most sitcom episodes can be boiled down to a simple pitch. This is absolutely true of "Sonic Boom," where the stories have to be even more constrained to fit a limited runtime. "Mayor Knuckles'" pitch is right there in its title: What if big dumb-dumb Knuckles became mayor? And it's certainly a funny enough premise to support an eleven minute cartoon. The contrast between Knuckles' idiocy and the elevation of his newly assigned role is a consistent source of laughs. Knuckles is obviously too goofy to do this job. The lady walrus simply asking him if he "wants to live in a world without moving sidewalks" is enough for him to approve the bill. He says a list is too long to read before approving it anyway. When the garage man asks for some time off, Knuckles waits exactly 12 seconds – which hilariously plays out on-screen – before deducing there are no consequence to this. 

Probably the best gag here is when Knuckles draws a picture of himself stamping stuff and then stamps it. As funny as seeing Knuckles in a position of power is, the occasional display of brilliance the character has is well used too. Despite being so dumb he can't pronounce "library" correctly, Knuckles quickly gains a mastery of government forms. Subverting expectations like that for laughs is good shit.

This is at least the second time Knuckles and his friends have been put at odds, due to him getting caught up in some wacky scheme. (It happened in the comic book too.) Sticks is the first of the gang to turn against him, after he approves a mall to be built by her burrow. This matches Sticks' already paranoid opinion about any form of authority. Which us to the least surprising reveal about that character they could've engineered: Sticks is a libertarian. She goes on a rant to her friends about how the government needs to stay out of people lives. When Sonic points out the valuable existence of public-funded programs like firefighters and sewer system, Sticks concedes the point and then retreats back to her paranoid ranting. Just like a real libertarian! And considering this village is repeatedly attacked by Eggman, forcing independent vigilantes like Sonic and his friends to step in, they should probably be spending more on disaster averting programs in general. 

In fact, I was pretty surprised to see the village has a mayor at all. "Sonic Boom" has never given us much of a look at the local government. Since there are police officers, businesses, and forms of currency, I guess it was a given that there would be elected officials. Yet other times, it's definitely seemed like just a bunch of people living out in the jungle, without much in the way of societal structure. Considering this is a silly comedy primarily for children, I'm not surprised that the writers seem to be making the setting's system of government up as they go along. 

There's even repeated mentions of paying taxes here. Do the Gogobas pay taxes too? Are they exempt under some religious rule or do they just guilt people into never having to do that? Are Sonic and his friends paid to protect the village? Because I've seen them cash paychecks before. How does Eggman, whose status as a citizen of this town seems to vary from episode to episode, fit into all of this? Obviously, I'm overthinking how orderly the show's setting is at any given point is dependent totally on whether it's funny or not. I'm just saying though, they better address what level of democracy this village is on or else I'll complain. 

Anyway, "Mayor Knuckles" is another really funny, joke-packed episodes from Reid Harrison that successfully exploits its goofy premise for as many yuks as possible. There's just a lot of good silliness here, like the inevitable way Knuckles rubber-stamping rampage is averted. Or good uses of minor characters like Dave the Intern, Fastidious Beaver, and even Eggman's Octobot. Only a couple of meta jokes – Mayor Fink waiting for Knuckles to enter his office and kick off the story – fell flat for me. Otherwise, this is goofy fun that is executed smoothly. That gets my rubber stamp of approval! [7/10]

Sonic Boom, Episode 1.31: Closed Door Policy

Sonic Boom, Episode 1.31: Closed Door Policy 

Original Air Date: July 17th, 2015

If that title seems nonsensical, don't worry, it'll make sense soon enough. Amy has to cut a battle with Eggman short, because she promised Sticks a night out on the town. Once they're at Sticks' burrow, Amy is overwhelmed by what a hoarder her friend is. She immediately throws a yard sale to sell all of Sticks' useless shit, much to the badger's consternation. During the sale, Amy removes a surfboard from an ominous stone door. This unleashes a race of subterranean frog creatures called Froglodytes, who then kidnap Sticks. This forces Amy, Sonic, and the others to descend into the Froglodytes' lair to rescue their friend. (See, that's why the door needed to be closed.)

You'll notice, from the above plot synopsis, that this episode changes premises like three or four times. The opening scene involves Eggman using spider-bots – which look a lot like the can bots from "Dr. Eggman's Tomato Sauce" – to turn cocoanuts into bombs. "Okay," I thought, "that's a wacky enough idea for this show. You could get eleven minutes out of that." That's before the swerve, where Amy meets up with Sticks. "Oh!" I then thought. "This is going to be another episode about contrasting Amy and Sticks' personality. Maybe, where "Into the Wilderness" had Sticks teaching Amy about survival tactics, this one will have Amy teaching Sticks about how to have a proper night out on the town. To be girly and shit. A nice character centric installment with plenty of potential for gags and funny situations."

That would probably be a good episode but, nope, that's not what happens. Instead, Amy discovers Sticks' pack-rat tendencies and the focus of the episode switches totally to the yard sale premise. "Alright," I said to myself, doubting my intuition by this point. "Yard sales are a totally cromulent sitcom set-up. I can see "Boom" having some fun with that." All of this is before the Froglodytes appear, shifting the premise in its by-far wackiest direction yet. I think the only reason "Closed Door Policy" didn't become about something after that is because the episode only had to run for eleven minutes. If nothing else, I can't criticize this one for being predictable. It's free-association, cartoony writing definitely kept me on my toes.

Ultimately, "Closed Door Policy's" ever shifting concept actually works in its favor. By the end, the seemingly chaotic plotting even starts to build on itself. Many of the random objects introduced during the yard sale portion of the episode are then fashioned into weapons to fight the Froglodytes with. Hey, that's pretty clever! Plus, it leads to a suiting-up montage set to totally-not the "A-Team" theme, a joke I'm always happy for the show to return to. They even bring the exploding cocoanuts back around at the very end. The unifying idea throughout the otherwise unfocused script is that Amy learns to appreciate Sticks just the way she is, which is enough to cause this goofy, short cartoon to still feel coherent and satisfying in the end. 

Of course, that draws attention to a reoccurring issue with this show: Who is Amy Rose? I've noted before that she's the least well defined member of the "Sonic Boom," a show where everyone else fits into easily understood roles. What shape her personality takes really seems to depend on who is writing any given episode. Her straight woman qualities are downplayed here and her girly side is briefly mentioned. (With the prerequisite SonAmy tease.) The manic side of her personality manifests as a desire to micro-manage her friends. The script then proceeds to mock and punish Amy for this tendency, which she's only just begun to display in recent episodes. I don't mind that so much. Who doesn't love to see a busy body brought down a peg or two? But I am a little confused by this show's continued uncertainty with what to do with Amy. 

And as I've said before in the past, "Boom" can get away with these kind of inconsistencies as long as they are funny. The yard sale portion of the episode seems to split the cast into pairs of twos. While Amy tries to sell all of Sticks' useless junk, the badger insists it all has important meanings. This introduces some likably goofy gags, such as ones about a piece of moss. Tails and Knuckles get paired up, the hyper-smart fox and the hyper-stupid echidna having an amusing back-and-forth. Lastly, Eggman appears and attempts to steal a comic book, causing Sonic to harass and haggle with him. Like I said, it would've been really easy to do a whole episode like this. Just letting the established characters play off each other within the totally mundane setting of a yard sale. Other sitcoms, and episodes of this very program, have done plenty with less than that. Maybe Eggman needs to buy something from the yard sale to complete his latest doom machine. Ya know, that would've worked just fine.

However, I am glad those crazy Froglodytes show up. An underground race of amphibious, caveman-like savages only seem like they fit this universe a little better than these hideous pepper people last time. (And it's pretty easy to imagine something like them showing up in early Archie or Fleetway.) They aren't the funniest critters. They talk like boring normal people, which is obviously the joke, but it's not delivered with much comedic spark. Nevertheless, they lead to a number of decent gags. Such as Amy's reaction to the ominous moaning the door makes. Or Sticks pointing out that all these guys live in her basement. Sometimes, you just need something crazy for the heroes to fight in the last act. Cavern-dwelling batrachian Neanderthals are more interesting than just another Eggman robot. 

Though the episode probably could've made more of the fact that one of Sticks' insane conspiracy theories turned out to be real, for once. How exactly did she wrangle all those Froglodytes into her basement? It's pretty rare that this show ever looks back, so I guess that's an answer we'll have to look to the realm of fanfiction to answer. Anyway, despite an unconventional structure, this one is fun and kept me solidly amused throughout its brief runtime. And isn't that what it's all about? Keeping me happy? [7/10]

Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Divergence

Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Divergence

Original Release Date: November 1st, 2022

Sega's promotional machine for "Sonic Frontiers" doesn't just include a measly eight page comic book. A six-minute animated prologue with the ungainly title “Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Divergence” was also released in the run-up to the game's drop date. Like the numerous other bits of "Sonic" animation that Sega has made in the last few years – which I will get around to reviewing, once I've talked about every other "Sonic" cartoon – this was released through the official "Sonic" YouTube channel. Much like a lot of those other shorts, this was also directed by Tyson Heese, another ascended "Sonic" fanboy. Much like the game itself, Ian Flynn provided the script here. Evan Stanley is also listed as a "creative consultant." All of this essentially makes this cartoon the closest we'll ever get to an animated adaptation of the "Sonic" comics.

So what is "Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Divergence" about? Instead of operating as a prologue to the entire game, as the "Convergence" comic did, this simply introduces Knuckles' side of the story. He broods on Angel Island, reflecting on the ancient past of the echidna tribes that lead to him being the last guardian. While exploring some floating ruins, he discovers a strange relic that transports him to another island. There, he fights a group of hostile machines before quickly becoming outmatched.

If it had no other value, "Divergence" would hold a special place in "Sonic" animation history just for being utterly gorgeous. The animation is so fucking smooth here. A scene of Knuckles gliding through the Sky Sanctuary or punching a rock wall have a grace and speed to them that truly impresses. Once the action scene begins, "Divergence" uses those same qualities to create a hard-hitting battle. When Knuckles slams through those robots, you definitely feel it. Seeing a "Sonic" character actually move in animation with such speed and power is deeply gratifying. It's how I've always wanted to see these guys animated, the quickness and power they hold truly being displayed. 

"Divergence" is, I'm very happy to say, very much a Tyson Heese production too. The way Heese always gave the characters so much personality in his artwork is also reflected here. It's the little things. Like Knuckles punching a tree so a fruit will fall down into the lap of the hungry Chao below, something that he does casually while walking by. The Chao is so happy afterwards. Or the way one of the enemy robots leaps onto a cliff and balances on one foot before Knuckles knocks him back with a rock. Even Knuckles calmly doing a spiral while gliding. Little bits like that add layers to the characters, which makes the world they inhabit feel more alive. Heese also makes sure that Knuckles has sharp fangs barred during the action scene, a quirk he likes to include with the character that few other artists do. 

What I really like about "Divergence" is that it captures the tone of what I've always wanted a "Knuckles" solo story – and a "Sonic" animated series in general – to have. Aside from a stray Flicky bird and some Chao, Knuckles is alone through most of this short. Voiceover narration gives us a peek into his mind. And it's a distinctly melancholy experience. Knuckles feels the weight of his ancestors' sins, reflecting on how the Knuckles Tribes' violent ways probably cursed him with the duty of protecting the Master Emerald. He talks about being solitary and how he likes it that way... Yet you can tell he longs for more too. When combined with the gorgeous orchestral score, it creates an introspective atmosphere. 

In fact, Flynn's script even manages to bring a little pathos to the situation here. On a narrative level, "Divergence" is simply meant to introduce us to "Frontiers'" world. It teases us with the mysteries inherent to the story and already displays the game's goal of creating a functional "Sonic" continuity. Yet Knuckles' opening line about liking to be alone comes back in a meaningful way at the end. If he hadn't been alone, maybe this would've ended a different way. That ironic quality to the script gives "Divergence" something that feels like an actual ending, which these promotional things rarely have. 

Really, the only criticism I have towards "Divergence" is that I don't particularly care for Knuckles' voice. Dave B. Mitchell, who has been voicing Knuckles in the games since 2019, provides the English voiceover. I just find his voice a little too gruff. People love to give Knuckles these tough guy baritones and it never sits right with me. Nobutoshi Canna – who has been Knuckles' Japanese voice actor for years now – does a much better job in the Japanese dub. He has a matter-of-fact quality to his voice that I think suits the character better. 

Overall though, "Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Divergence" is a real treat. I've watched it several times while writing this review and I think it might be my favorite piece of "Sonic" animation in years. I'd really love a feature film or an entire series with such a grand visual palette, loving animation, and a character-driven tone like this. I imagine that wouldn't be monetarily practical but a guy can dream, you know? It reminds me a lot of the "Sonic CD" opening animation, which treated these characters and their world with a sense of speed and awe. I hope young kids watching this short will have the same reaction I did to that piece of animation. Who's to say? Either way, "Divergence" is fantastic. [9/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Tails' 30th Anniversary Special

Sonic the Hedgehog: Tails' 30th Anniversary Special 

Publication Date: November 16th, 2022

Just as Sonic had his 30th anniversary last year, 2022 brings with it a significant anniversary of its own. "Sonic the Hedgehog 2" came out in 1992, which was three whole decades ago now. While the second proper game in the series introduced a number of new elements – and is still regarded as one of the best "Sonic" game – the sequel made one contribution to Sega lore that outshines all others. It introduced Miles "Tails" Prower, Sonic's best bro, to the world. While the rest of the Sonic-sphere has largely devoted 2022 to the new movie and game, IDW decided that Tails needed a comic book to honor his own pearl anniversary. 

Now is as good a time as ever to reiterate a fact that probably should get me thrown out of the "Sonic" fandom. Tails is a beloved character among Sonic fans, considered one of the essential cast members even by people who dismiss all of Sonic's other friends. He is many fans' favorite character and is widely beloved far and wide. Yet here's the truth: I am, relatively speaking, indifferent to Tails. There have even been times, over the years, where I flat out didn't like Tails. I don't hate the two-tailed fox or anything. I've long accepted that he's a commonplace part of the franchise. When badly written he is, at worst, simply annoying and never offensive. But I've never been all that attached to the guy.

My general indifference to Tails probably boils down to when I became a fan of the series. I'm old, older than Sonic. When the franchise was in its infancy, Tails was simply Sonic's little buddy. He was there to learn moral lessons or be rescued when the plot necessitated it. He didn't really do anything cool on his own and sometimes even got in the way. Over the years, Tails would gain a more distinct personality that saw him become a genius inventor. Yet even this always struck me as a desperate attempt to give the fox some sort of personality outside of his hero worship for Sonic. Many times, I feel like modern "Sonic" media overcompensates for Tails' kid sidekick status by making him too hyper-competent. (This is most apparent in the older Archie comics, where Tails gained a grand destiny as a "chosen one" that didn't go anywhere for years.)

I guess what I'm saying is Tails had more growing pains over the years then Sonic – whose personal has remained relatively intact the whole time – has. Nevertheless, Sega saw his popularity and tried to capitalize on it... Sort of. The fox got two handheld games to his own, one of which wasn't even released in America for years. Since there's no "Sonic" game fans of this franchise won't dig into, "Tails' Sky Patrol" and "Tails' Adventure" are now relatively well known in the U.S. They are familiar enough that this special marks the second time a U.S. "Sonic" comic has unearthed villains from this overlooked Game Gear title for story material. 

In fact, "Flying Off the Rails" – the story that comprises pretty much all of this special – is a homage to two forgotten "Sonic" game. Tails' tale is set on Flicky Island, the setting for "Sonic 3D Blast." Sonic and Tails arrive on the island for a vacation and to catch up with the native flicky population. Instead, they find the tropical paradise strangely empty, with railways running everywhere. Tails quickly deduces that Witchcart and her minions are responsible. He's right, as the witch is capturing the birds in crystals to learn their secrets. After being overwhelmed in a four-on-one fight, Sonic is captured too. It's up to Tails to traverse the island's treacherous zones, rescues the Flickies, and defeat Witchcart and her goons. 

Another reason why, maybe, I've never loved Tails the way many do is because the characters has been stuck constantly repeating the same story arc for years. The fox is super talented but lacking in confidence, which is exacerbated by always being in Sonic's shadow. He has to learn to overcome his own insecurities and stand on his own as a hero, which he usually does without even realizing it. "Sonic Adventure" did this, the comics did this, "Sonic X" did this, even the movie did it a bit. People have been going back to this well with Tails for far too long now. 

"Flying Off the Rails" essentially does this again. The earlier pages has Sonic constantly leaving Tails in the dust, emphasizing that he's the kid sidekick and that maybe Sonic doesn't take him very seriously. By the end of this story, the little fox has undone Witchcart's entire scheme by himself and rescued Sonic. Sonic has so much faith in the boy that he lets him fly off and deliver the final blow himself, which really surprises Tails. That "Flying Off the Rails" does this exact same storyline again is a little baffling, since it's confirmed that these events take place after "Tails' Skypatrol." You'd think the little guy would be confident already after that!

Despite following the exact same Tails plot that seemingly every Tails story must follow, I still enjoyed "Flying Off the Rails." It actually does something kind of clever, that suits a special designed to celebrate Tails' thirty years with the series. Over the course of this comic, we see Miles evolve from Sonic's childish sidekick into an inventive tinkerer who improvises amazing, plot resolving technology out of what's lying around. He starts out feeling insecure around Sonic and ends this issue with a handful of accessories that handily defeat Witchcart. In other words: This issue tracks the way the two-tailed fox's personality and role in the series has shifted over the years. That's clever! 

Structurally speaking, this issue also has a deceptively simple script. Plot-wise, "Flying Off the Rails" feels a lot like a video game. Tails travels to the different regions of Flicky Island, all of which are very distinct from each other. In every area, he battles another one of Witchcart's henchmen. After he defeats each one, he gains a new piece of equipment that helps him defeat the final boss. He also frees Flickies from prison crystals at the conclusion of each section, furthering the feeling that this comic is adapted from a classic "Sonic" game. 

While this story structure is tedious on its surface, Ian Flynn includes enough variety here to keep things interesting. It helps that each "Sonic 3D Blast" stage– which, let's face it, most fans have probably forgotten the details of – all come with their own gimmicks. Smartly, Tails uses the environment to help defeat the Witchcarters in each area. The prevalent springs of Spring Stadium, the pitfalls of Rusty Ruins, and the industrial tubes of Gene Gadget all play their role in the bad guys' downfalls. To further make each encounter more novel, Tails has to devise different strategies to defeat each enemy, all of whom have their own style of attack. This highlights another difference between the fox and his idol. He can't brute-force it like Sonic would. He's got to outthink the opponent. 

And what of those opponents? While "Sonic" devotees are passionate enough that it's not unfair to call the otherwise forgotten bosses from "Tails' Skypatrol" "fan favorites" as they are, Witchcart and her eponymous goons were given a boost by their appearances in the post-reboot Archie comics. Those versions were redesigned – and at least one of them renamed – to fit the modern style of the series. Which means those takes on the gang are thoroughly off-limits now. Instead, IDW's iterations of the Witchcarters are taken directly from the Game Gear. Each one of these guys looks right out of a thirties cartoon, just the way Naoto Ohshima would've liked it. 

So let's meet the new-old versions of Witchcart, Bearranger, Carrotia, and Fuck-Wulf​ Hocke-Wulf. Since the Archie versions weren't established much, we might as well be meeting them for the first time. Flynn gives each goofy goon a distinct personality trait. Bearranger is excessively angry, peppering his speech with old-timey minced oaths, and prone to violent outbursts. Carrotia seems bored and impatient with everything, as signaled by her perpetually droopy eyelids. She's so apathetic that she is relieved when Tails defeats her, that she can now get back to doing nothing. I love her. In my head, she sounds Aubrey Plaza. Hocke-Wulf is the least well defined, functioning mostly as a sneaky villain type who enjoys bullying anyone smaller than him. But at least he's not another wacky, zany lunatic like his Archie counterpart was. (A distinctive, Muttley style chortle being the sole remaining element from that Bean-ified version of the guy.)

Witchcart’s lackies ultimately prove more memorable than the villainess herself. Befitting her fairy tale witch appearance, Flynn gives her the gimmick of speaking in rhyme. This is mildly annoying, an attitude Sonic and Tails share. Tails even calls her on her half-assed rhymes in one panel. Besides that, Witchcart is just a functional baddie going about her business. She doesn't even make her evil plan all that clear. She wants to unlock the secrets of the Flickies and expresses a desire "to rule," which is pretty vague. She also shares Eggman's love of building amusement parks based on her own image, if the fort she builds with her face is any indication. IDW's classic inspired Witchcart is a step down from Archie's Wendy Naugus, even if the other characters definitely got upgrades here. 

Despite the qualms I have with this issue, it's actually a lot of fun. A big part of that is the gorgeous artwork. Aaron Hammerstrom provides the pencils here and they commit fully to the Classic Sonic look. "Flying Off the Rails" often looks exactly like Genesis era "Sonic" box art come to life. This includes the colorful, very nineties pastels Hammerstrom often fills the backgrounds with. The characters perfectly fit the classic style but Hammerstrom doesn't use that as an excuse to make things less expressive. In fact, the little faces he has everyone make are often hilarious. Even the Flickies get adorably detailed facial expressions. The action scenes are great too, Hammerstrom somehow managing to make Tails look bad-ass in the final pages, when he has all his gear, despite the cutesy artwork. Great work. 

My only real issue with the "Tails 30th Anniversary Special" is that it foregoes a back-up story, in favor of a text article running us through the process of making the comic. I definitely would've preferred a second story, though considering how much "Sonic" content IDW is putting out right now, it's not a big loss. I'm all for behind-the-scenes insight but this article is clearly designed for young kids. It explains simple phrases like "thumbnails" or what a script is. The writing style is also heavy on the exclamation points, making the author seem a little overly enthusiastic. It is neat seeing the various stages of the artwork though. But the only really interesting nugget here is that Flynn needed special permission from Sega to bring the Witchcarters back. Special attention is drawn to Hammerstrom having to beef up the villains' designs, this also makes it sound like their appearance here might be a one-time only deal. 

Or maybe not, considering the Classic/Modern divide Sega has insisted on for years now might finally no longer be an issue. There's even a joke here about Sonic looking at Witchcract's rails and thinking he'll learn to balance on them someday. If the recent past being an alternate universe conceit is truly done for, hopefully IDW can sneak the antagonists here or Mighty into the main book. As for "Tails 30th Anniversary Special," it's beautiful to look at and better written than it had to be, even if it didn't turn me into a Tails obsessive overnight. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Scrapnik Island: Issue 2

Sonic the Hedgehog: Scrapnik Island: Issue 2

Publication Date: November 16th, 2022

The last quarter of 2022 might be the busiest time for the "Sonic" franchise in quite a while. "Sonic Frontiers," the first mainline game in the series in five years, released earlier in the month. With it came a number of promotional tie-ins. (Which I'm not quite done talking about yet, by the way.) Meanwhile, the promotional machine for the new cartoon, "Sonic Prime," is ramping up ahead of its December 16th Netflix drop. That new trailer was pretty swanky, wasn't it? 

Perhaps seeing how the entire franchise is accelerating, IDW is double-stuffing the comic end of things this month too. In addition to the issue I'm here to discuss today, the second installment of the "Scrapnik Island" series, they also released a special one-shot celebrating Tails' 30th anniversary on the same day. There's a new issue of the regular series coming next month too! Let me tell you, friends, "Sonic" fans are eating supper right now. I guess this is what happens when a long-running series goes from being a laughingstock to a blockbuster film series. 

After a short prologue showing how E-117 Sigma washed up on the titular island, we get back to the present. The friendly locals have repaired the Tornado save for one important part that makes the entire plane work. However, they might be able to locate the missing part inside the Death Egg. Sonic, Sigma and the reformed Mecha Sonic journey into the ruins of the fallen satellite. As they travel inside, they are attacked by a scrapped together version of "Sonic Advance's" Mecha Knuckles. Even after defeating him, the danger is far from over for our heroes. 

The main appeal of the desert island genre is that it thrusts ordinary people into an incredible situation that pushes them to their limits, forcing them to use human ingenuity and the sheer will to survive in order to make it out alive. It asks the question of whether we, as people raised in civilization, could survive if all of that was pulled away. Yet there's also a second, secret aspect to the genre that also makes it such an evergreen style of story. Leaving behind all the complications of modern life is also appealing. Once you get through the threat of starving to death or exposure to the elements, it's even kind of cozy. Who wouldn't want to completely start over in paradise? 

And so we see some of that in the first few pages of "Scrapnik Island's" second volume. Tails builds a translator for the Scrapniks while Sonic chills in a lawn chair on the beach. These robots have made their own little community, away from the rest of the world, where they won't be judged or persecuted. They are awfully friendly, as they all rush to say hi to Sonic the minute he can understand them. We see that these machines are growing, almost becoming human. They have hopes and dreams of making it back to civilization. This is represented in a sunflower that Mecha Sonic obsessively tends to. I don't know if I'd want to live on Scrapnik Island but maybe it wouldn't be so bad to visit. It seems... Nice. 

It's a testament to the "Sonic" franchise's belief in second chances – an outgrow of the shonen action genre's tendency to redeem past villains – that a bunch of minor background enemies can grow into peaceful bohemians. Sigma even says that they have evolve past Eggman's programming for them. It's not just the once murderous robots that can turn into better people. Sensing the tension between them, Sonic outright asks Mecha Sonic to let bygones be bygones. That's something I like about Sonic. He's always willing to forgive and forget. It's a nice, quiet, character-driven moment to insert into the middle of the book. 

It, of course, proceeds a big action set piece. Once Mecha Knuckles emerges on the scene, the rest of this issue is predominantly focused on a fight scene. Yet even that is more character driven than I expected. While the Mecha Sonic and Knuckles are battling it out, we get a glimpse inside the tall metal hedgehog's brain. And this is where issue 2 of "Scrapnik Island" makes a surprising turn. Remember how I expressed disappointment last time that this horror-tinged mini-series was leaving the creepy stuff behind after the first issue? Turns out that's not exactly true. Mecha Sonic's warped perception of reality, which shows past defeats and faces intruding on the present in glitchy ways, pushes us into the realm of psychological horror. Honestly, some of the pages are so vividly twisted they might be too scary for really young readers. 

Something else is surprising about this too: Mecha Sonic, just another boss battle up until this point, is emerging as this mini-series' most interesting character. I like the detail of him tending to the sunflower. It shows that this killer robot has really soften. Yet the peek inside his fractured brain is really compelling. His fight with Mecha Knuckles triggers his memory of his final fight with his organic counterpart back in "Sonic 3 & Knuckles." His recollection of Eggman activating him, assigning him the role of a killer, and Sonic's mocking battle banter all blend together. In particular, the memory of Knuckles delivering a killing blow to the robot haunts him. It's no wonder he freaks out a little after this. 

In fact, the entire sequence plays a lot like a PTSD flashback. Suggesting an interesting idea that I hadn't considered before: Eggman's machines are just conscious enough to be aware of their own mortality. This means that when Sonic bobs them on the head and makes them go boom... Conscious things are being murdered. And if they survive such an encounter, the trauma of that memory is going to live with them. That's a really compelling idea to introduce into a series where robots are usually nothing but easily disposed of mooks. If artificial intelligence really is intelligent, that means it's prone to some of the same mental conditions humanity can fall prey to. 

There's obviously some psychological depth to this issue that I really dug. Yet this is simply a well written comic structurally too. Mecha Sonic glitching out and turning on fleshy Sonic provides a nice twist. Up to this point, this mini-series has advertised Mecha Knuckles as the story's main antagonist. He's on the cover of this issue, got a big reveal last time, and has by far the flashiest design of all the new robots. (Or "new" robots.) This issue also reveals the Mecha Knuckles has a simplistic programming to protect the Death Egg. He's not a complicated, scheming robot. This makes it unlikely to me that he's going to be the main baddie. It really seems like Mecha Knuckles was simply a decoy villain and that Mecha Sonic, haunted by his memories and damaged processors, is going to be the main antagonist here. Which is far more compelling anyway, seeing as how Mecha Sonic's desire to be more than destructive has been established now. 

Maybe I'm reading this wrong and that's not where "Scrapnik Island" is headed. I've been wrong before. Either way, one thing is for certain: This is a gorgeous comic book. Jack Lawrence's pencils and Nathalie Fourdraine's colors combine to create one of the most distinctive looking "Sonic" comics I've ever read. The artwork is so good that it does most of the narrative heavy lifting throughout this issue. The opening flashback, showing how Sigma came to reside on Scrapnik Island, plays out totally without word balloons but never lacks for emotional or meaning. The Mechas never talk at all yet their feelings are always clear. The fight between the machines is stylish and dynamic. The panel of Mecha Knuckles punching Sigma or Mecha Sonic tossing his opponent into a wall look great. And the glitchy flashback scenes are really fantastically brought to life. 

In other words: This is a really good comic book. It's every bit as good as the first issue and maybe a little better too. Daniel Barnes is not just proving himself as a good writer but maybe the best "Sonic" comic writer since Flynn let his wife work on a few issues. Unless it really falls apart in the second half, "Scrapnik Island" is shaping up to be one of my favorite IDW stories yet. [8/10]

Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Convergence

Sonic Frontiers Prologue: Convergence

Publication Date: October 18th, 2022

How the video game tie-in comic has fallen. In the nineties, Archie Comics' "Sonic" books would devote whole issues to adapting and promoting whatever Sega's latest release was. Usually, these issues were "48 Page Specials" to boot. They even spent almost a year incorporating the first "Sonic Adventure's" story into the comic's world. As time went on, and the book became mired in its own increasingly convoluted plots, game tie-ins became less important. "Sonic Adventure 2" was slapped into a single issue, a measly prologue to the game that awkwardly inserted the game's entire events into the comic universe off-panel. Later on, Ian Flynn began shoving "Another Place, Another Time" episodes – brief, out-of-continuity stories – into the back of the book, presumably to satisfy whatever contractual obligation Archie had to promote Sega's products. It was an obvious sign that the comic book really wasn't too preoccupied with tying in with the video games anymore. It was a hassle, quickly dusted off into a corner where it could be ignore. 

And now, in the IDW era of "Sonic" comics, Ian Flynn and gang can't even be bothered to make short back-up stories promoting the new video games. When "Sonic Forces" came out, Sega itself published a collection of short comics promoting the game, releasing them directly to readers digitally. The same strategy is now being done with "Sonic Frontiers," Sega commissioned a little comic that IDW started giving away through their digital shop last month. Game tie-ins are now so inessential that they aren't even deemed important enough to be physically published! 

The generically subtitled "Convergence" begins with Sonic and Tails, aboard the Tornado, meeting up with Amy on an isolated island. She's currently embroiled in a battle with Eggman, instead a giant crab mech. After the three heroes team up to defeat the enemy, they discover the vehicle is piloted by a robotic copy. Tails deduces that it's all been a decoy, to distract the heroes from Eggman's plan on the Starfall Island, where the Chaos Emeralds have mysteriously gathered. This is exactly right, as Eggman has just landed on the first island and begins his scheme to uncover the technology left behind by an ancient race. 

"Convergence" serves its purpose as a prologue to the video game. It sets up the game's events and gets the reader intrigued. As you'd expect from a promotional tie-in, it's not exactly subtle about this. Tails flat-out explains the premise of the game, essentially, after the opening battle is over. Eggman's scenes are also devoted largely to explaining his evil plans in "Frontiers." The idea here is to inform readers of what the new game is about and get them invested enough, as quickly as possible, so they'll shell out money for it. 

However, there's a big difference between "Sonic Frontiers" and previous "Sonic" games: Ian Flynn wrote for the story for "Frontiers." Yes, the guy who got his start with a fan comic has now risen all the way through the ranks to create the story for a new "Sonic" game. This must make Flynn the ultimate ascended "Sonic" fanboy, this side of Christian Whitehead anyway. It also means he can incorporate this comic a lot more easily into the game's events than in previous tie-in releases, where he was simply following Sega's lead. The exposition is still blunt, though it's shoved into as few panels as possible. Otherwise, "Convergence" flows fairly smoothly into the beginning of the video game. 

Since "Frontiers" already carries Flynn's voice, he probably felt more assured in making this tie-in comic his own. The mid-battle banter that Sonic, Tails, and Amy share feels a lot more natural than I expected. (Such as Sonic calling the decoy "Adorable.") There's some more jokes about Eggman being disappointed with Orbot and Cubot. Flynn being the fanboy he is, the Eggman decoy speaks exclusively in catchphrases the doctor has uttered in the past. It's clear who wrote this, which is more than these quick-and-easy tie-ins usually get. 

Though not in continuity with IDW's comics, "Convergence" feels abreast with them for another reason. Evan Stanley does the art here, meaning this looks just like the main books do too. Stanley's work is solid, as usual. She clearly had fun drawing the action scenes. I especially like the panels devoted to Sonic and Amy leaping around some fireballs or the giant crab claw smashing down towards the heroes. Good stuff. (Stanley provided the lettering too, which takes a second to get use to.)

"Convergence" definitely looses much of its pep in the second half, when it switches to Eggman's devious schemes. Yet, for a simple eight page stories designed to point people towards the new video game, it manages to be mildly entertaining. It even got me more interested in "Frontiers" story. Knowing how lame the tie-ins were doing the Archie era, I appreciate this, at the very least, being better than it had to be. [6/10]

Sonic Boom, Episode 30: Chili Dog Day Afternoon

Sonic Boom, Episode 30: Chili Dog Day Afternoon

Original Air Date: July 16th, 2015

In the past, the American "Sonic" cartoons would get a lot of mileage out of chili dogs being Sonic's trademark favorite food. "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog" built multiple whole episodes around the Blue Blur's fixation on meat sauce and sausages. It definitely got weird quickly and several of those episodes were among the show's strangest. While the "Sonic" franchise never got that aggressively surreal or chili dog-centric again, both elements lingered within the series' DNA. "Sonic Boom" would pay homage of sorts to that era of the franchise in the thirtieth episode of the first season. By which I mean this episode is odd and dumb and has way too many jokes about food in it. 

After a couple of references to it, this episode confirms that chili dogs are "Boom" Sonic's favorite good too. He's such a chili dog connoisseur that he's judging the village's annual chili cook-off. All of Sonic's friends, and a few enemies, are competing in the contest. When Knuckles discovers the "one of a kind" chili pepper he bought is a fake, he purchases a map from the same merchant. This soon leads him on a perilous journey, in search of the Lost Pepper of Claggerhorn. When he discovers the pepper, he learns that it is a bipedal, sentient creature that leads a whole race of pepper people, who seek to reclaim their lost homelands. Knuckles is swept up in this adventure and is soon fighting his own pals, on behalf of the pepper people. But how will this effect the chili cook-off?!

While reviewing "Eggman Unplugged," I had some positive things to say about Reid Harrison's rambling narrative structure. In that one, I liked how the episode took one idea – Eggman abandoning technology – and spun it off in a wackier direction. "Chili Dog Day Afternoon," also written by Harrison, does something similar but gets way zanier as it goes on. And, keep in mind, the first half of this episode features an old lady con artist who constantly has comedic deliveries and tries to escape on a bicycle. The climax of the episode features Knuckles in a kilt and tartan, wearing war paint, and tossing miniature pepper warriors in a sling at his friends. It's almost impressive how we get from the grounded premise of "Sonic and friends have a chili cook-off" to something as utterly wacky and unusual as that. 

And, honestly, I think that's a bit of a problem. While "Eggman Unplugged" extrapolating a bigger idea out of its simple premise was unexpected and funny, this shift just seems random. "Sonic Boom" has certainly gotten cartoonish and outrageous before but humanoid vegetable people is on another level. A sentient pepper clan is bizarre enough, that it feels outside what is plausible in this show's reality. And it's just an exceptionally bonkers gag in general. The Pepper of Claggerhorn is patterned after a Scottish warrior for some reason, from the accent on down. He even jokes about haggis. Is Scotland well known for its chili pepper? Because I'm pretty sure it's not. It's a combination of details that feels arbitrary. When I say this episode reminded me of "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog," I don't really mean that as a compliment. The wackiness is so over-the-top, that it's more confusing than amusing. 

There's a reason for this, it turns out. Spoiler alert for a seven year old children's cartoon that, if you're reading this, you've almost definitely already seen: The second half of this episode is a dream. After walking into the woods, Knuckles ate an exceptionally hot pepper. It was apparently so hot and spicy, Knuckles passed out and had a nightmare/hallucination that comprised all the craziness that followed. While this certainly explains why something as strange as humanoid pepper creatures with their own history and culture could exist in this show, it still feels like a cop-out. "AoStH" at least committed to its weird-as-shit gags. This feels like the "Boom" staff doing something so crazy, they realized they overstepped and needed to reel it back in. Considering how meta and snarky this show usually is – this episode includes a joke about scene dissolves – the dream reveal feels snotty and cowardly. "We realize how stupid this is too!" It seems to be saying. "Then why are you doing it?" I ask. That kind of insecurity is death for comedy. Commit to the dumbass, freaky jokes. Don't act like you're above them. 

Honestly, the best thing about this episode is that it stars Knuckles. The "Boom" version of Knuckles is such a buffoon, that he just accepts everything that happens to him with no judgement. Of course he'd immediately join a group of pepper people freedom fighters, without a second thought! Knuckles doesn't think about anything! The echidna's big doofy comedic presence is best used in a sequence in the middle of the episode. On the way to the pepper's valley, Knuckles wonders through a series of bizarre traps. He punches his way up a flight of stairs, falls off a cliff, hugs over eighty exploding robot ducks, and finally gets strapped Into a recliner and hit with a pie. Knuckles' ability to absorb abuse and just keep cluelessly going forward works for a madcap montage like this. That scene is when the episode comes closest to reaching the zany, "Looney Tunes" style energy it's clearly striving for. 

Ultimately, I just wish this episode was funnier. The opening scene, of Sonic and the others bickering among themselves while attempting to build the stage for the contest, is probably where most of the laughs happen. Eggman barging into the cook-off and Dave's attempt to compete probably could've been at the center of a less insane episode. I imagine the backstabbing and petty in-fighting of cooking contests could've produced solid comedy. Once the devious old lady shows up, the wackiness starts to feel a little overbearing. Honestly, "a race of pepper people in a chili dog themed episode" is a joke that strikes me as pretty corny. "AoStH" could get away with ass-pull gags like that, because that show was corny and didn't give a shit about anything. So "Chili Dog Day Afternoon" bugs me because it's unwillingness to embrace the weirdness of its story and how out-of-place that weirdness feels within the show's general atmosphere. 

Also, the pepper people just look bad. Like "VeggieTales" rejects or something. The "Sonic Boom" house style has its limits and applying that to stubby vegetable creature pushes pass it. Like I said, this episode has its moments. Knuckles' simpleton charms gets a laugh or two out of me. I really wanted to like it. Ultimately, I was left more bemused than amused by this one. And we don't even find out who won the chili dog contest in the end, nor does the Pepper of Claggerhorn return home, making the entire eleven minutes feel wasted. Next time someone eats something they shouldn't on this show and trips balls, I expect the experience to be more entertaining. [6/10]

SOME THOUGHTS ON THE “SONIC PRIME” TRAILER

Happy November, Hedgehogs Can’t Swim readers. Sorry for missing a few updates, especially not doing anything special for October 31st. I had a bad cold and was busy watching horror movies. I guess the “Scrapnik Island” review is this year’s Halloween special. Anyway, it’s a new month now and there’s some exciting things to talk about here in “Sonic” world. "Sonic Frontiers" is coming out tomorrow and early buzz is begrudgingly positive. Meanwhile, Netflix dropped a full length trailer for "Sonic Prime" last week. I have some thoughts!

From the moment its existence was leaked in December of 2020, details on "Prime" have been sparse. We would eventually learn that the show had Sonic leaping around alternate dimensions. That this would be a "Into the Sonic-Verse" deal. Beyond that, there's been little actual content to discuss in the last two years. For a while, considering various shake-ups at Netflix, I was half-convinced the show was going to get canceled before it even premiered. That would've certainly explained the seeming reluctance of the streamer to announce an actual release date for the longest time. 

With the lack of confirmed information to consider, the "Sonic" fandom has done what it does best: Speculate wildly, spread rumors, and drive itself into an absolute tizzy over nothing but their own half-mad imaginings! From the minute "Sonic Prime's" multiversal premise was announced, people started hoping prior continuities will be involved. That the show is being co-produced by WildBrain, the current incarnation of DiC, had many fans hoping that elements from previous cartoons might appear. After all, the original Archie Sonic continuity had its own wide, crazy multiverse and wouldn't it make sense to draw on that stuff?

That always struck me as a long-shot, for obvious legal reasons. As cool as it would've been, I know better than to get my hopes up based on nothing but what-might-be. What seemed far likelier to me was a procession of different versions of Sonic's familiar supporting cast. Leaked concept art that eventually surfaced pointed in this direction. We weren't going to get Sally, Scourge, Surge, or Breezie. Instead, we're going to get Caveman Amy and Pirate Tails and shit like that. (Which, funny enough, more resembles what Archie's multiverse was all about. But I digress.)

A few months back, we had a brief teaser trailer that gave us our first real look at "Prime." It had Sonic, looking and behaving very much like what we expect from Sonic, zipping around Green Hill Zone, collecting rings, answers zinging one-liners. Big the Cat was there, with disconcertingly chubby cheeks and typically doofus-y voice. Shortly after that, a second teaser would confirm that Shadow is in the show, being all gruff and dickish. Alright, that's fine. 

These clips showed that "Prime" at least was actually coming out. And that the show would feature other familiar faces beyond all the basic ones we expected. They were bright and Sonic-y. Sonic's new voice actor sounded suited to the role. But these teasers didn't give us much to talk about, as far as the show's actual premise goes. There was no signs of alternate universes or anything like that. Wasn't that what this series was suppose to be about? 

Thus, the latest preview constitutes our first real peek at "Sonic Prime." We get a cool shot of the Tornado flying through Green Hills. The plot seems kicked off by Eggman attempting to grab a MacGuffin called the Paradox Prism. Rouge is among Sonic's team, wearing a purple body suit. New versions of Buzz Bomber, Catekiller, and BurroBots appear as Eggman's army of Badniks. Tails has a little drone following him around, blasting robots. 

After the crystal is shattered, Sonic is tossed into what seems to be an industrial version of Green Hill Zone, where Eggman has totally taken over. There, he meets altered versions of his friends. Knuckles has scars over his face. Tails is heavily armed. Rouge is looking very militarized, with a cute little beret. Amy, most drastically, is some sort of cyborg with weirdly long legs. He promises to "make it right." We get a shot of Sonic wearing some spiffy new shoes and shiny gloves, before several more shots of Eggman robots and action sequences of the gang fighting bots and leaping around laser beams. 

What do I, an adult man who has far too many opinions about this franchise, make of this? The animation looks decent and far smoother than what the action scenes from "Sonic Boom" we're like. I like the relative serious tone this trailer establishes, though the rap song playing over all of it lets you know things won't be too intense. The character designs are basically right out of the games, which is a little boring. Rouge's new outfit seems to be well-received, so I think the designers could've experimented a little more. Cyborg Amy looks kind of dorky though. I don't like the disproportionate legs. 

I'm assuming that we'll be seeing multiple shattered realities in "Prime," aside from this dystopian one. Presumably, that is just one of many dimensions the show will cover. Which is good, as variety is the spice of life. Then again, Sonic and friends fighting against a tyrannical Eggman in an industrial wasteland is pretty in my wheelhouse, so I guess I can't complain if that setting sticks around for a few. Some have griped about Rouge being included in the main cast, over other characters. I think it's fine though. Rouge is still the franchise's second most recognized female character, so it makes sense to slot her in over Blaze or Cream. (Both of whom could still show up.)

My general opinion on the "Prime" can be summarized as: Not bad. Pretty much what I expected. Looks like a "Sonic" cartoon! Didn't blow my mind nor depress me. While I don't mind goofy "Sonic," I do prefer it when this series has some actual stakes. This trailer establishes that "Prime" will indeed have those, which is a good sign. We'll see more in December, when the show finally debuts. Until then, consider me cautiously optimistic.