Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 57

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 57

Publication Date: February 8th, 2023

Ian Flynn has, more-or-less, been the driving creative force behind the “Sonic” comics for the last seventeen years. Considering his recent contributions to “Sonic Frontier” and a few episodes of “Boom,” you could even make the argument that he’s been the most consistently working writer of the character over his entire existence period. While I still tend to think of IDW “Sonic” as Flynn’s baby, Evan Stanley has technically been head-writer for a bit now. The truth is more like Evan and Ian have been trading back and forth for the last few arcs. While I’m sure Stanley had a hand in crafting the new plot that kicks off here in issue 57, this is the first story in a while that feels more like Flynn’s work than Evan’s. 

The issue is entitled “Urban Warfare, Part 1” and it starts in media ras with Sonic, Tangle, Whisper, and Lanolin swinging into Eggperial City. They find the metropolis strangely empty while also noticing that it’s bigger than the last time Sonic explored it. The heroes soon determine that the city is constantly expanding, by totally stripping the resources from the ground underneath it. Just after discovering this fact, Sonic and the team are ambushed by the portal technology from the “Test Run” arc. The hedgehog is soon left all alone in enemy territory, surrounded by Badniks. 

When I say that “Urban Warfare” is clearly more of a Flynn joint than a Stanley one, I don’t necessarily mean that in a positive sense. Don’t get me wrong, this is a decent issue, with one or two caveats. It’s also very much the first part of a loner story, displaying the kind of “laying the groundwork” story structure that is both Flynn’s greatest strength and most prominent weakness. This issue is very much devoted to establishing our team of heroes and their dynamic, while also introducing the threat they will be facing off against. It’s the first act of a longer story in a way that feels a little perfunctory at times. Here’s the guys, here’s what they’re up against, the actual good stuff starts next month. 

Either because Sega insists that Sonic has to be a free agent, or out of a desire to distinguish the IDW books from the Archie continuity, the blue hedgehog and his gang of video game-appearing friends are not technically members of the Restoration. In fact, it feels like the comic has been stepping back from the Restoration premise in the last year, as the chaos of the Metal Virus Saga fades further into the memory. So there has to be a rather laborious set-up scene here, of Sonic coming on as a freelance agent to the Restoration as Jewel puts together a new team of proactive agents. (Which Tangle quickly dubs the Diamond Cutters.) No wonder Flynn starts off in the middle of an action scene before flashing back to this relatively dull, expositonary set-up sequence. 

And anyone with any familiarity with storytelling knows that a standard scouting mission, which Lanolin presents this as, is never just that. Flynn tries to establish a sense of mystery, with the eerily empty city. The reader figures out long before the characters do that Eggperial City is some sort of self-perpetuating machine that heals itself and is always growing. (Not the least of which because it recalls the Nanite City premise from the Archie Comics a little bit.) Sonic insists the team stay and fight after Lanolin suggests going back, after which things go predictably awry. It feels like this was probably an ambush, a carefully laid trap, and the heroes not recognizing that makes them seem a little foolish. 

That Eggperial City draws the power necessary to fuel its ever-expanding growth by strip-mining the earth under it, admittedly, caught me off-guard. I honestly expected Eggman to have a Chaos Emerald or something shoved in a corner somewhere to get all of this rolling. That Eggman’s latest scheme revolves around sucking all the resources from the Earth is a nice return to the often overlooked ecological subtext of this series. If Flynn was a more insightful writer, the idea of a city that is always growing, at the price of destroying the environment, would be a handy little metaphor for capitalism gobbling up everything it can and not caring about the consequences. Since “Sonic” isn’t that deep, it’s simply a neat idea to insert here, to let kids know that unchecked growth of industry inevitably means the destruction of the natural world. 

This issue was hotly anticipated among IDW “Sonic” nerds specifically because it’s the technical proper introduction of Lanolin the Sheep. Now, Lanolin has existed in this series since the second issue, as a regular citizen that Sonic rescued before quickly cropping back up as a member of the Restoration. Because “Sonic” fans have a laser-like focus on new characters being introduced, readers immediately embraced Lanolin as a favorite. Even though she was literally just a reoccurring face in the background up until this point. This issue sees Lanolin — whose name we’ve known for months, after it was revealed on social media —introducing herself to Sonic and actually contributing to the plot for the first time. 

Lanolin represents a fairly unprecedented bit of evolution. In this comic, and in Archie before, new characters being introduced was usually done with a big trumpeting announcement. IDW didn’t sneak in Tangle. It dropped her right on the cover and said, “Look! It’s your new favorite!” Lanolin growing from nothing but a bit player, the comic book equivalent of local color, an artist sneaking an O.C. into the background just cause he could, to an actual character has never really happened before. It’s pretty neat. And I can see why fans latched onto Lanolin quickly, as she’s got a cute, eye-catching design. 

Of course, Lanolin’s origins and appearance has nothing to do with whether or not she’s actually a likable character. Now that the little sheep has an actual personality, what do I think of her? As opposed to the energetic Tangle and the quiet Whisper, Lanolin is a focused and practical soldier who always puts the safety of her teammates and the furthering of the cause above everything else. That’s nice, I guess, and distinguishes her from the overstressed Jewel. Lanolin also has a little purple wisp friend that hides in her bell, which gives her some action-worthy superpowers. 

Though the prominent role the Wisps continue to play in this comic always throws me — a guy for which “Sonic Colors” is just another game and not a beloved classic — for a loop. The moment where Sonic fuses with Whisper’s green wisp and turns into a flying spiral shaped like his own head confused me for a minute. “Oh, yeah, he can do that now.” Overall, I do find the characters getting random power-ups, at the whims of the writers when they don’t forget about them, distracting. Little floating alien guys that can snipe Badniks right out of the air, in very uninvolving action beats, still don’t feel like they belong to the “Sonic” franchise to an old fogey like me. But I guess that’s more my problem than anyone else’s. Since clearly “Colors” has long been accepted into the canon of actually good “Sonic” games by this point. 

Lanolin’s introduction is fine and the plot here is a potentially promising start, even if it’s pulled off in a somewhat dull manner. Yet the real heart of this issue happens between Whisper and Tangle. This is the first time the “very, very good friends” have been reunited since their mini-series together. Following the apparent break-up referenced in “Trial by Fire,” the two remain tense. Tangle tries to get friendly with Whisper several times, only for the wolf to give her a cold shoulder. When Lanolin asks how Whisper “handles her,” she replies that she doesn’t. This chilliness continues until Tangle yells at her near the issue’s end, about how she needs to stop trying to “go solo.” 

Of course, any resolution of this particular moment will have to wait, as the plot interrupts the gooey emotions. I’ve already pegged what is happening here. After seeing Tangle get Zombotted during the Metal Virus Crisis, Whisper is afraid of loosing somewhat she loves. So she is attempting to cut her girlfriend out of her life, in order to keep her love and her own heart safe. One expects Tangle will prove to Whisper that the joys of having love in your life is worth the risk that you might loose it. But we aren’t there yet. Until then, the “Sonic” franchise’s favorite sapphic pairing will continue to be apart. Hopefully this is resolved by end of “Urban Warfare,” as I hate to see my moms fight. 

As you probably expect, the art here is excellent. The opportunity for Adam Bryce Thomas to make his O.C. officially official canon is clearly invigorating for him. The character interactions are extra sharp here. Sonic’s clear boredom after Lanolin tells everyone to be cautious or the chilliness between Tangle and Whisper — which results in the lemur hugging her own tail awww — are expertly conveyed. The action is great too. A page made up of long, vertical panels, showing the heroes fight off an incoming wave of Badniks, is fantastic. (And Thomas clearly details in getting to draw a bunch of classic Badniks.) As is a panel where Lanolin drops down into the totally empty cavern underneath the city, which is portrayed in total darkness at first. Thomas is pretty definitively the best artist working regularly on this book and he proves it again here. 

Issue 57 is a slightly mixed affair for me. Whether or not this arc ends up going some really exciting places remains to be seen. As a kick-off, it feels a little by-the-numbers. The cliffhanger can’t help but be frustrating, as it separates Sonic from the characters I’m actually invested in here. Hopefully, there continues to be a balance between the interpersonal manners and whatever story line shenanigans Flynn is planning as we move forward. [6.5/10]