Sonic Prime, Episode 2.03: Second Wind

Sonic Prime, Episode 2.03: Second Wind

Original Release Date: July 13th, 2023

Much like the previous episode of "Sonic Prime," "Second Wind" begins with a quick recap of what the resident heroes in the chosen dimension have gotten up to before Sonic shows up again. We quickly learn that Knuckles the Dread has held onto the Prism shard. His crew quickly commandeer the Chaos Council's submarine — which has the cool name of The Kraken — and they get back to pirate business. Dr. Deep and Dr. Done-It arrive and abandon Rusty Rose, deeming her a failure, which pushes the cyborg to switch sides. Once Sonic (literally) drops in, the gang gets to defending the Shard from the invading Eggman forces. 

I was bitching in my last review that Prim Rouge and the others completely changing their stance on the whole "defending the forest" thing off-screen bugged the shit out of me. It broke the number one rule of writing, by telling and not showing. It also underserved the character development that probably should've been the heart of the episode. At the very least, "Second Wind" does better in that regard. We see the disappointment on Rusty's face when her bosses abandon her. A proud warrior type like her takes that personally and it makes sense that such an event would prompt a heel-feel turn. 

It is, I'm proud to say, an honest-to-God character arc that makes sense and actually happens on-screen. Now, don't get too excited. The switch happens way too quickly, Sonic and Dread just accepting Rusty as on their side now with no suspicions. Once the robot makes the choice to turn on her masters, that's the end of it. She's just part of the action scenes after that. Yet considering how skimpy "Prime's" treatment of all its characters have been so far, I'll happily take this over nothing. (And it confirms my earlier inkling that Rusty is going to be the MVP of this show.)

After that, the episode settles into the typical smashy-smashy action scenes. There is an element that gives "Second Wind" a little novelty, if not depth. Black Rose is the only one suspicious of Rusty. Not because she was trying to kill everyone just hours ago. Instead, she forms a natural rivalry with her interdimensional counterpart. This manifests as the two Amies trying to beat each other's destroyed robot tally. Similarly, Dr. Deep and Dr. Done-It don't have the best working relationship, the younger hipster dismissing the doddering old man. They squabble throughout. It's not a lot — it's not much at all — but it gave me a little more reason to be invested other than the machinations of the plot. Also, Dr. Done-It's tennis ball walker shoots lasers, which is officially the first thing he's done that has amused me.

Otherwise, this is a typical episode of "Prime." There's really only one other non-combat related moment that sticks in my memory. It's when the Kraken first descends and Sonic gets a look at a familiar sight: The loop-de-loop from Green Hill, where it would normally be if this reality hadn't suffered from climate change. It fills Sonic with a sense of melancholy, reminding him of what has been lost and what he is fighting to regain. Again, this accounts for a minute out of the whole episode. Yet it's a good example of what this program is fully capable of and needs to feature much more of. 

Still, mindless action characterizes most of this episode. And it's not like I dislike mindless action. "Commando" is one of my favorite movies! And this episode does feature some clever moments. I like how Sonic and the pirates toss the shard back and forth, like a game of hot potato, in order to keep it away from the bad guys. That adds a little dynamism to the typical laser shooting and robot smashing, Which there is still a lot of. There's no denying that these scenes are well done. That the show is decently animated, especially compared to the stiff CGI animation of "Sonic Boom." Though one thing this show's animation has in common with "Boom" is that water still looks kind of shitty. I suppose that's to be expected from CGI animation on a TV budget.

I guess I just have a hard time giving "Prime" a break. Something else did bug me about the extended fight scenes here: Is Sonic too powerful? How much of an advantage the blue hedgehog has over his mechanical enemies wildly varies from episode to episode, which is not unexpected for this genre. I mean, specifically, in this episode, Sonic rips through the Eggforcers with a little too much ease. It makes this fight for the fate of the multiverse seem like a good time and not a battle to the death. Yeah, I know. Sonic has always been light-hearted during his crusade against evil. But there's a difference between cracking wise while fighting goons and curb-stomping those goons with such ease that any tension is totally sapped from the show. I wasn't a big fan of the last episode but at least it did a good job of showing Sonic struggling, of making the hero seem like he might not immediately win. 

Recently, a quote from Ian Flynn's podcast has been getting some attention on Sonic Twitter. Essentially, he says that, if you think "Sonic" media is lacking depth, go watch something written for adults. And, sure, that's fair. I'm well aware that I'm a 35 year old man bitching about the quality of a cartoon designed for eight-year-olds. Yet there's a lot of great children's entertainment out there that doesn't use the fact that it's for kids as an excuse to skimp on depth. Another one of my favorite movies is "My Neighbor Totoro," which is arguably designed for an even younger audience than "Prime" but is still a deeply moving, incredibly well thought out narrative. Say what you will about "SatAM." It's a super flawed and dated show. Yet any skimping on character development there was a side effect of a lack of time, both in creating the script and how much airtime they were allotted.

I don't think Ben Hurst ever said to himself "It's just for children, let's not worry about it that much." Ultimately, this is what frustrates me the most about "Prime." It clearly has the potential to invest its story with more heart, its characters with more soul. Instead, it repeatedly falls back on repetitive action scenes and even more repetitive writing to fill time. Here's another example: Any good will this episode managed to build up with me, from its handful of clever moments, is squandered by a really stupid twist at the very end. For reason that I honestly can't remember, Dread and his crew become convinced Sonic is looking to steal the Paradox Prism shard for himself. Instead of everyone talking this out reasonably, the pirates super-quickly accuse Sonic of being a traitor and threatening to kill him. I get it. They are pirates. Greed motivates them and they aren't great at feelings. Yet you just know that this twist will be resolved immediately at the start of the next episode. It's a piss poor excuse for a cliffhanger, a contrived bit of melodrama introduced at the last minute so the episode can end in an exciting place. I hate it. 

Shit like this makes me want to send an E-mail to the "Prime" staff that simply reads, in bold letters: YOU CAN DO BETTER. I know they can do better, because the "Sonic" franchise has done better in the past. This show has, in its best moments, shown a capacity to be more than it is. Instead, "Prime" continues to frustrate me with its unwillingness to work a little harder at giving its cast and world a little more meaningfulness. Instead, it's content to be simply motion and light and colors, meant to distract the kiddies for a few minutes. Perhaps this is a result of Netflix's "second screen" policy. If true, it's all the more reason to hate Netflix and the Peak Streaming era. Anyway, I'm rambling now. You are dismissed, cartoon show. Work harder next time. [5/10]

Sonic Prime, Episode 2.02: Battle in the Boscage

Sonic Prime, Episode 2.02: Battle in the Boscage

Original Release Date: July 13th, 2023

Before picking up where we left off last time, "Sonic Prime" gives us a peek at the normal lives of the Boscage Maze's residents before the Chaos Council invades. Sonic soon arrives and finds the natives disinterested in helping. When he encounters Thorn Rose, she remains defensive of her shard of the Paradox Prism. A fierce battle ensues. During the fray, Sonic discovers that Nine has been enslaved by the Council... But he's working to undermine them and help out the blue hero. 

I've got a theory about the two seasons of "Sonic Prime." The first season was devoted to establishing the different realities Sonic has bounced between. Since this is a CGI show, and has to conserve its budget by limiting the number of characters, I don't think we'll see Sonic exploring further alternate worlds. The ShatterVerse is likely to be limited to New Yolk City, Boscage Maze, and No Place. Season one was mostly devoted to establishing these worlds and their residents. With that out of the way, season two can actually... Ya know, advance the story. Now that the Chaos Council is traveling the multiverse, an actual threat is driving the plot and giving Sonic a clear directive beyond just trying to return home. 

This is a valid enough structure, especially if it leads to season two being more compelling than the first. But I already have reason to worry. Most of "Battle in the Boscage" is devoted to Sonic and the gang trying to keep the Paradox Prism shard away from the Eggmen. The bad guys are crossing realms to reassemble the crystal and rule the multiverse. If the last scene of this episode is any indication, it looks like Sonic will be pursuing them across realities in hopes of stopping them. In other words: Season two will be as much of an uninspired MacGuffin hunt as season one. It's certainly possible "Prime" will throw a curve ball at us and do something different. Yet I can't shake this sinking feeling that this show is going to remain strictly formula from now on.

Still, I did have a minor reason to be interested in this episode, going into it. Of the various alternate realities Sonic visited in season one, Boscage Maze was probably my favorite. This might just be because "jungle dwelling savages" is a more dynamic gimmick than "cyberpunk rebels" or "goofy pirates" to apply to Sonic's friends. Yet I like to think it was the conflict between Rose Thorn and the others that made this setting a little more memorable than the others. This episode quickly reminds me of the ups and downs of this setting though. I had forgotten that most of the Boscage Maze gang are indistinct goofballs. Gnarly Knuckles and Hangry Cat just act like annoying idiots in their brief scenes. At least there aren't any jokes about eating tree bark this time. 

If nothing else, at least there's the vague outline of a character arc here. When Sonic arrives, he tries to warn the locals about the trouble that is coming. They are reluctant to help him, thinking it's probably for the best just to stay away from this whole mess. It's an interesting idea — what if the plucky natives don't want to help fight the evil empire? — but it's not developed much here. Prim Rouge decides, totally off-scteen, to join the fight midway through the episode. Would've been nice to have seen her and the others deliberating on what they need to do, instead of coming to the rescue with minimal explanation. 

Maybe the biggest problem facing "Prime" is that it's indecisively positioned between light-hearted kids' show and something a little more serious. The premise is relatively grim, even with the formulaic story lines. Yet the characters remain a too goofy for us to take anything seriously. This is most apparent in the bad guys. The Chaos Council have yet to impress me. Dr. Don't being a snotty gamer kid Eggman is not that compelling. His tendency to complain about the wifi or use the term “hashtag” is not clever nor funny. Meanwhile, Dr. Babble actively irritates me. Once again, the creators of this show find the idea of a babbling, fussy baby Robotnik a lot funnier than I do. When Dr. Babble has a temper-tantrum, I went from finding the character unpleasant to hating him. I don't know, man, "baby that's also a supervillain" is an idea that's not really worth exploring to me. (I also don't find “an Eggman that's also an old man” worth exploring either, which makes Dr. Done-It's one scene annoying too.) 

The simple fact remains that these two are mediocre at their jobs. Babble destroys his own robots during his childish fit. Dr. Don't only begins to suspects that Nine is secretly communicating with Sonic at the very end of this half-hour. Even though he does it directly within hearing range of the bad guy earlier. It's hard to think the multiverse is in too much peril when these are the guys doing the imperiling. Worst yet, the villains actually make it away at the end with the Prism, really suggesting that Sonic and the gang aren't too qualified to be saving this multiverse. 

But I'm overthinking it. Of course I am. Once again, "Prime" establishes very quickly where its priorities lie. This is an action packed episode. Most of the runtime is devoted to Sonic and Thorn Rose fighting off a fleet of Eggforcer robots. Yes, some of these action scenes are well done. The moments devoted to Sonic dashing around the machines as they attack him, the camera tight on the hedgehog as he careens around his opponents, is neat. There's a cool sequence where the Boscage gang take the fight to the robots, depicted in one smooth, sliding shot. Yet, after a while, it only becomes so much noise and motion. "Prime" needs more moments like Sonic and Nine's conversation or a brief, meaningful pause between Sonic and Thorn to make these action scenes more impactful. Right now, it's a lot like watching someone else play a video game. You may be enjoying the display of pixels and graphics but you can't really be invested in who wins the fight. 

Once again, there's certainly room in future episodes for "Prime" to break out of its uninspired plotting and give a little more depth to its colorful cast. But season one barely did that and, thus far, it doesn't seem like season two is going to challenge that trajectory much. Once again, I am forced to conclude that "Sonic Prime" has a lot of potential that is being squandered and is totally disinterested in expanding outside the limits of an action show aimed at the kiddy crowd. [6/10]

Sonic Prime, Episode 2.1: Avoid the Void

Sonic Prime, Episode 2.1: Avoid the Void

Original Release Date: July 4th, 2023

What was the general consensus on the first batch of “Sonic Prime” episodes? It seems to me that most corners of the fandom was receptive to the series. If the folks on “Sonic” Twitter are anything to go by, a lot of people enjoyed it. I, if you recall from my reviews late last year, was mostly underwhelmed by the show. Seemed to me that the show didn't really start to get moving until the very end of that nine episode run, while it's multi-verse hopping premise left little room for character development or meaningful relationships. I've seen similar reactions from other blue hedgehog devotees, so I know I'm not totally alone in that opinion. So I guess you would average that up to a “mostly positive, slightly mixed” reaction on the whole? 

Regardless of how I felt, I've saw a fair bit of hype concerning the new episodes – initially referred to as the second half of season one but not being called the second season – in the lead-up to their release this month. “Sonic Prime” left off on a cliffhanger that promised to give fan-favorite Shadow even more screen time, which was probably enough to whet the appetites of certain corners of the fandom. Premiering on Youtube on the fourth, with the rest of the season arriving on Netflix on the 13th, “Avoid the Void” kicks off the new set of eight episodes and “Prime's” latest chance to either surprise or disappoint me. 

“Avoid the Void” begins with Shadow in the titular space between realities. We learn that he's been watching bounce around the multi-verse from the beginning and that he lost his Chaos Emerald deep within this dimensional sink hole. After confronting Sonic, he takes the blue hedgehog to a lifeless version of Green Hill, populated with repetitive holograms of the cast. After some exposition, Shadow makes it clear that he intends on cleaning up Sonic's mess. A brawl ensues, where Shadow attempts to steal Sonic's dimension hopping tech. Yet the gruffer hedgehog soon learns things are a bit more complicated than he assumed. 

If I felt season one of “Prime” was overall a little aimless, I did enjoy that the last episode actually upped the stakes with the Chaos Council invading No Place. The first episode of season two does, if nothing else, continue this upward trajectory. Sonic is, at first, happy to see Shadow and assumes his presence means Green Hill is still intact. The blue hedgehog's angsty counterpart informs him that their home dimension, as far as he can tell, no longer exists. If true, that would be a pretty big deal. Sonic now has the weight on him of having inadvertently destroyed his home and all his friends. The thought that Green Hill is gone is certainly a lot more dramatic than Sonic just being adrift in the multi-verse. 

Not that I expect Green Hill to actually-actually be destroyed. First off, this is a kid's cartoon. There's no way that it'll go that grim. Moreover, “Prime” as a series is obviously extremely invested in the core cast of Sonic's friends. I mean, every other character is a Tails, a Knuckles, a Rouge, or a Big. If the prime versions of those guys are all gone forever, it seems unlikely to me that this show would constantly be giving Sonic reminders of his definitely dead friends. Even by the halfway point of this episode, it seems Shadow has forgotten his assertion that the prime zone has been destroyed. If nothing else, he seems fairly certain it can be restored in some way. 

Yet the idea that Sonic might believe his home is gone and his friends are dead is a good foundation for his character. When Netflix first released a plot synopsis for “Prime,” there was some reference to Sonic having to atone for past mistakes. Watching the hedgehog grow from the carefree adventurer he is now to someone more burdened by his responsibilities could be fruitful. We get a brief taste of this during the scenes where Sonic and Shadow first visit the lifeless version of Green Hill. The look on the hedgehog's face as he realizes these are just echoes of his friends produces some pathos. I hope the show leans into Sonic feeling some regrets for his actions in future episodes.

“Sonic” media is always finding excuses for Sonic and Shadow to punch each other, sometimes extremely flimsy ones. “Avoid the Void” does, if nothing else, find a compelling angle for their conflict here. Shadow essentially sees this as a mess Sonic has made. He considers the blue hedgehog to be a capricious, irresponsible adventurer while seeing himself as the hero likely to put wrongs back to right. Sonic, meanwhile, is determined to make it back home to his friends and he's not going to let Shadow get in his way. Definitely a much sturdier reason for them to fight it out than “There's a misunderstanding about who's the bad guy.” Both hedgehogs think they are right and deserve to do things their own way, making this among the more natural scuffles the show has presented us with so far.

Since this is “Sonic Prime,” that action sequence is what makes up most of the episode. Again, I have to say that it's pretty cool. Especially once the fighting spills back out into the Void and the two take advantage of the floating debris around them. If “Prime” has done nothing else well so far, it's been capturing the sense of speed Sonic and his adversaries have when fighting. Watching these two race around each other and trade fisticuffs is entertaining. About the only moment that sticks out is when they briefly splash under the lake, which features some mediocre water effects. 

As I finish up this review, I realize most of the positive things I'm saying about this episode mirrors what I've said about past “Prime” episodes. This could go in an interesting direction. This might set-up a strong event later on. Hope springs eternal, I suppose, but I guess it should be obvious by now that “Prime” isn't that kind of show. This is a punchy-punchy action show for babies, utilizing the most simple versions of Sonic and his supporting cast that you can imagine. Maybe I should stop hoping the show will turn into something it's not and instead accept what it actually is. 

Well, maybe. Nevertheless, “Prime” has so much potential that remains untapped into at the moment that I can't help but hope it turns into a more promising show eventually. Now that the tedious set-up is out of the way, perhaps season two will actually go further in developing its cast and the conflict? If nothing else, I don't think any more alternate versions of the primary cast will be introduced soon – probably owing to the expense of making character models for a CGI show – so the show better start getting stronger writing, or else it'll be rendered entirely tedious. I don't want to be too negative. This is a decent episode but whether or not it's another tease of unfulfilled promises or the start of something better very much remains to be seen. [6/10]

Sonic Boom, Episode 1.50: Cabin Fever

Sonic Boom, Episode 1.50: Cabin Fever

Original Air Date: October 31st, 2015

Ya know, you would think I would’ve learned by now. When I saw that the fiftieth episode of “Sonic Boom” aired on October 31st of 2015, I got excited. Everyone knows that is Halloween and, if you’ve read this blog for any amount of time, you know Halloween is my favorite time of the year. When I read that this episode involved a dark and stormy night and tensions arising inside Amy’s cabin, I thought maybe this might be an episode befitting its air date. No such luck. “Cabin Fever” is just an ordinary episode of “Sonic Boom,” with no spookiness included. Considering how much Cartoon Network jerked this show around, I guess it shouldn’t be surprising that this episode airing on Halloween was a complete coincidence and not a deliberate move. 

Anyway... The Boom team are having a sand castle building contest on the beach, judged by Amy, when a storm starts to blow in. They decide to take shelter in her cabin. The pink hedgehog's micromanaging tendencies kick in immediately, quickly annoying her rowdy friends. Sonic soon uncovers a play Amy has written called "A Rose Without Thorns," where all the characters are clearly based on Amy and her friends. Feelings hurt by their mockery, Amy hides in the kitchen and the situation quickly spirals out of control. Only after the storm passes does Sonic realize his mistake. 

"Cabin Fever" is one of those Reid Harrison episodes of "Boom" that is trying to do a couple different things at once. Ostensibly, this is an episode about how you get sick of people after being stuck inside with them for too long, even if they are your good friends. That's what the title refers to. Since "Boom" only has eleven minutes to explore its premise, and is a farce anyway, tensions arise between the gang almost immediately. Soon, they are squabbling and arguing, to the point where there's genuine antagonism at one point. It all works out, because this is a goofy kids' show and these characters are all exaggerated to begin with. Yet I do wish the unfocused nature of the script didn't cause "Cabin Fever" to wander off to other topics so quickly. I wanted to see more of the Boom Team annoying and aggravating each other. 

The reason the episode's premise of friends slowly turning on each other never quite works out is because... That's not what it's really about. Instead, most everything that goes wrong in this episode is Amy's fault. The minute she sequesters all her friends in her cabin, she demands they play by her rules. She serves frilly snacks that the gang doesn't take seriously. Her attempts to get everyone to do girly arts-and-crafts with her goes off the rails immediately. I guess it is pretty rude when Sonic accidentally breaks the horn off Amy's glass unicorn. Nevertheless, I think she should know her own friends better than that. Amy should probably realize that these wild and crazy guys will not share her passion for quiet hobbies like this. 

In fact, Amy is kind of shitty to her friends. She demands they play along with these activities she suggested, expecting them to perfectly follow her orders. When Sonic and the others instead start goofing off, she gets increasingly offended. In fact, she spends the whole second half of this episode offended. Instead of acknowledging it's a little weird to essentially write fanfiction based on her real friends, Amy just whines at her friends reading her play at all. The climax of the episode is based on Sonic and the gang apologizing to Amy, via putting on a performance of her play. But I'm not sure Amy deserved an apology! She's kind of a bitch for no reason in this episode. 

Even this is not the true sole focus of this all-over-the-place episode. A large section in the middle rambles off with a totally different idea. After Amy storms into the kitchen, Society within the cabin immediately degrades into feudalism. Each friend sets up a base in a different part of the cabin, giving them old-timey names and trading goods for access. Sticks invades and conquers Tails' "Workbenchia" while he's visiting Sonic's Kingdom of Television. Knuckles becomes a tyrant and uses his control of the thermostat, from within his cozy blanket fort, to turn the rest of the cabin into a frozen wasteland. To see polite, modern society fall apart into medieval factions so quickly is a pretty good absurd joke that Harrison easily could've build the entire episode around. 

Instead, "Cabin Fever" remembers its premise of Amy's play and centers the last act around that. This is also a fascinating idea that could've been explored more. By writing about her friends, Amy is showing how she perceives her closest pals. Which is at odds with their own conceptions of self. The joke is that Amy's versions are right on the mark. "Sonar" is an egomaniac, which Sonic derides while proving what an egomaniac he is. "Shoulders" is a dullard strongman, "Taylor" is a fearful fox in Sonar's shadows, and "Twigs" is a delusional conspiracy theorist. 

The idea that the version of us that live in our friends' heads is different from how we define ourselves is a fascinating one, ripe for comedy. Harrison gets at a little bit of that but mostly just plays with the joke of the gang not recognizing their own flaws. Or, when they do – such as Tails leaping between Sonic's legs after thunder strikes, just as "Taylor" was written to do – it is sarcastically acknowledged. Yet more wasted potential! (Though I guess Tails having a fear of lightning is consistent across all "Sonic" media.)

Honestly, this episode probably would've been funnier if it had just presented Amy's play in full. In the finale, we see snippets of it – with Dave the Intern going in drag as "Annie Rose" – but I think an episode displaying Amy's own weird fixations would've accomplished what this script clearly wanted to do better. Despite its unfocused quality, the cast does get some laughs out of the material. Travis Willingham's doofy reading of Knuckles repeatedly asking if he's the topic of discussion or Roger Craig Smith's embittered defense of TV got laughs out of me. 

It helps to have such a strong cast is delivering funny one-liners when the script is as scattered as this one. A funny idea, "Cabin Fever" probably needed more time in the workshop to really be sharpened into an amusing eleven minutes. [6/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 62

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 62

Publication Date: July 5th, 2023

Something I've observed about IDW's "Sonic the Hedgehog" comic, and maybe all other "Sonic" comics, is that sometimes they are better when Sonic is barely in them. I often suspect this is simply a practical matter for the writers. Sega closely guards how Sonic is used these days, since he's both their star franchise and their corporate mascot. I can imagine it's easy to write a compelling protagonist when you have execs breathing down your neck, demanding their I.P. conforms totally to their expectations for it. 

Similarly, "Sonic" fans are fucking deranged​ exceptionally passionate and no two seemingly agree on who Sonic even is as a character. Once again, it's gotta be nerve wracking trying to make a fictional character your own, as every writer inevitably does, when everyone and everybody is willing to tell you all the different ways you're doing it wrong. (I guess Ian Flynn must like that, since he's been doing it for over sixteen years at this point.)

Thus, the temptation must be overwhelming to just eject Sonic altogether and focus on the supporting cast. IDW has done this before with their various mini-series and the freedom afforded by that has obviously been a boon. The mainline book has done it a few times too and looks to be partially doing it again starting in issue 62. The blue hedgehog appears nowhere in this installment. He might not even be mentioned. I'm sure this'll ruffle some folks' feathers but I'm totally fine with it. If various factors prevent the comics from exploring Sonic's world directly, let his supporting cast do the exploring instead. 

So who are the focal points in this story, if not Sonic? Depends on which page you open up to. Amy lands on Angel Island to give Knuckles the echidna relic Rouge casually handed her at the end of last issue. The two quickly stumble into some traps on their way to return the bust to its proper resting place. Meanwhile, Clutch the Opossum recruits Mimic in his latest scheme to infiltrate the Restoration. Mimic agrees to do it as another chance to get revenge on Tangle and Whisper. Funny enough, the Restoration is, at that very moment, looking to expand their numbers. Lanolin is debating the merits of adding more people to the team with Tangle and Whisper when some guy named Duo walks in... Hmmm, I wonder who that could be??? 

For years, Sega has refused to elaborate on the backstory of Angel Island and finally explain what exactly happened to the echidna race. It's sort of crazy to think that the story of Pachacamac and Chaos, from the first "Sonic Adventure," is the only real addition to the echidna lore we've gotten we've gotten in the video games ever. (Except for "The Dark Brotherhood," I guess, but we don't talk about that one anymore.) That was 24 years ago. The lack of an in-game canon concerning Knuckles' race is why Ken Penders went hog fuckin' wild back in the Archie day. And I'm sure how all that worked out has been another factor in why Sega is reluctant to explore this stuff, beyond their general strategy of keeping characters vague to maximize public appeal and leave their corporate mascots unsullied. 

We are possibly, finally moving past that reluctance now. "Sonic Frontiers" provided a definitive origin for the Chaos Emeralds. This issue suggests perhaps, maybe, we might be getting some information about Angel Island and what the hell happened to the echidnas soon. That a big chunk of this issue revolves around Knuckles returning an ancient echidnan relic to an altar certainly suggests we might get more stuff like that soon. There's no answers now and I'm skeptical any will come quickly. We've been teased many times before. But the fact that issue 62 features this stuff at all is surprising. Surely Flynn is going somewhere with this, right?

Honestly, Knuckles having a main role in the comic again is kind of surprising. Aside from a story in last year's annual, the echidna has been largely unseen around here since the Metal Virus Saga ended. I assumed this was another example of Sega really insisting the characters toe the corporate line. Thus, Knuckles must always be focused on guarding the Master Emerald and nothing else. His presence here might be another clue that these regulations are starting to loosen up. 

Whatever the reason, I'm really happy Knux is back. Most of this issue is built around him and Amy talking while exploring the island. The need for action beats – in the form of the ground giving out under Amy's feet not once but twice – interrupt the conversational flow. That's awkward but the slower paced, character focused approach is really appreciated otherwise. (Especially after the underwhelming, action heavy last arc.) This issue really emphasizes what a good pair Knuckles and Amy are. Amy is supportive, outgoing, friendly. Knuckles is a shy loner, which he covers up with tough guy bravado. She gets him out of his shell. His gruffness is a nice contrast to her sunniness. Even if the dialogue here is a little too focused on putting plot points to bed, Flynn writes some likable banter for these two.  

The other plot thread in this issue also does something "Sonic" comics are always in need of. That would be expanding the non-Eggman related rogues gallery. I thought Clutch was just a gangster previously but it turns out he's something much worst: A businessman. We find out in this issue that he runs a company devoted to cleaning up the aftermath of Eggman attacks and salvaging whatever weapons they can. He wants Mimic to sneak into the Restoration to get at their hidden horde of Eggman tech. That makes him a different type of villain than what we've seen thus far. He doesn't want to rule the world or conquer anything, like Eggman, Starline, or Zavok. He's not motivated by personal grudges, like Surge or Mimic is. He just wants to make himself more powerful. Giving Mimic more depth – further establishing him as Tangle and especially Whisper's archenemy – is also much appreciated. 

I do have to question the Restoration's recruitment process though. This guy they know nothing about walks in, gives them very little information about himself, and he's immediately accepted on a trial basis. I get that this is a kids comic and that nobody wants to bore the audience with a job interview and resume process. Let's get into the story as quickly as possible, right? Yet it does strain believability a little that Mimic, as Duo, more-or-less just walks into the Diamond Cutters' office and immediately gets accepted. You'd think the good guys would be a little more cautious about that, especially when they have a known enemy who can shapeshift! 

I also can't help but wonder if this particular plot thread would be a little more compelling if we didn't know Duo was actually Mimic. That would've made for a nice reveal a little later on, ya know? In general, it remains to be seen if Flynn can bring these divergent plot threads together in a satisfying way. Right now, Amy and Knuckles' business on Angel Island and Mimic's attempt to infiltrate the Restoration are totally unrelated. The next issue looks to be bringing Silver into things and adding another storyline with Sonic and Blaze, so maybe these events won't tie together at all. Is that sloppy or naturalistic writing? I can't tell yet. 

Overall, I liked this issue. Yeah, the dialogue is a little heavy on the exposition. Yet Flynn sneaks in enough cute character interactions to keep it from reading like a checklist of plot points. Single panels devoted to Knuckles and Amy bantering, or Lanolin getting annoyed at Tangle's incessant paddle-balling goes a long way. Thomas Rothlisberger's artwork is spirited and expressive, in a way that really enlivens the proceedings. Whether it comes together into a satisfying whole, or leads to bigger and more meaningful moments, remains to be seen. Flynn is, in general, much better at setting up a story than bringing it all together. Yet we are off to a likable, intriguing start here. [7/10]