Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 63

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 63 

Publication Date: August 16th, 2023

There was a time in my life when looking forward to the newest “Sonic the Hedgehog” comic book took up a lot of my time. I would re-read the issues I already had endlessly, pondering about the backstories of these characters and the world they live in. Wondering what might happen next. When a new issue arrived in the mail, I would jump up and down with glee, ready to see where the story went next. That time has long since past. That specific “Sonic” comic book isn't even being published anymore. More pressingly, I have a lot more bullshit in my life to deal with now than back then. I don't want to suggest that I plan to stop writing about the adventures of Sega's blue hedgehog. Perhaps my passions has cooled a little but I intend to keep Hedgehogs Can't Swim going for as long as possible. Instead, I'm merely trying to explain my most recent absence. Life got in the way. I forgot a new issue of IDW “Sonic” even came out. But I'm back, back again, now that the latest crisis is resolved. Hopefully you'll be seeing more of me around here soon enough, to the half-dozen or so people who still read my deranged rambling. 

Anywho! Hey, you know something those old “Sonic the Hedgehog” comics had the new ones have been lacking? Back-up stories! Archie was famous for packing as many fucking stories as possible into their pages. While IDW has mostly ignored this tradition, issue 63 represents a bold return to this oft-overlooked format. The first 11 pages is devoted to a cover story from Evan Stanley, centered on the Diamond Cutters, while Ian Flynn provides an 8-page back-up story about Sonic and Blaze. This strikes me as a good way to let both writers play to their strengths, allowing the comic to grow its unique cast while also making sure Sonic still gets something to do in his own book. It's a good strategy so now let's see how it played out.

Stanley's “Misadventures, Part 1” picks up where we left off last time. Mimic, in the guise of Duo the Cat, has successfully integrated himself into the new, improved Diamond Cutters. A chance encounter Whisper and Tangle have with Silver encourages the future-flung hedgehog – who is still struggling with what to do in the present day – to also become an in-training Diamond Cutter. While exploring a robot-infested part of Green Hills, Silver and Duo are attacked by an enormous Badnik... And the undercover villain makes a duplicitous move. Meanwhile, in Flynn's “Speed Sightseeing,” Sonic and Blaze race through Spagonia. The high-speed race and subsequent hang-out allows the Sol Dimension princess to talk out some of the things she's been feeling here of late.  

Literally a year ago, in 2022's annual, Evan Stanley introduced the idea that Silver is feeling adrift in the current timeline. With no impending apocalypse to overturn, he doesn't know what to do with himself. The book had to table that particular plot point as it spent a year with Scourge's quest for power and the overly long “Urban Warfare” arc. With that out of the way, Stanley can pick up essentially where she had left off. This story doesn't really dig any deeper into what or why Silver is feeling. It more-or-less reiterates what that Annual story did. But if the book is going to continue to utilize Silver in the cast, I'm glad that the story reasons for this time traveler to be around are being integrated with his personal character growth. Silver is always best utilized when he's an awkward nerd anyway, so having him be looking for his place in the world is as good of a use as any for him.

While Silver's uncertainty about his purpose is the definite heart of this story, it does not occupy the plot very much. Instead, this cover story is really focused on Mimic's on-going betrayal. As soon as Silver shows up at the training grounds, “Duo” is on-guard. Instead of observing the situation and plotting what to do next, Mimic/Duo takes the first chance he can to murder Silver. After a giant robot fish randomly attacks – not the smoothest of plot points, by the way – “Duo” immediately attempts to leave Silver in the machine's jaws, effectively murdering him. Or at least manslaughtering him. This comes after he trips the hedgehog while he's showing off his telekinesis by lifting some big-ass rocks. 

All of this raises an obvious question: Is Mimic a good assassin? One assumes that a proper death merchant would wait until he was alone with his intended target before attempting to kill them. Mimic just goes for it, the first chance he gets. He trips Silver out in the open and then leaves him to be crushed by the robot well within shouting distance of the other Diamond Cutters. I guess any professional killer worth their salt would leap at an opportunity when they see one but these moments suggest that Mimic might be a little too eager to knock someone off. If his job is to infiltrate the Restoration and steal some weapons for Clutch, maybe he shouldn't be so trigger-happy with the murderous impulses? 

Perhaps this is nitpicking. If “Duo” didn't try to not-that-subtly sabotage Silver, no one would notice. It's clear that the tension of the “Misadventures” story will revolve around the suspicions Silver has of the new recruit. Whisper does see Duo trip Silver and she immediately joins him in suspecting something is up with the new guy. By the final page of this story, Whisper has already deduced that Duo is probably Mimic, a revelation maybe we should've taken a little longer getting too. What really bugs me here is that Lanolin accuses Silver of being too hard on the newbie, when he points out that Duo left him to die. There's a way to play this where Lanolin and the others don't seem like complete idiots for dismissing Silver's very valid concerns so casually. Unfortunately, for that to happen, Mimic will have to be a much better spy. 

If the goal of this story is to have Silver and Whisper team up on rooting out a mole (or, in this case, an octopus), that's fine! I love to see an unexpected pairing of characters like that, watching the unique ways they play off each other. We already get a little bit of that here, when the naturally sneaky Whisper startles the nervous Silver. If this story is mostly going to be devoted to the other Diamond Cutters constantly giving the obvious murderer-in-their-midst a pass, in order to keep the plot rolling... That is going to get tiresome quickly. I guess it all depends on how long Evan wants things to play out before “Duo” is revealed as a turncoat. 

If Stanley's story smuggles Silver's on-going character development in among action beats, Flynn's story has the action take a backseat to character development. Proving once again that this issue is a sequel to last year's annual, Blaze is still having her own personal crisis. Instead of just framing Blaze's decision to spend more time in Sonic's dimension as a work-life balance issue, like the last story on this subject did, Blaze is clearly wondering if it's her duty to protect both realms. That's a heavy premise with a lot of room to explore, baked into the question of how responsible those with power are in keeping everyone safe. Sadly, Sonic just reduces it again to the fiery princess needing a vacation. A little bit of angst isn't bad sometimes, Ian!

Having said that, I really do appreciate an entirely character-based story like this. There's no fighting at all here. No evil robots appear, no eldritch abominations or contrived MacGuffins of doom threaten the world. It's eight whole pages devoted to Sonic and Blaze running around a scenic location, chilling atop a clock tower, and talking about what's on their minds. Especially in the aftermath of a numbingly action packed arc like “Urban Warfare,” I enjoyed just being able to hang out with these two. It's nice that Sonic's friends are allowed to have doubts and emotional concerns. It's even better when they get to actually talk about them, without being sidetracked by a bad guy barging in.

Which brings me to my last, most trivial point... The way Sonic and Blaze interact in this story seems very familiar. The cat references the two spending a lot of time together lately. We see them eating in a restaurant and going on a shopping excursion. The way they race alongside each other in a way that's clearly more playful than competitive... Is it just me or are these two flirting? We know any sort of explicit romance is off-the-table in this book, on direct orders from Sega. But this also isn't the first time I've picked up on some romantic chemistry between Sonic and Blaze in this book. Am I just an old Sonic/Sally shipper, desperate to see the hedgehog dating a princess? Maybe. If nothing else, the possibly unintentional hinting at romantic feelings does elevate the story more, making it even more pleasant and relaxing. 

Two artists handle both stories, further allowing each tale to have their own personality. Stanley does the pencils herself for “Misadventures,” while Valentina Pento provides the colors. The slightly thicker lines and somewhat more muted color palette allows Stanley's facial expressions more room to breath, while making sure the action sequences are coherent too. Pento's colors are especially nicely used in the final scene, where Silver and Whisper meet up in what looks like a misty graveyard. Aaron Hammerstein does the pencils for “Speed Sightseeing.” His high-energy artwork and crisp lines are well suited to a speed-centric story like this. I also like the goofy faces Blaze and Sonic make when the clock tower dongs late in the story. Rik Mack's inks and Reggie Graham's colors make sure the story feels vibrant. Good looking issue!

Whether the cover plot will play out in a way that amuses me or pisses me off remains to be seen.  However, I really enjoyed this issue balancing personality-expanding dialogue with its more pertinent story decisions. The back-up, in particular, is really good. Moreover, I like splitting the book in two like this, as it seems like it allows a little more room for everyone to focus on the smaller stuff. It seems like anytime I like the beginning of an IDW arc, the positive qualities are fumbled by the end. Yet issue 63 is a good one, so I'm going to try and stay upbeat about the future for once. [7/10]