Sonic the Hedgehog: Halloween Special

Sonic the Hedgehog: Halloween Special

Publication Date: October 11th, 2023

Once again, I have to open one of these blog posts with an apology. I really didn't mean to take half of October off. It's always the busiest time of the year for me. In-between a number of professional and social responsibilities, what I do over at my other blog – watch and review as many horror films and TV shows as I can – takes up a lot of time too. In all of that, I just lost track of updating Hedgehogs Can't Swim. Sorry about that. I'm sure anybody reading this is used to frequent delays and missed updates from me. I'll try and do better in the last two months of 2023. 

I picked a hell of a time to take a break too. The last few weeks have been an extremely busy time for "Sonic" fans. The much hyped "Sonic Superstars" was released. I haven't had a chance to play it yet though people seem to like it alright. An entirely new 3D platformer was announced, beginning the hype cycle all over again. Most randomly, we even got a second short film starring Lah the Ghost Girl. In the middle of all that were three new comic releases: A regular issue of IDW's monthly series, a digital one shot meant to promote "Superstars," and something I've long crowed for. 

Yes, 2023 saw the release of an official "Sonic the Hedgehog" Halloween special! Every year, I bemoan how there should be more spooky, scary "Sonic" content. I guess someone at IDW heard my cries. The one-shot is entitled "Sonic the Hedgehog: Halloween Special." There's no ambiguity there. This story isn't just a Halloween adjacent tale of ghosts and goblins, the "Sonic" version of a horror story. It is set on Halloween, explicitly involving the traditions of the holiday, which are named and referenced many times. This is about as Halloween-y as a "Sonic" Halloween special could probably get, at least from a story perspective. 

So what is this "Sonic" Halloween Special about? Well, not Sonic, not really. Instead, "A Very Chaotix Halloween" does exactly what that title promises. Vector, Espio, and Charmy Bee are all decked out in Halloween costumes, ready to take Charmy out for a night of tricks and/or treats. Just as they are about to leave, a small child knocks on their door. The kid informs the detective that her and her friends were led astray by a sinister fellow named Herschel. This proceeded a monster leaping out and stealing their candy. The trio decides to investigate. Sonic and Tails, travelling towards their own seasonal activities, notice the crime fighters and decide to assist them. 

I'm as pro-Halloween as a person can possibly be. In all my years of requesting a "Sonic the Hedgehog" Halloween special, I suppose I never asked a question that is obviously very important now: Uh, how do Sonic and his friends know what Halloween is? Here on our world, a very specific junction of several pagan traditions, Christian festivals, and corporate exploitation of market trends led to this holiday existing in the form it does now. It's hard to imagine anything similar happening on IDW's "Sonic" world, which barely seems to be a post-industrial society and has no religion to speak of. If this was the old Archie comics, where Mobius was actually a far-future Earth or Sonic and the gangs co-existed with humanity, this question would be a little less vexing. In this particular continuity, which has been extremely resistant to any sort of world-building, the wide-spread celebration of Halloween, in much the same way we Americans do here in the 21st century, can't help but strike me as a little odd. 

Of course, I am, as I always do, overthinking this. We are supposed to take this holiday and all its related traditions existing on Sonic's world at face value. The same way we are in any of those old Christmas specials, where any number of bizarre, cartoon creatures are aware of and partake in earthly rituals they really should have no awareness of. "A Very Chaotix Halloween" definitely emphasizes the most commercial elements of the autumn festival. The focus here is primarily on dressing up in wacky costumes, going door-to-door, and gathering as much candy as possible. The presence of a monster is quickly resolved in the most "Scooby-Doo"-esque of fashion. There's no discussion of spirits, spectres, ghouls, goblins, or otherworldly entities here. Samhain and the harvest are not mentioned. Considering ghosts, werehogs, Zombots, eldritch abominations, and mismatched robotic oddities do exist in Sonic's world, it's a little odd to see the IDW series go in a strictly secular direction here. There's plenty of Halloween ambiance, which I greatly appreciate, but things definitely veer more towards "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" than "The Halloween Tree" here. 

IDW "Sonic" has certainly embraced horror elements before, which makes it odd that the Halloween special rears back on that. There might be a clear reason for this though. "A Very Chaotix Halloween" is the first "Sonic"-related credit from writer Mark Bouchard. On their website, they describe horror as their favorite genre and have published several fairly grisly comics before. Yet perhaps Bouchard's lack of experience with "Sonic" prompted them to take it easy here. "A Very Chaotix Halloween" sees the characters operating in a fairly archetypal fashion. Sonic is a super-fast, slightly snarky but always virtuous hero. Tails is his light-hearted sidekick. Vector wants to be a tough guy but his goofy, soft side constantly shows. Charmy is an excitable little kid. Espio and the rest of the cast here don't even get that much definition. 

The result is a story that lacks much in the way of depth. Sonic and Tails assist the Chaotix totally on a whim. The Chaotix help the kids out of the kindness of their own hearts and a desire for candy. The actions of the antagonists are explained strictly by greed. There's not a lot to this one. The only thing that really sticks out to me are the slightest suggestion of a rivalry between Sonic and Vector, based on who can crack this particular mystery first. More focus on that probably would've made this one a more satisfying read. 

Honestly, I can't help but wonder if Bouchard doesn't think these "Sonic" comics are for a much younger audience. (Or was instructed to target this one at really little kids.) After the mischievous candy thieves behind the monster are exposed and defeated, Sonic gives them a lengthy lecture on why stealing is wrong. This leads to a super-happy ending where everyone learns a lesson and discovers that being nice feels nice. Moments like that make it seem like this comic is aimed strictly at the preschool audience. I mean, "Bluey" is a show literally for toddlers and it's typically less didactic than this. Perhaps Bouchard's primary knowledge of this series and its hero comes from the old "Sonic Sez" segments. 

It's not like I expect great psychological depth from my blue hedgehog comics. Yet, considering the "Scrapnik Island" mini-series managed to bring quite a lot of pathos to its premise last October, it is disappointing that this feels so thin. Obviously, this is a light-hearted comic that's going for some pleasant hangout vibes. Really the only moment that amuse me in a visible way is when Vector's master plan for defeating the monster involves socking it right in the face. That's direct. Overall though, this one didn't give me much to work with. 

But maybe some mildly spooky October atmosphere is all that's really required of a one-shot holiday special like this. Jack Lawrence does the artwork for this one and, as usual, he's a reliable talent. You can tell Lawrence really had a ball designing everyone's Halloween costumes here. Vector is a Frankenstein monster, Espio is a mummy, Chamry is a vampire, and Tails is a hootin', hollerin' cowboy. (Sonic didn't dress up cause I guess he's too cool for that...) All the little trick-or-treaters look cute too, which vary from skeletons to gillmen. Herschel, who is rocking some sort of Dracula get-up, is especially neat. Matt Froese and Gigi Dutreix's ink and colors deserve some praise too, as they definitely add to the autumnal vibes and forested feeling of the story's second half. 

I suppose it was inevitable that me, being dead center in the "Sonic" nerd/horror aficionado Venn diagram, probably expected more than was reasonable from this. This is a simple Halloween special, with extremely simple goals, targeted at seemingly the youngest members of the "Sonic" fandom. I'm glad it exists even if this doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of the potential here. Mark Bouchard definitely strikes me as capable of a lot more, so I'm going to chalk it up to first time shakiness. But, IDW, I've got a killer pitch for next year's Halloween special – "Tails From the Crypt!" – if you want to do this again. (And accept unsolicited submissions from random weirdos on the Internet with no experience writing for comic book companies.) [6/10]