Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 65

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 65

Publication Date: October 11th, 2023

I've got to tell you guys, it makes me happy that IDW's "Sonic the Hedgehog" comic is, for a little while anyway, sticking with the format of having a cover story and a back-up story. An attribute I loved about Archie's "Sonic" book was the variety. It wasn't just a cartoon animal action/adventure series. Sometimes it was also a romantic melodrama, a lore-heavy fantasy series, a cosmic sci-fi story, or goofball slapstick comedy. I liked that unpredictable quality. IDW "Sonic" hasn't been quite that tonally diverse. It's mostly stuck to the action anime style that the franchise largely resides in these days, save for occasional segues into survival horror and light-hearted detective fair. Yet issue 65 shows how a diverse selection of narrative types can really improve a story. 

The first story is part one of "Relic Robbing Rumble." Knuckles is shocked to see the Babylon Rogues stealing some ancient relics from an obscure corner of Angel Island. The feathery thieves get away with the statues too, a major bruise on Knuckles' pride. He seeks out the Chaotix to assist him. Vector wants to wrap this up quickly, as he plans to meet Vanilla later that night for dinner. They barge into a Eggman facility, which is a dead lead. Charmy gets an anonymous hint, which leads the quartet to ambush the trio of airborne as they await their buyer. 

In the main "Sonic" games and cartoons, Knuckles the Echidna is often reduced to comic relief. He's a big, strong guy who also has a serious gullible streak, which has led to him too often being written like a total buffoon. (A characterization that peaked with "Sonic Boom's" idiot Knuckles.) This is in contrast to the comic books, where Knuckles has actually been a fairly complicated character. Archie Knuckles was one of the more psychologically complex take on him, with serious Daddy issues and lots of internal conflict over his destiny. IDW Knuckles isn't that deep, though Ian Flynn has done his best to make the echidna more perceptive than his appearance suggests. His interactions with Blaze and Amy have really shown this. Some of this even leaked into the way he was written in "Sonic Frontiers."

Despite that, Flynn allows Knuckles to really backslide in "Relic Robbing Rumble." The guardian of Angel Island is primarily in smashy-smashy, proud warrior mode here. That the Babylon Rogues defeated him, making off with artifacts he's sworn to protect, seriously has Knux grumpy. He refuses to ask for Amy or the Restoration's help, strictly to preserve that lone warrior pride. This leads to him acting unreasonably, agreeing with Vector's plan to raid Eggman's lab, despite the lack of evidence, and simply going along with whatever idea the Chaotix have. I don't want to say it's out of character for Knuckles – it's not, necessarily – but it's certainly not the most interesting approach. I know Flynn can do better with our red guy here. 

Still, I suppose the first part of "Relic Robbing Rumble" works fairly well. This is obviously a more light-hearted story, with lots of comedy. Knuckles' stubborn ego is played for laughs, such as when he blocks Chamry from calling Amy or admits to Eggman that the relics aren't even necessarily that important. Vector rushing through things because he's eager to get to his date with Vanilla, Eggman's mild annoyance with the heroes, or Vector's reaction when Espio surprises him all made me chuckle. The chemistry between these guys, between Knuckles' honor-driven hot-headedness and the Chaotix' slightly incompetent sleuthing, keeps this story afloat entirely. I even kind of like the panel of Storm – someone I really don't give a shit about, I must stress – playing with the two idols they've snatched like they are dolls. I'm not made of stone, that's funny. So is Knuckles eating a big pink sundae, while slamming his fist on the table. 

And it's a good thing that this is a breezy, amusing story. Otherwise, I'm not sure what the point is. Especially needless is the sequence of the good guys hastling Eggman. The mad doctor is more perturbed than enraged by their intrusion, even listening while they explain themselves. He goes so far as to admit that he currently has no evil plan in motion, still licking his wounds after the destruction of Eggperial City. In other words: Why was this scene included in this story? I mean, other than to expand this plot into a two parter. It seems to me that whatever Flynn is currently building towards has something to do with the ancient culture of Angel Island, or at least these relics in particular. Giving Eggman a token appearance feels like an excuse to insert some robot-smashing in a story otherwise about goofy comedy. 

The back-up connects with the cover story in a loose way. "Cream's Dinner" shows us the special dinner that Vanilla is preparing. Naturally, her daughter is helping out. After realizing they are out of butter, Vanilla heads out to get some, leaving Cream (and the fate of dinner) in the hands of Gemerl. That's when Rough and Tumble, determined to rebuild their reputations after several humiliating defeats, decide to sneak into Vanilla's house and cause trouble. Gemerl can handle that too but, oh no, what about dinner?!

Unlike the cover story, which blunders around without much of a clear directive, "Cream's Dinner" has a totally solid idea at its center. This is a story all about contrasting the mundane with the oversized, one of my favorite comedic devices. It's a tale that climaxes with a dead-pan robot karate kicking two skunk mercenaries but the main plot is based around the utterly everyday concern of whether a meal will be prepared correctly. Most all of us are familiar with the small stakes of trying to cook dinner without fucking it up. Most of us probably aren't familiar with two henchmen breaking into our house to cause trouble. Yet Cream – a child – and Gemerl – a robot – treat both scenarios with equal gravity. In fact, Gemerl almost seems more concerned about dinner. He sees the skunks break-in as a hindrance to this far more important issue. Funny!

This proves that Evan Stanley can do comedy well but her greatest strength still lies in small, relatable character interactions. There's an adorable moment here where Cream, concerned if she can be trusted with watching the food, is reassured by Gemerl. It's a small sequence, occupying only two panels, but it adds so much. Gemerl may be a robot but he's clearly become Cream's father figure. Emotionally supporting his surrogate daughter clearly isn't what Gemerl is built for – literally – and yet he has made his main bit of programming. That actually makes this moment more touching than if Vector or Sonic or whatever was helping Cream out. At first, I really missed the crankier Archie version of Gemerl but, I've got to tell you, the even more parental, in spite of his robotic nature, IDW version has really grown on me. 

Another observation I have about this issue is, perhaps, the artists should have traded stories. Mauro Fonseca draws the first story while Adam Bryce Howard does the second. Fonseca clearly goes for exaggeration in his work, most evident in any of the panels were Knuckles is freaking the fuck out. Fluid detail is the name of the game with Thomas. Both artists do a fine job. Both stories contain some hilarious faces. But Thomas would've brought a lot more verve to the action scenes on the first story while Fonseca would've emphasized the humor inherent in the second. Just an observation, not a criticism. This is a good looking issue regardless. 

I've commented last month that Sonic himself has been taking a backseat these last few issues. The hedgehog isn't in this issue at all. I'm happy the publisher and editors have enough confidence in this series' supporting cast to let them carry the book for a month or two. If Sega mandates or whatever insist Sonic must be a vagabond hero, not directly connected with the Restoration or any other group on a long term basis, simply taking the focus off him for a while is a smart move. It allows the supporting cast to grow, actually putting further development of this cast above just giving people what they want. You love to see it! Or, at least, I do.

Anyway, issue 65's cover story manages to be entertaining in spite of feeling entirely like filler and not giving Knuckles his due diligence. The back-up, meanwhile, is cute, charming, and funny. Enough so that it easily overshadows the cover story. I guess that leaves me on the hook for the next issue. I've got to know if Vanilla's roast is ruined or not and if she'll have to purchase fast food and cleverly disguise it as home cooking... [7/10]