Sonic Prime, Episode 3.04: Nine's Lives

Sonic Prime, Episode 3.04: Nine's Lives

Original Release Date: January 11th, 2024

"Sonic Prime" is a show seemingly built around ending each episode on a cliffhanger, in order to keep people from moving their finger off Netflix's "Watch Next Episode" button. This has led to an occasionally odd structure though. Such as in "Nine's Lives." The previous episode suggested Sonic's friends might be turning on him, due to his attempt to reach out to Nine. Instead, this episode reveals they are here to rescue Sonic, refusing to accept his plan to sacrifice himself. Their presence enrages Nine. Soon, a massive battle begins between Sonic and the heroes of the ShatterVerse and Nine and his endless army of Grim robots. As the good guys fight to break into Nine's fortress, the battle grows more desperate than ever before. 

I have gave the last episode of "Prime" some faint praise, as it was the most character-focused installment of the show yet. Instead of building on the conversation that Sonic and Nine had last time, where Sonic told Nine that he's still his friend and that they can work it out, we immediately back track. Minutes after the cavalry arrives, Nine is determined to destroy the good guys if they stand in his way of making the Grim into his ideal world. This is so frustrating. "Prime" walked right up to giving its antagonist some complexity, of delving into the idea that there's hope for him and that Sonic could reach it, and walks it right back the next episode. Nine is a bad guy now, a fairly simple one with laser focused on his dastardly goal, and there doesn't seem to be any plan to subvert that. So much for depth...

"No Escape" made the point of emphasizing that Sonic's bonds with his friends is his primary, motivating characteristic. "Nine's Lives" shows that his devotion to the ShatterVerse gang convinced them to stand up for him too. Yet I guess that moral can only go so far. There's some brief – very brief – conflict on the battlefield here, where the various factions and the Chaos Council can't work together. I guess this is introduced to up the stakes a little, since the heroes don't seem to have much trouble defeating Nine's Grim robots. (A very typical action cartoon rule is in effect here: The villain's minions are more effective the fewer of them there are and tend to become disposable the minute they multiply.) In practice, it makes the script feel like it's stopping for a lesson about how team work makes the dream work. 

Truthfully, "Nine's Lives" feels like a largely shapeless episode, focused on extended battle scenes, until about half way through. That's when Sonic realizes that maybe some strategy is needed. Rebel Rouge is recruited to cook up a game plan. And moments like this is when I realize that, being a writer who understands some of the mechanical aspects of building a narrative, has actually made some movies and TV shows less entertaining for me. Rebel lays out how they are going to distract Nine's forces so a portion of their squad can make it into his citadel. The episode even shows us how this would play out. And if a script takes the time to explain exactly how a plan is going to go down, you can be certain that it won't work out that way. Why would a writer tell us what they were going to do and then just do that? Our expectations are being subverted. If you're a kid or someone who has never seen a heist movie before, this would probably be an exciting development. If you're a jaded old nerd like me, it's setting up a swerve that can be seen coming a mile away. 

Yet even this is not the main complaint I have about "Nine's Lives." Instead, I think the episode features some really weird tonal shifts. There's comic relief here, about Nine defying Sonic by saying he hates chili dogs. (A good joke, honestly.) Or the very final moment of the episode featuring, of all characters, Froggy. These moments coexist alongside probably the darkest moment in "Prime" so far. While fighting off more of Nine's Grim robots, Mangey Tails and Sails Tails fashion a bomb out of the machine's parts. They then activate the bomb... Without making any attempt to escape its blast radius. Yes, Mangey and Sails seemingly blew themselves up. That's, uh, pretty severe! I wouldn't be shocked if this kid show subsequently reveals that it didn't just kill off two of its cutest characters... Yet Sonic and the others react to this event with utmost sincerity. Sonic falls to his knees in shock and blames himself for the apparent death of his friends. 

I have some thoughts about this. First off, if this show was going to kill some one off for dramatic effect, Mangey and Sails were probably the easiest choices to make. We don't really know much about these characters, other than them being a primitive version and a pirate version of Tails. Mangey had one or two funny moments but Sails hasn't done much of anything in his prior appearances. Any chance we would have to get attached to them is entirely based on whatever fondness we already have for Tails, based on his appearances in every other corner of the "Sonic" franchise. Are we losing anything by killing these two? Are we expected to feel anything about them dying, when they aren't much more than vague concepts to us? 

Even if Mangey and Sails actually had some depth, the impact of their death is undermined by what the episode does next. Namely, it just keeps going, like two children didn't just blow themselves up in some sort of suicide attack. Sonic then turns towards making that plan with Rebel to get into Nine's base. It says a lot about how disposable this show considers its cast that it moves on so quickly from two of them being annihilated. I get this is a kids show. We can't really expect Sonic to break down on tears and cradle Mangey's charred remains. And I understand that our heroes are on a battlefield right now, when there's no time to mourn the dead. But, if you're going to throw around big, dramatic moments like this, you actually have to commit to them. You can't have silly jokes a few minutes later. You can't just move on like it's a meaningless event. Because then, uh, it does become meaningless. Get what I'm saying here? "Prime" is not doing a lot to make me care about whether Mangey or Sails are really dead or making me feel the loss, if they are. It's kind of like the writers themselves aren't that concerned about! 

Moving on from that, "Nine's Lives" makes another gross miscalculation. It greatly overestimates the importance of Big the Cat. Okay, I know me being a hater about Big makes me unusual for the "Sonic" fandom at this point. I think most fans have come around to genuinely liking Big by now. However, even if you are a Big fan, you probably don't think of the guy as a big action hero. He's a dimwitted fisherman, who only really wants to hang out with his amphibious buddy and catch fish. Even though the Boscage Maze, New Yoke City, and No Place versions of Big aren't technically the same characters as the Big we know, seeing the tubby cat body slam some evil robots is still weird. Moreover, the episode tries to mine some tension out of Catfish taking a Grim Sonic spin dash to the gut. (And immediately undermines it with another goofy joke.) The most dramatic moments of the episode – which, somehow, is not the two kid sidekicks exploding themselves – is based around the Grim robotic version of Big appearing. Ya know, even when Big showed up in the old Archie comics as a Freedom Fighter, there was this understanding that he was mostly comic relief. His appearance on the battle field is incongruous, to say the least. It seems the "Prime" writers thought Big the Cat was just another member of Sonic's evil-fighting gang. Which I guess he is but it's still an off-putting choice. 

It's clear that "Prime" is heading into its final stretch here. This episode takes great pains to draw attention to how this is a pivotal moment in the battle for the ShatterVerse. The heroes are outnumbered by Nine's seemingly endless supply of robotic minions. There's lots of those elaborate action scenes that "Prime" specializes in, swooping across the area as Sonic and the gang battle more and more of Nine's forces. Clearly, this is supposed to feel epic, the "Lord of the Rings" Helm's Deep sequence of this corner of the "Sonic" franchise. However, I've become increasingly numb to "Prime's" action theatrics. You can only watch the good guys wreck the same set of robotic mooks before you crave something else. 

My frustration with "Prime's" loose approach to its characters and need to always keep its story as action-packed and forward-moving as possible is reaching its peak. After "No Escape" suggested maybe this cartoon could be more, "Nine's Lives" rolls back into the familiar pattern in the bluntest way possible. I hate to say it but "Sonic Prime" is increasingly feeling like the first time with a "Sonic" cartoon where, if I just dropped the show and never went back to it, I don't think I'd feel like I was missing anything. [5/10]

Sonic Prime, Episode 3.03: No Escape

Sonic Prime, Episode 3.03: No Escape

Original Release Date: January 11th, 2024

The previous episode of "Prime" ended on the cliffhanger of the Angel's Voyage sinking into the ocean as No Place collapses. "No Escape" quickly picks this up, with Sonic determined to travel to this dimension and save his friends, even if it puts himself directly in Nine's sights. He's soon joined by most of the rest of the heroes, pulling off a perilous but successful rescue mission. Yet, upon returning to New Yolk City, it becomes clear to Sonic that this won't end until he gives himself up to Nine. Which he does but that brings with it a whole new set of complications...

Over the years, a few characteristics have emerged as the defining details of Sonic's personality. Namely, his fastness, his snark, and his devotion to his friends. That final aspect is really emphasized in this episode. Sonic knows heading into No Place puts him in danger. He knows it's a risky situation for everyone. Yet he simply can't allow his friends to be in danger. Now, one can debate whether the Angel's Voyage crew are really close enough to Sonic to classify as his "friends." Yet this is still a nice moment. Sonic's love for his pals is what makes him a hero and that inspires the people around him to be heroic too. That's sweet. 

When "Prime" was announced, it was mentioned that Sonic would be doing battle with his own guilt as well as supervillains on this show. This seems to be an idea this last batch of episodes really confronts. "No Escape" has Nine outright ask Sonic if he's so determined to put things right because he knows the universe shattering apart is actually his fault. Sonic's response is simply to grimace to himself, an unconscious acknowledgement that Nine is right. This is certainly an interesting theme to introduce – that heroics are motivated as much by guilt over past mistakes as ethics – and, honestly, it's an idea more "Sonic" media could play with. (Looking at you, IDW, with the way Sonic constantly lets the bad guys get away.) Do I think Nine straight up saying this is not the most subtle idea to include this idea? Yeah but at least it's a theme. "Prime" has been seriously lacking in depth up to this point, so I'll take what I can get right now. 

If the push-and-pull between Sonic's devotion to his friends and his guilt over causing a multiverse splintering crisis is where the meat of this episode lies, one has to look at Sonic and Nine's relationship. "No Escape" opens with a "Sonic Advance" inspired, 16-bit flashback to Sonic and Tails walloping Eggman. That seems to foreshadow Sonic throwing himself on Nine's mercy later in the episode. Yet that brings up an issue I've continued to have with this show: Nine isn't Tails. Or, at least, he's not the Tails Sonic remembers. This is something the character has repeatedly stated but Sonic continues to ignore it. The final act here suggests that maybe Sonic is right too. Maybe there's more of Tails Prime in Nine than the angst cyborg is willing to admit. Yet everything the show has presented up to this point, especially Nine's most recent turn towards supervillainy, suggests otherwise. 

So which is it? Is Nine simply an altered version of Tails or a totally new character, with completely different motivations? The implication, I guess, is that Sonic is so important to Tails' life that just the mere absence of him is enough to turn the little fox into a totally different person. And that could be a profound idea, an "It's a Wonderful Life" style revelation that one person has more of an impact on the world than they can ever know. This would be better presented by Nine himself realizing that Sonic being kind to him, just in these few episodes, has changed him in some way. Instead, "No Escape" has Sonic show in the Grim, tell Nine that he's his friend no matter what, and the fox immediately switch sides again. It's rushed and sloppy, going back to the idea that Sonic can't tell this variant apart from his actual buddy than the unique bond these two specific characters have. 

Considering how frustrating I've found "Prime's" writing up to this point, I'm willing to give the show credit for trying at all. Honestly, the show works the best when it draws very little attention to these attributes. There's two, small moments here that really add a lot of depth to this world. When the Angel's Voyage is sinking, Catfish is fearful to jump from the ship's mast into the safety of the flying Kraken. Nobody judges the big cat for being fearful. Everyone just keeps encouraging him to make that jump. This shows how understanding Sonic and the gang are and that Big the Cat, in every universe, is no typical action hero. Another moment has someone waving at Rusty Rose in appreciation. The cyborg, previously shown to be coldly emotionless, then cracks a tiny grin and slowly waves back. That's a good, subtle moment that shows Rusty has a softer side that is slowly coming to the surface, the more time she spends around these folks. "Prime" needs more of that kind of subtly. 

I still have issues with this episode. "No Escape" repeatedly features the good guys being in some perilous situation, only for someone to rush in from off-screen and save them. It happens at least three different times, by my estimation. Thorn and Birdie swoop in to save Sonic from a Grim Birdie. The same evil robot is blasted away while good guys dangle off a ledge. The Chaos Council show up to give the Kraken a lift as it starts to fall. This is the kind of dramatic writing you can pull off once, maybe twice, an episode. To have the show repeatedly return to it so many times in one half-hour makes it seem like the writers only have one trick up their sleeve. 

Despite that flaw, I would say this is maybe the best episode of "Prime" yet. There's some cool action beats, of Sonic skipping across the water or Baton Rouge swooping around a ship. That opening, video game style flashback is really cool. The episode ends on a very unpromising cliffhanger that seems to be setting up another one of those dramatic alliance shifts that this show keeps doing and I keep hating. That makes me doubtful that "Prime" is going to nail the landing as it goes into its final stretch. But we will see. At least "No Escape," taken on its own, is a solid installment. [7/10]

Sonic Prime, Episode 3.02: Dome Sweet Dome

Sonic Prime, Episode 3.02: Dome Sweet Dome

Original Release Date: January 11th, 2024

"Dome Sweet Dome" begins with Shadow launching Sonic into the void between realms, Nine's giant robotic birds quickly taking chase. The hedgehog soon ducks into the New Yolk City portal. There, he finds that every realm in the ShatterVerse is breaking apart... And that Nine's nearly complete Paradox Prism has given him God-like powers. Luckily, two unexpected parties appear to help Sonic. The alternate versions of his friends from across the ShatterVerse show up, each coming through the doorways the Chaos Council have opened. Secondly, the Council itself decides to help the heroes, realizing they can't conquer a multiverse that doesn't exist. A plan is quickly formulated to protect the worlds and drain the last remnant of Prism energy from Sonic, which has unforeseen consequences for the hedgehog. 

I suspect a redemption arc will come eventually but, at this moment, "Prime" is playing Nine as a full-on supervillain. Power corrupts but it seems to have corrupted the angsty fox very quickly. "Dome Sweet Dome" sees the alternate Tails appear as a floating, holographic head over the city that appears primarily to gloat at and taunt Sonic. Once he starts showing off his ability to change the nature of reality itself, it seems to me that None is ready to graduate to Evil God status. Once again, I feel the need to point out that, in-universe, all of these changes occurred over the course of a few hours. I guess Sonic didn't know Nine nearly as well as he thought – and still seems to be confusing him with the Prime version of Tails – but all of these changes still strike me as happening very suddenly. 

If nothing else, the show continues to sharply depict the difference in philosophies between Sonic and Nine. Nine's isolationist beliefs have him tearing the universe apart to create a perfect world. Sonic, meanwhile, has friends come to his aide when all hope seems lost. That Sonic's pals are all from different realities shows how far they are willing to go to help him out. This moment would mean a lot more if the alternate versions of the team, and their relationship with Sonic, were more fleshed-out... But it's the closest this episode of "Prime" comes to actually having a moment of meaning. 

This structure of a greater threat to everyone emerging does present what is always a solid narrative hook: The good guys and the bad guys putting aside their differences and forming a temporary truce. The Chaos Council appearing to back Sonic up is another solid moment, if only because it's fairly unexpected. From everything we know about the greedy and single-minded Eggmen, we certainly don't expect them to ever help out the hedgehog. Whether "Prime" will play up on the natural tension that emerges from such a temporary truce – will the Council betray the heroes when an opportunistic moment presents itself? – can't be said right now. Yet it is a good idea to introduce. 

Throwing so many different groups together allows for something else: Some fun bickering between these opposing parties. A repeated highlight of this episode is Renegade Knucks – who continues to give me extremely strong Raphael vibes – threatens to start fights with the Council. Later, Mangy Tails pokes at a computer console and ends up improving some readings somewhere, a cute joke about how all versions of Tails are apparently naturally technological whizzes. If there continues to be lots of interplay between the different parties as "Prime" heads towards its finale, that would certainly be a good thing. 

There's a moment in this episode that, perhaps, crystalizes why this show's approach to it's characters and world has constantly disappointed me. While Sonic is running through New Yolk City, Nine uses his near omnipotence to turn the entire city sideways. Now, Sonic has to run across the sides of the buildings and grab innocent bystanders as they fall from their homes. While watching this, my main thought was "This would be a cool moment in a video game." It would subvert expectations for a level and present new challenges for the player. But the disconnect here should be obvious. Yes, "Sonic Prime" is inspired by video games but it's not a video game. Is this why this show seems to constantly foreground action scenes over anything else? Is that what WildBrains and Man of Action and the rest of the production crew thought "Sonic" fans wanted? I don't know but it definitely presents a problem when you wish you could pick up a controller when watching a TV show. 

"Dome Sweet Dome" ends with a barrage of technobabble, all about energy and domes. Several minutes are devoted to figuring out how to protect the variants of Sonic's friends from the continuing effects of the ShatterVerse breaking up. As well as extracting the last bit of Prism energy from Sonic. And, I don't know about you guys, but I don't give a shit about any of this stuff. The rules guiding "Prime's" comic book-y science already seem to vary with the needs of the story, making me wonder why the writers felt the need to justify them. If you look at all of "Prime" as one big, long movie – which is how most modern, serialized TV shows are written, much to my annoyance – we are currently in the last half of the second act. The heroes' situation is getting to maximum hopelessness, in order to make their eventual triumph all the more meaningful. So that's all this, Sonic collapsing and the rest of the good guys being endangered by some bullshit, is. I can see the machinery and that's never a good thing. 

Still, I guess I would rate "Dome Sweet Dome" – they didn't put any effort into those titles, did they? – slightly higher than the first episode of "Prime's" third season. Mostly because I like Knuckles shit talking the Eggmen. More of that next time, please! [6/10]

Sonic Prime, Episode 3.01: Grim Tidings

Sonic Prime, Episode 3.01: Grim Tidings

Original Release Date: January 5th, 2024

2024 is still young and we are already awash in new "Sonic" content. There was a time when a monthly comic book, the occasional new game, and a rerun of an old cartoon show was all we hedgehog fans had to tide ourselves over with. This year alone, the series is getting a new game, a new movie, and a live action TV, a first for the franchise. This is in addition to comics still being regularly published and an even flow of cool new merch. Like friggin' Legos! In 2024, you can go to Target and buy "Sonic" Lego sets! Truly, what a time to be alive.

The first wave in this deluge of new "Sonic" stuff is the final batch of "Sonic Prime" episodes. Netflix is treating this as the "third season," even though I'm pretty sure all of "Prime" was produced at once and was broken up into releasable chunks. At least the streaming giant is actually bothering to promote the show, sticking the first episode of the final round up on YouTube for free. Considering Netflix dumps most of their shows and movies on the platform and barely tells anyone, it's nice to know they hold some value in the "Sonic" property. Or maybe "Sonic" is one of those names that generate their own hype, thanks to an obsessive fandom that never stops talking about it on social media. Neither way, I have a new chunk of "Prime" to bitch about now. Let's get to it. 

"Grim Tidings" begins with a lengthy recaps of "Prime's" events up to now. Which is useful, as I had forgotten a lot about it. After saying "screw you guys, I'm going home" and exiting Ghost Hill with the Paradox Prism, Nine arrives in the barren wasteland that is the Grim. He immediately uses the crystals to begin his plan of turning this world into his version of the ideal world. This has the unforeseen side effect of causing Ghost Hill to collapse in on itself. Sonic and Shadow narrowly escape to the spaces between, before heading to the Grim to confront Nine. The fox doesn't take this intrusion very kindly, sending his horde of newly created robotic henchmen on the hedgehogs. Nine soon realizes that the final piece of the Paradox Prism – needed to keep all the worlds, the Grim included, from tearing themselves apart – resides in Sonic himself. This makes our speedy hero, the guilt on his shoulders already being a heavy burden, the target of Nine's scheme. 

Over the course of "Prime's" first two seasons, Nine has emerged as one of the deeper characters. Much to my consternation, most of the cast members have been loosely defined variations on Sonic's established friends, with an easily grasped gimmick like "pirate" or "jungle primitive" latched onto them. Nine, at the very least, has an interesting angle to explore. He's an edgy, emo version of Tails that doesn't want to have friends but feels drawn to Sonic anyway. Yet that need to be a self-reliant loner, born out of years of being isolated and afraid, has put him at odds with his new buddy. Sonic never gives up hope. Nine already gave up hope years ago. Now his teenage angst has potentially doomed the whole universe, his insular focus on creating a more perfect world hastening the ShatterVerse's collapse. 

If "Prime" was a show that actually took the time to develop its characters and really delve into what drives them, all of this could be really interesting. Instead, this is a show with a pattern of people abruptly switching sides. Thorn went from nice to angry with little explanation. Dread and his crew became assholes the second Sonic didn't bring them the crystal they wanted. Nine's shift towards apparent villainy similarly feels like it lacks nuance. Within the show itself, these guys were working together, like, an hour ago. Now Nine has gone maniacal with power and is siccing his minions on Sonic. There's enough wiggle room here for Nine's motivations to be as complicated as they could be. Yet, given what this show has done already, I'm doubtful this will be the case. Nine will be acting like a one-note bad guy now, not because it makes sense for his character but because it's what is needed to push the overall narrative along. 

The truth is... How can I expect “prime” to have any depth to its characters or storytelling when it can even keep the rules of its own universe straight? When Nine starts terraforming the Grim, a new robot version of Sonic appears. After Sonic and Shadow thrash the so-called “Grim Sonic,” Nine then summons Grim versions of Knuckles, Amy, Rouge, and Birdie. One assumes that these are the corresponding versions of these characters for this world... But if that's the case, why is there a Grim version of Sonic? None of the other dimensions in the ShatterVerse have a version of Sonic. And why can Shadow entered the Grim and Ghost Hill but not the other realms? Was that explain at some point and I just forgot something? Or is this entire affair running on some loosely defined magic here? Normally, this kind of shit wouldn't matter because you'd be invested in the heroes and their conflicts. Yet I'm sure noticing it in this case. 

If “Grim Tidings” has any sort of emotional core at all, it's not between Sonic and Nine. Instead, Sonic and Shadow proved to be the power couple here. “Prime” has been inconsistent about Sonic and Shadow's relationship. It has really seemed like, in most of their interactions up to this point, Shadow has just wanted to beat Sonic's ass. Yet the so-called Ultimate Lifeform does care about his blue counterpart. In the final minutes of this episode, he tosses Sonic out of the Grim once it becomes apparent that Nine and his forces are after Sonic's Prism powers. I suppose you could debate why Shadow does this. Maybe he just wants to undo the mess Sonic created and realizes he needs Sonic to do that. Or maybe the two hedgehogs are secretly in love and their fighting and bickering is just how they express their sexual longing for one another. With shows like this, you have to speculate. 

Making these kind of complaint almost seems besides the point by now. “Sonic Prime” is about the actions. The fight scenes are the moments in this episode that the animators clearly lavished the most time on. There's lots of elaborate shots, with what would be fancy camera movements in a live action film. The sequence of Sonic and Shadow outrunning the tide of Ghost Hill turning all purple and shattered would make for a bitchin' video game level, especially when they are leaping across the debris as it floats up through the air. The fights with the Grim robots are similarly elaborate. Honestly, they are starting to be too elaborate. The way Grim Amy swings her hammer around reminds me of the lightsaber duels in the “Star Wars” prequels, where everyone is clearly just showing off with balletic movements. Instead of just performing focused strikes like they actually would in, ya know, a combat scenario. It looks cool but at what cost, know what I mean? 

Heading into the last swarth of “Prime” episodes, it seems my opinion on this show is mostly unchanged. There's so much potential to this multiverse premise but the show seems uninterested in exploring that outside some specific confines. Moreover, there's this stubborn refusal to allow the characters to grow any, making “Prime” constantly feel like it's being dumbed-down for the simplest of audience. And kids deserve better than that. “Sonic” fans too. As for “Grim Tidings,” it has some cool action and one or two interesting moment that I increasingly feel like will not be followed up on in any especially compelling way. [6/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Fang the Hunter: Issue 1

Sonic the Hedgehog: Fang the Hunter: Issue 1

Original Publication Date: January 17th, 2024

When released in 1994, "Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble" received a little bit of hype. The "Sonic" franchise was red hot at the time, perhaps at the peak of its nineties popularity. This meant any new game featuring the character was going to get a big push. And it didn't hurt that this was the second appearance of Knuckles, who was quickly becoming the second most popular character in the series at the time. However, "Triple Trouble" was still a handheld title, for the Game Gear, a console that was never as big as Sega hoped and always trailed way behind the Game Boy in popularity. This meant that "Triple Trouble" was destined to be consigned to the waste bin of pop culture. As the "Sonic" series began to explore new avenues, with a quickly expanding cast and universe, in the 2000s, "Triple Trouble" would be seemingly forgotten even by Sega. 

The game's obscure status would make the new character it introduced even more overlooked. Fang the Sniper, or Nack the Weasel to us U.S. assholes, would become a reoccurring character in the Archie comics. But the rest of the "Sonic" fandom didn't care about this guy for a long time. Aside from "Triple Trouble," Fang's only other appearance for years was "Sonic the Fighter," an even more obscure arcade exclusive. By the start of the 2010s, Fang was stuck in the same limbo as Mighty or Ray: Beloved by a tiny niche of the fandom but ignored by everyone else, even the video game company that created him. Who had time for a pink weasel/jerboa/wolf what's-it when we were being flooded with telekinetic time travelers and fiery felines? 

That slowly started to change with the 2017 release of "Sonic Mania," which brought Fang – along with the equally overlooked Bark and Bean – back to the forefront of the series. Since then, we've seen this trio of troublemakers referenced a lot more. Fang was even given a prominent role in last year's "Sonic Superstar," suggesting that the little scum bag was a going concern for Sega again. This Fang Renaissance continues into 2024, with IDW giving the guy – now dubbed a Hunter by Sega, since I guess "Sniper" was a little too aggressive – a starring role in his own four-part mini-series. This is a pretty big deal for a character deemed little more than an in-joke for quite a while. 

And what does the first issue of "Fang the Hunter" contain? It begins with Fang, Bean, and Bark spying on Sonic as he chills in a hammock. They quickly attack, hoping the hedgehog can give them some info on a mythical eighth Chaos Emerald. Sonic doesn't know anything about this, assuring them that such a thing doesn't exist. After such a humiliating defeat, Fang decides to shake down Knuckles for info next. The Guardian is waiting for them and prepares traps throughout Angel Island to throw them off. Meanwhile, Tails warns Sonic that a mysterious airship has ravaged the Marble Zone before vanishing. 

In the original Archie Comics continuity, "Nack the Weasel" was a fairly serious adversary. He successfully disarmed Sonic so Robotnik could roboticize him, kidnapped Princess Sally, and even killed some people. However, that is an atypical characterization for the guy across most of the series. From "Triple Trouble" onward, Fang has largely been portrayed as a joke, an incompetent buffoon that is easily defeated, usually by his own deeply misplaced overconfidence. As the comics have sought to more closely follow the games, this characterization has taken root here as well. In the handful of appearances in past IDW books, Fang has mostly been a joker, an un-serious threat that is always humiliated before any criminal plot he has can come to fruition. This might be because he's always hanging around now with Bark and Bean, essentially the Laurel and Hardy of the "Sonic" world. 

With that in mind, the first issue of "Fang's" mini-series is largely devoted to slapstick comedy. The opening sequence of the comic – where Fang attempts to crush Sonic with a big rock, only for the hedgehog to deflect them without breaking a sweat – even seems to recall the wacky antics of the "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog" cartoon. Maybe that's just because there's a hammock in the scene though... Either way, there's definitely some "Tom and Jerry" vibes to this comic, as we watch the antagonists get comically defeated by a hero that way outclasses them. 

This, in fact, may be where Fang's appeal lies. As a stereotypical villain, he's never going to learn his lesson. No matter how many crushing defeats he suffers, he's going to keep pursuing Sonic. This makes the jerboa something of a lovable loser. He's always going to fail. We, as human beings, will also fail more often than we will succeed. So, even though Fang is a bad guy, we still relate to him. His need to keep pushing a metaphorical boulder up an allegorical hill, when it's always destined to flatten him, even makes the guy kind of admirable. Don't we all wish we had that kind of tenacity, in the face of life constantly making you eat shit? This allows "Fang the Hunter" to have its cake and eat it too, letting us derive amusement from Fang's exaggerated defeats while also seeing us root for him a little bit, in a perverse way. Haven't we all wanted to see the Coyote catch the Roadrunner at least once? 

While Fang hopelessly strives to be taken seriously someday, despite the clear unlikeliness of that ever happening, Bean and Bark have long since accepted their roles. IDW Bean isn't quite as unhinged as his Archie counterpart but he's still a wacky goofball, embracing the absurdity of every humiliation he suffers. While Bark is the strong, silent straight man, seemingly unflappable and inscrutable no matter what. I guess there is only so much to be mined from this dynamic, so issue #1 of "Fang" does introduce a conflict between Fang and his partners. Namely, they feel taken advantage of and plan on dumping his ass after this adventure. I don't take this threat seriously at all. If anything, I think this three might all learn to appreciate each other before this mini is over. But at least the set-up of "the mooks are planning to walk out on their boss" has some comedic value to explore. 

The clear farcical tone of this first issue makes me assume the MacGuffin quest that has been set-up will likely end up being a wild goose chase. There being seven Chaos Emeralds has been established as a fact of the "Sonic" series for so long, that it's easy to forget that the exact number has varied over the years. There were just six emeralds in the first "Sonic" game and most of the 8-bit ports. In "Sonic Spinball," there were as many as sixteen emeralds. Originally in the Archie continuity, there was just a surplus of many Emeralds of many different colors, until Ian Flynn fixed that. Fang believing there are eight Emeralds is likely a reference to "Sonic the Fighter," where there were indeed eight Emeralds to correspond to the eight characters. Considering that was his last in-game appearance for years, no wonder Fang seems to believe this is the case. 

I wouldn't be shocked at all if Ian Flynn used this mini-series to patch over a continuity era in the Classic Sonic canon. Yet it would be much funnier if Fang continues to hold onto an erroneous belief, in the face of mounting evidence to the contrary. But maybe the book is going somewhere else, what with that dangling plot point of Sonic and Tails chasing after a phantom ship in the Marble Zone. I guess, either way, the skeleton of a decent story has been set-up here. 

If this issue has heavy "Looney Tunes" overtones, what of Sonic as the Bugs Bunny to Fang's Yosemite Sam? On "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog," Sonic filled an almost literal Bugs Bunny role, right down to the frequent crossdressing and random bursts of nuttiness. Since that would be pretty out of character for IDW Sonic, Flynn writes him here as a snarky asshole. He has nothing but smartass quibs for Fang and his gang. He gets sarcastic with Tails. He even has to remind himself to be "patient with the kid" after he interrupts his nap. While fans constantly debate how much 'tude Sonic should display, we shouldn't forget that this is technically Classic Sonic we are seeing here. The blue hedgehog being a bit of a prick, even to his best friend, recalls his demeanor in the OVA or Fleetway comics, works contemporary with the Classic setting. Plus it's funny. I'm fine with it. 

Sonic is not the only hero to frustrate our titular goons though. Also in keeping with his more Classic Era characterization, Knuckles mostly hides back in the shadows and upends the Hooligans – or whatever they are called here – with traps he's set-up throughout the isle. This includes a delightful instance of Knuckles using the air vent trap from the start of "Sonic & Knuckles." If this whole comic wasn't a light-hearted goof, these scenes would almost be sinister. Mushroom Hill is depicted as dark and shadowy, Fang's buddies picked off by an unseen threat. Considering Knuckles fools Bark with a decoy that unmistakably resembles the Blair Witch stick figure, I'm going to assume that this mild horror atmosphere is intentional. Not a reference I expected to see in a "Sonic" comic, so maybe Bean will put on a Ghostface mask in the next issue. 

Mauro Fonseca is on pencil duties here and his work definitely matches the cartoony tone of the script. There is quite a lot of stretch and squash on display in these panels, especially when Fang tackles Bean to keep him from accidentally blowing up the Magnificent Queen. It turns out Fang's angular head really lends itself to this kind of over-the-top reactions. There are some really good faces in this issue, let me tell ya. Impressively, Fonseca manages to maintain the particular Classic Sonic look for everyone even when going for cartoony physics. Good stuff!

By the way, do you want to know how many times I wrote "Back" instead of "Fang" while assembling this review? Literally every single time! Old habits never die, I guess. Anyway, the first issue of the "Fang the Hunter" kicks the mini-series off in a goofily amusing, fleet-footed fashion. Let's see if Flynn and the gang can keep it up. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 68

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 68

Publication Date: January 3rd, 2024

Welcome to a new year of IDW “Sonic” coverage here at Hedgehogs Can't Swim! As we head into 2024, what can we expect from the four-color adventures of everyone's favorite speedy, spiny hero? Not a whole lot, at this moment! Issue 68 of “Sonic the Hedgehog” was intended for publication last month, before getting pushed back to January. The series will then, seemingly, be taking four months off while IDW puts out a mini-series about Fang. (That's Nack, if you're nasty.) I can only speculate on why this is the case. Considering his prominent appearance in their last game and that he was the focus of his own online comic, it really seems like Sega is pushing Fang a lot lately. I wonder if this is, perhaps, a very late response to the popularity of “Sonic-Mania” and a pivot towards the Classic setting in general? Whatever the reason, this is the last regular issue of “Sonic” we'll have to cover for at least a little bit.

So what is the first issue of 2024/technically the last issue of 2023 about? It begins with Sonic and Tails having a little contest of speed, as an excuse for the fox to show off the new souped-up hoverboard he created. They are also ostensibly tracking a Chaos Emerald signal. This adventure is soon sidetracked when Sonic goes stumbling through a big ass hole in the ground. The two fall into an unexpected mine shaft and discover the Chaos Emerald readings are stronger. They soon wander into an idyllic underground oasis, where everything glows with bioluminescent light. Yet this strange new location has dangers all its own, though perhaps not without good reason, as our heroes soon learn.

One assumes that “Sonic's” writers, artists, and editorial staff were well aware that the main book would be taking a few months off, to make room for a new mini-series. With this knowledge now in mind, it might explain why the comic has felt like it was in stasis for the last few months. Simply from a pacing perspective, it's probably not the best idea to begin ramping up to the next big event story line when you know a four month hiatus is forthcoming. Issue 67 does nothing to beat the allegations of “filler” I've been throwing at the book for a few months now. Does this story follow-up on last issue's cliffhanger, of Surge and Kit seemingly successfully infiltrating the Restoration? Does it advance the plot of Clutch's plan to undermine the heroes from the inside? Not at all! In fact, this story feels fairly disconnected with everything else happening in the comic book right now, in such as way as it's the kind of thing I'd expect to see published in a Free Comic Book Day issues or something like that.

Despite what it may seem like, this is not exactly a complaint. In fact, I quite enjoy “The Protector,” which is what I am told this tale is entitled. Setting goes a long way here. The good guys stumbling upon a mysterious, underground location has been a classic set-up for adventure stories for a very long time. The “Sonic” franchise has touched upon this premise before, in an old Archie one-shot and a pretty good episode of “Sonic X.” A creepy, isolated mine shaft is also a totally solid place to start. The panels of Sonic and Tails exploring the dark pathways, lit only by Tails' handheld computer, provoke a suitably spooky atmosphere. I wonder if Stanley was taking some cues from the first issue of “Scrapnik Island,” which captured a similarly mysterious vibe by sticking the duo into a dark, creepy place.

Stanley's script doesn't set up a monster movie premise without delivering on it. When Tails and Sonic come across an abandoned pickaxe and hammer, the little fox wonders what scared the miners off so abruptly. Soon enough, we meet the responsible party: A salamander the size of a salt water crocodile, covered in organic lights and extremely unhappy to have strange visitors in his lair. The pissed-off amphibian gets a surprise entrance, catching Sonic off-guard and pining him several times. The cramped interior of the cave leaves Sonic at a disadvantage too, the enormous salamander cornering him before he knows it. It's a mildly suspenseful sequence, the reader as surprised by the monster's sudden appearance as Sonic is. Even if we obviously all know that our hedgehog hero isn't in any real danger. 

Yet what makes “The Protector” a little more than a decently executed genre exercise, a little monster movie starring Sonic the Hedgehog, is the truth behind this scenario. See, the enormous salamander is the Protector that the title hints at. All he wants to do is keep his little underground ecosystem safe from intruders that mean to compromise its natural beauty. As soon as Sonic and Tails realize this, they work out a little deal with the guy. He agrees to take the Chaos Emerald away, to keep any further busy-bodies from seeking it out. Sonic makes the selfless decision to then leave the cave totally as is, so that it and its protector can continue to live in peace, uninterrupted by surface dwellers. The message is clear and it ties in with the environmental subtext that has been a part of the “Sonic” franchise from the beginning. We need to protect the environment from those who seek to exploit it. The natural, untouched world is precious and must not be compromised, even by the good guys. 

In the past, I've observed that I like it when Sonic and Tails use more than brute force to defeat an enemy. This is especially true with a story like this, where the antagonist isn't motivated by any malevolent intent. Instead, Tails quickly observes that the salamander seems to hunt via vibrations felt through the ground. Once Sonic gets up in the air, he's undetected. Sonic is a bit too panicked, on account of nearly getting eaten by a giant slimy critter, so having Tails out-think the enemy makes the most sense. In a comic book that is still mostly dominated by punching and fighting, Sonic and Tails talking things out with whoever they are fighting provides some nice novelty. 

If I have any criticism for “The Protector” at all, it's that the story didn't really have to go anywhere else after that first scene. In fact, a story simply devoted to Sonic and Tails having a race would've been pretty cool. Tails can seemingly match his average speed with his new Extreme Gear hoverboard and that throws Sonic for a loop. For a hero that is so egotistically proud of his superspeed, having his little body unexpectedly out-race him would've been a good opportunity for some character development. Instead, he literally drops into a totally unrelated plot. That's not a complaint, so much. Simply that the story this first scene sets up is an idea Stanley or Ian Flynn should maybe return to some day. Could be fun!

In addition to writing this story, Evan Stanley also drew and inked it. Matt Froese helped out with the inking while Josh Burcham did the colors. It is, as you'd expect by this point, a solid looking issue. There's some really good shading in the panels where Sonic and Tails fall into the mine shaft, as the shadows slowly come over their bodies. Once in the cave, the lighting from Tails' lantern and the glowing formations in the cave make for a nicely moody environment. The comic quickly sells how cozy this location is, for its natural inhabitants anyway. The salamander is mostly kept in the shadows, its eyes and scales glowing in such a way as to make it a properly intimidating adversary. Overall, a very nice looking issue.

Ultimately, this is a nice little issue containing a solid story. Will I remember much about it, a year from now? That depends a lot on what lese IDW has planned for 2024. There is certainly something to be said for stand-alone one-offs like this, even if they sometimes feel like unnecessary stop-offs on the way to bigger, flashier events. I'm not going to complain about a fairly taunt 12-pager wherein Sonic kicks a giant salamander in the face. That should be enough for anyone! Once IDW is done fanging and sniping, we'll presumably get back to the on-going plot of Clutch's moles inside the Restoration. Until that point, this proves an appealing enough little snack to hold us over. [7/10]

THE 2023 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG COMIC BEST/WORST LIST!

For years, the “Sonic” franchise continued on almost on auto-pilot, it seemed. We got new games on about a yearly basis but rarely did people like them. The comics continued to be cranked out but nobody but hardcore fans were reading those. However, it definitely feels like things have changed somewhat in the last few years. The movies have been box office hits with wide audience appeal. The new cartoon has generated a fair share of new merchandise. In fact, new merch is all over the place now. While I'm not sure a new “Sonic” game is exactly an event, it does seem to attract more attention now than it used to. 

You can see that this renewed interest in the franchise is having an effect on IDW's “Sonic” comics. This year, the publisher really started pumping out a lot of “Sonic” comic books. In addition to the twelve standard issues of the on-going series, we got five separate one-shot specials, the last issue of a mini-series, and a reprint of the first issue with a bonus story attached. Really took me back to the hay days of the Archie comic, when all sorts of bizarre “48 Page Specials” were coming out all the time. Where any of these comic books especially good? Well, that is what we have gathered here to decide, isn't it? Assuming my opinion means anything to ya...

The issues covered in this retrospective are:

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issues 56-67

Sonic the Hedgehog: Scrapnik Island: Issue 4

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 1 – 5th Anniversary Special

Sonic the Hedgehog: Endless Summer

Sonic the Hedgehog's 900th Adventure

Sonic the Hedgehog: Amy's 30th Anniversary Special

Sonic the Hedgehog: Halloween Special

Sonic the Hedgehog: Winter Jam

BEST COVER STORY:

Daniel Barnes, “Scrapnik Island, Part 4” (Sonic the Hedgehog: Scrapnik Island: Issue 4)

"Scrapnik Island" really feels like it belongs to 2022, since that's when the bulk of the minute series was published. Yet the final issue did come out back in January. And issue 4 of "Scrapnik Island" remains the crowning achievement of IDW "Sonic" thus far. Daniel Barnes' script manages to confront such weighty themes as finding self-worth, fighting through the pain of feeling like a failure, and learning that those who love you are there to help you get pass that. Yes, a comic book about a blue hedgehog fighting a robot hedgehog really did handle some complex, touchy ideas that I think everyone grapples with. And it did it well, being emotional without being mushy and still functioning as an action-packed finale to a compelling story. Through it all, Barnes manages to keep Sonic and Tails in-character, make them interesting, and create one of the book's best cast members in Scrapnik Mecha Sonic. Sorry to the "Endless Summer" one-shot, a really clear runner-up in this category, but issue 4 of "Scrapnik Island" is the best "Sonic" comic IDW has ever published. 

WORST COVER STORY:

Evan Stanley, “Urban Warfare, Part 5” (Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 61)

The "Urban Warfare" arc clamors to a noisy smear of various incidents in issue 61. This climax is overly reliant on technobabble-fueled plot points colliding with each other and our heroes stopping the bad guy with special moves. Sonic is sucked into a pocket dimension and then freed a few pages later, off-panel. Shadow just gives himself a power-up and Chaos Controls the problem away. Sonic talks big and dive-bombed Eggman but then just let's him get away. Any sense of heart or character development is lost in this barrage of action beats and plot points, one plot device after another pushing this arc through to its conclusion. 

BEST BACK STORY:

Ian Flynn, “Speed Sightseeing” (Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 63)

A pairing we don't see very often in this book is Sonic and Blaze. Yet "Speed Sightseeing," from issue 63, is entirely devoted to the two hanging out. There's not much to the idea of the two speedsters running through a scenic area and talking out their feelings. Yet it ended up working really well. Sonic's philosophy to life is expanded on and we get more insight into Blaze's on-going struggle with work/life balance. There's even a smidge of romantic chemistry here, destined not to go anywhere but adding a little spice nevertheless. 

WORST BACK STORY:

Ian Flynn, the B-plot of issue 62 (Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 62)

This is a complete cheat on .y behalf but one I feel justified in pulling. This was right before IDW brought the back-up stories, um, back, but issue 62 already neatly breaks itself into two halves already. Knuckles and Amy returning an ancient Echidnan relic to its proper resting place occupied the first half, even being the plot that inspires the cover image. The second half, meanwhile, deals with the totally unrelated plot point of Clutch talking Mimic into going undercover with the Restoration and everyone just immediately accepting this mysterious "Duo" fellow right into the inner circle. Revealing to the audience that Mimic is Duo, before we even meet Duo, defuses any suspense from that particular plot point. Meanwhile, everyone immediately accepting this new dude into the Restoration without even doing, like, a background check or whatever makes our heroes kind of look like idiots. Do you want moles? Because that's how you get moles. 

BEST STORY ARC:

Evan Stanley, “Dinner at Cream's” (Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 65-66)

Well, this is a silly one but ya know what? Sometimes that's what you need. Building oversized action scenes around the utterly mundane task of preparing dinner is a good shortcut to comedic potential. Watching Cream react in horror to Rough and Tumble's break-in also got me to chuckle. Vanilla scolding the villains into repenting is the ideal ending. Yet what makes this bit of slapstick more meaningful is that Stanley makes sure to bake in – pun intended – some touching moments between Cream and Gemerl. Her emotionless robot dad really does love her and wants her to believe in herself! These nuggets of warm-and-snuggly meaning made this bit of fun a stand-out last year. 

WORST STORY ARC:

Ian Flynn and Evan Stanley, “Urban Warfare” (Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 57-61)

Considering “Urban Warfare” occupied five complete issues and was, by far, the most action-packed story of the year, one assumes that this was meant to be The IDW's “Sonic” Event of 2023. The story arc has all the makings of a blockbuster, throwing together a large swath of the comic's ensemble into a plot about Eggman's newest, vilest superweapon. And there was an issue, right in the middle, when it seemed like “Urban Warfare” might live up to that hype. Unfortunately, the story totally collapse into sci-fi gimmicks that are rarely justified yet take up far too much space anyway. So stuffed with incident and action scenes, there wasn't much room for the characters or the plot to breathe. 

BEST MAIN COVER:

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 63 – Gigi Dutreix

There weren't too many bad covers this year but there also weren't too many that stood out in a big way. Really nice looking covers like the Amy special, issue 57, or issue 65 were notable more so for their lush coloring than anything else. However, at least one issue really decided to mix things up. Gigi Dutriex's cover for 63 goes in a totally different direction than your standard “Sonic” comic. I mean that literally, as the title runs down the right vertical side of the cover. This, when combined with the visual of Sonic and the gang running down some fire escapes, creates a wonderful sense of motion that draws the eye and gets the reader excited. How expressive everyone's faces are, and the graffiti-style images of Chao and Wisps painting on the wall, add more sugar to the pudding.

WORST MAIN COVER:

Sonic the Hedgehog's 900th Adventure – Tracy Yardley

I almost gave this particular “honor” to the 5th anniversary special for literally just reusing Tyson Hesse's first four covers for the entire series. That is shows some sheer lack of creativity but I guess it gets a pass for mostly being a reprint. What is “900th Adventure's” excuse? Again, a serious lack of creativity is shown in this simple image of Sonic running across a yellow, checker board pattern void. The trails from his legs forming the zeroes in 900 was mildly clever but I still feel like, if you're commemorating nearly a thousand “Sonic” comic books, you could have come up with something a little flashier than this.

BEST VARIANT COVER:

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW) – Issue 59, Cover B – Natalie Haines

We had a whole precession of gorgeous or adorable variant covers this year, most of them being Nathalie Fourdraine's retail incentive covers. Yet as soon as I saw this one, I fell in love. Natalie Haines' Cover B for issue 59 has got to be one of the most striking images to ever grace any “Sonic” comic book. There's a stillness, a repose, to Shadow as he crouches, an insolent fury burning in his eyes. The vista of androids bearing his likeness stretching out around him, reaching out and bounding him, is given a suitably otherworldly feeling. When contrast with the barren landscape around them and the painterly, detailed colors, it really gives the impression of an ancient, religious fresco. 

WORST VARIANT COVER:

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW) – Issue 66, Cover B – Abigail Oz

There was a certain temptation to award the Worst Variant Cover title to Jon Grey's alt cover for the “900th Adventure” one-shot. It certainly has the searing colors and colliding together of far too many characters and scenarios. Yet Grey didn't fall upon his usual strategy of sticking ten thousand faces on one cover, showing a great deal of restraint on his behalf. 

So, instead, I turn my critical eye on Abigail Oz' Cover B for issue 66. This simple image of Cream fleeing from Rough and Tumble fast enough to cause her gelatin monstrosity to start to tumble over is rather awkwardly framed. Everyone's poses seems just a smidge unnatural. The proportions seem slightly off, most noticeably in the snow shovel sized area in Rough's groin. There's an overall kind of flat, overly smooth look to everything here, creating a rather bland sight.

BEST STORY ART:

“Urban Warfare, Part 3” – Adam Bryce Thomas (Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 59)

Adam Bryce Thomas is reliably one of the best “Sonic” artist around. With the third part of “Urban Warfare – the only part of that arc I actually liked – he really outdid himself. Thomas really adds an epic scope to many of the action scenes here, such as Shadow opening up some Whoop-Ass on his enemies or Eggman making a villainous proclamation. Yet the little character details he includes are also excellent, the looks people give each other or their body language really adding so much detail and richness to this world. 

WORST STORT ART:

“Sonic the Hedgehog's 900th Adventure” – Abby Bulmer (Sonic the Hedgehog's 900th Adventure)

About eight different people did the art for “Sonic's 900th Adventure,” making it by far the most schizophrenic looking “Sonic” comic last year. But most of the artwork was fine, even pretty good. However, Abby Bulmer's six pages really stick out in the worst way. Her characters all look really blobby and cartoonish. As if she's going for maximum cuteness when drawing every single one, even bruisers like Storm or Shadow. Bulmer's backgrounds also seem kind of bland, usually composed of one type of color. I'm not sure Bulmer is the right artist for “Sonic” though she would do great drawing a “Bluey” comic. 

BEST NEW CHARACTER:

Hammer Guy

Once again, IDW “Sonic” is stingy with its new characters. Really, the only notable new character introduced this year was Maggie, otherwise known as Lanolin's purple wisp. And I can't say I really count wisps – or the dozen different Badniks that appeared in the book for the first time this year, according to the Sonic News Network Wiki – as distinct characters in their own right. 

So, in order to find something to qualify for Best New Character, I have to cheat. Because the still unnamed character I am calling Hammer Guy wasn't technically introduced this year. After all, the entire point of his appearance in “Familiar Territory” is based on the brief interaction he had with Sonic all the way back in issue one. Yet Hammer Guy actually got a personality in his second appearance here, getting to detail his history and showing the effect Sonic's one act of heroism had on his life. There's something touching about that idea. That Sonic does shit like this all the time, to the point where it doesn't make much of an impact on him. Yet, to the people he saves, their lives have been changed forever. It's like a positive version of M. Bison's “For me, it was Tuesday” speech. This book doesn't exactly need another fawning Sonic fanboy so who knows if Hammer Guy will appear again. (And if he'll ever get an actual name.) But he definitely ended up with one of the best actual bits of character development this year.

WORST NEW CHARACTER:

Herschel

The only other proper new characters we got in IDW “Sonic” last year were the mischievous pranksters in the Halloween special. The names Brady, Noah, and Rowdy aren't likely to make much of an impression on any “Sonic” fan... But I'll remember Herschel. First off, because he's named fuckin' Herschel. Secondly, because this asshole in a Dracula costume is probably the main reason I didn't like the Halloween Special more. How do you do a Halloween special and make the villain a dweeb like this? We could've had Sonic fight a real vampire! Or literally anything cooler than some theater kid jerk-off who folds the minute the good guys get their hands on him. Disappointed! 

BEST IDEA:

Return of the Back Stories 

Outside of the annuals and the rare one-shot, IDW “Sonic” almost never featured back stories before this year. This year saw the tradition of a “Sonic” comic containing more than one story return for several issues. And do you know what I like about this, aside from it giving buyers more bang for their buck? If gives the characters and their world a little more room to breath. I don't think it's a mistake that the back-stories tend to be more character-driven than the cover story, allowing for slower conversations between our heroes and more chances to flesh out their interior lives. That's always a welcomed addition and I hope the book makes a habit of including back-up stories going into 2024.

WORST IDEA:

Filler

Throughout IDW “Sonic's” entire run, it has been fairly easy to break the series down into various sagas. Metal Sonic, the Zombot crisis, Starline, and now Surge and Kit have emerged as the central antagonist throughout the years. 2023 was not so focused and it let to an unfortunate side effect: Most of the comics published last year felt like filler, stories without too much of a meaningful impact on the book's world, published to pad out the series before it's time to launch back into the next proper arc. The entirety of “Urban Warfare” was very much an example of a standard Sonic vs. Eggman story. It remains to be seen whether Clutch sending Mimic to infiltrate the Restoration will amount to much. Yet, in-between Surge disappearing at the start of the year and returning at the end, it really felt like the comic was just doing whatever the hell it wanted. That's never a great feeling for an on-going narrative to have and left most of last year feeling directionless and unfocused.