Sonic the Hedgehog: Fang the Hunter: Issue 2

Sonic the Hedgehog: Fang the Hunter: Issue 2

Publication Date: February 28th, 2024

At his busiest, Ian Flynn was writing four monthly series for Archie. That's a lot for anyone, so it has not been surprising that Flynn has slowed way down since making the jump to IDW. (Though he is still, by any normal measure, prolific.) This has been reflected in IDW's release schedule for their "Sonic" titles. While Archie spent years trying to launch a second "Sonic" book, IDW has been reluctant to do so despite publishing quite a few mini-series and one-shots. You can see this in the trend the company has followed, of alternating months between the main book and miniseries. Or, in the case of the "Fang the Hunter" mini, actually having the main title go on hiatus for a couple of months while the other book runs. IDW is either determined not to oversaturated the "Sonic" comic market or too cheap to pay multiple creative teams at once. You pick. Either way, it is an interesting strategy to bring some variety to their hedgehog-themed slate of books. 

The second part of the "Fang the Hunter" series begins where the first left off, with the titular villain-for-hire trying to avoid Knuckles' booby traps in the Mushroom Hill Zone. He soon tracks the echidna to the Sandopolis Zone, coming to blows with the guardian and finding the captured Bark and Bean. After the required amount of fisticuffs, Fang informs Knuckles that he's not trying to steal the Master Emerald. That he's after a mythical eighth Chaos Emerald, which Knuckles doesn't believe exists. Having exhausted all other plans, the Hooligans head to the last lead Fang has: An obscure and dangerous island that Eggman once attempted to colonize.

If Ian Flynn can be said to have one uniting quirk across all his work, it's his love of shout-outs to continuity. This made Ian the ideal guy to re-assemble Archie "Sonic's" grabasstic soup of random ideas and unresolved plot points into something like a coherent whole. Since IDW "Sonic" didn't have a decade of back issues to pull from before he came on, the series has sometimes felt frustratingly lacking in world building. Whenever Flynn gets to play in the Classic Era though, he actually does have a toy chest full of lore and obscure bullshit to play with though. The fact that a perpetual C-lister like Fang is headlining his own book at all is a testament to how this miniseries is being allowed to reference overlooked corners of the "Sonic" legacy. And so we have an issue devoted largely to running through two "Sonic & Knuckles" stages that then ends by arriving at a location from "Knuckles' Chaotix," a game I'd wager most "Sonic" nerds still haven't actually played. 

You can argue whether tickling long-time fans' nostalgia bones is a worthwhile purpose for a comic to pursue. In fact, you can probably make a good case about how comics – and nerd leaning properties in general – are slowly destroying themselves by largely catering to forty year old dorks with way too much attachment to a children's franchise. Yet, I'll admit, I got a kick out of seeing game play features and obscure enemies putting in a brand new appearance here. Whole panels are devoted to Fang rappelling down the rope ladders, climbing up the sandy waterfalls, and sliding around on the sand chutes. When the little ghost guys from Sandopolis Zone Act 2 showed up, I knew I was having a good time with this issue. I'm old and I reserve the right to smile, point, and chuckle when someone else references an obscure thing I like. And how often does a piece of media get you to think about the 32X, ya know? 

Honestly, some loving shout-outs to little details like this would probably be enough for me to enjoy this comic book. Yet this structure actually serves a greater purpose. By showing Fang travelling through the perils and pitfalls of this zone, it winds up making this issue feel very eventful. The main attraction of this issue, if the images featured on the covers are anything to go by, is Fang and Knuckles rumbling. It definitely feels like past "Sonic" comics would have built an entire issue around this fight. Instead, we get a satisfying little brawl in the middle surrounded by a bit of build-up, some mild world-building, and then a whole other set of events afterwards. I really expected this issue to end after Fang and Knuckles' fight but it keeps going, introducing some new problems for our motley band of anti-heroes to deal with it. I felt like I got my money's worth from this comic book is my point. 

If any complaint can be leveraged at IDW's Classic Sonic stories, it's that the setting doesn't allow for the characters to show much depth. The Classic versions of Sonic and the gang, even more so than their modern counterparts, are static characters. Yet Flynn does manage to give us some insight into Fang's personality here. That he manages to track Knuckles down, avoiding his traps, and surviving the various perils of the Sandopolis Zone shows that Fang actually isn't a chronic fuck-up. He actually does have a degree of cunning, which he shows when he uses the Marvelous Queen to free Bark and Bean. Or when he counters Knuckles' strength by bouncing around on his springy tail. Is it possible that Fang doesn't actually suck and that the universe really is just constantly shitting on him? Even if that's not the case, it's still nice to see Fang actually does have a degree of confidence. It explains why Eggman keeps hiring him, if nothing else. 

We get even more insight into the guy during a moment when he describes his future plans once he sells this mysterious eighth Chaos Emerald. I've always clocked Fang as a guy desperate to be taken seriously by the world and that's still true. However, his biggest dream in life is to kick back, relax, and trick out his hovercraft in even fancier ways. This is the first peek we've really gotten at Fang's motivation, beyond simple greed, and it's a nice touch. Honestly, don't most of us want to pull One Perfect Score that would allow us to relax the rest of our lives? Either Flynn was making a genuine effort to expand Fang as a character here or it's just a goofy joke about how much he loves the Marvelous Queen. Either way, it grounds the character some more in a way that makes him more relatable for all of us. 

Bean and Bark don't get that much character development in this issue. They spend half the book tied up inside an underground temple, so there's just not room for it. It's also not like these two can be expected to grow much anyway. Bean will always be the goofy henchman for hire. Bark will also be his strong, silent partner that is secretly kinder than he appears. However, Flynn is still pushing forward the idea that these two are unsatisfied with Fang's leadership. Once again, they threaten to walk out on the guy if this mission continues to be a flop. I don't really expect this plot thread to go much of anywhere. The idea that these guys that have been hanging out together for years, to the point that they are a branded team now, will go their separate ways is unlikely. But it is nice that Bean and Bark are actually motivating some element of the story here, instead of just following Fang around and being his wacky comic relief. 

And speaking of wacky comic relief... Most of the IDW version of the "Sonic" team aren't all that different from their Archie counterparts. Especially when written by Flynn. However, I will say that IDW Bean is a lot less aggressively goofy than his previous four color iteration. He still says random shit – he calls Fang Wampus at one point – but the entirety of his personality isn't devoted to being super silly comic relief all the time. Bean is even allowed to be sardonic at times, such as when he mockingly cheers when being rescued twice in this comic book. Maybe Flynn just realized that it's not 2006 anymore and nobody thinks squishy little goofball sidekicks who just scream bullshit are funny anymore. Or maybe grouches like me have been complaining about it enough that Flynn altered his plans accordingly. Whatever the cause, I'm glad Bean is allowed to be funny outside of being obsessed with "teh shiny" now. 

By the way, Sonic the Hedgehog is in this comic book. Yes, it's a good sign of how much story is shoved into this issue that Sonic and Tails' little subplot barely registers. The duo only get one scene, as they continue to chase a mysterious airship just to watch it vanish into thin air right in front of them. That is, admittedly, a pretty cool hook for a story. Considering Eggman shows up at the end of this issue, one assumes that this particular story thread will take up more focus in the second of the miniseries. Is this phantom airship connected to Fang's fabled eighth Chaos Emerald? Seems likely to me.

Adding to this story working as both comedy and an action/adventure comic is some fine artwork from Thomas Rothlisberger. His talent for motion makes the scuffle between Knuckles and Fang a joy to read. His ability to say a lot with a character's face goes a long way here too. Two of the issue's biggest laughs come almost from that alone. Such as Knuckles' face when doing the mental math on Fang's claim of an eighth emerald. Or Sonic's outrage upon seeing the airship disappear. Never underestimate how funny someone making a goofy face can be. Also, the inking and colors – by Rik Mack and Valentina Pinto – must be commended. When Fang flies into the underground temple, the use of lighting and shadows establish the right kind of foreboding atmosphere immediately.

Also, I still have to stop myself from calling him "Nack" every time I write the character's name. I'm sorry, Sega, my brain is still running software from 1999. I'll always sort the purple, pointy bounty hunter guy with the hat and floating bike under "Weasel, Nack the." Anyway, this is a pretty good comic book! I'm looking forward to reading the next issue. See you guys again in six weeks. [7/10]