Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 69

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 69

Original Publication Date: May 29th, 2024

Before taking four months off to give "Fang the Hunter" time to shine, IDW "Sonic" was clearly in a transitional period. Some characters had been written out of the book. Others had reappeared. A bigger narrative was brewing but things hadn't really escalated yet. #68 genuinely felt like the first real filler issue that IDW has ever put out over its "Sonic" run. But, hey, we're back now! And what's the big event storyline that's going to get fans excited for the ongoing series again? 

It's, uh, a homage to the "Sonic Rider" series. I know, for some fans, the hoverboard racing spin-off games are a beloved part of the franchise. Elements like the Extreme Gear boards and the Babylon Rogues have basically become fixtures of the series. But I've never actually played any of the "Riders" games. I basically checked out of "Sonic" games after "Heroes" and didn't start to creep back until "Generations." (And, if I'm being totally honest, I didn't really come back until "Mania.") Honestly, it's always been kind of confused and annoyed me that Sega has kept making "Sonic" that focus on vehicles, instead of Sonic's actual speed. Seems counterintuitive to me! Once again, I just have to admit that the "Riders" sub-series is another one of those "Sonic" things a lot of fans cherish that, simply, aren't for me. 

Honestly, considering the intrinsic role speed plays in the series – and how easy it is to build long story arcs around a competition format – I'm surprised IDW "Sonic" hasn't done a "Riders" inspired arc before! And so, this issue kicks off with the Restoration and Clean Sweep Inc – otherwise known as Clutch's shady as fuck company – teaming up on a big public race. Sonic, Tails and Amy shit talk with the Babylon Rogues before their hoverboards all malfunction, leading to the central trio being disqualified from the race. They quickly suspect some funny business is afoot. They're right, as Duo has recruited Surge and Kit to intentionally sabotage their boards. The heroic trio find an unlikely alley in the form of... Eggman?! Say it ain't so. 

If I'm being cynical, I don't think the gameplay is the main reason the "Sonic Riders" series has remained a fan favorite over the years. Most reviews suggest the games are fine, not bad but not spectacular. Instead, I honestly suspect a big reason fans keep going back to that setting is the cute racing outfits the established cast wear in them. Until the rise of mobile games that constantly sell players new skins, there weren't that many official alternate looks for Sonic and friends. There's no doubt that some fans really do love to dress up their favorite characters like little dolls, especially on a fandom like this obsessed with surface-level aesthetics. "Riders'" racing gear allowed for the first real such opportunity in the games. And, yeah, Rouge's sports bra and Amy's bell bottoms are pretty slick designs. I can see why the style stuck with people. 

Unsurprisingly, it's been a common trend in fan art to design "Riders" outfits for characters that never appeared in the games and OCs. Issue 69 feels like an attempt by Evan Stanley to canonize this practice. The very first page features a set of panels displaying all the story's principle players in their racing suits and accompanying modes of transportation. Lanolin gets a yellow and green jumpsuit. Whisper has an adorable, high-collared parka. Surge wears a super cute puffy jacket and some bitchin' sunglasses, while riding what looks like a green version of Kaneda's bike. Considering a few of the IDW cast members are playable in the aforementioned mobile game designed primarily to sell players new skins, it wouldn't surprise me if some of these threads are incorporated there some down the line. Perhaps Stanley's Corporate Overlords even demand these outfits be put into the comic.

All of that aside... What do I think of the actual writing in this issue? It's okay. Kind of says a lot about how memorable this issue that the main conversation it's prompted in the fandom is whether Lanolin is too bitchy. She's essentially operating as the race's referee, stepping in to report technical infractions. This matches the strict, rule-obsessed personality the lamb has developed recently. Some people seem to think this makes Lanolin an obnoxious fuddy-duddy, existing to tell the other characters to stop having fun, going a long ways towards making the sheep unpopular. I think Lanolin is still a new enough character that the book hasn't quite figured out a role for her yet. Hopefully she finds a purpose beyond being the official team buzzkill in the future. An anal retentive field leader has more potential than that.  

Maybe fans are picking up on this interaction because... There's not a lot of actual racing here. Sonic and the gang zip around on their boards some but there's a shocking lack of tension in these moments. Instead, these panels seem to mostly be focused on the hedgehog trash talking with Jet. I've said before that I find Jet to be the most boring of Sonic's speedy rivals. Unlike Shadow or Scourge, who have compelling back stories and motivations of their own, Jet really is strictly defined by just wanting to be faster than Sonic. IDW has frequently characterized him as a spoiled brat with an annoyingly fragile ego. Beyond that, the trash talk here just isn't good. "Hope you all enjoy headlines on papers!" What a weird way to say you'll be reading about us tomorrow. Amy's snippy comeback to Storm is actually better than any of Jet and Sonic's banter. 

The truth is, I found this scene so lacking in tension that I actually considered something that has never crossed my mind before. If Sonic and Jet are racing around each other at high speeds... How can they even hear each other? The roar of the engines and the wind racing around them would probably make it really hard to have a conversation. It's not quite as egregious as folks having conversations while free falling from an airplane. Yet, if you tried to talk to someone while racing them in a motorcycle, it would probably result in a lot of "Huh? What? Wha'd'ya say?" Now, I'm wondering how Sonic can talk to anyone while running around at high speeds. Does he have super-fast hearing too? This is absolutely nitpicking and, if this scene was good, I probably wouldn't have had this thought at all. Yet here we are. 

Truthfully, if issue 69 feels a little tedious, it's not hard to figure out why. This comic isn't really about the race. It's actually one of those issues that exist largely to set up the plot for the rest of the arc. And so you have Clutch floating around the race, trying to ingratiate himself with Jewel as part of his on-going attempt to undermine them. Though the scene where he uncomfortably puts his hand on her shoulder and she immediately, awkwardly leaves afterwards makes him seem more like a touchy sleaze ball than a criminal mastermind. I doubt that was Stanley's intention but it does end up raising the tension in the scene. I'm still not sure how everyone can obviously tell Clutch is plotting something shady. Motherfucker carries a pimp stick and wears a fedora. He might as well have "I'M A BAD GUY" written on his forehead. Yet the plot dictates that he be taken seriously as a businessmen for now...

That's just one of several plot points introduced here. Duo, Surge, and Kit – other examples of obviously villainous characters being allowed to run around the Restoration, unobserved – are part of this wicked plan. It all comes to a head in the final scene, where Eggman plops himself down next to Sonic in what appears to be the Mobian version of a Denny's. The two form a truce of some sort in order to facilitate a daring break-in into the floating raceway, in order to see if the Extreme Gear had been tampered with. Plots with a lot of moving parts like this are not Stanley's strong suit. It was part of why the "Urban Warfare" arc collapsed into incompetent action sequences by the end. I'm already not entirely following what Tails and Eggman's scheme is here. 

However, the set-up at least has potential. First off, it sounds like we might be moving towards a heist plot. Those are always fun! Secondly, Sonic and Eggman being forced to work together is usually a compelling premise. There's always a decent degree of tension to be mined from lifelong enemies being forced into a situation where they have to team up. I prefer this to happen when they must unite against a greater threat. Instead, Eggman offers Sonic some assistance because a Clean Sweeps commercial mocked him and he took that personally. Still, there's some interesting directions this could go in, other than just more tedious racing and trash talking. We shall see.

The credits page of the issue doesn't actually list anyone under pencils, just crediting Min Ho Kim with "Inks." But it would appear that the linework is his. Maybe Kim just does everything in ink? Whatever the format, it is naturally a very smooth looking issue. The action feels fairly inert, such as in a very posed panel where a wall explodes before Sonic and Jet. Yet the characters still look cool as fuck. You can tell Kim had a good time drawing the various alt outfits on display here. Meanwhile, comedic details – like the libelous commercial or Cubot hugging a pillow with his waifu on it – are well done. By the way, fellow ASO Discord member Jonathan Dobbs did some colors work on this issue. Always beat when a "Sonic" fan artist upgrades to official artists, especially when it's someone you got to see coming up. Don't forget us when you're huge, J-Dobbs!

Ultimately, I feel compelled to give this issue a negative rating. Which may not be fair. Installments that this, that function primarily as the set-up heavy first acts of longer stories, really aren't meant to stand on their own. I guess this is one of the big weakness for Writing for the Trade, individual issues rarely being allowed to stand on their own as satisfying works of art. I'm really feeling a [5/10] on this one but, if what happens next makes this issue better in retrospect, I might bump it up a score. Until then, the rating stands. Look at that, I got through this whole review without cracking a single "Nice" joke...