Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 87

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 87
Publication Date: August 2000

For issue 87, Danny Fingeroth and Sam Maxwell return to finish the story arc they started last time. Sonic quickly recovers from the sucker punch Metal Sonic delivered. As he races towards Mt. Mobius, to rescue the bound Tails, his robotic counterpart continues to attack him. Despite the villain throwing his best at him, Sonic continues to fight. He successfully rescues Tails but this fight isn’t over just yet. The hero has to face down the villain over the boiling caldera of an active volcano, ready to erupt.

“Heart of the Hedgehog” shows what really defines Sonic as a hero. Even with all the heroics the hedgehog gets up to, the book rarely tried to explore what really makes him tick. Fingeroth writes Sonic as willing to risk everything for his friend’s sake. He doesn’t just pay lip service to this idea.

Instead, the writer emphasizes the hero’s skills by contrasting him with the villain’s personality. The two have their snarky wit and super speed in common. Metal Sonic, however, is sadistic and selfish. He outright admits that watching Sonic suffer pleases him. Metal Sonic considers friendship and personal connections to be a weakness, something to exploit. Sonic, by the end, proves to him that this isn’t true. A “Power of Friendship” Aesop sounds corny but Fingeroth pulls it off, strengthening Sonic and Metal Sonic’s personality at the same time.

Issue 87 also functions nicely as an action story. Metal Sonic deploys more traps. Sonic gets trapped in a metal net. The two hedgehogs race each other, zooming around the forest. Sonic laps around the buzz saw blades his robotic nemesis fires. There are laser beams aplenty. The action is fast paced but that’s not the only reason I like it. This iteration of Metal Sonic actually is faster and stronger then the real deal. Compared to how easily Sonic stomped Silver Sonic two issues ago, it’s nice to see the hero actually be challenged by a physically superior enemy. This means the hedgehog can’t just rely on his speed. He has to use his fast wit too.

I guess if “Heart of the Hedgehog” has a major weakness, it’s how Fingeroth sidelines Tails. The flying fox spends nearly all of issue 87 pinned to a mountain side, a sidekick in distress. Yet the writer largely overcomes this problem by refocusing on the two’s friendship at the end. Sonic risks his life to rescue Tails. As the duo is encircled by the lava, and pinned down by Metal Sonic, Tails stays by his friend’s side. He’s willing to fight beside him until the end, showing that the team’s devotion is mutual. Considering “Heart of the Hedgehog” started with Tails doubting his own abilities, it’s great that Fingeroth returned to the fox’s heroic development at the end.

This version of Metal Sonic is a pretty great villain, a nearly unstoppable smart-ass with a psychotic drive to destroy Sonic. After building up the robot as a great baddie, Fingeroth pulls an unexpected twist: He redeems him. Metal Sonic is so moved by Tails’ willingness to die for his friend, that his robotic heart grows three sizes that day. He questions why he wants to kill Sonic so much, realizing he’s a slave to his programming. He learns the value of organic life. So much that, instead of letting Sonic and Tails die, he sacrifices himself to make sure they get to safety. It’s a potentially cheesy twist – sadistic bad guy turned good by the power of friendship – but Fingeroth pulls it off, ending “Heart of the Hedgehog” on both a cool action beat and a nice emotional moment.

Artwork wise, Sam Maxwell contributes some of his most disciplined work yet. He leaves a lot of his abstract style behind, the characters having clear designs that stay within. Instead, he adds more details to the characters and backgrounds. The shots of Sonic leaping around the flowing lava are especially memorable. The action scenes have an awesome speed and energy to them. His facial expressions are pretty great too, especially Metal Sonic’s visible aggravation as he pushes back the walls of lava.

The back-up story, meanwhile, continues to function under the mistaken belief that people give a shit about Monkey Khan. After being locked up by Robotnik, the mechanical tyrant attempts to regain control of Khan. He easily escapes, wrecks Eggman’s forces, and destroys his factory. That’s because Frank Strom refuses to actually challenge his pet character. Khan escapes because of a shitty deus ex machina, his power ring headband protecting him. He mocks and destroys Robotnik’s Shadow-Bots with ease, before tricking them into blowing up the base. In other words, a stupid side character easily defeats the main villain, mostly because of how innately awesome he is. That’s not how you build dramatic tension, Frank.

In addition to the ridiculously thin and shitty script, there’s a pretty huge continuity error at the center of “Against the Haunted Past.” Robotnik keeps going on about how he made Monkey Khan, how angry he is that he escaped… Except this Robotnik - Robo-Robotnik or Eggman or whatever you prefer to call him - didn’t make or imprison Monkey Khan. That’s just another example of Strom’s shoddy writing.

His script is full of corny clichés and ridiculous dialogue. The following lines of dialogue are deployed: “Good Gravy!” “I eat guys like this for breakfast!” “That’s my cue to vamoose!” In-between the unstoppable hero humiliating the main villain and Strom’s utterly inane dialogue, his Monkey Khan stories continue to play like amateur fan fiction.

“Heart of the Hedgehog” is only a brief two-parter near the beginning of a long, not-great period in the comic’s history. Yet fans remember this one well. Metal Sonic v2.5 would prove to be such a fan hit, that the character would return as a hero. Granted, it would be 151 issues and a major writer change before that happened but still. Even when paired with some typically shitty Monkey Khan stories, “Heart of the Hedgehog” is a damn good story arc, combining character, action, and heart to great effect. [8/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 86

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 86
Publication Date: July 2000

At first, it seems like an editorial oversight. Two months in a row, Sonic would fight a robotic double of himself. You’d think Archie must have planned things out badly but it seems like this was a very deliberate move. The cover for issue 86 even comments on the similarities between the two stories. Maybe it was the new guy’s fault. A two-parter would begin in issue 86, written by Danny Fingeroth, who never penned a story arc for the book before or after. Fingeroth ends up making the established guys look bad. The concept between 85 and 86 might be similar but this one tells the same story much better.

Following the plane crash at the end of last month’s issue, Sonic and Tails head out into the near-by forest, looking for supplies. The two banter playfully, Sonic using this time as a training opportunity for Tails. While looking for firewood, the fox disappears. Afterwards, the original Metal Sonic, who has rebuilt his body into a more fearsome form, shows up. The robot has captured Tails, placing him in a death trap. If Sonic wants to see his sidekick alive again, he’ll have to play Metal Sonic’s twisted game, battling his metallic double once more.

Issue 85’s fight between Sonic and Silver Sonic II made some facile attempts to add emotional footing to the story. Ultimately though, it didn’t work and we didn’t care. Fingeroth’s “Heart of the Hedgehog” immediately adds some grounding to the plot. He begins the issue by focusing on Sonic and Tails’ friendship. We return to the fact that, even though they’re brothers in arms by this point, Tails still looks up to Sonic. The fox is still younger, uncertain of his abilities. After a strong wind blows him to the ground, Sonic reassures the kid, saying that he’s still learning but has long since proven himself. It shows that Sonic and Tails are good people but slightly flawed. There’s been so much shifting and changing in the series’ universe lately. It’s very refreshing to pause and get a genuine interaction between two main characters.

Fingeroth just doesn’t do the emotional stuff better. He does the goofy, comic book stuff better too. Last month’s Silver Sonic II, for some reason, had an irritating surfer dude personality. Metal Sonic’s revised form is also a campy comic book villain. He taunts Sonic, making grand proclamations about his fleshy counterpart’s inferiority. He brings us their prior fights, making it clear that this is a quest of revenge for him. Considering Metal Sonic’s previous appearances had him as a mindless droid, designed only to destroy Sonic, giving him an actual personality makes him a better villain. (His updated form, with comes with a boatload of new accessories and weapons, is also pretty cool.)

Issue 86 tops the previous one in another way too. Last month’s fight between Sonic and Silver Sonic was deeply underwhelming, the hedgehog never appearing to be in real danger and easily defeating his opponent. Metal Sonic v2.5, meanwhile, keeps the hero on the ropes the entire time. He outruns him, nearly zaps him several times, snares him with a grappling hook, tosses him around, and pins him to a cliff side with a giant clamp. At that point, he easily could’ve killed the flesh and blood Sonic. Being a comic book supervillain, he decides to toy with him instead. This is how you raise dramatic tension, you guys.

Metal Sonic doesn't just want to destroy Sonic, you see. He wants to break his heart. So “Heart of the Hedgehog” ends on a hell of a cliffhanger. Tails is tethered to the caldera of a ready-to-erupt volcano. The bad guy gives the hedgehog a chance to rescue his friend, allowing him to run to the mountain top. Of course, it’s all just a ploy, Metal Sonic whacking the hedgehog into unconsciousness the first chance he gets. At that point, the issue ends, the reader wanting more.

The artwork is pretty good too, especially compared to Ron Lim’s hatchet work last time. Sam Maxwell returns to penciling duties. I’m not sure if Maxwell’s abilities are growing or if he got a different colorist. His style is a little less abstract, Sonic and Tails gaining more details. However, Maxwell hasn’t loss the kinetic energy that previously characterized his work. The action scenes between Sonic and Metal Sonic play out from unexpected angles, with a clearly defined motion. I also really like Metal Sonic v2.5’s design, which is both streamlined and bulky, while being different from previous version of the characters.

The back-up story, meanwhile, is steep drop in quality from the cover version. “Against the Haunted Past” begins ten years ago, with a terribly drawn Robotnik and Snively plotting behind King Acorn’s back. We then cut to… Oh no. Monkey Khan is back! That’s right, “Against the Haunted Past” is Monkey Khan’s origin story. Frank Strom explains how the simian blowhard, and his entire race, was captured by Robotnik. He attempted to transform all of the apes into super cyborg warriors but only Khan was strong enough to survive. He also proved too strong to control. The final page reveals the story as an extended flashback. While Monkey Khan is pined to a slab, starred down by the new Eggman, I guess he got a little nostalgic.

Jesus Christ, it’s bad. Let’s get the obvious out of the way. Frank Strom’s artwork is fucking hideous. His drawing abilities have actually gotten worst, somehow. Monkey Khan and his family look nearly identical. Robotnik and Snively are deeply off-model. Everyone’s proportions shift from panel to panel. The action is stiff and uninspired.

The story is no better. Khan’s dad dryly delivers exposition while talking to his boy. The dialogue between Khan and his brothers is painful, circular, and borderline incoherent. Strom writes his pet character as even more of an unstoppable bad ass. Khan is the only person strong enough to survive the cyborg-ing process. He gets his upgrade, takes out a fleet of Overlander tanks, and then turns on Robotnik. Because he’s super tough and principled. I’m surprised Strom allows Khan to be captured by Robotnik at the end. Why doesn’t Strom’s precious baby kill the bad guy, fuck the princess, and take over the world? It’s clearly what the author wants. (Oh, and it’s a two-parter too so expect more of this shit next time.)

A crappy back-up story isn’t enough to ruin a pretty great cover story. I wish Archie’s creative team could balance heart, action, and suspense like this more often. [8/10]