Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Free Comic Book Day 2022
Publication Date: May 7th, 2022
It's easy to see why the "Sonic the Hedgehog" comic series has been a semi-regular participant in Free Comic Book Day since 2007. Free Comic Book Day is a way for comic companies to promote their product and attract new audiences. (As well as drawing new business to small local comic shops.) "Sonic" has appeared across numerous medias, so it's a well-known franchise that can grab the attention of folks who maybe don't otherwise read comic books. "Sonic" is also popular with kids, exactly the audience that can be transformed into life-long fans (and buyers) of the medium with just a single book. So I was not surprised when IDW continued Archie's tradition of including a "Sonic" book in all the FCBD goodies.
What did surprise me is that Free Comic Book Day is in its traditional homelands of May this year, after COVID related shenanigans had it moving to April last year. I went on vacation last week – Universal Studios was fun, by the way – and wasn't reminded that FCBD had been the weekend I left until later in the week. So here I am playing catch-up, like I too often am doing. That's also why I'll have a review of the final issue of "Imposter Syndrome" next time.
Anyway, "Sonic's" 2022 FCBD issue contains mostly new content in the form of two stories. The first of which is called "Deep Trouble." It involves Knuckles calling Sonic and Tails to Angel Island. While the guardian is still crabby about the Metal Virus endangering his home, he concedes he needs the duo's help on this new mystery. There's been strange earthquakes throughout the Marble Garden Zone and the echidna isn't sure what do make of it. As the trio explores further, they soon uncover the responsible party: Eggman, in a fancy drilling machine.
One of the more common criticisms I've heard of IDW's "Sonic" stuff has been the lack of appearances of a certain character. Presumably because Sega mandates insist he constantly be chained to the Master Emerald, or weariness over comics using the echidna after the whole Ken Penders debacle, Knuckles hasn't had as big of a role in these comics as many fans would like. Flynn's best reasoning for this has been to write Knuckles as an isolationist, fanatically devoted to his job and resentful of the rest of the world for endangering his beloved island. I find this whole ordeal kind of lame but "Deep Trouble" at least rolls with it in as annoyance-free a manner as possible. Knuckles is still grumpy about the Zombot outbreak but he's willing to put all that aside when he needs a little help from his friends.
Ultimately, "Deep Trouble" is really kind of a nothing story. Sonic and Tails show up on Angel Island and Knuckles tells them about a problem. They immediately run into the source of that problem and, within the span of five quick pages, defeat it. You get the impression that not a lot of time or resources are allocated for these Free Comic Book Day issues. (After all, Archie frequently would just throw some reprints together for the day.) I imagine Flynn wrote this whole story in an afternoon and didn't out too much thought into it. Perhaps realizing how thin the gruel is, the author at least enlivens the proceedings with a little witty banter. Stern and serious Knuckles and flippant Sonic, as always, make ideal foils for each other. The hedgehog and Tails prattle a little about how to pronounce the name of "Sonic 3's" second zone. Eggman and the good guys trade some amusing quips. It's not a lot but it at least makes a story that doesn't amount to much more than "Sonic and friends find Eggman and then beat him" worth reading.
And this brief little story May gave us a preview of what the comic could get up to once its current story arc is resolved. We are told a little bit about what Knuckles has been up to in the nineteen months since he last appeared in the comic. He's been scouring Angel Island for any remaining trace of the Metal Virus and has, along the way, discovered numerous hidden passageways and secret spaces on the island. His dialogue reemphasizes that there's still a lot of mysteries surrounding the island. Is this a suggestion that Sega is finally allowing Flynn and the gang to flesh out the backstory of Knuckles' home land a little bit? Or is it just a tease for information that the company will never allow the book to elaborate on, least it disrupt Knuckles' status as a vaguely defined corporate mascot? I guess we'll found out eventually. Either way, I'm intrigued by the bread crumbs left here.
If I have any complaint about this story, aside from it being short and simple, is that Eggman goes down like a little bitch. When exactly this story is set isn't specified. Obviously, it's some point after the end of the Metal Virus Saga and presumably a bit before the current storyline the comic is wrapped up in. I suspect the story might be set slightly after "Recovery," that period in the comic when Eggman clearly had no idea what he was doing. He says he's drilling on Angel Island for precious materials of some sort. (Maybe to help build whatever the thing in the "Test Run" arc was.) All Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles have to do is whack his EggMobile a couple of times, Swiss cheesing his armor, before the villain flies off with his tail between his legs. I guess this is what happens at the end of every stage in the Genesis games but it doesn't deflect the perception of Eggman as an aimless, incompetent supervillain.
The script being simple isn't the only sign that this issue was maybe rushed out. Bracardi Curry does the artwork here. Curry's work is usually of a pretty high quality. And it's not bad here either. But it is slightly looser than his pencils usually are. The expressions are a little cartoonier. The body language is a bit more exaggerated. I don't mind any of this stuff and it's a fun-looking story. A panel of Eggman looking all stretched out while stressing in his cockpit is notable. But it's also a little goofier, a little less studied and fleshed out, than the art usually is in this comic. I get the impression that there just wasn't time for Curry to do a second pass on these pages.
As in last year's "Sonic" Free Comic Book Day edition, the second story here isn't really much of a story. "Prelude to Disaster" is, instead, basically a clip show. It's just a short summation of the book's first four years worth of stories. It runs us quickly through the Metal Sonic takeover, the Zombot outbreak, the "Bad Guys" mini-series, and the run-up to the current "Imposter Syndrome" arc. At the very least, the story is not just a primer for any novices picking up an IDW "Sonic" comic for the first time. It is framed as a conversation – or maybe more of a monologue – from Starline to Surge and Kit. Occasionally, Surge will pipe in with some smart-ass comment or Kit will stutter through a line. It's still a glorified recap. There's no new art here, as far as I can tell, but at least some attempt was made to make this more than just an advertisement for IDW's various collection of back issues.
Though there are literally several advertisements for collections in this comic book. Including one seemingly thrown together to cash in on the second "Sonic" movie, devoted to stories focusing on Sonic and Tails' friendship. Also, in the fan art section, there's a pretty cool Belle custom action figure. As for 2022's FCBD issue, it's pretty inessential. I would've preferred another cute Classic Sonic story like last year. But this is an inoffensive comic with one or two cute moments, even if it's clearly pitched at newcomers. [6/10]
