Sonic Super Special: Issue 6 – Sonic #50 Director’s Cut

Sonic Super Special: Issue 6 – Sonic #50 Director’s Cut
Publication Date: July 1998

When the final part of the “Endgame” saga was originally published, it arrived on comic store shelves in a compromised form. Originally, “Endgame” was going to conclude with a double-stuffed issue. However, that didn’t happened, forcing the final product to loose about half its pages. I went over all of this in my review of Issue 50. Either luckily or unluckily, depending on how you feel about “Endgame,” the extended version of issue 50 was published as the sixth Sonic Super Special. Incorrectly called “The Director’s Cut” on the cover – “Extended Cut,” “Writer’s Cut” or just “Uncut” would all be more accurate – the issue reprints the final part of “Endgame” the way it was meant to be seen.

Plot wise, “For Whom the Bell Tolls” runs the same as issue 50’s “The Big Goodbye.” Robotnik plans to activate the Ultimate Annihilator, wiping Knothole Village off the map. In Downunda, the local Freedom Fighters help Bunnie and Antoine escape. As they make it back to Mobotropolis, they tamper with Robotnik’s doomsday machine. Sonic’s tense confrontation on the Floating Island with Geoffrey St. John and Knuckles is cut short by Dulcy’s reappearance. Assuring them that he’s telling the truth, they head to Knothole and kick some ass. Afterwards, Sonic races towards Robotropolis, having his final showdown with Ivo Robotnik.

Issue 50 – a book I like – had a lot of problems. The Director’s Cut, unfortunately, only clears up some of Penders’ typically messy plotting. That bullshit about dragon’s being able to detect truth is still intact. Sonic and Knuckles still liberate Knothole in only two pages. Antoine and Bunnie still arrive in Robotropolis far too quickly. Lastly, that bordering-on-incoherent resolution is intact. All that business about Dr. Quack betraying the king and Knothole slipping into a pocket dimension three hours in the future? Yeah, still there. It’s a tad sad to realize these plot holes weren’t the result of missing pages. Turns out the writers are just fond of bullshit story turns.

The extended version does clear up two minor plot holes. Now, we see the Downunda Freedom Fighters escape Crocbot’s prison. We see Bunnie and Antoine sneak aboard the transport ship. That’s nice, since the published version just had us assume that happened. (These segments, happily, only reuse some artwork from “Down and Out in Downunda,” the flashback heavy story published in Sonic Super Special Issue 4.) Another plot hole clarified is the destruction of Knothole. Instead of that happening off-screen, Sonic now sees it with his own eyes. That makes the brutal fight that follows between the hedgehog and the robotic dictator seem more reasonable.

So if it doesn’t resolve the reader’s confusion, why does the long version add to “Endgame?” About sixteen pages. Early on, we see Robotnik execute a fellow Overlander, someone he knew from the first Great War. Other than showing just how ruthless Robotnik is, and displaying how effective the Ultimate Annihilator is as ultimately annihilating things, those two pages don’t add much. About four pages are devoted to the events in Downunda, with some nicely gritty artwork from Nelson Ortega. Later on, a whole heaping set of pages have Bunnie and Antoine explaining their plan to Sonic. I’m not exactly sure that adds too much to the story. Essentially, the plot gets garbled enough that characters have to stop what they’re doing and explain what’s going on. That’s never good.

However, there are a few additions I like. The most important one shows Hershey getting her revenge on Drago. In #50 as originally published, a small rock tossed at his head is enough to bring the sleazy wolf down. Here, Hershey beats the ever-loving crap out of him. She scratches him across the face, knees in hard in the groin, pounces on him, punches him a bunch, and nearly crushes his head with a big ass rock. This makes Drago look like less of a light-weight. Considering what a scum bag he is, it’s also pretty satisfying. It doesn’t make up for Hershey being such a weak character but it’s cathartic for the reader.

The fight between Sonic and Robotnik goes on a little longer. I’m not sure who did the artwork for these new pages. It might be Steven Butler and, if it is, he might be having an off-day. Either way, Sonic is super angry and scatters some more SWATBots. I’m a fan of Angry Sonic and wish we saw him more often. At the conclusion of the fight, after both hedgehog and huge ass slip into the Ultimate Annihilator, there’s a one-page pencil spread of the two locked in combat, provided by Spaz. That’s cool. The page of blank whiteness that follows is unnecessary. Still, it does make a big fight seem a little more big. Lastly, a splash page of Sonic and the resurrected Sally locking lips, beautifully rendered by Art Mawhinney, is added near the end. You know I’m a die hard Sonic/Sally guy, so it’s satisfying to see them finally lock lips after so long. Especially since we know it’ll never happen again.

Normally, I’d ask if the quote-unquote “director’s” cut of Issue 50 is worth picking up for anybody but die-hard Sonic fanatics. Archie has answered that question for me though. This is the version of the story included in all future reprints. The extended version of “Endgame” has essentially replaced the original cut. Truthfully, it’s only a marginal improvement. The shorter cut, which I spent far more time thumbing over as a kid, is probably the version I’ll always prefer. As far as unnecessary director’s cuts go, this is slightly less useless than the “Donnie Darko” director’s cut. In other words: Still flawed, still satisfying. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 50

 
Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 50
Publication Date: June 1997

To most long running comic series, fifty issues probably doesn’t seem like that big of a milestone. When you look at the superhero comics that have been running, in one form or another, since the thirties, five years probably isn’t that impressive. If the interviews I’ve read with many of the writers on Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” book are any indication, nobody expected “Sonic” to run for more then a few years, at most. Most licensed books burn out before even hitting thirty. Nobody knew that “Sonic” would still be running nineteen years later, quickly approaching its three-hundredth issue. This is why issue 50 has that number printed in big bold letters on the front cover. It’s why Archie marched out some spiffy, quasi-CGI looking graphics for Spaz’ cover. And it’s why the comic’s writers planned the epic “Endgame” story arc, which could’ve effectively acted as the comic’s final story, to conclude here.

After a brief flashback showing how Julian Kintobor came to stay with the Kingdom of Acorn, the story picks up where it left off. Sonic, Knuckles, and Geoffrey St. John are having a Mexican standoff on the Floating Island. After some more in-fighting, Dulcy proclaims that Sonic is innocent. Everyone else seemingly being aware that dragons can detect truthiness, the heroes march off for Knothole. Quickly freeing them from Robotnik’s occupation, Sonic spots Hershey beating the crap out of Drago. Sonic marches off to Robotropolis, taking the fight to Robotnik. He arrives just in time for the tyrant to activate the Ultimate Annihilator, the weapon that will wipe out Knothole and the Freedom Fighters once and for all.

In its originally published form, “The Big Goodbye” was a somewhat compromised affair. Ken Penders had originally envisioned the story as double-length, running 48 pages long. At the last minute, Archie brass informed him that the tale would be running at the regular length, forcing Ken to quickly abbreviate the script. (The extended, original cut would eventually be published as the sixth Super Sonic Special.) As a result, lots of the story’s background events where cut out and a few genuine plot holes were created. In its published form, we don’t see how Antoine and Bunnie escape Crocbot’s prison in Downunda. We’re left to assume that the Downunda Freedom Fighters successfully escape, Bunnie and Antoine sneaking aboard the ship heading back to Robotropolis. Sonic, Knuckles, and Geoffrey seemingly push back Robotnik’s take-over of Knothole in the span of two pages. In the last act, Sonic says he saw Knothole be destroyed by the Ultimate Annihilator. The reader is left with no idea what he’s talking about, as this event occurs totally off-panel.

If only that was the story’s only problem. Some of the awkward script decisions from the last issue are carried over to this one. After the action-packed conclusion, we are treated to two and a half pages of exposition. First, Rotor explains that Knothole wasn’t destroyed. The effects of the Ultimate Annihilator, damaged during Sonic and Robotnik’s fight, caused the village to shift three hours into the future. This is an awkward, random-ass explanation. Dr. Quack then explains how Robotnik tracked Knothole’s location down, after detecting a signal from Quack’s Dream Machine in Issue 43. In extended detail, he goes on about how the villain abducted the king, replacing him with a robotic double, and blackmailed Quack into assisting him. Somehow, Quack overheard that Snively had sabotaged the weapon so that it would only target Robotnik’s molecular structure. In other words, the Ultimate Annihilator was never a threat to Knothole. Gee whiz, Ken, was that the most elegant way to handle all that?

Inside all this contrived insanity beats the heart of a really good story. Sonic and the reinforcements dropping back into Knothole is a truly triumphant moment. The heroes come back from the edge of oblivion to surge forward and kick some major ass. Following this, Sonic catches Hershey conking Drago on the head, talking about how she was duped. Sonic, his face scrunched up in anger, grumbles out that “We were all duped.” He marches into Robotropolis. He races up to Robotnik’s head-quarters. He tears through the robotic guards, easily avoids the traps, and quickly disposes of Snively.

At this point, the hero and the villain have their final confrontation. Sonic and Robotnik battle in the dictator’s control room. He dodges Robotnik’s laser blasts while the rotund mad scientist uses the cramped room to toss Sonic around. They trade powerful punches. Sonic leaps around the dissolving room, the Ultimate Annihilator taking affect. Sonic doesn’t make any goofy quips. There’s no light-hearted smiles. Sonic has lost everything he cares about while Robotnik is close to his ultimate victory. This is a fight to the death, both combatants letting loose all the pent-up anger they’ve ever felt. Neither cares much about their own safety, as long as the other dies. For long time Sonic fans, this is as epic as can be.

After that extended epilogue full of exposition, “Endgame” pauses to resolve its most important plot point. Least we forget, this story started with Princess Sally taking a big dive off the side of a tall building. Sally’s death would only make Robotnik’s defeat a Pyrrhic victory at best. I’m not a fan of the Comic Book Death, where a character seemingly dies only to return to life later on. Ken’s first plan to revive Sally was originally far more sinister. Sally was going to remain dead while another Auto-Automaton took her place, Sonic only discovering later that his girlfriend had been replaced by a robot. Sega vetoed this plan, hoping to use Sally in future merchandising. (As far as I can tell, this amounted to a puppet musical in a crappy Australian amusement park nobody remembers.) Thus, Sally is revealed to have not died from her fall. Instead, she’s was merely very nearly dead. Dr. Quack hid the truth and stuck her body in a stasis tube, disguised as a memorial. It’s definitely a cheat and a huge one too, especially since this is the first we’ve heard of said stasis tube. The emotional impact of Sally’s apparent death in issue 47 is voided.

 
And yet it almost doesn’t matter. After hearing that Sally isn’t really dead, Sonic races over to her memorial/stasis tube. He opens the door and leans into her still body. He kisses her and whispers that he wishes she’ll come back. Naturally, Sally awakens just then. The two embrace. All is well. The heroes have triumphed, the bad guy is dead, and the lovers are reunited. I’m not made of stone, you motherfuckers. As a life-long Sonic fan, and a nearly as life-long Sonic/Sally shipper, this stuff gets straight to my heart.

Since 50 was the pay-off on five years of storytelling, Archie decided to invite all the series’ major writers and artists to work on the landmark book. Thus, issue 50 shifts artists and writers every few pages. As you’d expect, this does not lead to an especially collected read. Spaz beautifully illustrates Robotnik’s opening flashback, Sonic and the fat man’s final confrontation, and the final page, contributing dynamic and powerful pencils. Manny Galan does a good job illustrating the fight on the Floating Island. Nelson Ortega does better then his last time at bat, Robotnik’s villainous shouting and Knuckles dive into Knothole looking pretty good. Sam Maxwell contributes a fantastic middle-of-the-book spread of the heroes wrecking some SWATBots. His later work, of Sonic running into Robotnik’s lair, is a bit incoherent though.

Art Mawhinney handles the epilogue and Sonic and Sally’s reunion. Considering emotion has always been his strength, it’s a good choice. Even Dave Manak’s work isn’t too bad, as his cartoon exaggeration works well for how pissed off Sonic and Hershey are on those pages. Only Ken Penders’ pencils stick out as bad. His shots of Sonic running look incredibly static. Was switching between artists a good idea? Probably not but at least most everyone is at the top of their game.

(The switch between writers – which includes Penders, Mike Gallagher, Scott Fulop and the debut of future head writer Karl Bollers – is less noticeable. You can mostly guess who's writing what by how cocky Sonic is acting. I bet everyone was mostly sticking to Ken’s outline here.)

“Endgame” remains controversial among Sonic aficionados. Some people hate the whole damn thing for toying with fans’ emotions. Other despise it out of residual Penders hatred. Others love the story arc, considering it the most epic story ever told in the “Sonic” book. Obviously, it leaves me with a lot to talk about, seeing as how I’ve rambled on about issue 50 for 1447 words now. In my opinion, the story starts off extremely strong, handling an emotional topic in an appropriately heavy way. Its plot ends up eating itself midway through, the contrivances quickly piling up. Still, “Endgame” delivers some incredibly satisfying, awesome moments. (And issue 50 is improved in its extended version.) While Penders and pals stumble a bit with the details, he still successfully delivered an epic conclusion to the book’s first five years. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 49

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 49
Publication Date: May 1997

The first two parts of “Endgame” were fairly solid comic books, doing a good job of balancing emotion, action, and intrigue. The stakes had been steadily rising in the book for a while, all leading up to this four part story arc with the highest stakes yet. Princess Sally is dead! Sonic the Hedgehog is wrongfully accused! Robotnik is in Knothole! Antoine and Bunnie are captured! Drago just smacked his girlfriend in the mouth! In the third volume, Ken Penders would partner with Mike Gallagher, a writer that usually handles goofier stories, though has done well outside his comfort zone before. I’m not sure if Gallagher’s influence is to blame or if Ken’s plot just rolled over itself, but issue 49 is the weakest part of the arc thus far.

Picking up where we left off, Sonic is making a dramatic dive over a waterfall. Too weak to perform his Figure 8 Maneuver and hover to safety, he instead tries another ridiculous plan. He pulls dirt out of his sneakers, tosses it into the air, and uses it as a bridge to run to safety. Afterwards, St. John and his men take the long way around to catch up with him. Using a previously undisclosed ability, Sonic summons Dulcy, who carries him to the Floating Island for some reason. Sonic is unaware that St. John is tracking him though and the skunk ambushes him as soon as he arrives. Meanwhile, Robotnik asserts his control over Knothole while Antoine and Bunnie get acquainted with their prison cells in Downunda.

You’ll notice that plot description has the writers’ pulling a lot of crazy events out of their asses. Since this is a book starring cartoon animals, we’re willing to suspend disbelief for a while. It’s why Vector blowing out a forest fire with his headphones didn’t faze me. However, Sonic’s dramatic escape here really pushes into the ridiculous. I know the hedgehog is fast but him taking off his shoes, yanking a handful of mud out, tossing it into the air, and using his speed to run across it… All within the seconds it would take him to fall? Come on. That’s not the last startling development yanked out of thin air. A few pages later, Sonic summons Dulcy with a whistle that only dragons can hear, which he performs by vibrating his lungs at super-sonic speed. Dulcy immediately recognizes Sonic didn’t murder Sally because dragons can innately sense the truth. Gee, you’d think either of these abilities would’ve come up before hand at some point.

These shenanigans continues elsewhere in the book. In Knothole, Robotnik reveals that the King Max that invited him in with open arms is an Auto-Automaton, surprising absolutely none of the readers. Next, we learn that the real King Acorn has been kept in a secret location. Robotnik captured Dr. Quack’s family and had been blackmailing him into going along with this scheme. I guess that makes the duck the traitor, doesn’t it? Next come the reveal about who actually murdered Princess Sally. Drago coerces Hershey into cutting the rope while wearing a full-body Sonic suit. She thought she was murdering Snively because… dun dun DUN DUN! …the lens in the mask make everyone look like Snively. This makes Hershey look incredibly stupid, as you’d think she would have asked why she had to wear a Sonic costume for this mission in the first place. It’s some incredibly awkward, circular plotting and does the story a disadvantage.

Another problem arises in how over the map this comic is. Our emotions lie with Sonic’s escape and St. John pursuing him. That’s what really matters. Perhaps in hopes of making the story arc more epic, the script stretches to include other characters. Antoine and Bunnie are relocated to Downunda within minutes, it seems. There, they are thrown in a prison cell with Walt Wallaby and Barby Koala, of the Downunda Freedom Fighters. There’s actually some cute dialogue here between Antoine and Bunnie. It’s also nice to see the underutilized Walt and Barby again.

 
However, the story stomps all over this by bluntly reintroducing Crocbot. Instead of focusing on what’s important, the plot pauses for an entire page so Crocbot can explain how he survived his drop into the crater at the end of the “Tails” mini-series. (Mostly, this plot development seems to have happened so that Crocbot in the comic would more closely resemble how Spaz drew him on the covers of that mini-series.) Meanwhile, Sonic has Dulcy take him to the Floating Island for… Some reason? Upon landing, he immediately gets into a scrap with Knuckles. You’d think the hedgehog would realize slightly more important things are going on.

The book also continues to slide into darker territory here. We see Drago actually smack Hershey in the mouth, on-page this time. Robotnik directly threatens to murder everyone in Knothole, after exploding the robotic King Acorn. While in Downunda, Crocbot boasts about torturing the captured Downunda Freedom Fighters for his own sadistic amusement. Murder, blackmail, betrayal, death threats, torture… Gee, this shit got heavy. I’m not actually complaining, as I’m one of those assholes who have always wanted to see the book handle darker material. Yet, considering just four issues ago we had a wacky story about a caveman and gorillas, it’s a bit of a tonal whiplash.

Though the plot here is a bit of a mess, the book does have a saving grace. Sam Maxwell, last seen in the “Battle Royal” one-shot, contributes pencils again. Maxwell’s work is less abstract and experimental then what we saw in that book. The characters are a little more solid though no less expressive. What he maintains is an incredible sense of energy. Say what you will about the halting script but the drawings on the page still seem to move. Maxwell is also all for staging pages in dramatic manners. His impressive angle, including close-ups and turns, greatly help the book out.

With a mountain of absurd plot twist and a story bending in too many directions, “Endgame” stumbles a bit in its third chapter. Will things even out in time for the conclusion? I guess we’ll find out next time on “Hedgehogs Can’t Swim!” [6/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 48

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 48
Publication Date: April 1997

A while ago, Cracked.com published a listicle about surprisingly dark or weird comic book adaptations of beloved children’s properties. Included within was an entry about Archie’s “Sonic” comic, describing Sonic’s life as full of death and depression. (This was before the Sega-fied reboot stripped all the grit out of the book.) While it’s true that the comic has always been willing to address concepts most other Sonic media is too wimpy to regard, the book isn’t usually that dark. Except for a brief, four month period in 1997, when Sonic was framed for the murder of his girlfriend and on the run from his own allies. The second part of “Endgame,” “Sonic the Fugitive,” announces its serious intentions with that moody, dark cover, showing Sonic fleeing into a darkened, damp cave, still in shackles.

The story begins with Sonic in-route to Devil’s Gulag, the inescapable hellhole where enemies of the Acorn Empire are sent to rot. During the trip, the plane is shot down by SWATBots. Sonic makes an escape, pursued by Geoffrey St. John. Soon, the two meet in a cave, fighting to the death. In Knothole, Uncle Chuck declares his nephew’s innocence, while Antoine and Bunnie investigate what’s up with Drago.  

Issue 48 does a number of important things. The first scene, of Sonic being led to the plane while announcing his innocence, sets the tone. While in-route, Sleuth Doggy Dawg – a character we can never forget actually existed – busts his chops. Upon crash-landing, Penders’ slightly overwrought narration emphasizes that this is no joke. Sonic is silent and determined, cutting through the robots with anger, as if his confusion and rage over the situation has finally exploded out. While hiding in a cave, the day’s events leads him to an exhausted sleep.

The fight between Sonic and St. John is especially brutal. This is the culmination of the rivalry that has been building up between the two. They scuffle in the caves for a few pages, the action frequently speaking for itself. The climax of the comic truly comes when St. John screams “You killed the woman I love!” Sonic’s equally passionate response “You only love yourself! I loved her!” truly establishes how serious this situation is. It’s powerful enough that the book ending on a cheesy reference to “The Fugitive” – though St. John thankfully doesn’t shout “I don’t care!” – is forgiven.

Compared to the hard-hitting emotional blows seen in issue 47, “Sonic the Fugitive” is much lighter. Not to say it doesn’t try. There’s a spectacular one-page spread devoted to the Freedom Fighters responding to the tragedy of their friend’s death and the apparent betrayal of their greatest hero. Tails wails in confusion, incapable of correlating his best friend with the man who murdered the Princess. Uncle Chuck fumes in denial, smoke literally shooting from his ears, determined to clear Sonic’s name. Rotor screams in rage at Sonic’s betrayal. Bunnie and Antoine both seem uncertain what to think. Dulcy enters late, weeping and babbling uncontrollably. Rosie does her best to soothe everyone. (Amy Rose is there but silent, perhaps too shocked to speak.) Issue 48 doesn’t focus on this emotion more, instead focusing on the machination of the plot. However, the brief pause to gauge everyone’s reaction is deeply appreciated.

After executing a daring plot, Penders and his co-conspirators are already working on undoing it. We see Drago talking to the King, neither seeming trust-worthy. King Max seems all too happy to track down and exterminate Sonic. Several panels are devoted to Uncle Chuck’s determination to seek out the truth of the situation. Only Antoine and Bunnie can see pass their grief and realize that something unusual is happening. They spy on Drago as he flatly explains to Hershey that they’re in cahoots with Robotnik’s scheme. It’s a moment that concludes with an army of SWATBots dragging Antoine and Bunnie off to someplace Downunda.

As routine as this moment is, it’s saved by a sequence that definitively establishes what an asshole Drago is. Though we don’t see it on the page, it’s obvious he physically beats Hershey. Afterwards, he verbally berates her for refusing to own up to her part in this plan, making it clear this wasn’t Hershey’s idea. Dudes’s a traitor, a manipulator, and an abuser. If Archie’s goal was to create the most repugnant character in the franchise’s history, they succeeded.

Issue 48 tries to end with a huge shock. King Acorn calls a meeting in Knothole, where he flatly announces that Dr. Robotnik has been reappointed to the position of Warlord. The villain makes his grand entrance, smashes Uncle Chuck and Muttski’s heads together, and blasts Rotor’s cannon out of his hands. This should be a shocking moment almost on par with Sally’s death. Over the last 47 issues, Robotnik’s final goal – his endgame, if you will – has been to locate Knothole Village and stomp out the rebellion once and for all. (Truthfully, the book has gone to some hugely contrived lengths to prevent this from happening much sooner.) This also reveals that King Acorn is either directly under Robotnik’s control or is an Auto-Automaton. The latter reveal probably would have been more shocking if we hadn’t guessed it two issues ago. Robotnik marching into Knothole could’ve been more effective but that’s not where our hearts at. It’s with the Freedom Fighters morning their Princess’ death and Sonic’s struggle in the cave.

Despite maybe spreading itself too thin, “Sonic the Fugitive” is still a story that moves. Part of that success if owed to Manny Galan’s artwork. Though it took a while, Galan has finally grown into a worthy Sonic artist. The morning Freedom Fighters or Sonic’s rage are beautifully expressed. This book features some incredibly clear, impactful action. Sonic tearing through the SWATBot or his struggle with Geoffrey has a grit and brutal energy rarely seen in this book. I also love the way he draws Hershey. Though a newly introduced character, he immediately establishes her as a vulnerable person just with her body language. Though Mawhinney is my all-time favorite Sonic artist, his work is also kind of cute. Maybe Galan, who brings a more earthy quality to the page, was better suited to this story.

The plot is starting to get in the way but “Endgame” is still a story arc full of emotion with some incredibly raw action. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 47

 
Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 47
Publication Date: March 1997

In a lengthy interview with Ken Penders conducted in 1998, the writer said that, after the cancellations of the two cartoons that inspired the “Sonic the Hedgehog” comic book, he realized the book would have to change in order to survive. He wanted the comic to cut ties with the animated series. In order to achieve this, Penders decided on an incredibly controversial idea. Princess Sally Acorn would die. Fans, needless to say, were outraged. The fandom was split between people who loved the character and those that always wished to see her go. The reaction seems a little more overblown now, eighteen years later, when the comic is still being published and Sally is still a core member of the cast. The “Endgame” story arc, published in the ramp-up to issue 50, remains controversial among fans, equally beloved and hated. Whatever your opinion of the story arc is, it certainly accomplished Penders’ goal of shaking up the universe.

 
“Endgame Part 1: Taking the Fall” begins like any ordinary Sonic comic. Sonic and Sally scale one of Robotnik’s skyscrapers, planning to detonate the tyrant’s command center. The two are watched on one side by the Freedom Fighters and by the Wolf Pack on the other. However, Sally is concerned. As seen in “Battle Royal,” her father has miraculously recovered. Moreover, he believes Sonic to be a traitor. The mission serves the dual purpose of flushing out the real traitor and proving Sonic’s innocence. The opposite seemingly happens. While Sally dangles down the side of the building, the Freedom Fighters witness Sonic draw a knife and cut the rope. The Princess falls several stories to the ground and, after being rushed back home to Knothole Village, dies. Sonic, meanwhile, doesn’t know that any of this happened. Upon returning to Knothole, he receives two startling blows. First, he is arrested by Geoffrey St. John. Secondly, he gets the news that Sally is dead and he reportedly committed the murder.

Killing off probably the second most important character in what is basically a children’s comic is a big deal. However you feel about “Endgame,” you can't deny that it contains the most shocking image ever printed in a Sonic comic. As Sonic holds the rope and pulls the knife, the ever-present cocksure smile remains on his face. As he slices the rope, Antoine and Tails watch in aghast horror. An entire page is devoted to Sally plummeting down the building’s side. There’s no dialogue, text balloons, or sound effects on this page. Her eyes widen in confusion and shock. She closes her eyes, preparing for impact. Her body tumbles through an awning before she slams down hard on the ground, the impact resounding loudly in the readers’ minds.

 
Her body remains still and lifeless as her friends watch on, utter shock on their faces. After realizing the truth, Dr. Quack silently shakes his head. Tails falls into Rosie’s arms, both weeping. Rotor’s face is slack with shock. Bunnie slouches with tears in her eyes while Antoine covers his mouth in horror. This is as heavy as a kids’ book can get. The death is unglamorous and the effect is deeply felt by everyone involved. It’s a powerful moment and one the book has rarely equaled.

Unfortunately, Penders lays down too many of his cards too soon. Now we all know that Sally didn’t stay dead. The writer sets up too early that a reveal is coming. After returning to Knothole, we see Drago the Wolf – already established as a shady character – tell his newly introduced girlfriend, Hershey the Cat, that a mission has been successful. During the attack, Robotnik and Snively are far too relaxed. When Sonic is arrested, Robotnik watches on a monitor, laughing and declaring that everything is going according to plan. When Sally’s rope is cut, Sonic is inside having a routine fight with Robotnik. It’s obvious that someone has framed him. I wish the story operated with more ambiguity. Wouldn’t it have been more compelling if Sonic, somehow and unknowingly, seemed to commit the crime he’s accused of? Or would killing off the hero’s love interest and having the hero commit the murder been too much for a children’s book, even this one?

That “Endgame” starts off like a seemingly normal story is emphasized. About the only indicator that something seriously bad will happen (besides, you know, the cover) is that Dr. Quack is tagging along on the mission for some reason. The lead-up is standard, playing out like a normal episode of “SatAM.” Sonic and Sally banter, the two different teams silently observe, Robotnik schemes. After Rotor successfully blows up some auto-guns with the BFG he built in back in issue 44, the heroes celebrate. Even after Sally’s fall, parts of the story continue like normal. Drago cracks a bad pun while blasting SWATBots. Sonic dodges lasers before reflecting the beams back with a mirror. Robotnik makes an almost comical escape. Sonic childishly calls Geoffrey St. John names. If it wasn’t for the startling death of a beloved character happening in the middle of the book, it would seem to be business as usual. The contrast makes the story even more unnerving. Am I giving Ken too much credit or did he do that on purpose?

Despite many new artists coming into the comic in ’96 and ’97, Archie was smart enough to have Art Mawhinney on pencil duties for this one. That Mawhinney’s work so closely resembles the SatAM TV show makes the story’s subversion of that show’s structure even more apparent. His crisp lines, smooth action, and rich detail are all put to good use. However, if it wasn’t for Mawhinney’s incredible talent for facial expression, the story might not work at all. His drawings find the heart of “Endgame,” in the fallow faces of people shocked by the death of their dear friend.

The script isn’t without problems. Aside from revealing too much of the narrative too soon, there’s also some of Penders’ awkward dialogue and a last act that goes on too long. I really don’t think we needed to see Sonic’s sentencing. Just having the cuffs slapped on him and being told he murdered his girlfriend probably would’ve been enough. Still, “Taking the Fall” is an incredibly powerful and upsetting issue of “Sonic the Hedgehog,” showing the emotion and impact this book was capable of. [8/10]