Knuckles the Echidna (Original Mini-Series): Issue 3

 
Knuckles (Original Mini-Series): Issue 3
Publication Date: July 1996

At the beginning of “Rites of Passage: Part Three,” Knuckles the Echidna has his spiked-hands full. Enerjak has turned his friends, the Chaotix, against him. Only with the help of Archimedes can he best them. Soon, the overpowered madman takes the fight directly to the young guardian. Knuckles has to face down his ancestor, even though he knows he isn’t powerful enough to defeat the mighty Enerjak.

A problem all throughout the “Knuckles” mini-series is that it’s main protagonist hasn’t been the one directing the plot. Even in the final issue, other people are pulling Knuckles’ fat out of the fire. Knuckles makes pretty short work of the Chaotix but he probably couldn’t have stopped them without Archimedes’ help. Later, the fire ant helps out again, calling on his insect brothers to sabotage Enerjak’s tower. (That makes this the second time Enerjak has falling for the same trick. So much for all-mighty, huh?) Later, Enerjak is defeated when rocket jets are attached to his tower, launching the madman into outer space. At the end of the comic, we find out that Locke, Knuckles’ dad, arrange this last course of action. The constant attempts to build Knuckles’ dad up as some sort of wise sage just makes his son look incompetent. There’s lots of talk of Knuckles coming into his own as a hero here. Yet, if it wasn’t for other people helping, he would’ve been dead about four times over.

And what about Enerjak? He’s obviously capable of amazing things. He raises a city out of the sand. He’s capable of flight, teleportation, and mind control. Yet Knuckles is still able to psych him out. I think the book is going for something here. That, despite his massive power, Enerjak’s arrogance still makes him easy to outsmart. Maybe. In the last third of the book, Knuckles successfully outthinks the villain out, getting him to discard his massive power and fight him mano-a-mano. Still, considering all of his abilities, Enerjak had lots of opportunities to crush his opponent. Shit, instead of stranding him in the desert, why didn’t he just kill him in the first issue? I mean, I know this is a kid’s book. But, geez. Mobius needs a better class of bad guy.

Penders try to spin these events into character development for Knuckles. And I suppose it is. Throughout the course of the story, he learns to trust Archimedes. That’s a fairly big deal, especially since Knuckles was ready to crush the bug in his first appearance. (And also tried to eat him, least we forget.) The events of the story also seems to bound Knuckles and the Chaotix closer together, though I’m not sure why. Mostly, Knuckles’ most heroic actions come at the end, during his first fight with Enerjak. In some of the best dialogue Penders would ever write, Knuckles lays out passionately why he’s less of an asshole then his great uncle. It’s maybe the only time in the entire mini-series that the hero seems triumphant. 

At least issue three delivers on the action. The battle between Knuckles and the Chaotix features the expected amount of fisticuffs. Really, it probably doesn’t make Knuckles’ teammates feel good to know their boss could easily beat the shit out of them. (Is this how the rest of the Justice League feels about Superman?) This issue also finally lets us see Knuckles and Enerjak fighting it out. Once again, I’m very please that Penders didn’t try to draw this book himself. Art Mawhinney’s pencils makes Knuckles’ scuffle with his great uncle a pretty exciting sight. Lots of pounding, swiping, and punching follows. If you’re just in it for the fighting, the last part of the “Knuckles” mini-series should prove satisfying.

Another problem part three shares with the rest of this series: For two pages, Enerjak flashes back to the circumstances of his origin. I think that’s the second time these events have been recapped in this book? Were the constant flashbacks necessary, Ken? Despite some great Mawhinney art throughout these three issue, the “Knuckles” mini-series is slightly disappointing. Truthfully, the mini-series isn’t even as good as some of the back-up stories that build up to it. It seems Penders is better at creating a mythology then utilizing it. Still, the “Knuckles” mini obviously sold well, because Archie would launch a second Knuckles mini-series early in the next year which would then lead into an echidna-centric on-going. That, my dear readers, is something we’ll get to in time. As for the first “Knuckles” mini-series, I sadly have to give it a [6/10.]

Knuckles the Echidna (Original Mini-Series): Issue 2

 
Knuckles (Original Mini-Series): Issue 2
Publication Date: June 1996

Look, I know hating on Ken Penders is what Archie Sonic fans are supposed to do. The law suit pissed me off too. Yet, re-reading these classic stories, it’s become clear that Penders built the mythology of this universe. Sometimes, I feel like he was the only writer who truly took these characters seriously. Still, some of his writing quirks annoy me. His stilted or exposition heavy dialogue, for one example. His frequently stiff artwork, for another. Or how about his reliance on pop culture references, something I never do? Issue 2 of the “Knuckles” mini-series features a few too many of those. A giant killer sandworm is killed when he runs head-first into a rock, like in “Tremors.” The spirit of the hero’s father appears before him, giving him some sage advice, like in “The Lion King.” A group of robotic guards chant the march from “Wizard of Oz.” Later, they yell “Crush! Kill! Destroy!,” like the robot in an old “Lost in Space” episode. We get it, Ken. You like things.

Anyway, the plot. Knuckles and Archimedes are lost in the desert, where Enerjak stuck them at the end of the last issue. It’s a hazardous place, as they face the danger of giant sandworms and heat exhaustion. Meanwhile, Enerjak uses his powers to build a city in his own image, a twisted place known as Nekronopolis. Knuckles arrives at the diabolic city only to discover that the villain has turned his own friends against him.

I’m starting to think that three issues really isn’t enough page space to get a proper story out. The “Tails” mini-series felt rushed and condensed. Now, “Knuckles” is facing the same problem. In the space of a few pages, we go from Knuckles surviving the bad guy’s evil plan to immediately crashing it. Only having three books to get everything out cheats the second act, lending the story an anemic middle section. It doesn’t help that Ken spends three whole pages on summarizing the events covered in the “Knuckles” back-up stories. Really, did he think the people who read this weren’t going to read the “Sonic” comics as well?

So what does part two of “Rites of Passage” have going for it? How about the quasi-comedic antics of Knuckles and Archimedes wandering the desert? The scene with the sandworm is moderately well done, mostly thanks to Art Mawhinney’s action-packed artwork. That Knuckles and Archimedes eat the animal’s remains afterwards is an awfully morbid, amusing gag. Another amusing moments comes when, in hungry desperation, Knuckles attempts to eat Archimedes. This doesn’t work out for him. That he would even consider it shows that this hero still has a lot of growing to do.

Still, Penders’ script takes it too easy on Knux. Just as he’s on the verge of dying from heat exhausting, a vision of his dad appears to him. The spectre guides Knuckles to an oasis in the middle of the desert. Even at this point, we know that Locke isn’t dead. What do we make of this moment? Like-wise, why does the oasis immediately vanish after Knuckles and Archimedes leave? The ending of the issue has Knuckles coming upon Enerjak’s evil city. He doesn’t intentionally seek it out. He stumbles upon it. If the mini-series had just been one issue longer, the story structure probably would have seemed less messy. As it is, Knuckles survives his enemy’s plot solely because others help him. He then discovers the villain’s lair purely through luck.

The issue is a bit short on action, being mostly devoted to Knuckles in the desert. Where exactly Enerjak got his robot army isn’t explained but Knuckles smashing the bots does lead to some okay action. Still, considering he’s obviously meant to be his arch-enemy, I would’ve liked Enerjak to get some more page-time. He’s the main baddie of the book and Knuckles has only met him once so far. (Also, why does every city on Mobius have to end in “–opolis?” Couldn’t Enerjak have just called his hide-out the Dead City?)

Mawhinney’s artwork remains fine but I’m beginning to suspect that Knuckles’ mini-series will disappoint just like all the others. Maybe we’ll get a bitchin’ final act? I’m not holding my breath. [5/10]

Knuckles the Echidna (Original Mini-Series): Issue 1

Knuckles (Original Mini-Series): Issue 1
Publication Date: May 1996

As I’ve mentioned before, Archie was definitely interested in launching a spin-off series from their successful “Sonic the Hedgehog” comic. The “Princess Sally” and “Tails” mini-series didn’t lead to on-going series about either hero. Suggested mini-series about Bunnie Rabbot or Espio the Chameleon never even saw print. It wasn’t until Archie decided to gift Knuckles the Echidna with a series that this plan met with any success. It’s a conclusion they should’ve touched upon earlier. Until Shadow came along, Knuckles was the only “Sonic” character to rival the blue hedgehog in popularity. In 1996, only a few years apart from his debut appearance, fans were curious about the echidna’s origins and adventures. Writer Ken Penders was all to happy to delve into these issues. He hyped the “Knuckles” mini-series for months before the first issue was actually released.

 
“Rites of Passage” begins with Knuckles finally rescuing his friends from the mysterious Archimedes. After seemingly months of wandering the desert, he makes it inside a pyramid and avoids a number of death traps. Upon reaching the building’s center, he discovers the Chaotix are safe and sound. Archimedes, turns out, is not a great villain. He’s instead a fire-breathing ant that wishes to mentor Knuckles and guild him on his journey. Meanwhile, Knuckles great^X10 grand-uncle Dimitri escapes from his stony tomb. Flying in to meet the young echidna, he introduces himself as Enerjak, an immortal and immensely powerful super-villain.

Knuckles' storyline had been frozen for a while. Via short back-up stories in the “Sonic” series, Penders had been inching the plot forward for months. Some of those back-ups provided valuable information about the history of the echidna race. Too many of them were two-pagers that barely advanced the plot. So finally seeing Knuckles track down Archimedes and rescue the Chaotix is way overdo. The pay-off – that Archimedes isn’t a villain and is also an ant – is slightly disappointing. Turns out, the mystery of Archimedes’ identity was a big false lead. Enerjak is the villain of this mini-series. Penders’ awkward attempt at misdirection didn’t exactly pay off. Truthfully, the most satisfying part of this first issue is Knuckles yelling at Archimedes for being such an evasive jerk. The audience relates.

Plot wise, part one of “Rites of Passage” mostly exists to set-up the rest of the mini-series. Too much page space is devoted to recapping the Knuckles back-stories and showing what happened behind the scenes. The issue ends with Knuckles and Archimedes tossed into the Floating Island’s desert, suggesting the two will put aside their differences and work together. Enerjak’s first appearance – in a rather impressive six page spread – immediately sets him up at the series’ villain and Knuckles’ adversary. One of the first things the bad guy does is put the Chaotix under his will, meaning Knuckles’ primary goal here will be to rescue his friends again. (This, disappointingly, once again sidelines the Chaotix.) After waiting so long to see this mini-series unfolded, it’s a bit of a bummer that the first issue just tosses everyone to the whims of the plot.

This being a comic marketed to young boys, there’s still plenty of action here. Many pages are sacrificed to Knuckles dodging the ancient temples’ death traps. Penders doesn’t even pretend to deny the obvious comparisons to Indiana Jones. Knuckles even out-runs an on-coming boulder. However, a hero exploring a temple full of death traps has a pulpy attraction that’s hard to deny. Knuckles’ also blows a fucking door up with a laser cannon. Like-wise, Enerjak’s first appearance makes an impression. He flies, can shoot laser beams from his hands, teleports people, and seems impervious to regular attacks. That certainly makes him a more intimidating force then Robotnik, at least initially. His design, which decks the echidna out in Egyptian-style gold armor, is also pretty cool.

Thankfully, for the mini-series Ken Penders handed the artist’s pen over to Art Mawhinney. Mawhinney’s skills for clearly illustrated but exciting action is put to good use here. The two-page spread that opens the book, of Knuckles swooping through the traps, is fantastic. On the next page, he leaps from one hazard to the next, Mawhinney nicely capturing a sense of movement. Mawhinney even makes the potentially ridiculous designs of Archimedes and Enerjak look cool. When he first started drawing Knuckles, the artist didn’t have a perfect grasp on the echidna. That’s all changed now. His pencils are smooth, confident, and gorgeous.

Whether or not the “Knuckles” mini-series will ultimately work is still up in the air. The first book is merely the first act, the steps being put in place for the rest of the story. We don’t know if it’ll build towards a satisfying whole yet. Still, it’s not a bad issue either, with some fun action and good artwork. We’ll see where it goes from here. [6/10]