Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 46

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 46
Publication Date: February 1997

As I said last time, with the resolution of the King Acorn story arc behind them and “Endgame” looming ahead, Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” series was mostly just spinning its wheels for a few issues. Issue 46 gives a long overdue introduction to some important supporting cast members, stirs the dramatic pot a bit, and resolves the “Knuckles’ Quest” back-up storyline. On the other hand, it still ends up being a disappointing issue.

Uncle Chuck doesn’t feel too hot. He reflects on his past, how Robotnik turned his Robotocizer – intended as a tool to help the injured – into an object of slavery. More recently, he’s feels like he’s failed the rebellion, not spotting Sleuth Dawg’s treachery or Robotnik’s plans for the Death Egg. In hopes of cheering Chuck up, Sally and the Freedom Fighters invite him to a midnight camp fire retreat. The retreat is interrupted twice. First by Lupe and the Wolf Pack, allies of Mobius. Secondly, by Geoffrey St. John, who begins throwing around some wild accusations.

The inevitable fist fight between Sonic and Geoffrey St. John got the cover but “Countdown to Armageddon” is more about character development. We learn about Uncle Chuck’s past, how he invented the Robotocizer. He details how he went from being a knight of the King to being a lowly chili dog stand purveyor. The book at least acknowledges the weight of his failures and the guilt he feels. Meanwhile, Antoine gets some serious character development too. We learn that his father was a general in the King’s army and trained Antoine to be a cadet. We discover that Ant’s cowardice has been born out of his frustration over failing to rescue his dad from Robotnik and his heart being broken by Sally. Antoine started out as comic relief on “SatAM” but would eventually develop into a brave warrior in the comic. This is the issue where that transition begins.

I wish it was handled better. Instead of letting this information grow organically out of the story, it’s dumped on us over the course of several heavily narrated pages. We get a little bit of Uncle Chuck feeling bad for himself. Antoine, on the other hand, suddenly leaps into action in the second half. After so many issues of being a joke and a fool, it’s a sudden change to see him throwing punches and drawling his sword. Also popping out of nowhere: Bunnie’s romantic feelings for Antoine. Though hinted at before, it springs up suddenly here. With little build-up, she plants a big kiss on him. Even ‘Twain seems surprised. (I guess it’s okay though, seeing as how Antoine and Bunnie would eventually develop into the comic’s most stable romantic couple.)

People who probably have never even read the “Sonic” comic like to refer to it as furry melodrama. The book’s reputation for this stuff is over-exaggerated but issue 46 does, indeed, feature a little too much romantic hand wringing for my taste. Geoffrey St. John drops into the story half-way through. He immediately plants a big, sloppy kiss on Sally’s face, not asking permission first. He then accuses Uncle Chuck of being a double agent. Not shockingly, this royally pisses Sonic off and the two get into a fist fight. In the course of the fight, he points an arrow at the hedgehog and threatens to kill him. Afterwards, he trades fisticuffs with Antoine. Amazingly, after this, Sally is still willing to defend St. John. It’s surprising that Ken Penders, who wrote St. John as a relatively compelling character in the “Sally” mini-series, would write him as such an abrasive dick here.

With everything else going on, the story barely has room to introduce the Wolf Pack. Indeed, Lupe and her clan show up suddenly, making their first appearance in the book. They chat around the camp fire a little. Out of all the wolves, only Drago gets any personal page time. He’s introduced being kind of a jerk, blatantly foreshadowing his eventual betrayal. Lupe doesn’t get to do much and the other members of the pack aren’t developed at all. Considering Lupe is an important member of the Sonic universe, it’s kind of a bummer to see her introduction being slightly half-assed.

Archie continues to bring new artists into the fold. Issue 46 introduces Nelson Ortega. Ortega is capable of some moody artwork. The first page, which shows Uncle Chuck testing his Robotocizer and a character that will soon be revealed to be Sonic’s father, is dramatic enough. However, it’s clear he doesn’t entirely grasp the cast’s designs. Sonic’s hands seem freakishly small in one panel while his head will be hilariously huge in another. The contours of Sally’s face shift throughout. There’s a weird focus on Geoffrey St. John’s teeth, giving him a permanent shit-eating grin. In a few panels, the perspective is seriously off and St. John looks like he has only one eye. Ortega’s stuff is generally a bit flat, lacking flair and emotion. Despite this lackluster debut, he would become a regular artist for at time. Spaz did some clean up in a few panels, which is fairly clear.

Issue 46 also features the conclusion to the “Knuckles Quest” sub-arc. Exploring the secret inner caverns of the Floating Island, Knuckles discovers Mathias Poe and Damocles the Elder, the last figures he was foretold he’d encounter on his quest. The sorcerer doesn’t take kindly to his intrusion and sics a robot on Knuckles. Luckily, Archimedes shows up and helps him out.

“Knuckles Quest” has generally been a disappointing story but it at least ends on a focused note. Mathias Poe is the first villain Knuckles has encounter during this story that isn’t a complete joke. He actually does something threatening, attacking the echidna with a robotic golem. Even then, he’s easily defeated. Knuckles at least uses his wits here, realizing the machine is controlled by magic. The reveal of the Sword of Acorn is mildly clever, though anyone familiar with the origins of the name Damocles could probably guess it. Manny Galan provides the pencils and it’s the first time his artwork actually works. It’s clear he’s taken some lessons from Art Mawhinney, as he begins to bring the same cartoony but appealing element to his work. Everyone is on-model the entire time, if nothing else. Mostly, I’m just glad this story is over.

Issue 46 juggles a lot of stuff and doesn’t really handle it all successfully. It has to develop Uncle Chuck and Antoine, introduce the Wolf Pack, suggest that there’s a traitor on the hero’s side, and bring the Sonic/St. John rivalry to blows. Though it’s a commendable effort, it does not truly work. [6/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 45

 
Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 45
Publication Date: January 1997

After a fairly productive 1996, 1997 would get off to a slow start for Sonic and his pals. At this point, the “Endgame” arc was fast approaching. A storyline that would offer up some serious mix-ups to the Sonic continuity, it was pen-marked to debut in issue 47 and conclude in issue 50. This meant that the two issues stuck between this arc and the conclusion of the King Acorn story arc essentially weren’t allowed to do too much. Which is how we get an issue like number 45, which may be one of the most generic Sonic stories we’ve gotten in a while.

Robotnik has been expanding his empire all over the world, except for one location: The jungle. Turns out, the fat man has a phobia of jungles. Due to this, Snively urges Robotnik to let him oversee a conquest of the Mobian jungle. Robotnik approves, as long as he takes down as many trees as possible. Uncle Chuck overhears this plan and informs Sonic. The Freedom Fighters march into the jungle but encounter a tribe of hostile gorillas before they can find the villain. Luckily, Mobie the Cavebear, last seen in issue 32, also happens to be in the area.

For a while there, I was enjoying the way the book was building on its world. This is how we found out there were other Freedom Fighter teams around the globe. That this world was bigger then just Sonic and his friends. However, since then, the books has turned its focus to building on the character’s history and forging a complex, odd world of magic. Issue 45 feels like a throwback to this earlier time in the book’s history.

 
And not necessary in a good way. The gorillas are meant to be sympathetic but act scary, threatening Sonic and Rotor with guns and chaining them to trees. The gorillas, naturally peaceful, became this way through being forced to fight Robotnik. This could’ve been an interesting comment on what fear and combat does to people. However, “Guerrilla Thriller” is way too thin for that. Instead, it introduces a new clan of characters that we do not like.

Secondly, the story doesn’t give Sonic or Rotor much to do. After going into the jungle, they immediately get captured by the gorillas. They spend most of the story chained to a tree. The only proactive thing that happens in this period is a botched attempt by Sonic to escape and Rotor poisoning the gorillas’ stew with a berry that causes sleep. Basically, Sonic spends half of the story waiting for the rest of the plot to arrive, in the form of Mobie and Snively’s deforesting machine.

 
Speaking of which… Mobie is a goofy character but one I admit liking. Despite his return getting hyped on the cover, he doesn’t do much here. The cave bear shows up, trashes some SWATBots, and yanks Sonic and Rotor’s chains apart. That’s it. As for the deforesting machine, it’s mildly intimidating. However, Tails easily defeats Snively while Sonic easily dismantles the machine. Add some of Dave Manak’s most jagged and unappealing artwork and you’ve got a pretty weak story.

Disappointingly, the back-up story isn’t much better. In “Knuckles Quest 3,” Knuckles’ continued quest for King Acorn’s sword has run into a problem. He’s been captured by Black Death, a sorcerer, and the Enchantress. The Enchantress has enslaved Knuckles’ body, forcing him to do menial labor for them. Knuckles recalls the message the Ancient Walkers gave him and decides to wait. Luckily, Sir Connery, a weird horse-looking paladin, shows up and kicks everyone’s ass. He drops a cryptic hint and Knuckles leaves. To be continued.

The “Knuckles Quest” has essentially been a long series of unproductive mini-quest for Knuckles. After meeting with the Ancient Walkers, he gets a vague hint. After fighting Merlin Prower’s monsters, he got a vague hint. This story arc doesn’t even have him being that proactive. Knuckles is enslaved throughout most of this story, clearing floors and doing chores. When the hero is actively waiting for someone else to rescue him, you know something has gone horribly wrong. Black Death and the Enchantress don’t come across as very effective villains, since enslaving someone to do petty labor seems to be their most heinous act. When Sir Connery shows up, he shouts some mumbo-jumbo and zaps both villains.

Ken Penders draws this one himself. Truthfully, the Enchantress and Black Death – who is an adorable black kitten, by the way – look alright. Knuckles ends up contorting in some very awkward looking ways. When Sir Connery shows up, any competence Ken had as an artist goes out the window. Connery is suppose to be a horse but looks like a weird lizard alien instead. As always, Ken’s attempt at action are incredibly flat and lifeless. Not only does Connery look weird, he acts weird too. He spends all of his page time ranting about how he has to purge evil magicians. Not the best way to make a first impression, man.

The cover story is useless but harmless. The back-up story is deeply lame. Issue 45 is one you can slot in your long box and then forget about. [4/10]

Sonic Live!

 
Sonic Live!
Publication Date: November 1996

Sonic the Hedgehog fans of all stripes and types don’t agree on much. Fans of Archie’s “Sonic” series are no different. However, the comic’s fandom generally has reached a consensus on a few things. The lawsuit sucked. Tommy the Turtle was a mistake. “Sonic Live!” is the worst story ever to be associated with the character. As a kid, I thought the story was kind of weird but never outright dismissed it as terrible. Kids are open to all sorts of things, you know. When time came to revisit “Sonic Live!,” I found myself wondering. Will it be as bad as everyone says?

Well, it’s certainly not good. In “The Last Game Cartridge Hero,” Robotnik has seemingly gotten Sonic right where he wants him. Princess Sally has some personality-voiding device on her head and the other Freedom Fighters are imprisoned. The villain encircles Sonic with SWATBots, the machines zapping him all at once. Sonic the Hedgehog is dead… Or so it would appear. The hedgehog is teleported to a weird alternate universe between zones. Outside, Steve and Jessica play a “Sonic the Hedgehog” video game. Spotting the kids, Sonic yanks them through the screen and into his world. The kids provide enough of a distraction for Robotnik, leading to his defeat. Yet another portal opens, the hero, villain, and kids ending up in another strange world.

There have been some pretty great stories with meta devices, with fictional characters interacting with the “real world.” “The Last Game Cartridge Hero” is not, uh, one of these. The plot lurches from bizarre point to the next. Why does getting zapped by the robots transport Sonic to a place between his world and the human world? How can he just pull the kids through the screen? Why does another portal open, tossing Robotnik and Sonic into another alternate zone? In this zone, the game developers of the Sonic series (notably, none of whom are Japanese) have been kidnapped by an army of robotic Robotniks. Where the hell did these guys come from? What’s their final plan? Sonic then opens the portal back to Mobius by tapping the stage select code on a giant Genesis controller. After sending everyone back to their proper worlds, the plot point of the other Robotniks are forgotten.

 
The incredibly dumb, senseless story is a problem but I don’t think that’s why people hate “Sonic Live!” so much. Instead, the story’s nepotism is what offends readers. See, the real life human kids Sonic interact with aren’t just any kids. Kevin is directly based on Ken Penders’ son while Jessica is directly based on his niece. So how the fuck did Ken convince Archie to publish a comic book where his own son and niece interact with Sonic the Hedgehog? I can’t imagine the pitch but I can imagine the Christmas or birthday wish that birthed this awful idea. “The Last Game Cartridge Hero” would still be senseless if the kids were purely fictional characters. Penders passing a piece of self-insert fan fiction off as a real comic book pushes the story over the edge.

Further proving that “Last Game Cartridge Hero” was purely a misguided vanity project of Ken’s is that he also drew it. The artwork is only occasionally as grotesque as Pender’s worst pencils are. The kids frequently look weird. The robo-Robotniks that show up look awful. The backgrounds lack totally in detail. Naturally, Penders’ worst attribute is his total inability to convey any movement or speed when action scenes crop up. The final insult occurs early, when actual photographs of Kevin and Jessica are used in the book. This is not only weird, it’s off-putting. Seeing an animated Sonic interact with flesh-and-blood children is just… Creepy.

Though it gets the cover, “Last Game Cartridge Hero” is only one of three stories in “Sonic Live!” “The Substitute Freedom Fighters” is written by Rich Koslowski and drawn by Art Mawhinney. Running parallel to the main story, it involves Larry the Linx and Cyril the Eagle grabbing Sally’s recruits and going to rescue the main team. Digging up Larry and Cyril, two characters that had already been forgotten, was an odd decision. They’d be mostly forgotten again after this, for years. However, this is a straight-ahead action story and works all right in that regard. Seeing Dylan pick a lock or Hamlin smash into a squad of SWATBots at least shows the characters can be useful. Mawhinney’s artwork is, naturally, extremely good. There’s not much to this story but, compared to the atrocious title story, it comes off way better then it would’ve otherwise.

In the very back of the book is the second part of the “Knuckles Quest” story arc. The Ancient Walkers’ vague hints sends Knuckles to a strange building in an obscure part of the Great Forest. There, he battles a series of bizarre monsters. Knuckles notices that the creatures are from fairy tales and that they fade into nothingness upon defeat. He realizes a sorcerer is at work here. The hunch is right, as Merlin Prower is responsible for this. He sends Knuckles on the next step of his quest.

Scripting wise, there’s not much to “Knuckles Quest 2.” The echidna shows up, whoops some monsters, makes friends with the man responsible, and gets sent on the next section of his fetch quest. The story’s not even that exciting as an action piece, as Knux makes short work of each monster. One factor saves the story entirely. Patrick Spazinate provides pencil. And, holy shit, is this an awesome looking story. Spaz’ work is, as expected, incredibly detailed, stylish, dynamic, and action packed. He’s pretty much the perfect guy to draw a story about Knuckles punching out a series of monsters. For the record, he fights a critter that looks like a Cacodemon from “Doom,” leopards with fiery whips growing from their backs, an ogre, a Chinese dragon, and the Grim Reaper. I want this story painted on the side of my van.

Neither of the back-up stories are great but they are mildly entertaining. This stands in stark contrast to the title story. “Sonic Live!” is not so much bad as it is deeply miscalculated in every conceivable way. The story was a mistake. It never should’ve been written, much less illustrated and printed. Archie has buried the story, refusing to re-publish it. Who can blame them? [3/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 42

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 42
Publication Date: October 1996

By this point, it’s clear that Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” comic is focused on the King Acorn plot point. For a while, Sally searching for her missing father was a plot point that took a back seat. Now, the series is bringing that to the forefront. Reading these books as a kid, I remember King Acorn being half-crystalized for a long ass time. While the storyline would arguably take up way too much time, issue 42 also continues to forge a weird, large mythology for the comic book.

Issue 42’s cover story, with the overly verbose title of “In Every Kingdom There Must Exist a Little Chaos!,” begins with Sonic and Knuckles beating the shit out of each other, as usual. Sonic wants to borrow Knuckles’ spare Chaos Emerald and the guardian is reluctant to hand it out. Rotor and Sally hope a Chaos Emerald will help reverse the King’s condition. When Knuckles won’t hand it over, the Freedom Fighters seek out the Ring Grotto to grab more Power Rings. This turns out to be an ambush, one of Knothole’s Spy Network being a double agent.

Issue 42 features another script from former editor Scott Fulop, going under his pen name Kent Taylor. As his last writing credit showed, Fulop didn’t have the best grip on the Freedom Fighters’ personality. In this story, Sonic is a prickly dickhole. Instead of peacefully approaching Knuckles – which he should really be doing by now, as the echidna has long since been proven a hero – he goes looking for a fight. Twice in this story, Sonic belittles Tails. He forces his hand over the kid’s mouth in one panel. In another, he condescendingly pats Tails’ head. At one point, Sonic calls his closest friend a “dumb-o.” Maybe his treatment of Tails is understandable, since Fulop writes the young fox as a blabbering, juvenile fool. Under Fulop’s pen, Sonic seems especially obnoxious.

Fulop’s script is inelegant in other ways. He begins the issue with some heavy-handed narration about tyranny, war, neutrality, guardians, and invasion. These passages are so overdone and circular that I can’t help but read them as Charles Gray from “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” The first half of “In Every Kingdim There Must Exist a Little Chaos” is strictly devoted to action. Fulop cleans up some cast members he created. Sleuth Dawg is revealed to be a traitor and Fly Fly Freddie is revealed to have been robotocized. Considering nobody has ever cared about these characters, it’s not exactly a huge lose.

As an action story, this story mostly benefits from Art Mawhinney’s typically fantastic artwork. It’s nice to see Sally and Tails getting into the action, kicking and smashing SWATBots. It always pleases me when a writer acknowledges that Sally is a total bad ass able to tear robots apart with her bare hands. When Bunnie shows up, she gets to use her telescoping legs in effective ways. I’m not a super huge fan of Sonic spinning his arms to create many cyclones, like the Flash. Mawhinney isn’t just great at action. He also sneaks in some emotion. In the last act, Mawhinney doodles in tears dripping from Sally’s eyes. This situation with her dad is stressing her out, you guys.

 
For all his flaws, Fulop at least knows how to give his characters stable goals. Issue 42 introduces the quest to retrieve King Acorn’s magical sword and crown, which will restore him for good. Yeah, some of the script’s exposition is a little flimsy. Uncle Chuck just yanking out a scroll that informs the characters is inelegant, to be sure. All the talk about the Halls of Limbo seems like it belongs to another book. Still, it’s an interesting idea. Once again, I’m happy to see a writer expanding on the comic’s mythology. This book, for its many problems, would set up the magic foundation of this universe.

The back-up story shifts its focus to Knuckles and Tails, the echidna setting out on a quest to retrieve the King’s sword, out of loyalty to Sally. (Presumably the Chaotix are doing Knuckles’ actual job of watching the Floating Island.) In this story, the book heads out into further cosmic territory. Knuckles encounters his great-grandfather Athair before he’s launched on a nutty journey through the cosmos, meeting the Ancient Walkers. They present six individuals that Knuckles must encounter if he hopes to recover the sword.

 
The back-up, entitled “Knuckles Quest,” was co-written by Fulop and Ken Penders. Say what you will about Penders but he’s way better at this shit then Scott. With Ken’s help, even the mystic mumbo-jumbo of the Ancient Walkers becomes somewhat poetic. Mostly, Penders tosses some character development in this story. When Knuckles encounters Athair, it becomes clear that he doesn’t think much of his great-grandfather. He’s annoyed by the old man abandoning his post as Guardian of the Floating Island. He also doesn’t have much patience for Athair’s mystical rantings. Tails and Knuckles also make an interesting team. Unlike Sonic, Knuckles doesn’t use kid’s glove around the boy. All the set-up is deployed all right. Art Mawheeny’s pencils are still top-notch, especially since this story allows him to draw some wild things.

So there you go. Issue 42 has its flaws and its pros. [6/10]