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]

Sonic & Knuckles: Mecha Madness

 
Sonic & Knuckles: Mecha Madness
Publication Date: July 1996

When you’re a kid, you’re pretty easy to please. As a child, about the only thing I demanded from my comic books where bad ass dudes being bad asses. By the same accord, kids can also be very discerning. Even as a child, the superhero anti-heroes of Todd McFarlane and Rob Liefeld struck me as trying-too-hard. When I first entered the on-line world of Archic Sonic fandom, I was very surprised to see some people dismissed “Sonic & Knuckles: Mecha Madness” as an “all-action, no heart” spectacle. I fucking loved this comic book as a kid. Re-reading it as an adult, I still think it’s a pretty good book. Yeah, the emphasis is on action but sometimes, there’s nothing wrong with that, maaaaan!

“Mecha Madness” picks up right where Issue 39 left off. Mecha Sonic continues his rampage through Knothole, leveling the tiny village. As a last-ditch effort to save their community, Sally feeds the still dazed Knuckles through the portable Robotocizers the Freedom Fighters confiscated all the way back in issue 2. With some help from one of Rotor’s neuro-overriders, emerges Mecha Knuckles! He proves an even match for Mecha Sonic. Even after Robotnik threatens the Freedom Fighters with nuclear weapons, the echidna emerges victorious. Afterwards though, their remains a question: Can Sonic still be saved?

In retrospect, it’s impressive that Archie kept thinking up ways to keep the Sonic/Knuckles rivalry going strong. Knux was fully established as a hero at this point, after starring in his own mini-series. Even as of “Super Sonic vs. Hyper Knuckles,” their rivalry was becoming more playful then anything else. So you couldn’t have the two just get into a misunderstanding. The “Mecha Madness” story arc successfully uped the fucking ante: Turn ‘em both into goddamn robots. Unlike those previous scuffles, the fight here between Sonic and Knuckles is serious business. Mecha Sonic is attempting to destroy the heroes. Mecha Knuckles is all that stands in the way. The actual fight only lasts about eight pages. Yet it’s still so satisfying to see these two, in super powerful robotic forms, wail on each other. After seeing Sonic going over to the dark side in a big way last issue, it’s also satisfying to watch him taken down a notch.

Once again, Patrick Spazanate’s artwork is on a whole other level. Even from the title page, which shows Mecha-Sonic casting a shadow of an agonized organic Sonic, the book is packed full of detail, dynamic action, and emotional expression. Just the characters standing around and talking is gifted with a sense of motion and movement. Look at when Sally chastises Antoine for being a dick. Or when she makes a big speech, detailing her plan. Of course, Spaz’ action sequences are beyond compare. The page when Knuckles freaks out, punches Rotor, and then receives a spinning back kick from Sally is something I want framed on my damn wall. I adore the design for Mecha-Knuckles, the way his knuckle-spikes can retract, the block rocket jets in his feet. It’s such a flowing, natural design. It looks exactly like what you’d expect a robotic version of Knuckles to look like.

The battle between the two is best displayed in a two page splash page, where Knuckles deflects Sonic’s lasers with his claws. There’s spinning, throwing, punching. When Knuckles is tossed through the air by a powerful uppercut from Mecha-Sonic, the sense of movement is overwhelming. This is a really good looking story, is the point I’m making.

Interestingly, the last third of “Mecha Madness” isn’t devoted to action at all. Despite what grumpy gus Dan Drazen might say, this story is full of emotions. When Robotnik demands Mecha-Sonic just send him the coordinates for Knothole Village – something he probably should’ve done immediately – Sonic pauses. Some humanity is starting to leak through his robotic exterior. I was never a huge fan of Sally and Knuckles’ flirting. But it really flows naturally and nicely here. That Knuckles and Sally are always so happy to see each other is actually kind of cute. After Mecha-Sonic is defeated, our hero is actually on death’s door. When Sally and Tails think Sonic may be a goner, both choke back tears. This is a book that grapples with the possibility that its hero may die and how his friends loved ones response. Not exactly light material.

Of course, “Mecha Madness” does have a pretty big flaw. In order to get the series back on track, Sonic and Knuckles have to be returned to normal by the book’s end. The answer to this question that Mike Gallagher cooked up is slightly inelegant. Knuckles can just be passed through the mobile roboticzer in reverse. Since this is the same device that transform Bunnie, how come they never tried that on her? For Sonic, the writer cooked up some real mystical mumbo jumbo. See, when Sonic gathered his one billionth Power Ring, he was surrounded with a “Protective Mystical Aura.” That’s how his soul was kept intact, if buried, while he was transformed. Nicole essentially plugs into Mecha-Sonic, interacts with this weird power ring aura thing, and zaps him back to being organic. It’s awkward and not well explained, to say the least.

I’ll address this more when I get to Issue #40 but I’m also not a big fan of the cliffhanger, where Sonic is arrested for treason for his action. Actions, you’ll notice, he had no control over. But we’ll talk about that more later…

Since “Mecha Madness” is a double-sized special, there are two back stories. The first of which is the verbosely entitled “Don’t Let the Island Hit You on the Way Down.” Since Knuckles is off fighting Mecha-Sonic, the Chaotix are left alone on the Floating Island. A group of villains called the Fearsome Foursome appear and whoop their asses. They're led by a mysterious, powerful villain called Mammoth Mogul. Despite his declaration of power, and an earlier defeat, the Chaotix still scare this new gang of bad guys off.

Listen, kids: I like Mammoth Mogul. I’m always for expanding on the Sonic universe’s rogue galleries. Mogul is essentially Archie’s version of Vandal Savage, an immortal wizard who has lived for centuries. Disappointingly, Mogul was rarely used well. In his debut story, he shows up, announces his back story, and declares himself all-power. The Chaotix then beat him back in one panel, after which he flees in a rocket car. Really makes him sound like all bark, no bite, doesn’t it? I like the Fearsome Foursome too, if only because it’s neat to see an essentially evil version of the Chaotix. However, Sergent Simian, Predator Hawk, Lightening Lynx, and Flying Frog are barely developed in this story. “Don’t Let the Island Hit You on the Way Down” is a fairly thin story. It’s at least better then the last story Scott Fulop wrote. Likewise, Harvey Mercadoocasio’s artwork shows some major improvement as well. It’s still pretty stiff at times but he’s obviously been practicing. There’s a newly emerged anime-esque edge to his work that makes it move a whole lot better.

Perhaps sensing this was a comparatively heavy book, “Mecha Madness” ends on a joke story. “Eel of Fortune” stars the Forty Fathoms Freedom Fighters, the aquatic heroes last seen in the “Tails” mini-series. The local reef is being terrorized by a new villain calling himself Eel Capone. He has his army of hired mussels beat up P.B. Jellyfish. In response, Bottlenose the Dolphin dresses up as a ninja and beats the crap out of him. End of story.

As previously mentioned, I like the Forty Fathoms Freedom Fighters too. However, “Eel of Fortune” is basically five pages of the goofiest aquatic puns you can think of. How many puns are there? By my count, sixteen. Some of the biggest groaners include: “hired mussels,” “current events,” “finja,” “Aquatraz,” “Choral Reef.” Oh brother. There’s no conflict to the story, as Eel Capone is a total joke once he’s introduced. Bottlenose dispatches him with such ease and speed that it’s clear he was never a threat. Basically, it’s a dumb collection of aquatic puns. Dave Manak’s artwork is typically goofy and blocky. The story’s biggest value is that it shows the range Mike Gallagher had. “Mecha Madness” was a relatively serious story with high stakes. “Eel of Fortune” is total goofiness from beginning to end.

“Sonic & Knuckles: Mecha Madness” isn’t a perfect book. Yet it’s one I like a lot. If nothing else, it’s worth picking up for Spaz’ incredible artwork. I’ll always consider it an important, landmark book in the Archie “Sonic” line and I imagine many would agree with me. [8/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 39

 
Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 39
Publication Date: July 1996

As I’ve mentioned before, as a kid I was totally susceptible to Archie’s hype machine. Even though they published 48-page one-shots on a regular basis, they were always a big deal. Whenever they devoted a comic to Sonic and Knuckles beating the shit out of each other – even though they’ve done that plenty of times before – I always had to scoop it up. As the comic dawned on its 40th issue, Archie cooked up another special event: Sonic the Hedgehog was going to be Robotocized. The unthinkable had happened. The good guys lost, the bad guys won. You can bet your ass that Issue 39’s “Rage Against the Machine” and the corresponding special, “Mecha Madness,” were events for me. As a kid, I re-read both endlessly. But how do they stand up years later?

As “Rage Against the Machine” – the sole story in Issue 39 – starts, Sonic is trying to convince the Freedom Fighters that he should allow himself to get robotocized. His plan is that Rotor’s neuro-overrider will maintain his free will, allowing him to wreck Robotnik’s base from the inside. Remembering how wrong a similar plan went in Issue 29, Sally vetoes this. Annoyed, Sonic zooms off to the previously unmentioned gym in Knothole Village. Nack the Weasel, recently escaped from the also unmentioned prison in Knothole Village, gets the drop on the hedgehog. He takes his unconscious body back to Robotnik. Just killing his most hated enemy doesn’t satisfy Robotnik. Instead, he robotocizes him, turning Sonic against his friends and making him a mindless slave. The new Mecha-Sonic, more powerful then any other Robian before, flies back to Knothole and begins leveling it. Sally has two contingency plans in order: Calling in a newly upgraded Bunnie. When that doesn’t work, Knuckles the Echidna is recruited. Even that fails. Mecha-Sonic is seemingly unstoppable.

These stakes are high as fuck, you guys. A couple of stories have made light of it but the comic has made recent moves to try and reestablish robotocization as Robotnik’s greatest evil. Never has that threat been clearer then here. Sonic, the titular hero of the series, has his free will wrestles around from him and zapped into a mechanical body. And Mecha Sonic doesn’t fuck around. He’s faster and more powerful then any of Robotnik’s previous creations. He immediately begins to destroy Knothole Village. He sets his sights on killing the people who are his best friends.

 
It’s a pretty serious story but, unfortunately, it was also written by Mike Gallagher. Gallagher has done some good work in the past but goofy puns and sight-gags still tend to characterize his work. Despite being a fairly grim story, at least as far as “Sonic” comics are concerned, Gallagher still packs in some goofiness. Robotnik breaks the fourth wall by reading the issue’s script. He has Crabmeat grow to giant size, for some unexplained reason, and threaten Nack the Weasel. In the heat of combat, Bunnie cracks a few too many Civil War themed puns. Tails, during his brief role in this story, is still getting treated like an adorable little kid. Despite Mecha Sonic trashing Knothole, Sally, Antoine, and Rotor just stand around, instead of running for cover. Gallagher’s script has a few holes like: Why does Sonic think being robotocized is a good idea in the first place? Where did the gym and the prison come from? Why doesn’t Robotnik scan Mecha Sonic’s brain for the location of Knothole? Why is Sally acting like such a bitch in the beginning? All questions without answer.

Still, as an action story, “Rage Against the Machine” is top-notch. This is mostly thanks to the artwork. Patrick Spazinate had gotten into the habit of contributing fantastic covers to this series. Whenever he did interior pencils, it was always an event. The artwork in Issue 39 is top-of-the-line. After some shaky art in the last two issues, Spaz’ work is truly a breath of fresh air. Spaz brings a dynamism to everything he draws. Even the early scenes of the Freedom Fighters merely sitting and talking are full of dynamic, energetic poses. The amount of detail Spaz brings makes every panel pop. For a series that sometimes has flat or empty backgrounds, Spaz makes the world of Sonic truly come to life. (I even like his tendency to sneak in Sega in-jokes. Watch for background cameos from Visual On, Bug, and one of the Virtua Fighter guys.) Even when drawing jokey panels – like a moment where Sonic and Bunnie are given cartoonish shocks – Spaz’ work impresses. This is best emphasized in Spaz’ design for Mecha Sonic. While still recognizable Sonic, the design is stream-lined and threatening. Half of the reason this story works is because Mecha Sonic is just damn scary looking.

The action scenes are the obvious attraction here and they’re excellent. The battle between Sonic and Bunnie really shows everything the rabbit is capable of. Rotor apparently gave her some upgrades off-page. Now, Bunnie has rocket-propelled flight, a shield in her wrist, and a blaster in her arm. She enters the battle scene by back-handing Sonic away, a truly impressive panel. Her telescoping legs have him smashing into a tree. When she turns that plasma cannon on the robotic hedgehog, it results in a gorgeous one-page spread. Truthfully, this is the best kind of story Spaz could have drawn, as it makes great use of his incredible skill for action and detail. I also like that Gallagher gives Bunnie, a frequently overlooked member of the team, so much to do. She really is the most powerful Freedom Fighter.

And even that isn’t enough to stop Mecha Sonic, which brings us back to the original point. Issue 39 ends on one hell of a cliffhanger. Knuckles, who apparently teleported from the Floating Island, zips in to save the day. Though, considering normal Sonic and Knuckles always fight to a stand-still, I’m not sure why Sally thought Knuckles could defeat a ruthless, robotic Sonic. By the end of the story, all of their emergency plans have failed. Mecha Sonic is rolling in to destroy Knothole and everyone in it. On the last page, Sally announces one last, crazy plan. In TV Troupes parlance, we’ve crossed the Godzilla Threshold. Of course, what that plan is remains unseen. Basically, if Archie wanted to make sure people bought the “Mecha Madness” one shot, they did a hell of a good job convincing us all.

Despite a script with some holes in it, a story with high stakes and some phenomenal artwork makes Issue 39 a classic. [8/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 25

 
Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 25
Publication Date: June 1995

As I’ve established in my previous reviews, I’ve been reading Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” series for a hella’-long time. As a kid, I didn’t have a by-mail subscription to the comic or even a box at my local comic shop. I bought the comics with my meager allowance and a yearly subscription seemed out of my price range. The circumstance of this was that I sometimes missed issues. An issue I always desired by never owned was Issue 25, the two year anniversary issue and the first appearances of Metal Sonic and Amy Rose. It is an issue I’ve never read…

Until now.

All of Issue 25 is devoted to “Go Ahead… Mecha My Day!” The Freedom Fighters have become aware of a pocket dimension called the Collision Chaos Zone, a tiny, unstable world that weirdly resembles the stages in a 16-bit platformer video game. Robotnik has plans for the zone. By kidnapping Amy Rose, an obsessive Sonic fan, he intends to lure Sonic into the zone. There, the hedgehog will be ambushed by Robotnik’s most advanced machine yet… Metal Sonic! Mecha Sonic! As a bonus, the robotic dictator has also captured Tails. So Sonic races into danger, with Rotor and Sally as back-up.

 
Issue 25 is written by Mike Gallagher, responsible for some of the silliest early stories. He wrote the entirety of the original four-issue mini-series, to give you an idea. There’s no doubt that “Mecha My Day” is full of goofy gags, from the title on down. Robotnik discovers Amy Rose’s location by stealing a bag of Sonic-Gram fan letters. There are slapdash references to “Wizard of Oz,” the Sci-Fi Channel, and Fabio. A mostly unnecessary and goofy subplot has Snivley being disguised as Robotnik. The dialogue is full of bad puns and bizarre slang like “Radicool!” The story concludes with the reader interacting with the story, as Your Finger (a character that amazingly doesn’t have a Mobius Encyclopedia page) delivers the defeating blow to Robotnik.
 
All of this is true yet “Go Ahead… Mecha My Day!” is probably the best Mike Gallagher story yet. I actually laughed a couple of times, such as Amy’s misunderstanding of the word “engaged” or Tails being captured very quickly when left on his own. More importantly, Issue 25 is a straight-ahead action story. The entire first part is devoted to setting up the story while Sonic is in the Collision Chaos Zone not long afterwards. The entire second half of the book is devoted to Sonic and Mecha Sonic’s race and scuffle. The humor slightly undermines the drama of the situation. The way Sonic defeats Metal Sonic is fairly ridiculous. The climax depends on Sonic just then deciding to bust out a new special ability. The stakes are low but the issue is amusing and speedy enough for that not to be too much of an issue.

Also helping matters is the tremendous art. Patrick Spazinate contributes the pencil and it’s his best work yet. This being an action-centric story, Spaz’ work is highly dynamic and cinematic. Look at the two-page spread where Sonic and Metal are racing through the zone. Or Sally’s dramatic dive from the bi-plane. Even a simple scene like Sally flipping up onto her head has a sense of motion. I also love that Spazinate doesn’t consider the panel/page format gospel and happily has the characters zinging in and around the expected bubbles. Spaz’ talent for detailed, expressive faces is also shown off in this issue. Lots of humor is conveyed when Sally grumbles about Princess Di in frustration or Tails makes a dissatisfied face after being captured. Unlike his last two stabs at this comic, there’s never any off-model moments. Issue 25 is easily the best looking Sonic comic thus far.

What does one make of Amy Rose and Metal Sonic as characters? Aside from Robotnik himself, Metal Sonic – erroneously referred to as Mecha Sonic here which is a totally different character, you guys – is Sonic’s most reoccurring adversary. Amy Rose, meanwhile, has emerged as the series most prominent female character and Sonic’s default love interest in most media. It wasn’t always that way. When reviewing Issue 13, I talked about Knuckles’ appearance in the comic lending the book a certain novelty. Amy’s appearance does the same. The character wouldn’t appear in a cartoon until 2003’s “Sonic X.” She wasn’t even in the Japanese produced OVA, Sonic receiving a sexy cat girl girlfriend instead. In the years between “Sonic CD” and “Sonic Adventure,” Sega had seemingly forgotten about her. So seeing the character occasionally doing stuff and contributing to the plot in the comic was kind of a big deal for Sonic fans.

(That doesn’t mean I’m a big fan of Amy Rose. For years, she was defined solely by her attraction to Sonic, which bordered on creepy at times. Her overall pinkness also pigeon-holed the character as the Required Female Character, not allowed to be defined beyond traditionally girly interests. It wasn’t until some post-“Adventure” character development that she began to show a real personality, and even that took some time. Thanks to the comic and “Sonic Boom,” she is more rough-and-tumble these days. Her all-consuming passion for Sonic has been dialed back, she’s slightly sarcastic, and now very willing to smash shit with her giant hammer.

tl;dr: Sonic/Amy shippers are an abomination in the eyes of the Glorious Sonic/Sally Shipper Master Race.)

 
Like Anti-Sonic, Metal Sonic is an adversary that is a physical match for Sonic. Unlike Anti-Sonic, Metal Sonic is a serious threat. He’s by-far Robotnik’s most psychotic creation. The games and other media would follow this, Metal Sonic even eclipsing Robotnik at one point. He doesn’t have much personality, being a robot and all. But there’s no doubt that the character is an important contribution to the Sonic rogue gallery.

Here’s the short version of Issue 25: Awesome artwork, a funny script that moves at a steady clip, and the introduction of two major characters. Sounds good to me! [7/10]