Sonic Archives: Volume 5

Sonic Archives: Volume 5
Publication Date: September 2007

In the four years it took me to read and review all of Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” comics, I didn’t talk about the Sonic Archive series much. The digest-sized reprint collections were kind of a big deal for Archie fans in 2006, because it was the first time many of those early stories were being republished. However, nowadays, this means a lot less, as the individual issues were available as digital purchases for many years. (And now available forever as illegally pirated scans.) Since I reviewed the issues on a one-by-one basis, I figured there was no need for me to ever talk about the Archives. Even a “Sonic” reviewer as obsessively comprehensive as I figured that unnecessary.

But, it turns out, I should’ve been paying a little more attention to the Archives. Long after I was knee-deep into this project, I discovered the fifth Archives volume featured an exclusive “lost” story. Yes, a story that was written and illustrated circa 1995, but never published, was dug back up and shoved into this collection. Due to the aforementioned obsessive comprehensiveness, I knew I was going to have to look this story up and tag it onto the end of the entire retrospective.

And how did I discover the existence of this missing story? It was because, naturally, I was looking up UniverSalamander on one of the “Sonic” wiki. Yes, “Everything Old is Newt Again” features the second (and last) appearance of the giant, invulnerable, amphibious android. It seems the story was originally planned for inclusion in issue 20, as it begins with Robotnik bemoaning how Sonic’s apparent death was less permanent than initially assumed. While yelling at his army of Badniks, the not-so-universal salamander demands to be put back into the fray. Robotnik pumps the little lizard back up, this time giving him a new ability to reverse any shrink ray’s effect on him. He immediately tracks down the Freedom Fighters, kicks Sonic into the middle distance, and starts to wreck havoc.

UniverSalamander is a very silly character I have a bit of affection for, if only because he’s basically a giant robot dinosaur that Sonic could fight. I always thought he had a little more potential, outside of what we saw in his first appearance. Sadly, “Everything Old is Newt Again” doesn’t exactly deliver on that promise. His threat level seems to have been downgraded. Last time, only Super Sonic was enough to stop him. This time, the combined efforts of regular Sonic, Bunnie, and the other Freedom Fighters is enough to hold him off for a while. The shrink ray having the opposite effect this time is an easily reversed plot dilemma, as Rotor quickly deduces an embiggening ray will have the intended effect and proceeds to build one. Apparently even Mike Gallagher thought the character was played out after its second appearance, as the end has UniverSalamander being shrunk down to microscopic size. A fate he could potentially return from, I suppose, but one that seems pretty final nevertheless.

Mostly, reading “Everything Old is Newt Again” made me appreciate how much the comic evolved during its twenty-four years in print. As you’d expect from an early Mike Gallagher story, this comic is goofy as hell. Over the course of twelve pages, there's a lot of silly gags. Robotnik's Badniks treat their job like it's some sort of menial office work, softballing compliments at their boss and planning an office party. Later, Robotnik breaks the fourth wall to describe his new plot device as if it was a televised medication advertisement, with a list of side-effects at the bottom of the panel. During an inexplicable game of flag football between the Freedom Fighters, Sonic snatches Antoine's boxers. After being kicked into the desert by the salamander, Sonic lands face-first in an anthill, disrupting the place's very annoyed insectoid resident. The characters largely talk in puns and one-liners. All of this was standard practice for the book's early days but revisiting it after finishing up the book's entire run does leave the reader with some whiplash.

The artwork belongs to another era as much as the writer does. We are looking at some Dave Manak pencils, the first we've seen in quite a while. I highly suspect Manak only had loose sketches of this story laying around, forcing him to actually finish the illustrations in 2005. And you can tell he was rusty. His Freedom Fighters have overly long limbs, the angles of their faces looking incredibly jagged even by Manak's standards. Even UniverSalamander is off-model, appearing lankier than before. The panel of Sonic landing nose-first in the anthill is among the ugliest Manak would ever draw. You can definitely tell the story was hastily colored years after the fact, as the bright and flat digital colors contrast badly against the artwork.

So why did Archie decide to rescue “Everything Old is Newt Again” a whole decade after it was first conceived, other than being a cool extra for long time “Sonic” nerds? I think I answered my own question there but the story is significant for one reason. This story was the originally planned first appearance of Nicole. But don't get too excited there. The computer does not get some sort of epic introduction. While Sonic and the salamander fight overhead, Sally shows Rotor the new handheld computer she recently ordered from some business. Yep, as originally conceived, Sally just bought Nicole from a by-mail store, as if she was an collection of encyclopedias or a Clapper. It's a hilariously anticlimatic introduction for a character that would eventually prove important to the comic's lore.

I initially assumed this story had been shelved for eleven years because nobody was especially eager to revisit UniverSalamander. But that first appearance of Nicole was probably the real reason. It stands to reason Ken Penders already had his origin for the handheld computer in mind for the 'In Your Face” one-shot while this story was in the planning stages. I'm guessing the Archie top-brass decided that was a more dignified introduction for another SatAM element than this story would've been. Interestingly, one of the first things Nicole – who looks more like a ham radio than her usual form - does here is warn the characters that their world is about to get darker and more dangerous. As if the comic was announcing to readers that more serious stories would be coming soon enough. Just going ahead and actually doing that was probably a smoother way to prepare readers for the tonal change though...

So what value does “Everything Old is Newt Again” have? Not a whole lot. It does provide an mildly interesting “What if?” scenario as an alternate origin for Nicole, even if that ends up not being the main point of the story. Beyond that, there wasn't much reason for Archie to dig this up and polish it slightly, even if seeing UniverSalamander again after all these years was sort of neat. Nevertheless, the “Sonic” historian in me is glad this rarity was made available to the public. [5/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue ¼

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue ¼
Publication Date: November 1992

Merry Christmas and happy holidays, faithful Hedgehogs Can’t Swim readers! Thank you for taking time out of your busy celebration to cast your eyeballs on my dumb-ass blog! What with it being Christmas Eve and all that, I decided to do something really special today. Since I’ve already reviewed the Sonic Christmas special and talked about the December I got a Dreamcast, I’ve decided to devote this update to the true reason for the season: Spending your hard earned cash on stupid bullshit!

As you’ve probably figured, I have a nearly complete Archie Sonic comic collection. A lot of these issues I’ve owned since childhood, and they have the tattered pages and missing covers to prove it. As I’ve entered into what is ostensibly adulthood, I’ve managed to fill most of the gaps in my collection, via eBay and comic shop back issue bins. These days I have all the issues of the main series, as well as all the spinoffs, mini-series, and one-shots. But I’m not here to brag about how I have a crap ton of ratty old comic books instead of a 401k. Because I discovered not too long ago that my Sonic comic collection wasn’t complete. I was missing “Sonic 1/4.”

You may be wondering, what the fuck is “Sonic 1/4?” I’m glad you asked! “Sonic 1/4” was a free promotional comic given away with the November 1992 issue of “Sega Visions,” Sega’s attempt to compete with “Nintendo Power.” (In defiance of all logic and reason, Sega’s self-promotion rag managed to run for twenty-five issues. Maybe I’ll review them when I have absolutely nothing else left to talk about.) The freebie contains the first six pages of issue 0 of Archie’s original “Sonic” mini-series. “1/4” was released a few days before the full-length comic book and not quite a year before “SatAM” premiered on television, making it the technical first ever appearance of Sally and the rest of the Freedom Fighters.

It’s probably one of the rarer Archie Sonic issues. Luckily, most people don’t know about it, so it’s far from the priciest. (A quick perusal of eBay shows that people like to slap the biggest price tag on mint issues of the mini-series.) I managed to find a decent copy selling for twenty bucks. Because it’s the holidays, and because my girlfriend is totally indifferent to my blue rat fetish, I decided to buy “Sonic 1/4” as an early Christmas present to myself. That’s the contrived reason I’m posting this review on the 24th and, look, it only took me four paragraphs to explain it.

So let’s talk about the actual contents of “Sonic 1/4.” It’s yet another reprint (preprint?) of “Don’t Cry for Me, Mobius.” The first six pages anyway. This is a story I’ve already reviewed twice. There’s no point in going over it again. It’s so simplistic and silly it borders on shitty. But I still found myself smiling while reading this. At this point in my retrospective, I’m just beginning to re-read the rebooted issues. That massive change left me cold for a long time. So going back to the very beginning of the series, the very root of all the convoluted lore I would come to love, does tickle my nostalgia bone right about now. It’s honestly making me want to go back and re-re-read the first eight years or so of the book. I wish I was joking.

“Don’t Cry for Me, Mobius” is well-trotted ground around here but, holding this old comic book in my hands, I do notice some weird little details. Like the goofy superlatives the creative staff give themselves on the credits banner. Mike Gallagher, for an example, is credited as “Super Sonic Scripter” while Scott Shaw is the “Pedal to the Metal Penciler.” You get the idea. The comic banked really hard on those speed related puns early on. The moment where Sonic casually breaks the fourth wall to address the reader also sticks out way more now than it did in 1992. Years before Deadpool made that stuff popular, Sonic did it almost every issues.

As for the collector’s item itself, it’s pretty shoddy. My copy is less beat-up than the digital scans I used for the images here but only slightly. It’s a twenty-six year old comic book that was shoved between the pages of a forgotten magazine, so I’m not surprised. There’s some obvious printing errors in the book. Sonic’s chin and belly are frequently colored a darker brown, making it look like he has some serious five o’clock shadow in a few panels. In one panel, his eyeballs just straight-up vanish. Fuck-ups like this were pretty common in the book’s early days and I doubt Archie put much quality control into a free giveaway like this.

Going back to the comic’s earliest issue at this time strikes me as pivotal for another reason. It’s almost 2019. January begins the fourth year of this retrospective’s existence. If everything stays on schedule, this will also be the year I wrap up my Archie reviews. So merry Christmas, Hedgehogs Can’t Swim readers. When I started this project, I figured nobody would be reading it. I’m eternally grateful to have the regular commenters and viewers I do. Thank you so much for sticking with me. So enjoy the holiday, whether it’s spent with friends and family or just relaxing at home. Here’s to another year of being way past cool.

Sonic Free Comic Book Day 2008

Sonic Free Comic Book Day 2008
Publication Date: May 2008

In 2007, Archie's “Sonic the Hedgehog” series participated in Free Comic Book Day for the first time. For that special occasion, Archie had Ian Flynn write up an original story. Sonic fans were essentially getting a totally new adventure, free of charge. It was a pretty cool deal. So what did the company do for the 2008 Free Comic Book Day edition? Reprints! Ah, that's more like the tightwad, cheap-ass Archie I know and tolerate.

Specifically, 2008's Free Comic Book Day special contains a reprint of the very first issue of “Sonic the Hedgehog” Archie ever published. No, I'm not talking about issue 0 of the original mini-series, which was previously reprinted in “Sonic Firsts.” I'm referring to the literal first issue from the on-going series. It's almost an exact reprint too. We get “Meet Me at the Corner of Hedgehog and Vine,” where Robotnik attempts to choke the Freedom Fighters out of the Great Forest with the robotic Krudzu weed. We get all of “You Bet My Life!,” where Sonic is lured to the Casino Night Zone just to get shoved into a giant pinball machine. This reprint even includes the goofy one-page gag comics and the free bookmarks.

Last time I reviewed a reprint, I used it as an opportunity to comment on how much the book had changed in that time. Amazingly, this particular comic was published a whole eleven years after that last batch of reprints. So the question has to be asked again: How much has the comic change? Tonally, not quite as much as you'd expect. During the grim Penders/Bollers years, the slapstick of the earlier issues seemed totally out of place. Though Ian Flynn's run didn't lack serious action, he returned a light touch and comedic energy to the book that had been missing for a long time. You wouldn't find Robotnik being harmlessly exploded in the book in 2008 but you probably could spot a one-liner or a moment of goofy physical comedy.

The years have also shown a change in target audience. I think Archie was always hoping the seven-to-twelve year old crowd would be picking up “Sonic.” I'm sure that has always made up a portion of their buyers. Yet the book in 1992 and the book in 2008 seemed to be aiming for very different readers. The 1992 stories were full of broad physical slapstick, simplistic plots, and characters acting like dumbasses to advance the story. The 2008 stories were more serialized, focused more on the character's relationships, and devoted to building up Sonic's world. Ian's stories seem to skewer slightly older, in the moments when he outright wasn't aiming for the series' long time fans.

The characters represent by far the biggest difference between the book when it started and the book as it existed in 2008. In 1992, Sonic speaks exclusively in self-aggravating “cool” comments. He rarely misses a chance to annoy his enemies and rivals. He makes quite a few fourth wall breaking comments. Over all, he's more of a jerk. Sally was the girly straight man to Sonic's shenanigans. Antoine is a total coward, totally ineffectual and ridiculous. Rotor – excuse me, Boomer – has a snarky wit that would largely disappear. Tails is a complete moron, nearly helping the Krudzu attack Freedom H.Q. in the first story. Robotnik, meanwhile, was an egotistical buffoon who comically tormented his robot servants and cooked up goofy plans to defeat his enemies.

Archie choosing to republish this particular issue at this time is interesting. It's obvious that Ian Flynn went back to these early stories for inspiration and minor details. Some of the obscure bits of lore he dug up for his then-current run first appeared here. Flynn would bring back Freedom H.Q., which would be forgotten as the series started to hew more towards SatAM. Just the other day, I was reviewing a story set in the Casino Nights Zone, which first appeared here. It would be a while longer but Flynn would also soon bring the Krudzu, by far one of Sonic's most obscure enemies, back. Ian clearly knew his “Sonic” history.

Looking back at these old stories, it's hard to miss the book “Sonic” once was. The first “Sonic” stories Archie published were nothing more than fluff designed to promote a video game and separate a kid from his two bucks. I have no illusion that “Sonic” in 2008 was high art but at least it was trying to tell emotionally resonant stories, with fully formed characters the reader was invested in. Having said that, occasionally the free-wheeling early days did provide some fun stuff. Book marks and chili dog recipes certainly weren't anything you'd see in “Sonic” in 2008.

I certainly do not miss Dave Manak's artwork. Archie had seen a lot of subpar artwork in their “Sonic” book over its long run. After Flynn had established his vision for the series, the artwork suddenly became pretty consistent. Tracy Yardley and Matt Herms weren't perfect but they usually delivered a decent looking product. I don't even hate Dave Manak's pencils but they are undeniably sloppy. Characters are jagged but loose, not sticking to on-model most of the time. Manak made great use of cartoon motion lines to hide detail. This just draws attention to the sad facts: The “Sonic” book was originally a quickie product, made with minimum care and effort. It would take a few years for it to evolve into something more interesting.

You'd think Archie would've at least stuck some extras or goodies into this reprint. To give older fans some reason to pick this up, right? Not really! The only really cool addition we get is the cover. Patrick Spaziante redraws Manak's original issue 1 cover, using the then incarnations of the characters. And it's a pretty neat cover, full of Spaz's trademark details and sense of motion. Aside from that, we get an introduction from Flynn that boils down to telling readers to buy the books Archie actually charges money for. This promotional mood continues in the back, as the last page also encourages readers to pick up the various paperback collections Archie was publishing at the time.

In fact, the book going out of its way to promote the archive collection that Archie was rolling out back in 2008 makes me suspect this entire Free Comic Book Day special was an extended ad for those books. “Like this old shit? Here's some more! But you actually have to pay for these!” 2008's FCBD special would set something of a precedent. The free books would frequently alternate between containing new stories and reprints. I guess we really couldn't expect Archie to give away a brand new comic book every year, now could we? Anyway, there's zero reason to pick this up if you own the original issue one, unless you absolutely have to have that cool new Spaz cover.  I really don't know why I reviewed it either. [6/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 185

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 185
Publication Date: February 2008

It seems increasingly likely one aspect of Ian Flynn's legendary run on Archie's “Sonic the Hedgehog” will become notorious. He'll be remembered for story arcs that just go on and on, sometimes for years. This is a bit of a shame since, in the earlier days of his run, Flynn was really good at pacing. His event storylines usually only lasted four issues. He often spaced shorter stories between the longer ones. Issue 185 would begin a short, two-parter called “Mogul Rising,” attempting to reestablish Mammoth Mogul as part of Sonic's rogue gallery.

This story is subtitled “Needful Things” and, sadly, doesn't feature Max Von Sydow as a satanic antiques dealer. Anyway, the comic begins with Mina and Ash arriving in New Mobotropolis. After getting a look at the remains of Knothole, something that shocks Mina, Sonic shows her the new city. Next, Mammoth Mogul calls the hedgehog to visit him in prison. He issues a vague threat, which Sonic laughs off. That night, Mogul enacts his latest villainous scheme. He activates latent curses he's marked three characters with in the past, turning them into his sleeper agents. Soon, Mina, Tails, and Mighty the Armadillo are descending on Sonic.

Roughly a hundred times, I've referenced how Flynn devoted himself to clean up the book's mess and reestablish character's personalities. Amazingly, one somewhat contentious character didn't need that treatment. Mina the Mongoose, once an extremely controversial character, had actually found her place in Sonic's world before Flynn's soft reboot. As yet another love interest for Sonic, she was frequently aggravating. As the biggest pop star on Mobius, she suddenly found a purpose. Mina has been on her world tour for a while but this issue brings her back home. The panels devoted to her shock and confusion over Knothole's ruins are quietly touching.

Still, Ian does manage to fix one problem with Mina. One of the silliest aspects of the character Karl Bollers cooked up, in a desperate attempt to give her and Sonic something in common, was giving Mina super speed. It never made much sense and, after music became her life, her quick running was quickly forgotten. Flynn, meanwhile, cooks up a reason while this silly plot point existed. A wizard did it. Mammoth Mogul placed his mark on Mina during the Second Fall of Mobius, gifting her with superspeed so she'd get close to Sonic. It's a little thing but I appreciate it.

We have gotten a peak into the past of the Chaotix before, albeit mostly devoted to how they met Knuckles. While Mogul is activating his latent control over Mighty, we get a little peak into the Chaotix's history. Turns out, Mighty is the child of two professional thieves. He also has a little sister, a plot point that Flynn would eventually get around to expounding on, sort of. His parents were eventually incarcerated, separating Mighty from his family. This explains a lot about his character. His bond to his friends, his need to help people, the balance between his great strength and kind heart. (Mighty's strength was also a gift from Mogul, an interesting choice.)

In the past, Mammoth Mogul's evil schemes have boiled down to saying vague things, making awkward attempts at attacks, and getting his ass kicked. In “Needful Things,” the villain actually cooks up a decent plot. Yes, revealing that the elephant wizard had some sort of magical hold over three of Sonic's friends for years is slightly sloppy. But at least this scheme leaves the villain with some leverage. He's forcing Sonic to fight his own friends, forcing the hedgehog to make some difficult decisions. It shows that, under Flynn's pen, Mogul would rise to a higher level of bad-guy-ery.

Back in issue 170, Mike Gallagher dropped a goofy back-up story about Sonic fighting some long forgotten Badniks. In this issue, for some reason, Gallagher trots out a sequel. In the deeply awkwardly entitled “The Misfit Badniks' Salty, Soggy Sequel,” the Misfit Badniks have found a way to double Pseudo-Sonic to King Kongian proportions. They hope to use this to get their revenge on Sonic. Instead, the Forty Fathom Freedom Fighters swim and dismantle their scheme extremely quickly.

This is a Mike Gallagher joint revolving around the Forty Fathom Freedom Fighters. Archie “Sonic” readers with long memories will know what this means: A shit ton of puns. Get a load of this crap: A robot says “Holy 10W-40!” “Drop in for a bite,” said while someone gets bitten. “Let me show you how you conduct yourself,” said during an electrocution sequence. “Ouch! Rabbit punch!,” which is said after someone is punched by a rabbit. “You must be in shell shock,” said to a creature with a shell. In-between this shit, Gallagher sneaks in references to Bottlenose being a ninja and the secret plankton spy network present in the ocean. Don't act like you forgot about this. Mike Gallagher sure as fuck didn't.

However, “Soggy Sequel” at least ensures we won't see the Misfits Badniks again. After a brief fight, Fluke the Whale floats in, crushes Pseudo-Sonic and the rest of the Badniks. To prove to the reader that these characters are super duper dead, Fluke then folds their remains into a cube. Yes, all that talk about Pseudo-Sonic being a giant now amounts to exactly nothing. While I do have some affection for the comic's earlier, goofier days, I won't be missing these guys. Gallagher being who he is, he still ends this story by asking the reader if they want to see the Forty Fathom Freedom Fighters again. Surely, this was a story that had been sitting on a shelf somewhere, for years, right?

So anyway, the cover story is solid. There's some good story telling there, expanding on the mythology in meaningful ways. It certainly made me want to pick up the next month's issue, though I probably would've done that anyway. Hey, the back-up story is totally useless but, eh, sometimes those are the brakes. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 170

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 170
Publication Date: December 2006

By the time 2006 came to a close, Ian Flynn had wrapped up the big two story lines he planned for the year. Instead of spending the last month of his freshman year setting up another big plot line, he decided to take things a little more slowly with issue 170. The new head writer continued his habit of resolving plot points other writers left hanging and simplifying a universe that had, perhaps, gotten a little too unwieldy.

“Comings and Goings” begins with King Acorn still in an unconscious state, have never recovered from the poisoning Anti-Antoine delivered. Uncle Chuck, Tails, and Dr. Quack have cooked up a machine that might wake the King up. The problem is they need a Chaos Emerald to do it. Using a new device Rotor has invented, Sonic and Tails enter the recently transformed Special Zone and grab a Emerald. Afterwards, Merlin uses that Emerald and Knuckles' guiding stone to travel across the galaxy and rescue Tails' parents.

I'm not sure why, post-”Endgame,” Archie decided that everyone of the main characters needed to have living parents. Before being introduced to Tails' parents in “Sonic Kids 2,” I sort of assumed they just perished in the Great War. For whatever reasons, the writers chose to build this bizarre space epic around the elder Prowers. Ever since Sonic got back from “Tossed in Space,” Tails' mom and dad being on the other side of the galaxy has been referenced from time to time. Well, the fox finally gets his family reunion. Ian doesn't overdo the emotion. Tails is shy about approaching his mom and dad, which is a cute moment. Rosemary Prower is overwhelmed with emotion, fighting back tears as she sees how much her boy has grown. It's a pretty good moment.

Ian also uses this opportunity to conveniently do away with the wildly unpopular science-fiction elements that had crept into the series recently. After being zapped away to Argentium, Sonic and the gang notices the planet is in the middle of the war zone. Turns out, the Xorda and the Black Arms are deadlocked in a war above the planet. Amadeus Prower suspects they'll be fighting each other forever. This makes sure the Xorda, already widely disliked by the fanbase, won't be appearing in the book again anytime soon. It also prevents the Black Arms from showing up too. Rumor has it this was actually a Sega mandate but it works out either way, as most fans were eager to disregard the relatively recent but critically reviled “Shadow the Hedgehog” game. For that matter, the outer solar system being fraught with combat meant Sonic didn't have much reason to travel outer space either.

“Comings and Goings” is almost evenly cut in two halves. The important business with Tails and his parents occupies the second half. The first half deals with retrieving the Chaos Emerald. This confirms what was widely foreshadowed last time. The Zone of Silence has been transformed into the Special Zone. It most heavily resembles “Sonic the Hedgehog 2's” special zones. There are long, winding tunnels littered with rings, bombs, and Chaos Emeralds. This is another attempt by Ian to reconfiguration the comic book universe so that it resembles the video games a little more, while simultaneously cutting down on some of the book's repetitive moments. There's no longer the Zone of Silence, the Void, and scattered around Special Zones. There's just one of those.

Yet Flynn doesn't just tossed unneeded comic elements. He also respects this book's history. He takes Feist, that giant panda bear creature that briefly appeared back in issue 66, and brings him back into the story. Now Feist has transformed into a god-like entity, overseeing and controlling the Special Zone. Luckily, the cosmic panda has no ambitions to rule over Mobius. Instead, he simply reshapes the Special Zone, allowing Sonic and friends to race through its traps for prizes, just for his own amusement. This allows Flynn to revisit any of the other Special Zones from the video games but in a way that makes sense for this book. (Compare to the post-reboot attempts to integrate video game canon with comic canon and see how much more elegant this is.)

Last time, Flynn wasn't just determined to kill Tommy Turtle off again. He was determined to make the turtle's second death mean something. This mission continues in “Comings and Goings.” After most of the plot business is over, Sonic and Knuckles meet each other in Knothole's graveyard, whose occupancy has really gotten a boost recently. This re-emphasizes how Tommy really was a childhood friend of Sonic, how he's hurt by his passing. Yet Sonic is too much of a manly man to tearfully express those feelings. Instead, he works through his pain with some good old fashion homoerotic posturing joking around with Knuckles. This provides a candid moment for the two heroes, which is mildly touching.

After two whole pages of Off-Panel stripes for some reason, we are presented with another... Mike Gallagher story? In “The Island of Misfit Badniks,” Sonic is racing through the Great Forest when he literally stumbles upon a hidden alcove Robotnik would use for sneak attacks. Inside, he finds a map to an island where damaged badniks – those easily disposed robots Sonic jumped on in the original video games – automatically returned to when damaged. After tracking the island down, Sonic discovers a bunch of D-list baddies eager for revenge. Among them is Pseudo-Sonic, the very first mechanical copy of Sonic.

According to those hedgehog scholars at the Mobius Encyclopaedia, “Island of Misfit Badniks” was published in order to drum up interest in the Sonic Saga trade paperback that Archie was finally beginning to publish at the time. This suggests to me that this was an old story that was sitting on the shelf for some time. It's not as if Mike Gallagher has contributed a non-”Off-Panel” story to the book in a while. Considering the multiple callbacks to the comic's early history, and its vague placement in continuity, there's no reason not to think this story could've been written years ago.

As far as the actual content goes, “Island of Misfit Badniks” is typical Gallagherian silliness. Sonic easily bests the badniks. Though there might be a certain novelty to seeing Sonic fight Pseudo-Sonic – seeing as how the characters never actually fought back in issue 9 – the scuffle only lasts a page. The fight ends with the two guys running directly at each other, not unlike Gallagher's “Super Sonic vs. Hyper Knuckles” one-shot. The island is also a metal submarine. When it sinks at the end, the Badniks have actually just hidden themselves. The story concludes by promising that these ancient villains will return. (Mike, somehow, resists the temptation to have the characters directly beg the readers to request their return.)

By the way, Tracy Yardley's artwork continues to be high quality on the cover story while Dave Manak's illustrations on the back-up are as loose as you'd expect. Issue 170 takes 2006 out on a fairly strong note. It tells a meaningful, emotional story while also embracing the new writer's stated goals for the book. [8/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 158

 

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 158
Publication Date: January 2006

2006 would be the year that Archie's “Sonic the Hedgehog” book would finally pull itself out of the pit of mediocrity it had been simmering in for quite a few years. Soon, enough, a new creative staff will come on board and revitalize the title. But we're not there, not quite yet. We still have two more issues before Ken Penders' reign comes to an end. Though Ken would leave for other reasons, you can't help but wonder if he was running out of ideas. Issue 158 promises yet another fight between Sonic and Shadow. Don't these guys do anything else? The book hasn't been this fight crazy since the early days, when Knuckles was still a new character. Anyway, let's get on with the show.

“System Reconfiguration” continues where we left off. A group of Metal Sonic robots has invaded Robotnik's city. The doctor assumes Snively is behind this but the true culprit, the mysterious force hacking his system, remains unidentified. He quickly gets Mecha back on his side. Just as the machines look like they'll overrun the villain's lair, they instead head out for Knothole City, destroying everything in their path. Sonic and Shadow just escape the chaos, heading into the forest to fight the invasion for different reason. Both hedgehogs will soon learn some startling information.

Besides old dog faithfuls like me, I don't know who the hell else was reading the comic book in 2006. Maybe the younger Sonic fans, driven to the comic by a mania for “Sonic Adventure 2” and “Sonic Heroes,” wanted to see Sonic and Shadow fight each other once again? If that was the audience Archie was targeting at the time, I bet they were disappointed in this story. Despite the cover promising a title bout between the blue blur and his latest rival, Sonic and Shadow do not fight in this issue. In fact, they are even working together – kind of – throughout part of it. Shadow spends about a third of the issue unconscious!

But covers always lie. What of the actual content? To his credit, Ken does make an effort to develop Shadow a little as a character. Robotnik attempts to manipulate the so-called ultimate life form. Robotnik points out his familial relation with Shadow's creator, making the hedgehog a nephew of sorts to the villain. Interestingly, Shadow doesn't buy it. Instead, he's driven to protect Hope. Considering his connection with Hope has been his sole humanizing element, I don't mind Ken returning to that one. It doesn't amount to much. Mostly, it's a story excuse to get the anti-hero fighting the horde of Metal Sonics. But it counts for something.

The robotic threats, called the Metal Sonic Troopers, are also potentially interesting. They sport the dorky black leather loincloth design from “Sonic Heroes.” They don't display a flick of personality. Instead, the troopers act like a zombie horde. They don't eat flesh but they do descend as a crowd, destroying everything around them. We learn their origin. Rotor and Uncle Chuck built them as a robotic police force while Sonic was in space. Once the hero came back, the Troopers were shelved. Sadly, both of these points are wasted. Sonic spends a little too much time relaxing after the robots are set loose, making them seem less dangerous. Our hero, meanwhile, has no reaction – good or otherwise – to learning that his uncle and friend are responsible for this new threat.

Among all this chaos, Ken once again makes an attempt to sneak in some pathos. Before the Troopers attack Knothole, Jules and Bernie have another conversation about their son. Bernie wonders if they've gone wrong, letting Sonic march into danger like he does. Once again, Jules recommends giving the boy some distance, that he's not a child anymore. This can't help but remind me of how Locke treated Knuckles, spying on him while refusing to actually father him. Maybe it's just residual annoyance with that plot point that makes these scenes stick out to me. Or maybe they really just don't have a place in this current story.

I know I bitch about Ron Lim's artwork all the time. In “System Reconfiguration,” Lim does some especially lousy work, just when he was showing some improvement too. The Metal Sonic Trooper look too much like a collection of pointy edges. When attacking as a crowd, Lim just draws a big blue, squiggly shape. His character work is okay in a few panels. Uncle Chuck and Shadow look okay, at least by the standards of Ron Lim's pencils. The action artwork, however, is dire. It's lifeless, messy, and shapeless.

For the back-up story, Archie forces us to suffer through another shitty “Off-Panel” comic. Mike Gallgher's script even admits that no one is actually interested in reading this. A gag claims Hugh – apparently the guy who changes the print cartridge – demanded another one of these. Anyway, the plot: Sonic and editor Mike Pellerito meet in a back alley for some reason. There, they are attacked by Blackstage, some Phantom of the Opera looking motherfucker who threatens to expose a bunch of behind-the-scenes footage to the fans, expecting this info to destroy sales. It doesn't work because fans enjoy stuff like this. So the villain essentially defeats himself.

It's so dumb, you guys. The script is derivative of “Better Read Than Dead” from 126, with a lame villain appearing to threaten the editorial staff in a really dumb way. Like in that story, Sonic is benched for most of the plot, making Pellerito the hero. (Because that's what people reading a “Sonic the Hedgehog” comic book wanted to see: The adventures of the editor.) Blackstage's plan doesn't even make sense. Why would behind the scene footage destroy a comic book's credibility? It's a comic, not pro-wrestling! Is Blackstage unaware of the popularity of DVD special features?

I guess that's to be expected, as this is a gag comic. Sadly, the gags aren't funny either. Blackstage's incriminating footage includes stunt doubles, camera tricks, special effect shots, and King Acorn being in a make-up chair for six hours. (I've always suspect Mike Gallagher stopped paying attention to the book years ago and this proves that, as all these story events are from the pre-100 days.) When the bad guy is informed that his plan is stupid and sucks, Sonic tears his clothes off, puts the mask on, and sings a bar of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Jeeeezus. Is this what Archie's comedy books were like at the time? No wonder nobody read them back then. I'll give the story this much though. It's slightly less embarrassing then “The Edge of Parodies,” the previous Off-Panel five pager.

The cover story is slightly better then most of the “Sonic” stories Archie published in 2005. This is faint praise, as it's still a stiflingly mediocre affair. Ken isn't exactly going to go out on a high note but he could've done a lot worst. We all know that. I'm willing to totally ignore that fucking terrible back-up story and just stick this one with a [6/10.] I'm feeling generous.

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 156

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 156
Publication Date: November 2005

How many times has Archie's “Sonic the Hedgehog” series threatened to marry Sally off? Issue 18 is the first example that comes to mind for me, where Sonic and Sally were drawn as husband and wife on the cover. Even that wasn't the first time, as the two were married in a fantasy sequence in issue 16. Considering alternate futures and that period where King Acorn was demanding Sally marry Antoine, the comic has constantly dangled the idea of marriage in front of our faces. Issue 156, despite its non-indicative cover, is doing yet another matrimonial fake-out. Probably not the last either.

Before the ink is even dry on the paperwork, Sally and Antoine are marching down the aisle. Sonic is seriously upset, certain something funny is going on. He crashes the ceremony. Some help from Elias keeps him from getting thrown out, the Prince accepting his right as King. Simultaneously, Anti-Antoine plans to kill King Acorn, completing his evil plan. Luckily, Sonic can see through the impostor Antoine's treachery.

Despite working on the book for over a decade, in this story, Ken is showing a total inability to grasp these characters. Even though they've been separated for a while, Sonic declares that Sally “should be with him.” Which paints our hero as possessive and entitled. Further misunderstanding Sonic, at the end he happily walks off with Fiona, a character he still has no connection with. (I also doubt that Sonic would willfully hurt his best friend, as Tails is clearly bothered by this relationship.) Sally, meanwhile, treats Sonic very coldly, even though she's also opposed to the wedding. It's just bad writing, you guys.

Once again, in a year as shitty as 2005, even a story arc as bad as “Line of Succession” presents some positive attributes. Evil Antoine emerges as a surprisingly ruthless villain. He revels in his villainy. During his wedding reception, he leaves just so he can deliver the killing blow to the king. He delights in throwing Sonic in the dungeon. When Elias appears to take the crown, he schemes to kill him in front of everyone. It's an old fashion style of villainy, very over-the-top, only missing the twirled mustache to be complete. But it entertains. Considering before this arc, he was just another generic member of Evil Sonic's gang, he proves a compelling nasty foe.

Perhaps more importantly, “Line of Succession” wraps up the entire impostor story line, almost as an afterthought. In the final pages, quickly, Sonic punches out Evil Antoine. He quickly surmises, somehow, that Antoine was replaced by his villainous double quite some time ago. Using the device Rotor built for him a few issues back, Sonic smoothly and easily returns the Bad Antoine to his world and the Good Antoine to Mobius. It's rushed and pretty sloppy but, considering the book had been stretching out this dumb story for a while now, nevertheless satisfying. Watching Evil Antoine get punched in the gut is also pretty satisfying.

Oh yeah, Prince Elias is back too. It's another example of how poor Penders' grasp on these characters is. (Which is especially ridiculous, considering he created Elias.) Elias' previous defining characteristic has been his unwillingness to rule. How many panels did he spend whining about not wanting to be king? I really didn't mind Elias hanging out on that farm, staying out of everyone's way and out of the comic's ongoing plot. Yet in this story, he rushes back to Knothole and, within a few minute, assumes the throne. I know he does it to save his sister but it still comes off as a rash decision, one at odds with his previously established personality.

In the back pages, Dulcy's solo story “The Price of Flames' continues. Even though the underground dragon city of Vesuvio is under attack by Robotnik's roboticized dragons, the community's leader still has time to punish Dulcy for returning. She's thrown in a lava bound pit, chained by her nose ring. One of the robot dragons collide with, breaking the chain and removing the nose ring. Her fire breathing ability renewed, Dulcy leads the attack against the robots, saving the day and being accepted back into the community.

“The Price of Flames” features some serious writing problems, which I'll address momentarily, but it remains a satisfying story. After spending all of last month on set-up, Mike Gallagher gets to the point here. Within a few pages, Dulcy faces the people who rejected her, regains her fire breathing abilities, saves the day, and redeems herself in her enemy's eyes. It doesn't leave much room for character development. The other dragons in Vesuvio are loose sketches, at best. But it is satisfying to see these events play out in such a neat fashion.

I'd probably give the story high marks if it wasn't for one serious problem. After regaining her fire breath, Dulcy incinerates the Robian dragons. She tearfully points out that these Robians were once normal dragons, brain-washed and roboticized by Robotnik. In other words, Dulcy just murdered her Mom, among other innocents. But don't worry! Mike Gallagher has an ass-pull that absolves Dulcy of the crime. See, dragons have souls that live forever. They'll just be reborn in new bodies. This presumably means Dulcy's reincarnated mother will remember that time her daughter burned her to death. It's a really dumb, last minute plot turn that ruins an otherwise decent story. It feels like Gallagher forgot what Robians were exactly until the last minute, throwing in the immortal soul business to cover his ass.

Aside from making Dulcy a cold-blooded killer, “The Price of Flame” is notable for another reason. It would be Art Mawhinney's final credit on the book. I've written a lot about Mawhinney's art since beginning this retrospective. So it should be known that he's one of my favorite “Sonic” artist. As far as final bows goes, “The Price of Flame” is a decent one. The characters are expressive, the lines are crisp, and the action is dynamic. I just wish the script was up to Art's standards. As far as I can tell, Mawhinney has mostly retired from working on comics, with his most recent work being on kid's Look-N-Find books. (James Fry draws the cover story and does a decent job, by the way.)

I can't really give issue 156 a good review, considering the obvious problems both the cover story and back-up has. Mike Gallagher's work has always been full of sloppy elements while Ken's skills seriously atrophied near the end of his run. But at least that dumb Evil Antoine business is finally resolved. Just when he was beginning to become a decent bad guy too! All and all, it's another middling issue in a series clearly running out of steam. For those who own the print edition, I hope you enjoyed that five page long HeroScape ad in the middle of the book. [5/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 155

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 155
Publication Date: November 2005

With Karl Bollers bullied out of the book, Ken Penders was allowed to claim Archie's “Sonic the Hedgehog” comic as more-or-less his own. For some reason, for his first act as sole head writer, he returned to the childish romantic melodrama that characterized the awful Anti-Sonic switcharoo. Penders' continued bumbling through the love lives of Sonic and company is baffling, for a few reasons. But mostly because the love story between Knuckles and Julie-Su was actually one of the better aspect of Ken's “Knuckles” series. Maybe Ken's obvious echidna favoritism played a role in that or, perhaps, his skills have just degraded with age? Either way, “Line of Succession,” the story arc beginning in issue 155, is another notorious stinker.

The story begins with King Acorn and Queen Alicia returning home, following their long trip abroad. Instead of doing something interesting with that, the failed diplomacy trip is brushed aside with a few lines of dialogue. Anyway, it turns out that Antoine – or rather Anti-Antoine, still masquerading as the real deal – has been poisoning the king. His health failing, the King informs Sally that the time has come for to ascend to the throne. And she can't do that unless she's married, with Antoine being chosen as her suitor. Which is all according to the villain's plan. When Sonic hears this news, he's pretty upset.

We've known Antoine's evil double has been living in his shoes for at least five issues now. Antoine's gradual asshole-ification has been going on for at least a year, inside and outside the book. After all that, the comic has finally gotten around to providing some insight to Anti-Antoine's master plan. Essentially, he's been planning to murder the king and take the crown for himself. Which is admittedly a more nuanced plan then Anti-Sonic's scheme to score with as many chicks as possible. Anti-Antoine even gets a decent action beat, when he pins Sonic with his sword and kicks him into a river. But I'm not sure why it took so long for the wicked coyote – or the writers, for that matter – to get around to doing this.

Sadly, most of “Line of Succession” is devoted to brain dead romantic melodrama. Of all the book's misbegotten love triangles, the Sonic/Sally/Antoine triangle has been dead and buried for the longest period of time. Even that bullshit about the King insisting Sally marry Antoine has been a moot point for a while. Remember when Max flat-out told Sally he was fine with her dating Sonic? That character development goes out the window here, as the King dismisses Sally's relationship with the hedgehog as a silly bit of juvenilia. At least Anti-Antoine doesn't actually feel anything for Sally, wanting to marry her strictly for the sake of power. But it's still dumb.

Give credit where it's due. At least Princess Sally gets a smidgen of agency. After her dad informs her that she'll marry Antoine, Sally is understandably aghast. After the required amount of hand-wringing and tears that has sadly become typical for Sal, she thinks the situation over. She decides to go through with the marriage, not because she's forced into it, but because it's her duty as the People's Princess and the leader of Knothole. Yes, some nudging from Antoine helps her come to this conclusion. But it's something. She's not entirely a pawn in the plot, pushed around by the whims of the writer.

Sadly, the melodramatic shenanigans do not end there. The issue opens with Tails walking in on Sonic and Fiona making out. As the fox is still crushed on Fiona, from his encounter with the robotic version so long ago, it's a harsh moment for him. The Tails/Fiona thing has been simmering for a while so it's disappointing that it ends so curtly. Especially since Sonic and Fiona have never previously been an item. Furthermore, I'm not a fan of the book continue to push Sonic as a lady's man. Later in the issue, he refers to Bunnie as “babe,” suggesting there's still some sexual tension between them. I don't know why Ken wrote Sonic as such a cad. That was Anti-Sonic that was screwing around on everybody, right? Why is the real deal still doing this?

Just as Sally and Antoine are walking down the aisle, we head to our back-up story. Dulcy the Dragon takes center stage in “The Price of Flame.” At some point in the past, the Freedom Fighters asked Dulcy to light a ceremonial fire. The dragon flies away, tears in her eyes. In flashback, Dulcy reveals her past and how she lost her ability to breath fire.

Dulcy the Dragon has long been a much neglected part of the “Sonic” supporting cast. So it's nice for her to get a story arc to herself. Further more, in all this time, we've never learned much about Dulcy's background. Mike Gallagher finally fills us in. After her family was robotocized, Dulcy lived in an underground colony of dragons called Vesuvio. Contact with the outside world was forbidden. When it was discovered that Dulcy had been sneaking out to fight Robotnik, she's punished with exile. Her fire breathing abilities are also stymied, by switching out her black “scorch ring” with a power inhibiting gold Power Ring. Now, she's returning home for the first time in years.

It's as decent a backstory as any and explains why we've met so few other dragons. But Mike Gallgher's approach could've been better. As Dulcy flies back to Vesuvio, she explains her past in detail. Which amounts to a series of panels, large narration boxes overhead. It's doesn't feel much like a story, working more like an encyclopedia listing. In other words: it's another heaping load of exposition.

Worst yet, I'm pretty sure Mike wrote this story just to clear up a minor continuity error. In the past, Dulcy's nose ring has been colored as either gold or black. This is explained as Dulcy painting her golden ring black sometimes, in shame over loosing her powers. Really, Mike, we don't care about coloring errors. You don't have to devote a whole story to justifying them.

At least there's no stinky Ron Lim or Al Bigley artwork this time. James Fry draws the cover story. Fry's artwork is confident, full of expression and anime-style movement, but he's having a bit of an off-day. He even utilizes some Jon Grey style big, cartoony emotions a few times, to mixed affect. Art Mawhinney draws the back-up story. Dulcy, being a very cute character, looks good in his style. I really love the flashbacks to Dulcy's early days with the Freedom Fighters, which really brings us back to the SatAM years. Of course, lending such a cute style to a horde of multi-colored dragons does have the side effect of making this story feel like an episode of “Dragon Tales” sometimes. That's not Art's fault. Probably.

The cover story is less outright bad then it's just mostly mediocre and unnecessary, with several really obnoxious writing flaws. The back-up shoves too much info, awkwardly, into too small a place. It's pretty lame and another example of how badly this book dragged in 2005. But let's appreciate small miracles. At least the real Antoine will be back soon. This other guy is a prick. [5/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 147

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 147
Publication Date: March 2005

Recently, I theorized that Archie was putting such a heavy focus on Shadow the Hedgehog because Sega insisted the comic include more video game elements. Further proof comes along in the second part of the “The Good, the Bad, and the Unknown” tetralogy. The third corner of this fightin’ triangle is revealed as Metal Sonic. Though a consistent adversary to Sonic in the games, the original Metal Sonic hasn’t appeared in the comics since the “Knuckles’ Chaotix” one-shot, roughly a million years ago. So his sudden reappearance in the book is a bit of a surprise, one Archie hyped up nearly as much as Shadow’s.

The Freedom Fighters split up inside the mysterious underground lair they have found themselves in. Tails and Tommy enter a control room, helplessly pressing buttons. Fiona has been left in some obscure corner, which Sonic, Rotor, and Bunnie quickly speed to. Metal Sonic, sent by Eggman to check shit out, tracks down Shadow and Isaac. The robot quickly starts to wail on Shadow and his friend. Before long, Sonic enters the fray, apparently just looking for a good fight.

I don’t know why Ken threw together this collection of characters. Sonic and Tails go on adventures all the time while Rotor and Bunnie fill the smart guy and brawler roles, respectively. But what do Tommy and Fiona add to this team? Seems like both got slotted into additional scientific roles, even though Rotor’s already on this mission. I suppose the writer was trying to boost those two, still relative new additions to the team. What ends up happening instead is a story with too many characters, the writer awkwardly attempting to find a role for everyone. This results in an unfocused script that leaps around too much, confusing and irritating readers.

Sega faithfuls love Metal Sonic, considering him one of Sonic’s most dangerous adversaries. I’ve never quite gotten the hype. As a robot, he’s defined by a one-note drive to destroy Sonic. In “The Heart of the Hedgehog” arc, Dan Fingeroth merged this with a more personable psychosis and a sarcastic streak, actually making Metal Sonic interesting. Ken attempts something similar here. The writer shoves some trash talk into the robotic hedgehog’s voice synthesizer. He refers to Shadow as “Bio-Trash” and repeatedly declares himself his superior. While that worked with the more humanized Metal Sonic 2.5, it’s an odd fit for this version of Metal Sonic, who just came off the assembly line. Still, it is slightly more interesting then Shadow’s boring friend Isaac.

Then again, maybe I’m overestimating Ken’s intentions. Because “The Good, the Bad, and the Unknown” only really has one purpose: Getting Sonic, Shadow, and Metal Sonic into a big fight. Which the story gleefully leaps into. Metal Sonic floors Shadow with a telescoping extend-o punch. Shadow, in retaliation, swings him into a wall. There’s punches, leaps, tossed rocks, and rocket boosters to the face. Metal Sonic at least has a reason for fighting these guys. Sonic’s excuse for getting into the action – running off to join the fight just because he’s bored – reeks of lazy writing. It’s as if the Archie brass told the writer “We don’t care why they fight, just make them fight” and he delivered in as cynical a fashion possible.

Remember a while ago when Archie, for some stupid reason, gave the Off-Panel crew a five page story? Sure you do. Remember how I said they never did that again? I’m sorry, that was wrong. “The Edge of Parodies” is a self-indulgent bit of fourth wall breaking from Mike Gallagher and Dave Manak. Mike and Dave enter the Off-Panel universe, despite Sonic’s objection. Both quickly realize, as the writer and artist, they have control over the story as it happens. Dave and Mike immediately transform themselves into superheroes and spend the rest of the comic arguing about who has cooler powers. Sonic attempts to distract them with some old Badniks but it takes the editor stepping in, saying this bullshit is stupid and to stop it, to make the story end.

“This Side of Parodies” has one funny gag. Sonic recruits a bunch of Badniks from the original game – once regular cast members who haven’t been seen in years – to challenge Gallagher and Manak. Seeing Moto-Bug as a grouchy old man is mildly amusing. Otherwise, “This Side of Parodies” is another useless bit of ego masturbation for Manak and Gallagher. Without irony, both fictional stand-ins blame the other for the book’s sometimes shoddy quality. Manak says his art makes Gallagher’s rushed scripts awesome. Gallagher says his writing makes up for Manak’s sketchy artwork. Which doesn’t disguise the fact that this story is about the writers making themselves superheroes. Though I will say this much: Unlike “Better Read Than Dead,” at least Sonic has an extended role in this story. It’s not just about how awesome the comic’s creative staff is. Still, I can’t imagine excited kids, eager to read about Sonic the Hedgehog’s adventures, were much pleased by this.

Issue 147 wraps up with “Fox and the Hound.” Sonic is too busy adventuring to play with Muttski. Desperate for attention, the dog instead teams up with Tails for some playtime. The two proceed to play fetch, hopstocth, and go for a swim. During a game of hide and seek, Muttski starts to get aggressive towards Tails. Sonic intervenes and insists this is just a misunderstanding, as Muttski thought he was fox hunting.

“Fox and the Hound” has a promising idea. The story mentions Sonic’s ability to understand Muttski’s speech, a plot point the book has done nothing with since introducing it. Overall, seeing Tails and Muttski bond over their mutual status as Sonic’s ignored sidekicks is a cute idea. This could’ve built towards a “boy and his dog” scenario, Tails having a deeper bound with Sonic’s pet then the hedgehog ever did. Instead, “Fox and the Hound” is just build-up towards a really lame pun about fox hunting. It’s another Romy Chacon five pagers that wastes the potential inherit in its premise.

At least the art isn’t too bad. Steven Butler continues to do fine work on the cover story, even if his Metal Sonic looks a little weird. (And it’s disappointing that Isaac is drawn as a straight palette swipe of E-102 Gamma, right down to the number designation.) But Sonic, Shadow, Bunnie and the gang still look awesome, as does the action. Dave Manak’s artwork for “This Side of Parodies” is typical of Manak. However, his loose, angular style fits the story, misbegotten as it may be. Al Bigley continues to improve with “Fox and the Hound.” Tails and Sonic still look a little off at times but, for the most parts, Bigley is developing a style of his own: Jovial and cartoony without loosing track of the characters’ reality. A little more fine-tuning and he could’ve turn into a great “Sonic” artist. Disappointingly, he would only draw one more story for Archie before leaving the book.

Issue 147 is another collection of lame stories. “The Good, the Bad, and the Unknown” reveals itself as nothing more then a mindless fight fest. (And I generally like fight fest!) “Fox and the Hound” could’ve been interesting if the writer had a little more faith in it. And “This Side of Parodies” was a terrible idea that shouldn’t have been in the book in the first place. The Dork Age continues, uninterrupted. [4/10]