Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 45

 
Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 45
Publication Date: January 1997

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 32

 
Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 32
Publication Date: January 1996

A few issues back, Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” series uncovered the old “hero gets amnesia, unwillingly works for the bad guy” story troupe. Despite being a haggard cliché, that issue became my favorite of the 1995 season. To open 1996, the comic would try its hand at another well-known story device: The defrosted caveman. Mummies of prehistoric men frozen in ice have been found before but just melting the ice isn’t, you know, enough to bring them back to life. In fiction, it’s a different story. “Blast from the Past,” issue 32’s cover story, puts a Sonic spin on this concept. Since this is back before the whole “Mobius is Earth thousands of years into the future!” idea, the caveman is actually a cavebear.

“Blast from the Past” begins with a dramatic one-page spread of Sally falling into an icy crevice. (Though this recalls the not-too-far-off “Endgame” arc, Tails rescues her in time.) The Freedom Fighters are in the frozen mountains of Mobius for some reason when a gang of SWATBots ambushed them. Turns out Muttski, Sonic’s roboticized dog, led them there. After escaping the machines, Sonic and friends stumble upon a frozen Neanderthal man bear. They take the block of ice back to Knothole Village, where it naturally melts. Dubbed Mobie, the cavebear starts wrecking shit in the village before returning back to the mountains. Despite his dislike of the critter, Sonic takes chase.

“Blast from the Past” has two emotional threads running through the story. The first of which involves Mobie. He’s a pretty silly character. First off, he doesn’t look much like a bear. Instead, he resembles the classic caveman design, with some furry Sonic elements added to it. The plot follows the traditional outline of stories like this: The caveman is accidentally thawed out, thanks to a device called Glaciator which we’ve never seen before and would never see again. A man out of time, Mobie immediately starts freaking out, smashing shit with his club. The Freedom Fighters’ attempts to communicate with him only remind the caveman of his family, all of whom are assuredly dead now. (The comic kind of skims over that last point.) Because this is a Sonic book, they had to involve him somehow. So Sonic goes from being annoyed by Mobie to learning to like the big guy. That makes sense, since Mobie just wrecks shit upon being defrosted. The reconciliation between hedgehog and cavebear is a bit rushed though.

This is because “Blast from the Past” has to sneak in another emotional plot. Sonic’s Uncle Chuck returned in Issue 30, the robotocized Mobian regaining his free will. 32 heavily features Muttski, Sonic’s pet dog. Having spent lots of time around him, Muttski can easily track Sonic’s scent. (How a robot can smell is another issue all together.) The story directly deals with Sonic’s reaction to his best canine friend becoming a robotic killing machine. This provides the story with its emotional heart and works a little better then the Mobie A-plot. Disappointingly, even that plot thread has a too easy resolution. Off-panel, Uncle Chuck restores Muttski’s free will, Sonic regaining his beloved pet, at least in robot form. Mobie, meanwhile, is left in a jungle, safe from Robotnik but still lost in a strange new world without his family.

Stuck between the book’s two stories is another two-pager from Ken Penders, “Prisoners.” Picking up where “The Hunt is On!” from “Knuckles’ Chaotix” left off, the Chaotix awaken in a darkened room. A voice speaks to them, telling them not to get violent. After a minute of talking, he opens a door and reveals himself to the heroes, if not the reader. I really wonder if it was a page-count thing or a conscious decision on Penders’ behalf to stretch the reveal of Archimedes out so damn long. Tiny stories like this really do nothing but irritate the reader and belabor the point. Soon enough, Archimedes would be revealed and Knuckles’ story could actually begin moving forward. Even though it’s only two pages long, “Prisoners” still features some very flat, awkward artwork. Penders really doesn’t know how to draw Mighty. Every time he appears in this story, his shape changes some.

Issue 32 wraps up with the second part of “Tundra Road,” the Rotor story that began the previous month. Rotor is rescued from the arctic waters by two members of the Arctic Freedom Fighters: Sealia and Augustus. Teaming up, they take the fight to Robotnik, sneaking into his base with the old Trojan Horse ploy. Though they wreck his base, Rotor’s family ends up on an ice floe, floating out into the ocean, still hypnotized. Instead of trying to rescue them, Rotor heads back to Knothole Village.

Yeah, “Tundra Road” ends on an odd question mark. I’m not sure why Rotor couldn’t have jumped into his submarine and pursued his family, protecting them until he can figure out how to cure them. I mean, I understand the real reason. Rotor can’t stay away from Knothole Village for too long, in case he’s needed for a story. Yet the hero leaving his mother, little brother, and friends alone to float through the wilderness seems awfully callous. Rotor teaming up with the Arctic Freedom Fighters is a natural story decision, considering the location. The Trojan Horse bit is a little odd. Personally, I wish “Tundra Road” could’ve had a third part. Or was expanded into a three issue mini-series, which I suspect might have been the original plan. It would’ve given Rotor more time to explore his situation and allow the story to have a proper conclusion. Instead, it had to be squeezed into two back-up stories. Rotor’s mom and little brother wouldn’t be mention for years afterwards.

The cover story isn’t bad but every tale in issue 32 is slightly strangled by the page count, trying to do too much in too little space. [6/10]