Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 101

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 101
Publication Date: September 2001

Around the time issue 100 of Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” series was published, the fandom was abuzz with speculation. On his website, Ken Penders had promised that a new villain would be debuting in the comic around this time. People wondered who this could be. Would it be the newly debuted Shadow the Hedgehog, whose name we didn’t even know when that announcement was made? Would an entirely new character appear? Or would, as had been rumored for a while now, Knuckles become a villain? The last, and least interesting possibility, turned out to be true. As you’d imagine, Knuckles’ heel turn was short lived. Issue 101 is one of the few times the echidna’s newly acquired villainy was relevant at all.

Following the Freedom Fighters’ escape from Robotropolis last time, Sonic and the others wonder what happened to Nate Morgan. Before they can figure that out, weird shit starts going down. Sonic and the others are suddenly displaced across different dimensions. They stay inside these strange places for a few minutes before being zapped into a new one. This continues for a while and then it stops.

“Altered States” is a potentially interesting idea. Momentarily displacing Sonic and friends into different realities could’ve been fun. And, some times, it sort of is. Sonic and Tails first leap into the world from the Japanese OVA series. Meaning they fight Metal Robotnik, they long to rescue the humanoid Princess Sara, and Knuckles wears a bitchin’ Crocodile Dundee hat. Another zone they zip into is right out of SatAM. Robotnik is sporting his original design while Sonic and Sally are on a routine mission. It’s interesting to visit these other continuities, especially the OVA which the comic had yet to acknowledge up to this point. (Sega, who didn’t want to reference the OVA for licensing reasons, was quite annoyed that Archie did this.)

Some of the other realities Sonic enters are classical “What if?” situations. The first one shows what life would be like if Warlord Julian’s coup had been prevented. Sally would be marrying Knuckles, Elias would’ve returned to Mobotropolis years earlier, but Jules would still be a robot. Another dimension jump shows a world where Sally really did die during “Endgame.” Both of these scenarios have emotional potential. In the first world, Sonic wonders why Sally chose the Guardian over him. Essentially, one childhood friend wonders why another childhood friend graduated to romantic love interest. In the other reality, the Freedom Fighters grapple with the death of their Princess. Sadly, the sequences are so short-lived that there’s no time to properly explore these set-ups.

Worst yet, these leaps through other dimensions have no effect on the prime zone. The Freedom Fighters get tossed into other timelines, without reason, and then get zapped back. The question of “how” isn’t provided in the story itself, the explanation waiting for the back-up story. This leaves readers confused. The question of “why” is even more elusive. The only consequences these sneaks into other dimensions leave behind is Sonic learning that Nate Morgan is dead. In other words, the entire cover story has been a huge waste of time.

In the back pages, Ken’s Knuckles-centric epic continues to roll on ever so slowly. It begins with Julie-Su asking why the hell Knuckles agreed to join the Dark Legion. This is a good question! Knuckles’ answer is that Dimitri may be more forthcoming with explanations then the Brotherhood, which says more about how needlessly evasive Knuckles' dad than how reasonable a supervillain like Dimitri is. When Knuckles asks the Legion leader what the extent of his power is, Dimitri informs him that it’s potentially limitless. The young Guardian immediately attempts to travel back in time and change history. It doesn’t work.

If there’s one lesson we’ve learned from Knuckles’ on-going plot – other than Ken sucks at telling a long story – it’s that Knuckles has no idea what he’s doing. Once Knuckles learns that his Chaos Powers allow him to do almost anything, he doesn’t attempt to escape the Legion and free the Floating Island. Instead, he goes back in time. Way back in time, to before Echidnaopolis floated into the sky. This is apparently why everything went crazy in the cover story, though it’s far from a satisfying explanation. If Knuckles is seemingly so powerful, I don’t know why he doesn’t just force Dimitri to give him the answers he craves. Why is he screwing around?

The writing is still clumsy but the artwork is better. For the first time, Archie recruited a “Sonic” fan artist to work on the main book. Dawn Best would soon be followed by J. Axer and, eventually, the team of Ian Flynn and Tracy Yardley. Best’s artwork isn’t perfect, as Knuckles still looks kind of awkward in a few panels. But it’s certainly a big improvement over Ken Penders and Ron Lim’s pencils. Best’s Lien-Da looks awesome and she creates a few memorable panels. Such as Knuckles tumbling to ground after his first time travel attempt goes wrong. Sadly, Archie would waste Best’s talents, rarely allowing her to show off.

Archie also chose this issue to start debuting the Sega Data Files. These were short profiles about characters and places. I suspect they were added to bring new readers up to speed, since they mostly tell long-time readers stuff we already know. Archie would release several of these Data Files but quickly forget about the concept. As for issue 101, its cover story is interesting but totally useless while its back story continues to frustrate. It’s not going to get better any time soon. [4/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 100

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 100
Publication Date: August 2001

As a kid getting into comics, a series hitting the triple digits was proof that it had made it. If a book could successfully run for that long, that meant it had carved out its niche on the comic shop’s racks. That it had reached a certain level of respectability and critical standing in the four-color world. As a youngster, I never imagined that Archie’s “Sonic” series – which I loved so much at one time – would ever reach that milestone. Kid-me would would probably loose his shit if he was told the series would still be running twenty years later, nearly exceeding 300 issues. It’s just a shame that the 100 issue milestone would come during a legendarily lame run.

Karl obviously planned to wrap up some of his lingering story lines in the 100th issue. The Freedom Fighters confront Kodos and the location of the Sword of Acorn is finally, blessedly, revealed. Magical sword in hand, the team heads towards Robotropolis with two objectives. The first of which is to rescue Nate Morgan, who has headed to Robotnik’s city for briefly defined reasons. Secondly, the group uses the sword’s powers to give a whole bunch of Robians their free will back.

Issue 100 does successfully clip away some of the bloat the series has been feeling lately, for now anyway. The Sword of Acorn arc seems to be resolved, at least for the moment. Uma Arachnis, who reveals the Sword location with her dying breath, hid it down some fucking hole in the forest.  The entire Freedom Fighter team temporarily come back together to kick the ever-loving shit out of Kodos. When was the last time the core five Freedom Fighters had a big action scene together? It’s been far too long, that’s for sure. Watching Bunnie, Antoine, and Tails curb stomp the Warlord into submission sure is satisfying.

Karl doesn’t exactly resolve the unresolved tension between Sonic and Sally but at least he addresses it. While the Princess runs to Uma’s hiding spot, Kodos attacks her. She slips and falls into the chasm. For a page, it seems like Princess Sally has bitten the dust. This leads to a surprisingly touching panel of Sonic admitting his failure – that he wasn’t fast enough – and the others looking into the pit, dismayed. Sonic even grimly realizes he has to retrieve the body, Bunnie insisting on going with him. It’s an effecting moment…

Which is immediately swept away by some mystic bullshit, which has now officially become the book’s worst tendency. Sally apparently grabbed the Sword of Acorn on the way down. This granted her temporary plot device status, as “the sword’s vessel is unbreakable.” She floats to the surface, zaps Kodos with a thunderbolt, and then returns to normal. It’s a cheap death cheat, the second such concept to befall Sally. A sweet reunion with Sonic and Sally could’ve followed but Mina zooms in, providing the book with its second worst tendency: Romantic melodrama. Two steps forward, one step back.

At least Karl wraps up another long developing plot. We finally discover what Robotnik has been up to. He’s transformed his whole body into a living Robotocizer, allowing him to transform organic material into machinery with a touch. Chuddermund, as set up two issues ago, is his first test subject. (But the issue introduces another plot point: Robotropolis is toxic and anything organic living there is slowly dying of poisoning.) Uncle Chuck and Sonic are reunited, in a cute if far too brief moment. Sally also frees a bunch of Roboians, a heroic action that seemingly changes the minds of the Overlanders living in the city.

Plot bloat isn’t the only thing being cut away. Karl also takes the time to kill off Nate Morgan, another victim of Eggman’s new abilities. The old man sacrifices himself, to make sure the Freedom Fighters escape the city. At least the old man gets a hero’s exit. Considering Nate was never popular and was always a poor fit for the Freedom Fighters – since the team already had two Smart Guys, with Tails and Rotor – his passing wasn’t exactly mourned by fans. But I still wonder if Karl could’ve turned the old guy into something interesting, if given some more room.

Ken’s Knuckles epic in the back pages doesn’t exactly resolve as many points. It is, however, finally starting to move. Knuckles finally gets some answers, discovering that the Dark Legion is responsible for zapping the Floating Island’s population into an alternate zone. Instead of using his newly acquired god like powers to force Dimitri into reversing this, the villain pettily blackmails the Guardian: Become a member of the Dark Legion and I’ll save your friends. For some reason, Knuckles agrees to this.

The plot machinations are pretty dumb. I know Knuckles is still mastering his abilities but I can’t imagine someone as strong-willed as he is would give up to the enemy so easily. Once again, Ken has his hero being pulled back and forth by the will of old guys. At least Knuckles and Julie-Su are finally reunited. That’s way overdue. Yeah, I also can’t imagine a tough bitch like Julie-Su letting Knuckles get pushed around by Dimitri. But at least somebody we actually care about is directly affected by this plot turn.

During all of this, Ken remembers to finally wrap up a story element he first introduced three years ago in issue 17 of “Knuckles” solo book. By transporting all of the Floating Island’s residents back, the Dark Legion unwittingly re-open the dimension Tobor and Kragok leaped into way back in September, 1998. The two rivals immediately fight to their deaths, smashing into the Dark Legion’s cannon and dying. It’s almost as if, gee I wonder, Ken completely forgot about this and, upon remembering it, decided to hastily wrap things up. I’m not too upset about Tobor’s death, as he was always a lame character. Kragok, a cool villain, deserves better then that though.

The artwork continues to be weak. Lim contributes one or two decent image in the main story, like Bunnie karate kicking Kodos or the Freedom Fighters reflecting on Sally’s death. This scenes are immediately undone by silly moments, like Uma’s shrug-worthy death or how goofy the Overlanders and Roboians continue to look. Ken’s illustrations for the back-up story are equally weak, as he simply does not know how to draw facial expressions. Issue 100 resolves some problems but leaves other problems intact. It’s not the issue 100 the series deserves though it is mildly better then the last few editions. [5/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 99

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 99
Publication Date: July 1999

The sad state of affairs for Archie’s “Sonic” series continue as the comic zooms towards its biggest landmark. In issue 99, business continues as usual. Sonic and Tails return from their adventures – Sonic battling Shadow, Tails battling Knuckles – to discover more chaos in Knothole. Kodos is still insane and the Sword of Acorn is still out of reach. But more personal issues are concerning Sally, Mina, and Elias.

In the past, I’ve praised Karl Bollers’ ability to balance emotional subplots with big action. Now, the emotional subplots have taken over the book. By issue 99, Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” was earning its reputation as a “furry soap opera.” Look at all the different story lines that are piling up. There’s still this business of the missing Sword of Acorn, which I’m officially sick of. Kodos is still rampaging around like a crazy person, his madness officially diagnosed as a symptom of Robotropolis born toxins. Uma Arachnis stumbles back into the plot at the end, the reader struggling to care. Meanwhile, Nate Morgan is shocked to hear that Overlanders are in Robotropolis. I can’t remember where Karl is going with this idea. Moreover, I don’t really care.

The things I do care about are handled just as clumsily. Issue 99 begins with a reasonably amusing moment. Sonic and Tails sneak back into his hut, in the middle of the night, to be discovered by the hedgehog’s robotic parents. It’s a scene familiar to teenage fiction but made amusing by the context of a furry action/adventure series. Sadly, Jules and Bernie’s concerns for the boys are reduced to a few panels. Elias’ continued doubts about being a monarch – which have been going on for so long that he’s starting to sound whiny – similarly only receive a few stray thought bubbles. Antoine’s continued concerns about his father being a robotocized slave is shoved into the very back of the issue, a subplot that is totally ignored until the writer seemingly remembered it existed. There’s too much happening in the book right now. Karl can’t juggle it, much less give these ideas the emotional resonance they’re due.

The plot line suffering the most from this approach is the growing Sonic/Sally/Mina love triangle. Karl has totally depowered Sally by this point. The once proud leader of the Freedom Fighters is now reduced to pining for her missing friends. Her attempt to catch Sonic’s attention – dressing up like a dancing girl – doesn’t help the impression that Karl was chickifying the book’s best female character.

This builds up to the issue’s dumbest moment. After another super speed training session, Mina plants a smooch on Sonic. Sally just happens to walk by exactly as this happens. Instead of waiting around for an explanation, Sally immediately flees. If she had stayed, she would’ve realized that Mina’s kiss was meant as a platonic gesture… And Sonic didn’t much approve of it either. It could’ve been a sweet moment, Sonic forced to let the fan girl down easily. Or Sonic and Sally having a meeting of hearts when they both need it the most. Instead, the Idiot Plot rolls on, characters forced into melodramatic situations due to the plot’s machinations.

The back-up story is not fairing it any better. Knuckles teleports back to the Floating Island, which is still unpopulated. There, Grandpa Hawking’s force ghost appears and drops some vague hints about something or other. Meanwhile, the Dark Legion has been watching the echidna’s rampage, only dully concerned by his new powers. At this point, Knuckles realizes he can just teleport aboard the Legion’s Klingon Bird-of-Prey, which he probably should’ve done six issues ago.

I’ve been complaining nonstop about Penders’ annoying resistance to getting back to the Floating Island. Now, Knuckles finally gets his ass back home just for Ken to derail shit further. Instead of having the echidna directly address his enemies, he gets another mysticism-tinged lecture from another dead grandfather. Hawking has “evolved” passed his physical body and haunts the young Guardian as a ghost. But even in death, the Brotherhood is averse to straight fucking answer. Knuckles sees visions of the past, Hawking explains he’s dead, and then vanishes. Seriously, fuck this mystic mumble-jumbo.

Ken has also returned to draw his favorite echidna’s adventures. He’s not using stock photographs as backgrounds any more but that’s hardly an improvement. His facial expressions are dull and flat, when they aren’t bordering on ugly. He still draws Knuckles as a lumpy collection of shapes. But Lien-Da and Dimitri get the worst of it, looking especially off-model. Ken’s weak illustrations are paired with weirdly corny or seriously stiff dialogue. “By the Chaos Emerald!” “Let me go, you brainless drone!” “She being hassled by some hooded monkeys!” “Tough cookies, Knux!” “The cursed son of Locke?” “Take a guess – and the first two don’t count!” Who talks like this?

Ron Lim draws the cover story, by the way. The opening editor’s box proclaims him the new regular penciler. Which, I’m sure you know, I’m super excited about. In all seriousness, Lim’s drawings are as noodly, flat, and unappealing as ever. Both of Archie’s head writers are loosing ground to their worst tendencies. Karl to overdone melodrama and uninspired plotting, Ken to mystic bullshit and plots that spin endlessly before reaching a point. Sigh. [4/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 97

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 97
Publication Date: May 2001

Issue 97 of “Sonic the Hedgehog” is not an especially memorable or well-regarded entry in the Archie series. However, it is notable for one thing. This issue was featured in a Guinness World Record book. Some time ago, Archie’s “Sonic” series broke the record for a somewhat specific superlative. It became the longest running comic book based on a video game. It was the first of many surprising records the comic has broken over its unprecedented run. With issue 108, it would surpass Marvel’s original “Star Wars” book as longest running licensed comic. Most recently, it became one of the longest running comic books to never be re-numbered. Who would have thought such a humble series would have earned such a prominent place in comic history?

Anyway, the plot. After his attempt to enter Robotropolis to rescue Uncle Chuck was blocked by the royalty, Sonic thinks up an alternative. He dresses himself in black and decides to sneak into the city under cover of darkness. He follows Geoffrey St. John and the Secret Service as they make their own quest into the city, to recover the Sword of Acorn. Both parties are captured soon afterwards, forcing an uneasy alliance. Meanwhile, Robotnik and Snively have ominous plans for the Kintobors.

Too often during the comic’s lamest run, Karl Bollers’ strategy was to throw a bunch of different story ideas into the comic, developing them as he went along. His most recent “Maybe this one’ll stick!” idea is the Sneak, the closest thing Sonic has to a superhero alter ego. It’s not an especially clever design. The version Spaz drew on the cover looks neat but the interior costume makes this look like Ninja Sonic with Karate Chop Action. Moreover, the persona’s role in the story is mostly unnecessary. Sonic sneaks into the city to avoid St. John but encounters him anyway. They then get captured, spend a few hours behind bars, and escape. Nothing is recovered, learned, or gained. Sonic would never don the Sneak outfit again, making this an even more wasted concept.

The Sneak ostensibly serves one purpose: So Geoffrey won’t recognize Sonic when the two get tossed into the pokey together. Mostly, this just makes St. John seem really bad at his job. It’s not like the costume disguises the hedgehog’s distinctive silhouette. There’s also no indication that Sonic alters his voice. Then again, St. John hasn’t been showing a lot of confidence here of late. There was his totally ineffective investigation last issue. Here, he continues to hold a petty grudge against the hedgehog. He belittles Sally for no reason and is rude to his superiors. After entering Robotropolis, Geoffrey immediately gets his team captured. They only escape because the villain lets them. I’m not sure why Elias and the King have any faith in this guy.

After discarding it for an issue, Bollers remembers Snively’s family is still in this book. We finally get a glimpse at what the doctor’s plans are for his relative. Eggman seemingly brainwashes and sedates Cheddermund, the absurdly named scientist that followed the Kintobors around space. What he plans to do next remains to be seen. That Colin and his family have yet to suspect anything seems unlikely, considering how obviously evil Robotnik and Snively are. But, once again, at least this dragging plot line is finally going somewhere.

Other elements of Robotnik’s scheme succeed only due to the incompetence of his enemies. After the Secret Service is captured, each one is taken and interrogated. While Heavy and Bomb are off-screen, Robotnik re-programs the robots, who then bust the others out. Despite those two obviously being machines susceptible to such things, Geoffrey and the gang never question this turn of events. They even know that something funny is up, as the skunk points out that Robotnik never interrogated them, just moved them temporarily to another room. Because, once again, St. John sucks at the spying business.

Two different artists draw this story. Sadly, neither are up to the standards set by Steven Butler and James Fry. Nelson Ribeiro returns to pencil the first half. There’s less hideous facial expressions this time but everyone still looks off-model. Snively looks especially disturbing during his brief appearance. The giant hands and feet are still present and the action is flat. Harvey Mercadoocasio draws the second half. His work is slightly improved over his previous illustrations. His characters never veer horribly off-model and his sense of motion is okay. But everyone is mostly undefined. Heavy, in particular, looks like a tin can while Mercadoocasio forgets to draw Bomb’s legs. Instead, the bigger robot carries the smaller one around in a weird fanny pack.

As exhausting as the recent cover stories have been, Ken Penders’ Knuckles back-up story still wins the dubious distinction of most tiring current plot. As promised last time, Chaos Knuckles and Turbo Tails fight. Six of the story’s seven pages are devoted to the scuffle. The characters reveal some deeply inane new powers. Tails’ tails have become totally prehensile. Knuckles, meanwhile, can shoot fuckin’ laser beams from his eyes. After the echidna cold-cocks the fox, he teleports towards Julie-Su, something he probably should have done sooner. There’s nothing this installment does that couldn’t have been accomplished a while ago. I’m starting to become numb to Ron Lim’s shittiness but his artwork here remains flat.

You might be wondering why Tails is in this story at all. Which is a good question! In the final pages, Ken reveals the nonsensical reason for bringing the Chosen One plot up again. After Turbo Tails gets his ass kicked, Athair and Merlin wonder why. Instead of assuming the fox’s inexperience was his undoing, this plot bomb gets dropped on us. This isn’t Tails, not the real one anyway! At some point, Tails was swapped with an identical impostor. Instead of developing this shocking turn, Athair’s floating head zaps him back to Knothole and thinks nothing of it. What the fuck?

Things look grim. Both the cover story and the back-up continue to spin their wheels in the air, resolving nothing and barely building on their respective plots. Some mediocre artwork and a dumb twist or two is enough to push this one down to a [4/10], a rating that hasn’t been rare here of late.

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 96

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 96
Publication Date: April 2001

Well, I guess we’re still doing this, huh? Instead of just moving on and forgetting like we’d all prefer him to, Karl Bollers decided to run with with his bad ideas. Sonic and the Freedom Fighters are still in high school, for some reason. Geoffrey is still hammering his grudge against Sonic home. Sonic and Sally are still being forced apart. Kodos and the juggling plot device of the Sword of Acorn are still plot relevant. At least the Kintobor clan do not appear in this issue.

So here’s the basic facts. Kodos has collapsed following his separation with the Sword last time. Geoffrey sneaks around, trying to figure out why the Warlord was sniffing around Knothole. He immediately places the blame on Sonic, who skillfully dodges the skunk’s investigation. At school the next day, a ShadowBot attacks. Sonic, Mina, and Bunnie attempt to fight off the machine before it begins to talk to them with Uncle Chuck’s voice. Apparently, Chuck sent the robot to contact Sonic. Before the conversation can get any further, St. John fills it full of holes, forcing a more drastic measure from Sonic.

Issue 96 – which is a very poor issue, indeed – is notable for one thing: How hilariously incompetent Geoffrey St. John’s investigation is. First off, it’s not entirely clear why St. John is searching around Knothole for clues. We begin in Dr. Quack’s hospital – which looks distressingly modern – where the duck diagnosed the unconscious Kodos with radiation poisoning. Apparently, between last issue’s conclusion and this one’s beginning, Sonic or someone else took the Warlord to the hospital. For some reason, St. John just assumes the culprit is in the village. Even though Kodos has had no prior alliance with anyone in Knothole.

It’s really just another excuse to further resurrect the Sonic/St. John rivalry, which has otherwise been a moot point since “Brave New World.” The skunk hunts down Sonic in his parents’ house, barges in, and asks him the vague question of “How did he get there?” Sonic provides a vague denial, after which St. John mutters “Blast!” and leaves. What the fuck was that suppose to accomplish? The next scene has St. John admitting to the King that they still know nothing about Kodos. When Hershey suggests maybe blindly pursuing Sonic, despite a total lack of evidence, isn’t the best method, St. John changes the topic. I don’t think Bollers was attempting to paint a portrait of police incompetence, petty abuses of power, and the total ineffectiveness of the state but that’s what we got anyway.

As has sadly been the case for a while now, you can see Karl struggling to introduce some emotional content inside a muddled plot-driven comic. Outside forces are still keeping Sonic and Sally apart. Sadly, this only comes up when St. John mocks Sonic about it and when Sally, once again, is seen pining for the missing Sonic. Mina asks Sonic to tutor her in controlling her super speed, a chance to develop their budding romance. However, Rotor then bumbles into the scene, cutting this interaction short. At that point, Sonic asks Rotor if he’s seen Tails – who has been missing for at least a day, at this point – only to get a negative answer. Before that plot point can go anywhere, the giant robot bumbles into the school, abruptly ending all the other story developments. With all this going on, Bunnie and Nate Morgan are essentially reduced to cameo appearances.

For all his attempts to build on other story threads, Karl only successfully develops one plot point. Sonic discovers that Uncle Chuck has regained his free will, that this falls under the Sword of Acorn’s various healing properties. I somewhat question Chuck’s method of delivering this message. Sending a killer robot to Sonic’s high school, smashing through walls and attempting to grab people, probably wasn’t the best way to contact Chuck’s nephew. This isn’t a case of Sonic and friends assuming the ShadowBot is there to attack them. The robot is immediately smashing walls and tearing up lockers. Gee whiz, Chuck, you couldn’t have sent Sonic a letter or something? Was it necessary to wreck the high school? Still, Sonic learning Chuck’s free will is restored is potentially touching.

Further sinking issue 96 is some truly unfortunate artwork. Nelson Ribeiro, who previously provided some idiosyncratic but decent pencils for Super Special #12, draws some hideous artwork. Each of the characters have giant hands, which is especially apparent on St. John and Hershey. Everyone is given weirdly overexpressive heads and faces. Ribeiro makes a simple sequence of Sonic eating a ball of cereal look horrifying. Bodies are often formless, with Mina and Nate Morgan getting it the worst. His action is very flat and borderline incoherent. I had to look at the panel of Bunnie slamming the ShadowBot through a wall a few times before I understood what was happening. The artist has done okay work before so I guess he was really rushing to hit a deadline or something.

In the back pages, Ken Penders’ Chaos Knuckles epic continues to stretch on and on. Most of “The Chosen One” is devoted to Tails, actually. Merlin Prower and Athair’s floating head argue about what to do with the two tailed fox. Eventually, they reach a consensus and Merlin zaps Tails into his super form. Tails confronts Knuckles, saying he doesn’t want to fight before immediately punching him in the face.

Hey, what’s your favorite part of Ken’s “Knuckles” story? Who here said the convoluted mythology? Or Ken’s inability to accept how flawed Locke, Athair, or the other members of the Brotherhood are? Well, that one person will love “The Chosen One.” The first half of the story is Merlin essentially calling Athair’s floating head on his bullshit just for the mystic to deny how wrong he is. It’s all unnecessary build-up for Merlin transforming Tails into Turbo Tails. If Ken was going to move ahead with that plot point so quickly, why did he bother to have Merlin and Athair argue in the first place?

It’s appropriate that Knuckles is radioactive green at the moment, as his behavior best resembles the Incredible Hulk. He can’t be reasoned with and is just rampaging through various locations. Knuckles is actively attempting to figure out what happened to everyone on the Floating Island – you know, the entire reason this plot point started ten thousand years ago – but anytime he might get a lead on that, he has to freak the fuck out. Turbo Tails offers to help Knuckles but he accuses Merlin of lying instead, forcing Tails to smack the echidna around. And forcing the reader to suffer through the forthcoming fight scene before this plot can actually begin to move again.

Oh yeah, Ron Lim draws the back-up story too and, unsurprisingly, it looks pretty shitty. Issue 96 mostly just leaves me exhausted. The book, in both its main plot and the back-up stories, is endlessly spinning its wheels, throwing a bunch of bullshit around and only succeeding in burying the things we care about. It’s going to get better eventually but this will be the state of things for far too long to come. [4/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 94

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 94
Publication Date: February 2001

Issue 94 was not a well received issue in 2001. It made some bizarre changes to Sonic’s world, many of which wouldn’t stick very long, likely because of how poorly received they were. I agree that many of these new additions were poorly thought out. However, I’ll admit that I like number 94 a little better then the last few issues. We’re knee-deep in the Dork Age here so I’ll take what I can get.

Six months have passed since Sonic was stripped of his title as a knight and Elias has assumed rule of Knothole. The new King has increased the village’s infrastructure. He’s built a new castle, hospitals, and schools. With this new order, new rules have come. Now, everyone under the age of eighteen has to attend school. This includes Sonic, Tails, and the many other former Freedom Fighters. It’s a change that doesn’t sit well with the hedgehog hero. His continued separation from Sally especially concerns him. Meanwhile, Robotnik, Snively, and Athair continue their own affairs.

I tend to dislike time jumps. Usually, it’s an excuse for writers to mix things up, introducing drastic shake changes to the world, without putting in the work to develop these events. Comic books especially love to do this. How often has the DC Universe jumped weeks or months into the future, introducing readers to a world that’s totally different? (At least until the status quo is inevitably re-introduced?) Karl introduces something similar, if a little less intense, here.

Mostly, it’s a bad idea. Apparently a large numbers of Overlanders have moved to Robotropolis, where Robotnik enforces strict laws on them. Knothole has suddenly grown from a tiny village to a small city, which seems like an unlikely change. The dumbest addition is forcing teenagers to go to high school. Why would Prince Elias expect former child soldiers like the Freedom Fighters to attend school? As Sonic says early on, why would a hero like him need to learn algebra? Forcing Sonic and friends into a high school setting is especially miscalculated. Why would an action adventure series want to change its focus to high school drama?

Knothole High’s dress code is also questionable. Bunnie dresses like Daisy Duke and Rotor dresses like a Homie, bizarre decisions at odds with their personalities. (And what could a technical genius like Rotor possibly learn from high school-level science classes?)

It’s deeply ill conceived but Karl almost makes it work. He does this by focusing on Sonic’s frustration with this change, an annoyance the reader shares. Physics class drags on for the speedy hedgehog, bored out of his mind. Mostly, he misses Sally. The two have been separated for months and Sonic’s heart is aching. Sally feels similarly shoved into a box that doesn’t suit her. Sadly, Bollers even stumbles with these plot points. He makes it seem like Sally, a proven warrior and tactician, has spent all this time pining for her missing lover. Moreover, I can’t imagine Sonic and Sally – people used to breaking the rules to succeed – would ever put up with such unnecessary laws.

Boller’s handling of the other subplots vary. Athair appears suddenly in the school, whisking Tails away to some undisclosed location. Who knows where that story line is headed. Bunnie seems to resent Mina for reasons that aren’t apparent. At least the Overlander drama in Robotropolis is starting to move. Hope is suspecting that Robotnik is up to something fishy. Her stepdad has his suspicions but mostly just seems happy to be home. Snively has been brought back into the story, a character that has been greatly missed. One of this issue’s best moment has Snively presented with a chance to strike back at his father, a man he greatly resents. But who’s to say if anything of this will build towards something meaningful?

Karl Bollers and Ken Penders have something in common. Both are struggling with balancing their mini-epics. In "The Best Laid Plans," the echidnas of Albion attempt to drain Knuckles of his new found powers. The procedure is painful for the young Guardian. Charmy and Saffron fly in, seeking to rescue their friend. Nack and Nic, meanwhile… Don’t contribute very much, deciding to flee the area after Knuckles starts to go nuclear.

Hey, remember where this story line started? With the Chaotix, Knuckles’ mom, and everyone on the Floating Island getting zapped into another dimension? With Julie-Su getting captured by the Dark Legion? I know I’ve been saying this every time but… Jesus Christ, Ken, please get back to the shit we care about! Instead, the writer wastes our time with more mystic bullshit. Knuckles, with his new green color, has achieved a power potentially greater then Enerjak. This seems to be the dark, horrible destiny the Brotherhood have been referencing for roughly forty thousand issues. Naturally, the Albion echidna’s attempt to control Knuckles’ power goes horribly wrong. After escaping, Knuckles teleports away. Hopefully on the way to resolving the plot point we give a shit about? God, I hope so.

Knuckles’ new found superpowers are obviously so great that I can’t imagine the Albion scientist ever would’ve been able to control them. Making Knux a physical god makes the story’s other plot developments needless. There was probably no reason for Charmy and Saffron to free the Guardian, since he probably would’ve escaped anyway. There was certainly no reason to have Nack and Nic in the story. They share some dialogue and then leave town, deciding this is out of their leagues. Gee, Ken, if you were going to check back in on these characters, maybe you should have had them actually contribute to the fucking narrative?

Issue 94 is a deeply mixed bag. In the cover story, Karl does some things I like while introducing some extremely dumb ideas. The back-up story, meanwhile, remains incredibly frustrating. Ken’s latest arc is just dragging along, refusing to acknowledge the details we’re invested in. Upside: James Fry contributes some solid artwork to the cover story. Downside: Ron Lim draws the back-up, where he totally screws up Nack’s face and draws continues to draw Knuckles like a pencil. But at least he actually bothered to draw the fucking backgrounds. [5/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 93

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 93
Publication Date: January 2001

Sometimes, it’s just a matter of focus. Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” has been floundering for a few issues, a number of lame subplots bouncing off of each other, the reader having difficulty caring. With issue 93, Karl Bollers decides to turn away form stuff for a minute. Instead, he builds a story about Sonic and how he feels about the last few issues’ events.

After racing back to Knothole, Sonic is immediately apprehended by Geoffrey St. John’s secret police. He pleads with Prince Elias, who agrees not to punish him too severely. Royal bureaucracy keeps him from seeing Sally. It takes a heart-to-heart with Nate Morgan, Antoine, and Bunnie for Sonic to forgive himself for his mistakes. Meanwhile, Mina, Elias, St. John, Antoine, and Bunnie have events going on in their own lives.

After several lame issues, the book finds a little more emotional footing in an unexpected place. Sonic, as the titular speedster, isn’t usually the one for self-reflection. In “Crime N’ Punishment,” the hedgehog hero finds himself feeling guilty for his actions. He feels partially responsible for King Acorn’s injury. He feels like an asshole for loosing the Sword of Acorn. Moreover, he feels isolated from Sally. This is fantastically illustrated in a great panel, where Sonic’s imagined reunion with Sally is cut short by reality. In other words, Sonic is surrounded by problems he can’t run away from. Realizing this, he accepts responsibility for his actions at the end. Considering we’re more use to seeing Sonic crack wise and smash robots, it’s a surprising – and surprisingly touching – turn of events.

This dovetails with another simmering plot point. While wandering around, feeling bad for himself, Sonic and Mina literally run into each other. She’s so excited to see him that she barrels towards him, super speed activated. As the two sit on the ground together, they have a sweet moment. They share a laugh followed by a meaningful glance. I’ve never really bought the Sonic/Mina romance but it sort of makes sense here. The hedgehog is in a vulnerable place, feeling rejected by his friends and love ones. When a cute mongoose is the only one happy to see him, who could blame the guy for noticing? (Then again, I’m not sure Karl needed to introduce a new character to accomplish this. I can’t believe I’m saying this but Amy Rose could have just as easily, and maybe more naturally, filled this role.)

By re-focusing on Sonic, Karl manages to rediscover the story’s heart. Yet he still feels the need to check in on the other subplots. Antoine and Bunnie are back in town, Antoine’s robot dad in tow. This only takes up a few panels though. Nate Morgan stops in to fill a mentor role that would’ve otherwise been occupied by Uncle Chuck. Sally is shocked to learn of Sonic’s thievery. In a very lame move, instead of letting her react, her mom insists on taking her clothing shopping instead. The crown continues to weigh heavily on Elias’ head while Geoffrey St. John attempts to grab more power for himself. The least interesting of all of these points involves Kodos. While he’s napping, Uma Arachnus snatches the Sword of Acorn for herself. It’s only been going on for three months but I’m already sick of this MacGuffin getting passed around.

Which brings us to the business in Robotropolis. For all the elements worth liking about issue 93, Karl struggles to justify the role of Eggman’s human relatives. The tyrant welcomes them with warm arms. Colin Kintobor is initially impressed with the set-up, still pissed about Sonic and Monkey Khan’s theatrics last time. However, he quickly notices how odd Robotnik acts. Truthfully, the purpose of these scenes is to clarify who these people are. Colin is Snively’s dad, Julian Kintobor’s brother. The old woman is Colin’s mother-in-law and the little girl, Hope, is his stepdaughter from a second marriage. This explains who they are but doesn’t get the reader to care.

In the back pages, Knuckles’ story continues in “Bagging the Big One.” With all the other Chaotix zapped into a pocket dimension, Knuckles seeks out the last member still on the Floating Island. That would be Charmy Bee, who is enjoying wedded bliss with Saffron. The reunion between green glowing Knuckles and his buzzing pal is interrupted when Nack and Nic the Weasel crash the party. The mercenaries talk the echidna into being taken prisoner by the echidnas of Albion.

As the cover story cut through the bullshit to an emotional center we care about, Penders is attempting something similar. Knuckles is finally back on track towards the goal of saving his friends. Seeing Charmy again, whom he hasn’t seen since the early days of his own title, should’ve been touching. Instead, Knuckles simply informs Charmy of his latest objective. Before they can go any further, Nack marches in, awkwardly talks Knuckles into coming with him. Far too much time is devoted to these negotiations, making the reunion with Charmy seem totally superfluous in the grand scheme of things.

A weak script is still the story’s least offensive mistake. Ken, sadly, draws as well as writes this one. His character art is as weak as usual. Saffron looks completely different from the last time we saw her. Nack and Nic are also off-model. Knuckles is weirdly muscular. Everybody’s mouths lob open in ugly ways while their eyes stare ahead blankly.

As mediocre as the art is, what’s far worst is Ken’s decision to use nature photographs instead of drawn background. So the character stand in front of pictures of trees, skies, or the ocean. It’s a frankly lazy decision that is greatly distracting and visually displeasing. Jesus, Ken, we know your artwork sucks but you really couldn’t be bothered to draw some waves or trees?

It’s a step back in the right direction, though it remains to be seen if this is a long term correction or merely a temporary upswing. James Fry coming back to draw the issue, letting Ron Lim rest his doodling hand for a month, is surely a contributing factor. It’s a decent story, albeit one still surrounded by the problems plaguing the book lately. The back-up is pretty lame but at least Knuckles’ story line is starting to move again. You take what you can get, you know? [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 91

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 91
Publication Date: November 2000

After the exhausting lows of “Naugus Games,” even a marginally shitty story comes off as a lot better. I’ve previously lauded Karl Boller’s ability to mix action and character beats. As the comic creeps closer to issue 100, the writer’s balance was off. Issue 91 is too slow, the characters stuck in stasis thanks to a plot that seems to be moving towards no particular goal.

Rotor waddles back into Mobotropolis, after his failed attempt to rescue his family. He find the city taken by evil once more and currently being shook by meteors falling on it. He runs into Mina and Sonic, who easily survived the impact. Inside, Dr. Robotnik plays with the Sword of Acorn before loosing the MacGuffin to Uma Arachnis, who takes it back to Kodos. Meanwhile, Sonic’s trip back towards Eggman’s stronghold is interrupted by what was hiding inside those meteors.

Issue 91’s cover story, unimaginatively entitled “Crash!,” develops the series’ plot lines just enough to classify as a plot. The biggest deal is that Rotor returns to Knothole. His arrival is greeted with little fanfare. He waddles into town, runs into Sonic and Mina, and is escorted back to Knothole. The guy has been gone so long that he doesn’t even know Eggman has taken up residence in Robotropolis. His reaction isn’t horror or shock but bored resignation. You’d think he’d be a little more upset. Then again, maybe loosing his family again has made him numb.

For a comic bearing his name, Sonic does very little in this issue. He reveals how he survived last month’s seemingly final cliffhanger. He simply spun fast enough to burrow under the ground, safely escaping the blast. That’s an underwhelming conclusion, one that’s a little cheesy. He decides he’s going to get the Sword of Acorn back before Eggman uses Uncle Chuck and other Robians as a shield. He then races back out of the city, making no further attempt to get the sword back. It’s lame.

The reader reacts to the other plot developments as unenthusiastic as Rotor does. Eggman, stupidly, drops the Sword of Acorn and leaves the room. This allows Uma Arachanis to swoop down and pick it up, taking it to Kodos. The shuttles Bollers foreshadowed all the way back in issue 78 finally arrive in Mobius. Who cares about any of this shit, these desperate attempts to set up future stories? What’s mildly interesting is that Uncle Chuck has regained his freedom of choice. He’s hiding as a subservient Robian, acting as a spy within Robotropolis. In other words, Bollers has reinstated the status qua from “SatAM,” a plot outline the comic outgrew long ago.

Even the attempts at emotional pathos, which Karl is usually better at, hit like a wet fart. Sally and Elias spend a few panels angsting over their dad’s newly gained paralysis. Nate Morgan makes a dramatic entrance, for some reason. Dr. Quack and Nate suggests Sally and the Queen have some mother/daughter time. Honestly, there’s been so much drama among the Acorns lately that it’s hard for the reader to care. The Queen is barely a character and the King’s ill health doesn’t register.

Atop all these other indignities, there’s some shitty Ron Lim art. Lim flat out does not know how to draw these characters. Rotor is a pink oval, with a stubby head and floppy flipper arms. Robotnik similarly resembles a rubber bouncy ball. Sonic and Mina has a serious case of noodle arms. Sally and Queen Alicia look identical. Nate Morgan gains a massive head. Geoffrey St. John looks likes like something out of a Sunday comic stripe. Lim, for some reason, regularly zooms in on everyone’s faces… Which only draws more attention to how off-model everyone is. It’s shit.

The back-up story is only marginally better. The echidnas of Albion have recruited Nack and Nic the Weasels to hunt down Knuckles. With his massive chaos powers, the echidna has gone rogue. Fearful of what he may do with his uncontrollable powers, Gala-La hopes the weasels can track him down. The Guardian himself has no idea what the limit of his new abilities are but heads back to the Floating Island anyway.

Jesus Christ, Ken, what the hell is wrong with you? We want to know what happened to Julie-Su and the Chaotix! We want to get back to the Floating Island! Instead, the writer continues to jerk us around. It seems he cares so little about the residents of the Island, about Knuckles’ concern for his friends and loved ones, that the Guardian only appears on one page in this story. Instead, most of the story is spent setting up Nack and Nic, showing off their relationship, her new ship, and the objective Albion sets before them. It’s kind of cute. Nack and Nic have some nice brother/sister interplay. But it’s just another distraction from what we’re really concerned with.

At least the artwork is nice. Steven Butler’s work is handsome, as always. The opening scene, of Nack hanging out in a bar, hitting on a slutty blonde, are nicely colorful. Butler even manages to bring some curves to Nic, a previously shapeless character. Knuckles is miscolored, his natural red instead of radioactive green, but the panels of him meditating and flexing sure look cool. The interior of Albion is detailed. About the only complaint I have is the odd decision concerning Nic’s new ship. It’s the Millennium Falcon, barely redesigned and re-colored. That makes two issues in a row where Archie has stolen a ship design from a well-known sci-fi series. What’s up with that?

In conclusion, issue 91 is an uninspired way to wrap up the year 2000. The plot is getting sloppier, the writers are getting careless, and the artwork is getting shittier. Along with a new millennium, something far darker had dawned. The distinction is clear. The Dork Age has begun. [5/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 85

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 85
Publication Date: June 2000

Archie’s “Sonic Adventure” adaptation finally came to an end in April of 2000. However, for some reason, Karl Bollers didn’t immediately get the Freedom Fighters back to Knothole. Instead, it would be another three issues before the heroes return to their home base. Why Bollers made this decision, I can’t say. However, the cynic in me suggests that this was a further symptom of the creative team behind the comic having no idea what to do with the series following Sega’s revamp of Sonic’s world.

After successfully defeating Perfect Chaos and saving Station Square, the Freedom Fighters are ready to go home. At the last minutes, the citizens of the city decide to throw a party in honor of the heroes. This celebration is interrupted when Robotnik sends a new robot to attack. Silver Sonic Mk. II has a real attitude and is specifically designed to destroy Sonic. The two hedgehogs, one fleshy, one mechanical, are soon fighting all throughout the city.

Introducing a new version of Silver Sonic, whose original incarnation debuted back in the “Sonic Quest’ mini-series, struck me as an odd decision. There’s nothing Silver Sonic II does that Mecha Sonic or any number of Badniks couldn’t have accomplished. Robotnik makes a big deal out of the new creation, hyping him up as some ultimate weapon. Yet he has no special abilities, armor, weapons, or attributes that make him more intimidating then the doctor’s previous faux-Sonics.

The only thing new about Silver Sonic II is the robot’s bizarre personality. For some reason, the machine mimics Sonic’s speech patterns. Which means he mostly talks in dated surfer slang. The robot drops lines like “Way past,” “Hasta la vista, meestah,” “As if!,”  “Bring it on!,” “Bogus!,” and various puns. It’s a really weird choice but does distinguish Silver Sonic from the previous robotic copies.

As for the actual fight, it’s not much to write about. Silver Sonic deploys Sonic-seeking missiles, drops a building on Sonic, and throws a shoe at Tails’ head. That’s about it. Sonic swiftly avoids or survives each technique, the robot showing no real threat to the hedgehog. The fight concludes in an anti-climatic fashion, with Sonic simply cutting off his double’s head with a simple buzz saw dash. If Robotnik intended Silver Sonic to just be a distraction, that might explain the mediocre fight. However, the dictator clearly hoped his latest machine would successfully destroy his opponent. This was either poor planning on the behalf of the villain or the writer.

As generally useless as issue 85’s cover story is, Karl Bollers does attempt to insert some emotional stakes into this pointless tale. Silver Sonic does occasionally target Sonic’s friend. Big the Cat – who Sonic really has no reason to care about but let’s go with it – gets tossed by the mechanical adversary. Most prominently, Tails gets conked on the head. This enrages Sonic enough that he takes out the baddie with one hit. The Freedom Fighters float around the edge of the story, mostly here to deliver exposition. On one hand, this doesn’t live up to the character’s potential. On the other hand, at least they’re still in the book.

Another attribute makes me dislike issue 85 even more. Ron Lim, my archenemy, returns from the “Sonic Adventure” special. His artwork is hugely unappealing. The character’s heads are way too angular. Lim’s proportions are all wrong, drawing everyone with huge heads and limbs. (The hugeness of which, by the way, varies from panel to panel.) His expressions are laughably bad and his action is fairly stiff. However, I’ll give the guy this much. The first two panels on the second page, devoting to showing the devastation Station Square has suffered, are striking. Seems like Lim does okay when there are no characters to draw.

Continuing my theory that issue 83 was quickly thrown together to fulfill a deadline, the story ends at a really random point. Flying towards Knothole, the Freedom Fighter Special falls out of the sky. After the plane crashes, Nate Morgan deduces that the mechanical failure was the result of sabotage. If this plot point goes anywhere, I can’t remember. Either way, it’s a real weird place to end the story at. There’s also a dumb sequence, that shows Silver Sonic has been reprogrammed to protect Station Square. Which basically says that this entire story was put together so Bollers would never have to visit Station Square again. That I understand but surely there was a better to do it.

The back-up story focuses on Rotor the Walrus, a character that has been neglected for a while. “Home & Back” picks up a plot point that’s been dangling for a while… Sort of. Rotor heads back to the Arctic to check on his family, who were last seen drifting on an iceberg, brainwashed and helpless. Rotor is happy to discover they’re okay, broken of their mind control at some point. That is until he wakes up one morning, to see them under Robotnik’s control again. Rotor barely escapes in his bathysphere, the Arctic Freedom Fighters helping him out before its too late.

“Home & Back” is a step forward and a step back. On one hand, Rotor’s imperiled family is a story line the book abandoned some time ago. So it’s nice that it finally got back to it. On the other hand, “Home & Back” revisits these characters just to put them back in stasis. After seeing their personalities briefly restore, Rotor’s family go back to being mindless zombies. The back-up story is told incredibly awkwardly, playing out entirely in flashbacks. The Arctic Freedom Fighters essentially appear as a deus ex machine, showing up just to rescue Rotor at the end. An entity calling itself Diamond Rose Studios handles the artwork. The pencils are actually okay, giving the walrus a nice pudgy appearance and bringing a lot of emotion to the faces. The colors, however, are hideously garish.

So issue 85 continues to have the book struggling to find its new identity. The cover story doesn’t contribute very much to the comic’s world, mostly focused on an underwhelming fight between our hero and a lame new enemy. The back-up story exist to remind us that, yep, this wandering plot point is still out there somewhere. Odd or off-putting artwork characterizes the entire issue. In other words, this one isn’t satisfying or that interesting. Alas. [5/10]