Sonic Super Special: Issue 6 – Sonic #50 Director’s Cut

Sonic Super Special: Issue 6 – Sonic #50 Director’s Cut
Publication Date: July 1998

When the final part of the “Endgame” saga was originally published, it arrived on comic store shelves in a compromised form. Originally, “Endgame” was going to conclude with a double-stuffed issue. However, that didn’t happened, forcing the final product to loose about half its pages. I went over all of this in my review of Issue 50. Either luckily or unluckily, depending on how you feel about “Endgame,” the extended version of issue 50 was published as the sixth Sonic Super Special. Incorrectly called “The Director’s Cut” on the cover – “Extended Cut,” “Writer’s Cut” or just “Uncut” would all be more accurate – the issue reprints the final part of “Endgame” the way it was meant to be seen.

Plot wise, “For Whom the Bell Tolls” runs the same as issue 50’s “The Big Goodbye.” Robotnik plans to activate the Ultimate Annihilator, wiping Knothole Village off the map. In Downunda, the local Freedom Fighters help Bunnie and Antoine escape. As they make it back to Mobotropolis, they tamper with Robotnik’s doomsday machine. Sonic’s tense confrontation on the Floating Island with Geoffrey St. John and Knuckles is cut short by Dulcy’s reappearance. Assuring them that he’s telling the truth, they head to Knothole and kick some ass. Afterwards, Sonic races towards Robotropolis, having his final showdown with Ivo Robotnik.

Issue 50 – a book I like – had a lot of problems. The Director’s Cut, unfortunately, only clears up some of Penders’ typically messy plotting. That bullshit about dragon’s being able to detect truth is still intact. Sonic and Knuckles still liberate Knothole in only two pages. Antoine and Bunnie still arrive in Robotropolis far too quickly. Lastly, that bordering-on-incoherent resolution is intact. All that business about Dr. Quack betraying the king and Knothole slipping into a pocket dimension three hours in the future? Yeah, still there. It’s a tad sad to realize these plot holes weren’t the result of missing pages. Turns out the writers are just fond of bullshit story turns.

The extended version does clear up two minor plot holes. Now, we see the Downunda Freedom Fighters escape Crocbot’s prison. We see Bunnie and Antoine sneak aboard the transport ship. That’s nice, since the published version just had us assume that happened. (These segments, happily, only reuse some artwork from “Down and Out in Downunda,” the flashback heavy story published in Sonic Super Special Issue 4.) Another plot hole clarified is the destruction of Knothole. Instead of that happening off-screen, Sonic now sees it with his own eyes. That makes the brutal fight that follows between the hedgehog and the robotic dictator seem more reasonable.

So if it doesn’t resolve the reader’s confusion, why does the long version add to “Endgame?” About sixteen pages. Early on, we see Robotnik execute a fellow Overlander, someone he knew from the first Great War. Other than showing just how ruthless Robotnik is, and displaying how effective the Ultimate Annihilator is as ultimately annihilating things, those two pages don’t add much. About four pages are devoted to the events in Downunda, with some nicely gritty artwork from Nelson Ortega. Later on, a whole heaping set of pages have Bunnie and Antoine explaining their plan to Sonic. I’m not exactly sure that adds too much to the story. Essentially, the plot gets garbled enough that characters have to stop what they’re doing and explain what’s going on. That’s never good.

However, there are a few additions I like. The most important one shows Hershey getting her revenge on Drago. In #50 as originally published, a small rock tossed at his head is enough to bring the sleazy wolf down. Here, Hershey beats the ever-loving crap out of him. She scratches him across the face, knees in hard in the groin, pounces on him, punches him a bunch, and nearly crushes his head with a big ass rock. This makes Drago look like less of a light-weight. Considering what a scum bag he is, it’s also pretty satisfying. It doesn’t make up for Hershey being such a weak character but it’s cathartic for the reader.

The fight between Sonic and Robotnik goes on a little longer. I’m not sure who did the artwork for these new pages. It might be Steven Butler and, if it is, he might be having an off-day. Either way, Sonic is super angry and scatters some more SWATBots. I’m a fan of Angry Sonic and wish we saw him more often. At the conclusion of the fight, after both hedgehog and huge ass slip into the Ultimate Annihilator, there’s a one-page pencil spread of the two locked in combat, provided by Spaz. That’s cool. The page of blank whiteness that follows is unnecessary. Still, it does make a big fight seem a little more big. Lastly, a splash page of Sonic and the resurrected Sally locking lips, beautifully rendered by Art Mawhinney, is added near the end. You know I’m a die hard Sonic/Sally guy, so it’s satisfying to see them finally lock lips after so long. Especially since we know it’ll never happen again.

Normally, I’d ask if the quote-unquote “director’s” cut of Issue 50 is worth picking up for anybody but die-hard Sonic fanatics. Archie has answered that question for me though. This is the version of the story included in all future reprints. The extended version of “Endgame” has essentially replaced the original cut. Truthfully, it’s only a marginal improvement. The shorter cut, which I spent far more time thumbing over as a kid, is probably the version I’ll always prefer. As far as unnecessary director’s cuts go, this is slightly less useless than the “Donnie Darko” director’s cut. In other words: Still flawed, still satisfying. [7/10]

Sonic Super Special: Issue 4 - Return of the King

Sonic Super Special: Issue 4 – Return of the King
Publication Date: January 1998

In Sonic Super Special Issue 2, Archie stole their title from Aldous Huxley. With Sonic Super Special Issue 4, Archie stole their title from J.R.R. Tolkien! Well, if you’re going to steal, steal from the best. Anyway, I have a specific memory attached to “Return of the King.” At some point, I left the comic in the bathroom as commode reading. Afterwards, my mom actually picked up the comic and read it. She really liked this story, which surprised me. I didn’t bond with my parents over Sonic the Hedgehog that often, I can tell you that.

Picking up after that ridiculous Mammoth Mogul business was resolved in issue 56 of “Sonic,” the Freedom Fighters arrive in Mobotropolis. King Acorn greets them and claims to be of sound mind. This is in contrast to the last time they saw him, when he was yelling about dismantling all the Robians. The Freedom Fighters act unusually antagonistic towards the Robians and re-convince the King to commit genocide against the robotic citizens. Later, the Freedom Fighters seemingly re-arrive in the city, which is gripped by civil war. Their plane is shot down and they find themselves targeted by soldiers of the king and Robian rebels. After Uncle Chuck is nearly killed, Sonic realizes something is up.

Too often in recent memories, the “Sonic” series has fallen back on magic and omniscient higher powers manipulating events. That doesn’t change any in “Return of the King.” Readers will immediately notice how out-of-characters the Freedom Fighters are acting. Considering Sonic and Uncle Chuck’s reconciliation in issue 54, the hedgehog continuing to blame his uncle is definitely an uncharacteristic moment. King Acorn continues to act like a huge cock, a brief talk with his daughter being all the convincing he needs to massacre the Robians.

The Mobian soldiers and Robian rebels taking shots at everyone is also explained as an act of magical manipulation. That’s right, guys. Ixis Naugus is back in town and fucking with everybody’s shit. On one hand, this nicely explains where the evil sorcerer has been since the end of issue 53. He’s been hiding inside King Acorn, possessing his body. However, as an explanation for the King’s extreme actions and a motivator for the plot, it’s undeniably lazy.

Also lazy: The role the Sword of Acorn plays. Three times, the Sword is used to heal someone in this story. After a soldier with an itchy trigger finger blows Uncle Chuck away, Sonic grabs the sword, ready to murder the guy. Luckily, the blade repairs Chuck and frees everyone from Naugus’ manipulation. After realizing Naugus has possessed the King, Sonic flashes the sword to exorcise Max’s body. The magic also saves both from falling to their deaths. On the story’s final page, the Sword reverses King Acorn’s crystallization. Gee, is there anything the Sword of Acorn can’t do? Apparently an alternate spelling for “sword” is “deus ex machine.”

For one last ass-pull, Karl Bollers remembers that the King’s magical crown was lost in the Halls of Limbo. After being de-crystalized, the Crown reappears on Acorn’s head. Get this!: the Halls of Limbo where located within his own mind.

Despite these narrative problems, “Return of the King” is still a solid page-turner. Though he has some annoying tendency, I admire Bollers’ willingness to take these characters and their world seriously. After Uncle Chuck is shot, his body has a huge hole blown through his chest. Smoke billows from his vacant eyes and opened mouth. Sonic is outright ready to kill the shooter after that, pointing the sword at his chest. Holy cow, is this still a kids’ book? What resolves this moment marks the first time Sonic’s parents have done anything since they’ve been introduced. Jules and Bernie appear and talk Sonic back from committing homicide.

Sonic isn’t the only character who re-connects with a parent. After his mind is freed from the wizard, Sally gives the King a deep hug, father and daughter truly reunited for the first time. During the fall, the Sword landed upright in a stone. In a nice mythic touch, King Max pulls the sword from the stone, the action that restores him fully.

Sam Maxwell pencils the story. While I was impressed with his debut in “Battle Royal,” Maxwell’s subsequent work has underwhelmed me. The artist is back in form with “Return of the King.” I continue to love the way he draws Princess Sally, which filters her original design through an anime lens. That style, which includes big heads and spindly bodies, takes some getting use to. I like it though, as it recalls the original game artwork. Maxwell is also really good at action, bringing a dynamic energy to the sequences, framing the panels like cinematic story boards.

The second story in “Return of the King” takes us back to “Endgame.” In “Down and Out in Downunda,” Antoine and Bunnie recount how they escaped Crocbot’s prison camp in the spaces between issues 49 and 50. Basically, Bunnie outsmarts her captive. She slips her organic hand out of her shackles, blows the explosive collar, and knocks down the cell door. The Downunda Freedom Fighters prepare to make scrap metal out of Crocbot’s robotic soldiers. While they whoop ass, Bunnie and Antoine sneak aboard Crocbot’s cargo ship. There, they defuse a plan by the reptilian mechanoid to nuke Robotnik’s city.

“Down and Out in Downunda” continues the gritty tone established by the title story. Barby and Walt Wallabe worry that Crocbot has murdered their team meets. Later, their captor out-right proclaims his desire to kill his captives. When Bunnie frees their cellmates, they are so pissed off. The Downunda Freedom Fighters may not have the most defined personality but there’s one thing they do well: Kick ass! Watching them tear apart the bad guys is so satisfying.

The business on the ship is a lot less interesting. An entire panel is devoted to a recording of Robotnik explaining what the Ultimate Annihilator is. Though Crocbot planning to betray Robotnik is definitely in character for the robotic minion, I’m not exactly sure why Bunnie and Antoine defuse this plot. You’d think they see it as a chance to take out their greatest enemy. Or did they figure that Sonic would be in town by that point?

Parts of “Down and Out in Downunda” where originally intended to appear in issue 50. Most of the story would be reprinted when the extended cut of the issue was presented as the sixth Sonic Super Special. Nelson Ortega does the artwork and it’s swell. His image of an angry Barby, showing her claws, is probably my favorite drawing of that character. His action is brutal and direct. His facial expressions are serious. His artwork both pairs well with Sam Maxwell’s work on the main story and has a gritty energy and gravitas all its own.

Truthfully, I like a lot about “Return of the King.” The artwork is good throughout, the script wraps up several story arcs, the book has a serious tone and an emotional heart. I just wish the plotting was a little less contrived. Oh well, that’s comic books, I suppose. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 54

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 54
Publication Date: October 1997

The “Brave New World” one-shot set a new tone, more introspective and realistic, for “Sonic the Hedgehog,” post-“Endgame.” Issue 53, thanks to new head writer Karl Bollers, brought Ixis Naugus into the fold, providing a new enemy for Sonic and friends. However, issue 54’s sole story, “Running to Stand Still,” makes it clear that things are not going to relax into a familiar pace. This world will remain brave and new.

Since Knothole Village remains trapped inside a pocket dimension, three hours in the future and accessible only by tunnel, many Mobians have moved into the newly rechristened Mobotropolis. Sally appoints herself, Rotor, Dr. Quack, Geoffrey St. John, and Sonic as members of a council designed to make the city livable again. Sonic, however, isn’t too keen on the new position. He wonders what role a warrior like him can play in a world without Robotnik. Also weighting on Sonic’s mind is how his Uncle kept his parents’ lives a secret from him. Meanwhile, Snively schemes from inside his prison cell.

Like everything connected to Sonic, Karl Bollers remains a controversial figure among the fandom. In some circles, he’s actually even more hated then the widely loathed Ken Penders. Bollers’ style is no doubt different then the previous writers to work on the book. He utilizes a lot more comic book narration. His dialogue is a little more stylized, different the the broad exposition and lame one-liners of Penders. Yet for a story like “Running to Stand Still,” the narration actually works pretty well. Sonic spends most of the story wrapped up in his own thoughts, considering his place in a rapidly changing world. While Bollers’ prose borders on the cheesy at times, it’s well utilized in this context.

Sonic is acting unusually moody. While sitting around during one of Sally’s meetings, he fights off sleep. Rotor asks Sally if he can take some time to pursue his missing family, a plot point abandoned back in issue 32. She vetoes the idea, saying that Rotor’s technological know-how is needed at home. When Sonic asks again on the walrus’ behalf, she gives the same answer. When the Robians raise the idea of moving into the mostly abandoned Knothole Village, to escape the persecution by the fearful public, King Max denies the idea. (His reasoning isn’t expounded on. King Acorn is just a jerk.) Sonic doesn’t seem suited to politics and he makes his feelings known to Rosie. The plot point isn’t quite resolved but Sonic comes to a realization: That he has to make a difference. Thus, he needs to go wherever a difference needs to be made.

Yet something is bothering Sonic closer to home. For years, Uncle Chuck was the only connection to his presumed lost family for years. Over the last month, Sonic has discovered that not only are his parents alive but Chuck’s been keeping their existence a secret from him for years. This provides the main emotional conflict throughout this issue, as Sonic continues to snipe at his uncle, his resentment showing. Eventually, the two resolve their problem, walking through a wooded area. Chuck explains his actions, that Sonic’s pain from missing his parents would cripple him too much. I’m not sure if I agree with that but Sonic and Chuck hug it out.

Honestly, it’s kind of ballsy of Bollers to build an entire story around emotional stakes. There’s truly no action in issue 54 at all. Uncle Chuck is testing Sonic’s speed in a variety of locations, across the treetops, the ocean waves, the desert plains, and a giant hamster wheel. That’s the closest this issue comes to an action sequence. While imprisoned in Devil’s Gulag, Snively activates a device hidden under his fingernail. This awakens a stashed-away collection of Egg-Robos (referred to as Eggbots here), presumably hidden away back in “Battle Royal’s” “The Map.” What Snively is up yet isn’t revealed, as the comic ends just as the machines fly overhead.

Last time we saw Nelson Ortega’s work in issue 46 and 50, it was pretty shaky. He’s improved a lot since then. Sonic still goes off-model on two occasion, he’s head developing into a weird shape. Otherwise, the artwork is good. The opening page of Sonic bouncing through the treetops of Knothole or hydroplaning across the ocean waves are quite impressive. Ortega’s obviously been taken some lesson from Patrick Spazinate, as Nelson’s take on Sally is clearly influenced by Spaz’. He also does some good work with facial expressions, focusing on Sonic’s face as he’s lost in thought. A different artist, newcomer John Herbert, illustrates the interludes of Snively in prison. Herbert’s work is incredibly moody, full of shadows and detail. His one-pager of the Eggrobos emerging from their eggs looks great. I’m not sure why two artists worked on the book but issue 54 is mostly a good looking one.

Though not quite perfect, “Running to Stand Still” easily represents Bollers’ best work on the book thus far. [9/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 50

 
Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 50
Publication Date: June 1997

To most long running comic series, fifty issues probably doesn’t seem like that big of a milestone. When you look at the superhero comics that have been running, in one form or another, since the thirties, five years probably isn’t that impressive. If the interviews I’ve read with many of the writers on Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” book are any indication, nobody expected “Sonic” to run for more then a few years, at most. Most licensed books burn out before even hitting thirty. Nobody knew that “Sonic” would still be running nineteen years later, quickly approaching its three-hundredth issue. This is why issue 50 has that number printed in big bold letters on the front cover. It’s why Archie marched out some spiffy, quasi-CGI looking graphics for Spaz’ cover. And it’s why the comic’s writers planned the epic “Endgame” story arc, which could’ve effectively acted as the comic’s final story, to conclude here.

After a brief flashback showing how Julian Kintobor came to stay with the Kingdom of Acorn, the story picks up where it left off. Sonic, Knuckles, and Geoffrey St. John are having a Mexican standoff on the Floating Island. After some more in-fighting, Dulcy proclaims that Sonic is innocent. Everyone else seemingly being aware that dragons can detect truthiness, the heroes march off for Knothole. Quickly freeing them from Robotnik’s occupation, Sonic spots Hershey beating the crap out of Drago. Sonic marches off to Robotropolis, taking the fight to Robotnik. He arrives just in time for the tyrant to activate the Ultimate Annihilator, the weapon that will wipe out Knothole and the Freedom Fighters once and for all.

In its originally published form, “The Big Goodbye” was a somewhat compromised affair. Ken Penders had originally envisioned the story as double-length, running 48 pages long. At the last minute, Archie brass informed him that the tale would be running at the regular length, forcing Ken to quickly abbreviate the script. (The extended, original cut would eventually be published as the sixth Super Sonic Special.) As a result, lots of the story’s background events where cut out and a few genuine plot holes were created. In its published form, we don’t see how Antoine and Bunnie escape Crocbot’s prison in Downunda. We’re left to assume that the Downunda Freedom Fighters successfully escape, Bunnie and Antoine sneaking aboard the ship heading back to Robotropolis. Sonic, Knuckles, and Geoffrey seemingly push back Robotnik’s take-over of Knothole in the span of two pages. In the last act, Sonic says he saw Knothole be destroyed by the Ultimate Annihilator. The reader is left with no idea what he’s talking about, as this event occurs totally off-panel.

If only that was the story’s only problem. Some of the awkward script decisions from the last issue are carried over to this one. After the action-packed conclusion, we are treated to two and a half pages of exposition. First, Rotor explains that Knothole wasn’t destroyed. The effects of the Ultimate Annihilator, damaged during Sonic and Robotnik’s fight, caused the village to shift three hours into the future. This is an awkward, random-ass explanation. Dr. Quack then explains how Robotnik tracked Knothole’s location down, after detecting a signal from Quack’s Dream Machine in Issue 43. In extended detail, he goes on about how the villain abducted the king, replacing him with a robotic double, and blackmailed Quack into assisting him. Somehow, Quack overheard that Snively had sabotaged the weapon so that it would only target Robotnik’s molecular structure. In other words, the Ultimate Annihilator was never a threat to Knothole. Gee whiz, Ken, was that the most elegant way to handle all that?

Inside all this contrived insanity beats the heart of a really good story. Sonic and the reinforcements dropping back into Knothole is a truly triumphant moment. The heroes come back from the edge of oblivion to surge forward and kick some major ass. Following this, Sonic catches Hershey conking Drago on the head, talking about how she was duped. Sonic, his face scrunched up in anger, grumbles out that “We were all duped.” He marches into Robotropolis. He races up to Robotnik’s head-quarters. He tears through the robotic guards, easily avoids the traps, and quickly disposes of Snively.

At this point, the hero and the villain have their final confrontation. Sonic and Robotnik battle in the dictator’s control room. He dodges Robotnik’s laser blasts while the rotund mad scientist uses the cramped room to toss Sonic around. They trade powerful punches. Sonic leaps around the dissolving room, the Ultimate Annihilator taking affect. Sonic doesn’t make any goofy quips. There’s no light-hearted smiles. Sonic has lost everything he cares about while Robotnik is close to his ultimate victory. This is a fight to the death, both combatants letting loose all the pent-up anger they’ve ever felt. Neither cares much about their own safety, as long as the other dies. For long time Sonic fans, this is as epic as can be.

After that extended epilogue full of exposition, “Endgame” pauses to resolve its most important plot point. Least we forget, this story started with Princess Sally taking a big dive off the side of a tall building. Sally’s death would only make Robotnik’s defeat a Pyrrhic victory at best. I’m not a fan of the Comic Book Death, where a character seemingly dies only to return to life later on. Ken’s first plan to revive Sally was originally far more sinister. Sally was going to remain dead while another Auto-Automaton took her place, Sonic only discovering later that his girlfriend had been replaced by a robot. Sega vetoed this plan, hoping to use Sally in future merchandising. (As far as I can tell, this amounted to a puppet musical in a crappy Australian amusement park nobody remembers.) Thus, Sally is revealed to have not died from her fall. Instead, she’s was merely very nearly dead. Dr. Quack hid the truth and stuck her body in a stasis tube, disguised as a memorial. It’s definitely a cheat and a huge one too, especially since this is the first we’ve heard of said stasis tube. The emotional impact of Sally’s apparent death in issue 47 is voided.

 
And yet it almost doesn’t matter. After hearing that Sally isn’t really dead, Sonic races over to her memorial/stasis tube. He opens the door and leans into her still body. He kisses her and whispers that he wishes she’ll come back. Naturally, Sally awakens just then. The two embrace. All is well. The heroes have triumphed, the bad guy is dead, and the lovers are reunited. I’m not made of stone, you motherfuckers. As a life-long Sonic fan, and a nearly as life-long Sonic/Sally shipper, this stuff gets straight to my heart.

Since 50 was the pay-off on five years of storytelling, Archie decided to invite all the series’ major writers and artists to work on the landmark book. Thus, issue 50 shifts artists and writers every few pages. As you’d expect, this does not lead to an especially collected read. Spaz beautifully illustrates Robotnik’s opening flashback, Sonic and the fat man’s final confrontation, and the final page, contributing dynamic and powerful pencils. Manny Galan does a good job illustrating the fight on the Floating Island. Nelson Ortega does better then his last time at bat, Robotnik’s villainous shouting and Knuckles dive into Knothole looking pretty good. Sam Maxwell contributes a fantastic middle-of-the-book spread of the heroes wrecking some SWATBots. His later work, of Sonic running into Robotnik’s lair, is a bit incoherent though.

Art Mawhinney handles the epilogue and Sonic and Sally’s reunion. Considering emotion has always been his strength, it’s a good choice. Even Dave Manak’s work isn’t too bad, as his cartoon exaggeration works well for how pissed off Sonic and Hershey are on those pages. Only Ken Penders’ pencils stick out as bad. His shots of Sonic running look incredibly static. Was switching between artists a good idea? Probably not but at least most everyone is at the top of their game.

(The switch between writers – which includes Penders, Mike Gallagher, Scott Fulop and the debut of future head writer Karl Bollers – is less noticeable. You can mostly guess who's writing what by how cocky Sonic is acting. I bet everyone was mostly sticking to Ken’s outline here.)

“Endgame” remains controversial among Sonic aficionados. Some people hate the whole damn thing for toying with fans’ emotions. Other despise it out of residual Penders hatred. Others love the story arc, considering it the most epic story ever told in the “Sonic” book. Obviously, it leaves me with a lot to talk about, seeing as how I’ve rambled on about issue 50 for 1447 words now. In my opinion, the story starts off extremely strong, handling an emotional topic in an appropriately heavy way. Its plot ends up eating itself midway through, the contrivances quickly piling up. Still, “Endgame” delivers some incredibly satisfying, awesome moments. (And issue 50 is improved in its extended version.) While Penders and pals stumble a bit with the details, he still successfully delivered an epic conclusion to the book’s first five years. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 46

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 46
Publication Date: February 1997

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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