Sonic Universe: Issue 50

Sonic Universe: Issue 50
Publication Date: March 2013

“Sonic Universe” reaching its fiftieth issue should be a cause for celebration. None of the various Archie Sonic spinoffs have ever reached that goal before. However, we are now in a new era of corporate meddling. The general impression I’ve always gotten is that, for years, Sega barely paid any attention to the comic books. This allowed the writers to get away with almost anything. As long as the book published the promotional tie-ins they demanded or didn’t turn Sonic into a blubbering weakling, Sega more or less left the creative staff alone.

However, following the Frightful Pendering, Sega realized they should probably pay more attention to what this comic book was doing. Most of these truly inane corporate mandates would rear their head following the reboot but a few went in to affect right before. Originally, issue 50 of “Sonic Universe” was going to feature the conclusion to the long-canceled cartoon “Sonic Underground.” (Which does, after all, exist as a separate dimension in the Archie multiverse.) You can even find Spaz’s original cover art online. Sega, seeing no point in promoting a cartoon that had been out of production for fourteen years, put the kibosh on that idea. Around the same time, the company declared that there was only one Metal Sonic and that all imitators had to go. This second mandate would clearly inspire Flynn to write today’s cover story.

“Forged in Fire” begins by flashing back to issue 240’s invasion of Mobotropolis, where Shard easily bested another model of Metal Sonic. Aboard the Death Egg, Robotnik is incensed at this defeat. He builds a new model of Metal Sonic, with a power gem core. He also downloads the memories and experiences of all prior versions of the robot into this new one. Eggman quickly deploys the machine into Mobotropolis. Shard, who has found it difficult to fit in, quickly rushes into action against his double.

One of the many differences between the Archie comics and the Sega games is the treatment of Metal Sonic. In the games, there’s only one Metal Sonic and he’s Eggman’s most dangerous robot. (He, naturally, spends most of his time training for the Olympics.)  In the comics, Metal Sonic is just another mechanical goon, having been destroyed and rebuilt countless times. Sega, determined to streamline their corporate vision, demanded the comic be brought into line. So Eggman builds a new Metal Sonic, closer to Sega’s ideas. Flynn even tried to give this new Metal a little more personality but his corporate overlords were adamant. The comic version must match the game version. Thus, Metal barely talks and has no motivation beyond wanting to destroy Sonic. Bummer.

Issue 50 is another issue primarily devoted to action. The fight between the two robotic hedgehogs takes up most of the issue. And it is, admittedly, pretty cool. There's a bitchin' two page spread devoted to the two smashing, clawing, and shooting lasers at each other. This Metal Sonic is more clever than previous models, using a rock to jam Shard's cannon and generating a shield around himself. Of course, Shard's versatility and intelligence makes this more than an even fight. If you're looking for hot Metal on Metal action, well, issue 50 of “Sonic Universe” more than satisfies.

But that's not the most interesting thing about the issue. Before Metal storms into Mobotropolis like an asshole, we're greet to a scene of Shard and Nicole playing digital chess. It seems that the two A.I.s have been spending a lot of time together. Shard still doesn't feel like he belongs among the Mobians, due to his past as a killer robot. Nicole, considering her recent exile, more than understands. Moreover, there's a cute chemistry between the two that definitely has a flirtatious edge. The issue ends by confirming that Shard at least has a crush on the computer program. I really would've liked to have seen that play out.

In fact, Shard is really what keeps this specific comic book interesting. Despite only existing for ten months by this point, Shard already feels like a fully developed, lovable character. During his chess game with Nicole, he acts like a big kid. He continues that jovial mood during much of the fight with Metal Sonic, cracking jokes and one-liners. Yet the robot has a vulnerable side too. He knows Sonic doesn't trust him yet – confirmed by the blue hedgehog's sole appearance in this issue, where he wonders if Shard has truly reformed – and just doesn't feel like he belongs. At the same time, he rushes right into battle to protect the city. That's the definition of a hero, right there: Someone who protects innocents even when he's not sure they like him. He even takes the fight out to the barren remains of Knothole, so as not to endanger anyone.

Shard is a great character. So, of course, they kill him off. I mean, basically. The fight concludes with Metal Sonic detonating his power gem core. The blast completely destroys Metal and tosses Shard far away, seriously damaging him. His body mangled, he goes offline shortly afterwards. (Though continues to quip and flirt with Nicole as he does.) Now, whether or not Flynn truly intended to kill Shard is unknown. That would certainly be inline with Sega's new mandate. However, the last panel here lingers on Shard's power gem core, showing it cracked but not destroyed. I wonder if his plan was for Shard to take on a new shape, possibly as another A.I., so he could keep the fan favorite around in some form without violating Sega's rules. Of course, we'll never know because the reboot happened.

By the way, the cover makes a big deal about this being a 48-page special issue, the first book of that length that Archie has published since the end of the “Sonic Super Special” quarterly series. However, the main story only runs twenty-four page. In order to pump the issue up to its trumpeted length, this comic also includes part of Metal Sonic's first appearance from “Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 25.”

Notice I said part. Only the second half of the story is reprinted. Even then, the ending is clipped short so Archie can shill for “Worlds Collide” some more. It's a really odd decision. I can't imagine new fans would be interested in checking out an old story after reading less-than-half of it. (And the differences in tone between what the series was back then and what it was at this point are very evident.) I don't know, maybe an extra-long issue had already been committed to when Sega canceled the “Sonic Underground” story, forcing Archie to throw a half-assed reprint into the back instead.

But, hey, at least we get to appreciate some vintage Spaz artwork. Yardley illustrates the cover story and does a really good job. It seems drawing transforming metal hedgehogs is really his forte. He clearly enjoys penciling the various weapons and abilities the two can activate. That two-page spread includes Shard swinging a mjolnier-style hammer, for one example. He also manages to get some emoting out of Metal Sonic just through his battle language, such as when Eggman has to rein in his overwhelming desire to murder Sonic. So it's a good looking issue.

Oh yeah, did I mention that cover? It's got a glossy, foil sheen to it! I didn't even know comic companies were still pulling that foil cover bullshit by 2013! It's also hugely misleading, as Sonic and Metal Sonic never actually meet in this issue. Either way, this issue represents one of the better examples of Flynn dealing with the Sega mandates. Instead of kowtowing to them like a coward, he writes around them in a clever way. It also gets us one more issue of Shard being a bad ass. As the final pre-boot issue of “Sonic Universe,” it's a pretty good one. Honestly, I probably enjoy it more than I would've a “Sonic Underground” conclusion anyway. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 246

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 246
Publication Date: March 2013

You might have noticed the small icon on the covers of the last few issues of Archie’s various “Sonic” books I’ve covered. The comics were counting down to the start of “Worlds Collide,” the much-hyped crossover with the “Mega Man” comic Archie was also publishing at the time. They might as well be counting down to the end of the pre-reboot universe. Sonic would leave Mobius for his team up with Mega Man and return to an entirely different world. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s talk about the penultimate issue of the preboot ‘verse, also the conclusion of the “Endangered Species” arc, first.

“Endangered Species: Part Four” splits the story in half. In the blasted-out remains of Albion, Team Fighters and Shard battle against the seemingly unkillable Krudzu-infected Metal Knuckles. Meanwhile, Knuckles and Thrash leap through his warp ring, taking their fight all across Mobius.

An interesting bit of trivia the Mobius Encyclopaedia points out about this issue: Despite being more-or-less the main characters of the issue, neither Knuckles nor Thrash have any dialogue! The two wail on each other all across the globe. They grunt and scream but nobody actually says anything. At first, this approach is interesting but it quickly gets dull. Even with the shifting locations, there’s only so much to be taken from watching two cartoon characters beat each other up.

Team Fighters’ battle with the Krudzu presents a few more interesting opportunities. Unlike Knuckles and Thrash, who are evenly matched and can’t really hurt each other, the Krudzu suffers quite a lot of punishment. Shard and Sonic drag him around the island. Amy hammers him through buildings. Eventually, the robotic plant is torn stem from stem. It’s a slightly more interesting battle. Steven Butler sure has fun drawing the big, monstrous Metal Knuckles. He also enjoys setting the fights against inclement weather, like snowstorms or lightning storms

The conclusion of this arc continues a theme that begin during the “Chaotix’ Quest” story. Despite swooping in and saving the day at the end of last issue, Sonic and the gang only recognize Shard as a threat. He has to quickly explain that he’s a good guy now. All throughout their fight, Shard has to constantly prove himself to the others. Tails ends up freeing Thrash’s devil dog siblings to help fight the Krudzu. This continues the theme of questioned alliances and forgiving past mistakes that Flynn has been stuck on lately. I’d like to read into shit and say this was Ian’s way of dealing with the Penders’ lawsuit. But who the hell knows.

As the impending reboot draws closer, Flynn continues to set up future events that he’ll never be allowed to pay off. After popping into the Tasmanian Devils’ ancestral homeland, Knuckles punches Thrash through a wall. Inside, we see an elderly Mobian Devil of undetermined gender laying in a bed, surrounded by loyal devil dogs. Who is this person? Thrash’s mom or dad? The clan elder who set him on his quest of vengeance? Who now, if the sorrowful expression on his/her face is any indication, perhaps regrets sending Thrash down such a genocidal path? It’s a beguiling image and one that will never be expounded on.

This is not the only future plot point that was left dangling by the reboot. The Krudzu’s adaptive technology is suggested as a possible cure for Sally’s mechanized state. Instead, she would just be back to (relatively speaking) normal following the reboot, without any further explanation. But, once again, I’m getting ahead of myself.

One can deduce that this was not the original ending Flynn envisioned for this story. Knuckles returns to the Shrine Island to be greeted by the mostly reunited Chaotix. They wonder where Julie-Su and Saffron are, though without mentioning their names. Ray picks up Julie-Su’s abandoned blaster, recognizing it. Knuckles punches the ground and screams to the heavens. On Albion, Amy cries a little over leaving behind a desolate, empty city that was once so full of life. Our heroes, in other words, have lost. It’s a downbeat, depressing ending and totally unavoidable. How could Knuckles rescue his girlfriend and his family if they’re now legally forbidden from appearing in the book? But this sad, unavoidable ending certainly leaves our heroes in a bad spot. And makes the entire adventure seem like a bit of a wasted trip.

So it’s hard to rate this one. It feels like an incomplete story because it basically is. There’s some solid moments. The team up with Shard is pretty cool. Knuckles’ agonized final state is certainly a striking sight. Butler’s artwork is, of course, top notch. Yet the most important, most emotionally valuable plot point is just left dangling. That leaves us, the reader, in a very uncertain place. [6/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 245

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 245
Publication Date: January 2013

Let’s jump right into the plot synopsis. Part three of “Endangered Species,” which has the very odd subtitle of “Restoration Efforts,” begins with Knuckles and Team Fighter locked in mortal combat with Thrash the Tasmanian Devil. As the battle rages on, Knuckles learns more about his new enemy’s motivations. Meanwhile, Metal Knuckles is brought back into the fight when the Krudzu Hybrid Hydra takes over its mechanical body. Sonic, Tails, and Amy stay behind to fight the robot - with some unexpected help - while Knuckles pursues Thrash.

Once again, the last minute revisions to the “Endangered Species” arc are all too obvious. You can easily find Yardley’s first cover to this issue online and see that the Krudzu tentacles ensnaring Sonic were originally intended to be Lien-Da’s whips. The solicitation that was sent out to comic shops even said Lien-Da and the Dark Legion were going to be featured in this issue. The ramifications of Penders’ lawsuit are evident inside as well. Last issue ended with a stray piece of the Krudzu Hybrid Hydra infecting Metal Knuckles’ empty shell. This issue begins with a Krudzu-controlled Crabmeat scuttling into land, coming across Metal Knuckles’ vacant shell, and then taking it over. This itself is a sloppy retcon of the robo-weed’s last appearance, which showed it falling to its doom inside the body of a Titan Metal Sonic. Considering how tight Flynn’s continuity usually is, it is very clear that nobody expected the lawsuit to play out the way it did.

This issue, better than the one that proceeded it, is primarily driven by Knuckles’ rage. And that’s a powerful factor. Considering he’s been in a real funk since the Enerjak episode five years ago, it’s nice to see Knuckles really cut loose. He’s confused, grieved, but mostly extremely pissed off at Thrash. The reader is feeling the same thing, though for much more metatextual reasons, so we really relate with Knuckles here. That emotion makes this issue far more compelling than it probably would’ve been otherwise. (Though the issue does, confusingly, treat Julie-Su and the Albion echidnas as if they’re dead one minute and then like they’ve merely been kidnapped the next. This is presumably a side-effect of Flynn genuinely not knowing if he’d ever be able to use them again.)

No matter how powerful the emotions in the issue are, this is primarily another action driven issue. Knuckles is fighting with Thrash. Sonic and Team Fighter fight with Thrash’s devil dog siblings. When the Krudzu shows up, he has to fight everyone too. I guess some action is warranted, since the last issue was primarily devoted to set-up. Yet focusing on combat to the exclusion of everything else has the effect of making this feel like the first act, when the arc is almost over by this point.

Flynn does sneak in some cute moments though. During the fight with devil dogs, Sonic asks Tails and Amy to do the “spin-y thing.” It takes him a few panels to explain that he means some sort of tornado attack. When Amy doubts she can pull off such a maneuver, Sonic blatantly banks on her affection for him to convince her otherwise. This leads up to a pretty cool action beat of Sonic corralling the devil dogs in a kennel made from torn-up fence post. Comic relief like that should probably seem out of place in such a grim story but, I don't know, somehow Flynn makes it work.

Oh yeah, we also learn exactly what Thrash's deal is. If you read the Complete Sonic Comic Encyclopedia, you already knew that he's pissed at all echidnas everywhere for genetically modifying his race into unintelligent beasts thousand of years ago. Like his fellow purple comic book villain Thanos, he commits genocide in the name of balance. Now, there's only one Tasmanian Devil and only one echidna. As far as villainous motivations go, it's pretty vanilla. If I had to guess, I'd say this entire plot-line came about because Flynn was annoyed that there were no Tasmanian Devil Mobians, only the mobini devil dogs. (I don't know what his feelings about humans and chimpanzee existing together are.) Post-reboot, Flynn would completely resolve this Goofy/Pluto paradox by making every cartoon animal on Mobius an anthromorphized humanoid, even the fish and dogs.

Of course, a big problem with this issue is that there’s really no reason for the Krudzu to be involved. The machine is blindly following Robotnik’s orders, determined to destroy Sonic because that’s what it’s programmed to do. (Though personal revenge seems to be motivating it as well. Because, yes, this comic book exist in a world where a plant can plot revenge.) The robot/vine hybrid is just another thing for the heroes to fight. It doesn’t feed into the story’s plot or themes in any way. The surprise guest appearance at the end - Shard showing up, seemingly because of popular demand and because Flynn had no better ideas - is a similarly sweaty attempt to pad out a compromised story. Flynn has admitted that neither of these characters played any role in his original scripts. The guy was doing what he could but, boy, is it obvious that all of this was a last minute choice.

The “Endangered Species” arc continues to be deeply troubled by factors totally out of the writers/artists' hands. However, issue 245 manages to work okay despite these huge problems. Allowing the reader to get involved in Knuckles' rage and some deftly deployed comic relief keeps things afloat, even if no satisfying conclusion to this story is ever going to come. [7/10]

Sonic Universe: Issue 44

Sonic Universe: Issue 44
Publication Date: September 2012

In retrospect, it's pretty sad that Ian Flynn spent so much time setting up the Secret Freedom Fighters. After several months, and endless stories it seems, of build-up, the new team finally got their four issue arc in “Sonic Universe.” And then, in a few months, all but one of them would be wiped out by the reboot. I guess that just goes to show that the reboot really was sprang on Ian Flynn and his team at the last minute. Then again, there were some plot lines that got set-up and didn't even get as much payoff as this one. Guess we should've been lucky this story was delayed a few months.

Part four of “Unsung Heroes” is clearly a Public Enemy fan as the subtitle implores you to “Fight the Power.” Naugus' plan to bend the Council of Acorn's collective minds to his will is ready. The Secret Freedom Fighters interrupt the ritual and take the fight to the wizard. Meanwhile, the Council attempts to assemble above. Luckily, Larry the Lynx is there, his bad luck constantly preventing the meeting from going forward.

“Fight the Power” is primarily an action story. It should probably not be surprising that the main way the Secret Freedom Fighters disrupt Naugus' magic spell is with punching. Silver and Shard fight Naugus. Elias and Silver fight Naugus. Lyco and Leeta fight Geoffrey. Elias fights Geoffrey. Pretty much every combination you can think of plays out. As a fight scene, it is pretty cool. There's so much going on that it's hard to get bored. Despite outnumbering the enemy, Naugus and St. John are formidable enough to keep the tension high.

In fact, the stakes get more and more high as the issue goes on. The subplot concerning Naugus loosing control over his own body continues to build here. Even after seemingly winning the day by exploding his magical altar, the Secret Freedom Fighters aren't out of the woods yet. Naugus freaks out, grows more monstrous, and attempts to trap the team in the tunnels. It's a neat trick on Flynn's behalf, keeping the drama going even after the plot is more-or-less resolved.

Luckily, this isn't just a punching and kicking orientated issue. Flynn wraps the comic up with a surprisingly bittersweet series of panels. In narration boxes, Harvey Who talks about how the Secret Freedom Fighters' good deeds can never be publicly acknowledge, how they most operate from the shadows and give up the things they want most. Flynn contrasts these words with shots of Elias looking in on his dying father and Larry watching the other members of the Substitute Freedom Fighters leave the Council building. The last two shows Shard watching Uncle Chuck, Jules, and Bernie have a pleasant dinner together. This page was probably meant to emphasize the personal sacrifices the characters are making by becoming spies. What it actually ends up doing is giving us insight into the sadness and dissatisfaction each member feels with their lives. Which is actually a far more noble goal.

Speaking of Larry! Harvey Who smartly realizes that someone who generates bad luck shouldn't be around during the big fight. Instead, he puts Larry's jinxing to good use. The scenes of the Council of Acorn's meeting being repeatedly interrupted by stupid bullshit – the new bill of rights they've come to sign going missing, the power in the building going off – are pretty funny. It's amusing to see that, even in an action book like this, people can still be inconvenienced by stupid bullshit. These moments also provide decent comic relief to the big fight scene happening underground.

Geoffrey St. John's character arc in this story line has been one of its most promising elements. We got some pay-off to that development here. St. John is still serving his master but not in the most enthusiastic manner. When the Secret Freedom Fighters pop in, he uses the fight as an excuse to not help Naugus. He even rather literally tosses Elias a hint that he's going back over to the side of the angels. In a surprisingly chilling panel, St. John outright leaves Naugus to die in the explosion. Of course, the wizard survives and Geoff has to backtrack but it's still a surprisingly nasty turn of events. It seems St. John really is fed up with his boss' bullshit.

Issue 44 wraps up by promising a conclusion to Silver's quest for the traitor. For those who are reading through these books for the first time, I'll just say the resolution to that is super underwhelming. The Secret Freedom Fighters arc was pretty uneven. However, even its weaker issues managed to be pretty entertaining. If nothing else, it's a fun idea, even if Flynn had to jump through way too many hoops to get it rolling. [7/10]

Sonic Universe: Issue 43

Sonic Universe: Issue 43
Publication Date: August 2012

Issue 43 has Ian Flynn addressing some of the issues I've had with the Secret Freedom Fighters story arc. Part three of “Secret Heroes,” subtitled “Occupational Hazard,” fuses the two story lines of the arc thus far. Silver and Elias' teams escape their missions by the skin of their teeth. They regroup in Mobotropolis, reporting their failures to Harvey Who. Meanwhile, Ixis Naugus explains his latest plan, a magical spell to take over the mind of the Council of Acorn, to Geoffrey St. John... And the skunk is not entirely okay with that.

Usually, I address the artwork at the end of these review but I'm doing shit backwards today. Since I've looked at hundreds of his illustrations over his years on the comic, I feel qualified to speak about Tracy Yardley's artwork. Though he's done lots of great work over the years, he has his flaws too. A same-y quality can fall into his work and he frequently gets sloppy. It sometimes feel like he's phoning it in. And his work on issue 43 has that quality. The facial expressions can be identical or uninspired. Everyone's on model but a little lifeless at times. Yardley has done so much “Sonic” art over the years that it starts to blend together at times.

Anyway, that aside, let's talk about the plot. Flynn uses this issue to expand on the mythos of the Ixis wizard tribe. The issue begins hundreds of years ago during the Forgotten War, showing Mammoth Mogul and a previously unseen bird-wizard named Ixis Vale. This is a callback to a very obscure bit of lore. All the way back in issue 53, Naugus used “Vale's bones!” as an exclamation. Now, years later, we actually see Naugus retrieve the bones of Ixis Vale to use them in an incantation. This also further defines the Ixis order as something that's been around for a very long time.

But what's most interesting about “Occupational Hazard” is the development we get on Geoffrey St. John. From the moment it was revealed that Geoffrey was a traitor, and an apprentice of Naugus, I felt like Flynn was kind of screwing over the character for no reason. However, that attitude snaps back some with this issue. Upon hearing that Naugus plans to use magic to instate total tyranny over Mobotropolis, St. John gets seriously pissed. He signed up to protect his kingdom, not to serve the mad whims of a control freak.

Honestly, I'm not sure why Geoffrey St. John hasn't noticed before that Naugus is a bad guy. However, the skunk having a crisis of conscious about his mission is refreshing. Yardley's panel here I like the most is a slow zoom on St. John's panicked face. Later, Silver has a conversation with the skunk where he sells out his master's plan. It doesn't undo all the bullshit damage Flynn has done to St. John's personality but it's a step in the right direction.

I guess it's weird that I found the antagonist of the story way more interesting than the heroes. One of the things I like the most about this issue is a passing detail, a bit of backstory. Upon seeing Shard's power crystal, St. John recalls that his team – as in the Majesty's Secret Service – retrieved Metal Sonic's melted remains out of the Mt. Mobius' caldera. Apparently there's a slight continuity error here, as Valdez wouldn't have been on the team at this point, but whatever. It feels a small gap in the backstory out and that's the kind of bullshit lore I appreciate.

As for what's the Secret Freedom Fighters are up to in this issue, we don't see much of them in action. There's a cute bit where, after Silver ends his talk with St. John, the team pops out of little hiding places around the area. I like the interaction between Harvey Who and Elias, which shows the young prince growing into more of a strategist. I also like the little bit where Harvey gets pissed at the team for their screw-ups. Apparently he didn't foresee the inexperienced fowling on their first mission.

Issue 43 is mostly set-up for the big finale, as it's most preoccupied with explaining what a threat Naugus truly is. It's a slower paced issue, focusing more on character development, which is a nice change following the action-packed last two issues. Mostly, I like this slightly sloppily-plotted comic for centering Gefforey St. John's personality. I don't recall that plotline really getting a conclusion before the reboot so this is probably the closest we'll come. [7/10]

Sonic Universe: Issue 41

Sonic Universe: Issue 41
Publication Date: June 2012

After what feels like six months of set-up, Ian Flynn has finally gotten to the Secret Freedom Fighters arc of “Sonic Universe.” It seems, as the original Archie universe neared its end, Flynn became a little preoccupied with organizing the comic's vast cast into various new teams. In the main book, the remaining members of the Knothole gang has split up into Team Fighters and Team Freedom. And here comes the Secret Freedom Fighters, composed of one fairly popular Sega hedgehog and five C-list-and-lower comic characters. Why Flynn was suddenly fascinated with this concept, I don't know. Unlike when Marvel or DC pulls this stunt, there were no new action figures or tie-in books to sell. Let's see if we can figure out why.

Part one of “Unsung Heroes,” which is referred to as “Secret Freedom” on the cover, shows the newly formed team on their first mission. Harvey Who sends Silver, Larry and Shard on a mission to track Geoffrey St. John to the Windy Valley region of Soumerica. It seems St. John is trying to recover some Ixis magic lore or something for Naugus. The three would-be spies argue among themselves, reveal their location, and manage to alert St. John to their presence without capturing him. Back near Mobotropolis, it seems Elias, Leeto, and Lyco are doing an equally on their half of the mission.

At its core, “Unsung Heroes” has an appealing premise. Taking a bunch of ragtag misfits and putting them on a team together can produce fruitful results. This format allows Flynn a chance to further establish the personalities of his cast of old, new, and basically new characters. The issue also has a fairly direct, easy-to-grasp objective. Our heroes are tracking Geoffrey St. John, trying to figure out what he's up to. Should be easy, right?

But there's a problem. These guys kind of suck at their job. Harvey Who is a spymaster after all and the Secret Freedom Fighers are ostensibly spying on St. John. So what do they do? They stumble into two separate traps, nearly getting themselves killed twice. They loudly bicker, repeatedly forgetting to use their code names. If the bickering didn't reveal their location to their target, Shard starts blowing shit up. They don't even manage to capture St. John after blowing their cover. About the only thing the so-called Secret Freedom Fighters pull off is putting a tracker on St. John's hoverboards. Seems to me if they had stopped at that, this mission would've been more successful.

But I suspect authoring a crackling espionage thriller was not really on Flynn's agenda. Tom Clancy, the man is not. Instead, this issue is really about the interplay between the team. On that regard, it's fairly successful. Shard continues to establish himself as the MVP of the group. It seems this iteration of Metal Sonic has only grown to resemble his fleshy counterpart more as he's lived longer. Shard is a snark extraordinaire. He's a real smart-ass around his teammates. However, Flynn keeps the constant backbiting from being annoying. In fact, it's charming as hell. Shard is incredibly entertaining.

Shard may not be the most calculated robot around but at least he contributes some firepower and high-tech gadgets. What does Larry the Lynx bring to this team? Flynn throws in a series of panels explaining who this obscure character is, what his deal is, and why he's on the Secret Freedom Fighters for the single person who reads “Sonic Universe” but not the main “Sonic” book too. After that, Larry nearly falls to his death. He then trips and activates a trap, alerting St. John to the team. I get what Flynn is trying to do. In a round about way, Larry's bad luck is revealing secrets. However, he mostly just draws attention to why someone with serially bad luck shouldn't be sent on sensitive missions like this.

Silver and Shard's bickering reveals a good point. This half of the team is composed of a former villain, someone who has previously attacked Sonic at least once (in addition to repeatedly showing himself to be a poor detective), and someone who constantly has bad things happen around him. The other half of the team is made of a former monarch with little field experience and two randos nobody has heard of before. And they seem to be doing as badly as Silver's team. How is this anyone's idea of a team of spies? If Flynn meant this as some sort of stealth parody/critique of Penders' old “On His Majesty's Secret Service” arc, which had a similarly questionable line-up, I'd get this. But the plotting is pretty serious, even if the character interaction is typically snarky.

I really don't dislike this comic book at all. It's quickly paced. The action sequences are fun. The characters are entertaining together. There's even some potential future conflict set up, as Silver seems to be discovering that his mentor, Mammoth Mogul, wasn't such a nice guy originally. However, there's just enough gaps in the plot's logic that I can't quite get on this one's side. Sorry, that just sticks in my teeth. I'm seem to recall this arc getting better as it went on so here's hopin'. [6.5/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 238

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 238
Publication Date: June 2012

Despite the cover focusing on Sonic and Mecha-Sally fighting, the two don't even meet in issue 238. Instead, part two of “Loyalty” continues the mission to rescue Lupe and Queen Hathor. Sonic and the others rush up on Eggman so quickly that he doesn't have time to finish Legionizing Lupe. Instead, he has to hightail it out of there with only a fraction of the repairs needed to the Death Egg completed. Tails tangos with Mecha-Sally on the way out. Hathor and Lupe are rushed back just to discover that no sudden war is brewing between the two faction. Instead, the Wolf Pack and the Felidae decide to work together to beat back Robotnik's remaining forces.

“Loyalty Part Two: Dire Choices” is a fleet-footed action story that rarely stops trucking. An element of speed is crucial here. Team Fighters' attack is so sudden that Robotnik is forced to retreat just as suddenly. It feels like a timer is running, as Sonic and friends are in a rush to free Lupe and get both leaders back home. At one point, a timer is literally running. Tails' fight with Mecha-Sally is cut short due to the Death Egg's forthcoming take-off. There's an impressive sense of speed and energy to this story, one that grabs the reader and pulls them along without stopping until the very end.

So it's an issue mostly composed of action. At least one of those action scenes is primarily focused on Leeta. Again, I don't know why Flynn chose two very obscure members of the Wolf Pack for his Secret Freedom Fighters. Either way, Leeta certainly makes an impression on the reader in this one, if only for her actions. She gets nearly a whole page devoted to kicking the shit out of Drago. (This is after Lupe rightly points out the flaws in his latest master plan, showing once again that Drago is the book's favorite punching bag.) Leeta and Lyco are primarily defined by their desire to leave home and help people around the world. Which is certainly more personality and development then they ever had before.

I also really like that twist ending of sorts. Part of the story's tension is driven by the idea that the peace between the Felidae and the Wolf Pack is a powder keg, about to explode apart at any point. Discovering the two are cooperating at the end could've deflated that tension and led to a weak ending. However, it's a pleasant enough surprise that the reader isn't disappointed. In a wonderful panel, where Lupe and Queen Hathor's peaceful handshake gets very tense, Flynn also acknowledges that this truce is still very unstable.

If there's any flaw with the second half of “Loyalty,” it's the role Mecha-Sally plays. Tails' fight with her here is very similar to the confrontation she just had with Monkey Khan in “Sonic Universe.” Though slightly reluctant, Tails faces Mecha-Sally directly and talks about wanting to bring her back home, to save her. The fights ends in a stalemate and Sally remains Robotnik's mechanized slave. It's increasingly seeming like Flynn is stalling time, trying to stretch out the tension of the one of the greatest Freedom Fighters being a robot for as long as possible. How many times is a former friend of Sally going to face her, just for the battle to be preemptively delayed?

The back-up story is entitled “Foundation Work.” Which is fitting, as its yet another story meant to set up the Secret Freedom Fighters. Shit, Flynn, how many of these are you going to do? You're making me miss the days when Penders would just toss a bunch of random characters together and call it a team! Anyway, the story shows Harvey Who settling into the secret base Nicole has picked out for him: The safe room that was built during the Iron Dominion. Uncle Chuck is building the team's latest addition when Larry the Jinx – remember him? Yeah, I didn't either – stumbles into the place. Who immediately decides the lynx is exactly what the covert espionage team needs.

Flynn has been building up and hyping the Secret Freedom Fighters for half a dozen issues now, making me sick of this story arc before it even begins. “Foundation Work” is yet another story devoted to moving the needed pieces into place. Leeto and Lyco's membership is confirmed. For the newbies, we learn that Harvey Who personally oversaw Uncle Chuck's old job as a spy, back when he was still a robian. Larry the Lynx literally falling into his position really doesn't make Who seem like the best spymaster though.

However, “Foundation Work” also introduces fan-favorite character Shard. Remember when the updated version of the original Metal Sonic had a change of heart? Well, at some point, his robotic body was recovered. Uncle Chuck has rebuilt him, using left over pieces form Metal scourge and Robotnik's other Metal Sonics. (A bit of lore, that Shard's pieces were also used to help build the Metal Sonic Troopers, is also drop.) Even in this brief appearance, the as-yet-unnamed Shard's sarcastic humor and up-beat personality adds a lot of life to a fairly perfunctory story.

The artwork here is also really strong. Steven Butler's work on the cover story continues to be excellent. His mastery of action makes the fight scenes really pop, especially the page devoted to Lyco kicking the shit out of Drago. Evan Stanley draws the back-up and brings a lot of grit and personality to this brief story. Though the back-up story could've been stronger, this is still a really solid issue. [7/10]