Lost Hedgehog Tales

Back when I first started reading Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” comics, there were few ways to contact the creative staff behind the books. Aside from the fan letters column in the back of the book and convention appearances, you weren’t going to get your burning questions about the comic’s lore answered. That all changed with the rise of social media, of course. Ian Flynn has been especially active in interacting with fans, often answering questions through his old forum, Twitter, and now his podcast.

Considering the various legal snafus that have affected the “Sonic” comic over the last few years of its existence, Flynn has gotten a lot of questions. Following the reboot, Flynn decided to put together a document on his website called Lost Hedgehog Tales. This was meant to be an on-going series that would reveal his original plans for the comic, before the Penders lawsuit forced him to almost completely start over. However, the on-going litigation of Penders’ lawsuit, not to mention his other pressing professional matters, ended up intervening.

Only one chapter of “Lost Hedgehog Tales” has been published at this time. It’s composed of four short pages, following a lengthy page of legal disclaimers. It doesn’t even really detail Ian’s unrealized preboot plans, cut short by the Super Genesis Wave. Instead, he spends five pages talking about how he originally planned to kill Antoine during the Mecha Sally arc, how Hershey the Cat was going to be revealed as alive and deep undercover in the Dark Egg Legion, and how editorial demands and corporate mandates interrupted his plans. It’s an admittedly fascinating read, for the insight into Flynn’s writing process, and for proving that working for Archie and Sega was as exactly as maddening as I’ve always presumed.

It does bug me that Flynn promised all these answers to fans only to end up choking after the first installment. He really should’ve published Lost Hedgehog Tales all at once, in one huge burst, so that it wouldn’t interrupt his on-going projects. He continues to assure us that Lost Hedgehog Tales will be completed someday and has even been expanded to include his similarly cut short post-reboot plans. However, it’s become increasingly clear that this won’t happen any time soon. Probably not until Flynn retires from writing “Sonic” altogether.

The sudden cancellation of Archie’s “Sonic” books left a whole other raft of ideas, stories, and concepts unseen. Unlike Flynn’s preboot plans, which only survive as thoughts in his head, fans actually got quite a few peeks at these unreleased issues. This is largely thanks to months-in-advance solicitations, previews, and the artists releasing raw pages through eBay. So, if you’ll allow me, I’ll use Flynn’s title as I take a look at these unpublished “Sonic” comics and consider what might’ve been.

The first unpublished issue I’ll talk about is “Sonic #291.” This would’ve concluded the “Genesis of a Hero” arc and, as you’ve probably deduced, covers events from the “Sonic & Knuckles” game. Unlike most of these other unreleased issues, were we only have plot synopses and cover images to go on, Tracy Yardley released all of his inked pages for this issue. True, there are no colors or dialogue balloons but, comics being a largely visual medium, we still have a pretty good idea of what this issue would’ve been like.

This comic would have specifically adapted the moment in “Sonic & Knuckles” were the echidna realizes Eggman is full of shit. Sonic and Knux’s brawl in the Hidden Palace Zone, Eggman’s thiefing of the Master Emerald, the subsequent trip through the Sky Sanctuary Zone, and the boss battle with the souped-up Metal Sonic would’ve been covered. The issue ends just as Sonic and Tails board the Death Egg.

This is one of the more story-driven moments from the classic Genesis games, so Flynn didn’t have much room for expansion here. The only clever change I can spot is our heroes do not realize it’s Metal Sonic piloting the Egg-Mobile at first, prompting some confusion when he pops out. I imagine the tone here would’ve been similarly light-hearted and comedic as the other “Genesis of a Hero” installments, though Knuckles’ guilt over being tricked by Eggman could’ve provided some pathos. Yardley’s artwork is on the same rushed, sloppy level though. Tails visibly goes off-model at the top of page twelve.

Issue 292 would’ve started a story arc that actually affects the comic’s world, properly beginning the post-Shattered World Crisis era that was sadly never meant to be. It seems the issue would’ve contained a story called “Branching Paths,” devoted to Sonic and the Freedom Fighters going their separate ways on different missions. Yardley has released most of the pages for this issue but it clearly would’ve been more dialogue driven than 291, so the plot is harder to interpret. We see Tails, Rotor, and Nicole discussing something deep in a lab. Sally, Amy, and Cream clearly decide to go on some sort of trip together. Bunnie and Antoine flirt in their bedroom as he shows her his sword... His actual cutlass, I mean. The plot synopsis Archie released says Sonic is running around Westside Island on a mission from an unnamed boss. Yardley’s page shows him zooming through a mineshaft, what looks like the Oil Ocean Zone, and thinking back to his days fighting the Death Egg.

While I question Flynn’s motives in splitting up the Freedom Fighters again, I’m betting I would’ve really liked this issue. It looks like one of those breather installments between big arcs, devoted more to character development than epic struggles or plot momentum. Especially after so much time had been devoted to the Shattered World Crisis, just getting to hang out with Sally and the gang for a few pages sounds really desirable. In fact, you can see how nice this would've been in Yardley's artwork, which is lively and full of detail, especially when compared to the soft and rushed pencils on the "Genesis of a Hero" issues. Sonic going out on his own for a while is an odd choice, as removing him from the dynamic certainly takes away from things some, but this book has also never struggled to thrive without its titular hero.

Issue 291 was also going to set up future plot points. You see, the next "Sonic Universe" story arc would've been devoted entirely to the core Freedom Fighters going on their own adventures. Sort of crazy that "Sonic Universe," in its eight year run, never touched upon that idea sooner, isn't it? It seems the individual issues of the four-part "Freedom Fighters" arc would've focused in on one member of the team, giving us an idea of what an entire series devoted to the individual adventures of the rebooted Freedom Fighters might've been like. The first part, issue 95, would've been about Antoine. As with Yardley's example above, Adam Bryce Thomas sold the penciled pages for this and the next issue on eBay, giving fans a sketchy if fairly clear look at what these stories might've been about.

Thomas' extremely dynamic and action-packed opening pages show Sonic and Antoine fighting a mysterious new villain, some sort of badger-y type guy named Cortez, who wields a magical sword. We then flashback, showing that Sonic and Antoine were visiting the coyote's ancestral home, an elaborate castle. It seems the D'Coolette family belongs to a lineage of knights and his family was entrusted with protecting a magical sword of some sort. At some point, the Eggman Empire broke into the castle and this Cortez asshole started vandalizing things. Antoine then uncovers the magic sword his family was apparently sworn to protect and uses it to subdue Cortez. It seems the issue would've ended with Sonic leaving the coyote at the castle.

While his Sonic Comic Origin story gave us a look at his immediate past, it seems this issue would've explored the history of Antoine's family more. I guess Flynn decided to make the D'Coolette members of or at least in league with an order of magical knights. It's pretty evident that some of the mythology from the misbegotten "Sonic and the Black Knight" video game was going to be woven into the book. The knights we see Antoine or someone who looks like him interacting with are clearly based off characters from that game. Cortez' big-ass anime sword, meanwhile, is similar to the weapon wielded by that game's main enemy. I have no idea where Flynn was going with this, especially since the issue ends with Antoine apparently staying behind in the seemingly abandoned castle for whatever reason.

While incorporating "Sonic and the Black Knights" into the comic's history strikes me as a terrible idea – the reboot was suppose to be a chance for Archie Sonic to break away from magical bullshit – this also seems like it might've been a fun issue. Sonic and Antoine get a couple of pages devoted to just talking, in what would've hopefully been character expanding banter and not just exposition. It's hard to get a bead on what Cortez' whole deal is, other than his obvious dislike towards Antoine and his family, but the idea of giving the individual Freedom Fighters' arch-enemies of their own is pretty cool. That panel of him walking down the stairs and clapping is neat. If nothing else, Thomas' raw pencils are electrifying to look at. It's clear other people inking and coloring his work actually drains it of some of its power. The issue also gives Antoine a slight redesign at the end, with that new sword and a fancy new cloak of some type. It's a bit of an improvement over his standard reboot look.

As issue 95 saw Antoine heading out on his own, issue 96 of "Sonic Universe" and the second part of "Freedom Fighters" would focus on Bunnie having a similarly solo adventure. Thomas' raw pages are more action driven than his pages for issue 95, so the plot is a little harder to decipher this time. The issue, however, seems to be about this: Bunnie either randomly encounters or intentionally meets up with Marine the Raccoon, who has traveled to Sonic's world using the Jeweled Scepter. After several pages of discussion – imagining the dueling annoying accents is giving me a head-ache, so I'm actually grateful I don't have to read them – Marine takes Bunnie to Blaze's world. Her home base is under attack by mysterious, shadowy creatures capable of infecting people and multiplying with ease. Bunnie quickly joins the fight, just as the leader of these entities pulls himself together. The creature is called Null and seems impervious to Bunnie's attack... That is until the rabbot is infected with some sort of magical energy, which is enough to either destroy the bad guy or beat him back. Bunnie is quickly curled of this power-up before she talks with Blaze and Marine some more and then heads home.

The second part of "Freedom Fighters" definitely seems like it was more full of magical MacGuffins and bullshit. Null seems like kind of a cool enemy. An amorphous villain with the ability to split into lesser beings and absorb people is a neat idea and a style of adversary the book hasn't really featured before. Where Null comes from and why he's so pissed at Blaze is a mystery we'll probably never discover the answer too. So it's hard to know if he would've been a compelling enemy outside of his superpowers. It seems this issue also would've featured a lot of magical plot devices as well as Bunnie getting a super-form of some sort, which I have little interest in, as well as far more combat than the previous issue. So it's hard to tell if this one would've been good or not. Still, Bunnie, Blaze, and Marine is an interesting team-up and the rabbot getting a chance at her own rogue gallery is a tempting proposition. And, once again, Thomas' pencils look fantastic. You can tell he clearly enjoys the chance to draw Bunnie and her shape-shifting opponent.

After that, it becomes harder for us to know what the future of Archie Sonic might've entailed. No interior artwork is available for the remaining issues, as the artists probably hadn't even started working on them yet. So all we have to go on are the cover images and the official solicitations Archie sent out to retailers. From this information, we can gleam this much about issue 293 of "Sonic:" It would've been set in "Sonic Mania's" Studiopolis Zone. The plot apparently would've involved Sonic appearing on the set of a Super Sentai-style TV show called "Sonic Man." Inspired by a meme-y supporting bozo from "Sonic '06" that was previously a one-panel gag during the "Champions" arc, it seems the show is about an entire team of superheroes based on Sonic and his friends. Honey the Cat would have also been there, I guess as a sponsor for the show. According to the solicitation, a "ranting and raving" Eggman motivated by "creative differences" then crashes the set.

So this probably would have been a pretty goofy issue. Honestly, only two things out of the few things we know about this particular adventure excites me. Firstly, Studiopolis is definitely my favorite of "Sonic Mania's" exclusive stages and it's cool that the comic was incorporating elements from that game so soon after its release. Secondly, it would've been nice to see more of Honey the Cat.

Otherwise, a comic largely devoted to Sonic Man doesn't really inspire much enthusiasm. If it turned out Sonic Man was some sort of vein actorly type who is not as heroic or strong as the character he plays on TV, that might've been funny. But I'm doubtful Flynn would've indulged in some showbiz satire. Instead, he probably would've more closely adapted Sonic Man as he appeared in the video game, where he's a strange, adult man who isn't just dressed as Sonic but seemingly believes himself to be Sonic. Where Flynn was going with a ranting and raving Eggman, I don't know but it sounds like the type of aggressively wacky and annoyingly consequences-free comic relief the writer was indulging in too much at this point. Maybe we would've gotten lucky and this issue would've turned into a big and crazy parody of tokusatsu shows.

Though "Genesis of a Hero" ended only two issues prior, it seems Flynn was ready to return to retro-game homages by issue 294. From what we can gather from the limited information available, this issue would've been an adaptation of the obscure "SegaSonic the Hedgehog" arcade game. It would've depicted Sonic, still traveling around the world for whatever reason, meeting back up with Mighty and Ray. The two then get to recalling their first adventure together. The plot synopsis says "Can their friendship survive their egos’ revisions?" Suggesting there would have been some "Rashomon"-style interplay between the three, each one imagining something different. And that is always a decent premise for a story and can be good grist for comedy. (Archie did something similar before, with solid results.) While I doubt this would've been an essential issue, I did enjoy the interaction we got between Sonic, Mighty, and Ray previously. So maybe this one would've been fun too. Despite that spiffy Tyson Hesse cover, it sounds like Yardley would've actually provided the interior artwork.

This issue was also going to include a back-up story called "Baking Bad." This would've been about Antoine and Bunnie having a cooking competition. (As far as I can tell, no artist was ever announced for this one and one might not have even been assigned at the time.) That sounds like an even goofier trifle, which might've been either a cute story full of flirty interaction between the married couple or a disheartening collection of lame attempts at jokes. It did prompt a variant cover from Jennifer Hernandez, which features not-so-great visual gags like Bunnie using her robot hand as a wisp and Antoine accidentally throwing a pie into Sonic's face.

Some wacky comic relief might've been what we needed after three years of globe-hoping adventure. But it seems like "Sonic Universe" would have been a much more interesting book in the first half of 2017. Issue 97 of "Sonic Universe" would have focused on the trio of Sally, Cream, and Amy. Some very rough preliminary sketches from Adam Bryce Thomas exist, giving us a vague notice of what the story might've involved. (Which is helpful, since the cover does nothing but have Sally, Cream, and Amy recreate the cover of "Sonic Jam.") It looks like "Sonic Universe" was returning to "Spark of Life" territory here, with Nicole being threatened by Phage again and Sally tracking Dr. Ellidy for help once more. The pages would've feature lots of dialogue, so it's extremely hard to know exactly what the plot was. The remains of a Titan Metal Sonic put in an appearance, along with an adorable panel of a reprogrammed Moto-Bug polishing a car of some sort.

While "Spark of Life" was quite good, I don't know how I feel about the comic returning to that well again so soon. I imagine the finished product probably would've been less similar than these sketches make it look. Especially since, I'm sure there would have been some sort of connecting fiber between the "Freedom Fighter" episodes. I'm glad Phage was returning, as she was definitely among the reboot's most promising villains. I'm really not sure what dynamic was left to explore between Sally and Dr. Elliday though. Hopefully, Aleah Baker was working on this story too, as I don't entirely trust Flynn to handle Sally and Nicole's relationship on his own.

Last among the unreleased Archie Sonic titles is the "Sonic: Mega Drive - Overdrive" one-shot, which probably would've come out before most of the stuff I've talked about above. Though no interior artwork for this comic has been released and Archie's solicitation doesn't tell us much, it's pretty easy to figure out what "Overdrive" would've entailed. Considering how committed to the "recreating a non-existent classic "Sonic" game" formula the first two parts of "Mega Drive" were, it's hard to imagine the conclusion would've shaken things up too much. As the cover indicates, this story would've been devoted to the Super Sonic, secret boss battle portion of the fan game that only exist in Flynn's head. So we can guess that Eggman would've used the Ancient Gear to activate some sort of superpowered weapon, that Sonic would've gotten a hold of the Chaos Emeralds somehow, transformed into his super form, and then curb-stomped Eggman's latest scheme into dust.

While that is a dramatic scenario, I'm betting this would have continued the "Mega Drive's" series mood of aggressively goofy comic relief. I don't see any reason for this version of Robotnik to stop acting like a total fool at this point, nor for Sonic and the gang to stop snarking at each at every turn. Once again, I'm sure Tyson Hesse's artwork would have been fantastic and the main reason to read this. I don't know, maybe Flynn would've really turned things around at the end. "The Next Level" was better than "Mega Drive," so maybe. But after being so disappointed with the first two installments, it's hard for me to get invested in what-might've-been with this particular comic book. While "Mega Drive" had a great premise – a retro Sonic adventure with art from Tyson Hesse! – the scripts really did not live up to that potential. And, also, why the hell was it advertised as a series of one-shots instead of just the mini-series it actually was?

Flynn's endgame with these issues is hard to guess. I suppose it's even possible, after three solid years devoted to an on-going arc, he was taking an intentional break from any sort of heavy plotting... But I'm pretty familiar with the dude's style, so I have no doubt he was already planning for the next big event. I’m sure Robotnik was plotting something, that the Naugus siblings, the various Egg Bosses, and the Deadly Six were all going to have roles to play in whatever was next.

Even if some of these issues look better than other, I do wish all these comics could’ve been published. Mostly because it would’ve been cool if the main “Sonic” book had made it to the 300 issues milestone and “Sonic Universe” to 100. Just for synchronicity, ya know? Anyway, this concludes my look at the Archie Sonic content that was planned but not released.

Sonic Universe: Issue 94

Sonic Universe: Issue 94
Publication Date: January 2017

The next couple updates here at Hedgehogs Can't Swim are going to be a succession of different The Ends, before the real The End that will be my closing thoughts finally arrive. While my review of issue 290 of Archie’s original “Sonic” comic was the end of my coverage of that series, “Sonic Universe” would be cut off a month later in January of 2017. Which means “Sonic Universe” technically outlasted the original book by a whole month but it’s not really an example of a spin-off outlasting the original. The same nebulous corporate mix-up, Sega yanking the “Sonic” license from Archie for still unexplained but easily speculated-about reasons, that ended the main book also ended the spin-off. It was just some scheduling fluke that allowed one more “Sonic” comic to make it out before the hammer came down.

And since this is the last proper issue of Archie “Sonic” anything I’ll be talking about, let me indulge, one more time, in some petty nerd bitching. The subtitle for part four of “Case of the Pirate Princess” is “In a Lonely Place.” Which is, of course, a direct reference to the classic 1950 film noir of the same name. (This also breaks the pattern of Hitchcock references. “Saboteur” or “Lifeboat” we’re right there, Aleah!) Yet, at this point, this story’s film noir angle is so completely lost. This is acknowledged in story. Vector’s opening fantasy sequence veers away from detective-ing into an Indiana Jones direction. The crocodile chastises himself for breaking with his theme. All of this is needless nitpicking, of course, but the story shouldn’t have included the noir riffing if it wasn’t going to be influenced in any way but noir. Just sayin'.

Anyway, we pick up with Captain Shellbreaker leading Princess Undina and the Chaotix into the ancient temple. The captain is disappointed to find the great weapon he was promised is just a useless bauble. At that point, the Chaotix — assisted by Echo, who finally showed up — make their move. They grab the keys to the ship, lock the pirates in he temple, and make it to the submarine. However, turns out they need a password to turn on the sub. Luckily, Undina memorized it years ago. So the good guys get away while the pirates are left stranded on the island. The adventure doesn’t quite end there either...

After being a fairly low key story up to this point, “The Case of the Pirate Princess” features a real action sequence, albeit of a semi-comedic fashion. There’s definitely humor in how Charmy grabs Shellbreaker’s keys or the Chaotix struggling with the ship’s password. (The final reveal concerning that is pretty funny.) Yet we still get moments like Echo shooting laser beams at the pirates or the heroes being pursued by the villains. It’s a pretty natural conclusion to this story so it certainly doesn’t feel like an action beat forced in for the sake of the ADHD afflicted seven year old boys reading this.

Still, it’s clear that the focus here is most on the characters. Princess Undina has evolved in some fun ways. We starting assume she was a vapid-headed party girl, without much depth. As the story has gone on, we’ve learned she’s more perceptive and devious than previously thought. Precisely because people underestimate her. Baker maintains the princess’ free spirit and sense of adventure at the end, as she refuses to go back to Meropis and plans to continue exploring the world. Echo tags along as her personal body guard. It’s a natural place for both characters to go and you can tell Baker was looking forward to writing more of their adventures.

Razor and Blade’s subplot doesn’t get the most page-time here but it’s clearly something Baker is pretty invested in. Here, Razor and Blade have a tense exchange as he leaves her on the island. It’s a pretty big betrayal and one that seems to cement for both siblings that their bond is over for good. This feels like a pretty big dick move on Razor’s behalf and it’s interesting a heroic character is shown doing something rather shitty. Blade’s heartbreak that follows is shown as genuine. She’s been wronged, in other words. The sharks still clearly have a lot of issues to work out and it’s such a bummer that Baker would never get to write more about them.

These aren’t the only plot points clearly being left open to explore more later. What exactly is going on with the temple and the mysterious weapon contained within is left up in the air. The rebooted comic world was littered with mysterious magical relics and shit, so I’m not too bummed about that. But Shellbreaker and his crew were clearly intended to be reoccurring antagonists. Their last scene here has the Pirate captain developing a begrudging respect for the people who successfully swindled him and a promise to come back more powerful and dangerous than ever before. There’s obviously still was a lot to explore with these guys.

Once you think about it, “The Case of the Pirate Princess” was rather unexpectedly all about family. Once Razor returns to Meropis, he has a tearful reunion with Coral and Pearly. He feels accepted there. Meanwhile, the pirates are a makeshift family too, who accept Blade when her own brother pushes her away. You can even see this in Undina rejecting the royal structure she was raised in and setting out on her own, perhaps looking for a family unit too. And, naturally, the Chaotix are a bit like a family too. I mostly felt the detective were just being dragged along so Baker could tell this story about these colorful new characters but, if you think about this angle, it all sort of fits together.

The final set of pages in this comic book are devoted to the Chaotix trying to collect their payment from Meropis for locating the Princess. It turns out, underwater money does not have the best transaction rate with above-ground money. The detectives are paid with literal sand dollars. And that’s where this, the last “Sonic” comic Archie would publish, ends. So, in other words, the very last event to occur in Archie “Sonic” canon is the Chaotix being screwed over by a cheap-skate client. Something feels really fitting about that...

So what can I say about “Sonic Universe” over all? I maintain that it was a great idea for a comic book. Pre-reboot, Archie “Sonic’s” cast was so huge, leaving plenty of characters for a spin-off to focus on. Yet the realities of publishing a monthly series, of putting shit on the cover that caused people to actually buy the comic, meant “Sonic Universe” starred some of the series’ most popular but least interesting characters. This meant the series’ highs were often high but its lows could be quite low. It was a very uneven series, which is no great surprise considering the main book was similarly uneven. At least “Sonic Universe” ended on pretty good note, as “The Case of the Pirate Princess” was a frequently delightful story. [7/10]

Sonic Universe: Issue 93

Sonic Universe: Issue 93
Publication Date: December 2016

We are getting dangerously close to the end here, guys. After today, there’s exactly one issue each of Archie’s main “Sonic” book and “Sonic Universe.” And it is sort of interesting that “Sonic Universe” is ending things on a more low-key arc. Instead of the fate of Angel Island or grand struggles between heroes and villains, we’ve gotten a largely comedic and character-based story focused on developing an established ensemble and a newly introduced group. Of course, I’m sure if Flynn and co. knew this was the end, they would have planned things differently.

“The Case of the Pirate Princess, Part 3: Strangers on a Ship” continues the incredibly vague and poorly thought-out Hitchcock references in the subtitle. No, Vector does not make an agreement with a total stranger to murder someone. What the plot does involve are the Chaotix trying to formulate a plan to get themselves, Echo, and Princess Undina off Shellbrraker’s boat. The crew soon arrives at the island they are seeking. Soon, Shellbreaker and Undina come across ancient ruins warning a great weapon is hidden on the island. Shellbreaker can’t wait to seize this but everyone else is increasingly nervous.

Aleah Baker’s work continues to be character based. “Strangers on a Ship” is another issue with pretty much no action sequence. Instead, this is an issue all about the interplay between the cast. Razor and Blade’s relationship remains a large focus of the script. While on the island, Blade expresses a disinterest in treasure hunting and a preference for raids. This escalates into an argument with Razor, his sister showing how her childhood wounds have made her resentful of the world. It’s juicy stuff and probably could’ve evolved into something really interesting. Unless these problems are resolved and Razor started some healing, Blade might’ve headed down a path of greater villainy. Sure would’ve been nice to see that play out.

What really struck me about this issue was the development done on the pirates. Aside from his tendency to slip otter puns into his dialogue, we hadn’t learned much about Captain Shellbreaker. (We see him drink from a “Good Morning, Beautiful” mug here, which is pretty funny.) Here, he emerges as a charismatic leader who can rile up his crew... That also has a dark side, a thirst for power the veers towards the tyrannical. We also see more of Opal, who has a breezy sexiness that makes her immediately my type. Bratty goth girls are my weakness and, yes, she sounds like Tara Strong’s Raven in my head.

However, it might be said that Baker is a little too focused on banter. There’s a page devoted to Opal, Blade, and Charmy arguing about what flavor of porridge to have for breakfast. (Much to the confusion of resident stoner, Dive, who is doing the actual cooking.) It’s a funny moment but it feels extraneous. The same can be said of a page devoted to Undina recognizing Espio, from his humiliating defeat by Bean during Breezy’s tournament. I get what Aleah and Ian were going for but, when a comedy scene goes on so long you forget what the plot of the comic actually is, maybe things have gone a bit too far.

The focus is so much on Shellbreaker and his crew that the Chaotix themselves fade a little into the background. Vector is making up the plan as he goes along, causing the reader to get a little lost on what his objective actually is. Echo only appears in one scene, where she tells Espio how hurt she is by this turn of events before he tells her that it’s all part of the plan. Espio largely plays the part of comedic straight man, though he seems to have something sort of going on with Undina, which is kind of cute. Charmy, as Charmy too often has been since the reboot, is reduced to just shouting goofy and childish shit.

Of course, the pirates being largely delightful becomes disappointing in retrospect, what with this being the penultimate issue of the entire series. At least we actually got to know them a little. The issue also sets up ideas clearly meant to be explored at another time that were left hanging due to the “Sonic” line’s cancellation. The mysterious ruins the pirates find on the island are merely one of many such relics. Clearly, Flynn was hinting at another lost society full of lingering magic, perhaps connected to Naugus and the trolls.

I can’t blame the writers for this, as nobody clearly anticipated the series’ abrupt death. While still a fun and interesting read, “The Case of the Pirate Princess” lags a little in its third installment, Baker and Flynn a little too in love with their batch of quirky adventurers. Still, it’s way more memorable than half of the shit that happened during the Shattered World Crisis. [6/10]

Sonic Universe: Issue 92

Sonic Universe: Issue 92
Publication Date: November 2016

“The Case of the Pirate Princess” seems to be mixing its references some. As with the last issue, this one opens with Vector imagining himself as a cool, film noir detective embroiled in an exciting, sexy adventure. Which is actually a pretty funny idea, as it draws attention to how different Vector’s idea of himself and what he’s actually like are. Instead of running with that and making the entire arc a film noir parody, the rest of this comic book is about pirates, a totally separate genre of pulp adventure literature. It’s not a big problem or anything but I’m just sayin’, it’s a weird mixture.

Picking up where we left off, the Chaotix, Echo, and Razor are abducted into the ship of a fiendish pirate named Captain Shellbreaker. In order to avoid being stabbed to death, Vector talks Espio and Charmy into joining this band of merry pirates. Princess Undina is among their ranks but totally willingly. She was bored with royal life and her polyglot abilities were useful to the pirates. Echo ends up being taken captive though. As the Chaotix plot out how they are going to get out of this pickle and complete their assignment, Razor has more personal matters on his mind.

This issue is officially the work of both Flynn and Aleah Baker but it’s pretty clear who was captaining this particular ship, as it were. The inelegantly subtitled “The Princess Was Shanghaied!” is an issue with almost no action beats in it at all. Save for a brief scuffle between the Chaotix and the pirates when they are first brought aboard, there’s no fighting in this particular comic book. Instead, this is an issue devoted entirely to character interaction. And, holy cow, it actually works really well! Flynn isn’t incapable of doing this stuff well but, without Baker’s guiding hand, I’m betting there’d be more fighting and less hanging out.

Baker knows that letting the cast bounce off each other is compelling enough. Seeing Vector try to think his way out of this pickle, instead of just punching his way out, is pretty interesting. I know brains isn’t Vector’s strong suit but he cares enough about his friends to want a peaceful situation to this conflict. Espio’s reaction to being forced to be a pirate, which he has some sort of grudge against, is funny. Princess Undina is quickly established as a flighty teenager most concerned with having fun. (Peppering her dialogue with “likes” is a nice touch.) This seriously confuses Echo, who believes more in duty and honor. She doesn’t quite know how to process the person she’s been trying to rescue not wanting to be rescued.

The juiciest interpersonal conflict in this issue is between Razor and Blade, his — bum-bum-BAH-bum!!! — sister. See, Razor and his sister grew up among these pirates. When Razor got tired of stealing for a living — a particular incident where medicine was withheld from the sick until they paid up is mentioned, so Razor supports free healthcare — he abandoned his pirating family. It’s a betrayal Blade still hasn’t forgiven him for. Considering Meropolis hasn’t exactly greeted him with open hands (fins?), Razor clearly wonders if he made the right decision. The two sharks don’t settle this disagreement with their fists because they ultimately still love each other. Their issue is more complex than hitting can resolve. Again, this is clearly the work of Baker and her broken siblings fixation.

Most surprising about this issue is how immediately endearing Shellbreaker’s crew are. Throughout the Shattered World Crisis, a ton of new characters were introduced and, let’s face it, not all of them were that interesting. If “Eggman’s Dozen” was any indication, team settings bring out the best in Flynn’s character development skills. (Again, assuming we can’t give his wife all the credit...) Opal, the sexy and slightly gothy jellyfish lady, immediately strikes up a friendship with the child-like Charmy, which is a nice change-of-pace from what you expect from gothy characters. Mr. Bristles may be a large, intimidating yeti crab but he clearly has a softer side, as he’s a parental figure to Razor and Blade.

The captain himself and Dive the Lemming are clearly the least interesting of this lot. Shellbreaker cracks some otter jokes and acts with the finesse you’d expect of a pirate captain. Dive, meanwhile, is a space cadet with a weird fixation on the ocean. Still, I’m immediately interested in all these guys and want to know more about them, which is really the best reaction to new characters you can hope for.

Flynn is still laying the bricks for future stories he’ll never get to tell. We quickly learn that Abyss, Eggman’s treasure-hoarding giant squid sub-boss, was also a former member of Shellbreaker’s crew. In fact, apparently a lot of the pirates jumped ship to the Eggman Empire, suggesting some enmity exists between the two factions that would’ve been grist for a future story. A flashback also introduces a mysterious former member of the crew — judging from their silhouette, possibly a female lionfish — that we presumably would’ve learned more about at some point. Alas.

While the previous part of this story was good, it’s humor was its main attribute, by emphasizing the various strengths of the cast, part two of “The Case of the Pirate Princess” is a considerable improvement over the first. Ya know, it’s a bummer this comic is about to be canceled. It’s already apparent that being free of the Shattered World Crisis is a huge boost to its creative staff. [8/10]

Sonic Universe: Issue 91

Sonic Universe: Issue 91
Publication Date: October 2016

In the past, I’ve bitched about how much I disliked the changes Sega made to the Chaotix in “Sonic Heroes” without really expounding on why they bug me. Since we are coming up in the end of the comic, and the last “Sonic Universe” arc starred the Chaotix, now seems like a good time to discuss this. Like the majority of people, I didn’t own a Sega 32X and didn’t play “Knuckles’ Chaotix” until years later. In my brain, the Chaotix always included Mighty and were always Knuckles’ supporting cast. So cutting the team down to a trio, and casting Mighty into the void, felt intrinsically wrong to me.

It didn’t help that the re-characterization of the remaining Chaotix were so half-asses. Archie’s Chaotix were never that well defined. However, Sega reduced each one to childish, ridiculously simplistic archetypes. Espio was now a broad ninja stereotype. Charmy was now an annoying little child. (His comic counterpart was married by this point.) Vector was now the team’s buffoonish leader and they were acting as detectives... Goofy, cartoon version of detectives anyway. Not a lot of thought was put into these changes and that was obvious to me, even as a teenager playing “Sonic Heroes.”

The change reduced characters I was fond of to highly marketable concepts that they had next-to-no relation to previously. Worst yet, the team was frequently treated as no more than comic relief. Making the team detectives also became a lazy way for the writers to involve them in the plots of various games and cartoons. Since this iteration of the Chaotix was how most fans got introduced to them, the comic eventually had to adapt to this change. The comic still largely favored the Chaotix’s status as Knuckles’ oldest friends, usually, but started to play up the detective element more and more. (And incorporated all the personality changes over time.)  After the reboot, this became the standard mode for the Chaotix. And, yes, it still bugs me.

And now that my opening rant is done, we can get down to the business of reviewing issue 91 of “Sonic Universe.” The-Chaotix-as-Private-Detectives concept is very much a part of “The Case of the Pirate Princess: Part One — Dial C for Chaotix.” (Why pick that subtitle? Is Vector going to blackmail somebody into murdering his adulterous wife?) Lt. Echo, the previously introduced dolphin member of Meropolis’ army, steps into Vector’s office. Apparently, Meropolis’ princess, Undina, was kidnapped by pirates some time ago. Yet no one appeared to claim the ransom money. Though Echo has followed a trail of clues, she now needs help. Eager for the paycheck, Vector immediately jumps at the offer. The Chaotix are soon underwater, meeting up with Razor the Shark along the way, but Princess Undina and her pirate “captors” find them first instead.

“Dial C for Chaotix” is characterized by a largely comedic tone. While the Chaotix’ are operating in the comic relief mode I usually dislike, Ian Flynn and Aleah Baker present a series of fairly funny gags. The issue opens with Vector attempting, and failing, to do some film noir style narration. Vector is aghast at the flyer that brought Echo to their office, as Charmy drew it in crayon. Upon finding the dock worker that seemingly knows something about the pirates, Vector intimidates him... With evidence that implements the shipper in insurance fraud. He immediately cracks and spills his guts at length, a solid chuckler of a sequence. My favorite joke in the comic is its most surreal. Echo has been traveling the world in a car on-loan from Meropolis’ tourism department. Yes, I said the “world,” as the vehicle is amphibious. The car maintains its humble, Volkswagen-like appearance even while underwater, a likably absurd sight. I even like the shout-out to the ancient “pirates vs. ninjas” meme. Flynn did decent comedic work on “Sonic Boom” but I’m giving Baker credit for these jokes, as the last time Flynn wrote the Chaotix, it was pretty miserable.

The humor goes a long way towards selling an issue that’s otherwise devoted to brass-tack plot construction and exposition. When Echo enters the Chaotix’ office, she has to explain her journey thus far. This triggers a lengthy series of flashbacks, Vector increasingly annoyed by how much research the dolphin has already done. After the group rather literally bumps into Razor, the shark also delivers a long flashback. (Which further hints at Razor’s crush on Coral, which remains adorable.) While delivering all this story in such a direct manner is distracting, covering it up with some funny jokes makes it all go down a lot easier.

“The Case of the Pirate Princess” is also the first (and second-to-last) post-Shattered World Crisis story in the reboot. This allows the comic to actually build on the groundwork Flynn has been laying for the last three years. Sharp-eyed readers will recognize Princess Undina, as she’s had several background cameos in the past. Echo herself is a minor player now being upgraded to starring status. Over the course of her flashback, Honey and Rouge put in appearances. When Razor shows up in the book’s back half, it’s only natural. After taking so long to painstakingly set up all his toys, it’s good to know Flynn actually intended to use them.

And what of Echo? We didn’t get much of a peek at her personality during her previous, brief appearance. Here, she emerges as a young woman that is determined to do a good job, to be perceived as a serious professional, but struggles with her self-confidence and lack of real world experience. At the same time, she’s more resourceful than she realizes, which is apparent in how she has already done lots of investigating by the time she comes to Vector. She’s cute. I like her. Another quality Aleah Baker created female cast member.

The end may be neigh but “Sonic Universe” at least seems determined to get out of the Shattered World Crisis’ shadow as quickly as possible. (I don’t think the world recently being restored is mentioned at all in this issue.) The issue ends on an intriguing high note, the Chaotix and friends being scooped up by the pirates they are searching for. The kind of ending that makes you eager to pick up next month’s installment. This is an amusing comic book and I enjoyed reading it. [7/10]

Sonic Universe: Issue 90

Sonic Universe: Issue 90
Publication Date: September 2016

Once again, the sheer incompetence of Archie’s scheduling department must truly be commended. Issue 90 of “Sonic Universe” came out in late September. At the end of this issue, Sonic’s world is finally restored after nearly three years of being broken up. Yet the comic depicting the actual battle that determines this victory, issue 287 of the main “Sonic” book, wouldn’t be published until October 12th. In other words, the outcome of what has been the ongoing story arc of the entire reboot is spoiled a month early by the companion book. Not that there was any doubt that the Freedom Fighters would eventually put the world back together but... I was going to write “Jesus, Archie, get your shit together” but it’s very evident now that Archie Comics’ shit has never been truly together.

I might be getting ahead of myself but that reflects the style of this issue. “Shattered Finale: Restoration” — See! It’s even in the fucking title! — begins with Knuckles and friends imprisoned in crystal by Naugus. The fully empowered wizard teleports further into the cavern with the Master Emerald and Amy, plotting to turn Sonic’s friends into his mindless slaves. After remembering a pep talk Amy gave him earlier, Knuckles breaks free. Omega blasts a path right to Naugus and everyone has fun beating the piss out of him. And that’s when the world starts to be restored, forcing Knuckles and Amy to use a handy near-by teleporter to get the Master Emerald back in its spot, preventing Angel Island from plummeting out of the sky just in the nick of time.

As all of the above indicates, Flynn is really rushing into the finale here. After the rest of the arc being relatively relaxed in its pacing, things speed the fuck up right at the end. Within a few pages, Naugus captures his foes, makes sinister plans for the future, Knuckles escape, and the good guys find the bad guy and take his ass to the cleaners. Before that resolution has time to breath, we rush into Amy and Knuckles moving as fast as they can to get the Master Emerald back onto the Island. Never mind that a teleporter being connected to the Sky Sanctuary Zone right there in the cavern is bordering dangerously close to a deus ex machina. And never mind Knuckles and Amy moving improbably fast while lugging around the highly cumbersome Master Emerald. We’ve got an ending to write here and, because Flynn is as bad at scheduling as Archie is, we’ve got to do it now now NOW!

In fact, never mind Naugus — the antagonist of this four parter — being defeated either. Naugus is such a threat that, even before the Master Emerald took him back to full strength, he was too powerful a foe for Knuckles to take on alone. And yet his defeat here is shockingly easy. Instead of killing the heroes when he has them immobilized, or generating crystals inside their internal organs any time after they escape, Naugus uses his recharged magic to shapeshift into Sonic. (For that matter, why doesn’t he just teleport himself and the Emerald miles away after freezing the heroes?) This doesn’t work, as Knux and Shadow relishes a chance to wail on a close facsimile of Sonic. Naugus’ defeat is deemed so unimportant that it happens as one tiny part of a montage devoted to Knuckles and Amy placing the Master Emerald back in its shrine. I know Naugus has a history of going down like a bitch but this is maybe the sloppiest part of a very sloppy conclusion.

It’s a bit of a mess but Flynn tries, really tries, to salvage at least one element of the story. While Knuckles is imprisoned in one of Naugus’ crystal, we flashback to an event that happened right before the story began. While floating around in Amy’s ridiculous pink flying car — an utterly absurd vehicle that I was previously unaware of and had no prior role in his story but I guess is from one of those shitty racing games — the girly hedgehog assures Knuckles that he’s not as big of a fuck-up as he feels he is. (And, let’s face it, as history shows him to be.) Remembering these words gives him the strength to fight his way out of the crystal, track down Naugus, and save the Master Emerald and Angel Island. The story ends with Knux hiding the real Master Emerald somewhere secret on the Island and putting one of those look-a-like jewels in the shrine. The Guardian is reassured in his own abilities and the emotional character arc that has been driving Knuckles more-or-less the entire reboot is resolved.

That’s a noble goal but it doesn’t quite work the way Flynn hoped it would. First off, the flashback really comes out of nowhere. If that scene was so important, Flynn definitely should’ve included it in the story before this point. (And the sudden appearance of the stunningly dumb flying car doesn’t make that flashback seem any less out-of-place.) Having that memory pop into Knuckles’ head at this pivotal point is half-assed. And of all the people that could’ve touched Knuckles’ heart like that, why Amy? The two characters have little history together. Even though they’ve been paling around for about a year, most of that has been in-between issues. If this is the only way Flynn could’ve thought of to resolve this story, the rousing speech should’ve come from Relic or Rouge, characters Knuckles actually has a meaningful connection to.

And, of course, there’s the fact that reboot Knuckles really does suck at his job. In this new history, the Emerald has been stolen or shattered on his watch so many times, that Knuckles’ renewed confidence seems misplaced. Hiding the Emerald in a less obvious location is something you probably should’ve thought of the first time it was snatched, buddy. So the story ends with Knux patting himself on the back in a way that feels unearned. Not to mention this last minute plot point ends up forcing out what should’ve been the emotional conclusion to this arc: Knuckles and Relic saying goodnight to each other after both of them and the entire Island nearly fell into the ocean.

But I do have a few positive things to say about this issue. First off, the artwork is nice. Secondly, Amy does push along the issue’s best moments. During that same flashback, Knuckles tells Amy not to tell Sonic about this vulnerable moment, because he’ll get teased. (Somehow, Knuckles horribly fragile masculine ego ends up being kind of cute.) Amy clarifies that Sonic teases his friends because he cares, which is different from how he mocks his enemies. This comes back during the extended epilogue, when Sonic and Amy are having tea with the royalty, in a cute way. There's a little moment when Amy hugs Knuckles, much to his surprise, that is very cute and would almost play like a ship-tease if there wasn't something inherently repelling about the idea of Knuckles and Amy getting romantic. But Flynn missed a major opportunity when he doesn’t have Amy smash the disguised Naugus, with her bad-ass crystallized hammer. Instead, she takes the completely unsatisfying moral high ground and let’s the boys beat him.

The “Shattered” story arc had a cute first part but its second squandered so much potential, its third was a boring fight-fest, and the fourth is among Flynn’s sloppiest conclusions. And, guess what? This is the last time we’ll see most of these characters before the comic got canned! Shit, man, so many people dropped so many balls. While this issue truly isn’t as bad as a [4/10], the dumb-ass way Naugus and Knuckles are written here forces me to give it that low of a score.

Sonic Universe: Issue 89

Sonic Universe: Issue 89
Publication Date: August 2016

I guess it’s a matter of how invested you are in these things. At this point, in the main Archie series, the Freedom Fighters are in a desperate race against the clock to stop Eggman from taking over the world, the fate of the Shattered World hanging in the balance. And I’m pretty into in. At the same time in “Sonic Universe,” Knuckles is close to reassembling the Master Emerald.

While both quests have been going on for the same amount of time, Knuckles’ side of things feels a lot less urgent. It’s probably because we haven’t spent much time in the post-rebooted Angel Island. It seems largely empty, which is very different from the bustling continent that existed before the reboot. While we’ve seen firsthand the effect the Shattered World Crisis has had on the people below, Angel Island has been largely safe throughout the ordeal, thanks to the magical juju at play in this situation. So it’s hard to get too excited about Knux completed his goal, when we’ve never really gotten an idea of what was at stake.

Anyway! “Shattered: Part Three — Lost & Found” begins with Knuckles eager to get into Naugus’ final chamber, where the troll wizard is reassembling the Master Emerald, planning to use it to re-power himself. The heroes get distracted when Omega, under the sway of Naugus’ crystal magic, attacks them. After hammering the robot for a while, the crystals finally break and Omega is returned to his trigger happy old self again. But it might be too late. Naugus has successfully put the Emerald back together, his evil magic renewed.

Most of “Shattered” is devoted to a long fight scene with the reprogrammed Omega. And it’s okay, I guess. Yes, there are some clever moments, like when the robot totally catches Shadow off-guard. Mostly though, it’s a very repetitive fight. The gang just keep hitting Omega until the crystal breaks and he’s free. And there’s not much tension anyway, since we know any brainwashed good guys will return to normal soon enough. (And that all Sega-created characters are safe anyway.) Once again, it feels like Flynn pandering to the young boy readers that demand constant action or just padding out a simple story with gratuitous punching.

And it didn’t have to be that way either. I am fine with extra fight scenes as long as we get some peeks at our heroes’ personalities while we are at it. Sadly, there’s not much of that here either. Rouge always finds time for banter, flirting with Knuckles about chivalry in a way that largely goes over his head. When Amy gets a phone call from Sally, a tie-in with what’s going on in the main book, her confused and panicked reaction is kind of funny. However, most of the dialogue here is concerned with the status of the Master Emerald or the fight against Omega. As too often happens, the action and plot squeezes out the heart.

What makes this frustrating is that Flynn is good at sneaking personality into an action-heavy book when he actually tries. He does it well in this very issue! After Omega is finally freed, the homicidal robot immediately begins to liven things up. In his typically deadpan way, the robot explains how he wants revenge on Naugus. When Knuckles and Amy asks the robot if he would’ve done the same for them, he responds bluntly in the negative. Later, he bemoans Knuckles’ fleshy, mammalian weakness. See, isn’t the giant robot that sees everything in terms of combat much more interesting when he’s being forced to interact with other people, as opposed to when he’s just being used as a physical obstacle for the heroes?

Naugus, or at least the information he holds, continues to be the most interesting part of this story. While restoring the Emerald, the wizard thinks back upon his past. We see how he was initially cast out, repeatedly fought Sonic, lost his powers after the events of “Genesis” (which is apparently still canon), and ended up begrudgingly working for Eggman. In a better story, an extensive flashback like this would’ve killed the pacing. If the Digests were still being published at this point, I have no doubt this would’ve been a Sonic Comic Origins story. Yet I still really appreciate learning about rebooted Naugus’ history.

Flynn goes right up to the start of the reboot, showing what exactly the wizard’s plot was that got rudely interrupted by Sonic and Tails’ re-arrival. Apparently, after learning about technology from Eggman and Wendy to boost his weak magic, Naugus shape-shifted into King Acorn and locked the real deal up. Gee, I wish we could’ve seen this story actually play out! It sounds pretty interesting, a variation on the old “Return of the King” one-shot but with less bullshit. What exactly was going on in Castle Acorn, back st the start of the reboot, is something Flynn probably should’ve expounded on way sooner. I get the impression this was the first time he even really thought about it.

Once again, I wish Flynn had actually taken the time to establish this new world’s history before racing ahead with the “Sonic Unleashed” adaptation. But you are probably sick of hearing me bang that note. As for this issue, it’s loaded down with pretty dull action, the few interesting moments existing totally apart from the fighting. Adam Bryce Thomas’ artwork is good but I’m looking forward to this arc being wrapped up. [5/10]

Sonic Universe: Issue 88

Sonic Universe: Issue 88
Publication Date: August 2016

I’ve got a lot of thoughts so let’s jump right into the plot synopsis this time. “Shattered: Part Two — Lies and Half-Truths” continues with Knuckles, Amy, and Team Dark exploring the crystalline Hidden Palace Zone, closing in on the remaining Master Emerald shards. Amy and Rouge are quickly captured by attacked crystal spires, forcing a precarious escape. Afterwards, they are attacked by Omega, who has been corrupted by crystalline magic, forced to attack his teammates. Meanwhile, Knuckles journeys off with Nixus, who appears to be another echidna. However, he soon discovers it's Naugus in disguise, who plans to use the soon-to-be reassembled Master Emerald to recharge his own magic.

When the preview images for “Sonic Universe: Issue 88” came out, fans were very intrigued. The cover showed Knuckles walking up to what appeared to be another echidna, much like himself. By this point, Archie fans were well aware that one of Sega’s corporate mandates was that Knuckles is the last surviving echidna. So how could another echidna be in the comic? Some people wondered if the shadowy figure on the cover was beefy “Sonic Boom” Knuckles, which it does resemble to a degree. My personal hope and theory was that Flynn subverted Sega’s own rule without breaking it, by bringing one of the Knuckles Clan echidnas out of the past and into the present.

Imagine the story potential in those ideas! Knuckles encountering his ancestors’ crimes but also his own loneliness as the last surviving echidna. Since the Knuckles Clan were war-like assholes, it’s easy to assume that Knuckles’ potential friend quickly becomes an enemy. That would’ve been a juicy dramatic arc! Even a “Boom” crossover had potential for some multi-verse spanning fun. (After all, Archie did say that they weren’t done with the “Boom” cast after that book’s cancellation.)

Of course, neither of these ideas turned out to be true. By the end of “Sonic Universe: Issue 87,” it was already apparent who this mysterious Nixus character actually was. The last issue featured a ton of foreshadowing that the second echidna was simply Naugus in disguise. Which is, without a doubt, the least interesting way Flynn could’ve resolved that particular idea. Not just because it wastes a pretty decent character design — Nixus is like Thrash the Devil reincarnated as a echidna — but because it takes a new idea and just makes it a variation on another old idea. It’s like that time Elon Musk promised us crazy new travel technology and just presented a worst version of metro trains instead.

The disappointment surrounding Nixus’ true identity certainly isn’t helped by how Flynn handles it. Aside from the gratuitous foreshadowing already making it obvious Nixus is simply Naugus in disguise, the character’s “introduction” derails the story in a real way. Suddenly, a story about Knux, Amy, and Team Dark fighting a boring old wizard is awash in the possibility of Knuckles discovering he’s not alone. Yet half of Nixus’ page time is spent assuring the heroes he’s not a fink... But he is, which makes the good guys eventually look like dumb-asses. And only a few pages after that, Nixus reveals himself and everything suddenly interesting about this idea is over. It just harshes my mellow in so many ways.

The one interesting thing about the Nixus sequence is how it allows Flynn to expand the rebooted comic’s history and lore more. As Nixus takes Knuckles deeper into the cave, he pontificates on the great troll society that existed on Mobius “Sonic’s world” long ago. The country was called Pancardia and the trolls fancied themselves scholars and scientists, even though their casual use of mind-control and slavery suggests some pretty ugly things about their society. (There’s something clever about that, Naugus/Nixus’ words presenting one view of this lost world while the actual images presents another.) In those flashbacks, we also see a mysterious but massively powerful figure bringing that civilization to an end.

This scene also further suggests Ixis, the mysterious source of Naugus’ power, is some sort of Lovecraftian elder god that was locked away eons ago. All of these are really interesting ides and I wish Flynn would’ve had a chance to expand on them more. See, that’s the sort of world-building that’s actually interesting. I also wonder what the story was behind whoever destroyed the troll civilization. Were the trolls an Always Chaotic Evil race of assholes who deserved that smashing? Or was the responsible party an equally dangerous force, one that might still exist in some form? It kind of feels like Flynn was possibly setting up something like Enerjak but without the Penders baggage. But knowing Ian, it would’ve taken him another three years to get back around to this stuff.

Aside from all the interesting stuff in this issue that was squandered or cut short, I don’t have too many thoughts about “Shattered Part Two.” I wish we got more out of the scenes of Amy and Rouge working together. Rouge describes the opening scene - restrained by crystals as more crystals close in - as something she’s dreamed about in a more pleasant context. This was probably meant to reference Rouge’s all-abiding love of shinny rocks but instead seems to confirm she’s as kinky as we all think she is. Omega turning into a crystal minion for Naugus is less interesting, as it’s just leading into another mindless fight fest. The usually reliable Adam Bryce Thomas’ art is also slightly off, as the characters’ faces look kind of weird in a few panels.

I guess I’m rating this issue more on what it is than what it isn’t. It’s not the comic’s fault that all of the fans came up with more interesting ideas than the actual writer did. But, come on, Flynn, you’re spinning your wheels. Don’t tease cool stuff and then just do the same old shit all over again. Here, take a look at Diana Skelly’s really cute variant cover that has nothing to do with the actual issue. [5/10]