Sonic Boom: Issue 5

Sonic Boom: Issue 5
Publication Date: March 2015

By 2015, Ian Flynn was the head writer for four separate comic books. He was scripting all three of Archie’s “Sonic” books as well as their “Megaman” comic. (This is aside from his occasional contributions to IDW’s “Ninja Turtles” titles.) While Flynn is clearly a hard-working guy who can handle a full dance-card, it’s no wonder that other writers began to work on some of these comics. Aleah Baker, Flynn’s more talented wife, handled some stories in the main “Sonic” series. Meanwhile, issue five of “Sonic Boom” would come from Bill Freiberger. A veteran TV/comedy writer - whose other credits include “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” “The Simpsons,” “Greg the Bunny,” “The Howard Stern Show,” and lots of other stuff - Bill co-produced the “Boom” TV show and wrote several episodes. So it made sense for him to jump over to the comic for an occasional issue.

Entitled “Eggtober Fest,” the comic begins with Eggman having an overwhelming desire to blow up a bridge. He already has a bridge but figures blowing up his own will be no fun. His attempt to sell the residents of Seaside Village the bridge is unsuccessful because they do not trust him. The villain attempts to gain their trust by performing good deeds. This is also unsuccessful. Finally, the doctor opens up a carnival amusement park in the hopes this will win people over. Typically, this also fails. So Sonic and friends have to come in and save the day.

Flynn and Freiberger obviously have very different approaches to writing comedy. While Flynn’s comedy is primarily character based, Freiberger’s humor focuses a lot more on shtick. There’s a lot more goofy one-liners and sight gags here than usual. Such as Eggman having to literally jump through hoops as he signs the paperwork to open his carnival. Or getting repeatedly thrashed by old people with canes. Freiberger’s use of fourth wall breaking humor is not as successful as Flynn, as a gag of Cubot and Orbot showing the doctor a helpful book is too on the nose. The robots provide a lot of sass, not much of it landing. (Though I did like the bit with the torches and pitchforks store, hacky as it is.) A reoccurring gag about the villain’s poor hygiene seems kind of mean.

The comic still made me laugh several times though. The reasoning behind Eggman’s schemes - selling his bridge before exploding it, earning the people’s trust so he can betray them - is nicely circular. In general, I continue to like this take on Eggman, who is desperate for villainous success but gets depressed when his plans fail. Bits involving Sticks scaring people away from the carnival funhouse with her conspiratorial ranting or Knuckles’ inability to understand up-selling also made me laugh. One of the comic’s best, absurd gags is in the very first page. Knuckles provides the opening narration, which presents as a speech to the community council.

Oddly, the issue written by a professional comedy writer features more action than Flynn’s previous four issues. After Eggman’s attempt to win the town’s trust fails, he calls in a horde of Badniks. Sonic and friends, naturally, smash them all up quickly. After the carnival scheme fails, he summons more killer robots. So we get some decent panels of Sonic and the gang using carnival rides as weapons against the machines. Like Sonic running inside a Ferris wheel, Amy smashing a mallet game, and Sticks surfing on a boat ride. It’s neat to see a wider variety of killer robots here than we did in the last few issues.

Aside from Eggman, we don’t spend much time with the rest of the main cast here. Sonic, Tails, Amy, Knuckles, and Sticks are stripped down to their barest attributes. However, Freiberger does open the book’s world up some. We actually meet some of the people who live in this village Sonic always has to save. Among them are nondescript members of the town, such as an old lady walrus with several kids and the town’s mayor. We also meet some of the fan favorites from the show: Hacky stand-up comic Comedy Chimp, stuffy intellectual Fastidious Beaver, and awkward teenager Dave the Intern. (Who is apparently a cabybara.) You’ll notice most of the humor with these guys simply come from their names. But, hey, making up a seemingly unimportant side character with a stupid name is one of my favorite gags too.

Steven Butler returns to “Sonic” here after a long absence and makes his “Sonic Boom” debut specifically. Butler clearly is somewhat restrained by the “Boom” house style. We don’t get too much of his gritty detail here. He even sometimes slips up, such as the weird way he draws Boom Sonic’s messier quills. However, Butler always delivers a quality product. I like the way he draws Eggman when he mopes or plots villainously. Naturally, the action scenes are also well done.

Issue five of “Boom” represents a slight dip in quality. Freiberger’s humor is a bit cornier than what we saw in the first four issues. However, I still got several reasonable chuckles out of this, so it earns a positive rating. If nothing else, I continue to like the absurd humor and low key setting of the “Boom”series. [6/10]

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 the Hedgehog: Issue 244

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 244
Publication Date: January 2013

Archie’s “Sonic” books began 2013 in a very troubled place. We didn’t know it at the time - I’m not sure even the people working on the book knew it - but this would be the final year the original Archie “Sonic”-verse existed. Instead of using the last few months of the original continuity wrapping up unresolved plot points and bidding this beloved universe farewell, Ian Flynn was stuck in story traps he created himself and forced to write around characters the book couldn’t legally acknowledge anymore. This conflict couldn’t be more obvious in the second part of the “Endangered Species” story arc.

Rather grimly subtitled “Extinction Event,” part two begins with Knuckles exploring the blasted out, and oddly empty, remains of Albion. Eventually, he comes upon T-Pup, who leads him to an unconscious Sonic, Tails, and Amy. They explain how they were all knocked out while fighting with Metal Knuckles and the Dark Legion. Soon, they encounter a wrap ring wielding Thrash the Tasmanian Devil. The Devil explains how he’s responsible for the disappearance of all the echidnas. Knuckles, needless to say, is pretty upset with him

It’s clear that, in-between the end of 2012 and the start of 2013, an edict came down from Ian’s corporate pay-masters. They had lost the lawsuit. All Ken Penders created characters and concepts could no longer appear in the book. This presented a rather big problem for the “Endangered Species” storyline, considering it was knee deep in the echidna-centric mythology Ken conceived. There was no smooth way for Ian to deal with this. So Lien-Da, Remington, and the Dark Legion vanished before this issue’s events. The flashbacks to the last issue’s fight are awkwardly cut so that all the legal non-entities are just off-panel. Julie-Su is never referred to by name, Knuckles calling her “hon,” and only appears as a faceless voice on a computer screen. It is undeniably noticeable.

Flynn tries to incorporate this loss into the story. The issue is primarily devoted to resolving the mystery of what happened to everyone. When Knuckles discovers that Thrash is responsible, he’s enraged. One panel even has the Guardian holding the Devil down and demanding he immediately returns his friends and loved ones, a moment that can’t help but feel personally directed at Penders. Yet this is too great an emotional loss to spring so suddenly on the cast and the readers. Almost the entirety of Knuckles’ supporting cast, including his girlfriend and all of his family, have been instantly wiped out. It’s unsatisfying, it’s cruel, and it pisses me off. And there’s pretty much no other way Flynn could have handled it.

Forced to write around suddenly imposed copyright restrictions, Flynn has to cook up an odd solution. Issue 244’s narrative flow is often interrupted by flashbacks. We’ll get a few panels of Knuckles searching around the island and then a seemingly unrelated panel showing past events. All on the same page too. It’s slightly difficult to follow. Everyone just falling asleep and vanishing also completely neuters the last issue’s conflict. It feels like last issue’s big fight scene just abruptly came to a stop. Because it more-or-less did. I know, given the circumstances, it’s probably the best Flynn could do. But, fuck, it’s awkward.

The issue also has the duty of re-introducing Thrash the Devil. Briefly seen as a new member of the Downunda Freedom Fighters over three years before, there was very little indication then that this guy was going to be important at all. Now, it turns out, he has such a grudge against the echidnas, that he’s been developing a way to commit genocide against them his whole life. If you read the Complete Sonic Comic Encyclopadia, you’ll at least understand why. If you didn’t, I guess you’re just shit outta luck. There was certainly no previous clues that Thrash was capable of that. Or that he was even particularly devious. (And there's no explanation for how he pulled this off, at least not yet.) Previously, Thrash just seemed like another big, cocky, tough guy. He went from a random nobody to a major villain over the course of a few pages. Yeah, it comes out nowhere. No, Flynn doesn’t managed to make him more compelling or interesting while doing this.

If nothing else, the book features some suitably atmospheric artwork. Since the story is now mostly about a few people on a practically empty island, Steven Butler really sells the isolation of the location. As Knuckles comes closer to learning what has happened to his family, it starts to rain. That further adds to the book’s dreary, downbeat feeling. Of course,  Butler is really good at detail and expressions. Knuckles is grieved and then furious, Thrash is evil, and Team Fighter is baffled. His artwork does more for Thrash, at least when it comes to selling him as a creditable villain, than Flynn’s script does. He also makes Metal Knuckles look really cool in the few appearances he has here.

Issue 244 is a frustrating read and it’s only partially the fault of the people who created it. Given the circumstances, there was no way this comic wasn’t going to come off awkward as hell. However, that doesn’t mean I’m going to forgive the people responsible. The second part of “Endangered Species” is an extremely frustrating comic book and that even extends to its structure. Good-bye Lien-Da, Julie-Su, and every other remotely interesting character from Knuckles’ solo book. I really wish it didn’t have to end this way. [5/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 243

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 243
Publication Date: December 2012

“Endangered Species” would be the final story arc of the original Archie Sonic comic universe before the entire world would be rebooted. And you can’t really talk about it without talking about Ken Penders. If you’re reading this blog, you probably already know all the gory details. I’ll reiterate them anyway.

In 2009, the prolific former “Sonic” writer realized that Archie had seemingly never made him sign a work-for-hire agreement. Which meant Penders owned all the characters and concepts he created for the book. In other words, Ken owned the majority of the comic’s cast and lore, which Archie had continued to utilize since he left the company. Penders sued Archie for copyright infringement. The suit would go to trial in 2010 and drag into 2012. At first everyone assumed Ken was talking out his ass, as he’s been known to do. As the lawsuit went on, and especially after Archie fired its entire legal team in autumn of 2012, it became increasingly apparent that the publisher really didn’t sign Ken to a work-for-hire deal. Archie had fucked up. Probably, I’ve widely suspected, because they never assumed, back in 1992, that this series would ever be worth anything. (For a while, they were insisting that the original contract was lost in a fire, which strikes me as a fishy story.)

Through it all, the comics were published normally. Maybe Archie assumed that Ken would never be able to copyright a bunch of characters and concepts derivative of things Sega owned whole-sale. A lot of fans made the same assumption. The courts, however, backed Ken up. However you feel about Penders -his writing was inconsistent, to say the least, and he acts like a total tool on Twitter- never forget that this whole mess was Archie’s fault. If they had paid proper attention and hadn’t made sketchy deals, none of this would’ve happened. This was the start of a series of legal and financial problems that probably led to, or at least contributed to, Sega’s decision to end their licensing agreement with Archie. In other words, the end of Archie’s “Sonic” comic series begins here.

By the time issue 243 was being prepped for publication, it must have been apparent that Archie wasn’t going to win the suit. (You can tell it was, because a few word balloons were sloppily rewritten so as to not use certain phrases Sega and Ken were contesting.) The “Endangered Species” arc, one assumes, was originally meant to wrap up the long simmering plot points about Knuckles’ post-Enerjak guilt and the fate of his people. Instead, it would hastily write out all of the echidna characters Ken created. I imagine Ian Flynn hoped this would be a temporary fix, until the lawsuit was resolved and things could return to normal. But things never returned to normal. Instead, the arc prefaced the book’s entire continuity being rebooted and totally purged of all of Penders’ creations and ideas.

The issue begins in an Albion classroom, taught by an unnamed Komi-ko, three days in the past. (This helpfully reminds newer readers of the echidna race’s convoluted history.) This was before the Death Egg arrived. Team Fighters only shows up afterwards. The Tornado is immediately grounded by Metal Knuckles. Sonic and friends find a ruined, largely unoccupied city. The remaining echidnas, led by Remington, are fighting against the occupying Dark Egg Legion, led by Lien-Da. The heroes join the fight.

Knuckles is, weirdly, nearly entirely absent from this issue. He doesn’t show up until the very last scene, in a moment largely copied from last issue’s back story. Luckily, we’re invested enough in the echidnas without him. And things are looking grim for our monotreme friends. Albion has been reduced to blasted out buildings. Remington and his friends fight in ruined streets against an oppressive Dark Egg Legion army, outgunned and out-numbered. It can be assumed that large portions of the city’s population, including Remington's girlfriend, Komi-ko, are dead.  Remington is pretty broken up about it, visibly crying in one panel. Seeing how much this loss has effected Remington make its impact feel more real. This is a surprisingly grim place to begin your funny animal adventure comic.

Luckily, I do not dislike this kind of grimness. In fact, I might embrace it too much. There's definitely a thrill in seeing Sonic and friends thrust into such a dark situation. Watching the scrappy rebels fight against a better armed and prepared, tyrannical army takes me back to "SatAM" and the comic's earlier day. Since Team Fighter has had Robotnik on the run for a few issues, it's nice to return to a time when our heroes were underdogs, fighting against a more-powerful enemy. Yes, Sonic and the others are still hyper-confident. After showing up, he immediately takes out a tank while Amy is smashing Legionaries left and right. They turn the tide of the fight in a few minutes. But it's still nice to root for the downtrodden, especially when the balance of power has been more equal recently.

In fact, the action is this issue is very strong over all. The entire last third is devoted to Team Fighter and the echidnas raiding the Dark Egg Legion base. Sonic thrashes yet another tank. Remington dives and shoots. There's plenty of explosions. This leads to a pretty tense confrontation between Sonic and Lien-Da. The Kommisar has been outfitted with new superpowers, electric energy whips that discharge from her hands. (This is suspiciously similar to the weapons of Whiplash, the villain from "Iron Man 2," but that's surely a coincidence as Ian has never ripped off the MCU before.) This makes the already extremely fierce Lien-Da even more intimidating. In fact, Sonic even seems a little overwhelmed. The fight is exhausting enough that a sucker-punch from Metal Knuckles immediately afterward is enough to put Sonic down for the count.

Lien-Da, as always, is a high-light. In addition to her fabulous new superpowers, which she clearly enjoys having, Lien-Da is in full-on Bad Bitch mode here. Razing Albion to the ground, taking control of the echidna homeland, is clearly an opportunity she relishes. She vamps, building herself up, as she goes to confront Lara-Le, who isn't exactly having it. Lien-Da's response is to cup Lara's face like she's a disobedient child. As if the dominatrix subtext wasn't obvious enough already. When she gets to deploy her new superpowers near the end, she's clearly having fun with that too. Of course, Lien-Da's ruthlessness comes with some hidden insecurities. We see this when Robotnik calls her up, threatening her life and ordering her to pick up the pace. She remains one of the book's most multifaceted, but still entertainingly evil, villains. I'm really gonna miss her.

I really would've liked it if Archie could've gotten Manny Galan back to draw this. I'm sure they didn't know this would be the last story to feature these characters but it would've been nice to bring things full circle by having the regular "Knuckles" artist back. However, they at least did get an artist who has worked with these characters before. Steven Butler does not meet the heights here he previously touched during his "Mobius: 25 Years Later" strips. But it's still pretty damn good. Butler's action scenes have the same gritty immediacy that they've always has. His character work and expressions are top-notch, helping to sell the emotion of this tale. And, always, nobody draws Lien-Da looking more dangerous and powerful than Butler. His Metal Knuckles looks a little weird and wobbly-kneed but otherwise I have no complaints about the books art.

"Endangered Species" may signal a very dark time in the book's history but the first part is pretty damn good. Action, fun character beats, events that actually make me feel things. That's all I ask of my comic books about blue hedgehogs that run fast. [8/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 241

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 241
Publication Date: October 2012

Don't you just love a misleading cover? Issue 241's cover makes it look like the big conclusion to the comic's recent events, when it only sort of wraps some things up. It also features several characters on the cover who do not appear in the book. The Secret Freedom Fighters, while Robotnik's role is pretty minimal. However, there's something bittersweet but this usual comic book shenanigans. This comic marks the final appearance of several of those characters before the reboot. Many more minor Archie exclusive cast members take their final, unknowing curtain bow in this issue.

“Unraveling” follows two story lines. Somewhere across the continent, Team Fighter follows the Death Egg. Eggman is on the run until he cooks up a last minute scheme that distracts Sonic and friends for a while. Meanwhile, in Mobotropolis, more stuff is going down. Naugus continues to loose control of his body. Mina puts on a benefit concert to un-exile Nicole. Mina's mom takes over Rotor's seat on the Council of Acorn. This news upsets Naugus and further exacerbates his condition.

Yes, the villain's scheme might be “Unraveling” but Flynn is undoing many of the dumb-ass plot points he's introduced over the last year. This issue sees Geoffrey St. John finally betray Naugus, rejecting the evil wizard and the stupid decision to turn him into a traitor in the first place. Mina uses her music to encourage the community to welcome Nicole back, doing away with the stupid decision to write her out of the book for a few issues. (Mobotropolis' populace still remains far too easy to manipulate, via the power of song.) This all prefaces the city as a whole turning on King Naugus. Say what you will about Mecha-Sally but that was a plot mix-up that created new story opportunities. Making St. John Naugus' apprentice, Naugus becoming king, and having the city turn on Nicole were unnatural story decisions that existed more to push through ideas than to naturally move the story forward. I'm glad we're done with them.

Flynn doesn't seem to admit that he's unfucking his own mistakes here. Instead, these story turns fit into the issue's theme of forgiveness. Mina admits to her mistakes and apologizes to them. This allows the city's citizens to do the same. Nicole, in turn, forgives the Council for exiling her. One of the aspects that marks Naugus as a villain is his inability to change and move on from past transgressions... Which makes his constantly transforming physical state a rather ironic twist. I don't know if Flynn did that on purpose.

Naugus cracking up does give Steven Butler an excuse to draw some fucked-up monsters. And it's clearly something he enjoys. The wizard spends most of the issue in a state of high stress, his body mutating. His metal claw repeatedly morphs into a lobster claw. Smaller crustacean claws sprout from his torso. A big, red, bumpy tail falls out of his ass. Naugus is constantly drooling and sweaty. In a book whose cast is primarily made up of cute animals, you can tell Butler is really relishing the chance to draw a hideous mutant. As you'd expect, Butler's artwork is extremely strong in general.

There's a fair bit of humor to Naugus' breakdown. The wizard touches upon the idea of possessing someone else's body, in order to get his consciousness out of a physical form that is going beserk. First, he attempts to talk King Acorn into entering into a magic pact with him. Despite Max being almost entirely senile by this point, he still has the strength of will to reject the King's plan. Next, Naugus attempts to trick Jules into giving up his body. Sonic's parents bring up everything bad Naugus has ever done to them and their son before telling him to get the fuck out. The way Butler draws Jules and Bernie's annoyed faces, even including Muttski growling at the wizard, makes this scene even funnier. Naugus' skills are degenerating to such a degree that he can't even get old men to fall for his bullshit.

Continuing the trend that started with issue 240, Sonic barely appears in issue 241. Sonic, Amy, and Tails are many miles away from Mobotropolis. The action beat feels perfunctory.  Eggman discovers a sprig of the Krudzu Hybrid Hydra on the Death Egg. Running low on options, he combines the plant-machine with the busted-out shell of a Titan Metal Sonic. Yet it only takes Team Fighter a few pages to take down this kaiju-sized threat. It's pretty evident that Flynn is more invested in what's happening in Mobotropolis and only includes these scenes to give the hedgehog hero and his Sega-approved co-stars an obligatory appearance. It's a decent fight scene but has little reason to be in this comic book.

Geoffrey St. John is among the characters to make his last appearance in this issue. That's a shame, since the comic wraps up on an tantalizing plot point with him: Naugus possessing the body of his apprentice. The ending also teases the start of the “Endangered Species” storyline, which would write out most of Ken Penders' echidna characters even before the reboot would come along and blank-slate nearly the entire universe. So I guess it's a good thing that this is a pretty strong issue, since this era of Archie “Sonic” is coming to an abrupt close very soon. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 240

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 240
Publication Date: August 2012

Look, there's another Greg Horn cover and it's exactly as boring as his last cover! Granted, at least the image of Amy making a little heart with her hand tells us something about her personality, as opposed to the utterly generic image of Sonic he created last time. And I'm thankful Horn didn't resort to his usual techniques when portraying female characters and make Amy into an impossibly posed, half-naked, pouting porn starlet. I guess Archie just couldn't resist getting a big name like Horn involved in their silly, funny animal book. Could've been worse, I guess. Could've been that other Greg.

But let's talk about the actual comic book. “Heroes Part Two: For the People” has Team Fighter rushing to inform Mobotropolis of the Death Egg's approach. Their communique only partially gets through by the time Robotnik is directly over the city. It's up to Rotor and his team of misfits to save the day. Despite Eggman's sabotage and army of robot weapons, the team manages to fight off the invasion. They do, however, get some help from Harvey Who's now fully formed Secret Freedom Fighters. Also, Naugus continues to loose control of his own body to the voices in his head.

Issue 240 is an issue of “Sonic the Hedgehog” that barely has Sonic in it. And, honestly, it might be all the better for it. Though I have nothing against Sonic and friends running around the world, my heart is in Mobotropolis with the Knothole crew. Team Fighters' adventures have been so transient that I've felt a little adrift with this book recently. Returning home and focusing on the fate of the Acorn crown – even if Sally, Bunnie, and Antoine are out of the picture at the moment – is refreshing. By going back home, it reminds us what's at stake and why we care in the first place.

Part two of “Heroes” is mostly devoted to giving Team Freedom a chance to shine. Though I was initially very underwhelmed by the line-up of Rotor's team, their adventure here is pretty effective. Everyone's personality is given a chance to shine. Rotor accommodates himself to the role of leader fairly well. Cream is eager to help but still childish enough that she gets frightened. Heavy is overly analytically, even in the heat of combat. (And he still sounds like Baymax in my head.) Flynn mostly writes Big the Cat as a big dumb pet, staring dumbly and speaking simply while also smashing robots with his super-strength. It's not an all-star line-up or anything but the characters seem to work together well.

Of course, the only reason Robotnik's army can get into the city in the first place is because of Operation: Deadly Cuddles. Let's talk about that. During the assault on Mobotropolis during issue 231, Eggman dropped a Tails Doll out of the sky. Cream, assuming it was a simple toy, adopted it. Of course, the Tails Doll is actually an Eggman drone that can disrupt nanites and spy on the Freedom Fighters.

For those not in the know, Tails Doll is a very obscure Sega character that is something like Tails' counterpart to Metal Sonic. It was introduced in “Sonic R,” the glitchy racing game that came out on the Saturn in 1997. There's an obvious reason Flynn introduced this forgettable character into the comic fifteen years after his first appearance. Due to his creepy doll face and uncanny ability to float, somebody wrote a lame creepypasta about the character. And, because Sonic fans love stupid bullshit, this led to Tails Doll actually becoming kind of popular. Flynn hints at Tails Doll's internet fandom by making him a figure of suspicion, and eventually weirdly vivid body horror, in the book. As an in-joke unlikely to be caught by those unaware of the online fandom, I guess that was an okay decision.

The fine print at the start of the book says “Heroes” is the prelude to the Secret Freedom Fighter arc, currently playing out in “Sonic Universe.” Never mind that we were two issues into that story by the time this book came out. In their first in-continuity appearance, the Secret Freedom Fighters accomplish more than they have thus far in their own story. They make short work of the new Metal series robots Robotnik deploys. Larry's bad luck generation actually comes in handy, destroying two EggSWATS. Moreover, they actually act in a stealthy manner, helping out Team Freedom without alerting them to their presence. You'd think Flynn would've led with this, instead of having this issue come out after the “Universe” arc started.

After taking a one issue break and letting Jamal Peppers draw things, Steven Butler is back on penciling duties. Once again, I'm partial to Butler's work. His action is great. His character work is expressive and detailed. It's all good stuff. The second half of “Heroes” is much stronger than the first, managing to balance character development and action better. It also includes the Secret Freedom Fighters in a way that's far less distracting. Good on you, Flynn. [7/10]

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]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 237

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 237
Publication Date: May 2012

After thinking on it some more, I've realized another problem I have with Ian Flynn's decision to split up the remaining Freedom Fighters into two separate teams last issue: It's something the book has essentially already done. After “Endgame,” when the Knothole crew was in a time of strife, Sonic and Tails packed up, jumped on an airplane, and decided to fly around the world.

While the circumstances are very different, the Team Fighter concept is very similar. Sonic and Tails are uprooting themselves from the area when they're needed the most. While the World Tour story arc had its purpose – showing how Sonic's world has changed post-”Endgame” – as far as I can tell, there's really no reason for the main crew to go around the world now.

The uninspiredly entitled “Loyalty,”  with the egregiously italicized subtitle “The Right to Rule,” has the newly formed Team Fighter heading back to the Mysterious Cat Country. As the Death Egg floats overhead, Eggman sends Mecha-Sally to destabilize the region. The Freedom Fighter-turn-robot snatches both Lupe and Queen Hathor, causing suspicion to sneak into the uneasy peace between the two groups. Sonic, Tails, and Amy arrive at just the right time, in order to prevent war from breaking out again.

While I'm still burned about Flynn sending the characters on this adventure, I will admit that returning to the Mysterious Cat Country isn't a bad idea. First off, it's always nice to see Lupe and the Wolf Pack. As one of the oldest and most iconic supporting characters in the Archie-verse, seeing these cast members is a treat. Moreover, the conflict between the Wolf Pack and the Felidae has been mined to solid results in the past. The root of the conflict, that neither side is exactly wrong and that their peace is always precarious, makes for good drama. By building all of “Loyalty” around that premise, that Sonic and friends are trying to prevent war from unjustifiably breaking out, lends this issue some tension. Even if the issue itself is mostly set-up and a few uninspired action sequences.

Up to this point, Mecha-Sally's threat level has been more symbolic than anything else. Just the sight of  the Freedom Fighters' leader being turned into a weaponized, robot slave was startling enough. Here in issue 237, we see that Mecha-Sally is dangerous not just because she's a really powerful robot. Turns out Mecha-Sally maintains Sally's skills as a strategist. Grabbing Lupe and Hathor separately, knowing both sides will blame the other and war will begin again, is entirely her idea. That's a nice touch, making her an intellectual threat too.

There's also another ulterior motive behind traveling to this corner of Mobius. Sonic, Tails, and Amy arrive at the Wolf Pack's base just as Lobo is deliberating what to do. The trio realize that if they bring Lupe back before Lobo and the other's finish talking out the next course of action, they can prevent further violence. Two of the young Wolf Pack members, Leeta and Lyco, decide to tag along with Team Freedom. Apparently, the twin sisters want to travel anyway. All of this is setting up Leeta and Lyco's inclusion in the upcoming Secret Freedom Fighters “Sonic Universe” arc.

Why Flynn would highlight these two very obscure characters – yes, I had forgotten about them by this point too – is something I still haven't quite figured out. Maybe he just wanted more female representation? Either way, the sisters don't do too much this issue besides walk around with machetes and dodge some laser fire.

In the back pages we get “Heart to Heart.” The story begins with Mina the Mongoose heading into Freedom HQ. She's there to apologize personally to Nicole, who has retreated further following Antoine falling into a coma and Bunnie leaving the city. Mina and the A.I. have a heart to heart – oh yeah, like the title – and eventually put their differences aside. Then Harvey Who busts in and asks Nicole for a favor, because Flynn just wants you guys to get hyped for the Secret Freedom Fighter arc coming soon in “Sonic Universe” so fucking bad.

My big problem with “Heart to Heart” is that its emotions just aren't earned. There's individual good moments here. Nicole typing out simple text on-screen, talking about the friends she's lost recently, is still effectively stark and sad. However, I just don't buy Mina's apology here. She never really says she's sorry for raging against Nicole in the first place. She says she didn't mean to incite this exact reaction among Mobotropolis population. Which sounds to me like she's trying to shift the blame. Because, as far as I can recall, Mina was pretty specifically calling Nicole out at the start of all this. Then the story segues into Mina giving the depressed Nicole a pep-talk before yet another Harvey Who-related teaser, which further deflates a story lacking heart that desperately needed it.

So I'm not too sure what to think about this one. The cover story has a really good idea but is still more set-up than a fully satisfying story in its own right. The back-up has some fucking problems. At least the artwork is nice. Steven Butler is back for the cover story and does a great friggin' job. Yardley contributes some good work to the back-up. Hopefully all these plot points that Flynn are setting up pay off. [6.5/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 234

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 234
Publication Date: February 2012

Antoine is prominently placed on the cover of issue 234 and there's good reason for that. “Unthinkable,” 234's cover story, begins with Elias and his family preparing to be escorted out of Mobotropolis. Following Naugus' rise to the family, the royal family no longer feels welcomed. As they pile into the Mobo-Cruiser – first time in a while we've seen that – the Freedom Fighters gather around as their personal bodyguards. But Eggman is ready, his Death Egg looming in the sky above. He sends a small army of Egg-Swats, led by Mecha Sally and a Metal Sonic, to ambush the motorcade. Elias and his family get to safety but the Freedom Fighters pay a horrible cost.

As far as “Sonic the Hedgehog” comics go, “Unthinkable” is a very tense action story. The stakes seem higher than ever, with the future of the monarchy and our four-color friends hanging in the balance. There's actually something ominous about the way the Death Egg appears in the sky, dropping enemy shoulders. Maybe things feel so serious because the Freedom Fighters get their asses kick. The newly weaponized and even more powerful Mecha Sally completely catches them off-guard. The Tornado is destroyed, yet again. Bunnie is still adapting to her newly wholly organic state, which means the Freedom Fighter is down one of their strongest members. Things escalate as more and more enemy robots converge on the location, the hero's feeling genuinely overwhelmed.

Another reason this conflict feels more weighty than usual might be due to the extra emotional weight. The Freedom Fighters are still not use to their beloved Princess being a killer robot enslaved by their greatest enemy. Mecha Sally is cruel and efficient, slicing through enemies with wrist-mounted laser swords. (An addition Flynn would keep after the reboot undid everything else.) As Mecha Sonic did, she also retains just enough of her normal personality to make her robotic state even more shocking. Such as when, in a nice touch, Flynn has her quote SatAM classic “Sonic's Nightmare,” by asking Sonic where he was when the brain's where passed out. At this point, Mecha Sally is still a shocking development and the book is using her excellently.

Usually, the comics open with a brief narration box, introducing readers to the comic's world. This issue is a little different. It opens with an excerpt from Antoine's journal, talking about the days' events. This is a memorable approach, giving us a look into the mind of one of the most complex Freedom Fighters. He continues to express annoyance at the direction the kingdom and his wife's current state has taken but remains optimistic about his friends. About how besides them is always an honor. This is especially poignant considering what happens near the end of the issue.

Because this is the issue where Antoine dies. I mean, sort of. When Robotnik orders an about-to-self-destruct Metal Sonic to attach itself to Elias' Mobo-Cruiser, Antoine races over on a hover board, grabs the robot, pulls him away, and receives the full brunt of the explosion. In a shocking series of panels, he's tossed to the ground in a heap. Bunnie cradles his body and begins screaming wildly. Sonic is stunned and silenced, forced to do a very rare thing: Stand still. It's a shocking, powerful event. As originally planned, it was meant to be Antoine's death. Flynn ultimately just put him in a coma instead, realizing fans would be royally pissed if he killed one of the book's most beloved character. (And the whole ordeal ended up being unresolved because of the reboot.) If Antoine really had died here, it's a heroic and weighty death, one worthy of him.

Helping sell this serious moment is some excellent artwork from Steven Butler. His more humanoid features on the furries look a little odd, especially Mecha Sally's weirdly shapely robo-hips. But when the book needs serious mood and grit, Butler can provide it. Eggman looks especially intimidating aboard the Death Egg. The panels devoted to Antoine's sacrifice are obviously the most important. You feel the impact of the blast leap off the page, before Butler pulls back, showing Antoine's lifeless body bouncing across the battlefield, his sword landing in the ground. Which leads to a panel of Bunnie, watching horrified, the panel around her crumbling as she watches her love be fatally wounded. It's great stuff. Butler even manages to make the somewhat silly Egg-Swat design – a combination of Robotnik's old SWATBots and the sillier Egg Pawns from the Sega games – actually kind of intimidating.

Next up in the back pages is “Dark Hearts.” The story takes place slightly before the cover story. Naugus uses his staff to contact Eggman. He promises to give the doctor some intel in exchange for further information. Naugus realizes that this Robotnik is not technically the same one he knew and asks to hear the former Robo-Robotnik's previous encounters with the presumably identical version of Naugus that existed in his dimension. Eggman happily tells him, describing a brief adventure in the Zone of Silence. Naugus, in return, informs him about Elias' caravan leaving that day.

“Dark Hearts” mostly exists to inform us of two things. First off, no, despite what he's said, Naugus is not putting his villainous past behind him now that he's king. He's colluding with the enemy to help assassinate the former ruler, and apparently doing so behind St. John's back. The story is also here to inform new readers of Eggman's convoluted origins. Beyond that, “Dark Hearts” is devoted to a mildly amusing encounter between the classic SatAM version of Robotnik and all of Naugus' various weirdos. And there is a certain degree of novelty in seeing that Robotnik again after so many years. Mostly, it's worth reading for Ben Bates' artwork. Bates has fun with the Zone's fantastical world and Naugus' bitching crystal throne.

I remember having pretty mixed thoughts about this issue and the surrounding story arcs when it was new. I mostly remember feeling like my heart was being jerked around, watching these characters I love get tortured by fate. In hindsight, and mostly because the reboot I didn't know about then is just around the corner, this issue plays a lot better. Yes, it's an emotional gut punch but it's not done cheaply or simply for shock value. In fact, the emotional weight of this story makes it one of the best in a while and an early contender for best of 2012. [8/10]