Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 172

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 172
Publication Date: February 2007

After wrapping up his first year on the book with another major event, Ian Flynn decided to do smaller, slower stories for the first half of 2007. Even as the comic approached another milestone issue, Flynn's focus was on the characters. Last time, he finally gave Shadow the Hedgehog some much needed development. Issue 172, meanwhile, finally gives Fiona the Fox a purpose in the comic's universe. The back-up story, meanwhile, gives some more much-needed insight into Amy Rose's personality. Granted, even a slower issue is still full of speedy action. This is a “Sonic the Hedgehog” comic, after all.

After wandering what she's been up to for a few issues, Sonic finally tracks down Fiona the Fox. Tails and Amy Rose have concerns about the girl, believing her to be a traitor that is fraternizing with Scourge the Hedgehog. After Sonic and Tails confront the vixen with this information, she confirms it as true. Scourge and Fiona are an item and, together, they conspire to ruin Sonic's nice day.

Fiona the Fox has never been a very well developed character in the “Sonic” verse. Originally introduced as Tails' (robotic and evil) love interest, Ken would later reveal that an organic Fiona existed. For poorly defined reasons, Karl Bollers would make Fiona an official Freedom Fighter during the “Home” story arc. Despite this decision, Karl never had much of an idea about what to do with Fiona. She acted as the team's field medic but never showed much personality. Later, Penders would depict Sonic and Fiona as dating, despite a total lack of chemistry between them. Ian has been trying to correct this problem since joining the book. He's given peaks into Fiona's history, portraying her as someone atoning for a checkered past.

With 172's “Truth from the Heart,” Flynn finally finds a purpose for Fiona. He makes her evil. This transition to the dark side is solidified when she smacks Tails across the face, shattering his heart. Yet I've always felt Fiona's transformation into Scourge's moll was disappointing. Instead of running with the idea that the fox feels shame for his prior misdeeds, Flynn just made her a bad girl. This sinks the Sonic/Fiona ship, which I'm fine with. It's not like the book had a lack of female cast members. Fiona was always a rough, probably unnecessary fit for the Freedom Fighters. Making her Scourge's partner-in-crime seems to sink Fiona's character development as well. In the long run, it was a good decision, giving this long wandering character a purpose. But I wonder about what might have been.

Even while “Truth from the Heart” sells out Fiona, it also gives us some insight into the other characters. After getting smacked across the face by his crush, Tails tells Sonic that he feels awful. Which is a nice, vulnerable moment from the sidekick. Archie Comics would successfully shift Amy Rose from an indistinct girly-girl to a warrior woman driven by her passions. So, when she discovers Fiona's treachery, she leaps in with hammer swinging, ready to kick ass. Cause you don't hurt the hedgehog Amy loves, not unless you want to get beaten. Most tantalizingly, we get a peak into Scourge's brain. Sonic attempts to reach the villain, pointing out that Scourge has the potential for good. Even though the former Anti-Sonic is a totally amoral sociopath, this line still gives the villain pause. It's an interesting moment.

Still, “Truth from the Heart” is primarily an action story. We open with a great series of panels of Amy swinging her hammer at Fiona. Tracy Yardley delivers some really cool angles here, of Fiona dodging around the pink hedgehog's swings. When Scourge enters the fray, the fight escalates. A cool moment has the two hedgehogs bouncing around a rock and a tree. Both of which get smashed to pieces. The action is well done enough that it's disappointing when “Truth from the Heart” ends with both parties just deciding to walk away, the fighting done for this day.

The back-up story, “Worth the Effort,” also focuses on Amy Rose while bringing Julie-Su back to the forefront. Amy has asked the former Dark Legionnaire to train her. As she's especially sleepy that day, Amy isn't at full strength. Ultimately, the two females have a heart-to-heart about the men in their lives. Amy opens up, revealing that she wants to get stronger and better at combat... In order to catch Sonic's attention.

As I mentioned earlier, Amy Rose became a way more interesting character when the comic focused on her aptitude for smashing shit with her hammer. Her original characterization – Sonic's fawning fan girl, obsessed with the hero to almost creepy levels – wasn't very interesting to me. Not just because I'm a die hard Sonic/Sally guy but because the book didn't need another inactive young character. Yet Ian Flynn, devoted to melding Sega continuity with Archie's universe, found an interesting way to combine these two aspects. Amy Rose has become a tougher, more capable, independent character expressly because she wants Sonic to notice her. So this let's up keep robot smashin' Amy while acknowledging that the Sonic-obsessed Sega Amy is still in there. It's a good compromise.

“Worth the Effort” also brings Julie-Su back into the fold, who we haven't seen in a while. While Tania del Rio's artwork is still a little off, as she makes the characters a little too lanky, I do love how strong, sexy, and confident her version of Julie-Su is. Seeing the echidna easily bests Amy confirms what we already know: That Julie-Su is the baddest bitch around and you do not want to fuck with her. Yet the story also gives us some insight into Julie-Su's world. That Knuckles is the only man she's comfortable exposing her softer side to. Which is such a sweet reveal that I wish Knuckles had a bigger role in this story, aside from a cameo at the very end.

While I have some issues with what Flynn would do with Fiona, 172 is still a pretty good edition of “Sonic the Hedgehog.” The action is solid, the story continues to move forward, but the writer respects the characters and their personalities. Sonic and Scourge won't be able to beat on each other for much longer without it getting old but we haven't reached that point just yet. The cover story concludes with Antoine melodramatically deciding to make a big decision. It's a pretty obvious misdirect from what he actually plans on doing but I appreciate Flynn's attempt to mold a cliffhanger. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 161

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 161
Publication Date: April 2006

The cover for issue 161 proclaims that a new kid is in town. Of course, it's referring to Scourge the Hedgehog, a revamped version of Anti-Sonic that would become a genuine adversary to the heroes and be quite popular with readers. Yet the cover can't help but have two meanings. With their first issue, Ian Flynn and Tracy Yardley had already established that they knew what they were doing. They were shaking things up and improving the book. Nobody would've guessed that they would still be working on the comic a decade later. The new kid in town was destined to stay.

The second part of “Birthday Bash” begins with a cute double panel, showing Sonic and the newly minted Scourge sharing some thoughts. By Freedom HQ, Sonic and Shadow fight with CroctoBot, deemed an unimpressive threat by the hedgehog. Using the Master Emerald, Scourge teleports to Sonic. After briefly teaming up to destroy CroctoBot, Sonic, Scourge, and Shadow begin their fight. Though the scuffle doesn't last long, it's clear that more confrontations are forthcoming.

A theme throughout Ian's first year as head writer would be reorganizing the series, which meant cutting elements that nobody much liked and improving on other ideas that were underdeveloped.  Issue 161 accomplishes some of those goals in a roundabout way. Firstly, it puts Locke in his place. Anti-Sonic becomes Scourge and immediately lays the smack down on Knuckles' dad. Narrative wise, this proves that Scourge is a genuine threat, since Locke was besting Shadow just a few issues ago. But these panels also features one of Flynn's new characters beating the shit out of Ken Penders' self-insert. It's hard to imagine Ken ever allowing Locke's clock to be cleaned so thoroughly. And it's totally satisfying to see, since the old man was always insufferably smug. It also makes Ian's mission statement as head writer abundantly clear.

To a much lesser degree, another element of the comic's previous writing regime also gets dealt with. While Locke was an important character to the comic's mythology – probably too important – there probably wasn't much fan interest in Crocbot and Octobot. So Ian combines them into CroctoBot and immediately kills him off, with the trio of hedgehogs quickly reducing him to pieces. Before that, he makes sure Sonic almost passes out from laughing at the mechanical mash-up. A giant, robotic crocodile/octopus would probably be terrifying in real life but Sonic – and, by extension, Flynn – isn't much impressed. I actually sort of liked Crocbot and Octobot but even I wasn't upset about their destruction.

In truth, so much of “Birthday Bash” is devoted to Sonic mocking CroctoBot and Scourge establishing how tough he is, that the title fight seems sidelined. Having Sonic immediately form a truce with Scourge makes him seem a little less tough, even if he reneges just as quickly. The fight between the three hedgehogs only last three pages. Mostly, it proves once again that Scourge is an even match for Sonic and Shadow. While the action scenes are pretty compelling – I like the panel of Scourge shoving Sonic's face into the dirt – I wish we got a little more of this stuff. The action heavy focus ends up pushing Shadow and Rouge to the margins of the story.

I've read these books before so I know Ian will turn his attention to the Freedom Fighters soon enough. It is, however, a little disappointing that Sally and the gang have so little to do in this two-parter. They scuffle briefly with Scourge and Rouge but mostly stand back and watch the fight. The only Freedom Fighter that gets much attention is Fiona. There's an interesting collection of panels where Bean and Bark flee Freedom HQ. They ask Fiona if she's coming with them and, when she answers in the negative, question her commitment to the cause. This stuff is so interesting – Fiona not knowing if she's cut-out to be a hero – that Ian's upcoming decision to have her go fully over to the dark side becomes retroactively disappointing.

The fighting continues in the back pages. In the second half of “Sonic Rush,” Blaze and Sonic duke it out for a while. The cat's fire manipulation abilities makes her a challenge for Sonic but he subdues her after applying a little strategy. Afterwards, Blaze informs Sonic that she's not that bad, drops a few ominous words, and then disappears, leaving Sonic and the readers a little confused.

After a promising first half, “Sonic Rush” quickly dissolves into the game promo it was meant to be. Sonic and Blaze fight, he uses an oxygen-sucking tornado to beat her, and then she disappears. That's about it, as any relation to the game mythology is quickly rushed through in dialogue. I guess I prefer a brief two-parter over a series derailing adaptation but it's clear that Archie just didn't have time to incorporate the events of the video game into their comic. Which might explain why Blaze the Cat wouldn't appear for a while following this first appearance. All of which is somewhat disappointing, as Blaze made an impression this time. We're going to see more of her but it'll be a bit.

The script is slightly disappointing but the artwork remains solid. The humor Yardley naturally brings to the series is well utilized in the cover story. Sonic's reaction to CroctoBot makes the story. Yardley's sense of action is strong too, as Scourge's fight with Locke and the duel between Scourge and Shadow is pulled off well. I also like a few stray panels, showing Amy Rose's confusion or Fiona's self doubt. As for the back-up, Tania del Rio backslides slightly. Blaze or Sonic look a little too stiff in a few panels. Yet it's still not a bad looking comic, with everyone staying on model, and del Rio's shows a decent grasp of action.

After really blowing the doors off with his first issue, Ian's grasp slips slightly in his second go around. Maybe I was expecting too much. Starting his run with a relatively low stakes two-parter was no doubt intentional on his part. Sally and the gang, Scourge, Fiona, Rouge, Shadow, and the rest will be getting their due time soon enough. Just seeing Sonic have fun after so much misery is worthwhile, I'll admit. It's light but still action packed. And, instead of stagnating, the comic's world is evolving once again. That counts for a whole lot. [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 160

 

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 160
Publication Date: March 2006

I remember the first time I read issue 160 of Archie's “Sonic the Hedgehog.” A friend and I had zipped by our local comic shop on the way to a social function. As I opened the cover on the latest edition of “Sonic,” seated on the passenger side, I expected another disappointing issue like so many I had read recently. Instead, the script was funny, rewarding, and treated the characters I care about with respect. Instead of the ugly, tired, harsh pencils of Ron Lim, the artwork was colorful, lively, and expressive. In the decade since, my thoughts on Ian Flynn and Tracy Yardley's long run on the title are less unanimous but, at the time, there's no doubting their work was a revelation. Life had been breathed back into the series I used to love so much.

Flynn would begin his long run with a simple two-parter. “Birthday Bash” begins with King Elias leading Sonic back to Freedom HQ, which has long fallen into disuse. Inside, the core Freedom Fighter team – oh yeah, plus Fiona Fox – have thrown the hedgehog a surprise party. The festivities are short-lived as Robotnik sends two new agents, Bean the Duck and Bark the Bear, to attack the heroes. When they fail, he drops a new creation outside Sonic's doorstep. It's CrotoBot, a combination of two relics from the “Tails” mini-series: Crocbot and Octobot. Meanwhile, Rouge and Anti-Sonic are up to no good on Angel Island, until Locke interrupts and forces a change in the morally bankrupt hedgehog.

Refreshingly, Ian didn't perform a blank slate reboot. Instead, he directly plays off the events that just happened. This is because, as I would soon discover, Flynn is a life-long fan. (He even used to write a popular fan comic - “Other M” - which I had heard of but never read.) He would devote most of his first year on the book to fixing the mess the previous writers left. This work began immediately in “Birthday Bash.” The first page resolves Sonic's lingering frustration with King Elias over the Metal Sonic Trooper incident, ending with the King promising it'll never happen again. Flynn even brings back Freedom HQ, a location that has been out of the books for a long-ass time. He refocuses on the central team of Sonic and his friends, providing a much needed center. From the beginning, the new writer showed he was familiar with the comic's long history and was determined to respect it.

Flynn's knowledge of Sonic canon extends beyond the comic. In “Birthday Bash,” he introduces two obscure bits of Sega lore into the comic. Bean the Duck and Bark the Bear first appeared in “Sonic the Fighter.” That was an obscure, 3D-style arcade game that attempted to give the “Sonic” brand the “Virtua Fighter” treatment but received little attention in the states. Since then, Bean and Bark have never appeared in another Sega game and only made scattered cameos throughout the comic. Flynn turns Bean and Bark into full-fledged characters. Despite being a mercenary, Bean has a child-like mind prone to making ridiculous statements and an obsession with shiny things. Bark is more of a physical threat and never speaks. The characters bring a fresh energy to the issue. Flynn would manage to take Bean and Bark from obscure footnotes to fan favorites. It's easy to see why.

Yet the new creative team also sought to build up some established characters that were poorly used by the previous staff. Ian immediately works on giving Fiona Fox an actual personality. She expresses misgivings about her past. Her attraction to Sonic is based on his willingness to forgive her. In a handful of panels, Ian did more to establish Sonic and Fiona's romance then Ken and Karl did over half a dozen issues. Later, Shadow appears to personally thank Sonic for saving Hope's life last time while establishing that the two aren't exactly friends either. This show of humanity also fleshes out Shadow's personality, making him more then a grim, ultra-powerful rival to the hero.

Out of all the mismanaged plot points that came and went from the book in 2005, Anti-Sonic visiting Mobius again was one of the more grabastic. Even during his better moments – pretending to be Sonic so he could get laid easily wasn't one of them – Anti-Sonic was always more nuisance than threat. Flynn decided to turn the doppelganger into a real supervillain. While aboard Angel Island, he immediately betrays Rouge. This breaks up the union he formed with the bat, which is fine. Rouge is mischievous, not amoral, and her team-up with Evil Sonic never made much sense. After Locke interrupts what we can assume was Anti-Sonic's super transformation, the hedgehog's fur is dyed green. The Guardians' spiked knuckles leaves a nasty scar across his chest. On the issue's final page, Anti-Sonic is changed into Scourge the Hedgehog, a more devious, actually dangerous character. Like many of Flynn's other additions, Scourge would also become a fan favorite.

It all works so well. The story has an even pacing and flow. Character moments are balanced with action beats, giving us a reason to actually care about these people and who they are fighting. It's steeped in the history of the series but seems to determined to move forward. Instead of just bumbling through what was available, Ian was actually attempting to put together satisfying stories with the available elements. The comic's quality was always uneven but, since the “Sonic Adventure” adaptation – six years before this issue came out – the series had been on an especially bumpy path. Now Ian was leading us with a steamroller, smoothing everything out, providing a satisfying, enjoyable read for what felt like the first time in forever.

With that gangbuster of a cover story, you'd be forgiven for forgetting about the back-up. “Sonic Rush” is another story from Tania del Rio, which adapts the Sega game of the same name. It concerns Blaze the Cat, a pink cat from another dimension who has come to Mobius seeking the Sol Gems. Blaze is quickly cornered by some SWATBots. She takes down a few but still gets captured. Sonic is informed that some action happened outside Knothole and decides to track down the culprit. Just as he finds Blaze, captured for studying by Robotnik's forces, the feline displays her furious pyrokinetic abilities.

I have never played “Sonic Rush” because I never had a Nintendo DS. I'm not much of a handheld guy and the duel-screen gimmick didn't impress me. However, I wasn't shocked to hear that the game was pretty good. While Sega's console games were starting to fall apart, the “Sonic Advance” series maintained a surprisingly consistent level of quality. The point is I don't have the affection for Blaze the Cat that many Sonic fans do. Having said that, the character makes a decent premiere here. She's got a mission, involving more mystic MacGuffins that I can't be bothered to care about. However, I like her toughness. She takes out a couple SWATBots with ease and later unleashes a fire storm, an impressive visual. Del Rio's script moves at a decent pace, making the first part of “Sonic Rush” a decent read.

Another reason issue 160 seemed like such a breath of fresh air at the time is the artwork. Holy cow, here's a Sonic comic that doesn't look like shit! That's what it felt like at the time. In retrospect, even during the worst years, artists like Steven Butler and James Fry were contributing solid work to the series. It wasn't all Ron Lim bullshit. Yet Tracy Yardley's entrance on the series provided Archie's “Sonic”-verse with a clear, refreshing aesthetics. Yardley's work is cartoony but not loose. The lines are crisp and clean. The action has an energy to it. Best of all, Yardley has a gift for expressions. The characters' faces really come alive. Even the back-up story looks pretty good. Tania del Rio's previous pencils were slightly off but you can tell she's been practicing. “Sonic Rush” looks solid. 

I remember loving these comics when they were new but wondered if Flynn's initial run on the book would hold up. Well, it sure looks that way. For the first time in a long time, after years of atrophy, the comic would be worth reading again. At the time, it felt fucking magical, as if an eighty year old man on the verge of death suddenly started breakdancing. Now, it's still a quality comic book. I'm actually excited by this project again. [8/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 151

(Yes, I've read the news today: Archie's "Sonic the Hedgehog" comics have officially been canceled. Since I've already eulogized the book on this blog, I don't have too much say. Click over to the Hedgehogs Can't Swim Tumblr for my latest thoughts about this development.)

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 151
Publication Date: July 2005

There’s no getting around this one: Evil Sonic switching places with his heroic counterpart primarily so he could get his dick wet is one of the worst premises for a “Sonic” story Archie would ever publish. It’s certainly one of the most embarrassing. But here’s how bad things were for the book in 2005: This is actually one of the year’s more readable arcs. Especially coming off the epic suck-fest that was “The Good, the Bad, and the Unknown,” even something as lame as Anti-Sonic’s philandering ways reads as entertaining. Let’s dissect this one a little further, shall we?

Last issue concluded with a horny Anti-Sonic getting a look at Ms. Fanservice Rouge and immediately deciding he needed a slice of that. The bat falls for the line that Sonic knows his way around the Floating Island. The two high tail it for the Chaos Chamber. While Rouge distracts Locke by making out with him, Anti-Sonic sneaks towards the Master Emerald. There, the real Sonic confronts him. The hero hedgehog defeated the Anti-Freedom Fighters in the Mirror Universe and talked them into sending him home. Inevitably, bad guy and hero trade blows. Guess who wins?

“Chaos Emeralds Are Forever” – yeah, that’s another Bond reference from Penders that barely connects – doesn’t do much with its premise. Wouldn’t it have been cool to see Sonic do the same thing to Anti-Sonic’s gang that the evil copy did to his? Sneak among them and manipulate the others towards his goal? (A story about how the evil double’s selfish actions affect the real deal would be nice too.) Instead, Sonic quickly reveals his true identity and goes about stomping the Freedom Fighters’ bad equivalents. Which, by the way, include an Anti-Bunnie, a character previously unseen.

Yet at least good ol’ action is worth a little more then undercooked soap opera antics. I know it was Evil Sonic that the previous issue focused on but, after seeing a blue hedgehog act like such a tool, this issue’s opening sequence – where the Anti-Freedom Fighters beat the shit out of Sonic – is somewhat cathartic. That opening barrage also causes the good hog to turn the tables on his attackers to be a little more satisfying. Sonic’s headbutts, flips, and discombobulating cyclone spins are old tricks but there’s something to be said for that. Half the fight also features him in just his socks, which is sort of funny.

Annoyingly, the story dangles a conclusion to the similar plot concerning Antione before ignoring it. During his fight with the reverse Mobians, we see Antoine’s thoughts bubbles, commenting on how he’s been living in his doppleganger’s place. You’d think this would set up the real Antoine’s return to Mobius. Instead, Sonic cold cocks the coyote and leaves him where he lands. It would be a few more issue before the book got around to resolving that one, even if the opportunity was right there.

The big conclusion is the Sonic-on-Sonic fight at the end. Again, you’d think this would be a good chance to do something mildly clever. What if we were watching a fight where we weren’t sure who the hero was? That would be interesting! Instead, Ken identifies which Sonic is which with some typically thudding dialogue and a few visual clues. But, again, it’s not a bad fight. I’m especially fond of the panel of Evil Sonic doing a handstand into Regular Sonic’s face.

If Archie spent several of the year’s issues forcing Shadow into the book, it seems there was some weird mandate to include Rouge the Bat in this one. Her role in the story is negligible. She essentially gets Evil Sonic onto Angel Island, so that fight can commence. (Of course, there’s no reason that showdown had to take place in the Chaos Chamber.) Otherwise, Rouge’s subplot is vague at best, the character’s objective getting pushed to the point of obscurity. I’m sticking with my theory that Penders wanted Locke to have a hot girlfriend. In this issue, the elderly echidna and the sexy bat get to second base, it appears. Rumor has it that Ken thought Rouge was a little closer to Locke’s age, though that still doesn’t change how kind of gross that particular pairing is.

After a cover story that gets a begrudging, barely passable recommendation from me, let’s move on to “Stargazing,” issue 151’s back-up feature. After awakening in the middle of the night, Princess Sally notices that Nicole’s screen is blank. She walks outside the castle to see a strangely dressed lynx looking up at the night skies. This, she soon discovers, is Nicole. After the computer got a taste of the fleshy life in issue 146’s “Circuit Me,” Nicole decided to create herself a hologram body that would allow her to interact with the physical world. Sadly, she only has the power to project the hologram for a short time. After Nicole’s Mobian form disappears, Sally is left stargazing all by herself.

“Stargazing” is a short tale that would, unexpectedly, end up being an important part of the Archie Sonic mythos. After years as simply Sally’s handheld computer, showing bits and pieces of personality at times, Nicole would soon graduate into a full-fledged characters. And it started here. “Stargazing,” written and drawn by Tania del Rio, is a sweet, quietly observant tale. Nicole’s appreciation for the simple things is touching, especially how it makes Sally regain that appreciation for the blessings she does have. I also like the story’ bittersweet tone. Nicole’s ability to project a body for herself, what it allows her to experience sensation, is wonderful. Yet it’s a short lived experience, giving it more meaning.

Art Mawhinney continues to draw the cover stories and does a pretty good job. The Anti-Freedom Fighters look fittingly comical in his style. While his Rouge still looks a little off, especially in her clashing “Sonic Heroes” outfit, Anti-Bunnie is a welcomed addition to this collection of rogues. As I mentioned, Tania del Rio draws “Stargazing.” del Rio was brought over from the then-anime inspired “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” book. It’s clear she doesn’t quite have a grasp on how to draw the “Sonic” cast. Sally and Nicole have similar, anime-esque eyes and faces, which is a bit off-putting. del Rio’s also gets Sally’s body proportions off several times. Still, it’s serviceable work and doesn’t distract from the story.

I guess “Stargazing” proves that there were a few worthwhile stories published in this book during 2005. The cover story in issue 151 is fairly weak yet I can’t entirely hate it, despite being a disposable plot over all. The back-up story is one of the more touching ones to be published in this book in quite some time. I don’t feel like figuring out what that would even out to, so I’ll split the score again. “Chaos Emeralds Are Forever” barely gets a [5/10.] “Stargazing” gets a [7/10.] I hate to do that but some times these things happens.