Knuckles: The Dark Legion: Issue 3

 
Knuckles: The Dark Legion: Issue 3
Publication Date: March 1997

“The Dark Legion” story arc concludes with the third issue, entitled “Blood is Thicker.” Picking up right where the last one left off, the Chaotix were about to be trampled by a stampede of people fleeing through the burning forest. With some quick thinking and utilization of the Chaotix’ abilities, Knuckles resolves that problem. His team then gets to work sneaking into the Legion’s lair, where Kragok and his men are about to steal the Island’s Chaos Emerald. Meanwhile, Locke and Archimedes watch from Haven, observing his son’s actions.

“Blood is Thicker” is a slightly disappointing but still mostly solid conclusion to the story line. "The Dark Legion" mini-series continues to be a straight-ahead action story. This story shows that Knuckles can be pretty smart under pressure. It also gives the other Chaotix more to do then just smash heads. Mighty stops the stampede with a down tree. Vector, meanwhile, blows out the fire by turning his headphones all the way up. Yeah, that’s ridiculous and awfully silly but at least it gives the crocodile something productive to do.

The disappointment comes into play when the story begins to repeat itself. Once again, Knuckles and friends try on some Dark Legion robes and sneak into the enemies’ base. This time, that base is a giant platform that rises out of the ground, without explanation. While it is satisfying to see Knuckles and his team beat up some bad guys and show off their individual abilities, the script definitely seems to be circling back to what it did previously.

Also disappointing is Locke’s involvement in the story. Penders has yet to make Locke an interesting character. Usually, he just sits back and observes his son’s adventures, seemingly disinterested in his plight. When Knuckles gets into a really tricky jam, Locke is also there to help him out, usually providing some totally implausible easy solution to Knuckles’ problem. Penders once again relies on that plot point. In this story, Locke calls on his secret Guardian chaos magic to make all of the Dark Legionnaire's guns freeze up. Seconds later, he causes the tower to fall apart. This is lazy writing, first off, the very definition of a deus ex machine. It also makes Knuckles and the Chaotix seem slightly incompetent. Couldn’t Charmy Bee or somebody sneaked off and found the Self-Destruct switch? Anything more elegant then Locke using his secret powers to make the building shake apart.

It’s also disappointing that Knuckles never gets a showdown with Kragok. The two scuffle for a minute, Knuckles putting the villain down briefly with an uppercut. After that, the bad guy escapes as his lair crumbles. Knuckles doesn’t even make sure the Chaotix have escaped safely before leaping from the joint himself. I get that the bad guy has to survive, so he can fight another day, but this mostly leaves “The Dark Legion” ending on a limp note. Once again, I wonder if three issues was enough space to tell the story Ken wanted to tell.

Luckily, the flashback elements remain fairly strong. Hundreds of years ago, a civil war broke out on the Floating Island, as the Dark Legion made its move. Steppenwolf comes off as practically a Christ figure here. A man is sent to assassinate him and he calmly talks the guy down. He then calmly marches into the Dark Legion HQ and confronts their leader. This is the juicy stuff, as Steppenwolf discovers that his beloved cousin Menniker has been controlling the Legion all along. It’s a potentially interesting point the book resolves too quickly. Steppenwolf spins his hands, performs some magic juju, and sucks the entirety of the Legion into an alternate universe. It’s kind of a dick move. Once again, I wonder if Ken is intentionally making the Guardians morally ambiguous or just doesn’t realize his heroes act like jerks. Giving someone absolute power to hand out punishments as he sees fit traditionally doesn’t end too well.

The artwork in the book is fairly solid and Manny Galan continues to do good work… For the most part. The first page features the same artwork of the stampeding locals, awkwardly shrunk down to fit in a smaller panel. Later, Espio goes slightly off-model. Still, Galan is talented. It’s clear that he was studying both Art Mawhinney and Spaz’ work. He has traits of both while bringing his own unique quirks to the table. (Such as really focusing on drawing mouths and teeth.) Speaking of Spaz, I should probably discuss his lovely cover art. When placed side-by-side, “The Dark Legion” mini-series forms a complete picture, a tactic Spaz would repeat over the course of the book’s run. It’s a neat image too, showing the past and present echoing within each other while featuring plenty of explosion.

By the end of “The Dark Legion,” it was already confirmed that a “Knuckles the Echidna” on-going book would be coming next. As a mini-series, it’s more satisfying then Knuckles’ first series and shows the characters developing stronger personalities and a stronger world. The last issue still falls victim to a lot of Penders’ annoying quirks but it’s, overall, not a bad read. [6.5/10]

Knuckles: The Dark Legion: Issue 2

Knuckles: The Dark Legion: Issue 2
Publication Date: February 1997

The second issue of the “Knuckles: The Dark Legion” mini-series continues the successful formula laid down by the first one. In the present, Knuckles and the Chaotix continue to sabotage the Dark Legion’s march across the Floating Island. In the past, we learn about what happened to Edmund, how Steppenwolf assume the mantle of Guardian, and how the fire ants became involved with the echidnas. However, the issue throws in a third, mostly superfluous plot. Archimedes teleports himself into Locke’s secret lair – revealed as Haven – and the two have a mysterious encounter with Athair, Locke’s grandfather.

That’s right, kids. There’s some mystic mumbo-jumbo clogging up what is otherwise a good story. Locke watches his son’s adventure, cold and distant. Knuckles’ dad has yet to prove himself all that useful, mostly just sitting back and observing while his kid risks death. Archimedes BAMFs in for no defined reason. Meanwhile, Athair appears in Haven. He and Locke snipe at each other, the younger echidna still pissed at his granddad for abandoning his post. The masks of the Ancient Walkers appear behind Athair, he says his arrival is important, and then he disappears, saying this has been a warning. As he vanishes, Locke cries out for him to clarify his point. The readers can sympathize. What was the meaning of all that, Athair? Wouldn’t it have been more constructive to tell them what you’re warning them about? Then again, I’m not an ancient mystic so maybe I don’t understand.

 
Besides that messiness, “Sins of the Fathers” is another solid issue. Though glimpsed last time, this issue helps define Kragok, the current leader of the Dark Legion. In a nice gesture, Penders remembers that Knuckles is supposed to be hot-headed. Right about when Kragok is ready to launch into a “We could rule together!” speech, Knuckles leaps across the desk and attempts to strangle him. Realizing there’s no point in pursuing this plan, Kragok instructs his henchmen to beat Knuckles to death. Unlike Enerjak, who boasted about his limitless power but came off as slightly ineffectual, Kragok doesn’t fuck around. He’s efficient.

He’s also completely fucking crazy. Later, while chasing Knuckles and the Chaotix through the forest, he decides to set the trees around him on fire, totally ambivalent to the collateral damage this will cause. After having at least two bad guys who claim to be powerful but don’t do much, it’s nice to see a villain that clearly, directly goes after his goal.

Kragok is after the Master Emerald, naturally, yet the back-story makes it clear that this is an older conflict. This is a centuries old blood feud, playing between two branches of the same family. The flashback sequences show that the Dark Legion have never been afraid to dirty their hands. While Edmund races to rescue his son, a Legionnaire sneaks up and shoots him in the head. (We don’t see a gaping head wound but we do see Edmund’s glasses, the right eyepiece shot out.)

These flashbacks also make it clear why the Fire Ants give a crap about the Guardians. Realizing the echidnas will fuck up the Island if left on their own, the Fire Ants agree to steward the Guardians, guiding them and teaching them. Christophelies, a ridiculously named ancestor of Archimedes, appears to Steppenwolf seconds after his father is slain. The Fire Ant teaches the echidna combat, science, magic, and reveals Haven to him… Because that whole “abandon advanced technology” thing apparently doesn’t apply to the Guardians. Anyway, it’s nice to see these points clarified and Penders handles it in a clear fashion.

As for the present story, it continues to bring the action and stays in a vaguely James Bond mode. Like a Bond villain, Kragok stupidly leaves his henchmen to finish off Knuckles. He quickly disarms the guys and, just as Bond did in “Dr. No,” slips on one of the enemies’ outfits. After freeing the Chaotix, Knuckles drops a tank on some Legionnaires hulling explosives, which then blows up in spectacular fashion. That’s a body count of five thus far, for those keeping track, showing that the “Knuckles” book was definitely going to be heavier then “Sonic.”

There’s a little bit of a cheat here. As Knuckles slips on a robe, he notes that all echidnas are about the same size. That’s convenient. Meanwhile, Vector the Crocodile continues to be entirely useless. While fleeing from the Dark Legion, he notes that his feet are tired and he wants to stop running. Penders continues to think that “It’s crunch time!” is a clever catchphrase for Knuckles. It’s not. Still, “Sins of the Fathers” runs smoothly, establishing the past, introducing a viable threat, and featuring more then enough action to satisfy. [7/10]

Knuckles: The Dark Legion: Issue 1

Knuckles: The Dark Legion: Issue 1
Publication Date: January 1997

Out of all the “Sonic” spin-offs Archie would test-drive in the mid-nineties, only one was popular enough to warrant a follow-up. The “Knuckles the Echidna” mini-series would produce a second three-issue mini called “Knuckles: The Dark Legion.” Before 1997 was over, these three comics would be rolled into an on-going “Knuckles the Echidna” series. Though far more short-lived then the “Sonic” book it sprang from, for a time the “Knuckles” series was better regarded then the main book. (These days, due to the Frightful Pendering, the opposite is true.) That Knuckles would get his own series isn’t shocking. For many years, he was easily Sonic’s most popular supporting cast member. Within the pages of this comic, Ken Penders and his team would latch a deep, complex mythology to Knuckles. For better or for worst.

“The Dark Legion” begins not long after Knuckles’ first solo adventure wrapped up. (How this ties into the “Knuckles Quest” story arc, I don’t know. Presumably, this takes place after it.) Knuckles and Archimedes are chillin’ on the island. This is interrupted by a salvo of tanks, floating platforms, robots, and black robe-clad villains breaking through the underbrush. Knuckles and the Chaotix attempt to defeat these newly appeared bad guys but still wind up captured. What Archimedes doesn’t tell Knux is that these men are the Dark Legion, a long thought vanished secret cabal of echidnas that embrace technology to tyrannical levels.

This first issue is entitled “Army of Darkness” and, sadly, Bruce Campbell is nowhere to be seen. In the past, Penders has felt the need to heap exposition on the reader, awkwardly explaining events that happened in the past. Even his flashbacks sometimes felt like info-dumps. “Army of Darkness” rather cleverly incorporates flash-backs into the main story. While Knuckles is tangoing with the Dark Legion in the present, we see the organization’s origins in sepia-colored pages. The book cleverly contrasts the events of the distant past with the present. As Dimitri angrily storms out of the meting with the echidna counsel, Knuckles angrily storms towards his mysterious new opponents. As Steppenwolf dodges laser fire from the Dark Legion, Vector does the same some four hundred years later. “Army of Darkness” is a straight-forward action story but, by criss-crossing back and forth in time, it makes it a more interesting read. At the very least, this is a more elegant way to give the readers’ backstory then a wall of text.

What’s interesting about the Dark Legion is that they aren’t totally wrong. After the defeat of Enerjak, the first Guardian Edmund decided that all echidna-kind most abandon technology. However, not every citizen was willing to do this. Part of the flashbacks are devoted to scenes of government enforcers entering private homes and taking people’s stuff. That’s kind of fucked up. Edmund points out that democracy has spoken on this matter but it still seems like a draconian, tyrannical step for a government to stand against its own people. No wonder a revolt would arise.

I’m not totally sure this complexity was intentional on Penders’ part. The Dark Legion are obviously bad guys. They meet in secret while wearing dark robes, looking like cultist in a seventies horror movie. When Steppenwolf investigates what’s going on, he is immediately shot at, a race above the city starting. Luckily, the story also adds a personal aspect to this conflict. The founder of the Dark Legion was Menniker, Dimitri’s son. He was there to witness his father’s death, shocked by what happened. This is almost a mission of personal revenge, rooted in all-too-real feelings of loss. Menniker and Steppenwolf are cousins and were best friends as kids. Seeing the family turn against itself is the kind of mythic storytelling the writers frequently aimed for and only sometimes got.

In the present, Knuckles is mostly busy smashing heads. But that’s okay too. The present portion of the story is a simple, captivating action adventure. Knuckles and Archimedes attempt to avoid detection by the Dark Legion, creating some okay tension. When he gathers the Chaotix, each team members use their special abilities to fight back against the attackers. Espio sneaks onto one of the floating saucers and disables the pilot. Mighty tosses Legionnaires around like bowling balls. Knuckles cracks lame puns and beats the shit out of people. Vector does nothing of importance while speaking in badly mangled hip-hop slang. And like the middle of a James Bond movie, the story ends with the heroes captured by the villains. Good stuff and good fun.

Last time we saw Manny Galan, in issue 46 of the “Sonic” book, his artwork had improved some. Here, Galan finally comes into his own as an artist. Everyone is on-model. The faces are expressive and memorable. The action is fluid and flowing. The panels are clear to follow. I like the Legionnaires looking like red faces inside their hoods. Unlike Ken Penders, Galan also knows how to visually distinguish each echidna. Even the random citizens in the flashback have their own visual personality. The lay-outs are still slightly bland but overall this is a good looking book.

Though it’s just starting, it seems like Knuckles’ mini-series got off to a much stronger start then his first. Let’s hope it can keep it up. [7/10]