Princess Sally (Mini-Series): Issue 1

 
Princess Sally (Mini-Series): Issue 1
Publication Date: February 1995

These days, Princess Sally is relegated to an obscure corner of the “Sonic” fandom, composed of devotees to the comics, folks still holding a candle for “SatAM,” and hardcore furries. Most people dismiss her in favor of the damnable Amy Rose, the inferior pre-fab Sonic love interest. That makes it hard to imagine a time when Sally was probably the fourth most important Sonic character. Though Amy Rose was introduced in America in 1993, the character wouldn’t truly go over for quite some time. For many years, Sally was the female lead of the Sonic franchise.

Sega was so determined to popularize Sally that they even commissioned Archie to launch a three issue mini-series about her. (This is according to Dan Drazen, the original grumpy old man of the Sonic fandom, anyway.) Ken Penders and Mike Kanterovich, who had already done a lot of work with the character, were selected as the writers. Their initial pitch involved Sally discovering an underground civilization of roboticized Mobians, led by her mother, Queen Alicia. This idea was scrapped, either by Sega or Archie, late enough in the game that promos in the magazine gave us a peak at the cover art designed for the original story. The final comic would go in a totally different direction.

“Deadliest of the Species” Part 1 begins with a short recap of the back-up story from “Sonic” Issue 20. Sally and Geoffrey St. John barely escape a SWATBot ambush, exploding the factory at the last minute. In the woods, the Princess regroups with her team of back-up Freedom Fighters. She reveals the plan to them: Robotropolis is protected by an on-ground defense system. The team’s objective is to knock out the three energy stations that provide power to the system. The first was destroyed in the opening scene. The team marches into the second, facing great danger.

I actually really like the first issue of “Princess Sally.” It’s a straight-forward action story with propulsive pacing that doesn’t pause for much else. We begin with action, with Sally and Geoffrey firing back at SWATBots. Quickly, the team is inside the second station, Sally tossing a grenade inside, decimating hordes of SWATBots. A pair of giant Orb-Bots (thankfully unrelated to Orbot) appear and merely take the team down. Quick thinking on Sally’s part destroys the first one while the other falls into a ravine, like a stupid asshole. The tone is so similar to an action movie, that the characters even drop cheesy one-liners like “SWATBots always going to pieces!” or “Looks like fall came a little bit early!” Those are pretty painful, though it’s better if you imagine Arnold Schwarzenegger saying them. Mostly, “Princess Sally” #1 is so focused on pushing its story ahead, that there’s not even much time for tortured Penders-iffic dialogue.

Another element the story accomplishes is successfully introducing a new batch of characters. Geoffrey St. John would remain a divisive figures among Sonic fans, with people calling him everything from annoying to a rapist. If he comes off as slightly sleazy, that’s because he was probably suppose to. In my head, anyway, he sounds a lot like Bond-era Sean Connery. He works well enough in this story. He makes for a decent foil for Sally, trading amusing battlefield banter with her. His antagonistic attitude with the other Freedom Fighters also works well. Though Geoffrey and Hamlin act like pricks to each other for little to no reason, these scenes help cast doubts on Geoffrey’s alliances. It makes him a slightly ambiguous character, one we’re not totally sure we can trust. It adds some complexity to what is otherwise a simple story.

(This issue doesn’t give much space to the other Freedom Fighters. Hamlin is hot-headed, Dylan seems young, Arlo and Penelope aren’t even that developed. But I like them anyway. They’re colorful and interesting and shows us that there’s more to the Freedom Fighters then what we’re used to seeing.)

That ambiguity is important. Half-way through the issue, Sally is suddenly wearing a purple vest, instead of her usual blue. This is a sign that something is amiss. The story ends with an atmospheric set of dialogue-free pages – more excellent work from Art Mawhinney – that shows something is definitely up with Sally and Geoffrey. What exactly is going on will be revealed in the rest of the mini-series. But it’s a good hook to take us out on, guaranteeing that readers will grab up the next issue.

Exciting action, a fun cast of characters, great artwork, and a story that doesn’t mess around combines to make “Deadliest of the Species” Part 1 an early Archie gem. The only reason it doesn’t get a nine is for only being the first part of the story and for how stupid that one Orb-Bot was. How does one miss a canyon right in front of them? Stupid robot. [8/10]

THE 1994 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG COMIC BEST/WORST LIST!

  

Boy, 1994 went by as fast as a video game hedgehog, didn’t it? Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” series grew a lot in its second year. The central cast had their personalities further established. The first of many one-shot specials were published. Most importantly, the book began to move away from the silliness of the earliest stories, creating more dramatic and focused plots. While not the best year for the comic, the series started to get a lot better.

The issues covered in this retrospective are:

Sonic the Hedgehog: #9-#20
Sonic the Hedgehog: In Your Face

BEST COVER STORY:
Angelo DeCesare, “That’s the Spirit” (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 20)

As I mentioned in my review, “That’s the Spirit” is a favorite of mine from childhood. I can’t tell you how many times I read this story as a kid. I’m happy to say that it holds up pretty well. Yeah, there’s still plenty of the silly humor and broad sight-gags you associate with this era of the comic’s history. Yet DeCesare was trying to get at some real truth here. The Freedom Fighters believe Sonic has died and their grief plays out in (generally) realistic ways. That kernel of emotional truth – along with a decent gimmick, of Sonic believing himself to be a ghost – helps elevate what would otherwise be a typical story.

WORST COVER STORY:
Angelo DeCesare, “Rockin’ the ‘Bot” (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 15)

As in 1993, the same writer wrote both the best and worst cover stories of the year. “Rockin’ the ‘Bot” features DeCesare’s worst habits as a writer. The set-up, of Sonic rescuing a talking frog who then gifts him with several magical stones, is inane. The story has one reoccurring gag, where Sonic mixes up which gem does what, that it repeats for fourteen pages. Since Robotnik attacks the heroes inside a bug-shaped robot, the story is also laced with the laziest puns possible. Without being out-right terrible, “Rockin’ the ‘Bot” is still as stock-parts as a Sonic story could be at this point.

BEST BACK STORY:
Mike Kanterovich and Ken Penders, “Sally’s Crusade – Part Two: In the Still of the Night” (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 18)

“In the Still of the Night” is not just the best back story of 1994 but one of the best stories to ever appear in the comic, period. Sally witnesses the death of her teacher, Julayla. The flash-backs that follows give us a peak into the Princess’ past without loosing sight of what’s at stake in the present. This is the first time we’ve met Julayla but the script gives her passing relevance. The story also concludes with one of the best Sonic/Sally moments, as the hedgehog consoles his teammate as the night fades into morning. The result is a story that keeps building on this universe while making time for some honest and touching emotion.

WORST BACK STORY:
Mike Kanterovich and Ken Penders, “What’s the Big Idea?” (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 15)

I swear I don’t plan this but, twice in a row, the worst cover story and worst back story appeared in the same book. While “In the Still of the Night” showed what Penders and Kenterovich would do with these characters, “What’s the Big Idea?” shows the same writers limiting the personalities of the cast. A series of silly gags that attempt to give insight into the characters’ heads, the story comes up short, not getting any laughs or providing much information about the cast.

BEST STORY ARC:
Sally’s Crusade – Mike Kanterovich and Ken Penders (Sonic the Hedgehog 17-18, Sonic the Hedgehog: In Your Face)

Like many future Penders-penned story lines, “Sally’s Crusade” starts strongly before dissolving disappointingly in the back end. While “The Quest,” appearing in the “In Your Face” special, was an underwhelming fetch quest with some lame monster fights, the first two parts of “Sally’s Crusade” stand out. The first part, “First Star I See Tonight,” has Sally reflecting on her past and potential romantic partners before discovering Nicole. As already discussed, “In the Still of the Night” was surprisingly powerful and emotional. These two stories show that, when the writers bothered to explore the characters’ minds, this comic could rise above its status as a cheap book designed to sell video games.

WORST STORY ARC:
The Anti-Sonic Stories – Mike Kanterovich and Ken Penders (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 11, Sonic the Hedgheog: Issue 19)

Truthfully, neither of these stories are that bad. Issue 19’s “Night of 1000 Sonics” wastes a boat load of potential, features some sloppy exposition, weak Robotnik characterization, and some goofy slapstick. Issue 11’s “The Good, the Bad, and the Hedgehog” isn’t much more than a ramble between Sonic and his evil counterpart. However, neither story really does much with the Mirror Universe concept. The number of pop culture references both stories feature suggest Penders and Kanterovich were really phoning it in with these two.

BEST COVER ART:
Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 20 – Dave Manak

We’re right on the edge of Spaz taking over cover art duty from Dave Manak, which would be a massive improvement. While leading with Manak’s sometimes jagged artwork wasn’t always the best idea, issue 20 has an undeniably eye-catching cover. Sally, Tails, and Rotor all weep while kneeling before a memorial statue of Sonic. The emotion on the heroes’ faces count for a lot and the sight fo Sonic’s grave stone is certainly striking.

WORST COVER ART:
Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 12 – Dave Manak

For most of the comic’s first two years, it was rare for the cover art to relate to the stories inside the book. Usually, it was another silly sight gag, commenting on Sonic’s speed or his perceived superior coolness. Issue 12 has one of the lamer sight gags, with Sonic’s super-fast piano playing setting the musical instrument ablaze and Sally commenting on his speed. Worst than that, both Sonic and Sally seem slightly off-model. It’s not Manak’s best work.

BEST STORY ART:
Art Mawhinney: “Deadliest of the Species: Prologue” (Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 20)

Art Mawhinney, probably the definitive “Sonic” artist of the series’ early years, did a lot of great work in 1994. However, my favorite of his stories is this one, the prologue to the “Princess Sally” mini-series. There’s very little dialogue in this one, the story instead relying on Mawhinney’s steady pencils. Set at night, with Sally sneaking into and destroying one of Robotnik’s base, there’s some great action, clever perspective shots, and a moody use of shadow and moon light.

WORST STORY ART:
Dave Manak, “Do-It-Yourself Sonic” (Sonic the Hedgheog: Issue 14)

As I’ve said many times before, Dave Manak’s artwork can be shaky even on a good day. “Do-It-Yourself Sonic” was a silly idea to begin with, the dialogue balloons left empty so fans could submit their own words. Manak’s pencils are fairly weak. Robotnik and Crabmeat look silly inside the submarine’s cramp compartments. The action is stiff, with Sonic and Tails clumsily sailing away from the attacker. There’s a general lack of continuity between the panels. It’s not too hot.

BEST NEW CHARACTER:
Knuckles the Echidna

What other choice was there? Up until the introduction of Shadow the Hedgehog, Knuckles the Echidna was the second most popular character in the “Sonic” franchise for years. His sole appearance in 1994 doesn’t give Knuckles too much to do. It does, however, establish the broad strokes of his personality: Brass, likes to rumble, doesn’t chuckle, gullible. In times, Knuckles would develop some nuances and subtleties of his own, perhaps even surpassing Sonic in terms of complexity. All of that is a while off but, even in his first appearance, it’s obvious that Knuckles has lots of potential.

WORST NEW CHARACTERS:
The Nerbs

Oh, fuck these guys. Visually patterned after the then-stereotypes of “nerds,” the Nerbs are obnoxious, spending their entire story being massive assholes to our heroes. That makes it difficult to care about their lives being threaten. If they had been drown, I wouldn’t have missed them. Unsurprisingly, the Nerbs would be forgotten by most everyone immediately after their debut issue.


BEST IDEA:
Accepting death.

You’ll notice the two best stories of 1994 have something in common: Death. Julayla dies in the one story and everyone believes Sonic has died in the other. You wouldn’t expect a comic book about a cartoon hedgehog who runs fast to approach such a topic. Furthermore, you wouldn’t expect either story to be pretty good. Yet death is something everybody has to deal with, even cartoon hedgehogs, and approaching the grim subject makes a wild universe seem more human, more personable.

WORST IDEA:
So many Sonics!

I don’t dislike the Anti-Sonic concept. However, an evil double of the hero from an alternate universe where good is evil and evil is good was not a novel idea in 1994. Spinning these concept off into a whole multi-verse of bizarre Sonic variations – ranging from Surfer Dude Sonic to Magician Sonic – was not the best decision. It seems Archie was operating under the logic that, if readers love one Sonic, they’ll love a hundred! This logic was flawed.

Sonic the Hedeghog: Issue 20

 
Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 20
Publication Date: December 1994

Issue 20 of Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” series holds a special place in my heart. I loved this issue as a kid. A few of my childhood issues are missing their covers simply because I didn’t take the best care of my comics when I was really young. Issue 20 is in tatters because I couldn’t stop reading it. I can recall one time when my older sister, in order to annoy and upset me, threw this comic behind the couch. I don’t know why Issue 20 resonated with me so much. I’ll attempt to parse out why below. This comic isn’t responsible for fanning my love of Sonic but it definitely kept the flames going.

  
Sonic and Sally rush into a Robotropolis factory – in a way not totally dissimilar to SatAM’s opening sequence – in order to destroy the doctor’s new Anti-Matter Machine. The machine ends up being a ruse. The metal door slams shut behind Sally, trapping Sonic inside. When he applies the bomb to the device, he thinks he has plenty of time to escape. He doesn’t. The bomb explodes, the factory is destroyed, and Sonic seemingly goes with it. The Freedom Fighters can’t mourn for too long. In their grief, they plot a suicide mission to take down Robotnik. Sonic, however, isn’t dead. The Anti-Matter device has only made him non-corporal and invisible. Will he be able to return to the land of the living before his friends seal their own fates?
 

“That’s the Spirit” isn’t without the silly excesses common to this era of Sonic. The memorial statue carved for Sonic is very comical looking. In order to prove to himself that he’s not dead, Sonic jumps on a very confused moose’s back. While still ghost-like, Sonic haunts Robotnik, commanding the dictator to get a hairpiece and loose weight, a gag the comic follows through on. However, the story is surprisingly serious for something coming from the pen of Angelo DeCesare. The Freedom Fighters each mourn for Sonic in their own ways. Sally alternates between tears and anger. Antoine goes into muted shock. Tails refuses to believe that his idol is dead… Until Sonic discovers a note the fox left for him, that outright confirms that Tails’ knows he has passed. It’s all pretty heavy stuff for what was basically still a kid’s comic at the time.

Maybe that’s why this issue resonated with me so much. It’s very rare that children’s media deals with death. It’s a topic that most adults don’t want to share with kids. However, as a young person, I was morbidly fascinated with death. I used to consider the details of my own funeral constantly. The death of bad guys in Disney cartoons and action movies were always the parts of movies I paid the most attention too. I have no doubt that this morbid interest is why I would become such a horror movie nut later in life. To see Sonic the Hedgehog flirt with death, to see his friends mourn, to see how they move on without him… It was powerful stuff for me, at the time.

 
For the most part, the story holds up surprisingly well. For it’s first half, it’s very focused on the effect Sonic’s death has on his friends and enemies. As the climax of the story approaches, the tale inevitably gets sillier. Robotnik plans to scoop up Sonic and his friends with a bird-shaped robot, for some reason. The way this plan is thwarted, with Sonic taunting the villain from the afterlife, is pretty silly. The effects of the Anti-Matter device wear off in time, which definitely drains some of the tension from the story. Dave Manak’s art is also very board and loose. Unlike many of the other Sonic artists, Manak’s stuff never really evolved.

Number 20 remains a very well-rounded issue. The back-up story is also strongly recommended. “Deadliest of the Species: Prologue” is exactly that, a prologue to the Princess Sally mini-series that would be debuting soon afterwards. Yes, kids, Princess Sally was once popular enough for Archie to greenlight a mini-series starring her. What’s notable about “Prologue” is how there’s very little dialogue for its first few pages. In some of Art Mawhinney’s most moody and distinctive artwork, we see Sally sneak into a Robotnik compound, destroy a SWATBot, hack a computer, and activate the building’s self-destruct command. (This seems to draw attention to a fact frequently overlooked: The Freedom Fighters are basically terrorists. Trade out the robots for people and see how obvious that becomes.) The countdown to the explosion ticks under the bottom of the panels, giving a great idea of tension. Sally is met by Geoffrey St. John, a character equal parts intriguing and infuriating. And it ends on a hell of a cliffhanger too, Sally being targeted by a surviving SWATBot.

Though only the start of a larger story, the prologue of “Deadliest of the Species” is still pretty great, showing how dramatic and impressive this series could be when working in top form. The artwork is wonderful and Penders’ writing is relatively unobtrusive. He definitely should have done more stories with little-to-no dialogue.

Issue 20 is a nostalgic favorite that holds up pretty well. I’m happy to say this is one of my favorite issues of the entire run. [9/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 19

 
Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 19
Publication Date: November 1994

Issue 19 of Archie’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” series was one I wondered about for a long time before I ever actually read it. You see, back in the day, I didn’t have a subscription. I had to depend on local bookstores or friends at my near-by comic shop to provide me with the issues. Usually, I did fine by this method. Occasionally, I would miss one. Issue 19 was one such issue. I saw the preview in Issue 18 and the “In Your Face” special and was intrigued by the cover. A whole issue of different Sonics from different alternate universes? Wow! Eventually, I saved enough money direct order this one and a few other back-issues I missed. The issue didn’t exactly live up to my expectations but it’s still not all that bad.

Sonic and friends’ journey through a pale green field is interrupted when a giant portal opens up in the sky. A half-cybernetic Sonic from an alternate dimension falls through. This Terminator-esque Sonic explains that, in his universe, Robotnik robotocized the Freedom Fighters. This only made them super-strong cyborg. So the dictator robotocized himself, crushing the resistance. Thus, the Cyborg-Sonic fled across the multi-verse looking for other Sonics to team up with. Sonic Prime does exactly this, gathering an army of alternate Sonics. Robo-Robotnik deceives the group, tricking them into grabbing the last piece he needs for his super-weapon.

“Night of 1,000 Sonics” is a silly Sonic story that thinks it’s a serious Sonic story. It revisited the multi-verse concept Penders spat out in Issue 11. I’ll admit, I’ve always liked the Anti-Mobius crew and, under the pen of Ian Flynn, they would become a truly interesting collection of characters. “Night of 1,000 Sonics” is wackier then that and not as focused. Mostly, the first half of the story is devoted to introducing an army of bizarre and goofy Sonic variants. After Robo-Robotnik springs into action, the hedgehogs and Robotnik Prime form an uncertain truce. Robotnik’s thought is that no one – not even an alternate universe version of himself – is allowed to conquer the universe but him. Sadly, the story doesn’t do much with this idea. You’d expect Robotnik to betray the collection of Sonics. Though this is hinted at, it never happens. By the second half of the story, the entire truce idea is forgotten.

That said, the second half of the story is more compelling. First off, Art Mawhinney’s sturdy work takes over for Dave Manak’s shakier art. Secondly, the latter half is more action-oriented. The Sonics travel to the Neutral Zone, a part of the multi-verse that is in black-and-white. Anti-Sonic shows up, leading to another scuffle. Finally, Robo-Robotnik completes the Giant Borg. Despite being the ultimate weapon, the Giant Borg is also easily defeated whenever it would appear. Here, all of the numerous Sonics pool their resources, destroying the machine with one giant spin dash. Silly, simplistic, and not very dramatically sound, but sort of fun anyway.

Issue 19 also seems unusually obsessed with reader-interaction gimmicks. Four goddamn times, the fourth wall is broken and the reader is call upon to perform silly task. First, we’re asked to pick out how many different Sonics there are in a crowd scene. When the armies of SWATBots and Shadow Bots cancel each other out, we’re asked to cut out and glue the severed pieces together in fun and new combinations. During the black and white section, we’re asked to color the pages. Finally, when the Giant Borg is defeated, we’re asked to find a bunch of random items in the chaos, Look-N-Find style. Did the comic ever seriously expect anyone to do this? I mean, even when you’re primarily readership is kids, surely even they weren’t expected to cut up their comics? Archie in the nineties was weird.

Anyway, this is a dumb but still kind of fun issue. [6/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: In Your Face

 Sonic the Hedgehog: In Your Face
Publication Date: October 1994

I may be remembering things wrong. From the beginning, I’ve been saying that Issues 17 and 18 were my first “Sonic the Hedgehog” comic. Thumbing through “Sonic the Hedgehog: In Your Face,” huge waves of nostalgia washed over me. Maybe this one-shot special was actually my first “Sonic” comic? If it wasn’t the first, it was a very early issue for me. The bizarrely named “In Your Face” – the title doesn’t reflect anything in the story other then the hedgehog hero’s general ‘tude – was the first 48-page “special.” Archie would publish these on a roughly quarterly basis for about two years until the tradition was folded into the “Sonic Super Special” series. Most comic companies publish quarterly double-length issues of their biggest characters without much fanfare. Archie, however, always made these one-shots feel like events. They were Giant Sized 48 Paged Collector’s Editions, you guys! Today, I recognize this as the savvy, cheesy gimmick it is. As a kid, it totally got me. I treasured the one-shots more then the regular issues. They were specials and I treated them as such.

Despite Sonic getting top-billing, “In Your Face” actually begins with a story primarily revolving around Sally. “The Quest” concludes the Sally-centric backstories Penders had been sneaking into the main Sonic comics for a while. Despite sparring with Sonic in slightly Jason Voorhees-esque protective gear, Sally is distracted. Julayla’s recent passing and the mysterious orb that fell from the sky still weigh heavily on her mind. Julayla willed Sally all of her possessions, which include the Princess’ trademark blue vest and a mysterious treasure map. Later that night, Sally is awoken by the orb. Inside is a handheld computer that calls itself Nicole. Julayla’s map leads the Freedom Fighters on a journey into the Forbidden Zone, a perilous piece of Mobian land filled with monsters.

After the two very good shorts that proceeded, “The Quest” is a little bit of a disappointment. It does finally bring Nicole, the last major SatAM cast member yet to be added, into the comics. The early scene of Sally going over Julayla’s possessions is touching, if slightly hampered by typically stiff Penders’ dialogue. Once the titular quest gets going, the story looks like it’s evolving into a bad-ass team on a mission tale. However, Bunnie, Antoine, and Tails mostly just stand back while Sonic and Sally trash SWATBots. Bunnie and Antoine actually do nothing throughout this story. You’d think Bunnie’s super-strength and Antoine’s swordsmanship would come in handy.

 
The encounters with the three monsters are all slightly anticlimactic. The giant purple Cyclops (which Sonic refers to as a “one-eyed monster” without a hint of irony) is defeated by standing still. The only time Tails makes himself useful is when he pulls a sword from a stone. This, for barely defined reasons, causes the Griffin to fall down dead. The two-headed dragon is defeated with some circular logic puzzle on Sally’s behalf. And what’s the secret treasure Julayla hid within a cave full of monsters, for some reason? A piece of paper saying “To Thine Self Be True.” Seems like a lot of effort for that. Because it’s not done defusing tension any, “The Quest” ends with a flash-forward to the distant future where Sally and Sonic have married, had kids, defeated Robotnik, rescued King Acorn, and restored peace to the land. This revelation not only spoils some suspense but it also provides a convoluted origin for Nicole. You see, Nicole was actually invented in the future and sent into the past. This is a fact that would be largely forgotten over the years. (About the only thing I like about the Post-252 rebooted universe is Flynn simply making Nicole the invention of a present-day scientist. That’s way more simple.)

It’s a bummer “The Quest” is a bit of a dud. Art Mawhinney’s artwork is, once again, excellent. The more of his stuff I see, the more I realize how much his pencils defined how Sonic and his cast look in my mind. Unfortunately, the story really lacks a sense of forward movement. It seems to exist to build up the mythology Penders was only starting to build and boost Sally’s character, despite her not really needing it. A story about Sonic and friends fighting a bunch of monsters really should’ve been a lot better.

The second story, “The Mirror Zone,” isn’t worth discussing much if not for one thing. The story only takes up two pages. Sonic and Tails chase a SWATBot into a parallel dimension – Mobius is crawling with parallel dimensions – where everything is backwards. Basically, the two-pager is another silly attempt to get fans involved. You’re supposed to read the pages in front of a mirror. What makes this one notable is the artist. Patrick “Spaz” Spaziante contributes the pencils. Spaz would soon move on to doing cover art for the series, which he would do for years. His highly stylized character work, incredibly dynamic action sequences, and anime-esque energy would also largely define the look and feel of the series.

The final story is a silly if fun short revolving Tails. (Archie pushed Sally and Tails very hard in the early years of the comic. Both characters would headline their own mini-series within the next year.) Tails is invited to a local convention for Sonic fans, full of nerds arguing about shit. While wildly exaggerating an encounter he had with a frog, Robotnik attacks the con, incensed that there’s an entire convention devoted to his enemy. Tails has to leap into action, outsmart the villain and save the innocence.

Though it’s unlikely, “Tails’ Tallest Tale” is maybe my favorite story out of this one-shot. Scott Shaw’s artwork has been sorely missed. It’s cartoony and exaggerated without being rough and jagged, like Dave Manak’s stuff. The plot is silly without being ridiculous and actually functions as a fairly cute little adventure. It also allows some more character development for Tails. His budding genius is shown in the way he outsmarts Robotnik. The convention location also allows for some good-natured jabs at comic fandom. I even like Posey Possum, the earliest love interest the comic would introduce for Tails. Disappointingly, she would never be seen again, not even as an in-joke. It’s a fun little story and shows how much better the comic has already gotten at balancing goof-ball comedy and more serious issues.

I wouldn’t normally comment on this but, in the SonicGrams, someone sent in a new character. Like most fan-created Sonic character, it’s an awful idea. Trigger is gimmicky, being a pirate, and obviously grimdark, wielding a gun and being a crack shot. (At least he’s not a brightly colored hedgehog.) I suspect the character was based off the writer’s dog. Instead of ignoring this like they would most fan ideas, Archie saw fit to draw a little illustration of Trigger. Weird. Let’s see Flynn fit in a reference to that one!

As for "In Your Face," the art work is nice but only one of the three stories contained within are very exciting. [6.5/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 18

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 18
Publication Date: October 1994

Back in 1994, I had never heard the term “shipping.” I had no idea that there were people on the internet intensely passionate about the romantic lives of fictional characters, even when the pairings had little to no foundation in the original text. I didn’t know about this but, in my own way, I was already a shipper. As a kid, I shipped Sonic/Sally in a serious way. It’s not like I came up with that on my own. There were plenty of hints in the “Sonic the Hedgehog” cartoon, whether it be the belligerent sexual tension between the two or the peck on the cheek Sally gave Sonic in every opening sequence. The comic ran with this even more, frequently teasing a serious romantic attraction between the two. When Ken Penders came on the comic, he especially pushed Sally and Sonic’s romantic attraction. Right there on the cover of Issue 18, there was the two of them, seemingly getting married. Since this was one of the first Sonic comics I ever owned, that blew me away.

Of course, that cover image is more then a little misleading. The first story, “Wedding Bell Blues” runs with it. The Freedom Fighters appear to be preparing for Sonic and Sally’s wedding day, despite both of them being teenagers. The news even trickles back to Robotnik. Disinterested in letting this union go forward, the robotic tyrant crashes the ceremony, sending a whole fleet of killer robots with him. This, it turns out, was exactly what Sonic and friends planned. The wedding was a stunt, designed to draw Robotnik out.

So, yeah, Sonic and Sally were never going to get married, at least not yet. (These days, SEGA explicitly forbids any sort of romance between their characters, because SEGA is a wet blanket.) However, issue 18 does build upon the mythology in little ways. More of Robotnik’s badniks are on display then ever before. Moto Bug, Slicer, Roller, and Bat Brain all put in prominent appearances. Robotropis is looking more and more correct every day. Knotholle Village was suggested last time and, this time, we actually see a whole community of Mobians hiding out in the forest. The other Freedom Fighters aren’t given much to do but everyone is present.

Another thing to like about “Wedding Bell Blues” is that it’s not focused on silly puns. Oh, there’s plenty of them. Sonic rips off a SWATBot’s arm, prompting the machine to say he’s “unarmed.” That’s just one example. That’s not where the story’s focus is. The entire second half of this one is devoted to action. When Robotnik and his army of machines invade the church, Sonic swings into action. We get six solid pages of Sonic wrecking robot shit, tearing through metal and smashing bots. Sally gets in on it too, dropping the curtain on Robotnik. There’s no real threat here but getting to see Sonic be such a pure bad ass was definitely a fan-friendly sight at the time.

As in Issue 17, only the first story carries on in the comic’s usual goofball tone. The back-up story, “In the Still of the Night,” continues Sally’s adventure from the last issue. Rotor and the other Freedom Fighters continue to experiment upon the mysterious orb, still unable to crack its secrets. Meanwhile, Sally is called away by Rosie, her nanny. Sally’s childhood teacher Julayla, who taught her everything she knows, is on her death bed. Teacher and student have one more heart-to-heart before she passes.

So this is a serious change of pace. Up to this point in the comic, death was an unheard concept. Robots would be smashed and the villains would threaten the heroes’ lives but nothing was very serious. Here, not only does Sally face death but it is the death of a loved one. The story does a rather clever thing. Sally and Julayla’s conversation makes the reader privy to more of the character’s back story. Here’s why Sally is such a bad ass, it says, because she was trained in all this shit from her childhood. However, this is more then just exposition, though it does feature some of Penders’ tin-eared dialogue. Instead, the story is rooted in emotion. The panel of Sally alone by Julayla’s bed, after her passing, is quietly effective. The memories of her childhood, of dancing with Sonic as a kid or weeping as her father’s kingdom fell, also resonate emotionally. The final page is composed of Sally sitting up at dawn, still processing her mentor’s passing. Sonic greets her and tells her “Tonight is almost yesterday and there are many more tomorrows ahead.” Would Sonic actually say that? I’m not sure. Is it a surprisingly touching note to take the story out on? Yep.

See guys, Penders wasn’t always bad! “Wedding Bell Blues” is a goofy if mildly exciting bit of fun. “In the Still of the Night” is one of the legendary Archie Sonic stories, showing what the medium was capable of and how this version of Sonic was distinct from all the others. I’m hesitant to say it but, what the hell, I’ll say it anyway: This is an early classic from the series’ history. [8/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 17

Sonic the Hedgehog: Issue 17
Publication Date: September 1994

And so we come to my very first issue of Archie’s Sonic the Hedgehog. In my introduction to this project, I explained how I discovered the series – My sister’s boyfriend at the time brought them over from his comic shop job – so I won’t bore you with nostalgic details. Let’s just say that this issue, and many of the ones we'll be discussing in the near future, I have thumbed through more times then I can imagine. Stepping away from childhood memories, Issue 17 shows the two identities the comic had at the time. The first story is a goofy, lame joke-filled bit of comedic nonsense. The backup story could have easily come right out of an episode of SatAM.

As you probably guessed from the title, the main story is a spoof of King Kong. Robotnik has been absent for a few weeks, a change that hasn’t gone unnoticed by the Freedom Fighters. Turns out, he’s been searching Skoal Island for his earliest creation: A giant, yellow, mechanical ape named, for some inexplicable reason, King Gong. After apprehending the ape, Robotnik immediately goes about training him to kill the hedgehog. Things don’t go quite according to plan and King Gong instead develops an infatuation with Princess Sally.

It’s a silly story. If you hadn’t guessed by now, this is another one from the pens of Mike Kanterovich and Ken Penders. An aspect that characterized the teams’ work is present and accounted for here. That is pop culture reference likely to fly over the heads of anyone reading this comic back in the day. Aside from all the obvious “King Kong” references, the story also references the Universal Studios’ version of “Frankenstein,” “Gorillas in the Mist,” “Home Improvement,” and Pavlov’s dogs. Reading this story as a kid, I definitely hadn’t seen “King Kong” yet but, like everyone else, had adsorbed the broad strokes version of the story through pop culture osmosis. And that’s exactly what this is, the broadest of silly parodies, following the thinnest outline of the original. Giant ape is found on island, giant ape kidnaps woman, giant ape climbs tall structure, giant ape is shot down by biplane(s) and falls to his death. Never mind that tall structures are not exactly common on Mobius.

As a story, it’s not that funny. Even as a kid, I knew it wasn’t funny. My comedic palette was far from developed in 1994 but I could still tell this shit was corny as hell. Instead, I read the comics impulsively because Sonic and his friends were in it. Issue 17 definitely delivers on that. This is the most the comic has emulated SatAM thus far. Over the last month, Snively has slowly become a regular presence in the stories. Last issue, Sally finally became a redhead. And now the Freedom Fighters have finally moved out of Freedom HQ and into Knothole Village, though we barely see any of it. An element taken from the games, Tails’ bi-plane, also puts in an appearance, after its last appearance in Issue 14. Now if only the comic hadn’t, once again, forgotten about Bunnie being a cast member… These little moments of recognition is what you have to settle for in a story about King Gong.

Speaking of elements from the cartoon making it into the comic! The back-up story is much better and far more serious in tone. It’s a brief four-pager, also written by Penders and Kanterovich. In it, Sally wishes upon a flower, thinking about her childhood in golden Mobotropolis, before seeing a mysterious orb falling from the sky. The object is cold to the touch and very unusual indeed.

That’s all there is to this one yet something about it resonates. Sally’s memories establish for the first time what was lost when Robotnik took over. We see her playing with a young Sonic and spending time with her father only briefly but it reinforces what’s at stake. Sally hasn’t mentioned her missing dad since the original mini-series and it’s nice to see the comic reference that again. As for the mysterious orb, we now know that’s NICOLE, another valuable supporting character taken from SatAM. The comic doesn’t tell us this. Instead, this story is – gasp! – an example of serialization, of introducing elements that will be built upon later, creating an on-going story and a richer universe. Soon, my dear readers, soon.

Dave Manak’s artwork in the first story is broad and cartoony, matching the tone. Art Mawhinney’s artwork in the second story is rich and dark, some of his best work so far, emphasizing the sadness Sally feels when thinking about her father and the isolation of the night scene. That back-up story boosts the rating for the entire comic and gives us a peek of things soon to come. [7/10]