Sonic Boom, Episode 1.49: Role Models

Sonic Boom, Episode 1.49: Role Models

Original Air Date: October 24th, 2015 

"Role Models" begins with the most typical of "Sonic Boom" scenarios: Eggman is terrorizing the village, causing the heroes to rush in and defeat him. This is apparently the millionth time Sonic and the others have saved the day, prompting Mayor Fink to give them awards. They are no longer mere heroes but role models to the public. This causes D.B. Platypus, an image consultant, to step in and coach Team Boom on proper heroic etiquette. His advice effects their ability to do their jobs, both in public and in their own home. 

"Role Models" engages in a debate that has been on-going for as long as people have been getting famous. What does a public figure owe the public? We're all human beings and everyone is flawed. Each of us have our vices and every person alive makes mistakes. Yet when someone is famous, so much of their life is a matter of public opinion. Now, everything a person does is scrutinized and, if they fail to live up to the public's standards for them, it can have disastrous results for their career. 

I mean, is that fair? I'm of the opinion that we really don't owe other people anything but common courtesy and human decency. Everybody screws up and public figures, whether they be movie stars or politicians, are under an enormous amount of pressure. At the same time, the debate that people trade privacy for fame isn't without some compelling points either. Moreover, someone admired by children probably should do their best to behave appropriately in public. I do think the powerful and influential have a certain responsibility to use their resources to make the world a less miserable place, as we all should. So it's a complex debate which deserves a nuanced response. 

Unsurprisingly, an eleven-minute cartoon designed for the seven-to-twelve crowd does not provide an especially deep reading of the role model debate. Instead, "Role Model" provides the strawliest of straw men for Sonic and the gang to bounce off of. D.B. Platypus is the most ridiculous kind of fuddy-duddy. He deems everything Sonic and the gang does objectionable. They literally can't walk out of a room without him issuing criticism. How they fight crime isn't the only thing that's effected. This guy even picks apart how they behave in their own home, policing how Amy and the others cook dinner. I don't think anyone would realistically – in so much that a realistic response is warranted – object to superheroes running to the disaster zone. D.B. expects Sonic and the others to walk at a gentle pace and in an orderly manner into action.

Naturally, this restricts their ability to be heroes immediately. D.B. wants Sonic to wear blunting sponges on his quills. He demands Amy and the others talk out their problems with a violent, unreasonable Eggman. Such a depiction comes dangerously close to weirdo, libertarian politics. It's a slippery slope from "the enforcers of public safety have to make risky decisions on the fly and can't be expected to follow polite orders one hundred percent of the time" to "we should let those in power do whatever they want, because they know better than us." Moreover, making so many of D.B.'s complaints petty, annoying, little nitpicks makes those who do object to the way hypothetical superheroes might conduct themselves seem unreasonable. This episode comes uncomfortably close, at times, to feeling like a screed against the "P.C. Police." That there's some nebulous force trying to keep us all from having fun in deference to a sense of public decorum. 

Like always, I'm overthinking it. I don't think Reid Harrison set out to write a manifesto against overly sensitive zoomers keeping him from cracking off-color jokes or whatever. Nor do I think he's arguing that those in power should do whatever they want, in the name of defending us. Yet I do think this episode probably would've been more compelling if D.B. Platypus wasn't such an annoying shithead. The constant sound of his whistle annoys Sonic and the gang and it annoys me too. His persnickety attitude is obnoxious, his voice is like nails on a chalkboard. Even his design, with his off-putting yellowish brown coloration and weird glasses that float in the middle of his face, is unappealing. 

As critical as I'm being of this episode – I swear, I'm less annoying than a platypus with a whistle – it does have a couple of good laughs. There is value in taking this idea, of "what if the gang had their heroics policed?," and extending it to its most absurd conclusion. When Eggman seems to actually get into the talking method D.B. has the team using, or ask the old man monkey to more politely repeat the news of incoming disaster, that made me laugh. Sticks quickly emerges as the best character here. Her natural suspicion of authority quickly has her bristling against the platypus' control freak rules. I've got to say the exchange between them of "Don't question me!" and "Why not?" got a big laugh out of me. 

The action scenes in "Boom" are always the weakest link but this episode's structure does give them a nice boost. First off, a barely changed version of the "Magnum P.I." theme song plays during the action scenes. And the "Magnum P.I." theme fucking rocks, so that adds some nice energy. Secondly, having the gang spend almost the whole episode constrained to a bunch of bullshit rules makes us anticipate them breaking loose again. When Sonic and the others rebel against the loathsome platypus, led by the naturally ungovernable Sticks, it's is very satisfying. 

If there's anything that's kind of weird about this episode, it's that Eggman feels pretty detached from the A-plot. This leads to a number of increasingly random gags starring the mad scientist. We discover he was nominated for a Grammy, a gold record displayed in his wall in what seems to be the synth genre. He later sings for the Mayor, resulting in an awkward pause. This proceeds a bit of him attempting to pole vault. These gags are so isolated that they start to feel a little like "Family Guy" manatee gags, which is never a flattering comparison. 

Also, the Mayor's statement at the episode's beginning that Team Sonic has saved the day a "million times" seems implausible. I counted the number of holes on the punch card he holds up and I only see 130! Typical lying politician. Also also, there's a pretty good joke about bread. Anyway, this episode has a premise that keeps it from being a lot funnier than it could've been, though I still laughed a handful of times. I guess that evens out. [6/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 61

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 61

Publication Date: June 7th, 2023

After six long months, IDW's "Sonic" comic finally concludes the "Urban Warfare" story arc. Eggman is confident in his victory as he has the heroes trapped in his tripod walking machine. Things take a turn for the worst when Sonic is trapped in the same pocket dimension device that snared the Diamond Cutters. Yet the power grid to Eggperial City has been successfully disrupted, freeing the team from this trap. At the same time, Silver gives Shadow the pep talk necessary for him to escape the artificial Chaos Emeralds. He does another Chaos Control, causing the city to overpower and explode. Will our heroes make it out in time? 

I criticized the previous issue for the way Evan Stanley wrapped up the proceeding cliffhanger in an almost nonsensical fashion. Tangle got tossed out of a skyscraper but survived the fall because she suddenly became intangible, for reasons that were not really satisfyingly explained. Unfortunately, Stanley relies on a similar, sloppy deus ex machina here, attempting to justify it with the story's extremely shaky science. When Sonic gets scooped up by the pocket dimension trap, that's a very dramatic moment. The book's title hero has been vanquished and the rest of the team is exposed to Eggman. Things are looking bleak!

How does Stanley get our guys out of this jam? It just... Kind of happens. Suddenly, without immediate explanation, Tangle is corporeal again. Eggman can touch and hold her. That's when Lanolin and Whisper casually walk into the panel. A page later, Tails drops a word balloon of chunky exposition, explaining that the city's computer systems being off-line has shifted everyone from the pocket dimension back into normal space. This means Sonic is also freed and he rushes into a panel a little further down the page in an equally unceremonious fashion.

You see what's wrong with this, right? Stanley created a very dramatic, very dire situation for the good guys... One so dire that she obviously could not think of a way for them to organically get out of it. Instead, she cooks up some totally off-panel bullshit that resolves the problem for the team. Through no actions of their own, the heroes escape the predicament and can then turn the tide on the baddie. It is, at best, awkward writing and, much more bluntly put, lazy writing. This is the kind of narrative cheating I expect from old-timey movie serials and Ken Penders, not from modern comic books. 

I've complained that this entire story arc was overly reliant on sketchily defined science-fiction concepts. That continues here. I still don't fully understand how the whole fake Chaos Emeralds that power the city thing works. I thought Eggperial City got its energy source by strip-mining the land under it? Yet the book continues to focus on the fake emeralds, making them a primary part of the climax here. I would say Eggman powering his latest super weapon with such a violative energy source was bad planning but that's pretty typical behavior for him. That doesn't make it good writing. Once again, a very serious threat is dismissed quickly and sloppily seemingly because the writers painted themselves into a corner. They needed a big-ass explosion at the end to destroy all of Eggperial City at once. Stanley cooked up some nonsensical plot device to provide just that.

And so, the day is saved by Shadow's fabulous, secret powers. I've bitched about this before but, truly, action sequences that rely solely on the character's various superpowers really bore me. It's not narratively dynamic! Instead of the heroes defeating the villains in natural ways that feel earned, they pull some fucking miracle out of their ass. This issue really leans heavily on that feeling. Shadow Chaos Controls the threat away twice. Lanolin's bell wispon thingy reveals an ability to crack open a window. Sonic does a big wind-up special move that finishes off Eggman's tripod. It's just not interesting to me. Have people resolve problems with strategy, with down-to-earth skills, not with some magic trick they pull out of a hat. 

Sonic doing the Fastball Special at the end is presumably meant to be a big, applause worthy action sequence to wrap things up with. Yet it feels a bit too little, too late to me. Earlier in the comic, after Sonic makes his re-entrance, he dramatically tells Eggman he's "taken this too far" and "you know what I'm gonna do next." The hedgehog then... Jumps out of a window, away from his archenemy. A few pages later, Metal Sonic grabs Sonic off a flying robot turtle. The two scuffle and Sonic kicks his robotic double away from him. He then half-ass quibs "Until next time, Metal" at his dismissed foe. 

It reminds me of the similarly disappointing "Recovery" arc from a while back, where Sonic just let Eggman fly away at the end after foiling his scheme. I know, this is a kids' comic that heavily relies on the trope of the big bad always escaping, so he can tango with the heroes another day. Yet Eggman getting away is different than Sonic letting Eggman get away. It totally undermines him saying some hard-ass shit to Eggman when he just runs off immediately afterwards. Come on, Sonic, gut-punch him first! Do something! 

I know he spin-dash the tripod shortly afterwards but it's still such a deflating sequence. Once again, I am left with this feeling that Sonic doesn't actually want to apprehend Eggman, to permanently put a stop to his devastating schemes. That he prefers minor short-term victories over actually winning the war. It makes the climax, where Eggman is seemingly left to die – or at least Chaos Controlled to parts unknown – as Eggperial City explodes, feel all the more out-of-balance. Sonic isn't willing to provide a long-term solution to the Eggman problem. He lets other people clean up the mess. And every time this comic starts to actually interrogate the fact that Sonic continually lets Eggman escape, to plot again and potentially endanger more lives further down the road, it backs off. 

Yet all of this just points towards this story arc's weird reluctance to actually commit to raised stakes. Tangle is dropped to her death but miraculously survives. The Diamond Cutters and Sonic are trapped but then escape off-screen. Brutal moments are immediately undermined. There's a badass panel where Eggman grabs Tangle and puts a fucking gun to her head. Before any consequences of this grim image play out, Whisper and Lanolin swoop in out of literally nowhere. Metal Sonic slams his palm right across Tails' nose and tosses him backwards, only to be swatted by Sonic a page later. Every time this issue finds a genuinely captivating moment, it pulls back just as quickly. 

Here's another example of how this issue continuously deflated itself: Shadow is imprisoned in the fake Chaos Emeralds and Silver simply tells him he's the Ultimate Lifeform, he can't give up. So... He doesn't. Shadow just stands up and decides to keep fighting. You're telling me Shadow could've ended this any time he wanted but he was too busy brooding like a moody teenager? What a fucking dork! Does Evan realize how ineffectual this makes Shadow look? At least have him restrained by the magic rocks or something! Don't just have him stand up and shrug it off! 

I guess it's clear that this issue really frustrated me. Have I got something good to say about it? Well, the art work is really good. Adam Bryce Thomas once again provides plenty of bold images. There's lots of eye-catching panels of heroes and villains lunging at each other.  Yet even then, some of these pages feel a bit overstuffed. There are a few pages where the panels are packed in, each one overloaded with info-filled word bubbles. It just furthers this feeling that this entire story arc has been all weighed down by too much exposition and needlessly crowded plotting. 

The entire "Urban Warfare" story arc has been very disappointing. Especially after the book came off such a strong story involving Surge and Kit. It makes this entire bloated, uneven storyline feel like a desperately assembled filler arc in between the shit we actually care about. Evan Stanley can do good work and has before in the past. Yet she's not at her best when relying on brute-force plotting, as she tends to fall back on messy structure and bullshitty technobabble. At least it's over now though. Hopefully the next arc – gratuitously set up by the last few pages here – is better. [5/10]

Sonic Boom, Episode 1.48: Designated Hero

Sonic Boom, Episode 1.48: Designated Hero

Original Air Date: October 17th, 2015

In "Designated Heroes," Eggman robs a toy store and is quickly thwarted by the good guys. In the post-action scene humiliation round, he makes a bet with Sonic and his friends. They always defeat him as a team, but would victory come as easily if they fought one-on-one? Everyone agrees to these terms. Eggman turns out to be wilier than anyone expected and he easily outmatches everyone during their fights. Will this be the mad scientist's path to victory? 

While the term "Designated Hero" usually refers to a distinctly unheroic character who is given the status of hero, the 48th episode of "Sonic Boom" means it in more literal terms. Every time it's one of the Team Sonic members' turn to fight Eggman, they are the chosen hero for that designated time. This is a cute example of the way this show continues to play with the traditional good guy/bad guy roles. Last episode, Reid Harrison had Eggman refer to being "outside office hours" and his time fighting the heroes as "nine-to-five." In this episode, we see Tails clock out of and Knuckles clock in. By fitting these characters into the sitcom mold, the idea that fighting each other is simply their job is more present than ever. 

The episode's structure, which has the villain encountering each of the good guys in one-on-one matches, makes another interesting point: Maybe Eggman knows his enemies better than they realize. Each scene sees the doctor taking advantage of everyone's personality. With Amy, he preys on her sense of empathy and community by saying he recycles tin cans to make toys for needy children. He plays along with Sticks' paranoid fantasies, disarming her in that fashion. He flatters Tails' genius, which gets the young and insecure kid to lower his guard. He forces Sonic to wait, testing the hedgehog's lack of patience and Knuckles' stupidity makes him easy to fool. 

All of these moments nicely reflect on the heroes' personality while also showing that Eggman is more observant than he gets credit for. It also lends this episode a really satisfying structure. During each encounter, Eggman takes an object from his opponent. He steals Amy's hammer, Sticks' shoes, a giant metal paper airplane Knuckles' created, and Tails' force field machine. (Which probably could've defeated everyone by itself but never mind that.) Once he creates a larger, more dangerous gizmo from these combined elements, it feels like a satisfying payoff. Everything fits together nicely, ya know? You love to see it. 

There's even a nice, kid-friendly moral this time. Separately, Eggman is able to conquer Sonic and his friends. In the final act, the guys "tag" each other out all throughout the fight. Essentially, they function as a team without breaking Eggman's one-on-one rule. In other words: Teamwork makes the dream work. We are stronger together than we are apart. This is also a nice message to send to the young ones and it's incorporated into the story here without being preachy or heavy-handed. 

This is another Reid Harrison episode and he packs the script with his usual tactic of non-stop gags. "Designated Heroes" actually shows a nice balance between zanier moments and more subtle gags. Such as the episode beginning with Cubot and Orbot doing a sports match style commentary on the fight. There's also lots of big, silly sight gags. Such as Knuckles cluelessly digging through the earth or Sonic, in his boredom, playing tea party. Yet the moments in this episode that really got me to laugh tended to be the smaller scenes. Sonic shaking Eggman's mustache when his hands are disabled, Amy announcing she'll still contributed to Eggman's charity after he defeats her, and Tails fumbling an attempt to look cool and effortless... Good stuff. Maybe the best joke in the episode comes with the way Tails undoes Eggman's forcefield. The machine works by responding to a smart statement. To undo the effects, he hands the controlling helmet to Knuckles. I've really come to appreciate the way this show finds time for both wacky bits of comedy and more character-driven, dialogue centric jokes. 

There's also a very small moment here that surely warrants deeper discussion. When Eggman awakens Sonic from his nap, the half-asleep hedgehog mutters out "Go away, Amy. I'm not in the mood." Now, what does that imply? Was Sonic fantasizing about Amy attempting something towards him that requires a certain mood? Or is this a default response because Amy tries to awaken Sonic from his sleep for specific, mood-adjacent activities on a regular basis? "Boom" has certainly implied, on countless occasions, that Sonic and Amy are attracted to each other. I think this is the first time they've ever slipped in a joke about them actually hooking up though. Good on the writers for slipping something naughty through. I'm sure the shippers lost their fucking minds over this. 

Anyway, "Designated Heroes" is a really strong episode. As "Boom's" first season winds downs, the show has gotten a good bead on the cast's personalities. That's evident in episodes like this, that depend so much on understanding the core characteristics of everyone and how they play off each other. Combined with some rock-solid structure and a string of quality jokes and you've got another all-timer. [8/10]

Sonic Boom, Episode 1.47: Fuzzy Puppy Buddies

Sonic Boom, Episode 1.47: Fuzzy Puppy Buddies

Original Air Date: October 10th, 2015

Five episodes out from the end of "Sonic Boom's" first season and they throw another Amy centric episode at us. This time, Amy has become a fan of a collectible tabletop game called Fuzzy Puppies, in which adorable puppy game pieces are pitted against each other. At a local meet-up, Amy discovers that Eggman is also a Fuzzy Puppies player/collector. The two soon begin a secret friendship, meeting up at odd hours to play together. This raises suspicion in Amy's friends. At a local Fuzzy Puppies convention, Eggman's villainous nature and his new friendship with Amy come into conflict. 

It's easy to see what "Boom" is doing with "Fuzzy Puppies." When "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" debuted in 2010, it quickly garnered an unexpected fan base of adult men. There's been multiple papers and whole documentaries made about this phenomenon. At the time, the so-called "brony" community was a source of fascination and novelty. Adult men being way too into a cartoon and toy line for little girls was mocked and derided as "cringe." Bronies, not always unfairly, were widely considered to be weirdos and creeps. It was also examined as challenging gender norms and as an embracing of sincerity and wholesomeness among an older generation. 

The brony concept was also an act of irony by terminally online edge-lords. The fandom has its roots on 4Chan, after all. "Oh, look at how funny it is that we're into this girly show" was the thought process behind many of these guys. That had an obvious downside. A full decade after the fact, we've seen a whole swarth of toxic fanboys, perverts, and literal Neo-Nazis co-opt a program designed for young children. Right-wing shitheels taking over whole corners of geeky fandoms have had horrible ramifications for the whole world. That makes it hard to consider the "Brony" movement as anything but a negative force in the history of the internet and nerd culture.

In 2015, that wasn't obvious yet. Or, at least, it wasn't to people who only had a surface familiarity with the "brony" concept. Such as the "Sonic Boom" writers. They were clearly just happy to riff on the idea of a grizzled adult being invested in a cutesy, frilly hobby. Two years earlier, "Teen Titans Go!" made nearly the exact same joke and I'm sure there are other examples out there of shows spoofing "Bronies." So the concept was already a bit overexposed by this point but, like always, "Boom" was a few years behind the zeitgeist. At least Fuzzy Puppies is not a direct "Friendship is Magic" spoof. It's clearly also inspired by "Littlest Pet Shop," "Pound Puppies," (which have much smaller brony-like fandoms of their own) and the frenzied fan base for tabletop gaming in general. 

"Boom" did not make an episode about fascists infiltrating internet fandoms in order to radicalize vulnerable nerds. Instead, "Fuzzy Puppy Buddies" builds comedy around a much more easily understood concept. Amy is sneaking behind her friends' backs to spend time with someone else. Sonic and the others slowly pick up on this and become concerned. Amy, on the other hand, is exhilarated by finding someone to embrace her geeky passion with.  This leads to the potent comedic premise of conversations with two meanings, of Sonic mistaking Eggman appearing at Amy's hut as an attack. And the villain being forced to play along. Classic sitcom stuff. 

Even though this is an Amy episode, Eggman still emerges as the show's most interesting character. Eggman's oft-noted insecurities appear in him wanting a friend to enjoy Puppy Buddies with, to teach him to play. Amy fills that niche. This episode also has fun with another idea this show often returns to. Despite being sworn enemies, Eggman is basically friends with the heroes. He even refers to his battles with the Boom team as a "job" and his bond with Amy over Fuzzy Puppies as an off-the-clock activity. When Eggman's inherent villainous qualities emerge, that powers the conflict in the last third. Which is a pretty juicy little character arc and I'm satisfied with the place the show ends it at. It wouldn't be easy being friends with a would-be world conqueror like Eggman but maybe there's hope for him yet. 

I'm also glad that this episode doesn't build all its jokes around big, burly Eggman being into a cute little puppy game. Or Amy embarrassing herself with her indiscreet passion. That's definitely the source of some of the jokes but "Fuzzy Puppy Buddies" finds more fruitful avenues. The sequence devoted to Amy sneaking away from her friend is amusing. The biggest laugh comes when Tails determines, via process of elimination, that Amy must be the main character this week. Sticks unfurls an amusingly baroque monologue afterwards based around misunderstanding the word "con." The dialogue is pretty sharp here, with Sonic and Knuckles getting some solid one-liners in. Knuckles putting on sunglasses or cracking a line about "overwatering" got snorts out of me.

It also amuses me that the writers and animators of this episode clearly put some thought into how "Fuzzy Puppies" work. The rules are discussed and they generally make sense. I don't know how fun a game like this, with so many varying rules, would be to play. But I hate any tabletop game more complicated than "Monopoly," so I'm not the person to ask. If nothing else, it's obvious the animators enjoyed designing the little puppy figurines. They are genuinely cute. I can totally see people actually collecting them, just to have them. I say this as an adult man with a nearly complete Super Hero Squad collection. Anyway, this episode probably could've been something a little deeper but I enjoyed it nevertheless. [7/10]

Sonic Boom, Episode 1.46: No Robots Allowed

Sonic Boom, Episode 1.46: No Robots Allowed

Original Air Date: October 3rd, 2015

"No Robots Allowed" is one of those "Sonic Boom" episodes with an amusingly rambling plot, that starts in one place before ending up someplace else entirely. A terrible heatwave is gripping the whole island, making everyone miserable. Since his electric bill is already sky-high, Eggman refuses to turn on the A.C. Instead, he installs solar panels on his lair, the excess sunlight soon giving him a surplus of power. This causes his robot army to go into overdrive and act out on their own, causing one of the machines to land on the lap of the Archipelago Homeowners Association. Under their rules, robots are strictly forbidden and they threaten the villain with eviction unless he can convince them otherwise. Eggman attempting to throw a pleasant party for his guest is interrupted by the hyperactive machines. 

Whew, that's a lot for an eleven minute cartoon! In fact, I kind of wonder if this episode isn't an example of the writers mashing together two separate premises they have. "Sonic and friends deal with a heatwave" and "Eggman has to hide his robots from snooty island officials" really are two unrelated ideas. This is further evident in the episode's structure: The Sonic Boom heroes and Eggman barely interact in this one. Even at the very end, when they fight some Badniks and then follow them back to Eggman's lair, that feels like a pretty unnecessary addition. The story resolves itself without much help from Sonic and the gang at all. I guess there's no way for the heroes to solve global warming in eleven minutes, causing the plot to deviate in a totally different direction from where it started. 

Yet the mashed-up script really isn't an issue. "Boom" sets out to make its audience laugh and this episode is packed full of wacky slapstick gags. "No Robots Allowed" begins with a delirious sequence of Sonic and the others, desperate to alleviate the heat, attaching the fan of Tails' hovercraft to the hut's door. The resulting airflow turns the inside of the home into a wind tunnel, everyone and everything inside swirled around in the air. It's a moment of extended physical comedy that amuses me with its silliness, such as a totally random "E.T." shout-out. That level of anarchic absurdity continues in a later scene, where Knuckles has repeated hallucinations about an ice cream vendor. That builds in a nice way, concluding on a suitably "Looney Tunes" level of goofiness. 

The second half of the episode continues this theme of well-timed slapstick. Someone trying to hide a presence in the home from an important visitor is a stock sitcom premise and "Boom" embraced that with absurd aplomb. Eggman is kicking MotoBugs through doors, cranking the music up, and doing everything he can to disguise the robot uprising happening around him from the homeowners association. The biggest laughs come from a montage of Orbot and Cubot attempting to hide the other machines in impractical ways, including throwing each other back-and-forth into the bathroom. 

Aside from a procession of solid gags, what's my main takeaway from this episode? Eggman hated his dad. See, early on, there's a line from the doctor about how "this heatwave is more oppressive than my father." It's a tossed-off line – har har, the villain has daddy issues – but is actually the secret key to understanding both the character and this whole episode. If Eggman was raised by an authoritarian father, it explains his desire to rule the world. He doesn't want anyone to tell him what he can do. Yet his dad, no matter how much he resents him, is also the person who taught Eggman how to interact with other people. This is why he treats his henchmen like shit. This is why he wants to rule the world, exerting his authority over everyone. (It also explains the self-loathing and wafer thin ego he's shown repeatedly.)

As much as Eggman hated his dad ordering him around, as much as he's doomed to become an authoritarian himself, he's also compelled to please authority figures. Eggman giving a shit what the local HOA thinks about him is obviously an example of wacky sitcom logic. In a proper "Sonic" story, Eggman would just blow them up and do whatever he wants. Yet an oppressive dad who rarely handed out approval and affection created a son who wants to please official bosses. Again, this is why Eggman wants to become the biggest boss in the world. He respects organized authority and power more than anything else. That's another reason why a rebellious little punk like Sonic, who does what he wants as it suits him, drives Eggman up the walls. He demands order and obedience to order. 

This also ties in nicely with the title-lending thrust of the episode. The oppressed will always rise up. Eggman's Badniks, his slaves, do not revolt against their master. Instead, they just go nuts and lash out randomly in all directions. Yet the image of Eggman shoving a horde of unruly robots back behind a door, while polite society tried to function on the inside, seems potent nonetheless. Authority will also try to push down those it deems rowdy and they will always fight back and refuse to be controlled. Thus is the nature of things. If nothing else, the racist against robots HOA get what's coming to them. 

It's a shame an episode with a secret potent side ends on such a flat note, everyone just agreeing to let things continue the way they are. Still, this one made me laugh and gave me some substance I can read too much into. There's also some sharp dialogue in this episode, like Knuckles' reaction to being told the heatwave is strong, an exhausted Sonic's inability to think up good insults, and a meta radio announcement. It all adds up to a fun eleven minutes. Good job, "Sonic Boom" writers! [7/10]

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 60

Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW): Issue 60

Publication Date: May 17th, 2023

There's lots to talk about with this month's issue of IDW "Sonic," so let's get right into it. "Urban Warfare" continues into its fourth part with our heroes in a perilous scenario. Lanolin and Whisper are still trapped in Eggman's pocket dimension thing. Tangle is plummeting to her death but saved thanks to suddenly being intangible. Metal Sonic is right on her trail though, as she unwittingly leads him right to Sonic and the others. The group quickly formulates a plan. Sonic, Tails, and Amy will head to Eggman's tower, in hopes of stopping the fail-safes that keep Eggperial City running. Meanwhile, Blaze, Silver, and Rouge head off to rescue Shadow and Omega. All of that is easier said than done. 

"Urban Warfare Part 4" is one of those action comics that feels relentless in its pacing. Pretty much not a page passes without some new threat being tossed at our heroes. Oh no, Tangle is falling to her death! Oh wait, now Metal Sonic is here! Ack, Amy smashed Tails' computer! Oh jeez, Metal and the pocket dimension gateway/Ten-Sided Die of Agony has arrived! We just rescued Shadow but, holy guacamole, the fake Chaos Emeralds won't stop growing! And there's Shadow Androids here too! Metal Sonic cut the rope holding up elevator and... Watch your back, Amy! Eggman's got a gun!!!

It just goes on like that. It's exhausting! Reading this comic doesn't feel like a roller coaster ride so much as it does being suddenly strapped to a rocket sled while asked to recite the multiplication table. I can't say it isn't compelling. Every time I thought I had figured this issue out, some other wacky shit was happening. Yet it left my head spinning a bit. This is scheduled to be a five-issue story arc, which is fairly long by the standards of this series. The constant escalation of the action feels like there was enough story developments here for five more installments though. It's jam-packed with incident. 

This kind of unending thrill ride has an obvious downside: If the heroes are constantly having to deal with some new threat in their way, it doesn't leave much room for other necessary stuff to happen. There's several drastic events going on here. Tangle has somehow been turned into a ghost-like entity that can communicate with other people but just phases through any solid matter she tries to interact with. She was never at risk of falling to her death, because she inexplicably has a new superpower. This is a rather sloppy turn-of-events. It really feels like Stanley loved the cliffhanger of Tangle getting dropped to her doom but couldn't think of a reasonable way for her to survive. Instead, she's experiencing some bizarre new phenomena that will be explained eventually, I guess. 

That's not the only example here of an extraordinary happenstance being ignored because the barreling locomotive can't slow down. I'm still not entirely sure what's going with Eggperial City and the fake Chaos Emeralds Eggman has built. Okay, so Shadow's Chaos Control has overpowered them? But Eggman has fail-safes programmed into the city's infrastructure exactly to prevent this. Which is what the heroes are trying to disrupt, so the power supply will run out? And Shadow is stuck inside an ever growing net of emeralds for some reason too... Jesus Christ, slow down a minute! This story is starting to depend on so much technobabble nonsense that I'm loosing my bearings on what's happening. 

This particular issue is, to say the least, convoluted. I guess Stanley keeping the plot moving forward at an almost unbearable pace is a better solution than boring the reader with ever-more tedious descriptions of the why this crazy shit is happening. Yet at a certain point, my eyes start to gloss over. You see this style of plotting from time-to-time in video games, sci-if anime, and superhero comics. The obligation to include as many action scenes as possible run into a double-stuffed plot full of events. Eventually, the breathless delivery of yet more sci-if plot devices gives the reader whiplash from trying to wrap their brains around each new turn of events. 

I think rushing through the mechanical needs of the story, in order to immediately get to the next fight scene, is the main reason why this issue struck me as unsatisfying... But how did it get that way? Part of it is Stanley and Flynn getting too invested in how Eggman's new super weapon works. I don't actually give a shit how Eggperial City operates. What matters is that it's this ever-growing city that is consuming the countryside, not that there's a bunch of fake Chaos Emeralds charging it that come with their own set of rules. "Keep it simple, stupid" should always be the rule of thumb when it comes to explaining the "how" of the New Doomsday Device of the Month. Sci-fi and action comic writers frequently forget this though, bogging the story down in contrived explanations for how some plot device or supernatural MacGuffin operates. 

Another problem is that there's too many people to juggle here. This is a story arc with nine central characters. And that's not counting Whisper, Lanolin, and Shadow, who exists simply as damsels-in-distress to be rescued at this moment. (And I also excluded Omega from that count, since he doesn't show up until the issue is half over.) To balance out such a large cast, Stanley's maneuver is to have everyone split up into teams. Sonic, Tails, Amy, and Tangle the Ghost of Christmas Past are off on one quest. Rouge, Silver, and Blaze are off on another. I feel like this would operate a lot smoother if the number of characters involved had just been cut in half. This is the sort of writing you see a lot in superhero comics and fanfiction, where the nerds behind the keyboard are more concerned with what superpowers they'll have access to than whether what's happening flows in a satisfying manner. 

And yet... As frustrating and relentless as I found this particular issue, I didn't hate it either. Even in a story as overstuffed and convoluted as this one, Stanley doesn't forget the main reason we read this shit: We love these characters. We care about them. She includes just enough personality that I felt like I was reading a real narrative and not a bunch of chess pieces being moved around the 4D board. Such as Tangle's final thoughts before she expects to hit the ground: "Whisper, I'm sorry." Jeez, doesn't that tug on your heartstrings? Tangle is, as far as she knows, about to die and the last thing on her mind is that she let down someone she cares about. 

Soon afterwards, Tangle feels overwhelmed by everything that's happening. She pushes her doubts aside because she knows that saving the day is what's most important. That's the kind of never-say-die attitude I love about my favorite lesbian lemur! Silver gets a moment like that too, where he feels like there's nothing he can do to stop the bad shit that's happening, that his abilities are at their limits. A nod of encouragement from Blaze is enough to remind him to keep moving forward. (Now I see why people ship these two.) As corny as it sounds, seeing my favorite fictional heroes keeping fighting when the odds are stacked against them, to see them push pass their own doubts, reminds me to do the same. 

Stanley even includes a little humor. When Tangle ghosts her head through Tails' computer, Amy instinctively slams her hammer down. She apologizes for smashing Tails' handheld device, explaining it was just a mistake. That shit is funny. So is Tails weaponizing his, well, tails against Eggman during an intense moment. Or Amy admitting she's fed up with this shit when Metal Sonic first attacks. Humor doesn't just keep things light. It reminds us that these cartoon characters have personalities and histories. It makes them seem more alive. And that's really important in an issue so weighed down by Stuff Happening as this one. 

I could probably ramble on some more but I'll wrap it up here. Sorry if this review was as breathlessly assembled as the comic book was. I guess it just put me in that kind of mood. But one more thing: Thomas Rothlisberger's artwork is pretty good, with a lot of broad facial expressions and eye-catching sense of motion... Though I do think Rothlisberger's work is a little better when it's more detail oriented than leaning on the cartoony side of things, like he does here. Anyway, this issue gets a [6/10] from me. 

Sonic Boom, Episode 1.45: Robot Battle Royale

Sonic Boom, Episode 1.45: Robot Battle Royale

Original Air Date: September 26th, 2015

When reviewing "Sonic X," I talked a bit about the required fighting tournament arc all shonen anime must do. Yet this desire to see everyone fight it out is hardly a strictly Japanese obsession. American pop culture does these sort of competition stories with some regularity. You see it every once in a while in comic books. "Sonic Boom" writers had to cook up a hundred scripts for this show so I'm not surprised they touched on a battle royale premise after a while. This show being what it is, it not only squeezed an entire tournament into eleven minutes but it also did it entirely as farce. 

Not that the big robot fighting event is the starting point for this episode. Instead, "Robot Battle Royale" kicks off with Tails inventing an antenna that picks up broadcast from the past. Knuckles decides this item is more useful as a backscratcher, giving the echidna the idea that he's an inventor like Tails. The fox is annoyed by his friend's ego and incompetence. When the village holds a robot fighting tournament, Tails decides to teach Knuckles a lesson. But when Eggman steals Tails' machine – a robot that can take control over other robots – chaos ensues. 

This episode has good structure and, honestly, I didn't expect it. The conflict between Tails and Knuckles drives the first third of the episode. Once the robot fighting begins, that seems to derail the tension between the heroes. Knuckles' robot is taken out due to his own incompetence, with Eggman's scheme emerging as the main antagonistic force here. Yet Tails and Knuckles find a way to resolve their disagreement that also saves the day from the bad guy. Tails learns to appreciate his idiot friend while also defeating Eggman. It's screenwriting 101 but you don't always get that in a show this gag-centric and short. Good job, writers. 

Yet this episode is solid for other reasons too. There's a nice dry absurdity to the jokes here that made me chuckle. Such as a lengthy scene where the Mayor wastes everyone's time by firing a cannonball into the sea, which passes with so little comment that I didn't even know if it was a gag at first. You also see this commitment to the bit in the scene where Tails and Knuckles are arguing, their friends egging them on in the most juvenile way possible. Or Sonic cheering random during the robot battle, only for the reveal to show he's actually excited about buying a chili dog. Good, silly stuff that's executed with strong timing. 

As I watch more of "Sonic Boom," it's becoming increasingly clear that Travis Willingham as Knuckles is the MVP of this cast. How often has his delivery made stupid little lines of dialogue sing? Maybe the biggest laugh here came from his first invention – a stick with a rock tied to the end – and the perfect pomposity with which he presents it. His Muskian habit of “inventing” concepts that already exist leads to a number of perfect line-readings from Willingham. I especially like his melodramatic speech at the episode's end, which circles back around in an amusing fashion. 

You might not be surprised to read that the robot fights here are not especially impressive. This is obviously by design. Most of the robots are goofy little things, such as the Goat Lady's little poodle bot or Comedy Chimp's cymbals clashing monkey. Most of the matches are hilariously uneven. Such as Eggman's six foot tall murder-bot going up against a cute little fella that looks like a toy attached to a skateboard. I do like the fighting game style split-screen image that appears before every match-up. That was a nice touch. 

While "Boom's" meta gags can sometimes be uneven, this episode begins and ends with two strong examples. The first scene has Sonic and Amy watching a movie, with him commenting that the beginning was slow. Amy says movies and TV shows always have "a little filler material" before the inciting incident gets things rolling. That's Tails' cue to bust in with the antenna. The episode concludes with Sonic commenting that Tails' Hypnobot is essentially a plot breaking invention, that renders all future Eggman machines a non-threat. Hypnobot is then destroyed in abrupt fashion, resetting the status quo. Nice. 

Also, there's a dance number and who doesn't love that? "Robot Battle Royale" is exactly what I think of when I consider the average episode of "Sonic Boom." It's not mind-blowingly hilarious or extra-incisive satire. However, it is consistently amusing, with solid writing and strong comedic timing. Moreover, the cast really knows what they're doing and help sell everything. As the end of the first season approaches, "Boom" has proved itself to be an efficient little comedy machine, a sturdy sitcom that is generally well-executed. [7/10]