The Antoine and Bunnie Retrospective - 26

The 25 Recap - 1st era

So after every 25 issues the comic does an “event” issue. This issue is meant to shake up the stats quo, change the direction of the story or the tone, and sometimes wrap up story arcs. I tend to divide the the comic into various eras based off of the 25 mile markers in the book. So after I’m done with each era, I’ll do a little look back , highlighting some of the best/least of the era and favorite stories and/or moments. 

   

The first era includes the following issues…. 

• Sonic Miniseries 0-3
• Sonic the Hedgehog 1-25
• Sonic the Hedgehog: In Your Face 
• Princess Sally Miniseries 1-3

Important events and firsts in the comic are…

• the first issue - Sonic Miniseries #0
• the discovery of alternate dimensions - StH #2
• the introduction of Bunnie Rabbot - StH #3
• first appearance of Super Sonic - StH #4
• first appearance of Snively - StH #6
• discovery of Anti-Mobius and intro of Anti-Sonic - StH #11
• Sonic’s birthday - StH #11
• Sonic meets Knuckles - StH #13
• the comic’s first death (Julayla ) - StH #18
• Nicole is introduced - Sonic: In Your Face 
• alternate timelines are also introduced - Sonic: In Your Face
• first appearance of Robo-Robotnik (Dr. Eggman) - StH #19
• Geoffrey St. John’s introduction - StH #20
• Antoine and Bunnie’s first kiss - StH #23
• introduction of the Anti-FFs - StH #24
• introduction of Amy Rose Hedgehog - StH #25
• first appearance of Metal Sonic - StH #25

Over all, the first era is defined by goofy comedy, slapstick, pop culture references and puns galore. However, the foundations are laid for more serious stories and a smattering of world building and mythos are scattered through out.

    

Favorite thing about the era: The camaraderie between the core FFs.

There’s a real feeling of friendship and familiarity between everybody. The comic takes the time to show the heroes doing things other than fight bad guys. This leads to a sense of who these people are and how they relate to one another. 

Least favorite thing about the era: Lack of continuity.          

                           

I understand that as a story first starts out not every little detail about said story will be figured out. However, forgetting simple basic things about your characters is inexcusable. Like Bunnie having super strength or Antoine being a pilot who's obviously not afraid of heights.          

Favorite Antoine Story: “Twan with the Wind” - StH #10 by Decesare 

This story not only lays the ground work for Ant’s long road to redemption but also highlights just what makes the character so enduring even after 25 years. 

Favorite Bunnie Story: “Rabbot Deployment” - StH #3 by Micheal Gallagher 

Bunnie’s intro story is still her strongest, thus far. It establishes her personality and provides the cornerstone for her future development. 

Favorite Buntwan Story or Moment: Bunnie and Antoine’s first kiss from “The Vol-Ant-Teer”- StH #23 by Angelo Decesare

Thank you Decesare, where ever you may be. Thank you bringing this beautiful couple into being and bringing such joy into my life. 

Favorite Story Over All: “Bot’s All Folks” - StH #8 by Mike Gallagher

“BOTMAN! Nayh, nayh, nayh, nah. Nayh, nayh, nayh, nah. BOTMAN!”

Gosh, I love this story. I gave it a mention back in my 10th review. This is one of my favorite Sonic stories ever. Never have I laughed so hard at this comic before or since. And when I first read this issue, I was really in dire need of good laugh at the time. (My mother was in the hospital and I had nothing to do but worry and fuss over my family. Sonic kept me sane during that awful time. But that’s story for another day. Yes, my mom is doing better btw.)  

Favorite Story Arc: “Princess Sally’s Crusade” - StH #17, #18, & In Your Face by Mike Kanterovich and Ken Penders

There’s only three story arcs in this era and two of them revolve around Sally, so not much choice. Though while I complained about Antoine’s treatment in the arc’s last part, it really is a minor issue in the grand scheme of things. The story itself is still quite strong and does bring a lot of new things to the table that the comic will continue to build off of for years to come.  

Favorite Artist:  Art Mawhinney

While there will always be a special place in my heart for Dave Manak ‘s pencils, Mawhinney is far and away the best artist working on the comic at this time. Having previously work on SatAM, he renders the characters flawlessly. While also building atmosphere with lush backgrounds and moody lighting. And he’s not half bad at showing action and flowing movement neither. 

So I think that pretty much wraps up this wrap up. I’ll be taking a short break from the series to focus on some real life things. But when I come back, we’ll jump right into the next 25 issues. So keep a look out for that.