“Surprise Visit” Heavy is the Head I - Sonic the Hedgehog #203
We’ve skipped an issue but all that happen was Sonic and Khan got their asses kicked. However in this issue the invasion goes underway in full force.
So while Sonic has faced the Iron Queen before, he just thought her an ordinary magic user like Naugus or Mogul. However turns out, unbeknownst to our hero, she is a techno-mage specifically. Using this ability she’s able to get past Nicole’s nanites and can control robotics….like Bunnie’s for instance.
Fortunately, as she’s not fully robian, she can fight back against her cyborg limbs a little.
But it’s not enough.
Now outside of some sweet, sweet angst there’s not much going on here in terms of development and as such I’m finding it difficult to find things to talk about other then just running commentary.
However we do get official confirmation about how her limbs work.
This adds back in some pathos to her character. Since she’s come to terms with how she looks, her cybernetics are no longer an identity issue but now a psychical one. The very things used to help keep her friends alive can now potentially kill her. It also retroactively places a limitation on her powers, so as to explain why she’s not as much of a heavy hitter like Sonic or Knuckles.
As for how her limbs actually “run off her life force”, that’s a little fuzzy though. Does her blood pump through them? Is that microchip I talked about in issue 3 really there and powering her limbs using the electromagnetic pluses her brain creates? Does over exertion short circuit her brain then? Or does using her cybernetics too much effect her heart and lungs the same way over exercising effects normal people, because she’s in constant motion and using her non-robotics at the same time as her cybernetics?
I’ll just leave this here to further fuel your angst fests.
Also everybody’s still getting use to Bunnie’s name changing.
Cuuuuuuuteee!
Next week we’ll probably be hopping over to Sonic Universe, so you’ll see the conclusion to this arc in two weeks time. Until then free to play some catch up on the previous review.
“Change in Management” The Iron Invasion I - Sonic the Hedgehog #201
Sonic and friends are celebrating Eggman’s defeat, only to be interrupted by Monkey Khan who warns them of the Iron Queen. Meanwhile Snively and Regina secure their power with in the empire and Espio has turned traitor.
This story is mainly just set up for Ian’s next big epic plot, The Iron Domain. Unfortunately only some of the arcs within it are given titles, so I’m going with The Iron Invasion for now.
As for what Bunnie and Ant contribute, not much yet. Though they will become bigger players later on. However we do get more indication that Antoine has become Elias’s right hand man.
It’s a seemingly small thing, but showing Elias growing trust and reliance upon Antoine now, will have a greater impact later on when we get to a certain future story.
Before closing out I just want to talk about my love for Regina and Snively.
They’re my second favorite couple in the book next to Buntoine. They respect and adore one another. When problems arise within their relationship they communicate and work through it. They even inspire each other to be better people; in their own evil way. But best of all, what ever relationship drama they go through it’s all natural development that stems from the characters’ personal issues. It’s the most natural progression any pairing ever had in the comic.
Sonic X 21-40 (not actually covered in the retrospective, but it exists)
Sonic Universe 1-4
This is my personal favorite era of the comic and it’s highly regarded amongst many fans. Gone are the remnants of Penders; Ian Flynn is allowed to really make the book his own. The stakes are high, shake ups abound, and the world is fleshed out anew. Add in some emotional consequences here and there and you have a pretty solid run of stories.
Major events of the era are….
Charmy Bee is injured by the Egg Grapes - StH 176
The creation of New Mobotropolis and Nicole regains her mobian form permanently- StH 177
The Acorn Council is formed - StH 179
Knuckles becomes Enerjak, destroys Eggman’s robot army, de-powers the Dark Legion, and moves the all the echidnas to Ablion -StH 180 - 183
Locke dies - StH 184
The Dark Legion teams up with Eggman - StH 184
Mammoth Mogul, Ixis Naugus, and Team Hooligan break out of jail - StH 185 & 186
Scourge and the Anti-Freedom Fighters invade Mobius - StH 189 - 196
Snively meets Regina- StH 194
Silver the Hedgehog is introduce -StH 198 - 196
Mobius Prime’s Shadow & Medal Sonic travel to the Sonic X world connecting the two series - SX 40
Scourge is sent to the Zone Cops jail -StH 197
Gamga dies and Omgea is born - SU 3
Eggman goes insane and is defeated by Sonic - StH 200
Favorite thing about the era:Consistency
Say what you want about Flynn, but he is by far and away the most consistent writer the Archie Sonic comics ever had. And this era is perhaps the most even in terms of quality that the book has ever seen. Even the lowest stories are just merely mediocre at worst and the highs are pretty outstanding. The artwork is overall good and a uniformed art style is reached for the first time in the comics history. Even the pacing, usually Flynn’s biggest weakness, is relatively kept in check.
Least favorite thing about the era: Missed Opportunities
This is a minor nitpick really. Nothing in this era is outright bad per say so what I’m left to criticize is what’s not there. There are a lot of ideas that could have been pushed further and character moments that could have been more fleshed out. Due to either time constraints or the limitations of the “action” genre the comic was boxed into, a lot of opportunities just sailed passed.
Max being held accountable during the revolt. Not enough characters involved in said revolt. Patch not getting the shit kicked out of him by those he actually hurt. More time spent on Anti-Mobius and how it differs from Prime. An extra issue in the event arc to focus on all the characters and how far they’ve come to reach this moment and build up tension for the rising stakes.
The list goes on and on but only because what we do get is so good that I just want more.
Favorite Antoine Story:Brand New Moebius StH 190 & 191 by Ian Flynn
Truth be told he only gets a few scenes, mainly in the second part, and they’re sadly the only focus he really gets during this era. But those scenes are important in establishing his moral compass post-development. Making him a more layered and nuanced character compared to the more straight laced heroes in the book.
Favorite Bunnie Story:Otherside StH 193 & 194
Bit of a cheat here as Bunnie herself doesn’t get a whole lot of focus during this era. But this is the first real look at Anti-Bunnie and through her we can gain a further understanding our main Bunnie and how they differ.
Favorite Buntwan Story or Moment: Bunnie reassures Antoine in “Home, New Home” Eggman Empire IIIStH 177 by Ian Flynn
I could also have added in their confrontation in Brand New Moebius but that story already has enough rewards and a bit of self-reflection is always a good thing. Reminding the audience and the characters just how far they’ve come.
Favorite Single Story: “Old Soldiers" Shadow Saga IIISU 3 by Ian Flynn
Yet another cheat here. This is technically part of a story arc, but it is a very episodic one. You could read any of it’s parts as one off stories and this is the best one. The story of Gamma and his relationship to Omega is far more touching and thoughtful here then anything the games pulled off. And Omega in the comics is always a treat to read.
Close runners up for the spot were “Father and Son” StH 192 and "Sleepless in New Megapolis” StH 194.
Favorite Story Arc: The Anti-Mobius Plot StH 189 - 196 by Ian Flynn
Man I’m cheating a lot during this recap. But oh well, my retrospective; my rules. I consider the entirety of the Anti-Mobius plot as one giant arc, even if the comic breaks it up into mini arcs through out. However if I had to pin-point just one of those mini-arcs then Brand New Moebius would get it with Otherside being a close second.
Favorite Artist: Dave Manak
Now I know what you’re going to say viewers, “Rachel Beth cheating is one thing but this is madness! Dave Manak isn’t even in this era!” to which you’d be wrong. Both Dave Manak and Mike Gallagher released their last contribution to Archie Sonic in issue 185 “The Misfit Badniks’ Salty, Soggy Sequel”.
“Buy Why?” you may still ask. Well for starters Tracy Yardley does 98% of all the art work during this era and he got this spot during the last recap. As for the other two or three new artists that had like one story each, they were still working closely with Yardley using his layouts and his designs as a base.
And besides I like Dave Manak. He’s one of my favorite artists to work on the book and I always felt a little guilty for passing him up during the first couple of recaps. So what better time to give him his dues then during his swansong?
Sure he’s not the greatest artist ever, but there’s a charm to his style that evokes old school newspapers strip comics. A style that was perfectly suited for the early run of the book. Plus he gave us some the most memorable moments from the comic, like the first buntoine kiss as pictured above.
So yeah, there will always be a soft spot in my heart for Manak.
Thus concludes the 8th era. We only got two more eras to go before the reboot happens. So be sure to tune in next time fore the start if the 9th, but until then you can read the last review.
The Eggman War - Sonic the Hedgehog #198, #199, & #200
So like with all event arcs, this is an important development for the comic that effects everyone and as usual Bunnie and Antoine are present in some capacity. However rather then making three mini-reviews I’m going to cover the whole arc and what little they appear in it.
“Egg Phoenix Down” - StH #198
The Freedom Fighters and the Chaotix make the final assault against Eggman and the waning Dark Egg Legion. Meanwhile Snively and the rest of the Egg Bosses plan to betray they’re now insane leader.
Yeah in the background for several issues now it’s been hinted that Eggman is slowly loosing his mind. His latest scheme involves a huge jet that shoots fire.
Mainly though this is an action issue dedicated to showing off everyone’s talents and how they work as a team. Sally’s giving orders, Rotor’s come out of retirement to do tech stuff, and Bunnie and Ant are fighting through the ranks.
However there are moments here and there where our two heroes get to stand out.
First Antoine personally takes on Lin-da.
We haven’t talked about Lin-da much as she’s mainly a Knuckles villain. She’s Julie-Su’s sister and kind of like a female Snively. She craves power but winds up falling subservient to others while failing to obtain it. All the while being a manipulative little backstabber. What makes her stand out from Snively though is that she’s extremely petty, and her long held grudges against slights both real and imagined are what drives her.
Anyways, I’m living for Antoine being the one who continuously calls out villains on their bullshit. I guess it’s because he’s had to pretend to be one for so long and now he no longer has to keep quite when he sees injustice. So he takes everybody on, especially when they’re trying to be self-righteous little shits like the Dark Legion tends to do.
In short I would have loved to see more Ant vs Lin-da fights. Or Antoine vs random villains in general.
As for his wife Bunnie, we get official confirmation that her cybernetics are tied to her health and that using them too much does indeed hurt her.
This is a plot point for the next upcoming story arc so store it away for later viewers.
Anyways Sally comes up with a plan to defeat the fire jet…
And then everyone beds down for the night before the final battle.
We get a little reflection from Tails about the enormity of what is finally going down and how serious this all is, which is nice, but all it does is makes me wish we had a fourth issue between this one and the next where everyone got a chance to reflect on the bigger picture.
“Knocking on Eggman’s Door” - StH #199
We get a tiny bit of this reflection in the following issue, but it’s all banter and mostly reminiscing during fight scenes.
On the one hand it makes the fights a little more interesting then just watching people punching stuff, but on the other, it kind of diminishes the emotion and what’s a stake here.
Though that might be by design as even the character’s commit on how easy this all is while the other villains are orchestrating Eggman’s demise at good guys’ hands.
But that’s pretty much the end of Bunnie and Ant’s contributions to the story.
We do get a scene of Bunnie and Mighty working together which makes my little shipper heart happy.
And there are some other minor character bits that are entertaining, like Julie-Su’s and Vector’s little mini argument and reconciliation, Mighty being saved by Ray, Sally telling Sonic to be careful as he knowingly walks into a trap, or Lin-da making fun of Snively’s cologne.
It’s little scenes like those that elevate the comic and showcases that Sonic’s greatest strength has always been it’s diverse cast.
“Turnabout is Fair Play” - StH #200
Sonic defeats Eggman for good and he has a mental breakdown.
That’s it. Bunnie and Antoine have nothing to do with this issue, but it’s such an important plot point that I couldn’t skip it entirely hence why I combined these reviews.
And as far as plot twists go it’s a pretty good one. First it serves as a bookend to the previous event comic. Secondly it gives a plausible end to the on going conflict without the heroes having to kill. And last of all it doesn’t remove Eggman from the picture completely leaving the door open for future stories.
So ends the 8th era, tune in next week for the recap and from there we’ll get into the Iron Dominion arc.
“Hedgehog Havoc - Part Two” Hedgehog Havoc II - Sonic the Hedgehog #196
We start this issue off with the Freedom Fighters and the Suppression Squad arguing over weather or not to follow Scourge and Sonic back to the anti-mobius.
The FFs want to rescue Sonic and Amy and the SSs agree to go only to make sure that Scourge has been defeated.
Tensions are still running high and both Patch and Antoine are ready to kill one another. They have a enough sense though to hold off until the real immediate threat, Scourge, is done with. Which on the one hand highlights both of their priorities, Patch with self preservation and Antoine with making sure everyone is safe. Sadly though we can say goodbye to any chance of seeing Patch getting his comeuppance because Super Scourge gets the drop on them.
And just starts to wail on everybody.
He takes everyone out one by one.
Also Scourge calls her Ally! Head-cannon confirmed!
Sally gets the idea get the idea to have everyone dog pile him all at once, in the hopes of holding him until his super form wears off.
Only it doesn’t work.
In the anti-mobius Super Forms last longer and are slightly stronger then those on Mobius Prime. Which gets Sonic to thinking of how else the super forms might differ. He tricks Scourge into depowering by appealing to his ego and…
This admittedly, comes kind of out of nowhere as we the audience don’t know all that much about super forms. We just have to take Sonic’s word for it.
But anyways after a bad ass speech we cut to the FFs taking the star posts, going home, and oh look Buns is back.
Behold the one and only time that Bunnie and Anti-bunnie are on panel together, and they don’t even interact or anything.
More interesting however is the next page where we get some foreshadowing with the Suppression Squad.
Due to unfortunate circumstances this won’t go anywhere. In fact this is the last time we see any of the antis save for Scourge himself. Which is a shame because these panels hint at an interesting power dynamic.
It’s been confirmed else where that Ally doesn’t ever take charge herself. So Miles, the manipulative mastermind and brains of the team, rules from the shadows. Considering that power among villains is constantly changing hands, it would have been entertaining to see Patch and Miles piloting to stab each other in the back given that their both sneaks instead of powerhouses.
It also would have been nice to see a squeal where Antoine, Bunnie, and Sally got a proper fight against Patch…….
And thus we finally wrap up the Anti-Mobius plot. We still have the 25 event arc to cover though before we can finish off the era and I’ll be skimming through that over the next week.
