The Antoine and Bunnie Retrospective: The Antoine and Bunnie Retrospective

“Thicker than Water” Part One - Sonic the Hedgehog #217

Finished KH3 and now I’m back with one of the best Bunnie stories ever written.

The story opens up with Sonic and Bunnie throwing down.

This is of course a bit of opening action to get the readers intrigued as we flashback to the events that led to this moment.

Turns out the Sandblast Freedom Fighters sent out a call for help and, due to their past run-ins with them, Bunnie and Sonic were chosen to go. Though Bunnie’s not happy about it, as well she should be.

If you recall back in issue 119, Bunnie was captured by Jack Rabbit, the leader of the Sandblasters, and forced to fight a bunch of Robians to the death. The events there and in this issue pretty much makes Jack the closest thing to a arch-rival she has in the pre-reboot.

Soon Buunie and Sonic are separated when the Sandblasters “mistakenly” attacks them.

This leads to Bunnie being “captured” by the local Dark Egg Legion chapter. And Sonic agrees to help the Sandblasters fight them in order to get her back.

Meanwhile back with Bunnie we meet …..

Uncle Beauregard!

Her uncle was first mentioned way back during the Mecha Sonic arc. It was at first just an off-color joke about the American Civil War, which Flynn has decided to turn into a bit of mythos for the comic.

So according to the The Complete Sonic Comic Encyclopedia, The Southern Baronies were a colony of the Kingdom of Acorn and most there-in resented the rule of the monarchy. There’s no details about how the Acorns treated the Baronies but given that Bo calls them “the oppressors” and the fact that King Max is a Grade-A-Jackass, one can assume that they wren’t always treated fairly.

Also according to Flynn, Bunnie first ran away from home when Bo told her about how her parents died. Fighting for the Overlanders against the Acorns during the Great War. This actually revels a lot about Bunnie as a character.

First her tendency to just run away from her problems is yet again reinforced.

Second it explains why she was living by herself back in issue 3.

And last off it kind of explains her reason for dreaming to be Sally’s hairdresser specifically and why she’s so loyal to the Acorns despite being raised otherwise. She’s ashamed of her family’s past and wants to at least distance herself from it.

Which is why not having her and Antoine present during the Prower’s uprising was such a missed opportunity. Does she fully agree with her husband on the Acorn’s rule or is she able to see the other side’s point of view given where she grew up?

Also while the dynamic between The Baron and Antoine could be potentially interesting, both caring for the same woman but being on opposite sides of a conflict, I’m more interested in where Bunnie stands. We don’t ever really her thoughts on the matter. She dismisses the argument here and we never get back to it, which is a shame.

Regardless though, Beauregard proves to be one of the most interesting and complex parental figures with in the comic. He’s not abusive nor manipulative, like Max, Locke, or Rosemary. Neither is he the wise heroic father figure like Jules, Armand, and Wynmacher. He’s flawed. He’s fighting on “the wrong side”. He has his prejudices and his fair share of mistakes. But he’s also kind, caring, considerate, and is at least tryingto do what is right by those he protects.

I would have love to see where this character progressed as the comic went along but sadly the reboot and Penders stole him from us.