Posted in: Comics, IDW, Review | Tagged: adam bryce thomas, amy rose, dr. eggman, dr. robotnik, Ian Flynn, idw publishing, sega, sonic, sonic the hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog #2 Review: Welcome to the Resistance…Sonic?
Sonic and Amy intercept another contingent of Badniks about to attack a small village full of innocents. Sonic goes out to attack the robots while Amy organizes a defense militia from the villagers. All the while, Amy tries to convince Sonic to rejoin the Resistance.
Sonic the Hedgehog's pleasingly simple story has begun to lose me in this issue. Eggman's disappearance, marauding robots, and a mysterious new controller for the robots worked well enough. It's the injection of an organized resistance force, the focus on turning villages of cute animals into militias with serious military tactics, and even dancing on the edges of a "war is hell" narrative where I begin to wonder why this comic is taking itself this seriously.
That's not to say the comic takes itself entirely seriously; there is plenty of winking at the camera and fun at the expense of its main characters. This could even save the comic if it weren't so annoying. Like the previous issue, I cannot stand the protagonist, and his frustrating cockiness is worsened with Amy playing the more serious wet-blanket role of trying to rein in the hero. It's even more bothersome considering the dynamic is that she wants to date the blue hedgehog.
There is some fun to be had in this comic. Adam Bryce Thomas provides kinetic, high-energy, and gorgeous art to this book. The fights look great and have uniquely Sonic elements to them. The color art is bright and appealing, and the world looks like it could exist in the background of Green Hill Zone.
Sonic the Hedgehog is arguably too like the modern games for its own good. Our hero is gratingly too-cool-for-school, the story throws some beats at you from recent installments (which forces me to admit that I know more about this game franchise than I'd like), and the Amy/Sonic dynamic is unbearable. Thomas' art comes near to salvaging the affair, but the final product is could not grab me even for a second. Give this one a pass.