#smugbugreviewsathing

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Smug Bug Reads: Fleetway’s Sonic the Comic #13

         Double Trouble introduces yet another villainous look-alike for Sonic... however, instead of originating from an opposite yet parallel dimension or from the lab of Dr. Robotnik, he comes from a power up most would expect to aid you instead of have a grudge against you...

         Script: Mark Millar          Art: Mike Hadley          Lettering: Ellie de Ville

         The first panel shows Tails losing his football (or his soccer ball, Americans) in a cluster of bushes whilst playing around in Emerald Hill. While rummaging about the foliage, he comes across what most fans that have played Sonic the Hedgehog can easily recognize -

         - one of these things. You’ve seen this before, right? An extra life tv box, a one-up, whatever you wanna call it. These are good things. Grab them when you can. They come in handy.          Now what Tails found doesn’t look quite as harmless.

         Granted, compared to Shadow or Metal Sonic, this “Sonic” does look a bit like the real deal (at this first glance close-up, anyways). He gives this story to Tails about how Robotnik trapped him in the T.V. box (later we find that that’s not entirely false) and that he had to press the button in order to get him out. Tails, completely falling for it, does as he says. The button is pressed, and “Extra Life” is free.

         I’m going to be honest, when I first saw this dude’s design, I thought of the werehog mixed with Classic Sonic. I still see it!          The shredded looking ears, particularly prickly spikes, harshly angled nose, sharp gaze, and spiked teeth are the details that separate this fake from the hero (at first, I thought he looked greyer than Sonic did, but later on when the two share a panel, both share the same blue). Tails is knocked out, and Extra Life is free to cause havoc.

         Close by, critters from the resistance are building a hideout in Emerald Hill that could hopefully keep them safe from Robotnik. It’s good to see them finally take some action in a sense; they havent done much except follow Sonic around, be saved by him, or be held captive by Robotnik and his creations. Now (or in this issue anyway) they’re actively helping out the... well, I guess you could call it the war effort. It’s good to see that!          But anyways, guess who’s headed their way...          Extra Life sees the group with their unfinished hideout and doesn’t hesitate to undo almost all their labor (while hurting and endangering a lot of them in the process).

         I really gotta wonder how fast one has to go in order to set fire to the forest. Like... dang. Well, it’s clear now that Extra Life can rival Sonic’s speed, so it wouldn’t be too far of a stretch to say that they’re equal in ability.          The critters believe that Sonic was the one who torched their hard work, and frankly, that wouldn’t be a bad assumption for them to make based off of appearances alone (however, by now they should know that although Sonic can be a jerk, he’s not villainous in behavior). Since Extra Life was practically speeding through the destruction, chances are none of them got a good look at him. A blue blur alone must have been enough to pin the blame on the hedgehog... but not the one they originally assumed.

        Although much damage is done, the real Sonic steps in to combat the fake. Since Sonic had the element of surprise, he found himself with the upper hand against Extra Life, and managed to send him flying out of sight... but then, the critters arrive.

        Sonic tries to explain that he wasn’t the one who trashed their efforts, but they deem him too dangerous and want him banished. I think maybe that was perhaps a bit too much and a bit too fast to do, especially after knowing what Sonic is really like (even with the more often than not sour attitude).          Anyways, unintentionally proving Sonic’s claim, Extra Life jumps back into their fight. The critters now realize he was telling the truth after narrowly dodging the storming fake.

         In the distance, Tails finally wakes up from being knocked out by Extra Life, and sees the terror going on further off. Picking up the T.V., he makes his way towards the scene...          Meanwhile, Extra Life seems to be winning against his brawl with Sonic,,,

         If Extra Life doesn’t fair well with a surprise attack, it would make sense that Sonic wouldn’t either.          We do have an origin story for Extra Life, anyway, so that’s neat. It really makes me wonder how long ago the doc turned evil if Extra Life was stuck there for years... So he was probably created some time after Sonic got his super speed, but before the incident happened with Kintobor, but that’s not really a time span that’s been explained in detail just yet. So yeah, really gotta wonder how long he was stuck in there for...          Another thing... how would the box work? Or rather, how was it intended to work? Was he really supposed to be just a “helping hand”? Not something that could revive Sonic if he died or was on the brink of death? Or maybe a more morbid idea; a replacement if the real Sonic truly died??? How does he know about all these things that happened anyways? He knew about Tails towards the beginning of the issue, and he knew about Kintobor going bad... he couldn’t escape his confines, and assuming they’re following game cannon at the time he should have been created before Sonic 1, so how’d he know about these things?          Well, it doesn’t really matter anyway since Tails comes in to set things right and save Sonic... wait... did I read that right? Yes! It’s time for Tails to save the day (woot woot)! He doesn’t do much, but not much needs to be done. All he needs to do is point the telly to the fake, press the button, and presto! The doppelganger is back in his digital cage.

         is this a jojo reference? Well, that’s the end of that. I doubt we will see Extra Life again since he was booted to the cosmos, but after all the trouble he caused, I don’t think they much care. After that, the critters apologize to Sonic for accusing him so quickly, and then the issue ends right there with all of them staring into the sky above.

         I can’t help but feel just a bit bad for Extra Life. The dude was created and (appears to be) sentient, but was kept trapped in a box against his will for years. He probably grew bitter over all that time. It’s not entirely explained why he turned bad since he was created with good intentions, but being abandoned for so long... probably was a main reason why. While this serves as an explanation for all the ruckus he caused, it’s still not an excuse. I guess banishment a la space is what was in store for him, but still... can’t help but feel bad...

         TL;DR: don’t do 1-ups, kids.

[smugbugunderarug]

Smug Bug Reads: Sonic the Comic #14

         Hero of the Year sounds like a title that Sonic for sure deserves, but when it takes a form of an award show in the depths of Robotnik-ruled Metropolis, one has to think that it’s an obvious trap.

         Sonic, of course, doesn’t care in the slightest.

         As mentioned earlier, we take a look at this continuity’s version of Metropolis, and might I say it’s very different from what I expected.

         Unfortunately, this is the only panel throughout the entirety of the issue that shows the streets of Metropolis since a lot of the story takes place in different areas, but a good bit can be learned from this page alone. Unlike its game counterpart, Metropolis looks more like a city than a factory. What I think strikes me the most interesting is the fact that Mobians live there. While it’s true that western version of Sonic 2 described Metropolis zone as Robotnik’s capital, StC crew may have taken it literally in a sense that it’s an actual city.

         And what about the people in the back? Unlike those at Emerald Hill that were immediately put to work in Robotnik’s factories when Sonic and co. took a six month time skip (refer to #10 and #9 respectively), they don’t look nearly as enslaved. They rather look like they’re doing quite well for themselves. Are they the exception or the norm in Metropolis? Are they perhaps bribing Robotnik? Does Robotnik even value money?? World building will probably be covered the more issues that are read, but all this still has me curious...          Also, it’s nice to see Beaky again! A very convincing disguise, however the coat may be a bit much for a place like the city now that I think about it (surely it can’t be that cold), but it doesn’t matter all that much.

         Well, back to the story! Sonic has brought Tails along to this award show since the hedgehog is apparently in the final three (really makes one wonder who are the other two that were nominated). Tails immediately sees the award show for what it is and warns Sonic that it’s clearly a trap for him. The hedgehog pays no mind to it, saying how he “...never lets down his public!”          It’s apparent that he knows this is a trap, but he still entertains the idea of going head first into it, even though he’s in the heart of Robotnik’s empire. Maybe he’s doing this for fun, or perhaps he’s just that confident in his abilities...

         The two sneak in just in time to witness the announcement of the winner, and to no ones’ surprise, it’s Sonic. The announcer (who unfortunately isn’t given a name in this issue) is interrupted by Sonic when he says how the hedgehog couldn’t be there this evening. The coyote (?) doesn’t seem surprised by this and offers the award to Sonic, but said hero asks for a bit more than that. He demands the microphone and we finally see why he decided to attend this obvious set-up...

        If seeing the media and the journalist in the first panel says anything about the publicity of this event, it’s likely that the whole thing was televised for all of Metropolis to see (and perhaps even beyond Metropolis). Yeah Sonic might have snuck in for fun, and knowing him he is insanely confident in his abilities, but the purpose of attending was to send a message; one to the people (a message of hope and to spread the fighting spirit), and one to Robotnik (a warning for his impending doom). However, the very next panel shows the inevitable trap has been sprung. Sonic is encased in glass while the announcer shows his true colors...

         It takes only a few moments for the Mega Mack to fill up the container, and much of the audience thinks Sonic is done for. However, the gunk swirls around for a while before Sonic comes out, shattering his confinement. Although the Mack is too thick to see through, it’s implied that all Sonic did was run in circles really fast. A bit of a lame trap since it was so easy to escape from, but can’t complain. Sonic and Tails scoot out of there without a second thought.

         Within moments the duo are at Emerald hill, however they have a couple guests trailing hot on their tracks.

         I gotta say, it’s really neat to see original badniks instead of ones found only in the games. It feels like every other issue has a new badnik, and although most a fairly beaten quite easily, it’s neat to see different ideas on what badniks could look like.

         Well, the badniks and the announcer don’t provide much of a challenge for Sonic and Tails, so the coyote (?) retreats and the issue is over, right? No, not yet. Even though the critters are free from the badniks and the danger appears to be long gone, Sonic is still waiting around and Tails hasn’t a clue as too why. Sonic finally reveals the reason after smashing open the trophy he got from the awards. Inside are gears and wires, showing there was more to the shiny thing that meets the eye. It was a tracker all along, and Sonic figured this out since both the trap and ambush were rather weak. Sure enough, the coyote guy comes back with more of the same badniks... and that’s how the issue ends. The next issue probably won’t pick up where this one left off, so it’s safe to say that the threat was easily dealt with.

         TL:DR; Sonic wins an award show that was rigged against him cause he’s just that cool.

[smugbugunderarug]

Smug Bug Reads: Sonic the Comic #6

        Attack on the Death Egg was actually not that bad. The art improved by like 90%.

        The issue begins at what is apparently Sonic’s headquarters (what was once the laboratory of Dr. Kintobor-now-Robotnik). Nice to know this iteration of Sonic isn’t homeless like some of his other counterparts. Anyways, one of the computers somehow has info that the Death Egg is going to crash in Emerald Hill Zone.

        Sonic and Tails are immediately on the move.

        Sonic is as impatient as ever, and Tails has two bi-planes? That’s neat. Unless these are actually planes left from Dr. Kintobor and Sonic and Tails just repainted them.

        Instead of trying to shoot for the Death Egg, they head over to Robotnik’s Wing Fortress. Tails is left confused as to why they need to head there, but for some reason Sonic doesn’t tell him.

        So the two are almost there, and...

        ... dang that’s a long ship. My lazy math tells me that’s almost two miles of flying metal. Think roughly 27 football fields. Gosh dang that’s big.

        Well, Sonic hops on and from there out it’s a compilation of Sonic denying help.

        Eventually Sonic lets Tails tag along (can’t tell if he wants him to come or if he’s just tired of telling him he doesn’t need help). The two make it all the way to the front of the fortress to see a spaceship docked. Tails is surprised, but you can’t really go into space with a plane so that’s the reason they came to this zone first.

        They finally make it to the Death Egg.

        Sonic still has no chill despite being in space, and it turns out he doesn’t even have a plan. As soon as they enter the Death Egg they come across a beaten and battered Silver Sonic. He barely lasts two pages before being decapitated.

        That’s right; he decapitates Silver Sonic.

        Epic.

        So they go to the control room and the Death Egg has to be steered manually. Sonic of course says he’ll be the one to steer it and he tells Tails to use the last escape pod. Tails is reluctant, but there’s no changing Sonic’s mind so he goes (vaguely reminds me of one of the last scenes from Sonic Colors).

        Tails is left alone in the pod and watches the Death Egg crash into the ocean.

        And that’s basically how the issue ends.

        I liked this issue, but there were still some things that stuck out a bit. We get to see a base of operations for Sonic which would probably come in handy sometime in the future, so that’s neat. I hope they use it more in the future.         Tails... oof, Tails. You know how in the last issue there were a bunch of critters that followed Sonic around but didn’t do anything at all? That was almost Tails. Almost. He was definitely needed to fly the plane, but other than that he didn’t do much besides state the obvious and admire Sonic. Every now and then Sonic would make a snarky remark at his expense, but Tails (instead of getting mad) is apologetic. Like bro, you can’t let him do that to you.         There were various moments throughout the issue where Sonic is offered help by Tails, but he turns him down each and every time. This takes place almost entirely in the Wing Fortress Zone, so I think this is a reference to how you can only have one character playing on this and the next level since, in Sonic 2, Tails’ plane is shot down. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t; Tails is present in the Death Egg either way.         I’m getting off topic: Sonic is offered help, refuses help, and ends up not even needing help. This issue showed Sonic’s more prideful side of him, specifically in these panels:

        None of these comments were mean spirited or anything, but it does show you Fleetway Sonic is a bit cocky (more so than in other series I think).         So what I’m thinking is this guy needs a slice of humble pie, and Tails needs some time to shine. I think there should have been a moment where Sonic genuinely needed help and Tails came in at the nick of time to aid him. After that, Sonic would let him tag along on the Death Egg and there’d be a moment they could work together or something (maybe on the control panel or fighting Silver Sonic). That’s how I would fix that, but for one reason or another I enjoyed this issue more? Maybe it’s the art? It’s a lot more on model with Japan box art Sonic than U.S. box art Sonic, and I really dig that (U.S. box art Sonic just upped the edge/attitude and took away the cute, but that’s just my opinion). The only problem with the art was that throughout the whole issue, Sonic and Tails have the same expressions on their faces. Like if you look back to the panel where Tails thinks Sonic is dead, you can tell he doesn’t look very sad at all. Also, Sonic half the time has the same smirk on his face.

        TL;DR: Basically the last two zones of Sonic 2.

[smugbugunderarug]

Smug Bug Reads: Sonic the Comic #11

        Time Racer is a pretty self explanatory title and puts Sonic’s speed to the test quite like I’ve never seen before...

        Sonic gets word that Tails has been captured and is currently being held on the other side of the planet. He’s is pretty smug about the ordeal on his way there, jokingly calling Tails “pixel-brain” and saying that he’s such a nice guy to go rescue him. After that ego boost, he broke through the fortress, only to find Tails chained and nearly drowning in a vat of chemicals. Sonic helps him out, calling him a dummy this time and sarcastically asking if he made a wrong turn. Tails warns him that it’s all a trap, but before he could go into further detail, Dr. Robotnik appears on the nearby computer screen. The doctor confirms what the fox has to say, saying that the hedgehog is already too late (when is he really, though?).

        Foolishly, Robotnik explains his plan in detail: a satellite is currently residing in space and is precisely aimed at the Emerald Hill Zone, fully charged and ready to destroy every critter in the area.

        This... is not the first time Eggman, sorry, Robotnik has doomed himself by explaining his plan. This issue where he tried to trap Sonic inside a metal counterpart was another one, however, his defeat didn’t entirely happen because of him being mouthy. I have a feeling this is going to be a recurring theme for several issues.

        Anyways, Robotnik practically challenges Sonic to make it to Emerald Hill in five seconds, so I think we already know how this is going to play out.

        As soon as the doctor is done talking, Sonic is gone. With an even more determined than usual face, he’s shouting for everyone to get out of his way, and even though we don’t see any people, could he even be heard at the speed he was going? There’s a literal countdown in each panel, so the time it takes for him to yell... most probably wouldn’t have been able to hear it over his running, and if they did it probably wouldn’t have been a whole sentence...

        He’s seen going at incredibly fast speeds, making several sonic booms to the point where he’s only a blur of color on the paper. Remember when Archie Sonic ran across a continent? Fleetway Sonic laughs at that (and AoStH laughs at them both, but now isn’t the discussion for who’s fastest).

        Fortunately, he makes it to Emerald Hill with a half-second left to spare. A half-second. If Mobius is anywhere near the size of Earth, than that means he went 1979.4 miles in four and a half seconds. If my questionable math is correct, he’d have to be going around 440 miles per second! Dang... that’s one quick boy.         So he makes it in time to warn some of the critters, but the laser is already in sight. Soon enough it’s searing all over Emerald Hill, but Sonic has a plan...

        So he tries to make a mirror. This... kind of makes sense but at the same time it doesn’t. Sure, sand (specifically silicon) is used to make glass, so Sonic must have been creating enough friction to create 3,200 degrees Fahrenheit... ouch. Those power boots really can handle a lot.         Secondly, you need metal in order to create a mirror, a thin, boiling layer of metal. I’ll give it to the writer of this issue, that’s a pretty creative solution to the problem, but it’s just short of being possible. Most of the kids reading this probably wouldn’t have thought passed that though, so I don’t really blame the writer. Still...

        Well, Sonic brings the mirror over towards the laser’s path, and with the help of some of the critters he’s able to lift it up to the right angle so the beam bounces off and destroys the satellite. That... has got to be some crazy precise angling. Once again, the target audience of the comic probably wouldn’t have thought twice about it, but getting the exact angle from that distance... should be impossible. I guess traveling half the planet in five seconds is too, but still. Again, I’m being nitpicky.

        Anyways, Tails makes it back after the satellite explodes and... wait, how did Tails make it back so soon?!?! He’s got to be at least half as fast as Sonic to make it back in that short amount of time! And he still manages to get captured so often! H o w ?         Whatever, I’m done being nitpicky... Tails asks what just happened since there was a bright flash in the sky, and Sonic snidely remarks how he saved the world again, all by himself. Tails wishes he could get in on the action, but Sonic, the ego hog he is, says the reason why he can’t is because he’s not as cool as the hedgehog is. The issue ends with Sonic roasting Tails, further differentiating this Sonic from many others.

        He’s a good hero, but not so much a friend from what I could tell.

        TL;DR: Sonic goes f a s t and pulls a big no u.

[smugbugunderarug]

Smug Bug Reads: Sonic the Comic #8

        The Origin of Sonic is something I’m sure most Sonic fans have vaguely heard of once or twice. Or at least the basic story line of it, anyways.

        Issue #8 gave readers more info about how Sonic accesses the Special Zone, and I just gotta point out the very 1st big

        R e t c o n

        of the series.

        So remember in issue #3 how Sonic got into the Special Zone?

        Using rings, he just boosted into the Special Zone just like that. Now, though...

        I wondered why they didn’t just go with how the games did it at first, but I guess it’s good that they’re establishing this early and not waiting till later.

        I’m getting ahead of myself: I never explained why he was going to the Special Zone to begin with. So Sonic, Tails, Johnny, and Porker are on their way to the Special Zone so that Sonic can show them his origin story of how he became so 90′s cool and radical and how Dr. Robotnik became a rotten egg. On the way there, we learn another thing, and I’m not sure if I can call this a retcon...

        Cool, so Sonic has the Chaos Emeralds out of Robotnik’s reach (as far as we know), however in issue #3 we see six of the Chaos Emeralds in the Special Zone.

         Maybe the crew behind the series just wanted to add in a little easter egg or nod to the Chaos Emeralds before they realized they wanted to use them in the story, so they sort of just back tracked a bit. That’s fine I guess. Maybe there wasn’t much communication between the writer and artist at the time.

        That brings up a question though: when exactly did Sonic get a hold of the emeralds? It’s been confirmed in issue #6 that this takes place after Sonic 2, so he must have been able to collect the emeralds sometime between then and now. Only question left is where they’re really at...

        Anyways, so Sonic and co. safely make it to the end of the Special Zone to meet up with... this guy.

        Apparently he and Sonic are really good pals, cause in the very next panel they’re all buddy buddy with each other. No backstory, no origin, just... “oh yeah this dude and I are chill.” I’d like to see if there’s more of this guy in the future cause there’s got to be a story for that...

        Moving on!

        Thanks to the Omni-Viewer, Tails, Johnny, and Porker get to see the moment where Sonic and Robotnik first met who knows how long ago. This origin story closely follows the Sonic bible from ‘91. There are a few differences, the bigger ones being that the comics don’t take place on Earth and Sonic does not have a family (that we are yet aware of).

        It all begins with Dr. Ovi Kintobor working in his lab trying to fulfill his dream of transferring all the world’s evil into the Chaos Emeralds using his invention: ROCC (Retro Orbital Chaos Compressor). Sonic somehow managed to find his way through an underground vent of sorts into the laboratory. Kintobor is pleased to have unexpected company, and Sonic is intrigued with the machine the doctor had been working on that held six of the seven Chaos Emeralds (the machine is not stable without the seventh and final emerald, so Dr. Kintobor has been searching for it). The two form a friendship of sorts with Dr. Robotnik being curious about Sonic’s speed and conducting tests to help him go even faster. One day while testing out a new set of sneakers, a freak accident happened after Sonic passed the speed of sound that turned him from this:

        To this:

        In addition to the new look, he’s able to go faster than ever before.

        Even though he’s got his speed improved, Sonic decided to stick around since he sees the doc as a friend. One day though, a freak accident with the machine holding the emeralds, some loose cables, and a singular rotten egg turned Dr. Kintobor from this:

        To this:

        The evil in the emeralds combined with the six-month old rotten egg transformed the good doctor into the Robotnik we all know today.

        Real talk though, Kintobor’s fridge was completely empty, and he was willing to eat that rotten egg. The dude clearly did not take good care of himself! Also, his lab looked like a mess with cables running all over the floor which caused him to trip and crash into the ROCC and turning into... that. If the dude had some organization skills and at least took care as to when he was running low on food, this whole thing could have been easily avoided...

        I guess the lesson here is to take care of yourself or else you’ll turn into Robotnik.

        So back to the story... this really makes me wonder if they’re going to end up retconning the whole “going Super with just rings” thing, cause it would make sense that Sonic, in his Super form, would go crazy if the Chaos Emeralds had some evil energy left inside them. That would explain a lot actually. We’ll see what happens...

        Before anything else can happen...

        Not sure how Robotnik can control the Omni-Viewer or anything else in the Special Zone for that matter, but we’ll just roll with it for now.

        Anyways, the issue ends on a cliffhanger since it looks like Robotnik has won. The next issue is titled Sonic No More? We’ll see what kind of trouble he and the rest of his companions get into after supposedly being sent to the future...

        TL;DR: Sonic and co. get trippy to see Sonic’s origin story but they stayed trippy for too long oh no.

[smugbugunderarug]

Smug Bug Reviews: Sonic the Comic #5

        Lost in the Labyrinth Zone is a kind of misleading name. They’re not really lost, they just... run around in the labyrinth.

        So the issue starts with Sonic testing how fast he can go. Tails says he clocks in at 750 mph, which isn’t Sonic’s goal of “speed of sound.” Sonic speed is around 767 mph, so he’s not too far off. Sonic’s still not pleased though, even saying he’s out of shape and needs to be the best he can be (he needs to chill tho he’s already fast enough). So this Sonic likes to push himself; duly noted. Afterwards he goes to chow down on a table stacked with burgers and hot dogs, so this dude’s definitely got the appetite for his crazy metabolism. But...

        Sonic drops his borger and Tails is abducted by bacon strips! :O

        Sike, it’s these clowns. Idk why, but Sonic thinks it’s just a good idea to stand there and call out for Tails rather than jump in and look for him. Also, not sure how the critters got there (maybe they saw Tails get kidnapped off-panel), but yeah, they’re there.

        So Tails continues to be dragged off to who knows where, and this “Arach-bot” just explains something really interesting:

        There are underground tunnels stretching out throughout almost half the planet. bruh. Wouldn’t that cause major problems in the future? I guess it would depend on how sound these burrows are and how large they are. If they’re anything like the size they are in the game, and that’s underneath half of Mobius... yikes. Sinkholes are bound to pop up sooner or later (once again, depends how strong they are).

        Moving on!

        Sonic and some critters finally jump in and start looking for Tails. Elsewhere, we read from Arach-bot that the doc is still set on trying to turn Tails into a robot (this is like, the 3rd time by now what the heck). Not only that, but he states how he really wanted to bash Tails’ brains in. Guys I’m not used to badniks being so mean this is freaky. Anyways, the old suit is ready but Sonic and gang are there to save their friend. Another thing mentioned...

        So Robotnik doesn’t have just “organically powered” badniks. Apparently there are some who don’t have animals, however I’m not sure if that makes them any more special. Maybe they’re smarter or more powerful but take more energy? This guy was a bit of a challenge to take down, but Sonic manages to do it (that’s coming up).

        Without reason, the Labyrinth Zone starts to flood. Everyone is whisked around and shaken a bit, but fine nonetheless. Sonic sees Tails’ robosuit and hatches a plan. He cracks open the suit, leaking oil into the water as Arach-bot approaches quickly. As soon as he closes in, Sonic uses the suit (somehow he knows how to work it?) to set the oils aflame which then sets the spider bot on fire:

        We never had this in the early early Archie comics, but in a weird way I kind of wish we did.

        After that the two act like nothing happened and Sonic goes for breakfast round 2.

        Just like the issues before it, this one was ok, but also had somethings that could have been explained better? Like Sonic knowing how to work Tails’ robosuit? I don’t even recall if the flamethrower was used when Tails was still a robot. Guess a fiery gruesome death was the way to go rather than a Sonic Spin. Maybe they just wanted to show Sonic as a quick thinker. Another thing: the critters follow Sonic into the Labyrinth, but they do absolutely nothing. They don’t help, they just say stuff and panic. Sort of pointless to rope them into it. None of these problems really have anything to do with the comic being really short, so this is just meh writing.

        The next issue is titled Into Space, and as we all know, space is cool. I’ll be looking forward to that one.

        TL;DR: Sonic has breakfast, Tails gets kidnapped, Sonic commits arson in order to save Tails, and then has breakfast again.

[smugbugunderarug]

Smug Bug Reads: Sonic the Comic#4

        Day of the Badniks was... something.

        I regret laying eyes on this tin can, but it’s too late for that now. Anyways, I mentioned earlier that someone (or something else) being mistaken for Sonic must be a universal thing in the Sonic Multiverse, and StC is no exception.

        Also! The star post! Has wires!?!? I guess I never thought about how they worked, but I guess they’re powered by electricity here? Nothing on the Sonic wiki really explains how they’re powered (or their purpose, besides being checkpoints and gateways to the Special Zone), so that’s something.

        But that brings a load of other questions; like, is there a whole underground network of electricity just for the posts? How much power do these things need? Who even set them up in the first place?

        Moving on!

        News must travel fast around there cause Tails goes out to tell Sonic. Speaking of Sonic... he’s kind of a meanie? I’m not sure how far his mean streak goes, but he could at least slow down for Tails... but to be fair, I never slowed down for him in Sonic 2, so I guess I’m also guilty of that. Anyways, poor Tails.

        Lowkey kinda spoopy and gruesome way to obtain your “organic batteries.” These badniks are definitely more of a threat than the other depictions I’ve seen of them. Dorky looking, if not a bit, but definitely on the freaky side.

        Speaking of freaky, Invader Metal Stitch final confronts Sonic and Tails, and things go sour. Tails thinks Sonic is in danger while Sonic was just trying to fool the thing. The fox thinks he can play hero and...

        ...that didn’t really work out.

        You could see Tails trying his best in the first panel while “D’OH!” is written all over Sonic’s face. Anyways, Sonic and Invader Metal Stitch fuse and it’s still ugly. Poor Tails probably feels bad, but yeah he dun messed up.

        Robotnik might be the smartest egg alive, but he’s also the dumbest egg alive for explaining his plan. Also, I think this is the 1st instance in which we see some form of a Metal Tails? Maybe? I know Archie kind of had one for a while, but I’m not too sure what happened to him... but yeah, Tails you doofus he’s about to get you. This Tails isn’t really all that observant. Still baby tho.

        interesting tidbit here: Robotnik’s base is in the Special Zone. Not sure how long that’s gonna last (or how that would work since it’s really loopy there), but it’s interesting nonetheless. I guess that’d be reason enough to get rid of all the Star Posts, but wasn’t it in the last issue where we see Sonic access the Special Zone with out a post? Is he going to steal all the rings, too? I guess the doc is just doing what he can to prevent Sonic from reaching his HQ.

        Also, they really know how to draw ugly as ugly here. I don’t know what’s on Robotnik’s lip, and I don’t want to.

        Anyways, so his plan backfires almost instantly.

        His Metal Sonic sucks. Robotnik was so sure it would work, but... yeah it didn’t. The suit didn’t pull a fnaf, and Sonic can control it instead of the other way around. That was kind of a sucky explanation, but this comic is incredibly short (only 7 pages) so I guess It’ll have to slide. Sonic threatens Robotnik to release everybody. No, he actually took him by the stache and threatened him to do that. This Sonic is a loose cannon my guy. Once again, the villain conveniently slips away while Sonic and friends week revenge or go back to their daily lives. Depends which critter you’re looking at, tho’.

        So yeah, that was #4. I was kind of hoping for a better ending. I guess Sonic not being controlled served as a good enough plot twist, but I would have rathered a better explanation as to how he wasn’t under control, or even better, have a way for Tails to save the day. So far, he’s just been the clumsy kid that admires Sonic but gets both Sonic and him in trouble, and that’s pretty much it. Maybe he’ll have his own time to shine in a later issue. As much as I would have wanted a different ending, I see why they did it. This was literally the last page, so not much could have been done anyways. Maybe Lost in the Labyrinth Zone will have a better ending.

        TL;DR: Once, there was an ugly Metal Sonic. It was so ugly, that it died. The end.

[smugbugunderarug]

Smug Bug Reads: Sonic the Comic #7

        Super Sonic makes his very first appearance! I didn’t see it coming at all even though that’s the freakin title. Y’all can just deduct 5 big brain points from me-

        So Sonic and Tails are called in to help fight a raging fire that’s been going on for three days taking place in Oil Ocean Zone. A team of firefighters (their leader named Red, a lion) are struggling to take down the flames, and Red ultimately thinks that Sonic’s too late to help. The smug boy is all like “nah fam i aint done anything yet.” And he whips out a tornado move.

        Wonder if that’ll be used again in the future.

        So the fire’s gone, but Red and his team still can’t clean up the place since it’s apparently littered with traps and the buildings aren’t sound after the disaster. Sonic agrees to clear out all the danger hotspots, but he’s immediately attacked by one of these boogers.

        An aquis. These guys aren’t that difficult to beat, but...

        ... this dude is giving Sonic a tough time. This goes on into the next page, and it looked like for a moment that a freaking aquis took him down.

        Look see they’re even having the big sad:

        It’s sad time for the boys but then SUPER SONIC POPS OUTTA NO WHERE-

        he lookin a little angy but hes not singed so thats good.

        The aquis is spooked and doesn’t know what to do. He bites the dust thanks to Super Sonic, but it doesn’t end there. Our shiny boy threatens to unalive the little bunny that popped out of the aquis, and even Tails and Red. There’s no reason given, he’s just really violent I guess.

        Tails is able to snap him out of it pretty easily (it just went like, “stop that you’re the good guy” and Sonic was all “oh shoot you right” and popped back to normal). After that they continued on as if nothing happened and Sonic went out to help the firefighters.

        REAL REVIEW TIME!

        This issue is okay, but I think why it deserves a bit more attention is because it introduces Super Sonic, and might I say this is probably the most interesting take of him that I’ve ever seen so far. The crazy eyes and the oddly violent personality? I’m not sure what the writers were thinking, but I wouldn’t say it’s a bad direction. There could be some interesting plot points in the future where Sonic may not have another choice but to go Super, and it can all go from bad too worse. I’m looking forward to more of this.

        There wasn’t anything that really stuck out to me in a bad way in this issue, but having Sonic have such a rough time with an aquis??? Of all badniks?? In the last issue he took on Silver Sonic without so much as a sweat (albeit, the bot was already in poor condition), and you’re trying to tell me an aquis got the better of him???? Either way, it was neat to see Super Sonic come out and make his debut.

        Tails was kind of there. He flew Sonic to the zone, but other than that he just kind of stated what was happening while Sonic put out the fire and went Super. He also snapped Sonic out of his power-crazy-ring trip, so that’s good. He did say something interesting though; he mentioned how he’s only seen Sonic go Super once. Since this comic series is confirmed to have taken place after Sonic 2, is it possible that during the events of that game he saw Sonic go Super? Maybe it was towards the very end of the game?

        As much sense as that makes (to me anyways), Sonic tells Tails and Red how he goes Super...

        ... all that ring energy, huh? He lost his cool? Nothing about the Chaos Emeralds, just ring energy. We’ve already seen him use rings to jump straight through the Special Zone without the need of a star post, and now we have a Super form that doesn’t require Emeralds, just enough rings. Chances are sonic doesn’t even have the Emeralds on him (remember in issue 3 he entered the Special Zone and we see the Chaos Emeralds):

        Unless he snatched them some time between issues 3 and 7 and is secretly using them without telling Tails or Red, do the Emeralds have a use in this comic at all since Sonic apparently doesn’t need them? I’m looking forward to future issues that will address this... if it’s even addressed.

        Anyways, good issue. Maybe we’ll see Red in the future, maybe we won’t.

        TL;DR: Super Sonic bad guy??? Hnnmnnmmm?????