I noticed quite a change in the second batch of twenty-five Archie comics compared to the first, and it follows a trend that I’d started to notice in what I’d already read. Here the comics start to become a lot more serious and delve more into the history and lore of Mobius – and while that is typically something that I love, it didn’t always hit the mark here.
One thing I really enjoyed was the history of Angel Island – the comics explain a lot about the highly advanced echidna civilization and how and why the created a floating island. One thing I didn’t enjoy so much was the information it provided on Sally Acorn’s father and the history of Mobius’s politics and royal family. Robotnik’s role in it all is kind of interesting, and I did appreciated it as an atypical interpretation of the character, but it wouldn’t be my preferred backstory for him.
I think part of the problem is that with the story’s that delve into the history, there’s very little humour involved, and I think that’s an important part of the Sonic recipe. While I enjoyed learning about the ususual lore of these comics (and still look forward to more), I was kind of bored sometimes because of how seriously it took itself. That’s not to say I don’t like a darker storyline (I love when in one of the story arcs, Sonic has to go on the run after being found guilty of murder), but when it’s not seriousness combined with high stakes drama, that’s when I find myself feeling less captivated…
The backstory is kind of convoluted too, and it doesn’t help that very often there are little cliff-hangers that are not resolved in the next issue of the Sonic comic, but in Tails, Knuckles, or Princess Sally mini series. Though I was still able to understand everything that happened without reading this additional comics, it did mean that there were gaps in my knowledge, and a few cliffhangers that didn’t have a clear resolution though. You’ve got to commit to reading (and finding) a lot of other comics to really get the full story.
Despite things getting more convoluted, I still quite enjoyed these comics . I like Sonic and his friends as Freedom Fighters coming up against Robotnik as an overlord and there are some really cool conflicts here. While the first twenty-five issues typically all had Sonic as the main character of every story, Knuckles, Sally, and even Sonic’s Uncle Chuck all get a lot more time in the spotlight here, meaning they get a nice bit of development, and the stories are more varied. There was less focus on parallel universes though, which was a shame.
I think a lot of dedicated fans of the games will enjoy these comics, but it is important to keep in mind that it’s very different to the current understanding of Sonic and his world. While there are definitely bits I didn’t like (e.g. Geoffrey St. John), I did generally enjoy it, and the last few in particular told a cool interconnected story which lead to what felt like a solid ending for the series as a whole – I look forward to seeing what happens next.
Rating: 7.4/10
