Archie Sonic Issue #17

 

Alright, pretty solid follow-up to the last cover. Still has a lot of unnecessary word balloons, and the pointless corner box gag as per usual, but honestly, I'm just glad that we're going to finally have covers that consistently do their dang JOB from here on out. I'll be riding on this high all the way to Spaz's debut.

Anyway, today's issue is... how do I put this, exactly? Deceptively unassuming, you could say? 

Just like last time, we've got another full issue by Mike Kanterovich and Ken Penders, who have already become by far the most dominant presence on the comic since their debut in Issue 11, to the point where not an issue has gone by without at least one story to both of their names. Up until now, they've largely stuck to the established goofy tone of the Archie Sonic Gag Era, but last issue saw a small, but noticeable step into slightly more serious and emotional stakes, however brief and heavily buried in the usual silliness. This issue follows roughly the same pattern but takes a much more subtle approach; the vast majority of it will be business as usual, but towards the end... well, you'll see.

Without giving away too much at the start, there's another interesting tidbit about this issue in regard to structure. We still have 2 stories to get through as has become the norm, but where most previous issues have cleanly divided themselves in the middle to give both stories the same space, this one, again, takes a much different approach. The first story (advertised by the cover here) will actually be most of what we're looking at today, while the second story is a rather light 4 pages... but don't let that fool you. As anyone who has watched the original Halloween can tell you, you should never underestimate how much can be done with so little. In many ways, today is arguably when the TRUE Pendering starts to take shape, most certainly for the better, and most certainly for the worse.

"This is where everything began. Who knew such a tiny flame could bring SUCH devastation?"

But first, it's time for the usual shenanigans. So, let's get started with:

"Gorilla Warfare/The Apes of Wrath!" Yes, this story has 2 titles for some reason, no I don't know why.

Well, here's an interesting change of pace. The story title isn't actually on the first page for once. Pretty minor detail to be sure, but points for switching up the writing style slightly, I guess?

I do have to once again ask why the Freedom Fighters are spending so much of their time on leisurely activities like this, though. Like, I get it, they're kids, they need time to have fun every now and then. Team Avatar spent so much time goofing off in the first 2 seasons of ATLA that it's a MIRACLE Aang even stood a chance against Ozai, but like... even they at least TRIED to make progress every now and then. Seriously, has anyone even been LOOKING for King Max all this time? 

To be fair, knowledge of future events with Max does low-key make me Squidward in this scene lol.

Whatever, it's not relevant right now, still the Gag Era, yadda yadda I get it. Let's check in on Robotnik.

I'm pretty sure I've said something to this effect before, but it bears repeating: if there is one thing this era definitely does right with Robotnik, it's making him the most extra villain imaginable. It's not enough for him to just go out searching for something, no no no, he's got to do it in STYLE. Safari outfit, squad of SWAT-Bots whose sole purpose on this expedition is to carry him onto the island shore on a massive throne for a grand total of 5 feet purely for dramatic effect, the whole shebang. This man would be right at home in L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. until his ego inevitably got the better of him and he roboticized the whole organization out of spite.

Snively and Crabmeat are both out here because we're still in that really odd period where they're given roughly equal treatment in being Robotnik's right hand men, which has never made any kind of sense to me. One of them is the doctor's nephew with an intellect that rivals his own, and the other is... a random crab who gets smashed to pieces every other day and arguably doesn't even count as an individual being. Seriously, between all of the physical/emotional abuse and then being on equal standing with a Badnik, is it any wonder Snively starts giving his uncle the Rule of Two treatment before too long?

Anyway, as Robotnik explains the reason for this expedition, we go into a flashback sequence to many years ago, back when he was just a lonely Doctor Frankenstein rip-off. Because remember kids, Penders is allowed to parody any existing media he wants, but if your officially licensed Sonic game has an echidna that looks even REMOTELY like Julie-Su... say it with me now:

Putting aside Ken's blatant copyright hypocrisy here, much like with Uncle Chuck's Treasure back in Issue 7, I must unfortunately dock points for the fact that the event covered here REALLY doesn't fit with the timeline of Robotnik's past established in later stories. First, he wasn't going by Robotnik until his takeover, he was still Kintobor. Second, we know thanks to one of Karl Bollers's later entries that he DIDN'T start out on his own, instead working with a full crew of scientists in a lab he stole from his own mentor. Third and finally, Penders himself wrote that Robotnik fled from his own people to seek aid from King Max, painting himself as the victim of a great injustice who wanted to help a righteous cause before his eventual betrayal and coup. Given all that added context, you mean to tell me this man built a massive robot and gave it life, with it proceeding to rampage all across the land, and NO ONE traced this incident back to him all these years?

And before you ask, yes, this story is referenced when this whole era gets recapped later, so that means all of this did still happen and therefore counts as canon. I know I'm reading into this WAY too much and should just enjoy this silly little story for what it is, but this is another aspect of the Gag Era that consistently bugs me every time it occurs. They played so fast and loose with continuity in these early days, and the end result is all kinds of ridiculous one-off anomalies that, by all accounts, should have VASTLY changed the history of this world from what we got once the more serious narrative is established in the comic. MAYBE you could argue that this is one of Kintobor's experiments that got the Overlanders to start eyeing him suspiciously and led to his exile? That's the best I got, but... I dunno, even then it still feels slightly off. 

Alright, enough "obsessive fanboy rambling about continuity errors that maybe 3 people on Earth actually care about", let's get back into it as Robotnik reunites with, in his own words, "his long-lost, firstborn robotic son"...

...King Gong. Like King Kong, but he makes gong noises because of the giant clock on his chest. You seriously can't make this stuff up.

Actually, at the risk of getting sidelined into another tangent, I have to say Robotnik's fatherly love for this towering behemoth is... well, it's odd. I talked about this back in Issue 7's Sorceress in Distress story, but generally speaking, I'm always a bit iffy with giving the doctor emotional attachments to anyone other than himself. I can accept the father/son dynamic between Eggman and Metal Sonic in the modern era as an exception to this rule, since Metal Sonic is the doctor's greatest technological achievement, and thus serves as a sort of twisted extension of Eggman's already massive ego. But anything past that... nah. I don't like it when classic, pure evil villains get bogged down in complicated personal feelings, and I worry for the current state of Eggman's character in a post-Frontiers world now that Sage has thrown a massive wrench into things. 

Seriously, "be careful, dear daughter?" When has Eggman EVER talked like that to ANYONE!?

I'll let this one slide since it's the Gag Era and King Gong is mostly operating under the same logic as Metal Sonic, but when Mecha shows up a good while from now, I'll be watching her like a HAWK to make sure she doesn't do anything to ruin Archie Eggman's wonderfully sinister personality while she's around.

Anyway, as the Freedom Fighters make preparations for an outdoor picnic (seriously, ANOTHER one? You guys are bigger procrastinators than I am!), Robotnik brings King Gong back with him to Robotropolis, leading to a fairly amusing scene of him working to satisfy the gorilla's appetite while simultaneously sending him after Sonic:

I suppose I should question how and why a robot is even capable of feeling hunger to begin with, but I'll actually give Mike and Ken both credit here for the punchline of King Gong smashing Robotnik's wall AGAIN after spending not even 10 minutes back home from his many years of wandering. I'm always a big fan of when jokes come full circle like that.

Please take a moment and admire my restraint in waiting this long to reference this comedic masterpiece on this blog. So glad the internet has given it a much-needed second chance at life.

(Also, I probably don't have to tell you that the editor's note about Pavlov being Robotnik's second cousin is pure nonsense and gets retconned out of existence like you would not BELIEVE.)

Alright, this is... interesting. I've gotten so used to Bunnie being the only Freedom Fighter unaccounted for that the additional absence of Rotor feels far more perplexing. Maybe he felt bad that everyone else kept forgetting she exists and stayed behind with her? Maybe tinker with her robotic limbs while he's at it? Mike, Ken, I'm really trying to help this story make sense, but you guys have got to work with me here...

...Oh, wait! Sally's taking charge for once, that's something! Maybe she'll finally step up to the plate this time and show us why she's the REAL leader of the-

-Why. Why do I even try, given how she's been treated thus far in this era? This is just an exercise in futility at this point.

No, of course, rather than doing anything useful, like trying to come up with an actual PLAN to get everyone out of this dire situation... she walks straight up to this monstrosity and kicks his metal foot, telling him to please stop being rude, Mr. Killing Machine. She is then promptly carried off by Sonic, the big strong man in her life, while instantly becoming the target of King Gong's affection by virtue of somehow being the first female he's ever interacted with despite literal years traveling to and fro across the entire planet.

Penders the feminist, everyone.

... At least I'm face palming for someone other than Robotnik this time? Does... does that count as a bright spot here, or...?

Everything that happens after that is pretty much what you would expect from a story like this. King Gong grabs Sally and takes her to a massive tower that conveniently exists out in the middle of nowhere because... uh, give me a second, I'm sure it's here somewhere... *ahem*: "Because this is a King Kong parody and we had to have the iconic Empire State Building set piece for the climax." 

Credit where it's due, Kanterovich and Penders do an OK job of giving Tails and Antoine minor but helpful roles here, with Antoine piloting the Tornado while Tails flies Sally out of King Gong's grasp, leaving Sonic to do the actual fighting. That's definitely more teamwork between Sonic and his friends than Generations or Forces gave us to be sure.

A cat who can turn into a flaming tornado, a psychic who was literally throwing CARS at you earlier in this game, and a rabbit who can fly and has the most overpowered pet in existence. And yet here they stand, contributing nothing but a pep talk while a monster threatens to kill their friend. I swear, what even WERE the 2010s?

We end our story with Sonic the virtuous hero (water) gunning down a mindless creature who didn't know any better about what it was doing, and Robotnik the cruel tyrant sadly mourning the loss of his firstborn (robot) son at the hands of a murderer. Kind of makes you think, doesn't it? (THIS IS A JOKE. I DON'T WANT TO SEE ANY OF YOU ROBOTNIK APOLOGISTS OUT THERE, THE MAN IS INSANE.)

So that story was... fine? Maybe? I know I complained a lot more than I probably should have about the weird continuity errors it presented, but even stripping that away... I mean, it's not like I was ragging on some grand, epic tale or anything. It's just a run-of-the-mill King Kong parody, with a touch of Frankenstein for some reason, and some decent but still pretty whatever artwork from Dave Manak. You could skip this one over and lose nothing for the ongoing story of this comic except a few timeline-related headaches.

The same can NOT be said about this next story, however. This last segment here... it's a big one. Without further ado, let's get right into:

"First Star I See Tonight!"

Right off the rip, just have to say: Art Mawhinney has already been doing fine work, but as you can likely already tell from this first page, this officially marks the point where the man truly starts bringing his A game. If I had to hazard a guess as to why, I'd say getting Sally's proper SatAM design was the last piece of the puzzle he needed to start realizing his full potential as an artist. From this point on, he just DOES NOT miss, and you love to see it.

But yeah, shock of all shocks, we actually have a fully Sally-centric story for the first time ever! Yes, it's written by Penders, but he doesn't try to awkwardly shoehorn anything into this one! He and Kanterovich just write her like... you know... a person. Crazy how doing something basic like that makes your writing significantly less cringeworthy.

Oh, but I can already hear you. "So what? This is just going to be another silly little gag strip like all the other ones. She's already doing the typical 'he loves me, he loves me not' shtick, obviously this is just going to be some goofy love story or something." To which I reply:

Well, OK, there is still a LITTLE bit of silliness here, what with her and Sonic watching the clouds go by, but they're little kids in that scene so it's appropriate. And it serves as a nice contrast to what Sally describes afterwards, with Robotnik's takeover and her father's sudden disappearance. Speaking of which-

RED ALERT! MAX HAS ENTERED THE COMIC FOR REAL THIS TIME! WITH THE SATAM DESIGN AND EVERYTHING! LOCK THE DOORS, BAR THE WINDOWS, HIDE YOUR CHILDREN! HE'S COMING!!!

No, wait. False alarm, he's just in a flashback sequence this time. The coast is clear... for now.

Even ignoring my building dread of the "father knows best" antics from Penders that I know will be here eventually, this is still a pretty big deal. After 20 issues (counting the mini-series) of almost non-stop 4th-wall breaks, riffs on existing popular media, and just generally episodic, one-off nonsense, here we finally have our very first genuine, real hint of an overarching plot. Combine this with last issue's Uncle Chuck drama, and it's hard to deny how much Penders is already looking to completely change the game here. It's WILD, and it only gets wilder with that happens next:

Huh. If I had a nickel for every time Sally wanted a magic wand, I'd have 2 nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice, right?

No, obviously the important thing about this page is the sudden meteor crashing down, almost as if in response to her desperate plea. The Freedom Fighters (excluding Bunnie for the umpteenth time) all come together to investigate, eventually finding it lying on the ground... only, this isn't just any meteorite...

But what IS this mysterious sphere? Why is it here all of a sudden? Just what (or rather, WHO) lurks inside? Well, to answer that question... tune in next time... and, actually, the time after that, because heaven forbid this man just say it directly without giving you ample opportunity to ponder about things for a while.

Actually, I'll back off on Penders a bit there, 2 issues to answer a question like this isn't really all that bad in the grand scheme of things. Plus, like... SOMETHING'S FINALLY HAPPENING! We've got our first story arc in the comic's entire run! There's an actual NARRATIVE now!... er, for the most part, at least. There will still be plenty of Gag Era weirdness to sift through here and there, but at least now there's an actual incentive to keep coming back to this book for more! 

It's like I've been saying all along. Yes, Penders is responsible for a lot of this comic's worst moments... but if we didn't have the comic at its worst, we also wouldn't have had it at its best, either. That's not to say he should get full credit for absolutely everything in this book like he often claims... but we also shouldn't downplay the tremendous impact he had, either. There is far, FAR more nuance to Archie Sonic than to simply say, "Penders bad, Flynn good". Ken has good days, Ian has bad days, and there's WAY more people involved in this book than just them. But it is undeniable that Ken Penders played a major role in making this comic what it is, with all the wonderful and terrible events that occurred as a result.

On that note, I think we'll end it here. The first story was... well, a whole lot of nothing, aside from some decent humor mainly on Robotnik's end. However, the second story is MORE than enough to mark this issue in Archie Sonic history as the beginning of the Gag Era's slow descent, and the rise of something... new.

Tune in next time for the next part of the ongoing Princess Sally story, and also for Sonic and Sally's totally real wedding that's definitely not a fake marketing scam both in and out of universe. No, sir, no false advertisement here!

Truth of Square game for the Wii and DS >>>>>> actual Truth of Square special every day of every week of every month of every year.