“Yesterday’s” Comic> Sabrina The Teenage Witch #28

The crossover I really want is Sonic vs The Flash and the Road Runner in a race.

Sabrina The Teenage Witch #28

Archie Comic Publications (August, 1999)

WRITER: Mike Gallagher

PENCILER: Dan DeCarlo

“SONIC” PENCILER: Dave Manak

INKER: Jon D’Agostino

COLORIST: Barry Grossman

LETTERER: Bill Yoshida

EDITOR: Victor Gorelick

Both stories involve Enchantra seeking revenge on Sabrina for using a character obviously inspired by her in a school project. The first story, “Thor Loser”, has her ordering her secretary, Della, to make a work order to send the Four Horsemen to destroy her and her aunts. Instead, thanks to the outdated and broke typewriter, four norsemen arrive, Thor being the only dangerous one. Thanks to magic-induced amnesia, Hilda and Zelda date two of the guys while Salem makes friends with Irving (his dad moved to Norway), and Sabrina gives Thor a tour of Westbridge before Enchantra rescinds the order and finally agrees to give Della a new computer.

This version of Sabrina is still set in the regular Archie universe, though this return came thanks to the Melissa Joan Hart series, and I don’t really connect with the regular Archie universe…though I’ll take it over the CWed version they publish now. Too many of the regular stories are just wacky hijinks. Why give Thor a tour of the town? Our heroines used magic to make the boys forget they were here to destroy the town and instead they go to Florida for a date. It just doesn’t interest me and it isn’t my kind of humor. I connect more to side or occasional stories than the classic Archieverse as a whole, but now and then I can be amused by it.

After a short gag where the aunts are turned into mice as part of Salem’s plan to get them to exercise (he’s a cat, do the math), we get the reason this is being reviewed in the Sonic/Knuckles spot. With the new computer set-up (and Enchantra turning the installer into a slug to protect her secrets because she’s not a nice witch), our villainess uses it to find a new way to destroy Sabrina and stumbles on Mobius. Kidnapping Sonic during a quarrel with Sally, Enchantra brainwashes Sonic (if it worked for Hilda and Zelda…) and sends him to Sabrina’s Earth while the aunts return to Florida because the rooms are still booked. Sonic rampages through Sabrina’s house, with Sabrina and Salem barely keeping him at bay until Sally arrives. Can they stop Sonic? You’ll have to wait for next time, when I review Sonic Super Special #10 for part two of the crossover.

I’d say this is an odd pairing even with Archie publishing both series, but considering who her pals in Riverdale have teamed with in the past, this is rather tame. I’m still not a fan of Gallagher’s take on the Sonic characters. Sonic and Sally are arguing about her commitments as princess versus their new romantic relationship, and Nicole is just acting silly. It’s more inline with the older comics, which he wrote, than what’s going on in the comics at this time. While in a sense it makes them fit into the Riverdale/Westbridge story style a bit more it just feels off for those characters. I can’t even say “nobody gets brainwashed this time” because that’s kind of the plot. (Heh.)

Overall I can’t call it terrible, but it really isn’t for me. Unless part two is better I may be adding this to the sale section of The Clutter Reports next week.