“Good thing this comes with hazard pay.”
Sonic Universe #5
Archie Comics Publications (August, 2009)
“30 Years Later” part 1
WRITER: Ian Flynn
PENCILER: Tracy Yardley
INKER: Jim Amash
COLORIST: Jason Jensen
LETTERER: Teresa Davidson
EDITOR/MANAGING ED.: Mike Pellerito
EDITOR IN CHIEF: Victor Gorelick
30 years into Mobius’s future, we learn that Sally married Shadow (who had taken over the planet and ruled with an iron fist) before his being taken down at the hands of Knuckles and his fellow Guardian daughter, Lara-Su, alongside a returning Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic and Sally were quickly wed, and are now the parents of son Manik and daughter Sonia. (Interestingly, the name of Sonic’s siblings created for the Sonic Underground cartoon, a universe Archie’s Sonic has visited in a past issue. And looking at the Sonic Wiki entry linked to above, not the first reference in the main universe.) Lara-Su acts as the occasional babysitter to the twins. However, Shadow’s allies of the Dark Legion/Dark Presence, have sworn revenge and attempt to assassinate the Royal Family at a celebration, but they are saved by the timely arrival from the future of Silver the Hedgehog!
(I forgot I used to be so spoilery in new weekly comic reviews in the old days of this site.)
What they got right: I don’t have much to say here, as it’s a set-up story. Still, Ian Flynn does a good job setting up the future Mobius and the place of our heroes. Apparently, this isn’t the first story to take place in the future, so it catches us up to the new timeline (altered due to events in older Sonic the Hedgehog comics, according to the Sonic Wiki) and prepare the story, which I assume takes place in the next three issues of the arc. I like the fan-art section, too.
What they got wrong: Current events in the main series seen to contradict much of what happens in any version of the future. Sonic and Sally are split, there’s no indication of Tails and Mina being a couple or really knowing each other, and Knuckles doesn’t have a cybernetic eye like that last I knew.
Updated thoughts: I suppose the eye could come in later or between times. Re-reading this, seeing how much of this comic is set-up (with the news story exposition) kind of took away from the story. It uses so much time trying to set up the characters as they are in this timeline. I’m not sold on Sally marrying Shadow, or Lein-Da somehow having a lost…I think it’s a love interest because it doesn’t resemble anyone I recall, certainly isn’t her brother (hopefully) with the “keeping from me what’s mine” statement, or suddenly being a Shadow acolyte. It feels like we’re supposed to know who it is but while the white ring indicates a Guardian, Lien-Da and Knuckles feels wrong. Then again so does Shadow and Sally but she didn’t look happy about it. Apparently the Dark Legion now works for whatever evil villain is the main threat of the comic at the time rather than being a threat on their own.
What I think overall: My original recommendation was “This could prove to be an interesting story, but hardly the entrance to the Sonicverse that the previous arc was”. After this reread it’s not starting off as interesting as it seems to have originally. Tails and Mina getting together I’d like to see happen in the main story because it makes little sense here other than “we need to set him up with someone”, and I can only hope the rest of the arc isn’t a lot of exposition. I never brought up Silver’s appearance once after the summary and given his “fix the future by travelling to the past” schtick that should be more interesting that it appears. Also, Lara-Su, Knuckles and Lara-Le’s daughter, has her own time-travelling arc in the comics. Hopefully the rest of the storyline overcomes the problems here.
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