“Oh wait, we’re going the wrong way.” “You could have realized that an hour ago!”
Sonic the Hedgehog #202
Archie Comics (September 2009)
WRITER: Ian Flynn
INKER: Terry Austin
COLORIST: Matt Herms
LETTERER: John Workman
EDITOR: Mike Pellerito
From the original review: Sonic and Monkey Khan head for New Megaopolis to say hello to the new neighbors, the Iron Dominion that now controls the Eggman Empire thanks to Snively. They come across the Dark Egg Legion and the Empire’s new group of ninjas and Shinobi, which includes Sonic’s friend Espio. Our heroes barely escape the Iron King to report on all that’s transpired. EDIT: The Iron King lets them go, believing tales of the heroes’ failure will hurt morale. This only seems true for Monkey Khan, who questions his worth.
In the back story, The Iron Queen, Regina, tells part of her origin story to Snively. As a girl she was part of a cult of technomages, a group who can control technology. However, this wasn’t allowed in her city, and the child was kicked out, living on her own in the wild until she came across a warlord named Jun Kun.
What they got right: A serviceable story that further sets-up the arc, which is it’s mission. The art is good. We also get to know more about the Iron Queen’s history, since she and the Iron King, one-shot villains, are now the main threat to the Mobians.
What they got wrong: When you get right down to it, the main story is just one big fight scene. I know our heroes aren’t being given much time to relax, but there’s nothing all that spectacular about this issue.
Updated thoughts: There is more fighting than story, but it does what was intended, showing that the new threat may be worse than Robotnik, Robo-Robotnik, Eggman, or even Ixis Naugus threw at them. The whole point was to set up the new threat and their level, with all the smaller baddie groups now aligned under the Regina the Iron Queen. We also have the start of her story. While I question how reliable the narrator is (she’s a natural liar, though the art seems to confirm her telling) it shows her path to villainy was kind of forced on her.
What I think overall: It’s a good story that does what it set out to do. Just don’t expect a lot of character moments in this one. What shows up is at the end and the back-up.
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