SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #139 REVIEW

[Katrice Georges]

Reviewer: Katrice Georges, lianne_ka@hotmail.com
Quick Rating: Good
Story Titles: Return To Angel Island, Part 2: Avatar; Mobius 25 Years Later: Slumber Party

Desperate times require desperate measures.

Title: Return To Angel Island, Part 2: Avatar
Written by: Karl Bollers
Penciled by: Jon Gray
Inked by: Michael Higgins
Lettered by: Michael Higgins
Colored by: Jason Jensen
Editor: Mike Pellerito
Managing Editor: Victor Gorelick
Editor In Chief: Richard Goldwater

Continuing from #138, Knuckles’ mission to rescue his father takes a peculiar turn as many things that used to be considered fundamental truths have changed dramatically on Angel Island.

Similarly to #131, #139 is rather low on actual combat action as Karl Bollers uses most of the story to lay down background information for the rest of the “Return to Angel Island” storyline as well as explain more about the new status quo for Angel Island. Unlike #131, there were several confrontations, mostly verbal, that kept the pace moving and prevented this story from being dull. I also enjoyed the emphasis on the conflict between the different lifestyles of the echidnas that was brought to the forefront with a random echidna family requesting a favor from Knuckles. While ending on an amusing note, things are shaping up to be much more intense in the next part which I eagerly await.

Jon Gray handled the pencils for this story and continued his custom of adding tiny details that fans from the video game series may recognize. While strong in terms of getting the story across, the lack of dreadlocks on some echidnas at scattered parts of the story and Julie-Su’s changing cybernetic dreadlock were a little sloppy. Otherwise, the artwork was very good.

Title: Mobius 25 Years Later: Slumber Party
Written by: Ken Penders
Penciled by: Steven Butler
Inked by: Jim Amash
Lettered by: John E. Workman
Colored by: Jason Jensen

After ending on a dramatic note in #138, this installment of “Mobius 25 Years Later” returns to focusing on the lighter side of life. Ken Penders again writes another solid story on the surface. In particular, the scene with Manik attempting to spend time with the girls was humorous due to his reaction to Lara-Su’s proposition. Still, this part follows the revelation of the impending destruction of the world to all the major movers and shakers on Mobius. Considering how long it has taken to make that disclosure and that it is again being relegated to the background, I believe that “Mobius 25 Years Later” is being written for an audience that prefers regular life stories opposed to adventure stories. The hints of adventure have been hastily added solely because this is supposed to be an adventure series. As it stands right now, if you ignore the fact that the main cast of characters is anthromorphic, this storyline is currently better suited to the Archie series than the Sonic The Hedgehog series. I give Ken Penders credit for the fact that the stories are normally well written, but I rather have six-eight pages devoted to something else concerning the present over what has been given so far in “Mobius 25 Years Later.”

Even if the storyline has been disappointing, the same can rarely be said about Steven Butler’s artwork. Other than neglecting Knuckles’ metallic right-eye, the artwork is rather solid throughout.

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[Z. Julian Cenac]

gr8 review. I might give this a try.