The trouble with these early issues is that, unless they are really good or really bad, there’s often little to say about them. They are mostly stand-alone stories with no character development, so if it’s just average… what’s there to comment on. Sure, you could point out how silly some things are, like the puns or fourth-wall breaking, but that’s like complaining that they’re comics, not animated. At this stage, it’s just part of what the comics are.
So enjoy this double review!
Issue 5
Story 1: Olympic Trails and Errors
A story that has an almost stronger AoStH feel than Issue 2’s triple trouble! Robotnik builds a stadium and challenges the Freedom Fighter to a tournament, with them only needing to win one event and he’ll surrender. Otherwise the Freedom Fighters will.
Despite EVERYONE knowing it’s a horrible idea and Robotnik is lying, they go ahead because ‘It’s worth the risk’. Please re-read that sentence. Then facepalm. And of course, there is NO mention of running like hell should they lose. Instead they’ll happily march to their doom.
To quote Dark Helmet: "Now you see that evil will always triumph, because good is dumb."
But of course the good guys will win because they have Sonic, only Robotnik has his sneakers swapped with energy draining ones so he faints. While the rest of the Freedom Fighters fail their events, Tails finds the real sneakers, brings them back, and Sonic helps Antione win the last race by distracting the Buzzbomber he’s racing.
Uh, Sonic…. That’s called cheating you know? So, distracting an opponent’s racer on the track is acceptable, but running away from being turned into a robot isn’t. So much for any moral messages!
And of course Robotnik was lying (hey, you could break the deal cause Sonic cheated Robotnik!!). But one Sonic spin and the Robotizer is destroyed.
There’s also a little plot with Tails being put down and the start, only to help save the day, but it only really exists so Tails can actually FIND the sneakers, given we’ve seen Tails is not as bad as Antione claims.
Oh yeah, and if reading on the site, or from the download, parts of some of the pages are missing, making it an awkward read.
Story 2: Chomp on This Chump
Rotor orders an Ant farm from a magazine, only for it to be a trap from Robotnik, who instead sends a super termite called a… groan, Termite-nator.
So….. Ant Farms on Mobius…. I hope ants aren’t intelligent, otherwise it’s rather hypocritical for a Freedom Fighter. (Spoiler, they are). Leaving aside how magazines can even exist in this world, does this mean Robotnik now has the address for Knothole?
Anyway, this termite eats wood and paper, and grows as it eats, even to gigantic size when it can potentially eat trees in seconds…. Uh… how the heck can any eco-system support a creature like that?
But Sonic manages to jam its jaws, and Rotor discovers it’s a robot.
Uh…. Why is it a robot? We’ve already established it’s a real creature! Maybe the real one doesn’t grow fast enough. No, the reason why is so Rotor can reprogram it to eat metal and send it back to Robotnik.
Overall: Aside from the heavy use of the idiot ball in the first story, neither are really bad, but nor are they good. Not recommended, but then, I wouldn’t say avoid.
Issue 6
Story 1: The Spin Doctor
Game adaption time! Sonic Spinball.
We begin with all the Freedom Fighter’s charging Robotnic’s base for ‘the Final fight’. Charging… in broad daylight… Just as well Robotnik has moved otherwise a few moments later it WOULD have been the Final fight.
Oh, and Bunnie makes a brief cameo… And to put that in perspective, Cal and Al showed up again in the comic sooner than Bunnie did!
So Sonic heads alone (because Sonic) to Robotnik’s new base, the Veg-O-Fortress. Er…. Is that name a joke… I think it’s meant to be a joke, but… *shrugs*
We then rush through a few of the levels and badniks in the game, before finding a group of prisoners, and Sonic gets locked in a room. Not a Robotizer (missed a trick there Robotnik), but a spring sending him outside.
Which…. Leaves us with a downer ending. Aside from a few badniks the fortress was undamaged, and none of the prisoners were rescued. Now that’s unusual. Sonic says that he feels he’ll be back, but nope!
We later learn that two prisoners who had got out of their cells did escape, but given their actions when they show up, I can’t help but wonder if they resent Sonic for not saving them or the other prisoners. I’ll explain when we reach that point.
This story is rushed, rushed, rushed. There is no pause for breath, and it doesn’t show off the game very well. Plus, the odd downer ending. It’s not bad, but certainly not good.
Story 2: Sonic’s Christmas Carol
Doing an adaption of A Christmas Carol is common. Looney Toons, the Muppets, even Doctor Who have done it. Now it’s Sonic’s turn.
Of course, because the conflict can’t end the way the normal Christmas Carol story does, it turns out to be a dream sequence. Except, Robotnik is blown up in the dream, and is shown post-explosion back in the real world…. So… what? Was the explosion real? I dunno, I’ll leave it to others to try and work out the logic of this one.
There’s not much to say here. It’s a Sonic dream-sequence version of A Christmas Carol. If that sentence hasn’t put you off, then you’ll enjoy it. However, it’s longer than most secondary stories, which might explain the rushed nature of the first story.
Overall
Again, neither of these stories are bad, but neither are good. The first is okay, but as an adaption it’s too rushed to give any indication about the game. And the second depends on how you feel about the premise.
English