back issues

Back Issues: Shinobi

Dr. K2 Comments
Writer: Alan McKenzie – Artist: Jon Haward

Story Title: “The Dark Circle”
Published: April / May 1993

Story Title: “The Fear Pavilion” (Part 1 to 6)
Published: 29 May 1993 to 7 August 1993

Story Title: “The Art of War” (Part 1 to 6)
Published: 5 February 1994 to 16 April 1994

Story Title: “Way of the Warrior”
Published: 23 April 1994

Story Title: “Power of the Elements” (Part 1 to 7)
Published: 4 March 1995 to 27 May 1995

The Background:
For a while there, back in the eighties and nineties, ninjas were a big deal in movies, comic books, cartoons, and videogames. Mysterious and deadly assassins often dogged comicdom’s most popular superheroes and these agile, well-armed martial artists also inspired some of the most difficult videogames of the era. In 1987, SEGA entered this arena with Shinobi, a challenging critical and commercial success that was later refined for its home console release. Director Noriyoshi Ohba pulled out all the stops for the sequel, The Revenge of Shinobi (SEGA, 1989), to showcase the capabilities of SEGA’s all-powerful Mega Drive. A notorious release praised for its visuals and gameplay variety and heralded as a Mega Drive classic, The Revenge of Shinobi spearheaded a brief period of relevancy for SEGA’s long-forgotten sub-series, with additional sequels and spin-offs released for their 8- and 16-bit consoles. These videogames also served as the basis for a series of comic strip adaptations exclusive to the United Kingdom. The first Shinobi strip appeared in the 1993 Sonic the Hedgehog Yearbook, the precursor to Sonic the Comic (StC), a fortnightly publication first debuting that same year and which I diligently collected as a kid until its unfortunate end in 2002. Joe Musashi featured in three multi-part adventures in the main comic over the course of three years, as well as a one-off appearance in the short-lived Sonic the Poster Mag, and his first six-part adventure was even collected in a trade paperback courtesy of Ravette Books. I have to admit, though, that I often skipped the Shinobi stories when I read StC as a kid so this will be my first time sitting down and giving them some attention for many years.

The Review:
When we first meet Joe Musashi, the titular Shinobi, in the 1993 Sonic the Hedgehog Yearbook, he’s in Tokyo, Japan and hot on the trail of his lover, Naoko, who’s been abducted by Neo Zeed, the same malevolent ninja clan that murdered Musashi’s teacher (or “sensei”) in what is essentially the same setup as in The Revenge of Shinobi. Musashi easily identifies a Neo Zeed hideout and blasts his way in with a touch of plastic explosive, only to be met by rats and dust. Taking a moment to explore using the mystic art of haregai (billed as a “sixth sense” employed by highly trained ninja), Musashi moves to an elaborate foyer, the omniscient narrator downplaying rumours that Neo Zeed have begun dabbling in dark magic, only to be surprised by a gas bomb. A black-clad ninja assaults Musashi through the smoke, blinding his haregai and striking from behind. Even when the smoke clears and the assailant (somewhat analogous to the Shadow Dancer boss encountered in The Revenge of Shinobi) reveals himself, Musashi’s senses are dulled and Shinobi struggles to stay conscious from the vicious assault. Rallying his celebrated ninjitsu skill, Musashi wields his Oborozuki blade and matches the ninja blow for blown, eventually emerging the superior and opting to spare his opponent’s life since Musashi has pledged to take a higher path. Despite his investigation leading to a dead end, Musashi disappears into the night still determined to find his kidnapped lover. This is where we find him in his first multi-part story in StC, sneaking into a towering pagoda controlled by Neo Zeed that’s somewhat similar to the beginning of The Revenge of Shinobi. After easily subduing the clan’s attack dogs, Musashi clambers up the pagoda wall using a grappling hook and clawed appendages on his gauntlets, sneaking behind two unsuspecting guards and non-lethally taking them out. Musashi sneaks through the building, passing the clan’s deadly training areas, and catching another group of ninjas as they drink saké. Demanding to be taken to Naoko, Shinobi is inevitably drawn into battle with the group, easily deflecting their shuriken and whacking them with the hilt of his sword.

Musashi infiltrates Neo Zeed’s pavilion, only to walk into a trap and run a dangerous gauntlet.

Despite their superior numbers and deadly weapons, Musashi triumphs but is frustrated when the final foe reveals Naoko isn’t in the pavilion and that he has been lured into a trap. Despite being warned of formidable martial artists awaiting him in the pavilion, Musashi descends downwards undeterred and meets an elderly warrior who presents himself as an ally and impresses Shinobi with his deft skill. Reagrdless of the threat, and the elder’s surprising speed, Musashi eventually ties the holy man up in his own robes, leaving him cursing on the floor. Next, Musashi comes across an elaborate stage and a Neo Zeed assassin painted like the Monkey King, a kabuki character renowned in Chinese opera for his kung-fu prowess. Attacking with a viciousness befitting of his clan and throwing Musashi off with his “monkey-style kung-fu”, the Monkey King proves a formidable threat…until Musashi rams the hilt of his sword into the foe’s gut, leaving him a winded and blubbering mess. On the next level of the titular fear pavilion, Musashi meets a muscular warrior who stomps about with stilts strapped to his legs. As if the additional power and reach offered by these appendages wasn’t enough, the fighter also mocks Musashi’s size and skill, breaking a few of Shinobi’s ribs, though Musashi cuts the warrior down to size and limps on. In the next room, Musashi is stunned to find Naoko waiting for him in an unguarded room, cautious despite his haregai not detecting any threat. His wariness turns out to be true as “Naoko” reveals herself to be “Water”, one of the legendary “Four Elements” who control Neo Zeed. Unprepared to face one of Neo Zeed’s daunting commanders and realising that he’s not only outmatched but that Naoko isn’t in the pavilion, Shinobi tosses a smoke bomb and flees from the hazardous pagoda, vowing to confront his enemy on equal ground later.

While his Sun Tzu needs some work, Musashi finally rescues his lover from Neo Zeed.

Sometime later, having recovered from his injuries, a disguised Musashi observes Neo Zeed’s corporate headquarters in downtown Tokyo. Seeing that the skyscraper is nigh-impenetrable and well-guarded, Musashi realises he needs to find another way inside and recalls not only the teachings of Sun Tzu but his training on Mount Hotaka five years previously. Back then, while Musashi’s skills impressed his sensei, he was chastised for his naivety regarding dishonourable methods, such as striking armed enemies from behind, since his foes will not adhere to the rules of Bushido. Musashi learned this the hard way as Neo Zeed poisoned the old man like cowards and kidnapped an innocent girl, so Musashi busts out a hang glider to cross to the skyscraper’s rooftop, reasoning that Neo Zeed wouldn’t anticipate such an attack. Again taking inspiration from Sun Tzu, Shinobi climbs down the building on a rope, slips inside via a conveniently open window, and accesses a computer terminal to better “know [his] enemy”. Musashi proves a master hacker, easily guessing Neo Zeed’s password and searching for Naoko. All too late, Musashi remembers how he honed his haregi through blindfold combat and equally learned that even this superhuman sense can be tricked, causing him to realise his actions have put the building on high alert. Although Shinobi easily subdues a heavily-armed guard, Neo Zeed’s ninjas pursue him down an elevator shaft and, facing a deadly plummet, seemingly breaks his no-killing rule before barely escaping through a ventilation shaft. Remembering his sensei’s teachings, which emphasised that winning is all that matters in a life-or-death confrontation, Musashi knocks out an amusingly inept ninja and assumes his identity only to walk into another trap! Musashi avoids flames, spikes, shuriken, and scythe-like blades but falls victim to a blast of knockout gas and is brought before the Void, Neo Zeed’s “supreme ninja”, who apparently has authority over even the Four Elements since he orders the hulking “Earth” around like a mere underling.

After humiliating the Void, Musashi makes chumps of the Yakuza and angers the Four Elements.

After finally reuniting with Naoko, Musashi springs up, fooling the Void’s minions with prana (death-like trance), and once again escapes rather than fight overwhelming odds. While Water is eager to pursue, the Void forces her to focus on the bigger picture; thus, Musashi and Naoko glide to safety and finally lovingly embrace. After returning Naoko home, Musashi pursues the Void to the Hakima industrial estate and, though he easily dispatches the supreme ninja’s underlings, Shinobi is overwhelmed by the grand master’s mystical power. Utilising the ancient “iron hand technique”, the Void not only physically overpowers Musashi, he also shatters his Oborozuki and leaves Shinobi desperate to come up with a counterattack that won’t violate his code against killing. Thus, Musashi utilises his prana again, focusing it through his body and into his hands to match the Void’s iron fist technique. While the supreme ninja mocks Shinobi’s efforts, their clash leaves the Void’s hand shattered and the Neo Zeed commander humbled. Spared by his foe, the Void has no choice but to slink away with Musashi’s warnings ringing in his ears. About a year later, the Four Elements, now directionless ronin, end up working for the Yakuza (the Japanese mafia) in downtown Tokyo, peddling drugs and gambling, and leading Musashi to track them to Yakuza boss Mitsugi’s casino. Frustrated at Mitsugi’s refusal to employ their unique talents and his ignorance about Musashi, the Four Elements gatecrash the boss’s poker night and demand satisfaction, which the heavily tattooed crime lord agrees to out of curiosity about Musashi. Thus, despite his clever disguise and dodging a barrage of shuriken, Musashi is easily subdued by “Air” and brought before Mitsugi. However, Musashi once again fools his foes with his prana, wounding Mitsugi with a kunai and the death of one of his minions (again, so much for that “no-kill” rule!) Seemingly wishing to see the Yakuza humbled, Water orders her cohorts not to interfere as Shinobi easily escapes their grasp with his patented somersault. Naturally, Mitsugi is displeased by Air’s deception since she knew that Shinobi wasn’t to be trifled with, but she emphasises that it was the only way to demonstrate Musashi’s threat and get approval to hunt Shinobi down.

After a hard fought battle, Musashi defeats the Four Elements but continues his vendetta against Neo Zeed.

Fleeing across the city’s rooftops, the disguised Musashi is jumped by the “Roofworlders”, vagrants who dwell above to avoid the “jackals” on the streets. Their leader, Kotomi-Sensei, recognises Musashi’s garb and, regretful of the attack, invites Shinobi to stay with them. While touring their makeshift shanty town, Musashi learns that Kotomi-Sensei rescued his fellow homeless and taught them to defend themselves. Though Shinobi doesn’t want to endanger the Roofworlders’ sanctuary by bringing the Yakuza to their doorstep, Kotomi-Sensei insists that, together, they can repel the attackers. While the Yakuza scoff at Air’s superstitions, her intuitions turn out to be correct as Shinobi and his new allies blindside her and her goons. Despite having some backup, Musashi is still sent reeling by the mystical power of Earth, which shakes the ground, though he quickly counters by knocking Air unconscious and sending Earth tumbling to the ground below after blinding him with a magnesium pellet. Simultaneously, “Fire” and Water rush Kotomi-Sensei, believing the old man is no threat, only for Wind to fly into a rage when this underestimation sees Fire reeling in agony from a nerve strike. Disturbed, the Four Elements order a tactical retreat, and Shinobi is kept from pursuing when Kotomi-Sensei is wounded by gunfire. Luckily, not only is this merely a flesh wound but the old man knows a mystical technique to heal his injuries. After regrouping, Musashi and the Roofworlders prepare for the inevitable counterattack, striking from the shadows to subdue the Four Elements’ Yakuza cronies. Though Fire tries to roast Kotomi-Sensei, the old man shields himself with a mystical barrier and the other Roofworlders battle the other warriors while Air once again fights with Musashi. Thanks to her agility and flight, Air soon has Musashi hanging on for dear life but, when he makes a desperate leap, she’s sent crashing into a wall. Though Kotomi-Sensei generates a sword of pure chi to battle Fire, he’s hit with the “poison hand technique” and left facing a swift death, which rallies his comrades to overpower Earth and dispel Fire and Water. Luckily, Musashi applies some chi of his own to save Kotomi-Sensei, though he politely refuses to stay with the Roofworlders since his war against Neo Zeed is far from over.

The Summary:
Yeah… there’s a reason I often skipped the Shinobi stories when reading Sonic the Comic. It was honestly rare for any of the backup stories based on SEGA’s other properties to be any good and some, like the Decap Attack (Vik Tokai, 1991) strips, far outstayed their welcome, and I have to say that Shinobi falls into this category as well. On the plus side, the art and writing is very consistent, with the same duo working on all of Joe Musashi’s appearances, and the stories have a far more mature edge compared to StC’s norm. While Musashi naturally has a code against killing and thus isn’t slicing his opponents up with his sword, there’s a touch of blood across these stories, many references to death, a fair bit of violence (Musashi gets his ass kicked a lot and even suffers broken ribs), and there is that one panel where a Yakuza gets gunned down! The writing does fall apart under close scrutiny, however, with Musashi being an avid reader of Sun Tzu and yet constantly being tricked and falling into obvious traps. He often finds innovative ways to counterattack physically superior foes and isn’t averse to fighting dishonourably, but it’s odd seeing his vow against killing be repeated so often and to then watch him send a ninja plummeting down an elevator shaft without even a moment’s reflection. I did like the flashbacks to his training, where Musashi was a capable and formidable warrior in all aspects of combat and yet still somewhat naïve, reluctant to break the Bushido code and needing to learn that the rules must be bent in real-world conflicts. He still sees himself as walking a higher path compared to his enemies, sparing their lives whenever he can and always attacking with the hilt of his sword or opting to knock out his enemies. However, even Shinobi still has much to learn as Kotomi-Sensei exhibits mystical abilities that dwarf even his unreliable haregai and his overused prana.

Musashi is a talented and formidable ninja, but also flawed at times and with much to learn.

Indeed, even Musashi scoffs at mysticism throughout these stories, which is a bit odd considering he utilises magic in the Shinobi games and later draws strength from the prana to match the Void’s iron hand technique and utilises chi to counteract the poison fist technique. Portrayed as a cunning and talented swordsman, Musashi is also a master of disguise, dressing up as an old man to case out Neo Zeed’s headquarters and Mitsugi’s casino and even stealing a ninja’s uniform at one point. Sure, he’s regularly discovered, or his deception is anticipated, but I appreciated the effort, at least. Musashi also has a fair few tricks up his sleeve; he doesn’t have his surfboard or canine companion, but he does use a hang glider, smoke bombs, and flash grenades. Although the stories focus more on their own narrative, one heavily inspired by The Revenge of Shinobi, a few elements from the videogame appear. Musashi deflects shuriken like in the opening, slashes his sword as he does during combat, and performs his rolling somersault, though very few of the enemies he faces or the locations he visits are from the games. This is a bit of a shame as it would’ve been nice to see the bosses used in place of the Four Elements and the masked Ninja Master instead the Void. Musashi’s primary goal is rescuing Naoko and bringing down Neo Zeed, just like in the videogame, though he encounters no knock-off characters, supercomputers, or robots here. He’s pretty much exclusively fighting ninjas, as in the original Shinobi, and is generally depicted as being superior to every foe thanks to his Bushido skills. Musashi fights with grace and intelligence, rarely blundering in head-first and never letting his emotions overwhelm him. Occasionally, his resolve does falter, such as when Water masquerades as Naoko or Kotomi-Sensei is endangered, but even then Shinobi gathers his strength and senses to fight back or retreats to regroup and return all the stronger.

There’s no or force Mushashi can’t overcome if he just tries a little harder or gets creative.

While Neo Zeed’s ninjas are no match for Shinobi, Musashi faces an uphill battle since he takes on the ninja clan alone. In “The Dark Circle”, Musashi’s haregai is rendered mute against his assailant’s speed and smoke and, unlike Shinobi, Neo Zeed are happy to kill, with the Monkey Kong proving an especially aggressive and dangerous foe due to his wild fighting stile. The stilt fighter also causes Musashi trouble, as does the old man waiting in “The Fear Pavilion”, though Musashi’s quest always drives him to overcome pain, superior numbers, and even more powerful opponents. While Neo Zeed rigorously trains its members and their locations are filled with traps and martial arts masters, Musashi’s rarely on the backfoot and, even when he is, it’s always revealed to be a ruse by his prana. While the Void is portrayed as a significant threat and certainly has an imposing presence, bossing about the Four Elements and displaying mystical power, he’s left broken and humbled by Musashi simply fighting better. The Four Elements are equally spoken of in hushed tones and Musashi even flees when ambushed by Water, but they’re painfully one note and their threat diminishes over time. Air and Water are given more dialogue and chances to match skills with Shinobi, who tires of their antics, meaning the surprisingly lethal Fire and the hulking Earth toil in the background. Mitsugi is by far the worst villain, happily lording over his criminal empire in ignorance and eager to learn more about Musashi despite literally having the Shinobi tattooed on his chest! It’s telling that Mitsugi vanishes halfway through “The Power of the Elements”; maybe he was to return in a future Shinobi story, as hinted at in the final text box, or maybe he was just a weak ass crime lord who took space away from the visually more engaging Four Elements. While Shinobi had a decent run in StC and there are some enjoyable elements to these strips, I can’t say I missed his presence after the stories ended, despite the loose ends left hanging at the end. There are far better backup stories based on SEGA properties in StC, but at least SEGA bothered to license the character and try and keep him relevant, which is more than can be said of how he’s been treated since the nineties!

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Did you enjoy Shinobi’s appearances in Sonic the Comic? Which of his stories was your favourite and why? What did you think to the way they adapted elements of The Revenge of Shinobi and would you have liked to see something closer to the videogames? Were you surprised by how mature and violent the strips were? What did you think to the characterisation of Shinobi and his enemies? Would you have liked to see more Shinobi stories in StC? What were some of your favourite non-Sonic stories in Sonic the Comic? Let me know what you think in the comments, support me on Ko-Fi, and go check out my other Shinobi reviews.

Back Issues: Sparkster

Dr. K3 Comments

Story Title: “Last of the Rocket Knights!”
Published: 9 June 1995 to 18 August 1995
Writer: Nigel Kitching
Artist: Keith Page

The Background:
The incredible success of Sonic the Hedgehog (Sonic Team, 1991) saw anthropomorphic mascot platformers take the 1990s by storm, birthing everything from a sentient period, a gun-toting jackrabbit, a superpowered earthworm, and an intergalactic adventurer. Therefore, Nobuya Nakazato’s rocket pack-wearing possum fit right in at the time and delivered one of the best action platformers on the Mega Drive. Rocket Knight Adventures (Konami, 1993) was popular enough to get not one, but to sequels. While one was exclusive to the Super Nintendo, Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2 (ibid, 1994) was a well-received (if expensive and obscure) Mega Drive sequel that served as the inspiration for Sparkster’s one and only comic book appearance. This was a six-part story published in issue 53 to 58 of Sonic the Comic, a fortnightly publication I diligently collected as a kid which regularly included back-up stories adapting other SEGA-based franchises. Although writer Nigel Kitching was said to have worked on a follow-up story, it was scrapped when it turned out the publishers had lost the license, bringing Sparkster’s life outside the videogames to an end as he didn’t get an animated spin-off like some of this peers.

The Review:
“Last of the Rocket Knights” begins with Sparkster in a spot of bother. Where he was once the celebrated hero of the planet Elhorn who led their famous Rocket Knights to countless victories, those days are long in the past and Sparkster is now a wanted man possum. Forced to skulk around Zebulos City incognito, Sparkster returns to find himself wrongly persecuted thanks to the efforts of the malicious lizard king, King Gedol. As Sparkster ponders this state of affairs, he’s accosted by Paerie, King Gedol’s commander, who favours action over explanations. His lackadaisical subordinate, Grum, takes his orders a little too seriously and blasts Sparkster with a flame burst from his titanic mech armour, earning Grum a chastising since King Gedol is eager to acquire Sparkster’s mystical armour. Luckily for him, and the titular Rocket Knight, Sparkster avoids being barbecued thanks to his rocket pack and quickly bests Paerie’s troops, including blowing Grum and his towering armour to kingdom come by exploiting an old flaw in the mech’s design. Injured and defeated, Paerie nevertheless delights in informing Sparkster that he’s the last of the Rocket Knights and that King Gedol has conquered all of Elhorn in the hero’s absence. Consequently, the once tranquil realm has become a dark world where despair and mistrust run rampant. Having captured Castle Zebulan, King Gedol rules with an iron fist, punishing insurrection by death and entrancing their monarch, Princess Shelly. However, when Sparkster heads to the princess’s bedchambers, his very presence snaps her from the spell that King Gedol cast over the entire kingdom to seize control. Thanks to his enchanted armour, Sparkster is immune to the incantation and just being close to him is enough to dispel it.

Sparkster fights to free the people of his kingdom, and Princess Shelly, from King Gedol’s dark magic.

Unfortunately, this proves a temporary cure as King Gedol’s spell takes hold over Princess Shelly when Sparkster moves to brood by the window, causing her to alert the lizard guards. Although Sparkster easily holds them off, their monstrous ruler, King Gedol, appears in Princess Shelly’s room and expresses his dark desire to marry her, a whim that the enchanted princess is happy to oblige. Stunned and overwhelmed by King Gedol’s guards, Sparkster is powerless to keep the monster monarch from gloating of his plot to make his rule legitimate through the marriage and his lust for the Rocket Knight’s enchanted armour. After ordering Sparkster to be hauled to the castle dungeon, King Gedol makes preparations for the wedding, including garbing Princess Shelly in an elaborate gown and introducing her to his mother, Stubb, who’s overly critical of Princess Shelly’s skinny disposition and more interested in devouring the possum princess! They’re interrupted by news of Sparkster’s escape, having once again surprised and overwhelmed his captors with his rocket pack. Rather than flee, Sparkster fights through the castle to rescue Princess Shelly, discovering that the palace guards of Zebulos have also been brought under King Gedol’s sway. Luckily, he frees them from their enchantment with his armour and gains a couple of allies for his venture. Keeping them close by to ensure King Gedol’s spell doesn’t take hold again, Sparkster is distraught to spot the elaborate wedding procession passing by outside, with the deluded crowd cheering in support. When his allies feel the spell returning, Sparkster locks them up to keep them safe and blasts off alone, fighting past King Gedol’s guards. However, he’s overwhelmed by the pure, dark magic of a gigantic green crystal, the source of King Gedol’s enchantment over the people of Elhorn and a gemstone of such awesome evil power that it brings Sparkster to his knees, despite his magical armour.

Sparkster easily bests his demons and rescues the princess, freeing Zebulous from King Gedol’s rule.

While Sparkster struggles to compose himself, King Gedol is driven to a frenzy when Stubb stubbornly refuses to hand over her wedding ring, disapproving of his son’s choice in women and forcing King Gedol to swipe a replacement from the archbishop. As Sparkster shakily gets to his feet, the gemstone unleashes warped reflections of him, manifesting his darker impulses into physical form and forcing him to literally and figuratively battle himself. The twisted, leering reflections taunt him, effortlessly avoiding his sword swipes and rocket charges, but are easily dispelled once the heroic Rocket Knight realises that they’re simply figments of his imagination. Thus, Sparkster shatters the gemstone, dispelling his evil doubles and freeing the people of Elhorn from King Gedol’s dark spell. Consequently, just as the archbishop is about to conclude the wedding ceremony, the attendees object to the union in droves, scuppering the monster’s plot. When Princess Shelly and the attendees physically rally against him, King Gedol takes his mother’s advice and retreats up the cathedral wall with Princess Shelly as collateral. He’s so determined to escape that he leaves his mother behind and, in her desperation, Stubb attempts to claim that she’s merely a frail, manipulated old lizard. Emboldened by the rebelling masses, Sparkster finally reaches the cathedral, where King Gedol threatens to harm the princess unless his demands for a rocket pack and safe passage are met. However, Princess Shelly isn’t a helpless maiden and defiantly elbows King Gedol in his bad eye, only to tumble over the edge. Rather than let King Gedol save her, Princess Shelly chooses to drop to her death. Luckily, Sparkster swoops in to save her and, when King Gedol flies in a rage, the lizard king seemingly plummets to his death. Unable to save him and low on fuel, Sparkster chooses to get Princess Shelly to safety rather than investigate and stands ready to aid the princess, and his people, in rebuilding following the mad tyrant’s takeover.

The Summary:
Like a lot of the additional stories from Sonic the Comic, “Last of the Rocket Knights” is a very different story to Sonic’s more action-packed adventures. Leaning heavily into its fantasy setting and being more of a dramatic piece, the story essential acts as a follow-up to Sparkster: Rocket Knight Adventures 2 and is focused more on the titular hero’s desperate attempts to free his people from enslavement. Keith Page does an excellent job in recreating the anime-style aesthetic of the Rocket Knight videogames, particularly their cover and manual art, adding a great deal of depth and detail to his backgrounds even if the action mostly takes place in the same locations (either the city or inside the castles). While Sparkster appears as a quirky, cutesy character sprite, he’s a determined and experienced veteran soldier here, easily dispatching multiple armed guards and taking out towering mech armours by fighting smarter, rather than harder. This is emphasised multiple times in the story, with Sparkster quickly targeting the source of the reflections hounding him (which has the knock-on effect of keeping the populace from attacking him) and luring King Gedol into defeating himself by taunting him at the end. It’s not clear how long Sparkster has been gone but it’s seemingly long enough for King Gedol’s forces to have wiped out the Rocket Knights (by implication) and to have forgotten how to fight them. Time and again, Sparkster easily evades his foes and outsmarts them by using his rocket pack and, time and again, they fail to take into account his unique abilities, which paint King Gedol’s forces as largely incompetent. Sparkster’s abilities extend to his armour, which is described as magical and having once belonged to the first Rocket Knight. King Gedol covets it for its vaguely defined power and simply being in its presence is enough to weaking the monster’s spell, with the armour being the only thing keeping Sparkster from being overwhelmed by the gemstone’s dark magic. I would’ve liked to see this element given more time or perhaps been explored in a follow-up, as it’s not entirely clear how acquiring the armour will benefit King Gedol, who’s obviously too big to fit into it.

A very different, dramatic fantasy story that’s enjoyable enough, despite some flaws.

Despite its darker narrative and comparatively stoic protagonist, “Last of the Rocket Knights” has some goofy moments that perfectly fit with Sonic the Comic’s distinctly British sense of humour. While King Gedol is introduced as a menacing figure with an intimidating presence in his regal outfit and monstrous visage, he’s quickly shown to be a hot-headed, blundering mummy’s boy who legitimately pines over Princess Shelly and wishes to legitimise his rule. King Gedol is humiliated by his mother, who objects to his bride and delays the wedding, and King Gedol seems to have little true power, despite his vast army, since he only conquered Elhorn because of an evil gemstone. Once that’s destroyed and the people turn against him, King Gedol is sent running and he chooses to make demands rather than fight, showcasing no physical or magical powers to justify his lofty position. Although Princess Shelly spends the entire story under King Gedol’s spell, she’s clearly distraught by the state of her kingdom and refuses to be a mere pawn once she regains her senses. She fights back and is even willing to die rather than be King Gedol’s captive or unwilling bride, showing she’s got a fair bit of moxie. The story is bolstered by some decent action that recreates Sparkster’s abilities from the comics and he’s rarely shown to be on the back foot, even though everyone in Elhorn is against him. It does waste time having Sparkster free some Zebulan guards only to almost immediately lock them up, the two merely being there to give Sparkster someone to talk to, which is a shame as it would’ve been nice to use those panels to showcase some more action. There was a lot of potential to show Sparkster fighting a city full of enemies and painting him as an underdog figure but, instead, he flies straight to the source of the problem and solves it with only a slight delay when he’s apprehended by King Gedol’s guards. I definitely think the story would’ve benefitted from a follow-up or two as we saw other spin-off stories benefit in this way, but this one-off story was enjoyable enough and stands out a little more thanks to being a self-contained tale.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Did you enjoy Sparkster’s one and only appearance in Sonic the Comic? What did you think to the way it adapted the story and characters of the videogames? Were you disappointed that there wasn’t a greater focus on action? What did you think to the characterisation of Sparkster and King Gedol? Would you have liked to see follow-up stories, or other adaptations of the Rocket Knight videogames? What were some of your favourite non-Sonic stories in Sonic the Comic? Share your thoughts down in the comments, support me on Ko-Fi for more StC content, and go check out my other Rocket Knight reviews.

Back Issues [Independence Day]: Captain America Vol. 5 #8-14

Dr. K1 Comment

First appearing in 1941, Captain Steve Rogers/Captain America, became one of Marvel Comics’ most recognisable and celebrated characters not just for his super patriotism but also for being a prominent member and leader of Marvel’s premier super team, the Avengers. As today is Independence Day, this is the perfect excuse to pay tribute to the star-spangled Avenger.

Story Title: “The Winter Soldier” (Part 1 to Conclusion)
Published: 20 July 2005 (cover-dated: September 2005) to 1 February 2006 (cover-dated: April 2006)
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Steve Epting and Michael Lark

The Background:
By 1941, World War Two was in full swing and, after Nazi Germany invaded Denmark and Norway, the United States finally joined the fight to oppose the triumvirate “Axis powers” of Germany, Japan, and Italy. The ever-escalating conflict meant patriotism and national pride were high in America and Joe Simon and the legendary Jack Kirby capitalised by having Captain America and his kid sidekick, James Buchanan Barnes/Bucky, take the fight to the Axis and encourage readers to support the War. After the War ended, superheroes declined in popularity and Captain America’s solo title was cancelled in 1954. However, he got a new lease of life when he was recast as a “man out of time” and joined the Avengers. For decades, Bucky was one of the few comic book characters whose death seemed permanent but that all changed with this story arc. It was writer Ed Brubaker, fresh off reinventing Cap’s comics as espionage thrillers, who dreamed up the idea of reviving Bucky as part of a life-long desire to reinvent him as a brainwashed, special ops soldier. Although Captain America editor Tom Brevoort initially opposed the idea, he eventually relented when Brubaker pitched the idea as recontextualising Cap’s greatest failure and crafting a new anti-hero for readers to connect with. “The Winter Soldier” was widely praised and is seen as one of the greatest Captain America stories ever told. It also reinvented Bucky for a modern age and set him up to assume the Captain America mantle later down the line. The story was so influential that it was adapted into videogames, cartoons, and brought to life in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with Sebastian Stan receiving critical acclaim for his portrayal of the character.

The Review:
Our story begins way back in 1945 in an experimental Soviet submarine floundering in the English Channel. There, we find the crew intercepting coded messages from Nazi Germany confirming that Captain America was blown up over the Channel Islands and, accordingly, they move to intercept and discover a heavily injured, one-armed survivor floating in the sea. We then jump to the Helicarrier, the flying battleship headquarters of the Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate (S.H.I.E.L.D.), where Nick Fury and Sharon Carter/Agent 13 show Cap photographic evidence of his old partner, Bucky, appearing older and alive and well despite seemingly perishing in that aforementioned explosion. Naturally, Cap isn’t just sceptical, he’s in full-blown denial, believing it must be some kind of trick and refusing to entertain the idea that his friend is not only alive but responsible for a horrific act of terrorism in Philadelphia. Specifically, a devastating bomb attack that saw Cap clash with Advanced Idea of Destruction (A.I.D.) whose beekeeper agents appeared to recover the tech, mercilessly gunning down any survivors, and set their Military Operatives Designed Only for Combat (MODOC) Squad on Cap. His skills tested by the seemingly semi-cybernetic ninjas as they quickly adapted to his superhuman abilities, Cap nevertheless bested his foes, though was wounded by a knife to the gut. Distracted by the wound, Cap was almost picked off by a MODOC soldier but was unexpectedly saved by a mysterious man in a domino mask and sporting a cybernetic arm, whom Cap recognised as his old partner, seemingly back from the dead and with no memory of his real name. Though his mysterious saviour fled, Cap’s told by Fury that he’s cropped up across the world over the decades as the “Winter Soldier”, a near mythical assassin for the Committee for State Security (KGB) who’s said to be kept in suspended animation between jobs. Unable to deny the evidence, Cap first lashes out and then commits to Fury’s plan to find Aleksander Lukin, the man behind the Philadelphia attack, and relieve him of his Cosmic Cube, dealing with the Winter Soldier if and when he crops up along the way.

Already frustrated by bureaucracy, Cap’s distraught to learn of Bucky’s horrendous fate.

While Brock Rumlow/Crossbones picks off soldiers stationed at a “re-education facility” and kidnaps the amnesiac Synthia Schmidt, daughter of the Red Skull, to set up a future conflict, Cap and Sharon prepare to drop into Mongolia but find their relationship strained since, just the day before, Sharon raged at Cap for recommending she be kept off the mission. Although Steve argued that he was trying to avoid her going off on a vendetta since her boyfriend was killed in the Philadelphia attack, she believes he was trying to keep her from killing Bucky and remained steadfast in his belief that the overwhelming evidence against his former friend was either faked or a misunderstanding. It doesn’t help that, two days previously, Fury confided to Steve that the mission isn’t authorised by the United States government, primarily due to all the “red tape” and diplomatic drama Lukin caused with his own little empire, Kronas International, on the Mongolian border. Cap, Sharon, Fury, and a S.H.E.I.L.D. squad storm Kronas, setting aside their grievances to fight their way inside, only to find Lukin hosting a meeting with high-ranking American politicians! Though ordered to stand down, Cap is aghast to find they’re brokering an oil pipeline deal with Lukin and refuse to believe he’s anything other than a lucrative businessman since all the evidence points to a convenient patsy, Jack Marlow. Forced to leave and unable to act since Lukin has diplomatic immunity, Cap stews on the ride home though he, Sharon, and Fury vow to topple the maniac one way or another. Luckily for them, a dossier mysteriously vanishes from Lukin’s office and ends up in Cap’s apartment. The document details how the injured Bucky was saved from death by the freezing water, revived by Soviet doctors, and suffered from brain damage that left him only with the instinct to fight. Though dismayed to find he wasn’t subjected to the super soldier serum, Bucky was kept in stasis and later fitted with his prosthetic arm. Bucky was then subjected to invasive brainwashing, reconditioned to become a loyal soldier and assassin for the Soviets, and easily  assassinated high profile targets as the Winter Soldier. The dossier explains, in great detail, the Winter Soldier’s early missions, which were all completed successfully, and that he was kept in stasis since his mental state became increasingly unstable while conscious and threatened to undo their brainwashing.

Bucky’s violent past as the Winter Soldier causes tension between Cap and Sharon.

This came to a head in 1973 when, after assassinating his latest target, the Winter Soldier  fled across America. Desperate to retrieve him, the Soviets aggressively interrogated anyone they could before finally following his erratic movements to New York City. Although he was apprehended, the incident rattled the Soviets and they decided not to deploy the Winter Soldier on American soil. The Winter Soldier was next charged with safeguarding Major General Vasily Karpov, who was highly suspicious of his “bodyguard” because of his background, though he took a perverse pleasure in the irony of an American protecting him. After successfully mitigating America’s efforts to invade the Middle East for about five years, the Winter Soldier was decommissioned and left to rot in an undisclosed location alongside other abandoned experiments. Disturbed by the dossier, Steve calls Fury and Sharon to discuss it further, believing Lukin used the Cosmic Cube to deliver the dossier to taunt him. Fury takes the document to be verified, though both he and Steve are confident that it’s accurate. Although Sharon believes that Bucky is lost to decades of Soviet brainwashing, Steve is adamant, based on the evidence, that a part of Bucky’s true self is still alive. Steve’s emotions are heightened by memories of when he and Bucky were celebrated War heroes. Back then, Bucky was an enthusiastic and thrill-seeking teenager in contrast to Steve’s more sombre respect for the harsh reality of war. Steve also remembers when he first met Bucky, then a plucky kid with some impressive fighting skills. Though initially hesitant because of his age, Steve agreed to take Bucky as his partner to inspire teenagers to sign up to the Army. Back in the present day, Steve and Sharon continue to butt heads and morals regarding the Winter Soldier: while Sharon believes he should be killed for his crimes, Steve refuses to entertain the idea that Bucky was anything other than an unwilling puppet.

Falcon and Iron Man help Cap track down the Cosmic Cube, which is guarded by the Winter Soldier.

Meanwhile, Lukin hosts a bidding war for his Cosmic Cube, proving its reality-bending power not just by manipulating the bidders to attend but also compelling them to sign documents to make their corporations subsidiaries of Kronas. However, during a recess, Lukin stumbles and appears physically drained by the Cosmic Cube and is driven into a violent rage when his aide dares to caution against its use. While racing across the city rooftops, Cap also finds his emotions in turmoil, desperately willing himself to get it together to save his former partner. He remembers another time when the two were fighting through the Netherlands in pursuit of the Red Skull and they were horrified when their enemy sent boobytrapped prisoners of war to curtail their counterattack. Cap’s thoughts are interrupted by his friend and former partner, Sam Wilson/The Falcon, who offers Steve a friendly ear and speculates that there’s more going on with Lukin and the Winter Soldier. Unlike the sceptical Sharon and Fury, the Falcon agrees to help Steve save Bucky and the two bring in Anthony “Tony” Stark/Iron Man to raid an A.I.D. facility. Though they encounter some resistance from a gigantic, weaponised mech suit, the three subdue their targets and force them to hand over the means to track the Cosmic Cube. Thanks to Tony’s tech, the three discover that the Cosmic Cube is heading to a Kronas research facility, unaware that Lukin has tasked the Winter Soldier with spiriting the Cosmic Cube far away and burying it, believing it to be cursed. Unfortunately, Tony’s unable to accompany them as recent corporate shenanigans would make it look bad for him if he was seen tangling with Kronas. Thus, Steve and Sam head out by themselves (though, once she finds out about it all, Sharon organises a strike team) unaware that the Winter Soldier has taken up a sniping position.

After a brutal slugfest, Cap restores Bucky’s memories with the Cosmic Cube.

Despite having the two dead to rights, the Winter Soldier misses a kill shot when the Falcon’s given a head’s up by the local birds and, his position compromised, calls in some backup to hold the gate. Undeterred, Cap charges through the troops, leaving the Falcon to cover his rear, and finally comes face-to-face with the Winter Soldier. Naturally, a brutal fist fight ensues during which Cap repeatedly tries to reason with his former friend and bring him to his senses and the Winter Soldier stubbornly refuses to listen to Cap’s words. Evenly matched, with the Winter Soldier’s bionic arm countering Cap’s vibranium shield, Bucky’s enraged by Cap’s repeated pleas, the fight spilling the two further into the facility. Realising that the Winter Soldier is determined to kill him, Cap surrenders and dares Bucy to pull the trigger. Sharon and the Falcon arrive in time to see not only the shot but also Cap’s superhuman reflexes; Steve dodges the bullet and tosses his shield, causing it to ricochet off the walls and knock he Cosmic Cube from the Winter Soldier’s grasp. Despite the Falcon earlier warning that no one has ever made the Cosmic Cube to work properly, Cap retrieves the artifact and utters a simple request: “Remember who you are”. Thanks to the Cosmic Cube’s reality warping powers, the Winter Soldier is bombarded by memories of both his past before he became an assassin and his time carrying working for the Soviets. Though Sharon’s ready to kill the Winter Soldier while he’s vulnerable, Cap talks her down and moves to comfort his traumatised friend. Overwhelmed by his actions and coming to his senses, Bucky lashes out in anger and remorse and grabs the Cosmic Cube, seemingly atomising himself as penance for his actions. However, Cap’s suspicions that Bucky’s still alive are quickly shown to be true, though Bucky’s left distressed by the ordeal. The story then ends with the reveal that Lukin shares his consciousness with the disembodied Red Skull, who chastises him for disposing of the Cosmic Cube and vows to assert full control in time.

The Summary:
This is my first time reading the “Winter Soldier” arc and I have to say that it lived up to the hype. Although I’m not the biggest fan of this art style, which was quite prominent in Marvel Comics at the time, it really adds to the mood and tension of the story. The arc is much more of a thriller than an all-out action piece, and a meditation on Captain America’s past and moral compass. As such, there isn’t really a primary villain for him to sink his fists into (an explosive scruffle with A.I.D’s mech is the best we get in this regard) and Cap instead battles more powerful enemies, such bureaucracy and international law. Despite possessing the Cosmic Cube, a device whose power is limited only by the wielder’s imagination (and their ability to keep a strong grip on it), Aleksander Lukin is more of an untouchable manipulator than a physical threat. As related by the Red Skull, Lukin never used the Cosmic Cube to its fullest extent, wary of its power and limited himself to small, controllable actions to mitigate its side effects. Indeed, the moment he experiences negative effects from wielding the Cosmic Cube, Lukin orders the Winter Soldier to dispose of it and is relieved to be rid of it. Still, Lukin remains a despicable villain, perpetrating horrendous acts of terrorism and hiding behind diplomatic immunity, making him the perfect foil for Captain America, who’s unable to bring Lukin to justice lest he spark a global conflict. Seen as a master manipulator who uses mind games and tricks to rile up his foes, Lukin otherwise hides behind his public façade and colludes with other, more disreputable forces (such as the Winter Soldier) to carry out his darker aspirations in secret.

Cap’s emotions are all over the place thanks to Lukin’s machinations and Bucky’s reappearance.

Consequently, “The Winter Soldier” would’ve been an extremely trying and aggravating time for Captain America even without Bucky’s involvement. Steve claims to be level-headed and focused on the mission but repeatedly loses his cool throughout the story thanks to Lukin’s machinations and his inner dialogue shows a man wrestling with his emotions. He has many outbursts over these issues, putting an aggressive beating on A.I.D’s forces and lashing out at both Fury and Sharon when they try to get him to see sense. The only person he doesn’t flip out on is the Falcon, who loyally stands by his side and takes his side even if he has his own doubts about the situation and the Winter Soldier. Cap’s shown to be in deep denial over the whole situation, first refusing to believe that Bucky is still alive, then refusing to believe that he’s a Soviet assassin, and stubbornly refusing to entertain Sharon’s arguments about killing the Winter Soldier or that there isn’t some part of Bucky still alive inside the killer. He’s partially right about this but I wonder if Bucky would’ve regained his senses without Cap using the Cosmic Cube and the story is very ambiguous about this, allowing the reader to see all sides of the argument. It helps that Sharon has a fully justified argument for killing the Winter Soldier. However, while is he responsible for many deaths over the years, Sharon’s judgement is clouded by her personal feelings since Bucky killed her boyfriend. Simultaneously, there’s no doubt that Cap is also biased towards Bucky and, believing he failed the boy by both involving him in his life and causing his condition, Cap’s determined to “save” Bucky, even if it means going against his present-day allies. Numerous flashbacks further reinforce this, showcasing Bucky’s incredible aptitude for fighting, his infectious enthusiasm, and how the atrocities of war affected him over time. Cap’s always carried a great deal of guilt and regret about Bucky’s death so it’s a shock to see his partner alive and turned into a mindless weapon and Cap sees it as a chance for redemption, both for himself and for his young friend. Cap believes so blindly in Bucky that he eventually refuses to fight and leaves his life in the assassin’s hands, then braves severe consequences by wielding the unstable Cosmic Cube to restore Bucky’s memories to the fractured Winter Soldier.

Bucky was totally reinvented as a bad-ass, tortured assassin.

Of course, the star of the show here is the titular Winter Soldier. At the time, I was sceptical about bringing Bucky back since he was one of the rare comic book characters who seemed destined to be dead forever. However, just like when DC Comics brought Jason Todd/Robin back as the Red Hood, retconning Bucky to have survived that explosion was a genius move that not only added new layers to Cap’s characterisation but also brought a bad-ass new anti-hero into Marvel Comics. Sporting long hair, a stoic visage, a form-fitting leather outfit, and an awesome robotic arm, the Winter Soldier cuts an intimidating and mysterious figure that’s only enhanced by his decades of assassinations. Restored to life and brainwashed by the Soviets, Bucky was transformed into a living weapon, a “blank slate” they could program to kill anyone they wished, one who easily infiltrated their enemy’s ranks since he looked and sounded just like them. Depicted as a natural fighter whose first instinct is to fight, the Winter Soldier is a keen marksman and an adept assassin, eliminating numerous targets when activated and easily holding his own against Cap despite lacking superhuman abilities. However, the Winter Soldier’s psyche is fractured, his mental state unstable, and he was frequently noted to be unreliable when activated for too long. When deployed on American soil, the Winter Soldier became confused and almost escaped his Soviet masters, ultimately leading to him being mothballed. It’s not made clear how and why he was released from captivity, but Bucky’s appearance causes a great deal of turmoil for Cap and their encounters cause confusion and anger in the unstable assassin. Obviously, much of Bucky’s past and future was cleared up in subsequent stories but this was a fantastic revival of the character, one that turned Cap’s life upside down and forever transformed Bucky from a plucky, annoying kid sidekick into a sexy, bad-ass killer.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

Have you ever read the “Winter Soldier” arc? If so, what were your thoughts and what did you think to Bucky being revived? Do you think Sharon was right and that Bucky should’ve been put down? Did you enjoy seeing Cap wrestle with his guilt and conflicting morals? What did you think to the Winter Soldier’s look and backstory? Can you name some of your favourite Winter Soldier moments? How are you celebrating Independence Day today? Whatever your thoughts, drop a comment below and be sure to check out my other Captain America content across the site!

Back Issues [Sonic Month]: Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary Special

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Sonic the Hedgehog was first introduced to gamers worldwide on June 23 1991 and, since then, has become not only SEGA’s most enduring and popular character but also a beloved videogame icon. Thus, in keeping with tradition, I’m dedicating some time to celebrate SEGA’s supersonic mascot.

Story Title: “Seasons of Chaos”
Published: June 2021
Writer: Ian Flynn
Artists: Aaron Hammerstrom, Thomas Rothlisberger, and Tracy Yardley

The Background:
SEGA were quick to capitalise on Sonic’s surge of popularity once he was catapulted to mainstream success and finally (if briefly) knocked Nintendo from the top of the videogame industry. Following Nintendo’s success with DiC, SEGA soon spearheaded Sonic’s small screen debut with two concurrent cartoons, with most popular being Sonic the Hedgehog (1993 to 1994), or “SatAM”. SatAM’s darker tone made it stand out from the slapstick approach of its sister-series, though both styles were originally (and awkwardly) mashed together when Archie Comics began publishing a semi-continuation of both. Eventually bringing in more elements from the source material alongside their own convoluted lore, Archie’s Sonic the Hedgehog comics became the longest-running comic series based on a videogame. However, this achievement was sullied when a series of lawsuits forced not only major continuity changes but the eventual cancellation of the series after twenty-four years. In 2017, IDW Publishing picked up the license and an all-new series of Sonic comics hit shelves, one spearheaded by Archie Sonic writer Ian Flynn and artist Tyson Hesse and whose events and original characters were said to be canon to the videogames. To celebrate Sonic’s 30th anniversary in 2021, SEGA released a bunch of merchandise, including a new compilation for modern consoles and this one-shot publication, which was lauded as a fitting tribute for the Blue Blur and one of the greatest comic book outings for the character.

The Review:
“Seasons of Chaos” begins with Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends, Miles “Tails” Prower and Amy Rose (all beautifully rendered in their “Classic” forms) adventuring through Spring Valley Zone, whimsically smashing Badniks, before stumbling upon a Chaos Emerald out in the open. Just as Sonic moves to nab it for himself, the gem is stolen by none other than Metal Sonic! While Tails and Amy react in horror, Sonic gleefully prepares for a rematch against his metallic doppelgänger and is first sad and then enraged when Metal Sonic simply blasts away without a word. Eager to test his mettle against…Metal…Sonic gives chase and, following a hilarious misunderstanding with Amy when he asks for a “boost” and an assist from Tails, Sonic rockets into the sky and has to be saved from a fatal plummet by Knuckles. Knuckles relates how he was hanging out on Angel Island (exactly as depicted in the opening cutscene of Sonic & Knuckles (SEGA Technical Institute, 1994)) when one of the animals also found a Chaos Emerald, leading to am ambush by Metal Knuckles!  Though Knuckles fought valiantly against his metallic double, Metal Knuckles endangered the locals, forcing Knuckles to save their lives and allowing the robot to scarper with the Chaos Emerald. Naturally, Knuckles pursed his foe, which led him to Sonic. Realising that Metal Sonic and Metal Knuckles must’ve been sent by Doctor Eggman to retrieve the Chaos Emeralds for some nefarious scheme, our heroes waste no time in racing off to stop this plot…in fact, they’re so quick to run off that they leave Amy behind!

Amy ropes Mighty and Ray into helping her find the Chaos Emeralds, which are also sought by Fang.

Angered and despondent about being left out, Amy sadly wanders off with Tails’ Emerald Radar, oblivious to the robotic puppet spying on her. Her sadness turns to excitement when she bumps into Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel during their exercises. Interestingly, this is depicted as their first time meeting, though they have a mutual friend in Sonic. Realising the two are just the guys to help her out, Amy quickly convinces Mighty and Ray to join her in tracking down the Chaos Emeralds using Tails’ radar. Over in the Summer Falls Zone, Tails realises, to his dismay, that he’s lost his radar; luckily, the trio have an “expert treasure hunter” on hand and quickly find another Emerald. However, just as they go to grab it, they’re accosted by Fang the Hunter, Bean the Dynamite, and Bark the Polar Bear, three unscrupulous mercenaries who’ve been hired by Dr. Eggman to retrieve the Chaos Emeralds. While Knuckles matches brawn with the strong, silent Bark and Sonic tangles with the wacky, bomb-tossing Bean, Tails pursues Fang, awestruck by the hunter’s hover craft, the Marvelous Queen, which he sabotages to relieve Fang of his prize. However, Fang’s popgun leads to a game of hot potato as the teams vie for the gem, Bomb barely stopping himself from blowing it up, Sonic emulating another videogame icon, and the gem finally plummeting down a waterfall after Knuckles and Bark beat each other senseless trying to claim it. Realising that the thieves will find more Chaos Emeralds in the time it’ll take them to dive for this one, Sonic and his friends choose to get moving rather than waste their time, completely oblivious that the jewel has landed on Mighty’s head below! Ecstatic, Amy enthusiastically leads her new allies onwards, unaware that the Heavy King is monitoring not just their progress, but all the competing teams from its ominous control room through the eyes of its mechanical minions.

Sonic and his friends begrudgingly team up with their enemies to confront a common foe.

Running loops through the dense Autumn Forest Zone, Sonic and friends find themselves struggling with the dense foliage and troubled by Dr. Eggman’s aggressive pursuit of the Chaos Emeralds. Speaking of whom, they happen to spot Dr. Eggman pursuing Metal Sonic through the forest and, naturally, attack, easily disarming (literally) his Egg-O-Matic of its buzzsaw appendages. Nearby, Amy and the others find another Chaos Emerald and are challenged by Fang and his goons. Amy fills his friends in on the trio, noting that they’re all jerks except for the sullen Bark (who she thinks is just misled) and Mighty leads the three in an attack. True to Amy’s suspicions, Bark appears reluctant to fight and begrudgingly defends Fang from Mighty’s attack, stuffing him into a tree trunk. Bomb’s erratic explosives blast Ray and Amy from the sky and dislodge the Chaos Emerald, allowing the crazed duck to claim it, but Metal Knuckles suddenly steals it, leading the two teams to set aside their differences and give chase, Fang livid at the double-cross. They bump into Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and the defeated Dr. Eggman, who explains that the rebuilt Heavy King turned against its master, reprogrammed Metal Sonic, Metal Knuckles, and Tails Doll and kicked Dr. Eggman from his base. Realising they share a common enemy, the group decides to work together to stop the Heavy King and heads to Dr. Eggman’s base in the Winter Caverns Zone, overcoming the natural landscape and the Heavy King’s defences through surprisingly effective teamwork. Sonic can’t help but mock Dr. Eggman’s embarrassing defences, leading to the doctor enjoying watching Metal Sonic blast Sonic while he’s distracted. While everyone works together to fight Metal Sonic and Metal Knuckles, Dr. Eggman and Tails reprogram Tails Doll to jam the Heavy King’s signal, returning the robots to Dr. Eggman’s control and forging another unlikely alliance. Not wishing to see his base suffer any further damage, Dr. Eggman simply remote opens the doors rather than let his newfound allies trash the place and they head inside to confront the Heavy King.

Sonic and friends defeat the Heavy King and split the Chaos Emeralds between them.

However, the Heavy King is nigh-untouchable thanks to having gathered all seven Chaos Emeralds. It channels their power through its staff, casting lighting bolts and energy balls that rain destruction upon its foes. The Heavy King relishes the conflict, plotting to restore the Hardboiled Heavies and conquer the world and easily shielding against or shrugging off their counterattacks. Realising they’re outmatched, Sonic uses himself as bait, focusing the Heavy King’s attention solely on him by insulting the maniacal robot. Sonic’s allies then steal the Chaos Emeralds and, rather than becoming Super Sonic and destroying the Heavy King, Sonic settles for easily toppling the now-powerless robot. It then begs forgiveness from Dr. Eggman, claiming to have been following its programming. Dr. Eggman commends his creation and forgives it, planning to install a software patch to keep it in check, and then orders his forces to attack. However, Sonic and the others have gone, along with the Chaos Emeralds, and Dr. Eggman’s forces are too weak and rundown from the assault to give pursuit, leaving Dr. Eggman sulking in his frozen base. In the aftermath, Bark meekly says goodbye to Amy and leaves with Fang, who claims a Chaos Emerald as his reward. Similarly, Knuckles leaves with another, planning to keep it as safe as the Master Emerald, and Mighty and Ray take two more, hoping to team up with Sonic again in the future. Sonic, Tails, and Amy also keep hold of a Chaos Emerald each, splitting the gems up to keep them out of Dr. Eggman’s hands in the future. To Amy’s glee, Sonic and Tails not only apologise for leaving her behind but also thank her for her help, leaving her as flustered as Bark. Sonic then races off into the sunset towards his next adventure.  

The Summary:
I absolutely adored “Seasons of Chaos”! after years, decades, of Sonic comics using art styles that were far removed from the original Japanese depictions of Sonic and his friends, it’s really refreshing to see a return to the classic art style, as beautifully brought to life in Sonic the Hedgehog CD’s (SEGA, 1993) anime sequences. Don’t get me wrong, I grew up with Richard Elson and Greg Martin’s renditions of Sonic and I love what Patrick “Spaz” Spaziante did with the characters, but Tracy Yardley always evokes the classic style so wonderfully and Sonic and his friends have never looked better than in “Seasons of Chaos”, in my opinion. Everyone looks ripped right out of the original Japanese artwork and strikes poses reminiscent of the videogames, to say nothing of the times the story switches to a side-view to recreate the kinetic, sidescrolling action of the videogames. Many Sonic comics focus more on drama and character moments and convoluted plots, and I can understand why. They’re comic book adaptations trying to keep readers coming back for more; simply showing Sonic smashing robots and dodging traps isn’t as engaging as it is in the games. However, there’s something to be said for the simplicity at work in “Seasons of Chaos”, which pays homage to the classic videogames by acting as a continuation of their events and could easily be slotted in as another post-Sonic Mania Plus (Christian Whitehead/PagodaWest Games/Headcannon, 2018) adventure. Interestingly, “Seasons of Chaos” opts for unique locations clearly inspired by the likes of Green Hill Zone, Angel Island Zone, and Robotnik Winter Zone. While it would’ve been nice to see familiar locations, I like that we got to see new environments that were similar and yet different enough as it tied into this story being a follow-up to Sonic Mania Plus, which also included a handful of new Zones clearly inspired by the classic videogames.

I cannot and will not ever stop gushing about how beautiful the art work is in this special!

“Seasons of Chaos” also references not just obscure Sonic titles but also the 3D adventures. Dr. Eggman chastises Metal Sonic’s brief hesitation when the Heavy King talks about becoming a “Metal Overlord”, for example, and the comic features Metal Knuckles as a primary antagonist, finally giving long-time Sonic fans a good look at its complex, armoured plated intricacies. I enjoyed the adventure set out in this story; it’s a classic race to retrieve the Chaos Emeralds but one that subverts expectations. Sonic is continually insulted and dismayed at Metal Sonic’s refusal to race, for example, and the Chaos Emeralds are scattered across the world, not unlike Sonic’s 8-bit adventures. “Seasons of Chaos” also brings back three of the franchise’s most obscure characters, Fang, Bean, and Bark, retaining them as a mercenary duo as depicted in previous American Sonic comics. I loved Fang’s depiction as an opportunistic, cowardly weasel who lets others do his fighting and is selfish and full of bluster (there’s a fun moment in the finale where Metal Sonic drags him back into the fight!) Bean retains the same crazed, pyromaniacal characterisation seen in the latter days of the Archie comics, while Bark is the strong, silent type who’s depicted as misled and reluctant but happy to match his strength against powerful foes. Similarly, the story also ropes in Mighty and Ray, two characters I never get tired of. I loved their brotherly dynamic (which is similar to the relationship between Sonic and Tails) and them making fast friends with Amy, forming a trio that acts as an early incarnation of Team Rose. Amy’s desire to prove herself and be useful is as infectious as her enthusiasm and the three bring a lot of levity to an already whimsical tale. Naturally, I adored the depiction of Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles as well. I loved the banter between Sonic and Knuckles, with Knuckles being oblivious to Sonic’s taunting and Sonic being a wise-cracking, adventurous spirit. While Tails felt like a bit of a background character, he stepped up to sabotage Fang’s craft and work with Dr. Eggman to reprogram Tails Doll, showing that these three have the perfect balance of skills to oppose Dr. Eggman’s plans.

A fantastically written and wonderfully illustrated celebration of the franchise.

In an interesting twist, Dr. Eggman isn’t the main villain. Instead, he’s the victim of another robot rebellion, humiliated and seeking revenge after the Heavy King took its programming a little too literally. Dr. Eggman’s depiction reminds me very much of his portrayal in Sonic the Hedgehog (Ikegami, 1996), being a prideful, grandiose, comical figure capable of malicious actions but largely a spiteful buffoon. Sonic routinely mocks his creations and easily trounces his machines and defences, Dr. Eggman reacts to the Heavy King’s betrayed with a childish tantrum, and he immediately sets his revived forces against his former allies the moment he regains control of them, only to find they’re too drained to fight. Every time I read “Seasons of Chaos”, I’m enamoured by the gorgeous colours and striking artwork. Everything has such a cute visual appeal that recalls a far less dramatic and more whimsical time in Sonic’s history, a time where the spirit of high-speed adventure was enough of an appeal for players and readers. I honestly wish IDW would publish a dedicated side series of classic Sonic adventures in this style as it’s truly beautiful and would be perfect for a five-page backup feature, at least, alongside whatever dramatic, world-ending plot is running through the main story. I loved how the comic recreated visuals from the videogames as fun Easter Eggs for long-time fans while crafting a fun, easy to follow adventure for these three teams. The action was bold and kinetic, with panels full of little details and quirks and humorous moments, from wild expressions to visual callbacks to the source material, and character defining moments for the likes of Amy, Mighty, and Ray, who both proved their worth and solidified their alliances with the main trio through this story. Ultimately, “Seasons of Chaos” was a fantastic celebration of Sonic’s 30th anniversary. The story and art did a great job of honouring the character’s past and rich history, weaving recognisable elements into a largely original story and casting a spotlight on the classic depictions of both iconic and obscure characters as only the comics can. I honestly wish the games leaned more towards this style, embracing what worked so well in the past and emphasising Sonic’s rich supporting cast and fun sense of adventure rather than focusing solely on Sonic alone as it made for a hugely enjoyable read.

My Rating:

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Fantastic

Did you enjoy “Seasons of Chaos”? Were you as captivated by the art style as I was? Did you like seeing Amy team with Mighty and Ray and the inclusion of Fang, Bean, and Bark? Were you disappointed that we didn’t get a Super Sonic finale? Would you like to see a spin-off comic in this style? What are some of your favourite stories and moments from IDW’s Sonic comics? How did you celebrate Sonic the Hedgehog this month? Whatever your thoughts, leave a comment below, consider supporting me on Ko-Fi, and go check out my other Sonic content.

Back Issues [Sonic Month]: Sonic the Comic: Origins

Dr. K9 Comments

Sonic the Hedgehog was first introduced to gamers worldwide on June 23 1991 and, since then, has become not only SEGA’s most enduring and popular character but also a beloved videogame icon. Thus, in keeping with tradition, I’m dedicating some time to celebrate SEGA’s supersonic mascot.

Story Title: “Enter: Sonic”
Published: 29 May 1993
Writer: Alan McKenzie
Artist: Anthony Williams

Story Title: “Robofox”
Published: 12 June 1993
Writer: Mark Millar
Artist: Woodrow Phoenix

Story Title: “The Origin of Sonic”
Published: 4 September 1993
Writer: Nigel Kitching
Artist: Richard Elson

Story Title: “Prologue: Once Upon a Planet…”
Published: 30 April 1994 (cover-dated: 13 May 1994)
Writer: Nigel Kitching
Artists: Mike Hadley and John M. Burns

Story Title: “Kintobor Spelled Backwards Is…”
Published: 14 May 1994 (cover-dated: 27 May 1994)
Writer: Nigel Kitching
Artists: Mike Hadley and John M. Burns

Story Title: “A Tale of Tails”
Published: 28 May 1994 (cover-dated: 10 June 1994)
Writer: Nigel Kitching
Artists: Mike Hadley and John M. Burns

The Background:
Sonic the Hedgehog was a huge success for SEGA. Thanks to an aggressive marketing campaign and being bundled with the all-powerful 16-bit Mega Drive, over 15 million copies were sold and SEGA briefly usurped Nintendo as the big dog of the videogame industry. Eager to capitalise on Sonic’s mainstream popularity, SEGA shamelessly licensed their mascot anywhere they could, leading to two concurrent cartoons and multiple comics books published across the world, with each taking vastly different approaches to the source material. While the Japanese manga was far more faithful to the videogames, Archie Comics awkwardly mashed together the contrasting tones of Sonic’s cartoons into what would become the longest-running comic series based on a videogame, and the United Kingdom was treated to Sonic the Comic (StC). Published fortnightly, StC took much of its lore from the now defunct Mobius storyline created specifically for Western audiences and made the bold decision to portray Sonic as an egotistical narcissist who treated his friends poorly while fighting for freedom and justice. Eventually folding more elements and characters from the videogames into its narrative, StC was a highlight of my youth for many years. Although it soon devolved into reprints before being cancelled, its spirit lived on through an online continuation.

The  Review:
I’m doing things a little different for this review. StC’s early days were a bit sporadic, which isn’t surprising considering each issue featured a handful of stories based on different SEGA properties alongside letters, artwork, reviews, and cheats for SEGA titles. While Sonic the Hedgehog stories were always at the forefront, the lore was anything but sequential. Issue one, for example, drops us right in the middle of the action and appears to take place shortly before the events of the first videogame. By issue six, it’s clear that StC takes place sometime after Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SEGA Technical Institute, 1992) and StC rarely produced direct adaptations of the source material, especially the first two games. It also didn’t waste much time in bogging down its stories with exposition; the comics were aimed at a pre-made audience of SEGA gaming fans so this wasn’t necessary. Thus, it took some time for later issues and backup stories to flesh out Sonic’s characters and world. Fittingly, this was initially related through supplementary stories titled Sonic’s World, in which key events from Mobius’s history, the videogames, and StC’s unique canon were revealed to the reader. Thus, rather than going through each issue in turn for this review, I’ll instead be tackling them in as close to chronological order as possible to give a taste of the world StC crafted and the way it reinterpreted the source material. Accordingly, we must start not with issue one but with issue twenty-five, which included the first appearance of the Sonic’s World stories and gave us our first real overview of how Fleetway were interpreting the videogames. Like all Sonic media outside of Japan in the 1990s, Fleetway takes place not on Earth, but on Mobius, a planet said to be both 117,63222 light years from Earth and in “a parallel dimension” and divided into areas known as “Zones”. “Prologue: Once Upon a Planet…” gives a brief overview of how Sonic the Hedgehog fought the evil Doctor Ivo Robotnik, forcing him to retreat to a secret based in the “Special Zone”, and how Dr. Robotnik has both biological and mechanical minions station around the planet and rules with an iron fist. This story, like the others in these Sonic’s World features, is narrated by the Kintobor Computer, an artificial intelligence that assists Sonic and his friends from their underground base and is the digital backup of Sonic’s old friend, the kindly Doctor Ovi Kintobor.

Sonic shares his superhero origins with his friends and reveals how Dr. Robotnik came to be.

Who is Dr. Kintobor, you ask? Well, to answer that we need to jump to issue eight’s “The Origin of Sonic”. This story (set before Dr. Robotnik conquered Mobius) saw Sonic charge up a Star Post with his superfast speed and transport his friends (long-suffered sidekick Miles “Tails” Prower, brave Johnny Lightfoot, and cowardly Porker Lewis) to the Special Zone. Modelled after the iconic half-pipe Special Stages seen in Sonic 2, StC’s Special Zone the a chaotic and dangerous home of Sonic’s friend, the Omni-Viewer, a gigantic sentient television screen. Capable of transporting and transmitting people and events across time and space, the Omni-Viewer shows Sonic’s friends the origin of both Sonic and Dr. Robotnik through his view screen. Some time ago, Sonic was just a normal, brown hedgehog (albeit one with incredible speed). While exploring Mobius, Sonic stumbled upon Dr. Kintobor’s secret laboratory and met the kindly Doctor, one of the few humans living on Mobius. Enamoured by the beauty of the world, Dr. Kintobor created the Retro-Orbital Chaos Compressor (ROCC), a massive machine designed to transfer the planet’s “evil” into six gems using special Golden Rings. Unfortunately, without the legendary seventh emerald, the process is incomplete and the ROCC is unstable. Sonic agrees to search the planet for the elusive seventh emerald and, in return, Dr. Kintobor develops his natural speed. Thanks to a snazzy pair of “friction reducing […] power sneakers” and a “kinetic gyratoscope”, Sonic breaks the sound barrier, streamlining his body to his iconic blue look. One day, Dr. Kintobor took a lunch break and, while carrying a rotten egg, tripped and collided with the ROCC. The explosion scattering the Golden Rings across Mobius and warped the six Chaos Emeralds to the Special Zone and, like Sonic’s accident, forever changing the friendly Doctor. Where he was once tall, slender, and pleasant, he was now squat, bulbous, malicious, and rotten. Even his name was reversed (hence “Doctor Ivo Robotnik”) and he became obsessed with recovering the Chaos Emeralds to conquer the world. “The Origin of Sonic” concludes with the Omni-Viewer returning Sonic and his friends to Mobius, forced to drop them six months into the future and thus allowing Dr. Robotnik to take over the planet.

These stories depict Sonic’s first meeting with Tails and initial battles with Dr. Robotnik.

“Kintobor Spelled Backwards Is…” reveals that Sonic and Porker discovered one of the Golden Rings could talk after Dr. Kintobor’s brain patterns somehow transferred to it during the explosion. Using comic book logic, the tech-savvy Porker downloads Dr. Kintobor’s consciousness onto a computer, birthing the Kintobor Computer and allowing the kindly Doctor to live on. Following Dr. Robotnik’s transformation, Sonic and his friends scoured the world for the Golden Rings and the Chaos Emeralds to try and reverse the process until, one day, they were attacked by the first generation of Dr. Robotnik’s Badniks. Using his Sonic Spin Attack, Sonic trashed the Badniks and discovered, to his horror, that Dr. Robotnik was capturing his friends and using them to power his machines. There’s some crossover between these panels and issue one’s “Enter: Sonic” and even America’s promotional comic book, namely that Sonic trashed Badniks in Green Hill Zone and rescued Porker Lewis. A montage briefly recaps the first Sonic videogame,  how Sonic travelled and successfully recovered the six Chaos Emeralds before Dr. Robotnik. However, when Sonic and his friends tried  to analyse them, the Chaos Emeralds disappeared in a burst of radiation since, without the seventh to balance them, they couldn’t be safely kept together. Absorbing the full brunt of the blast, Sonic was transformed into a maniacal, golden-hued form that blasted from the base in a desperate desire for freedom. Crashlanding in the Swampland Zone, Sonic returned to normal with no memory of his transformation; his confusion gave way to concern when he heard cries for help. Rushing to assist, Sonic pulled a fox boy from the swamp and was amazed to find the cub, named Miles, not only had two tails but could fly by spinning them like a propeller, earning him the nickname “Tails”. Tails joined Sonic for another montage, this time recapping Sonic 2, which sees Sonic take down Dr. Robotnik’s greatest creation, the Death Egg, and safely hide the six Chaos Emeralds in the frozen North Cave.

Though Sonic easily destroys Dr. Robotnik’s machine, he’s almost killed by his best friend!

This brings us to “Enter: Sonic”, where Dr. Robotnik unleashes a fresh hoard of Badniks throughout Green Hill Zone to keep Sonic from meddling in the evil genius’s newest creation, the Engine of Destruction. Fuelled by the Golden Rings and literally sucking them out of the air, the machine promises to “crush Sonic into a million bitty hedgehog nuggets” and “pollute the atmosphere […] for a thousand years”! After rescuing his friends from their Badnik prisons, Sonic learns of the Engine of Destruction and races off to stop it, encountering some of the same hazards players must overcome in the first game (loops, crumbling platforms, and spike pits). Despite its vast size and ominous appearance, the Engine of Destruction is easily destroyed by Sonic, who simply rams into it at full speed. Sonic’s victory is soured by the realisation that he hasn’t heard from Tails for some time. Between issue one and two, Sonic goes on an unrelated adventure and returns to find Green Hill Zone deserted after Dr. Robotnik raided it overnight. Donning his new “power-grip trainers” and a pair of shades, Sonic liberates his friends, only to find Dr. Robotnik has transformed the foxboy into the semi-cybernetic “Robofox”. His personality warped by Dr. Robotnik’s programming, Robofox both physically and mentally attacks Sonic. However, when he witnesses his friend and hero being pummelled to death by Dr. Robotnik’s wrecking ball, Tails regains his senses and charges the villain, destroying both his exoskeleton and trashing the Egg-O-Matic. Relieved to have his friend back, Sonic teases Tails for his actions and sadly takes him back home, though his fancy new sneakers were wrecked from the adventure and Dr. Robotnik lived to fight another day.

The Summary:
It’s interesting reading these stories in this order, which can loosely bee described as sequential, rather than in publication order. There were a few other stories that flesh out some other elements of these events, such as a glimpse into Tails’ past before he came to Green Hill Zone and a time travel story that showed Sonic was responsible for the accident that birthed Dr. Robotnik. This Mobius/Dr. Kintobor canon was very popular outside of Japan at the time and all the books and comics published in the United Kingdom used a variation of it, while the United States made up their own backstories. It’s certainly an interesting and “comic book” take on the premise but it amuses me that the localisation team went to so much effort to expand the lore when the original story is so simple: anthropomorphic characters battle an evil despot to defend the world from pollution. It’s certainly interesting to see Sonic’s origin depicted this way and, now, many decades later, rather quaint. For a generation of readers, this was Sonic’s canon origin. People really thought he lived on Mobius and was once a regular brown hedgehog, transformed by breaking the sound barrier. It’s a very “superhero” origin, fitting considering Sonic was often billed as such in publications at that time. I think my biggest issue with the Dr. Kintobor thing is how little emotional connection I have to that character. We don’t spend much time with him and his personality is erased by Dr. Robotnik. Even the Kintobor Computer became superfluous once Porker became even more of a tech genius, and it just raised more questions than it was worth sometimes. The whole ROCC thing is an interesting way of explaining why Golden Rings are scattered everywhere in the games and another early story even explained the item monitors, but Rings rarely appeared in StC after this or in the same way as the games so it’s a bit convoluted. I did like that the writers were laying the groundwork for a seventh “Control Emerald” even this early on. This would turn out to be the legendary Grey Emerald rather than the Master Emerald, but it’s a fun way to explain why the Chaos Emeralds constantly need to be collected in each game.

This fantastical origin mixes with loose adaptations of the games to give StC a unique interpretation.

StC also had a unique spin on Super Sonic, making him Sonic’s demonic alter ego and creating deeper parallels between him and Dr. Robotnik, elements sadly never really expanded upon in future stories. The artwork of these stories is decent, if a bit inconsistent. Richard Elson was busy on the main Sonic stories in issues twenty-five to twenty-seven, though we get a taste of his work in issue eight. It’s not quite as refined as later but a lot better than issue one and two, where Sonic’s poses (especially in “Enter: Sonic”) are lazily ripped from official SEGA artwork. I did enjoy how these stories adapted elements from the videogames; we honestly didn’t see this that much in StC, potentially because multiple stories of Sonic simply running around, bashing Badniks, and avoiding traps isn’t very interesting or dramatic. It’s fun seeing Green Hill Zone come to life in “Enter: Sonic” and seeing Sonic’s friends be jostled about by the Special Zone’s bombs in “The Origin of Sonic”. Both locations would be expanded into more grounded, bustling locations within just a few issues as StC settled into a more relatable adaptation of the game’s fantastical elements, but I liked the simplicity and fidelity of everything here. There’s just enough to make it unique, like the Engine of Destruction and the Omni-Viewer. A major plus in these issues is that Dr. Robotnik sports his videogame appearance; he’d later transform into his cartoon counterpart, but I find this rendition far more menacing, especially during his first appearance following his accident. These Sonic’s World stories also deliver the first direct adaptation of the videogames, albeit in an extremely truncated form. We’d see elements included in other stories, sure, but these montages recreate and canonise the videogames, making it clear that issue one occurs after Sonic 2 and that Sonic’s had multiple adventures even before StC began. The stories are also laced with some quirky humour; everything feels very “British”, from the dialogue and the characterisations. Sonic isn’t quite the obnoxious asshole we’d see in other stories, but he lives up to his reputation as a “Hedgehog with Attitude”, giving off an arrogant and cocksure bravado that perfectly contrasts with Dr. Robotnik’s spiteful and egg-centric personality.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Did you read Sonic the Comic as a kid? If so, what did you think to its unique interpretation on Sonic, his friends, and his lore? Were you a fan of the Mobius/Dr. Kintobor origin or are you glad that it’s been forgotten in modern times? What did you think to Sonic’s original look and his first meeting with Tails? What are some of your favourite StC stories and characters? How are you celebrating Sonic the Hedgehog this year? Whatever your thoughts on Sonic the Comic, or Sonic in general, drop a comment below.

Back Issues [Sonic Month]: Sonic the Hedgehog #0-3

Dr. K14 Comments

Sonic the Hedgehog was first introduced to gamers worldwide on June 23 1991 and, since then, has become not only SEGA’s most enduring and popular character but also a beloved videogame icon. Thus, in keeping with tradition, I’m dedicating some time to celebrate SEGA’s supersonic mascot.

Writer: Michael Gallagher – Artist: Scott Shawl

Story Titles: “Don’t Cry for Me, Mobius!” and “Oh No–Robo! No-Mo’ Mobo!”
Published: 24 November 1992

Story Titles: “Run, Sally, Run!” and “Something Fishy”
Published: March 1993

Story Title: “A Crowning Achievement”
Published: April 1993

Story Titles: “Sonic Flashback!” and “Why Ask Spy?”
Published: May 1993

The Background:
SEGA wasted little time capitalising on Sonic’s massive popularity once he became a mainstream success and single-handedly caused them to usurp Nintendo’s position at the top of the videogame industry. Following in the footsteps of Nintendo’s success with DiC, SEGA’s mascot soon debuted on the small screen with two concurrent cartoons, the most popular of which was the simply-titled Sonic the Hedgehog (1993 to 1994), also known as “SatAM”. SatAM recast Sonic as the point man for the Knothole Freedom Fighters, a team based on his Animal Friends from the source material, and Doctor Robotnik as a terrifying, semi-cybernetic dictator. SatAM’s darker tone clashed with the slapstick approach of its sister-series, but Archie Comics awkwardly mashed both together for this four-part miniseries, the genesis of what would become the longest-running comic series based on a videogame. In the years since, Archie Comics would expand on their convoluted lore, shoe-horning in more and more videogame characters, until a ridiculous lawsuit spelled the beginning of the end for the comics, with the license then taken up by IDW and an all-new, game-adjacent continuity.

The Review:
When I was a kid growing up in the UK, Archie’s Sonic the Hedgehog comics were a complete oddity. I never even heard of them until I picked up a trade paperback collection of this original miniseries. Though they offered little in the way of a resolution to SatAM’s unresolved cliff-hanger, they were the closest thing to an official follow-up. While they had many flaws and became ridiculously convoluted, things started relatively simply with this oddball miniseries, which has the overall look and cast of SatAM but strangely incorporates some elements (particularly the cartoonish slapstick) of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog (1993). Sonic, Miles “Tails” Prower, Princess Sally Acorn, and their colourful friends and enemies live on Mobius, a world whose natural beauty has been tainted and corrupted by the maniacal Dr. Robotnik. “Don’t Cry for Me, Mobius!” begins with the mad doctor chasing Sonic throughout the countryside and trying to splatter him with his super sticky “mega-muck”. While Sonic easily outruns Dr. Robotnik’s Egg-O-Matic, he appears to be trapped by, of all things, a simple Caterkiller. This is a ruse to lure Dr. Robotnik closer as Sonic avoids a splatter of mega-muck, destroying the Caterkiller and leaving Dr. Robotnik covered in his own goop. Sonic then breaks the fourth wall and invites the reader to follow him to Knothole Village, the hidden refuge of the Freedom Fighters, where he meets with Tails (Sonic’s biggest fan and budding sidekick), Boomer the Walrus (the mechanic and tech support who wasn’t quite yet known as Rotor), and Princess Sally (the team’s leader who sports a decidedly different colour scheme and is exasperated by Sonic’s brazen attitude). Sonic and Sally’s awkward mutual attraction is interrupted by fusspot Antoine D’Coolette, who alerts them to a leak that could potentially reveal their location.

Sonic and his friends gleefully fight to free Mobius from Dr. Robotnik’s mad tyranny.

The Freedom Fighters head topside to investigate, exposing themselves to Dr. Robotnik’s spy satellites, and discover the cause is a growth of literal weeping willows driven to tears by Dr. Robotnik’s destructive actions. Eager to crush his hated enemy, Dr. Robotnik leaps into his wrecking ball machine and attacks alongside his Buzzbomber. Sonic leads them to a nearby well but briefly panics when he can’t immediately grab a power boost from the Power Rings within. Once he grabs one, he uses its strange magical powers to flip Dr. Robotnik’s wrecking ball, smashing his ship and forcing him to flee back to Robotropolis, his heavily industrial cityscape. We then get our first taste of how things got to be this way in “Oh No–Robo! No-Mo’ Mobo!”, a flashback story which shows that Sonic was once the delivery boy for his Uncle Chuck’s chili dog stand. The two literally jump for joy when a call comes in for two hundred chili dogs and Sonic gleefully speeds away to deliver the order, leaving Chuck and their beloved pet, Muttski, to be apprehended by Dr. Robotnik and his SWATbots, who’ve covertly conquered the land without the hedgehogs realising it. Sonic’s delivery brings him to Robotropolis and sees him almost crushed by a wrecking ball courtesy of Cluck, Dr. Robotnik’s robotic bird. Realising he’s been duped, Sonic races back to his family and finds SWATbots destroying the chili dog stand. After trashing the robots, Sonic heads back to Robotropolis to save his family and bumps into Princess Sally, an idealistic squirrel girl who’s also trying to rescue her family. Thanks to Sally’s insight, Sonic soon finds Uncle Chuck and Muttski but is dismayed to see they’ve been turned into robots (strangely drawn as though they’re merely hypnotised) and forced to work as Dr. Robotnik’s slaves. When Sonic angrily confronts Dr. Robotnik and futily tries to reason with his uncle, he’s attacked by more SWATbots and forced to flee with Sally to the “Great Forrest” and readily accepts her offer to join her band of rebels.

Sally’s secretive nature and Sonic’s reckless attitude lead our heroes into some slapstick peril.

“Run, Sally, Run!” sees Sonic perturbed when he passes by Princess Sally as she’s wandering dangerously close to the edge of the forest and is angrily told to stay out of her business. Believing Antoine is behind her foul mood, Sonic races to Knothole and discovers that Sally has arranged to meet with Dr. Robotnik to negotiate the return of her father, King Maximillian Acorn, and that no one is to interfere. Naturally, Sonic (joined by Antoine and Tails) races to intervene but Sally chastises them and demands that they not follow her. Though they again plan to disregard this, the three are suddenly trapped within a cage and, while Sally is confident that the meeting is legitimate, she’s aghast when Buzzbomber drops her right in Dr. Robotnik’s lap and she’s hauled away to the “Robo-Machine”. Naturally, Sonic burrows out and into Dr. Robotnik’s lair, rescuing her, smashing the Robo-Machine, and dashing Sally back to Knothole. Unfortunately, Sally’s unimpressed by the “mucho-macho-squad”, whose reckless actions meant she couldn’t use Boomer’s special boots to analyse and reverse the Robo-Machine’s effects, leaving Sally enraged and Sonic embarrassed all because she couldn’t just explain the situation to them. Whilst relaxing with a spot of fishing in “Something Fishy”, Sonic accidentally hooks a Jaws Badnik and narrowly avoids being chomped to pieces like the dock he’s standing on. Diving into the lake (with no fear of the water), Sonic discovers not just Dr. Robotnik’s polluting pipes but also his waterproof robot maker. Though Sonic avoids being fed into the machine, he almost drowns and is only saved by the timely intervention of Boomer and Tails, who arrive in Boomer’s bathysphere craft. While the damaged Jaws limps off to report to its master, Sonic smashes the robot maker and returns to dry land with his friends, his appetite for seafood now lost.

Sonic journeys across land, air, and sea to recover the magical Freedom Emeralds.

By “A Crowning Achievement”, Sally has switched to a brunette (a look Sonic secretly likes and which Sally secretly hopes he likes) and presents Sonic with her father’s jewellery box, which contains the legendary “Freedom Emeralds”. Despite their name, the jewels are actually pearl-like spheres set onto an elaborate crown, King Acorn’s family heirloom that Sally hopes will bestow her with magical powers. In preparation for her coronation, Sally has Antoine and his Royal Guard guard the box, but they’re all stunned to find it empty and the crown missing. After almost coming to blows over the incident, Sonic and Antoine suspect one of the guardsmen to be a robot spy. Using his super speed, Sonic sets off the sprinkler system and exposes the spy, who reveals he delivered the crown (and Knothole’s location) to his master before promptly self-destructing. Thanks to Sonic’s “Warp Sonic Speed”, Knothole (and our heroic hedgehog) are spared a gruesome fate, and Sally orders him and Antoine to retrieve the crown. Begrudgingly, the two pursue Dr. Robotnik’s blimp using a hot air balloon. Though Antoine’s forced to bail when they’re attacked by Bat Brains, Sonic bounces across the Badniks and pops the blimp with his patented Sonic Spin Attack, retrieving a Freedom Emerald in the process. Learning from a busted SWATbot that Dr. Robotnik plans to hide the Freedom Emeralds across Mobius, Sonic races underwater (with Tails accidentally in tow) and finds another Freedom Emerald at the same cavern from “Something Fishy”, easily defeating Jaws once more. While Sonic easily snags a third gem from a passing SWATbot, he’s dropped into a confrontation with Burrobot. Despite the robot’s terrifying burrowing power, it’s still no match for Sonic’s speed and is relieved of its Freedom Emeralds. Trapped in an underground maze, Sonic runs himself to exhaustion searching for the exit before having the genius idea to burrow upwards. Naturally, he conveniently pops out in Boomer’s workshop, finally restoring the crown and bolstering the Freedom Fighters’ morale, though Dr. Robotnik, angered at being absent for the story, vows to have his revenge.

After a weird dream, Sonic infiltrates Dr. Robotnik’s lair with a flimsy robot disguise.

“Sonic Flashback!” sees Sonic forced off a cliff by a two-pronged attack of Crabmeats and the tried-and-tested wrecking ball. Knocked loopy, Sonic has a weird dream where he and Dr. Robotnik grew up together, revealing that Uncle Chuck created the magical rings to boost Sonic’s speed. Chuck despairs of his nephew’s disdain for “Little Robotnik”, an orphan boy who tinkers with mechanical toys and aspires to take over Chuck’s farm. Unwilling to entertain “Robbie’s” attitude, Sonic speeds off and Chuck ends up crashing his tractor into the barnyard (and Robbie) thanks to Robbie sabotaging the vehicle to make his toys. Boosted by the magical ring, Sonic gets them to a hospital in record time but Robbie, incensed at Chuck’s reckless driving, builds an even bigger robot out of Chuck’s appliances and attacks the hedgehogs. Luckily, Sonic easily rescues his uncle and reduces the robot to scrap with a hose pipe, then he wakes up and gets back to fighting Dr. Robotnik for real. In “Why Ask Spy?”, Princess Sally has Sonic slap on a mechanical jaw and some scary contact lenses to masquerade as a robot. After convincing Tails that Sonic is a threat, Sonic successfully infiltrates Dr. Robotnik’s lair, convincing the dictator that he stumbled into one of his devious traps and was transformed into a mindless slave. Disregarding Buzzbomber’s concerns, the gleeful doctor orders Sonic to lead him to Knothole and is thankfully saved from betraying his friends when he instead volunteers to investigate a disturbance at the Crab Factory. There, Sonic reconvenes with Sally and Antoine and also discovers Uncle Chuck diligently assembling Crabmeats. After a run-in with the robotic Muttski fires Sonic up, he gets a measure of payback by tricking Dr. Robotnik with his disguise once more and dropping a bomb on the Buzzbomber factory to deliver a significant blow to the dictator’s operation. Interestingly, Sonic justifies this by saying he doesn’t want to bomb his uncle’s factory and possibly kill him but seems to have no consideration for the slaves working in the other factory.

The Summary:
Issues 0 to 3 of this miniseries also devote a few pages to some shorter stories, pin-ups, and gags to bolster the narrative. Issue 0 sees Princess Sally lament to loss of her literal family tree, gives a rundown of Sonic’s different levels of speed (categorising three as “Ultra-Sonic”, “Super-Sonic”, and “Hyper-Sonic”, with no relation to Sonic’s similarly named forms), introduces readers to Dr. Robotnik’s other Badnik minions, and gives a quick explanation of Sonic’s iconic sneakers (which were created for him by Uncle Chuck in this continuity). Issue 1 showcases Sonic’s speed by having him blow Boomer’s mind with a game of baseball, play tennis with himself, and go through his family album (with him being too fast for the camera each time), offers a two-page pin-up of the heroes and villains, and sees Boomer give examples of slower creatures to have a pop at politicians. Issue 2 sees the writers poke fun at other comics by offering ten reasons why readers should pick Sonic the Hedgehog over the likes of DC and Marvel (ironically, guest stars, fancy covers, a motion picture, and character deaths would all come to pass). It also includes two one-page stories, one detailing the versatility of his spines and one demonstrating that Sonic’s faster than the speed of sound (something amusingly noted in issue 0 where the editor points out that the “Zoom” sound effect will arrive “later this week”). Gags and skits such as these tie into the miniseries’ slapstick nature; signs, sight gags, and puns are plentiful in these four issues, placing Sonic the Hedgehog firmly as a book for little kids. There are some more mature themes behind all the cartoonish action, such as a strong anti-pollution message, negative portrayals of bullying and xenophobia, and a strong sense of justice, but it’s all very light-hearted and carefree, with the characters rarely in peril since Sonic can just magically solve every issue with his Spin Attack, magic ring, or by easily fooling his enemies.

Although the miniseries echoes SatAM, its characterisations are all over the place.

Fans of SatAM will probably be disappointed to find that the miniseries merely takes visual cues from that series. We have the same cast of characters in similar situations, but it’s far goofier than in SatAM. The tone is far closer to Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, with Dr. Robotnik more a bumbling blowhard than a menacing tyrant, his minions being snarky and foolish robots easily fooled by drawings, and Sonic performing nonsensical feats like magically turning Dr. Robotnik’s machine against him or setting off sprinklers by literally burning rubber. Sonic’s characterisation is a weird mish-mash of Adventures and SatAM, showcasing his arrogance and smart mouth but also seeing him be awkward around Sally, whom he has an obvious crush on. Sally is far more annoying here than in SatAM, barking orders and deliberately misleading her allies only to berate them for acting in her best interests. She’s a strong-willed leader who isn’t afraid to join the fight and is far from a damsel in distress, but her polarising personality make her more of a hinderance than an asset. Boomer and Antoine aren’t featured much, but we do see that Sonic respects Boomer and detests Antoine, seeing him as a “sap” who lacks the fortitude and ability to fight Dr. Robotnik. Tails is very much like his Adventures counterpart, depicted as Sonic’s biggest fan and excitedly following him into danger, but, like in SatAM, Sonic isn’t handcuffed to him and Tails is depicted more like the team’s mascot than a capable Freedom Fighter. Characters like Snively and Bunnie Rabbot are strangely absent, meaning Dr. Robotnik is more reliant upon his blundering SWATbots and Badniks. Like in Adventures, the game-accurate Badniks are given bizarre personalities and depicted as fiercely loyal, but ultimately stupid minions who may briefly get the upper hand against Sonic but are always sent packing by the story’s end.

What few recognisable elements there are are lost beneath a strange interpretation of the concept.

Interestingly, the miniseries attempts to delve into the backstory of Mobius and what life was like before Dr. Robotnik took over. It’s obviously very different from what SatAM and later comics would depict and is thus very rushed and disappointing. It’s fun seeing Sonic interact with Uncle Chuck and Muttski, but Dr. Robotnik’s takeover is completely glossed over and Sonic’s past with Sally is reduced to simply bumping into each other while searching for their families. Most egregiously, the miniseries takes a literal, outdated definition of the term “robot” and depicts Dr. Robotnik’s slaves more like hypnotised slaves than mechanical automatons. Despite being bolstered by clearly robotic SWATbots and Badniks, the Mobians Dr. Robotnik enslaves have no robotic appendages (except, bizarrely, for Muttski) and the roboticization process is as far removed from SatAM as everything else beyond a surface level similarity. The miniseries also ham-fistedly includes game-accurate elements, such as Dr. Robotnik’s wrecking machine and his Badniks, though the writers seem to have no idea how the Golden Rings (or SatAM’s Power Rings) work. It’s as though the writers were shown the pilot episodes of Adventures and SatAM and given a brief description and some visual cues of the games, then told to just do whatever they like. Consequently, while the miniseries is fun at times and probably very appealing to younger readers, it doesn’t exactly capture the spirit of either cartoon or the source material. Instead, it’s a weird amalgamation of different elements and half-baked interpretations of already drastically different adaptations. While the artwork is serviceable, mirroring early episodes of SatAM, it’s not enough to bolster the appeal of this miniseries. It’s amazing to me how complicated and dramatic Archie’s Sonic comics became in the years following this publication; compare these issues with ones from just a few years later and it’s like night and day! Ultimately, it’s fun to revisit these early days but I think Archie’s Sonic comics benefitted by abandoning their ties to the 90’s cartoons and creating their own narrative, making these a fun, if childish, curio more than anything.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

Have you ever read the original Archie Sonic the Hedgehog miniseries? What did you think the way it mashed together elements from the cartoons and videogames? Were you disappointed that it took a more slapstick approach or did you enjoy these early issues as a kid? Which of Archie’s original characters was your favourite and what did you think to their award-winning run? How are you celebrating Sonic the Hedgehog this year? Whatever your thoughts on Archie’s Sonic comics, or Sonic in general, feel free to leave a comment below.

Back Issues [HulkaMAYnia]: Tales to Astonish #61-66

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Since his explosive debut in May 1962, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s gamma-irradiated Jade Giant has been one of their most recognisable and successful characters thanks, in large part, to the Incredible Hulk television show (1977 to 1982) catapulting the Hulk into a mainstream, pop culture icon. So what better way to celebrate all things Hulk than by dedicating a day in May to the Green Goliath?

Writer: Stan Lee – Artist: Steve Ditko

Story Title: “Captured At Last!”
Published: 4 August 1964 (cover-dated: November 1964) 

Story Title: “Enter… the Chameleon!”
Published: 1 September 1964 (cover-dated: December 1964) 

Story Title: “A Titan Rides the Train!”
Published: 1 October 1964 (cover-dated: January 1965) 

Story Title: “The Horde of Humanoids!”
Published: 3 November 1964 (cover-dated: February 1965) 

Story Title: “On the Rampage Against the Reds!”
Published: 3 December 1964 (cover-dated: March 1965) 

Story Title: “The Power of Doctor Banner!”
Published: 5 January 1965 (cover-dated: April 1965) 

The Background:
The brainchild of legendary Marvel duo Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Doctor Robert Bruce Banner’s monstrous alter ego, the Incredible Hulk, was inspired by a story of a hysterical mother summoning superhuman strength to rescue her child and classic screen monsters Frankenstein’s Monster and Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde. Initially depicted as a stone-grey figure, the Hulk soon became a mainstay of Marvel Comics thanks to developments to his lore and the popularity of the live-action television series. Stan Lee also contributed to the creation of some of the Hulk’s iconic enemies, with Samuel Sterns/The Leader perhaps being his most notable adversary. Co-created by Steve Ditko, the Leader first appeared in the pages of Marvel’s science-fiction anthology series Tales to Astonish and was as smart as the Hulk was strong, matching the Jade Giant’s brawn with his genius intellect. Allied with Intelligencia, a group consisting of the greatest criminal minds on Earth, the Leader has long dogged the Hulk, either seeking to destroy him, harness his power, or manipulate him. Despite being a prominent foe in Marvel videogames and the Hulk’s animated ventures, it would take nearly twenty years for the Leader to finally appear in live-action when Marvel Studios finally paid off introducing Sterns (Tim Blake Nelson) in 2008.

The Review:
The saga of the Leader’s first appearance is a sprawling, multi-layered one that technically begins in Tales to Astonish #61, where Banner is desperately trying to destroy a robot he built to withstand atomic explosions, one usurped by a dirty Commie spy. I mainly mention this issue for two reasons: the first is that it was the first appearance of Banner and the Hulk’s long-time enemy and rival, Major Glen Talbot. Talbot shares General Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross’s suspicions about Banner and has come directly from the Pentagon to investigate the scientist, immediately making him a kindred spirit to Ross. The General even approves of Talbot putting the moves on his daughter, Betty, if only to “take her mind off that milksop Banner”. The second reason I bring up issue #61 is because, while fighting the robot and defending the military base, the strangely loquacious and heroic Hulk throws himself in the path of a missile and is knocked unconscious, allowing Talbot to string him up in heavy iron chains and cart him back to base. And this is where we find the hulk in issue #62, helpless and restrained before a gloating General Ross and desperate to break free before his dual identity is discovered. This issue also reveals that the spy who stole Banner’s mech suit was sent by the mysterious Leader, a helmeted scientist working around the clock on perfecting his latest humanoid creation. To discover the fate of his spy, the Leader contacts Dmitri Smerdyakov/The Chameleon, who gladly takes on the relatively simple job and flies out there, unaware that he’s sitting next to the Hulk’s young ally, Rock Jones, who’s heading in the same direction to help his friend. Despite Rick’s best efforts to reach the Hulk before everyone learns his identity, he’s caught by Talbot and booted off the base. The Chameleon, meanwhile, easily slips into the facility and uses what’s assumed to be his photographic memory to construct an elaborate mask and return to the base in the guise of General Ross!

The Chameleon’s antics cast further suspicion over Banner’s loyalties.

The Chameleon approaches the captive Hulk and offers to set him free if he obeys his orders, but the Hulk obviously refuses to aid his hated enemy. When the Chameleon ushers away the guards to talk more privately, the change occurs behind his back, allowing Banner to easily escape to safety with Rick’s help. Although Rick feels guilty about deserting Banner to partner with Captain Steve Rogers/Captain America, Banner allays his guilt, saying he fears he cannot control the Hulk’s anger and would hate to hurt the boy, or anyone else. Banner then returns to General Ross and Talbot, receiving a chewing out for his disappearing act and brushing off Talbot’s threats about exposing him as a Red Agent. On his way back to his lab, Banner is blindsided by the Chameleon, who knocks him out and assumes his identity. The Chameleon discovers Banner’s Gamma Bomb project but is immediately rumbled by Betty, who intuits that he’s an imposter. Desperate to save his love, Banner transforms into the Hulk but is forced to flee when the Chameleon threatens to set off his Gamma Bomb since even the Hulk realises the danger of such a weapon. The Chameleon then lays out Talbot and escapes with Betty, only to be literally derailed by the Hulk. With the military forces closing in, the Hulk has no choice but to throw himself upon the Gamma Bomb, shielding innocents from the blast and reverting back to Banner from the effort. Although the Chameleon escapes, Banner is cleared of any formal charges thanks to Betty’s testimony, but General Ross, Talbot, and even Betty suspect that Banner is hiding something and he remains under close observation. Unbeknownst to all, the Leader is lurking in the background, left with no choice but to personally intervene since the Hulk’s strength has bested his two agents. Luckily for him, his mighty Humanoid is ready to go but, as he basks in its perfection, the Leader’s thoughts wander to his origins, which strangely mirror those of the Hulk.

The Leader’s unbeatable Humanoid proves more than a match for the Incredible Hulk!

Less than a year ago, the man we now know was Samuel Sterns was merely an ordinary labourer. However, like Banner, he was caught in a Gamma explosion and exposed to “one of the strongest forces known to man”. While recuperating, the uneducated labourer uncharacteristically consumed knowledge and books. One day, while studying like a man possessed, he collapsed in a feverish fit and awoke to find himself permanently transformed into a green-skinned, giant-headed despot. Dubbing himself “The Leader”, he forsook his previous life and immediately put together a spy network to slowly seize power from the world’s governments. However, he is now putting all his faith in his all-powerful Humanoid to succeed where they failed. Thanks to a specially designed (and rather fetching) headpiece, the Humanoid obeys the Leader’s mental commands without hesitation, exhibiting incredible strength and versatility as it easily bends an iron bar and pilots a helicopter. Back at the missile base, General Ross orders Talbot to oversee the transport of Banner’s latest weapon, unaware that the disguised Chameleon is still lurking amongst them or that the Humanoid is following overhead before the pink-hued android is descending upon them. The stress of the attack and Talbot’s constant bullying causes Banner to change into the Hulk, who immediately pounces upon the Humanoid. Interestingly, this is the Leader’s first time seeing or even learning of the Hulk and he’s intrigued to find another Gamma-born creation, and to test the limits of the Hulk’s brutish strength against his boosted intellect. Thus, he commands the Humanoid to battle the Hulk, altering its density so it can withstand the Jade Giant’s mighty blows and easily flinging him into the air! Realising their fierce battle could endanger others, the Hulk forces the two to topple to the tracks. He then rushes back to keep Banner’s weapon from going off and unwittingly ends up caged once again when Talbot decides Banner is a saboteur.

Although Rick frees Banner, Talbot remains aggressively suspicious of him.

Despite Banner’s protests, Talbot and General Ross believe they have all the evidence they need to put Banner on trial for treason, a prospect Talbot gleefully embraces since he hopes to woo Betty in Banner’s absence. Thus, Banner is spirited to Washington, D.C. and put in a bind since he can’t prove his innocence without revealed that he’s secretly the Hulk. Luckily for him, Rick shows up and uses his “top-priority Avengers I.D.” to plead on his friend’s behalf to the decidedly Richard Nixon-esque President. Rick’s plan works and the President releases Banner, much to Talbot’s chagrin, to continue working on his new atomic device on a deserted isle. Convinced that Banner’s up to something, Talbot refuses to let him out of his sight and even threatens to shoot him unless he describes, in detail, everything he’s doing. Banner both laments that they can’t find some common ground and gets pushed to breaking point when Talbot insists that he’s working with the Hulk in some manner. Even worse, Banner’s out of his special pills and forced to flee so Talbot doesn’t see him change into the Hulk. Luckily for Talbot, the cement-lined bunker holds the Hulk at bay and the Chameleon leaked the location of the isle to the Leader, who commands a horde of his Humanoids to dogpile the Hulk, desperate to capture him for study. The Humanoid army aggravates the Hulk since they refuse to fall and his strongest blows have no effect; even flinging a boulder at them simply sees it deflected back at him! With the military closing in and the Hulk’s strength fading, the Humanoids press their attack, wearing the Green Goliath down with their relentless assault. Luckily for him, the trigger happy (grenade happy?) troops cause the Hulk and his assailants to fall into the sea, where a startled Banner avoids drowning only to be captured by a passing Soviet submarine! When Talbot hears this, he naturally assumes it proves his suspicions, while the Leader decides to try and kidnap Banner, convinced that he may hold the key to bringing the Hulk on side.

With Banner branded a defector, the enraged Hulk trashes the Soviet facility to escape.

Banner is brought to an unspecified European country and presented to the commander of a Soviet weapons research centre, who refuses to feed him unless he joins the other braindead, starved scientists forced to create new and more destructive weapons. Caged in a tiny stone cell, Banner realises his only hope is to trigger his transformation and, soon enough, the rampaging Hulk is let loose once more. Despite the Russki’s powerful vaporiser weapon, the Hulk easily tears through the facility, wrecking it with his powerful leaps and thunderous claps. While the soldiers flee, a rebellious slave tends to the Hulk’s wounds, praising and feeding him while the Green Goliath snubs him. Determined to strike back, the commandant arms himself with a “proton gun”, only for the Hulk’s new ally to take the shot, glad to die a free man. Though the Hulk was annoyed by the scientist, the death of someone who was actually friendly towards him drives the Hulk into a berserker rage. Thus, he tears the facility apart in search of the commandant, only to overexert himself and collapse into unconsciousness as Banner. Back in the good ol’ US-of-A, Talbot volunteers to go behind the Iron Curtain to reclaim Banner and make him pay for his defection. Naturally, he and General Ross are quick to slander Banner and, overwhelmed by her grief, even Betty struggles to believe Banner’s innocence. Frustrated by Banner’s disappearance, the Leader contacts the Chameleon once more and learns that his targets are somewhere in Russia. The Leader contacts his unsuspecting Soviet ally to verify this and then decides to simply observe, confident that Banner and the Hulk will escape and return to the US, rather than waste his efforts heading out to Russia. The Leader’s assumptions appear correct as the issue ends with Banner coming to, remembering everything that’s happened to him in recent issues, and going on another rampage as the Hulk before storming off across Europe madder than ever.

The Summary:
This is an interesting time in the Hulk’s history. While Banner transforms due to stress or anger, the Hulk isn’t a completely mindless brute. Not unlike his first appearance, the Hulk is capable of intelligent and coherent thought and speech. He’s blunt and childish at times, but a far cry from his more savage “Hulk smash!!” years. The Hulk showcases complex thought and awareness, especially when fighting his foes, and has the wherewithal to understand where he is, who’s around him, and potential threats. Thus, the Hulk is surprisingly explicitly heroic in these issues; he engages with enemies to keep them from harming others, throws himself upon Gamma-infused weapons, and derails a train to keep people from behind harmed lest Banner’s weapon go off. I generally associate the Hulk from this period as a misunderstood creature who wanted to be left alone and only fought because he was provoked; he had no interest in anything or anyone unless they were nice or antagonistic towards him. Thus, it’s interesting to see him launch himself at missiles to spare even the soldiers who attack him on sight. The Hulk’s also surprisingly weak here; even the narration boxes talk about how he’s just “flesh and bone” and can be killed just like a regular man. He gets injured by the vaporiser ray in issue #66, though shrugs off the significance of this, but is more prone to overexerting himself and reverting to Banner. As lucid as the Hulk is, he still hates his alter ego. To the Hulk, Banner is another enemy, one he cannot see or touch, and he’s constantly striving to stay in his green-hued form rather than turn back into “puny Banner”. The same is true for Banner, who takes tranquiliser pills to help control his transformations and fears the Hulk losing control and hurting someone, especially his loved ones like Betty and Rick.

Fear and paranoia are at an all-time high thanks to tensions between the US and Soviet Union.

A focal point of these issues is Cold War paranoia. General Ross and suave newcomer Major Talbot are deeply suspicious of Banner because he keeps disappearing and acting all cagy. In Ross’s case, his suspicions are rooted in an intense dislike of Banner and disapproval of his relationship with his daughter. He cannot see what she sees in such a “milksop” and constantly badgers her, raving about Banner’s guilt every chance he can get, to strong-arm her into sharing his perspective. Talbot’s dislike of Banner is equally biased since he also has eyes for Betty, which Ross naturally approves of since Talbot’s a man’s man. Talbot loves his country first and foremost, however, and is determined to defend her from any threat, foreign or domestic. He keeps a close eye on Banner and immediately puts together any evidence he can find, however slim, to brand him a traitor. While Rick manages to get Banner cleared, Talbot remains aggressively suspicious and relishes the chance to get his claws into Betty once they receive irrefutable proof that Banner has “defected” to the Reds. The paranoia and fear surrounding the Soviets is the perfect backdrop for the deceptive Chameleon to enter the fray. By assuming various guises, including Ross and Banner, the Chameleon stirs the pot and raises tensions on the missile base. Although Betty’s word is enough to take the heat off Banner, the Chameleon’s constantly lurking amongst the crowd, hearing everything and stumbling upon useful titbits to feed back to the Leader, thereby showing that Ross and Talbot are right to be suspicious. However, their suspicions are misplaced and this costs them dearly, especially when the Hulk goes on a rampage! Surprising no one, the Soviets are depicted as wicked and cruel, starving their workforce and forcing kidnapped scientists to work themselves to death for their cause. However, the US military isn’t exactly squeaky-clean either. Both militaries treat Banner like shit and throw their weight around like stubborn, prideful bulls and it’s as satisfying to see the Hulk rip apart General Ross’s base as it is his decimation of the Soviet’s weapons factory.

The Leader’s mutated brain and all-powerful Humanoid position him as a perfect foil to the Hulk.

And then there’s the main man himself, the Leader. An enigmatic and mysterious individual, we learn about his humble origins but never learn his true name (indeed, he disregards it as meaningless once he takes on his new moniker), yet the Leader is positioned as a thematic double of the Hulk. Like Banner, Sterns was caught in a Gamma blast and somehow survived and, like Banner, he was forever transformed by that mysterious radiation. However, the Leader cannot revert back to human form like Banner; his affliction is permanent and makes him an inhuman figure. The Leader was also gifted with superhuman intelligence, the Gamma radiation increasing his mental capacity to that of a super genius and giving him intellect high enough to create his own intricate spy network. The Leader presumably has agents all across the globe; he definitely has ties to the Reds, who mistakenly believe he is working for them, and agents on US soil. His most prominent point man in this story is the Chameleon, who perfectly aligns with the Leader’s more covert methods. Locked away in a hidden laboratory, the Leader prefers to stay under the radar and have his patsies do the dirty work while he perfects his Humanoid. The Humanoids are mindless automatons directly controlled by the Leader, with no thought or personality of their own. They can become intangible, hyper flexible, and super dense, making them nigh-unstoppable even against the Hulk’s mighty blows. Despite how powerful his Humanoids are, the Leader becomes obsessed with first capturing and studying the Hulk and then trying to woo him to his cause, believing the match of superhuman brain and brawn would make them unstoppable. Thus, while the two never meet in these issues, the Leader’s perfectly positioned as an anonymous puppet master, one whose intellect is depicted as being as much of a threat to the Hulk as his Humanoids. It’s a great introduction to one of the Hulk’s most persistent villains. The Leader may have aspirations for world domination but, here, he’s very low-key and happy to bide his time and even avoid getting involved, confident that an opportunity to strike will present itself and all will go according to his elaborate plan.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

Did you enjoy the Leader’s debut? Did you read it when it was first published and, if so, how did you think the Leader compared to other Hulk villains? What did you think to the idea that the Leader was gifted superhuman intellect rather than strength? How did you feel about Major Talbot and the suspicions regarding Banner? What are some of your favourite fights or moments between the Hulk and the Leader? Who is your favourite Hulk villain? Whatever you thoughts on the Leader (and the Hulk), feel free to share them below and be sure to check out my other Hulk content!

Back Issues [X-Men Day]: The X-Men #4

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To commemorate the culmination of their long-running and successful X-Men movies, 20th Century Fox declared May 13th as “X-Men Day” to celebrate Marvel’s iconic collection of ostracised superhumans.

Story Title: “The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants!”
Published: 3 January 1964 (cover-dated: March 1964)
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: Jack Kirby

The Background:
By 1963, Marvel Comics were hitting their stride thanks to characters like the Fantastic Four, Tony Stark/Iron Man, and, of course, Peter Parker/Spider-Man. To further capitalise on this momentum, Stan Lee dreamed up the idea of “Mutants” to quickly explain away an influx of new costumed superbeings. Working with long-time collaborator Jack Kirby, Lee expanded this concept into the X-Men, misfit teenagers who were hated and feared for their powers, to tackle social issues like racism. Although The X-Men was cancelled with issue sixty-six and wouldn’t return to prominence until a 1975 revival, the X-Men are now an established cornerstone of Marvel Comics and have influenced generations with a much-lauded animated series and massively successful live-action movies. It was in the pages of The X-Men that readers met some of Marvel’s most memorable heroes and villains, most notably the evil counterparts to the superhero team, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, this oddball team of dark counterparts and ne’er-do-wells have dogged the Mutant team for decades, often serving as the henchman for the team’s most persistent villain, Erik Magnus Lehnsherr/Magneto, and changing their roster almost as often as the X-Men. Despite their corny name, the Brotherhood led to the introduction of such iconic characters as Raven Darkhölme/Mystique and future Avengers Pietro and Wanda Maximoff. Outside of the comics, thee Brotherhood has prominently featured in numerous Marvel and X-Men videogames, usually as underlings and boss battles, were a regular fixture of the X-Men’s various animated adaptations, and served as largely underutilised henchmen in their live-action appearances to give the Mutant heroes someone to punch.

The Review:
As was the style at the time, “The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants!” begins with Professor Charles Xavier/Professor X putting his Mutant students, the X-Men, through their paces in the Danger Room, a training area specifically designed to hone their unique superhuman abilities and improve their teamwork out in the field. In this instance, the other X-Men – leader Scott “Slim” Summers/Cyclops, Warren Worthington III/Angel, Bobby Drake/Iceman, and Jean Grey/Marvel Girl – are watching with anticipation as their friend and colleague, Henry “Hank” McCoy/The Beast, puts his uncanny agility to the test, dodging missiles, maces, and falling discs. His hopes of beating his best time are dashed, however, when a seemingly innocuous rope turns out to be nothing but paper, dunking him in water and teaching him a valuable lesson to think twice before acting, no matter his confidence. Next, young upstart Iceman takes up the challenge, eager to show off his ice slide ability and immediately paying for his grandstanding when metal weights and a red-hot cauldron threaten to melt his snowy form. Thinking fast, Iceman pole vaults to safety on a makeshift ice pole and even sends the Beast’s heavy weight back at him with an ice slide, only to be humbled by a blast of steam that melts his ice. To make matters worse, Angel then hangs Iceman from an overhead pole by his pants. This proves a suitable test of Marvel Girl’s telekinetic abilities as she easily lowers Bobby to the floor and impresses further by…taking the lid off a box…before Professor X and the other X-Men surprise her with a birthday cake.

While the X-Men practice, Magneto and the Brotherhood plot to wage war against humanity!

While the X-Men enjoy their sweet treat, another group of Mutants struggles to co-exist over their own table of food, primarily because of the uncouth manners of the diminutive Mortimer Toynbee/Toad. Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver admonishes Toad’s obnoxious table manners, though he’s cooled from taking physical action by his alluring sister, Wanda/The Scarlet Witch. Jason Wyngarde/Mastermind isn’t so easily subdued, however, and uses his power to cast hypnotic illusions to turn Toad into the pig he eats like, disgusting the Scarlet Witch almost as much as Toad’s repulsive eating habits. The Scarlet Witch’s “spunk” amuses the leering Mastermind, who has aspirations to make her his bride, but he’s kept from driving Wanda mad with his powers by the timely, super-fast intervention of her brother. Their bickering begrudgingly cools when Toad mentions their mysterious leader, a man whose mere mention is powerful enough for them to cease their petty squabbles. The story shifts focus to the office of a large shipping line where Magneto, Master of Magnetism and hated enemy of both the X-Men and humanity, commandeers an ex-convoy freighter using his awesome control of all things metal and magnetic. He guides the ship to an uncharted island and meets with the group, to whom he is obviously their leader, and immediately reprimands Mastermind when Toad tells of his antagonistic ways. When Quicksilver defies Magneto and threatens to leave with his sister, he’s convinced to stay since they owe him a debt after he rescued them from the witch-hunters of their home village. Though Quicksilver isn’t sold on Magneto’s plans to conquer Homo sapiens, neither he or Wanda have love for humankind and agree to follow along for now.

When Magneto refuses to give up his crusade, the X-Men intervene and battle his Brotherhood.

As fate would have it, Angel happens to spot the freighter while out on patrol. Though he assumes it’s simply an unmanned ship, Professor X senses something unnerving about Angel’s tale. His worries prove to be accurate when the ship attacks the small nation of Santo Marco, which Charles immediately assumes to be the work of “The Evil Mutants”. After summoning the X-Men to his office, Professor X confronts Magneto on a “mental plane” (quite how Magneto can do this is beyond me) where each tries, and fails, to sway the other to their cause. However, when it becomes clear that Magneto will never give up his desire to destroy humankind, Professor X prepares his students to face their old enemy once more. As if Magneto’s freighter wasn’t bad enough, Mastermind uses his powers to force the people’s surrender by conjuring images of an invading army, a tactic Toad relishes but which causes the Scarlet Witch some concern. In time, Magneto establishes a real army, enforcing martial law throughout Santo Marco and punishing any dissension swiftly and harshly. Sensing the arrival of the X-Men, Magneto places his forces on high alert, though they’re easily toppled by the uncanny youngsters. Although Toad strikes a blow against the Beast, he’s forced to flee when Hank tosses rocks at him, causing Mastermind to step in and send the Beast plummeting by making him believe the castle walls have turned to glass. Elsewhere, despite the guard’s firepower and Quicksilver’s incredible speed, Angel knocks out the speedy Maximoff and suffers the wrath of his sister, who casts a “hex” that buries Angel under the ceiling and leaves him their prisoner.

Despite Quicksilver’s begrudging aid, the X-Men are devastated when Professor X is critically injured.

Cyclops takes the direct approach, confronting Magneto with his optic blasts and unintentionally causing a massive electrical feedback to blast through the castle when Quicksilver sends his aim awry. Luckily, Cyclops blasts the generator from the castle and frees Angel, but the effort causes him to black out, so Iceman revives him with some snow to the face. After a brief misunderstanding from the unnerved Marvel Girl, the X-Men regroup just in time to face a wall of boiling oil! Professor X then comes rolling through the flames, dispelling Mastermind’s illusion and confronting Magneto, unaware that he’s rigged two bombs – one a nuclear bomb, if you can believe it! – to destroy the castle, the nation, and his enemies. This act gives Quicksilver pause due to the massive and unnecessary waste of life it’ll cause. When the Beast refuses to heed Professor X’s warnings and dives head-first for the first door, Professor X ushes to shield him from the blast, somehow being left unconscious and dazed but otherwise in one piece (I guess he used his mental powers to shield himself?) With the X-Men in hot pursuit, Magneto activates the nuke and makes his getaway, but Quicksilver has a last second change of heart and deactivates the bomb, sparing the innocent lives but fleeing alongside his comrades. Although Cyclops is eager to pursue, he’s held back when the other X-Men discover that Professor X has been critically injured by the blast. Somehow, the explosion “deadened” his mental powers, robbing him of his “greatest weapon” and leaving him despondent, though Cyclops is no less determined to make him proud the next time Magneto and his cohorts strike.

The Summary:
Well, this was a bit of a mixed bag for me. While the artwork and general storytelling has improved since I reviewed the first appearance of the X-Men, things are still very uneven and rushed at times. “The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants!” fails to make the best use of its pages by wasting so much time in the early going establishing the X-Men’s powers and personalities, something that could easily be cut down or reworked to be showcased in their battles against their evil counterparts. On the plus side, Professor X didn’t come across as such a dick this time, though he’s still a strict taskmaster. However, Marvel Girl was basically useless and did nothing in the fight against the Brotherhood. As for the other X-Men, I guess it’s the Beast who takes some of the spotlight here. He’s taught a lesson in the first few pages that, strangely, he doesn’t learn from, resulting in Professor X’s condition by the finale, which seems like the opposite of what you’d want from a character arc. Angel is a grandstanding, lewd douchebag who eventually gets humbled when he’s captured by the Scarlet Witch, at least. However, there are no consequences to Iceman’s childish antics except him getting caught off-guard here and there and Cyclops simply bursts in all eyes blazing with little effectiveness.

Despite the appeal of the new villains, the story features surprisingly little Mutant-on-Mutant action.

The so-called “Evil Mutants” are a bunch of backstabbing, squabbling egos who can barely get on the same page, openly detesting each other and only stomaching the alliance because of their hatred for humanity and fear of Magneto. Toad is the snivelling, loyal underling who’ll do anything to impress his master; Mastermind is the arrogant blowhard whose powers of illusion make him feel superior to his allies; and Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch are semi-reluctant followers who join Magneto’s cause to repay a debt but are primarily loyal to each other rather than fully subscribing to his plot of mass genocide. On paper, the idea of pitting the X-Men against a group of morally corrupt evildoers is a good one but the execution feels lacking. The Brotherhood fight amongst themselves more than the X-Men, and I would’ve liked to see more time devoted to them matching their powers against each other. We caught glimpses of this, but we never got to see Marvel Girl pit her telekinesis against the Scarlet Witch’s Hex power, or Cyclops battle Mastermind, or even Professor X confront Magneto. As for the Master of Magnetism, he comes off as a fairly formidable threat, especially with the extra muscle behind him, yet chooses to limit his campaign to one tiny nation no one really cares about. His desire to eradicate anyone inferior to him, Mutants or otherwise, sees him belittle his allies, despite how reliant on them he is for his evil scheme, but again I think I would’ve liked more time spent portraying him as a dark mirror of Professor X rather than just a posturing despot. Ultimately, this was a decent enough read, with some fun Mutant-on-Mutant action at the end, but with a lot of flaws and holes that made it largely forgettable save for the tinges of grey to the Maximoffs, the strange and I guess impactful ending, and for being the first appearance of the Brotherhood.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

What did you think to the debut of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants? Do you also find their name ridiculous and redundant? Which of the group was the most appealing to you and why? Do you agree that the story needed to do more with the concept or were you happy with the conflict depicted? What did you think to the sliver of compassion shown in the Maximoffs and which version of the Brotherhood is your favourite? Which stories involving the Brotherhood are your favourites and how are to celebrating X-Men Day today? Whatever your thoughts on the X-Men and the Brotherhood, drop them in the comments and go check out my other X-Men related content across the site.

Back Issues: The Sentry #1-5 / The Sentry vs. The Void #1

Dr. K1 Comment
Writer: Paul Jenkins – Artist: Jae Lee

Story Title: “Act 1: The Suit”
Published: 19 July 2000 (cover-dated: September 2000)

Story Title: “Act 2: The Unicorn”
Published: 16 August 2000 (cover-dated: October 2000)

Story Title: “Act 3: The Photograph”
Published: 20 September 2000 (cover-dated: November 2000)

Story Title: “Act 4: The Conspiracy”
Published: 18 October 2000 (cover-dated: December 2000)

Story Title: “Act 5: The Betrayal”
Published: 15 November 2000 (cover-dated: January 2001)

Story Title: “The Truth”
Published: 31 January 2001 (cover-dated: February 2001)

The Background:
Debuting in 1938, Clark Kent/Kal-El/Superman wasn’t just an immediate hit with readers, he was also the first-ever costumed superhero, inspiring every single colourful crimefighter that came after him. Oddly, despite co-creating and bringing to life some of the industry’s most recognisable and beloved characters, Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee struggled to emulate the success of the Man of Steel. Over the years, many Marvel characters have been positioned as the company’s parallel to Superman, with none really making much of an impact. Robert “Bob” Reynolds/The Sentry, however, is perhaps the closest Marvel came to this endeavour. First conceived of by Paul Jenkins and Rick Veitch back in the late-1990s, the Sentry was pitched as an over-the-hill superhero struggling with addiction and was cleverly positioned as a “forgotten” hero from Marvel history. Easily one of Marvel’s most overpowered heroes, the Sentry was also a figurehead for mental illness thanks to his drug addiction and psychotic split personality, though this often led to him being seen an aggravating and inconsistent character. Despite some bad-ass moments and turning the tide in many conflicts due to his awesome power and unpredictable nature, Marvel’s insistence of reverting to the status quo meant the character has had more downs than ups over the years, to the point of fading from the spotlight. Indeed, as of this writing the Sentry has only ever appeared in supporting roles in Marvel videogames, with no animated appearances to his name, though the character did make the jump to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, courtesy of Lewis Pullman, in 2025.

The Review:
We first meet Bob Reynolds when he’s awoken by a lightning storm that triggers memories of an aggressive alien menace known as “The Void”. After reassuring his wife, Lindy Lee-Reynolds, Bob retrieves a bottle of liquid and is haunted by scattered memories that emulate the art style of the legendary Jack Kirby. Through them, we learn that a young, naïve Bob stumbled upon the mysterious “Professor’s” secret serum and drank it, fashioning a golden costume and blue cape and fighting both crime and supervillains as “The Sentry”. As Bob struggles to reconcile these memories, torn between them being fanciful delusions made from a comic book and real-life recollections of his battles against the Void alongside the Avengers, he remembers dispelling the Void with “the power of a million exploding suns” and the shadowy villain’s vow to return one day. Plagued by self-doubt, Bob’s memories shift to a decidedly darker, more Frank Miller-esque style as the Professor runs down his strengths and weaknesses. The serum supercharged his molecules, causing each atom to be slightly out of shift with time, granting him a “hyperstate of consciousness” and rendering him functionally immortal thanks to the power of the Sun. His only weakness was that his powers were tied to the serum, though the Sentry ignored the Professor’s warnings of him becoming addicted to the drug in favour of saving the galaxy from the Void. Desperate to regain a more coherent sense of himself and to be “vigilant” once more, Bob swigs from the serum and is immediately wracked by pain and spasms. Visions of the Void see Bob branded a common junkie and lectured about the emptiness of life so, when Lindy discovers him delirious and with an empty botte nearby, she naturally assumes he’s fallen off the wagon. Refusing to see her lover destroy himself before her eyes, Lindy walks out, leaving Bob to fool himself into thinking he’s slipping back into his costume and answering “the Sentry Signal” when, in reality, he’s simply put on a jacket with a crude cape pegged to the back! Still, he can fly, at the very least, so he heads to New York City (vaguely remembering when the Void reduced Manhattan to a smouldering crater) and is confronted by Doctor Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic. Though Bob speaks to Mr. Fantastic as an old friend, Reed has no idea who he is, though the word “unicorn” triggers something in the curious adventurer.

Triggered by cloudy memories, Bob tries to reconnect with a world that’s forgotten his heroics.

While Bob remembers Lindy accepting his superhero life right before their wedding, Mr. Fantastic talks the incident over with his family, perturbed by the sudden appearance of a golden unicorn that Bob gifted to Reed, who was his best friend. Disturbed and curious, Reed discovers a VHS tape in the unicorn that contains a warning from himself about the Void, but the tape explodes before the Fantastic Four learn anything tangible. Meanwhile, Bob (who “becomes” the Sentry the more he recalls his fragmented past, with his rudimentary costume even being revitalised) visits Doctor Robert Bruce Banner/The Hulk. Unlike the others, the Hulk remembers “Golden Man” as his “best amigo”, though Bob is disturbed to find the Green Goliath hasn’t evolved past his savage, childlike demeanour. Bob shares his concerns regarding a conspiracy surrounding him and convinces the Hulk to stand by him when the Void returns. Bob then meets Peter Parker/Spider-Man, who doesn’t remember Bob, sees only a blank piece of paper when Bob shows him a photograph he once took of the Sentry, and brands Bob a “fruitcake”. However, as he goes to leave, Bob begs Spidey to investigate further. As the world is thrown into turmoil, Peter’s memory is jogged after he confirms that multiple publications have been excised from public record. Additionally, Doctor Stephen Strange confirms the Void’s threat to Reed and, though he refuses to elaborate, he does magically conjure a memory of the Fantastic Four and Dr. Strange erasing everyone’s memories of the Sentry and Reed forcing Dr. Strange to keep that information hidden. Bob has a psychic parlay with Professor Charles Xavier/Professor X, causing Professor X’s memories resurface, and the X-Men to be put on alert. Similarly, Anthony “Tony” Stark/Iron Man remembers the Sentry, leading Bob to fly into a tirade about how he inspired all the world’s superheroes and was simply forgotten. Bob remembers that the Avengers staged an intervention regarding his overreliance on the serum and the lingering threat of the Void, with all begrudgingly agreeing that the Sentry, despite his many good deeds, should disappear. Since Tony stood up for him, Bob begs him to get the others onboard before flying to a desolate area of the city, his impressive super suit finally reformed. He returns to his long-forgotten fortress, the Watchtower, while his scarred and disabled former sidekick, Billy Turner/Scout, awakens from a disturbing nightmare.

Despite fragmented memories of betrayal, the Sentry rallies to oppose the Void’s return.

Inside the Watchtower, the Sentry reunites with its Centrally Located Organic Computer/C.L.O.C. to investigate a subliminal message being transmitted around the world by a small, bug-like transmitter that’s powered by the same serum that gives the Sentry his incredible abilities. Thanks to a “self-modifying loop virus”, C.L.O.C. cannot directly aid the Sentry without being destroyed, so the Sentry disables the crude device himself. This leads to a brief and near imperceptible shift in the fabric of reality and, suddenly, kids discover their Sentry memorabilia, Billy finds his old costume, and people are filled first with relief at remembering their hero…and then horror as they also remember the Void. They also remember the Sentry dying in battle (at least, as far as the public were concerned), marking the end of a “Golden Age” of heroes. This event also sees the Sentry remembering Reed condemn him as a traitor and a criminal, claiming that Bob accepted bribes from the criminal underworld to fund his addictions and then mislead the public into thinking he was a hero while also profiting from his violent impulses. Angered at this betrayal and slander, the Sentry reconciles with a remorseful Lindy, only for her to be attacked and threatened by the Void. Gleefully, the Void spitefully monologues about his scheme to bathe the world in darkness and devour every living soul in the universe, saving his hated foe until last just to make him suffer. With that, the Void tosses Lindy aside and conjures an alarming and devastating hurricane out at sea that threatens the mainland. The Sentry makes a quick public address to announce his return, protest his innocence, and warn that the storm signals the return of the Void. After calling for a mass evacuation, the Sentry pleads with his superpowered cohorts to stand by his side once more against the threat on Liberty Island. Though he’s uncharacteristically afraid, the Hulk is the first to arrive out of gratitude for all the support the Sentry once showed him. Spider-Man, the X-Men, the Avengers, and all the city’s costumed protectors then arrive soon after, alongside Billy Turner. When Mr. Fantastic arrives, the Sentry berates him for his betrayal, though Reed’s still got some gaps in his memory and is adamant that he’d never betray his best friend like that.

A remorseful Bob is forced to sacrifice his reputation to keep the Sentry, and the Void, forgotten.

Faced with the Void’s pending arrival and the potential end of the world, the Sentry steels himself, with friends and foes at his back, for the assault. The Void attacks with “infinitendrils” that sap even the Sentry’s abilities and confidence. The trinkets the Sentry gifted to his allies barely keep them from succumbing to the Void’s influence and unnamed heroes and untold civilians die as the Void’s attack decimates the city. During the chaos. Dr. Strange prompts Reed to remember when the Void attacked Manhattan in the past, causing catastrophic damage and leaving a pile of slaughtered bodies in his wake, only for Susan Storm/The Invisible Woman to discover the Void and the Sentry were one and the same! In the face of the Void’s destructive power, which left a million people dead, and faced with a man they’d known and respected and could clearly see was suffering a psychotic episode that manifested in a separate personality, Reed and Bob came up with a plan. After Bob shared his concerns about himself and admitted to his addiction, the two constructed the hypnotic transmitters to ensure that no one, not even Bob, would remember the Sentry, thus keeping the Void at bay.  Thus, at Bob’s insistence, the Sentry’s death was faked, his funeral staged, and his reputation tarnished to ensure that the people who loved and admired him so much would submit to the hypnosis. In the present, the physical and existential battle between the Sentry and the Void rages, breaking even the Hulk’s super-tough body, until Reed intervenes. Although the Void whispers poison in Bob’s ear, fuelling his confusion and anger, Reed triggers Bob’s memories, much to the Void’s anger. Desperate to live and to wreak havoc, the Void threatens to take full control of Bob’s body, so the Sentry rushes back to C.LO.C. alongside his allies. After a moment’s hesitation, the Sentry orders C.L.O.C to reactivate the transmitter and Bob gets a brief moment to reconcile with his best friend before their memories are wiped. In the aftermath, the devastation is blamed on a “temporal anomaly” and Bob returns to his mundane life with Lindy. However, when they stop for a bite and are served by Billy, a flash of a memory suggests the Sentry may not be completely forgotten…

The Summary:
This was my first time reading the Sentry’s debut story arc and I was quite excited to get into it. I don’t know much about the Sentry, but I remember his debut being quite a big deal and have seen it being talked about, and seen him pop up in a few crossover events and such, so I was eager to get into this and see if it lived up to the hype. Unfortunately, I really don’t think it did and I was left a bit disappointed. For starters, it bugged me that the story wasn’t contained in a five or six-issue arc. Instead, we have five issues laying the foundation for the Sentry and the Void, a couple of team-up stories that take between #5 and The Sentry vs. The Void #1, and that standalone resolution to the arc. This was a story clearly written for trade collections, which is fine on paper as that’s my preferred way to read comics, but it’s pretty damn arrogant of Marvel Comics to assume that people are going to be this heavily invested in their brand-new superhero right off the bat. Luckily, the central concept has a lot of legs to it, and I did enjoy the story as a very different, more cerebral superhero tale. It’s always engaging and interesting when comic books are more than just big superhero fights or cosmic events, and the Sentry’s debut definitely delves more into the psychological thriller genre as Bob, Reed, and the reader try to piece together the truth about this strange and apparently forgotten character. The mystery of the Void was equally well done and I liked that he was perceived as a world (well, universe) ending threat and the sense of desperation behind him. The idea that someone or something was so dangerous to all life that even the Avengers and the Fantastic Four blurred their morals to erase the minds of everyone in the world is very powerful and still holds up now, even knowing the truth about the two.

The Sentry is a bit of a Gary Stu and changes long-running aspects of Marvel continuity.

I liked that Bob is presented as an out of shape everyman. He’s a nobody whose wife barely seems to tolerate him and who’s haunted by nightmares and faded memories that could just as easily be comic books he read as a kid. When something (it’s not clear what) triggers the revival of the Void, Bob’s ordinary life is turned upside down and his body undergoes a slow and dramatic change upon drinking the mysterious serum that makes him an all-powerful demigod. I’m not sure how this transforms his costume or why a simple potion can give him such incredible power, but Bob’s memories, personality, and sense of self worth return the more he indulges in the serum and the more he meets with his old allies. Even his physical appearance changes, returning him to the superman physique he enjoyed in his prime, and his trip down memory lane changes many preconceptions of existing Marvel heroes. The Sentry is said to be the “first” costumed superhero, the one who inspired all the others, and his deeds were almost incalculable. He tamed the Hulk, was best friends with Reed Richards, scored Peter Parker his first Pulitzer Prize, and saved the world countless times. Indeed, this debut story goes out of its way to really hammer home that the Sentry was the bastion of all that’s good in the world, that no one could compare to him, and that he was the example others lived by. He had an elaborate headquarters in the heart of New York City, a kid sidekick, and all kinds of gadgets, making him very much a child’s perfect amalgamation of what makes a good superhero. It’s a bit grating, to be honest, primarily because we don’t really get to see any of the Sentry’s past deeds. We simply hear people talk about them and how great he is, with little evidence to back it up since even Bob barely remembers fact from fiction. Equally, we never get to see any of the Sentry’s incredible and much-touted powers beyond a few brief glimpses. Sure, he can fly and take a hit, but I’m not sure what “the power of a million exploding suns” means or how it scales with, say, the Hulk or Thor Odinson.

A unique and engaging story, but one that didn’t live up to its full potential for me.

I really enjoyed the panels that reflected other artists and key eras in comic book history. They went a long way to keeping up the ruse that the Sentry was a long-forgotten hero from Marvel’s glory days, dusted off and reinserted into mainstream continuity. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that we should’ve gotten more of these. They could’ve helped flesh out Bob’s backstory and past exploits, his relationship with Billy, and maybe retroactively insert him into key moments in Marvel history. Instead, they’re just fun panels that don’t live up to their potential, which is a shame. While you could argue that the mystery surrounding the Void, how stubbornly cagy Dr. Strange was and how fragmented records were, hinted towards the final reveal as much as Bob’s obvious unstable mental state, I think it landed really well. There’s a degree of responsibility on the reader’s part to understand that things aren’t quite what they seem. When the heroes assemble to help repel the Void in the finale, they’re not necessarily standing with the Sentry against the oncoming storm. Instead, they’re observing him violently lashing out as the Void reasserts control. While I would’ve liked more panels devoted to the destruction, it’s painted as the greatest threat the world has ever seen and one that the heroes are unable to stop through conventional means. It’s only by appealing to the man they once knew that the heroes manage to contain the Void once more, convincing Bob to make the ultimate sacrifice one more time since his powers and mentality are too unstable to be trusted. It’s a very unusual and dramatic end to a superhero story and paints the Sentry as a very fragile and complex character, one who would continue to suffer from his mental health issues and addictions in subsequent appearances. Unfortunately, I do feel the execution was a bit lacking and the story didn’t quite live up to its full potential. This seems par for the course with the Sentry, who doesn’t seem all that relevant these days, which is also a shame as I really think there’s something here and that it’s a very unique way to introduce a new superhero and supervillain.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

What did you think to the Sentry’s debut story, and the character in general? Were you surprised and excited by the unusual depiction of the character? Did you guess that the Sentry and the Void were the same person or was it a surprise for you? What did you think to the Sentry being retroactively inserted into Marvel continuity? Do you agree that the story fell a little flat in the end or were you intrigued to see more? What are some of your favourite moments involving the Sentry? Which of Marvel’s Superman knock-offs is your favourite? Whatever your thoughts on the Sentry, leave a comment below, support me on Ko-Fi, and check out my other Marvel content on the site.

Back Issues [May the Fourth]: Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire

Dr. K2 Comments

May 4th is known the world over as Star Wars Day thanks to being one of the most fitting and amusing puns ever devised (“May the Fourth be with you” in place of the traditional “May the Force be with you”). The first and most popular of what can easily become a three day celebration of the influential science-fiction series, the day stands as the perfect excuse for Star Wars fans to celebrate the beloved franchise!

Published: 1 May 1996 to 2 October 1996
Writer: John Wagner
Artist: Kilian Plunkett

The Background:
Nowadays, Star Wars is a nigh-unstoppable multimedia juggernaut the includes not just live-action movies, but cartoons, toys, videogames, books, and comics. Following the completion of his Original Trilogy, George Lucas licensed the property to continue in a series of novels, later dubbed “Legends”. Later, in 1994, Lucasfilm’s publishing director Lucy Autrey Wilson met with Bantam editor Lou Aronica  and author Steve Perry to discuss a Star Wars crossover multimedia event that would feature the all media and marketing of a film release without producing a movie, all to tie-in with the impending release of the 1997 Special Editions of the Original Trilogy. Shadows of the Empire would take place between Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (Kershner, 1980) and Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (Marquand, 1983) and was comprised of Perry’s novel, a divisive videogame, an extensive toy line, and this six-issue comic published by Dark Horse Comics. Excerpts from the comic featured in Nintendo Power magazine and two separate mini-comics accompanied the Micro Machines and Ertl toys. Reviews largely praised the comic, though it was noted to be just one part of a larger whole. Still, Perry returned to write a follow-up two years later and characters and elements featured, to different degrees, in Legends media and Star Wars videogames. Unfortunately, Shadows of the Empire was another casualty of Disney’s acquisition of the franchise as they de-canonised Legends media, though Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy was stated that characters like Dash Rendar have come up when discussing additional Star Wars projects.

The Review:
Like the movies, Shadows of the Empire begins with the traditional open text crawl that brings readers up to speed with the story so far. Set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, the story begins with the Rebel Alliance still reeling after being forced from their Hoth base, young Jedi-in-training Luke Skywalker struggling with the knowledge that the evil Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Vader, is his father, and Princess Leia Organa and the mighty Chewbacca grieving the loss of charismatic scoundrel Han Solo, who was frozen in carbonite and spirited away by bounty hunter Boba Fett. Whilst the Rebel fleet is traversing the vast void of space, they’re detected by the malevolent Galactic Empire) and, eager to get back into action, Luke moves to aid Wedge Antilles and Rogue Squadron against the threat. However, he is convinced by Leia and his service droids, C-3PO/Threepio and R2-D2/Artoo, to rest and become properly acclimatised to his new robotic hand. Wedge and his team engage the Strike Cruiser and its Twin Ion Engine (TIE) Fighters, outmanoeuvring the clunky craft and blasting the cruiser to smithereens. However, the victory makes General Crix Madine wary and leads to him altering the fleet’s course, delaying their arrival on the desert planet of Tatooine, a necessary precaution that Leia believes will buy Luke more time to heal, both physically and psychologically. Though she’s unaware of the revelations Luke learned, she can sense something’s amiss but gives Luke his space to work through whatever’s bothering him. Meanwhile, across the galaxy, Darth Vader is chastised by his master, Emperor Shev Palpatine,  aboard his flagship, the Executor, for failing to turn Luke to the Dark Side. When Palpatine questions Vader’s motives, the Dark Lord affirms his allegiance to his master and vows to track down the wayward Jedi, though Palpatine brings the conversation to a close to attend to more pressing matters: namely, the construction of the Death Star II. Thus, Palpatine orders Vader to meet with Prince Xizor on Coruscant to arrange his services in delivering essential materials to the construction.

While Xizor conspires to gain favour with the Emperor, Fett tries to deliver his quarry.

Xizor’s ties to the Black Sun criminal organisation and distrustful nature make Vader wary, concerns Palpatine shoots down as foolhardy. Upon ending the communication, it’s revealed that Xizor is already in attendance with the Emperor. A regal, lizard-like figure, Xizor questions whether Vader’s emotions are clouded by his feelings for Luke but Palpatine assures Xizor of his minion’s loyalty and his commitment to the Death Star II’s construction. Following the meeting, Xizor orders his beautiful android aide, Guri, to arrange a separate meeting with crime lord Jabba the Hutt and contact bounty hunters to intercept Luke and gain further favour with the Emperor. Elsewhere, Boba Fett arrives at Tatooine with his quarry, the aforementioned frozen Solo, gloating that the once cocksure smuggler is now little more than a work of art to be displayed. After disposing of a homing beacon placed on his ship while he was on Cloud City, Fett detects and destroys a probe sent by his bounty hunter rival, the malicious robot IG-88. Although Fett’s ship, Slave-1, is badly damaged by IG-88’s sneak attack, the Mandalorian blows his rival out of the stars and limps his way to nearby Gall, reasoning that it’s too dangerous to land on Tatooine. Word of Fett’s detour reaches an enraged Darth Vader, who orders his unscrupulous agent, Wrenga Jixton/Jix, to integrate himself into Jabba’s cut-throat swoop bike gang and await Luke’s inevitable arrival on the desert world and capture him alive, on pain of death. Although we don’t see the meeting between Vader and Xizor, Xizor relates to Guri how he did everything that was expected of him short of kissing the Dark Lord’s boots to keep him placated and form a business relationship with the Empire. Xizor’s goal is the exact opposite of Vader’s; he wishes to kill Luke and make it seem like the Empire, if not Vader himself, is responsible to diminish the Emperor’s faith in his apprentice in favour of the crime lord.

As if Dash’s unreliability wasn’t bad enough. the Rebels are threatened by a bounty on Luke’s head.

Meanwhile, Lando Calrissian (co-piloting the Millennium Falcon alongside Chewbacca and still atoning for betraying Han) arrives at Gall alongside Rogue Squadron, where Luke is finally back at the controls of his X-Wing, having been tipped off about Fett’s detour. Since Gall is home to an Imperial enclave, Lando has enlisted the aide of mercenary Dash Rendar, who flies alongside them in his Falcon-esque Outrider and is very much a stand-in for Han, both visually and in terms of his cavalier attitude. While Leia is wary of trusting such a man, Lando vouches for him, mentioning Dash aided their escape from Hoth. While Luke, Wedge, and Rogue Squadron engage the Star Destroyer and its TIE Fighters, Dash leads the Falcon to the spaceport where Slave-1 is docked, only to abandon them since he was only paid to be a guide. As if that wasn’t bad enough, one of Rogue Squadron goes haywire and opens fire on Luke amidst a tough dogfight, though Luke’s connection with the Force allows him to disable his comrade. On the planet’s surface, Fett meets with fellow bounty hunters Bossk’wassak’Cradossk and Zuckuss, who bid for a share of Fett’s bounty, a request that leads to a good, old fashioned bar fight. This is merely a distraction, however, so that 4-Lom and his minions can break into Slave-1. When Fett’s alerted to this, he dispatches the bounty hunter and takes off while Rogue Squadron make a tactical retreat and the Falcon engages with the TIE Fighters defending the Gall spaceport. Unfortunately, the Falcon is damaged and forced to land, meaning Fett slips through their fingers once more. Reconvening on the planet, the Rebels learn that a technician was bribed to tamper with Rogue Six’s X-Wing, which Leia theorises is the work of Black Sun. Although Lando and Chewie advise against tangling with the criminal organisation, Leia insists they send someone in to prove that Xizor is out to assassinate Luke and arranges for Luke to hide with Artoo at Obi-Wan Kenobi’s old shack on Tatooine. His travel plans coincide with Jix’s successful infiltration of the swoop bike gang, which he accomplishes by challenging their leader, “Big Gizz” Gizman, to a race and impressing the backwoods biker with his cutthroat attitude and dirty tactics.

Though Luke’s helped by Dash, Fett must rely on his wiles to outsmart his bounty hunter rivals.

The gang is called to Jabba’s palace and begrudgingly accepts the new recruit after Big Gizz vouches for him. Jabba then orders the bikers to head to Kenobi’s shack and kill Luke and, though Jix questions this since he knows Vader wants Luke alive, Big Gizz isn’t fussed and leads his riders off to a big payday, unaware that Dash is listening in on their boastful ranting at the bar. At the shack, the bikers attack Luke just after he completes his new lightsaber. Though not expecting to test his new weapon so soon and so violently, Luke cuts down one of the bikers and steals his ride, leading to a merry chase through Beggar’s Canyon. Jix is forced to fake an error with his bike to keep Big Gizz from shooting Luke, breaking his leg and then bashing Gizman’s brains in following their crash. Though Luke impresses with his riding and lightsaber skills, the bikers are driven off when Dash unexpectedly arrives to help. The two then find a message from Koth Melan, head of the Bothan spy network, that speaks of the Empire’s secret project. With Leia on Rodia infiltrating Black Sun, Luke meets with Koth on Bothawui alongside Dash, who tags along to “earn [his] pay”. At the Imperial Palace on Coruscant, Vader objects to Palpatine’s plan to deliver the Death Star II’s computer to Bothawui via a lone, unguarded freighter; an objection summarily dismissed by his dark master and overheard by Xizor. Against Guri’s objections, Xizor orders that the freighter’s movements be provided to the Bothans to ensure that Black Sun benefits no matter which side wins the war. Meanwhile, Boba Fett is suddenly ambushed by his fellow bounty hunters while in an asteroid field thanks to 4-Lom repairing itself and signalling help. Though literally disarmed by a laser shot, 4-Lom disables Slave-1’s weapons before being executed, leaving Fett at the mercy of Bossk’s boarding party. Though Fett tries to weasel his way out by taking Zuckuss and the others hostage, Bossk demonstrates his ruthlessness by opening fire on Slave-1, confident that Solo’s carbonite block would survive the ship’s destruction. Thus, Fett surrenders but easily gives his one inexperienced guard the slip and rearms himself, offing the others and forcing Zuckuss to lull Bossk in. Fett then dumps the bodies on Bossk’s ship and sets off an explosion before blasting to hyperspace.

The alluring Xizor conspires to humiliate Vader and manipulate the Emperor.

While Jix and the other bikers are reprimanded by Jabba for their failure, Xizor discusses Luke’s threat with the Emperor, where it’s revealed that the plot to leak the Death Star II’s plans to the Rebels was conjured by Xizor in order to lead them into a trap. Unaware of this deception, Luke meets with the surviving Bothans, who are working to crack the Imperial’s code and discover their secret, only for their stronghold to be attacked by lizard-like bounty hunters under the command of Skahtul. Despite having great respect for the Jedi, Skahtul captures Luke and reveals that there are two bounties out on him, one that wants him dead and one alive, and they’re waiting to get the best deal before deciding what to do with him. Palpatine orders Vader retrieve Luke, reasoning his presence will only further convince the Rebels of the validity of the Bothan’s data, however Luke uses the Force to coerce his guard into releasing him. Luke quickly retrieves his lightsaber and uses it to cut down the bounty hunters when he’s discovered, only to be saved by Lando’s timely intervention thanks to a tipoff from Dash. While they escape in the Falcon, Leia assumes the identity of deceased bounty hunter Boussh and Chewie is dressed up as Snoova, courtesy of Guri, and meets with Xizor on Coruscant, where Leia finds herself strangely attracted to the enigmatic crime lord. While conversing over tea, Leia is enamoured by Xizor’s allure and ends up kissing him, only regaining her composure when Chewie intervenes. Once back in Xizor’s chamber, Leia keeps her distance and distracts herself with tea while Chewie manhandles his guards in an escape attempt, breaking Xizor’s spell by kneeing him in the crotch. Angered that his pheromones and sexual lusts have been thwarted, Xizor has Guri confine Leia to her room. While Fett makes his way back to Tatooine, Vader interrogates Luke’s captors. He’s impressed by Luke’s advancing skills with the Force and angered to learn that Black Sun wants Luke dead, realising that Xizor wishes to embarrass him by killing his son. Back on the Executor, Jix tells Vader that Xizor has implicated Vader in the death warrant, so Vader heads to Coruscant to bring his evidence to Palpatine.

Though Dash is lost, Leia is rescued, Vader obliterates Xizor, and Fett claims his reward.

Speaking of Coruscant, Lando, Luke, and Dash gingerly navigate the Falcon past the Imperial blockade surrounding the city planet and land on its surface, where they navigate the putrid sewers to reach Xizor’s palace. Although Chewie slips and alerts the guards, the group easily guns their way through. Xizor sends Guri to get Leia, leading to her being knocked out when the princess escapes, but seems largely nonplussed by the attack since it’s all part of his grand plan. Reuniting with Leia, Luke leads them to the rooftops, only to run head-first into an unwinnable blaster fight with Xizor and his men. Thus, Luke pulls out a thermal detonator and threatens to blow them all up unless they’re given safe passage. Though Xizor calls his bluff, Lando reveals the bomb has a five minute delay and dumps it in the garbage chute, forcing Xizor to flee. Everyone escapes just before the palace explodes and Xizor flees to his skyhook space station, ordering his ships to attack the Falcon. Luckily, Dash offers some firepower from the Outrider. All our stories converge as Rogue Squadron and the Rebel fleet engage with Xizor and the Empire as Vader converges on the skyhook, leading to a momentary alliance between the Rebels and the Empire in an impressive space battle. Enraged, Xizor threatens to tell on Vader to the Emperor but Vader risks his master’s reprimand and obliterates both Xizor’s fleet and his skyhook. Unfortunately, while the Falcon makes it through the skyhook’s debris, Dash isn’t so lucky and is unceremoniously killed off panel during the escape. In the aftermath, Jix is spared execution at Jabba’s hands when Fett finally arrives with Han, only to be ambushed by the bounty hunters. Jix slips away in the fracas and Fett fools his rivals with 4-Lom and Zuckuss, allowing him to deliver Jabba his prize and claim his reward. Finally, Vader arrives at Endor, where the Death Star II is in orbit, still determined to sway Luke to the Dark Side and overthrow Palpatine.

The Summary:
I’ve wanted to read Shadows of the Empire for a long time, ever since I played the Nintendo 64 game (which it seemed everyone owned back in the day). It’s not easy to come by, with the Dark Horse omnibus being out of print and Marvel Comics sneaking their reprint into one of their Essential collections. To this day, I really enjoy the concept and am annoyed that we haven’t seen something, either a live-action or animated venture, that officially fills the gap between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. It’s important to note, however, that each piece of merchandise in the Shadows of the Empire experience tells a different part of the story. The videogame focused on Dash Rendar and his adventures, the novel is similar to the comic and touches on some of the same story beats but mostly focuses on Luke and Leia, and the comic places greater emphasis on Boba Fett. You really need to experience all three to get the complete story, which is a bit of a shame, and it does impact the narrative here. For example, Lando mentions that Dash was on Hoth, something we play through in the videogame but gets no further context here. Dash, especially, comes out of nowhere and dips in and out of the narrative with little characterisation beyond being a Han Solo knock-off. It’s a shame as he has an awesome ship, a cool look, and a mercenary attitude that’s very appealing. I liked the idea of Leia hiring him to be Luke’s bodyguard, but it barely factors into the plot here. I’d also wager Luke could’ve handled the swoop bikers without Dash and infiltrated Coruscant without his smuggling contacts (especially as they have Lando on side). Dash is also abruptly killed right at the end of the story, off panel no less, and Luke barely even acknowledges it. If you’ve played the game, you’ll know that Dash faked his death, but he’s just snuffed out here after barely getting a chance to do much and disappearing in the background of some panels. This really bothers me as I liked Dash in the book and the game and he was set up as one of the principal supporting characters of the Shadows of the Empire experiment so it’s kind of insulting to see him done away with so callously.

New characters aren’t as fleshed out as in the book but Fett gets a lot of the spotlight here.

That leaves us with our other new character, Prince Xizor. Xizor also gets way more backstory in the novel, which is the be expected; it delves into his background, his pheromones and abilities, and his true motivations for manipulating the Emperor and Vader. Most of that is still here but it’s very shallow and one-dimensional; he has a unique look and alluring presence but seems to be playing both sides simply for the fun of it. He tries to sow the seeds of doubt into Palpatine regarding Vader and seeks to humiliate the Dark Lord by killing Luke and framing him for it, thereby denying the Emperor a new apprentice, all with the vague idea that he and Black Sun will profit in the end. It’s a wonky plan, one immediately undone the moment Vader interrogates Xizor’s underlings, and Xizor’s vast criminal network and resources, as impressive as they are (in the book, anyway) are nothing compared to Vader’s raw power. Thus, we’re left following an unusually loquacious Boba Fett as he desperately tries to deliver Han Solo to Jabba the Hutt and is constantly attracting the wrath and jealousy of his fellow bounty hunters. Fett’s monologuing reveals his hatred of Solo and his keen guile; he’s seen to be resourceful and adaptable, surrendering, setting traps, and fooling his opponents to get out of scrapes and come out on top. It’s ancillary media like Shadows of the Empire that really fleshed Boba Fett out, I feel, and added to his surge of popularity at the time. In the films, he’s visually interesting but otherwise unimpressive, portrayed as a klutz and a cry-baby. But here, he’s regarding as “the best” of his kind and shown to be a wily and capable bounty hunter. Luke, Leia, Lando, Threepio, and Artoo are more like supporting characters here. There’s some rumination on Leia’s part regarding Luke’s demeanour but he doesn’t dwell much on Vader’s revelation and we don’t get much insight into how he’s feeling. You’ll need to read the book for that, which also covers the construction of his new lightsaber in far more detail. The comic briefly touches upon Xizor’s effect on Leia but it’s a brief sequence, though one that does show how fiery she can be in a fight, and the droids may as well be absent since they don’t do much of anything save for a comedic sequence at the end where they fly the Millennium Falcon.

The comic fills an essential gap in the lore, but suffers from being one piece of a larger story.

Visually, Shadows of the Empire is very appealing. I’ve found the art in the Dark Horse Star Wars comics to be a bit hit and miss but Kilian Plunkett captures the likenesses of the actors well. He really shines in his depictions of space battles and armoured characters like Boba Fett and Darth Vader, who are intricately detailed and get all the dynamic “hero shots”. The writing is…okay, except for Vader. I don’t feel John Wagner really captured the essence and awe of Vader, especially in his conversations with the Emperor. Palpatine fared much better in this regard, taunting and questioning his apprentice throughout, as did Fett, though I could’ve done with his soliloquys being rendered as thought bubbles. Shadows of the Empire is an essential story to Star Wars canon; it shows the lengths the Rebels went to try and retrieve Han, how Luke recovered from his duel with Vader, and fills in a few blanks in the narrative between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. This is why it irks me so much that it’s been disregarded as canon and hasn’t been replaced with something else or re-adapted into a new, similar story. I feel there’s a lot of potential to explore this period and that Shadows of the Empire should be re-canonised to fill that void, especially as this adventure with Xizor and Dash has a lot of intrigue behind it. It explores Vader’s conflicting feelings regarding Luke, his desire to reunite with his son and overthrow the Empire, and gives him a rival for the Emperor’s affections in Xizor. I like the cat and mouse game between Vader and Xizor, though it’s not as prominent in the comic, and Xizor manipulating different parties to target Luke. It’s nice to spend more time with Boba Fett and explore his motivations and abilities, and it’s fun touching upon little things like Luke making a new lightsaber and the Emperor’s leaking of the Death Star II plans. Unfortunately, the comic is very disjointed and suffers from the story being spread across different media. It’s decent enough but it’s merely an appetiser, or a small piece of a larger puzzle, meaning you need to read the book and/or play the videogame to get the whole story.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Did you enjoy Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire? Which of its media productions was your favourite? Were you a fan of Dash Rendar and Prince Xizor? What do you think to Darth Vader’s portrayal and his rivalry with Xizor? Were you happy to see Boba Fett get more time in the spotlight? Which Star Wars comic was your favourite? How are you celebrating Star Wars Day today? Whatever your thoughts and memories of Shadows of the Empire, feel free to leave a comment below and be sure to check out my other Star Wars content across the site.