Who doesn’t love Sonic the Hedgehog? He’s blue. He’s fast. He’s not Mario!
I can still remember when Super Nintendo-owning children of the ’90s gathered around the school yard in jealous disdain for their Sega brothers and sisters, because they got to wield the speed demon and his lovable pals. I am happy to report that after all these years, not much has changed. Sonic is still the totally rad blue dude we know and love. He still pops off with all of the bad-boy quips we have come to expect. He still gets to slam up against the same roster of charming villains. This series truly captures the ’90s coolness of the character, while adapting it for a modern and rabid fanbase.
By the start of Sonic the Hedgehog #7, we are deep in the weeds with an anime-style action adventure that will leave you hanging loose for hours after. Ian Flynn (writer) really gets the characters, all of whom are their own flavor of animated exuberance. For example, Sonic has the attitude, Tails has the brains, Sally has the grace, and Knuckles connects fists into open palms for honor. If you find yourself getting bogged down with the constant exposition breaks that lay out the plot for seemingly no reason in the middle of a high-stakes battle, consider that it does match the style of the book, tropic as it may be. Sonic the Hedgehog is basically manga, for better or worse.
Adam Bryce Thomas should be applauded for the art style. Much like other IDW books, the art is perfect and completely serves the animation style it’s based on. Thomas has a clear grasp of motion and how to make motion count. It’s more than just speed lines coming off the back of characters as they charge forth; it’s depth, blurring effects, punishing environments and a clear distinction between character speeds.
Get into Sonic the Hedgehog and deprive yourself of joy no longer. In a time when so many comics have expanded their stakes to world-ending proportions, it’s nice to sink into a book full of silly fun.
Creative Team: Ian Flynn (writer), Adam Bryce Thomas (art), Corey Breen (letters)
Publisher: IDW
Click here to purchase.
