REVIEW: Sonic the Hedgehog: Bad Guys TP

Unsung Hero

Ian Flynn may be the single most important writer in the Sonic series, with his name perhaps on more projects than any other. However, due to the Sonic comic books nature as secondary and supplementary material, they are often overshadowed by the games in the grand scheme of things. Flynn’s name deserves to as recognized as titans like Yuji Naka and Naoto Ohshima, often credited with the creation of Sonic as well as new rising star Christian Whitehead who developed Sonic Mania. Pretty much every comic the writer has touched bought depth and nuance to these classic SEGA characters.

It’s no different here in Sonic The Hedgehog: Bad Guys, where his strengths are on display, fleshing out a gang of B-grade villain rejects as they team up to strike a blow against the Overlord Dr Robotnik. Our cast here is made up of the cultured genius Doctor Starline, hulking Zeti Zavok, Mindless goons Rough & Tumble, along with Mimic master of disguise and walking Konami lawsuit.

These Villains Are No Scourge!
The story begins when Starline uses his hypnotic powers to walk straight into a prison to recruit himself a team, to get enough muscle to raid an Eggman base. The plot starts strong with Starline employing his cunning to win over the former allies he’s burned before back when he was in Robotnik’s service. Intending to surpass Eggman, we see Starline come into his own as a full-fledged villain as opposed to an over-eager fanboy.

Flynn has penned some of my favourite Sonic stories, and the opening of this book detailing a prison break reminded me of an issue back from his Archie days. The comic in question was Sonic Universe Scourge: Lockdown that detailed the detainment, mental breakdown and eventual recovery of Scourge The Hedgehog (Anti/Evil Sonic.)

This story draws parallels with his previous work, following the main character who has to win over and lead a gang of people they’ve burned in the past, going so far as to start with a breakout from a high-security prison. I bring this up because the characters we’re working with this time around aren’t nearly as interesting or charismatic as Scourge and his flunkies.

Playing with the hand he was dealt, Flynn makes the most of an uninteresting cast and really makes you care about these nobodies as the story progresses.

The Team’s Guiding Light

Doctor Starline takes point as the visionary orchestrating the plan while feeding the ego of Zavok. The tension in the plot comes from the mental tug of war Zavok and Starline are playing as they and the team raid the bases to progress their interests. Starline slowly starts to warm up to the idea of comradery planted in his head by Zavok, making it harder for him to dispose of his new allies once he has what he wants. The story reaches a climax once Starline invents a gadget that will allow him to switch between super speed, strength or flight; this is a huge turn as this allows him to hold off the entire team when enacting his betrayal at the very end of the book.

Sonic’s Spotlight?

For a book titled Sonic The Hedgehog, the blue speedster actually doesn’t show up once outside of Mimic taking his form to fool security cameras. Given the character’s appeal, it was a missed opportunity to see a battle against the cocky hero from the villain’s perspective. The story itself drags once they hit the second base, and you realize they are just going to be doing a smash and grab with no direct conflict against another character.

The weak parts of the story are filled in by Flynn’s excellent characterization, along with Jack Lawrence’s cartoony and lively artwork. I can only hope one-day SEGA will hear fanout cry and allow Flynn to bring his talents to the video games. If and when that happens, I’m positive other talented writers will stretch their wings in the Sonic comics just like he has.

“Bad Guys is a twisting tale of betrayal making the most of its limited characters; A solid read but skippable if you just want to follow Sonic’s story.”

SCORE: 3/5 Stars

Writer: Ian Flynn
Art: Jack Lawrence
Publisher: IDW Publishing