Sickeningly long review again, enjoy

Sonic the Hedgehog #121

Cover: This cover doesn’t look as bland as the others. Maybe it’s just the orange-red highlights. It features a grinning Sonic offering his hand to a rather suspicious Prince Elias, which pretty well matches his attitude in the story. The prince looks OK, though I like Axer’s rendition better. Sonic could do without that spine closest to his left cheek, it gives him an almost Amy Rose-type hairdo. Knux looks pretty ordinary but Mina was drawn very alive and vibrant. The coloring, as Neo has already mentioned, is fabulous and very intense which may help explain why I don’t think it’s such a ho-hum cover. The corny catch phrases HAVE to go, however. And is “mongeese” really the plural of mongoose?

Frontispiece: Last issue, I preferred Spaz’s rendition of Mina over Axer’s. This month it’s the opposite. Axer’s pic of Elias is the best depiction of the prince so far in the comic. He appears to be pensive and troubled and the pose looks so natural—he’d better be careful though, that’s an awfully steep cliff! There are some discrepancies between the coloring here and on the cover (and they missed Elias’ one eyebrow) but again a great job, especially the background. By the way, what exactly are those two rope-covered sticks hanging from Elias’ belt? I’m assuming they’re some sort of weapon but I can’t tell.

“The Prince and the Revolution”, written by Benny Lee, penciled by Ron Lim. Prince Elias has been away too long in King Max’s opinion so he sends Sonic and Sal to see what’s holding up Geoffrey and Hershey who were sent to find him a while back. You’d think during the long run out to Feral Forest, Sonic and Sally would find some time to discuss the whole “Mina thing”...Anyways, we switch to Geoffrey the pilot who fails miserably at evading Dr. R’s missiles, sending him and Hershey tumbling into the heart of Feral Forest. Now who let that horrible misspelling of Tail’s name get printed??? We then pan to the Feral Forest and a woodcutter named Joss who’s daughter, Meg, is expecting any day now. The villagers run off to investigate a plane crash and Joss leaves his daughter to ponder the seriousness of the situation. She decides to inform her husband who turns out to be none other than Prince “Eli” Cheesecake Acorn. And so 3-page part one ends (the whole business about dividing already small stories into multiple parts is getting out of hand).
TIME-OUT: An observation. Elias first appeared in Mobo-Knothole on Sonic’s sixteenth birthday #68, right? So let’s review, shall we:
*Some time went by between the whole fiasco with Kudos, the events up to and including Sonic #75, the SA tie-in, and the Sword of Acorns story arc
*According to Sonic, six and half weeks pass between #93 and #94
*More time goes by between #94 and #102 (I’m too lazy to look exactly how much)
*Elias, who ran away in #102, has a wife who is due to give birth any day now
Assuming a pregnancy on Mobius lasts the regular 9 months (I’m almost POSITIVE Knuckle’s mom said something to that effect though I don’t remember what issue) shouldn’t Sonic and the whole gang be a year older by now? And can Archie come out and say that or would it be against the whole Sega continuity? Just a thought…
As part 2 begins, Geoffrey and Hershey, looking ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS in those outfits, address the Feral Forest crowd, warning them the time will soon come to stand up and fight Dr. R’s invasion. The dialog is a little hard to follow between panels one and two (Who’s techno-blimps exactly? Oh, Robotnik’s!). Cheesecake boy is not pleased with Geoffrey’s presence and talk of war and decides to go home. It becomes obvious he’s left his wife out of the loop in regards to his royal past and as he ponders that past an unexpected and unwelcome pair in the form of Men in Black-style Geoffrey and Hershey come knocking. Geoffrey tries to get the prince to listen to his twisted form of reason and then comes the part of this story I like best—Elias finally shows some guts and lets Geoffrey have it! It’s almost a shame he’s no longer heir to the throne, I’ve been waiting sooo long for this outburst. Sadly, the fight is interrupted by Dr. R’s E-105 army. Just as it looks as it’s all over for the four, Sonic and Sally, with the rest of Feral Forest’s residents in tow, appear. Once again we skip the fight scene and cut to the end. Sally is overjoyed about the prospects of becoming an aunt but Elias has no intention of returning to Knothole, preferring to live out his life as a simple woodsman. But of course all are welcomed to dinner.
OK, some comments and thoughts about this story. First off, the negative. This is probably the most compressed story ever in the Sonic continuity. So much happens and, especially near the beginning, it just seems so rushed with all the skipping from scene to scene. As previously mentioned some of the dialog’s a little awkward and Dr. R’s lines are as corny as they get. Now on to the art. A lot of people in the forum have been talking about how Ron Lim’s art is getting better. Maybe, but it’s still VERY FAR from being good. Elias looks like Sally minus eyelashes and plus cape and tail. Look at Spaz’s or Axer’s depictions—he is supposed to look distinctly different. Sonic’s spines are WAAY too long (see first panel) and toward the end his eyes become a single rectangle. Hershey and Geoffrey look bedraggled—their hair really looks as if they’ve been flying around in a plane without a closed cockpit all day. And Geoff in particular looks so scrawny—look at the “buff” Geoff on the cover #89. Also, and this is not Lim’s fault, I am pleading that Archie gets Hershey and Geoffrey out of those clothes and back into their normal SS duds ASAP. Finally, take a gander at Lim’s rendition of Sally in the last panel...eww. Maybe Sonic should dump her for Mina, jk. The one positive note about Lim’s art is that he is far better at drawing the supporting cast of Feral Forest residents than the main characters.
Now the good points. This is getting a bit repetitive, I know, but the coloring is phenomenal (except that glare off Sonic’s forehead but that’s a minor detail). Also, it really was nice to see the prince stand up to St. John, it just added a lot to what was always a weak personality. And as Neo mentioned, it’s nice to see Archie “get rid” of a minor character like Elias in a way that doesn’t involve death and is much more believable—Elias always lived in a more rural setting on Floating Island without royal responsibilities so it doesn’t seem odd he wants to return to that life. And the pregnant wife added a bit of surprise. The only other thought I have, however, is that it may be possible that in the FAAAAR distant future Elias’ child might not be content with his/her father’s provincial life and want a little something more. Possible conflict? Anyways, I think that’s too far down the road for Archie to be considering at this point.

“Afterlife: Part One”, written by Ken Penders, penciled by Art Mawhinney. Knuckles’ funeral and, man, does that lady know how to talk, telling the audience and readers more good things about Knuckles than we may have wanted to know. Vec is on the verge of a breakdown, Julie-Su and Lara-Le need some major comforting and Remington is feeling guilty he couldn’t prevent Knuckle’s death. Meanwhile, Knux and the dead...er, “evolved”...members of the brotherhood look on. Steppenworlf and Harlan take turns explaining that those of the brotherhood do not die but evolve to successively higher planes until they reach Aurora at the center of the Chaos force. BTW, where is Hawkings and why is Tobor wearing his hat? Suddenly there’s a bright flash of light and the heralds that escort members of the brotherhood to successively higher planes appear to take Knuckles for the ride of his afterlife. Art did a good job depicting the denizens of Floating Island but the story confuses me a bit. Knux WILL be back...I know this because, I-I just DO, ok? So does he have to get to the highest plane in order to come back? Basically, I don’t where the story is going which is bad because it’s frustrating and confusing but also good because it lends a little mystery to the story and REALLY makes you anticipate the next issue, which is what it’s all about when it comes down to it.

“Song Bird”, written by Romy Chacon, penciled by Steven Butler. Butler is still not among my favorite artists. His Sonic looks off to me and his Sally looks like she needs a haircut. But I have to hand it to him, he’s got Mina down tight. She looks adorable in the first panel. Poor Mina’s been forced up on stage by Sonic who heard her singing at the end of last week’s main story...again, as I stated before, it’s nice to see a little continuity. She freezes up but, realizing Sonic believes in her and not wanting to let him down, starts singing her heart out. High up in Castle Acorn, Sally takes time out from her busy schedule to tune in. Mina finishes up (and we get a hint from Robo-Momgoose that her dad is no longer around) then runs straight into Sonic’s arms to thank him, a gesture Sal’s not all that comfortable with. Setting the stage for next issue...Nice story (Romy nails it once again) and again we get a nice setup for next month’s lead story.

Sonic Grams: Hey all you out there who think the series is ending with #125. Not to fear, JG tells us how they’re already working on #131. Hakuna Matata!
  

yay, i can finnaly re-subscribe now
Cover: meh, its pretty cool, sonic looks ok, and mina and knuckles are there too 3/5
splash: cooool! 5/5
1st story: pretty cool, exept for sonic looking really weird, and he's too shiny, hes supposed too be furry, great story 3/5
2nd Story: nooo! he's really dead, i cant belive they killed knuckles, but this afterlife thing is interesting, as long as it ends in knuckles being revived -.-, and look, chao! i didnt think they would show up again, great story in all 4/5
3rd story: hm, looks like a love triangle is starting... but i wonder what happend to amy? does she not adore sonic? bleh, they were all drawn great, this one gets a 5/5
Off Panel: funny, and relevant! great cameo of archie comics, too 5/5
total: 20/25
  

Back in Action for reviewing, been working so much no time to get the comics let alone review lol. So here we go....

Sonic #121

Cover Art - I think they could keep the news strip style bars but have an actual background. Either way SOnic and Elias are well drawn *yawn*

Inside Splash Page - Axer does SO Rock. Elias as the sexy squirrel/foxything he is :D

Primary Story: The Prince and the Revolution.
Story- YAY! They're actually getting back to Elias... he disappeared so long ago. Ran away really. Sonic and Sally go after Hersh' n' Geof (and I hate Geof, wouldn't care if he fell off the face of the planet mobius personally but meh, I digress. Blah blah, rescue.... bla, plane crash... bla... SHOCK! Elias is a woodsman and MARRIED now, also expecting a child! Of course Eggman had to show up and ruin the day and sonic save it. So nice to actually find Elias, but I can't help feeling that this has destroyed any chances of Elias becoming a valuable individual, and personally chucks my mina-elias wish pairing down the hole.

Over all I do feel like they handled the story well, and does thin out yet another little-used character to help tighten the core, my only disappointment is my above mentioned statement.

Artwork: Lim's getting better at making characters depict expression. But he does a very poor job on Elias, especially where his hair is concerned. The part in his hair is so cuuute! ;_;

Secondary Story: Afterlife Part 1
I was honestly waiting through the whole story for Vector to crack the priestess upside the head and go "YO MAN Quit with the sappy lecture, you dudes don't even know my homey!" Honestly I was disappointed in this one, although Knuckles body is red again, even though he's having an out of body experience lol. Can't wait to see how this concludes though as two cute little Chao come to collect Knuckles' Spiritual bod to go before their goddess.

Dawn Best scores another 100% though, brightening this comic up with her artwork ^_^

Final Story: Songbird
The Brightest part of this comic. ^_^ Last issue, Sonic overheard Mina singing, and well, if her conscious attempts to get his attention failed, her natural singing talent looks like it's about to reel him in! Mina is on stage with major stage fright, but egged on by the crowd she starts singing - I wish it had been Tails' theme from SA but oh well. :) Meanwhile, Sally is in the palace reviewing things with Nicole when the music starts... She stops to listen, and Nicole calls the music 'overrated'... After Mina delivers a big hug to Sonic at the end of her performance... sally changes her mind about the music too. Great setup for some sparks to fly ^_^ Coupled with awesome artwork by Steve Butler!

Conclusion: Overall this was a good issue, each story was handled well in its own right.
  

Hey all you Sonic-fans out there, it's me hellblazer16 and Im here to give you what you want when you want it, which in this case is a Sonic the Hedgehog Comic review,I hope you like this review and that you keep reading my reviews that are posted on the site.Thanks! And now the review.

Cover Page:
Awsome Cover,very nice detail and color,but there's something I noticed while looking at the page,Prince Elias has a blue cape instead of a red cape and his numb-chuck thingys(the things on his back are silver instead of gold.So the colors are different on the first color page.Is this a mistake or something.We'll, I really don't have the time to write in and ask them, that's your job.
6/10 rings

First Colour Page:
Fantastic First Color Page! (as always) Look at that detail, look at the backround,look at coloring!(Sorry if I got carried away)Anyway a great page none the less.
7.5/10 rings

The Prince & The Revolution: This story starts off when King Max and Queen Alicia explain to Sonic and Sally that they think their son Prince Elias has been away too long and they would like them to find him.They also say that they have sent two other agents to look for him as well known as St.John and Hershey.Then Sonic and Sally race off to find Prince Elias.While this is happening St.John and Hershey are flying in an airplane(I think it's called the tornado or something) and get shot down by Robotnick's Techno Blimps and crash into a village in The Feral Forest.(What I don't get is how they survive the crash)And who happens to be in this village? You guessed it:Prince Elias!All the villagers in the village then go to see what happened.St.John and Hershey then tell all the villagers there if they want to fight Robotnick's forces that are coming and they all agree except Prince Elias.Prince Elias then goes inside his house.St.John and Hershey then go into a house there and find Prince Elias and his wife.Did I mention that Prince Elias is married and his wife is pregnant?St.John then tells Prince Elias to listen to him and Prince Elias gets mad and pushes St.John hardly.Then Robotnick's robots burst threw the houses wall and tell everyone there to surrender.They get taken outside and then suddenly Sonic and Sally arrive and take down a couple of Robots.Robotnick then tells Sonic that there outnumbered but then all the villagers team up with Sonic and fight Robotnick's forces.They win.(What I don't get is how they beat all the robots and no one didn't get killed or even hurt.Is Robotnick really cheap and can't afford any good robots or something?)Sally then huggs Prince Elias(her being his sister and all)and asks him if he would like to return to Knothole Village with them.Prince Elias then says that he would like his child to become a simple woodsperson and stay in the village.Prince Elias' wife then asks Sonic and the rest if they would like to stay for dinner.Sonic then asks if Chilli-Dogs are on the menu.Every one then laughs.
7/10 rings

Afterlife Part One:
This is the on-going story for Knuckles the Echidna which is in my opinion is awsome.I kinda prefere Knuckles for Sonic in some ways.But thats another story.Anyway this story starts off at the funeral of Knuckles the Echidna.The Mitre Kali-ca starts off by saying the things Knuckles has accomplished through out his life and what-not.Then Knuckles appears as a ghost and so do the other dead Guardians.But the rest of the living people can't see them.Then the guardians(Steppenwolf has white rings on this hair and Harlan has a green robe on,is this a mistake or a correction?Again I don't have the time to write in to them, that's your job) start telling Knuckles about The Chaos Force,the plane's,the heralds(also know as chao,if that's what they are) and Aurora.Then after the guardians tell him everything they know the heralds(or chao) come down and choose a guardian to take to the chaos force where Athair,the ancient walkers,(what ever they are,probably deader people(if deader is a word))and Aurora,and mabey Edmund,I don't really know.Anyway who do you think they choose?Steppenwolf?No.Knuckles?Yes.They choose Knuckles to come.Then everyone living leaves the funeral.
8/10 rings

Sonic Fan Art:
Well they all pretty much sucked, except the one Zac Streich made,but thank you drawers for sending in your pictures anyway.
4/10 rings

Song Bird:
Before I start this review I would just like to say, again, that I do think that Mina should be Sonic's girl,not Sally.Don't agree with if you want but I really think that they should be together.Well look at her,she's gourgeous,for a cartoon charecter anyway.This story follows from the last issues's Mina the Mongoose story Anyway now I can start this review.The story starts off with Mina the Mongoose on stage.Sonic put her up there you know? He thinks she has a beutiful voce.So then Mina gets all her courage and starts singing a popular song called:Star Light Star Bright(Completly different from the kid's song)Princess Sally hears Mina's song from the castle and looks out her window to hear it better and see Mina.Everyone likes how she sings and gives her an applause.Mina then hugs Sonic or something and Sonic gives her an adoring look and Sally see's this and got jealous and goes back to her work with Nicole,her laptop PC.
8/10 rings

Off-Panal:
Funny.As you know these are like "Behind the scences."I'll review this panel anyway.Sonic is reading an Archie comic with this bald guy(sorry if Im making fun of anyone)and then Sally comes in and sees the scirpts for the Mina the Mongoose story and beatds up Sonic.Suppose to be funny when you read it.
6/10 rings

Sonic-Grams:
I always love reading what the other Sonic-fans think about the comic.I can't really review this or even give it a mark seeing in reviewing it would be hard to do and take a long time so you'll just have to go buy the comic yourself and read them.

And that was my review on #121 of the Sonic the hedgehog series.I hope you liked and and didn't get too tired from reading it since it is quite long.But that isn't my fault is it, since you could have easily went to the store and bought the comic and read it yourself,right.Anyway like i was saying I hope you liked my review.Catch my next review on issue 122 somewhere before May or after it.See ya next time!
46.5/70 rings