Luke Owen reviews the landmark 250th issue of Sonic The Hedgehog…
Celebrate 250 issues of the longest-running video game based comic series, Sonic the Hedgehog, with ‘When Worlds Collide’ Part Nine of Twelve! The final act of the crossover mega-event starts here as Sonic and Mega Man stand united against the Wily Egg – and backing them up are all their heroic friends. Standing against them are the Robot Masters-all of them! Let the battle begin!
Wow, 250 issues. This is now longest running comic series based off a video game character according to Guinness. Pretty impressive wouldn’t you say? But the questions is – what can they do to make Sonic The Hedgehog #250 epic enough to warrant this accolade? Have an all-out war.
Ian Flynn’s writing has been the crowing achievement of the Worlds Collide story as well as the last 5 or so years of Sonic The Hedgehog. It’s been funny, it’s been clever and the whole series has just been exceptionally well written. And while all of that is still evident in this issue, the real star of Sonic The Hedgehog #250 is Ben Bates and his superb artwork.
Don’t expect a lot of charcter progression, don’t expect the story to really move forward (although there is a good cliffhanger) and don’t expect complex writing, Sonic The Hedgehog #250 is all-out action and it’s a lot of fun. Every single panel is a joy to look at and Flynn and Bates time out each acion point perfectly so that everyone gets their moment in the sun. There is a lot in there too for Mega Man fans as they get to relive some of the classic Robot Masters from the 8-Bit era while Sonic fans can enjoy seeing the blue hedgehog do what he does best. Bates draws action so well that it almost makes you wish it was an animated movie just so you could see his brilliance move.
And while there isn’t a lot of character progression from the heroes, Flynn is once again teasing disention in the ranks between Wily and Eggman. This dynamic has been one of the best things about the whole series and Flynn has done a superb job is getting their motivations and friendship right so when the split does come, its all the more impactful. And after Eggman’s actions at the end of this issue, the split might be coming very soon…
Being that this is the 250th issue, it also contains a bonus issue from the Sonic: Genesis series, which does feel more like an advert than a treat for fans, but is still a fun read. However, if you’re coming in fresh, you’d be better off picking up the trade paperback rather than diving in this solo issue.
With only three more issues remaining of this series, Worlds Collide is still going from strength to strength and Sonic The Hedgehog #250 has been one of the best yet. What it lacks in story it more than makes up for in action. Every page, every panel, every moment is fantastic. Ian Flynn should be proud of his work at Archie as he has managed to make everyone’s favourite blue hedgehog still relevant 25 years later.
Luke Owen is one of Flickering Myth’s co-editors and the host of the Month in Review show for Flickering Myth’s Podcast Network. You can follow him on Twitter @LukeWritesStuff.
Luke Owen is one of Flickering Myth’s co-editors and the host of the Month in Review show for Flickering Myth’s Podcast Network. You can follow him on Twitter @LukeWritesStuff.
Originally published July 4, 2013. Updated November 7, 2019.
