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Is It Good? Sonic Universe #53 Review

Comic Books

Is It Good? Sonic Universe #53 Review

Act II of “Worlds Collide” comes to its conclusion with this, the eighth chapter and I am quite frankly running out of ways to word the same compliments and criticisms. These reviews are beginning to sound like a broken record, aren’t they?

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Worlds Collide Part 5: Sonic Universe #52 Review

Worlds Collide Part 4: Mega Man #25 Review

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Worlds Collide Part 2: Sonic Universe #51 Review

Worlds Collide Part 1: Mega Man #24 Review


Sonic Universe #53 (Archie Comics)


sonicuniverse53_cover

In Part 8 of “Worlds Collide”, Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man are STILL marching across the Skull Egg Zone, trying to catch up to the Death Egg III so they can stop the nefarious plot of Doctors Robotnik and Wily. Along the way, they’re menaced by the last of the Roboticized Masters: Knuckles Man and Rose Woman. Meanwhile, Rouge the Bat unleashes the Chaos Devil (an amalgamation of Chaos and the Yellow Devil) to stall the Doctors.

sonic_universe53_1

While Act I of “Worlds Collide” showed promise, setting the whole crossover scenario up, Act II rapidly descended into tedium. Its been one boss battle after another as the protagonists make next to no progress in their quest to reach the Death Egg. It reminds me of where Archie’s Sonic the Hedgehog title had been during the past year before the crossover; Sonic, Tails and Amy (“Team Fighters”) chasing the Death Egg II across Mobius and NEVER FREAKIN’ CATCHING UP TO IT. No matter how much action author Ian Flynn injects into each issue as the heroes battle familiar villains, and no matter how well the artists render that action, string it out over 4 issues or more and it gets BORING.

There’s still an Act III to get through and I hope Flynn exercises some more imagination in the plot department. However, with Robotnik and Wily specifically mentioning their FOUR lines of defense, I’m left with the lingering suspicion that the remaining four issues are just gonna be boss battles against each enemy. Flynn has been a champ at mixing the two universes and filling the pages with in-jokes and clever gags, but my god is this a shallow story. I was thrilled when it began, but two thirds of the way through I’m starting to see that “Worlds Collide” has no ambition of avoiding the usual crossover cliches.

sonic_universe53_2

And what makes me say that? Well, the ONE cliche Flynn had thus far dodged was “the two villains that have joined forces eventually turn on each other and mess it all up”. Flynn succumbs to the hackneyed expectation in this issue, as thought bubbles from Robotnik and Wily show that they both intend to double-cross one another. To Flynn’s credit, he tries to have fun with the idea, as Robotnik and Wily both plot their betrayal whilst regarding each other with the utmost respect, but I was REALLY hoping he’d fight the urge to go there.

Is It Good? Sonic Universe #53 Review 6.5

Is It Good? Sonic Universe #53 ReviewIs It Good? Sonic Universe #53 ReviewIs It Good? Sonic Universe #53 ReviewIs It Good? Sonic Universe #53 ReviewIs It Good? Sonic Universe #53 ReviewIs It Good? Sonic Universe #53 ReviewIs It Good? Sonic Universe #53 ReviewIs It Good? Sonic Universe #53 ReviewIs It Good? Sonic Universe #53 ReviewIs It Good? Sonic Universe #53 Review
  • Robotnik and Wily half-heartedly trying to convince each other that this battle will be different from their million other failed schemes
  • Knuckles being treated like more than wallpaper for a change
  • Ha. In-jokes. Love em
  • Are they STILL chasing that fucking egg?
  • Flynn succumbs to the one crossover cliche he’d thus far managed to avoid
  • Rouge the Bat

Is It Good?

Ehhhhhhh. The in-jokes are still cute and Yardley pencils a good fight scene with Knuckles Man and Rose Woman. I was rather pleased to see Knuckles regarded as the most powerful and difficult to defeat Roboticized Master; harkens back to the old days when he was the badass force to be reckoned with. That aside, man, it’s just more of the same. “Worlds Collide” is really going down the Crossover Checklist one item at a time.

 

 

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