‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ #46 review

Another solid issue of Sonic, with good art, enjoyable characters, and smooth pacing.

October 27, 2021

I’m back at it once again with another issue of IDW’s Sonic the Hedgehog comic series, written by Evan Stanley with art by both herself and Adam Bryce Thomas. We’ve got a pretty breezy read on our hands this time, continuing from where we left off last issue.

In Sonic the Hedgehog #46, we get some light background tension from poor Belle, who obviously believes the cascading fire surrounding the camping ground to be her fault (due to the lighter in her finger being lit when she passed out). The only other major purely plot relevant event here, other than dealing with said fire, is the introduction of two mysterious characters basked in shadows, the true culprits behind the blazing inferno. We’re not told who they are just yet, but if you’ve been following along, I’m sure the answer to that question will become evident, if you haven’t figured out already.

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Characterization is very strong in this one, but that should hardly come as a shock from this book by now. It was cool seeing Tangle and Belle interact more, having sparked up a fun dynamic in Stanley’s last mini-arc that continues here. They work together quite well; Stanley balances Tangle’s gung-ho attitude with Belle’s caution, demonstrated very effectively by having them work together to save a missing kid from the fire. It’s fun seeing Tangle interact with somebody much more meek compared to the usually stoic and serious Whisper, and creates a unique flavor that we haven’t seen yet from this book. Meanwhile, we deal with what I’d been expecting based on the last issue, Jewel’s insecurities with feeling useless to those around her, and to Tangle especially.

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It’s a good payoff to the bonfire scene from last time, and I like this angle for a character who puts a lot of responsibility on themselves like Jewel. I’m sure a lot of us can relate to seeing a friend or loved one in pain and feeling powerless to help them, making Jewel’s plight all the more relatable and human. It was also nice seeing Amy really take charge, but only to encourage her friends, and not to take spotlight for herself. This arc is all about highlighting the comic-original characters, and letting a major player like Amy draw focus to them herself by using her own charisma is a clever way to convey that.

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The art is great, but again, very much to be expected from this creative team at this point. Stanley and Thomas are both exceptional artists with a long history with Sonic and his universe, so there was little doubt in my mind that this issue was going to be anything but easy on the eyes. I honestly couldn’t even tell it was both of them at first — their styles really naturally blended together here, in no small part thanks to the ink and color work. Their styles certainly synergize well and play off each other very naturally.

As per usual, #46 is a solid issue of Sonic the Hedgehog. I suppose I didn’t have much to say about this one, but that’s more due to it being a pretty smooth and quick read rather than any sort of underlying problem with the issue. Sometimes all I can really say is that a book is good, and this one moves things along at a good pace and is competent in its craft. We’re working with veterans of this franchise’s comics here, it’s little wonder this issue went by so smoothly. It had some enjoyable character moments, always my favorite thing to read about in this book, and pretty damn good art too. What more could you ask for?