Sonic the Hedgehog #63 is brought to us by Evan Stanley on the main story, doing both writing and art with colorist Valentina Pino. It also features a backup story by Ian Flynn with art by Aaron Hammerstrom. Alrighty, let’s hop right in and see what’s in store this month!
Picking up from last time, this arc is all about the Diamond Cutters, and right away I wanna say that it’s a nice break from Sonic himself, ironic as that may be. He does share the backup with Blaze though, which is also a really neat little team-up to finally have in the book. Other than that, this book is mostly Blue Blur-lite, which is a pretty fun change of pace. It brings me back to the Archie days, where there was a larger rotating cast that shared a lot of the spotlight. Silver takes center stage in this one, fending off duplicitous attacks from the currently disguised Mimic, who infiltrated the group last time. I like that none of the characters are stupid about this, instantly recognizing something is off the moment “Duo” starts acting out of line. It’s a nice subversion knowing that this isn’t being dragged out in the overdone “nobody believes anybody else and they all start infighting out of paranoia” way that a lot of other media tends to favor. It’s also just fun seeing Silver get the spotlight, he’s a fan favorite (and author favorite, and that shines through in a really great way) and seeing all the love he’s been getting in recent issues has felt looooong overdue.
IDW Publishing
The backup by comparison is a pretty fun breezy little thing, with Sonic and Blaze doing some globetrotting in Spagonia, the setting of the much beloved Rooftop Run stage in Sonic Unleashed. This is a particularly fun nugget for a giant nerd like me, who knows that’s a setting mostly comprised of human characters, something Sonic media has not been allowed to show outside Eggman for… years! We don’t actually see any humans in this issue, but they’re there, and that’s more than we’ve gotten lately. Outside that fun bit of fan service, it’s mostly just a character-driven chat between Sonic and Blaze, and they definitely have a natural chemistry in how Flynn writes their friendship which makes them a joy to read as a pair (and there’s a bone thrown for the shippers out there, too).
IDW Publishing
Art wise, this issue is a pretty good showing. Stanley is one of the best and most experienced Sonic artists around, so whenever she draws a story it’s pretty much guaranteed to be easy on the eyes. And drawing to her own writing certainly helps in keeping a very solid and consistent vision that is entirely her own, which is a good bonus. Hammerstrom’s art in the Flynn backup is also really great, hitting that perfectly cartoony vibe that I adore about the Sonic art style (also adding some particularly funny cat-like mannerisms from Blaze that got a chuckle out of me).
IDW Publishing
Sonic the Hedgehog #63 is a pretty good, if standard issue. It’s just another entry in the series moving its current plot along; nothing too noteworthy, but nothing actually badly done that I can find to actually critique. It is notable that there’s a backup story, which has been pretty rare for this series – if there even has been a backup story in this run before now at all. I genuinely don’t remember, but it was a nice bonus to be sure. I do enjoy this lower stakes storytelling right now, something I previously expressed a desire for more of with how intense everything has been in the book as of late. This arc is more of a personal level conflict, which is a very welcome change of pace from the more dire consequences of the previous arc.
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