Time for my return to Sonic comics with IDW’s Sonic the Hedgehog #49, written and drawn by Evan Stanley, and a lead in to the big milestone issue #50! After a bit of a wait, we’re finally getting to a culmination of this “season” of the Sonic comic line, tying in directly to the previous Bad Guys and current Imposter Syndrome mini-series. Grab a chili dog, because it’s time to give this issue a look-see.
SPOILERS AHEAD for Sonic the Hedgehog #49!
IDW Publishing
The plot gives us a pretty interesting setup right from the get go, with Badniks from all over the-as-of-yet-unnamed-planet-the-characters-live-on being drawn in by a mysterious control signal — strong enough to even affect the likes of Belle the Tinkerer. The reason for this should be obvious to you if you’ve been keeping up with tie-in material, as this comes directly from the pages of issue #3 of Imposter Syndrome, where we see Dr. Starline put this particular scheme into effect. For our heroes, though, it’s just another source of trouble they need to speed off and deal with.
Aside from that, theres not too much else in the way of plot; it’s mostly there to build toward the next issue. It does work as a setup though, for the promised big showdown between the dynamic duo of Sonic and Tails and their super engineered counterparts Surge and Kit. We’ve been building to that for what feels like ages now, and this does a good job furthering that hype.
IDW Publishing
Character stuff is pretty good as per usual, particularly where Belle is concerned. We also got a surprise (Postmortem? Sort of?) appearance from Dr. Eggman’s kind and gentle, albeit short-lived, persona Mr. Tinker, who left a touching letter for his creation wishing her well inside a motobug. Perhaps a tad contrived, but it’s a kid’s comic, so I think that’s pretty justifiable. It’s a sweet moment, and seeing Stanley take the chance to flesh out the Mr. Tinker persona a bit more on her own, even this far into the run, is nice. I never felt like we got enough time with that side of Eggman to really feel the impact of just what exactly was lost with his return to evil. We’ve gotten more and more of that through Belle’s continued development, which has been doing a good job of making up for it. Of course, Sonic and Tails are perfectly in character as usual, as Stanley has more than proven her tact with this universe and its characters by now.
IDW Publishing
The art is fantastic, though it usually is when Stanley’s on that front. I really loved how creepy she made Belle while under the signal’s control, really leaning into the potential horror vibes of an evil marionette. I always tend to enjoy her softer style of illustrating the characters, giving them lots of rounded edges without losing their sense of attitude or coolness where applicable. The colours by Matt Herms and Heather Breckel help bring it to life too of course, giving the art a good sense of lighting and texture.
Overall, Sonic the Hedgehog #49 is a pretty good issue! I can’t wait to see how the ultimate showdown turns out when we return to Sonic again next time. With how much it’s been hyped up, I have confidence that the creatives behind the Sonic comics will be able to deliver. Like I said, they’ve all more than proved themselves by now. The plot serves as a good vehicle for the big milestone follow-up, with some solid character stuff and fun artwork to bring it all home. Give it a look, and I’ll be back next time to see how the story develops.
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