Around 2 years in the making, the loose Sonic Adventure 2 adaption came to an end this issue with the highly anticipated Super Sonic vs Shadow clash, as well as the answers to what was going on with Shorty. Unfortunately, The Mobian feels that neither were totally acheived...

 

 

 

I have to personally first say that I hate the way stories are titled or labelled these days. Since the 'Chaos Arc', where a different title was used for every part of the story, despite it practically being the same story, I've not been able to keep track of story names, other than 'The Syndicate' (since it has a Part 1 and Part 2). Call me a past-dweller, but I long for the days of 'The Revenge of Chaotix - Part 6' and 'The Evil Empire - Part 3'. Anyway, I digress...

 

This amazing partnership of artwork in the latest Sonic stories is breathtaking and I will make someone eat my hat if Zak and Chris G don't work together again in the future. Along others like Thalia and Spydaman, this arc has, at its absolute best, has showcased amazing artwork.

 

   So Page 1. It's a nice opener, which just ties up Knuckles and the Freedom Fighters' roles..nicely. Charmee's acting the fool again, Mighty's looking 'ard, Vector's looking wise; that single panel just conveys the characters perfectly.

   The double-page spread is a neat idea and I'm glad it was done, 'cos it's just a beautiful example of what can be done, even if it's online rather on paper. Unfortunately, the dialogue leaves a little to be desired, with Super sounding more like his cool counterpart ("Can't stand the heat?") and Shadow's mumbling rubbish.

   Page 4 grated some of the readers of this issue because it was the only action they saw, but I couldn't care less really. It's an average page to be honest, I don't see why either, but the fight's decent. If Shadow started to win, it would make a mockery of the situation. What does bug me is an error that I'd usually correct on newb sprite comics. The speech bubbles in the first panel seem to be the wrong way round, thus making me read "Performance anxiety, Fuzzy?" before Shadow complains, throwing me off.

   The scene with Robotnik and Shadow left on the Death Carrier is actually pretty touching for a pair of genocidal maniacs. I felt Robotnik's despair at losing Sonic yet again and his possible frustration at not being able to vent his anger. Shadow also seems to have accepted his fate and I expect we won't be seeing him again in the pages of STC.

   The final page was the best I've seen in a long time. Cheeky interaction between Sonic and Knuckles, followed by some gut-wrenching feeling from Sonic as he realised he betrayed Mobius to save it. Nobody else knows that, but I'm sure they will once the Drakon Empire arrives to continue the deal...

 

A great strip, it could have been better somehow, but I'm at a loss to suggest how. A hearty 72% from me.

 

 

 

I don't know what happened this issue (really I don't, I couldn't follow it at all) but it's a HUGE slip in quality from the last 2 parts. The beginning of the story showed new interaction between Shorty and Tekno, Officer Bodger, typical Sonic's World humour and an interesting plot. Despite the odd 'emo' moment and sprinklings of corny dialogue, they were much clearer than this seemingly-rushed episode.

 

I'm not a fan of the Eternity Ring, never have, so I wasn't too happy to randomly see it pop up again. I've got no idea how we last left it, so perhaps there could have been some explanation to why it was there, rather than relying on us to use our noggins or to ask you all later? The 'fight' scene between Shortfuse and Tekno was pretty damn sudden too; all rushed and with no real meaning. I can see the premise behind it, but can't see any emotion in it.

 

I'm not the only one who noticed the biological computer from #100 holding the hostages. Chris G says it's a homage to the one Robotnik used on the Emerald Hill folk, but I feel it's too similar to that great idea that it just feels like copying.

 

FUN FACT: In the last panel of the strip, the buttons on Tekno's keypad are arranged in a / fashion, whereas in the panel before it, the buttons were displayed as a \.

 

The one thing that does intrigue me is that if it was Shorty's armour that triggered the Eternity Ring, and he doesn't have his belt on when he gets sucked in, does this mean Shorty's without his powers wherever they've gone? Could prove interesting.

 

All in all, it was a sucky end to a fantastic story. A 78% for the 4 parts altogether, but a meagre 30% for The Big Bang.

 

 

 

As always, Sonic the Comic gives the readers more to marvel at than simply great comic strips. The cover by Thalia is a great introduction to the comic and whets the reader's appetite for the upcoming action. There's also some great pin-ups by the Zak/Chris partnership again, plus a fantastic Desktop pleaser by Orin. The Next Issue page is also nice and provides a good basis for this next 'era' of Sonic the Comic. The Sonic Riders preview is spot on and I continue looking forward to the game.

 

Cons include the poor formatting on the Data Zone and the lack of features such as the Review and Q Zones, since I'm sure there's enough SEGA games being produced to warrant at least one focused game per issue. With just the Preview Zone containing any real meat, STC 238 did feel a little empty after the strips (and only 2 of them, it was unfortunate one wasn't ready) but that's harsh compared to the very meaty Poster Mag at Christmas.

 

 

It certainly wasn't the best Sonic the Comic, but I'm glad I had the chance to read it and it was certainly a good welcome home after this webmaster's travels across the Atlantic.

 

OVERALL: 65%