INFO BURST

Format: Comic strip
Initial Release Date: December 1992
Feature character: Sonic the Hedgehog
Locations: None specifically mentioned, takes place on a tennis court
Continuity: Archie Comics
Synopsis: Sonic is playing tennis- and so is another Sonic. The two Sonics send the ball back and forth across the court before it’s revealed there is actually only one Sonic, so fast he’s playing with himself.

CREDITS

Writer: Michael Gallagher
Artists: Scott Shaw, Bill White

Review

Once again we’ve got a joke centred around how fast Sonic is. As with the last one, he’s playing sports in a way that serves to show off his super speed. As with previous examples, this one makes the reader ponder what it would be like for Sonic to use his super speed in a “normal” situation, with amusing results. Again, it’s all pretty fine but most readers will have worked out the punchline before they get to the bottom of the page. There’s nothing particularly challenging here, especially since now we’re conditioned to recognise when one of these strips is less of an adventure or moment of characters interacting and more a signposted “Sonic is being fast again” gag.

Unfortunately, the art suffers a little here. While we can certainly understand why Scott Shaw would be reluctant to fill the background with details for a single page strip of this nature, the end result is unfortunately rather bland, with solid blocks of yellow and blue filling the panels. Things are made up for somewhat by the fact Shaw continues to supply excellent visuals of Sonic that would make even the grumpiest reader cheer up- it’s so difficult to not enjoy seeing a character as dynamic and expressive as Sonic strike exaggerated poses and faces and Shaw captures the character’s personality so well. As with the other single-page stories, there’s really nothing special on display here and, in fairness, that isn’t really the point of them. Once again, it’s over in a flash and it’s basically inoffensive, but don’t expect anything world-beating from this one.