Comic Review: Sonic Mega Drive #1

2016 saw the 25th anniversary of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise and with that two new game announcements in the form of Sonic Mania and the tentatively titled Sonic 2017. So of course with Archie Comics being the comic license holder for the past 25 years it's only fitting that they get in on the celebration too. What better way to do that than to take a step back to where it all began, the 16-bit classic Sonic era.

Sonic Mega Drive is an original story set after the events of the Sega Genesis/CD games that sounds like it came right out of an instruction manual from the time. Dr. Robotnik, now referred to as Eggman, is searching for mysterious relics known as the Ancient Gears to power a new super weapon, the Mega Drive, to dominate the world and get revenge for the Death Egg incident. That's it in a nutshell but Ian Flynn's hilarious dialogue and handling of the characters will keep you wanting more.

If you haven't guessed from the cover, the stars of the story are Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and a more confident and capable Amy Rose than when we met her in Sonic CD. Much to my personal delight the SatAM and original Archie characters are nowhere to be seen. Not that I don't like those characters post-reboot of the Archie universe (that's a discussion for another time), I just feel that if you're celebrating the anniversary of the games this is the way to go.

The artwork in this issue, with pencils by Tyson Hesse (@boxerhockey) and colors by Matt Herms (@MattHerms), is just stunning. It reminds me of the art style of the Sonic CD cut scenes and the Sonic OVA touched with Hesse's personal flair. The poses and expressions used give the characters such fluidity it sometimes seems like you're looking at stills from a long lost animation. I would kill for a new animated feature in this style.

I highly recommend picking up a copy of Mega Drive for all 16 bit gaming fans looking for a nostalgia trip outside of playing the games themselves. If you're a Sonic the Hedgehog fan you simply can't miss it, even if you're not a comic collector. The cover art itself would make an excellent backdrop for a Japanese Mega Drive cart collection, don't you think? You can really tell each page of this book was a labor of love for this franchise and I would love for this to become a stand alone series outside of the Archie universe on a long term scale. Bravo!

Review of the next issue, Sonic Mega Drive: "The Next Level" coming soon.