"A Bold New Moebius, Part Two: Duality"

It's wall to wall action as Sonic and the Freedom Fighters take on their evil doubles Scourge and the Suppression Squad while Knuckles and the Chaotix battle Dmitri, Lien-Da and the Dark Egg Legion.

Summer reading doesn't get any better than "Duality," which is one of those issues that reminds you why you fell in love with superhero comics in the first place. Ian Flynn serves up a perfect blend of action, drama, and humor. There's not a dead spot anywhere. He builds on past events in Sonic history but does it in such a way that newcomers don't feel left out or lost.

Starting right on the first page, Flynn and the art team set up the conflict: Sonic and Scourge face off, trading some trash talk. Along the sides we get the roll call for the Freedom Fighters and the Suppression Squad. Yardley! has given the FF a wholesome, smiling demeanor and colorist Josh Ray uses sunny yellow, blue and red for their color scheme. Their opposites are scowling and have a harsher look to them. While Ray uses red and yellow here also, the red looks like rust and the yellow takes on a dull sheen next to the black and white name tags. Even without knowing the history of these characters, a reader immediately gets a sense of the conflict. And younger readers, like those kindergarteners in my library, can pick out the bad guys without even being able to read.

The first few pages are basically exposition, but it's neither dry nor dull. While Scourge is explaining his motivation, he's knocking the stuffing out of Sonic. The characters burst out of the panels and the camera pulls in and out, continually changing the viewpoint to keep the flow moving. At the end of this introductory material there's a great visual gag. In a panel that runs the width of the page, the opposing forces are lunging toward one another from opposite sides. The focal character Rotor is in-between saying, "I don't think I'd want to be in the middle of that!" You have to enjoy Flynn and Yardley!'s sense of humor.

The battles between the FF and the SS are intimate – generally focusing on two characters, rarely more than four – allowing the characters to riff off one another and reveal their character.

Two sequences in particular are outstanding. In the first, Scourge turns on his ally, Fiona. The dialog, body language, expression, and panel layout convey an impression of intense violence. Scourge actually does nothing more than snap and grab his crown out of Fiona's hand, yet the reaction of the characters in that panel and the two panels following make it seem like much more happened than did. It's a great example of sequential art setting creating a story in the mind's eye.

The second sequence features Bunnie and Antoine. In seventy-one words and three panels, Flynn and the art team give us the history of Antoine and the villain Patch, show us Bunnie and Antoine's determination, and reveal the depth of their love for one another – without breaking the pace of the issue. It's absolutely beautiful. Yardley! uses the big-eyed character design to full effect. A wide open or half-closed eye can reveal the character's thoughts as much as his words do.

The pages dealing with Knuckles and the Chaotix have a different look than the rest of the book. Josh Ray uses a different color scheme. The Chaotix are their usual colorful selves, but they act against a dull grey and brown background. This is entirely appropriate for an outdoor setting, but it also fits Knuckles' mood – which is one of depression and confusion. The panel layout also emphasizes his mental conflict. The panels are filled with characters. There's very little of the intimacy of the FF-SS battles here. Knuckles is fighting more of a war and the battle tends to be more, well, chaotic – though it's choreographed so that readers can follow the action.

Mention must also be made of the cover, which features the Suppression Squadron on the attack. It's dynamic and evocative and if you put it next to the cover of Sonic #189, you have a gorgeous poster. Archie Comics should seriously consider releasing it as such.

If you're looking for seriously fun superhero reading, grab a glass of lemonade, a chocolate bar, and hit the hammock with Sonic #190. It's the perfect book to ignite or re-ignite a love for superhero comics.

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