Sonic the Hedgehog #50 is IDW’s Best Sonic Comic Of All Time

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Sonic the Hedgehog #50!

The 50th issue of IDW Publishing’s Sonic the Hedgehog stands out as the series’ best release since it debuted in 2018. The publisher built up to this impressive milestone with the Imposter Syndrome event that alternated each month with the main series before culminating into the whopping 44-page epic readers are enjoying now.

With the added context provided by Sonic’s Imposter Syndrome, the tension has been rising over the last few months to the point where, even though the big 5-0 promised to deliver an outrageous battle royale, fans could expect more than just a slew of action-packed scenes. Although there are indeed impressive full-page spreads of some of the most dynamic battle sequences ever to appear in a Sonic comic, the confrontations and resulting dialogue are undoubtedly impressive.

The most effective way to truly capture each stroke of genius is to explore each fight that occurs in Sonic the Hedgehog #50 by writer Ian Flynn, artist Adam Bryce Thomas, colorists Matt Herms, Heather Breckel, Reggie Graham, and letterer Shawn Lee. The true gem of Sonic’s battle is actually the twisted ideals of his cyborg replacement Surge the Tenrec. While Imposter Syndrome laid the foundation of her character as resenting her creator Dr. Starline, readers came to this issue under the impression that her drive to kill Sonic was only secondary to betraying Dr. Starline. But her face-off against the hedgehog actually elicits a much deeper confession, demonstrating that her actions are not predicated on her “programming” but derived from a much darker sense of self-loathing where she essentially blames Sonic for what she’s been forced to become. Meanwhile, Sonic not only puts his ideals into action in an impressive display but tragically comes to question his ideals at the end of his confrontation. Similarly, Tails demonstrates an equally as impressive show of values to his cyborg replacement Kitsunami “Kit” the Fennec. Tails’ effort is actually more successful than his hero’s attempts, but the reason why they inevitably fail underscores Kit’s true flaw as originally explored in Imposter Syndrome, illustrating just how brainwashed Kit is in relation to his own version of Sonic, Surge.

Dr. Eggman’s response to Dr. Starline’s betrayal is also perfect on the basis that Starline’s schemes have been a long time coming since the Metal Virus saga. Starline’s doubts and grievances concerning Eggman have been both genuine and astute to the point where it made sense that Starline should come out on top. So Starline’s complete and utter defeat at Eggman’s genius props the blue hedgehog’s longtime archnemesis onto a higher pedestal, all of which is embellished just by how evil IDW’s creative team depicts the mad scientist. The only disappointing aspect of the issue is how Eggman’s daughter Belle the Tinkerer reacts to her farewell. Overall, her character is unique in that she was initially created by Eggman’s good alter ego Mr. Tinker, and therefore espouses the latter’s innocence. In Sonic #50, she finally gets to say goodbye to Eggman after coming to the realization that Mr. Tinker is gone forever. While Eggman’s indifference to her plight and complete rejection of who he once was portray him in an irredeemable light, Belle brushes this aside without much thought, when it would have been more emotional if Belle expressed pain for his lack of humanity.

Although this latest issue is a true masterpiece, it should be noted that when Metal Virus concluded so long ago, IDW’s Sonic the Hedgehog series lost its stride almost completely and consequently failed to regain what was lost until recently. Hopefully, IDW’s current momentum will continue to persist for the rest of a series, one that has clearly proven to be full of potential.

Sonic the Hedgehog #50 is available now from Marvel Comics!