Sonic the Hedgehog: 35th Anniversary ★★★★☆

Reckless use of tech for your own gain… That isn’t compatible with life.

The environmentalist themes of Sonic the Hedgehog feel more like a point of trivia now than anything else. Something to reference about the birth of the series rather than anything still core to its identity. This comic brings environmental messages back to forefront very direct way, but it also feels as much as a nostalgic reference, like throwing in Giga Thomas “Pen”, the giant penguin robot boss from Sonic Triple Trouble, as it does an attempt at sincere messaging.

Perhaps I am being overly cynical. It’s still a delightful little comic and I love seeing the bright, colourful version of this world that they do in these throwback anniversary comics and using younger version of these characters lets them be a bit cuter and a bit sillier while still being in keeping with their current personalities. Sonic is a bit less sure-footed, Knuckles even more full of himself while still being very inexperienced, Amy being shown growing from a damsel in Sonic CD to a hero herself, and Tails still looking to Sonic for validation.