#su85

Only in comic books can you get dramatically corny yet awesome reveals like this! Looks like Eggman’s gonna deal with his own creation next issue.

Funny that they went with “Crystal Sonic“ and not “Crystal Metal Sonic“. Perhaps Sega didn’t want him to seem like the same character, like with characters’ classic and modern selves, despite the change of coat?

The Witchcarters become normal for a few pages and I’m willing to bet that their un-brainwashed states are not only their true selves but also the total opposite of their personas. Falke Wulf is a bit more level-headed, Carrotia is way more serious and grounded and less of an airhead, and Bearenger‘s still got that tough guy shtick but he’s sane enough to monologue.

It's hard not to feel at least a little sympathy for these goons, who clearly don’t enjoy being mind-controlled for such long periods of time.

Like with Eggman and Axel, it's impressive seeing Clove and Thunderbolt immediately just “click“ and get themselves out of danger through their combined skills and thunder powers, especially when Clove was literally brandishing a laser scythe at her earlier.

We know very little about Maw. He only appeared in this arc, his personality is never fully fleshed out, his “black hole mouth” is both unusual and horrifying, and he’s like the most enigmatic of all the Egg Bosses.

What we do know is that he’s a bit like Geoffrey St. John in terms of aesthetics and his classified “secret agent getup”, he is literally obsessed with perfection and that the Eggman Empire taking over is what’s best for the world, and his true, sombre motivation is to extend his own life. The latter could be because Thylacines are extinct in real life, thus hinting that his self-serving motivation might be more tragic than we thought.

His “big succ” attack is the most interesting thing about his character. Does he absorb the properties of the robots he inhales? Do they vanish from existence? Does he murder the little Mobinis inside the Badniks as he does so? The way he says it and Nephthys‘ shocked reaction seems to indicate the latter (in a “Never Say “Die”” fashion like in most children’s comic books). Personally, I like to think he just transports anything he sucks up to his Egg Army base for experimentation or Roboticization. Even the comic won’t get that dark, right?

Surprisingly, grandpa Battle Kukku single-handedly “handles” the situation and makes him and Abyss the first team to get their crap sorted!

Axel comes to the rescue, showcasing his strength and moral code in the blink of a page! I think this issue really sold the water buffalo dude for me. While you could argue he’s simply the gearhead of the group who’s all about brute strength and cars, #85 gives more insight into Axel’s cool chain hooks, his strategic multitasking with his car’s auto-pilot whilst saving his boss, and the character’s mindset and motivations. While he doesn’t particularly like working for a dictator scientist who turns people into robots, he is a strong believer in honour among subordinates and values teamwork above all else. It's pretty admirable!

Even Eggman is taken aback by Axel’s reasoning, and it’s intriguing seeing the two suddenly work in tandem together once the Dark Gaia Titan smashes one of their cars.

God DAMN it Hood! You were fine two panels ago!