Sonic the Hedgehog #86: Stars in Their Eyes

This was an interesting issue, following up on many of the threads I talked about last time, it seems that the sins of the father may not come between Belle and Sage– Belle outright referring to Sage as her sister (with a little push from Sonic). Thanks to this, Belle is able to link to Sage in order to locate her and Metal Sonic, naturally this was all within Sage’s predictive model. Sage’s superiority complex still gets in the way of her and Belle truly bonding, while Belle is coming to terms slowly but surely with her place in the world, Sage is much less willing to accept others as equals, especially those who don’t follow Doctor Eggman’s plans.

Here we meet our new villain, reminiscent of Mimic the Octopus, with another Starro-like robot attached to their face, are they in control of all this? Or are they being controlled? Time will tell, for now they are a threat, carrying a huge chained-up coffin to boot. While our favourite hedgehog goes head-to-head with his robot doppelganger, Belle and Sage do their best to get him out of the villain’s control (or well, out of one villain’s control). Sonic keeps his jovial attitude towards the Badnik, but Metal’s permanent scowl certainly speaks volumes. The interesting thing about Metal, is he, by design, is not allowed to speak. He does not have total free will under Eggman, “freeing” him, in this context is just changing masters. The only time Metal has his full faculties is when he is Neo Metal Sonic, and when he is, his plans certainly differ from his father’s.

This storyline continues to examine the freedom of each of Eggman’s children, who chooses to follow him, who chooses to be free, and who has no choice at all. Belle cannot fathom why someone would choose to follow Eggman, and mourns the loss of her own creator, Mr Tinker. Sage loves her father, and follows his will without question, believing he is correct in his designs. Metal has no choice in the matter, despite having ambitions of his own.

The new villain appears to have some illusionary capabilities, transforming into a shadow creature which Sonic and Metal take down together, in a very cool sequence, showcasing how similar their powersets are. Sonic appears to see something we don’t, understanding more about this villain perhaps due to his experience with the distorted mirror of himself from last issue. The creature itself seems to follow a star motif, much like the starfish badniks attached to their and Metal’s faces. I find it difficult to speculate on who this could be, someone returning? Someone new? There are a few design quirks that do link to pre-existing characters, but I’d rather not weigh in too heavily and have egg on my face in the coming months.

However, before sonic can explain what he knows, everyone finds themselves back outside in the snow. Seeming dazed and confused, Sonic forgets what exactly was so important. To end the issue, Belle and Sage agree to stay in contact, which Sage seems to hide from her father, an interesting development to say the least, if a strain is put on their relationship, there’s no telling where it could end up.