It was finally time for the bad guys to get a quick spinoff adventure of their own. Right now there aren’t a lot of big time villains on the loose so these are mainly the B tiers but in a way that works out so that the group isn’t too overpowered. It’s a fun enough adventure. I always like seeing the villains trying to work together even if I did end up missing Sonic and pals. You already know when Sonic shows up all of these villains are doomed. That’s how powerful Sonic is and why he is so feared.

The comic starts with Dr. Starline trying to figure out how to take over the world and get back into Eggman’s good graces. They had a big falling out which Starline mainly attributes to being Eggman’s fault but because of that he can’t just walk up to the doctor. No, he needs more power and so that’s when he decides on a prison break. He’ll get all of the villains out so they can help him bust into Eggman’s base and steal some key parts. With those, Starline will have everything he needs to achieve his goals…but can he trust the other villains?

Tensions are high the whole time since nobody trusts each other. Zavok in particular has good reason not to trust anybody since he was just double crossed about a week ago. To get around this, Starline says he will work for Zavok. Both of them suspect a betrayal is coming up but set up a partnership in the meantime. You have to decide which villain has the upper hand here or if they both end up looking a little too naive here. There is a whole lot of back and forth as every villain takes some risks but of course it does make sense why they all want to get out of jail.

Mimic is probably the coolest villain of the bunch. He still comes off as a really intense assassin who is always out for blood. By this point he is obsessed with taking down Whisper and as it stands he is probably still a bit stronger than her. She’ll need to watch her back, having the ability to shapeshift is always an extremely difficult power to overcome. No matter where you go, he could be around somewhere.

Then you have Rough and Tumble. I’ve always had a soft spot for these guys. They are fairly weak in the grand scheme of things but their catchphrase is a lot of fun. They really know how to get the rhymes in without any delay. They also may not be as strong as someone like Knuckles but they still do have some strength. I also like the teamwork and solid bond between them. Note, I wouldn’t want them to turn good or anything but I look forward to their next battle.

Of course Zavok is a big player here and I want to say that the comic is doing its best to make him a really hype figure. Does it work? Ehhhhh I’d say not so much. Ultimately he looks tough but as always falters down the stretch. There’s really no reason for him to be outsmarted yet again since he had a heads up here. It shows that he really needs to get better at planning. He also gets incredibly lucky with his escape at the end because Eggman really had him dead to rights. Only plot armor was able to help him.

As for Starline, you could argue that he is the only one to really get a win here. Perhaps not in the way that he hoped and it took some last minute improvising but things turned out well enough. I just still don’t find him to be a very interesting villain yet. Eggman’s really the only brainiac that we need. Starline can change this but for now he is relatively uninspiring. In a sense you can say the continuity is still young though so he can have plenty of time to prove me wrong. It would be good for him to rise up the ranks. Maybe some of his tech can help him get a decisive win over Sonic. That would be a good start.

Eggman is around a bit and I’d say he looks good. He does see through some of the obvious traps and shows why he is still a genius. He may lose to Sonic a lot but is still a tough customer. It would have been fun to have had a quick Sonic appearance but we got something close to a cameo so I suppose I’ll have to settle for that. I’d like to try another villain team up like this a few years down the line when they can include big fighters like Infinite, Mephiles, Black Doom, etc. You probably can’t do them all at once or the heroes would really be doomed but there is a ton of potential there.

As always the art is very good here. It’s very colorful and all of the characters stand out. The fight scenes are good and the pages are all easy to follow. The action sequences are solid as well so I really have no complaints at all here. Sonic never disappoints. Meanwhile the writing is solid as you would expect and the whole adventure is very engaging. It may not be really high stakes but it’s nice to get a window into what goes on while Sonic and friends are having a little break. There is always a little chaos somewhere.

Overall, Bad Guys was a fun comic to read through. It’s a self contained story that you can read cover to cover without having to rely on any other titles. It still sets up clear plotlines for the future as well with all of these villains getting another opportunity to show up. I’d say it’s probably good to space them out and give time for more villains to be introduced but all of these guys are definitely ready to really cause a stir. If you haven’t read this comic yet, you should definitely change that! This may feel like a light hearted spinoff adventure but it does end with some pathways back to the main series so you won’t want to miss out on that. Mimic, Zavok, and Starline definitely have some big plans up their sleeves.

Overall 7/10