You are probably wondering right now as to why the heck I chose to cover the IDW Sonic the Hedgehog comics in this more mature editorial.  After all, the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise is not as heavy handed as Puella Magi: Madoka Magica, Steven Universe, and the Warriors book series.  Compared to those three other public properties, Sonic the Hedgehog is a lighthearted franchise meant for children and young adults.  There can't possibly be a subject matter in this series that is just as powerful as the previous three!  Surprisingly, you would find yourself to be wrong here.

  In my personal opinion, the IDW Sonic the Hedgehog comics are not only fun to read, but have an extra layer of mature complexity in the mix.  Characters such as Whisper the Wolf have to deal with real life problems, such as grief over losing a friend, or in her case, the entire Diamond Cutter team apart from her and Mimic.  The entire cast is dealing with not only the aftermath of a very traumatic war, but now a scary viral outbreak that has reversed all of the hard work the heroes took in rebuilding their world.  Many of the cast members make mistakes that pay dearly in the end, such as the main character Sonic the Hedgehog's decision to put too much trust into his robotic counterpart Metal Sonic, thus accidentally creating the events necessary to fuel the Metal Virus saga.  There are high stakes that parallel events and emotions people are experiencing firsthand in real-life, becoming a surprisingly relatable medium for comic book readers.  As much as I also love the Archie comic book line for stepping into similar territory, in my opinion, they don't quite hit the mark as strongly as the IDW comics.

  However, I did not create this part of the editorial just to compliment a great comic book adaptation of a franchise I really love.  I created this part to discuss an important lesson these stories have come to teach me in my twenties.  As stated before, the IDW Sonic the Hedgehog comics deal with heavier, relatable material than you would expect.  There are multiple routes I could take with this discussion, whether it be war-time PTSD or that even the strongest heroes have their flaws.  I think though the best course of action for me to take in this case though is a lesson that in the more recent issues has been expressed beautifully by the team of writers and artists working on the comic book series; being a hero is not an easy task to undertake.

  Due to the events that rippled off from the Metal Virus, a sickness that turns organic matter into mindless zombie machines looking only to infect others, this tough to swallow subject matter has been discussed again and again.  As learned from Charmy's rash actions early on in the virus, those already infected by the virus are doomed, even if they are just given a simple scratch.  Due to his young age, Charmy failed to see that there was nothing else he could have done to save the cat that got infected during evacuation.  Going to help her only would put others in danger of being infected, a bitter pill Charmy was given firsthand when infected himself (not permanently) when realizing too late that his emotions blinded him from staying safe himself.  This example got repeated by his own teammate Vector later when he risked the safety of HQ for the small chance Charmy could be saved, only to end up partially being responsible for over 90% of the evacuees getting infected once the zombot Charmy escaped captivity.  As a result, Vector was forced to give his life (definitely not permanently) to hold his teammate back from infecting others, leaving his last teammate Espio alone to deal with the losses of his two closest friends.  Team Chaotix's mistakes though are far from the only examples of heroism not being easy for any party.

  Tangle the Lemur, in order to buy The Resistance time to evacuate the infected Windmill Village, gave up her life (again, probably not permanently), by blocking a huge hoard of zombots off with her special talent of expanding her tail into a barrier.  Already having paid the price by trying to save her childhood friend Jewel, getting a scratch filled with the virus on her shoulder, she repaid her mistake by saving multiple other lives from the zombots.  For her heroism in the last moments, Tangle felt the pain those who receive from the infection experience completely alone, going down unfinished with her plight to keep fighting the hoard off.  Then there is Vanilla's sacrifice to save her daughter during the HQ zombie takeover.  Knowing full well that she would get infected if she fought back the zombots threatening her six year old daughter Cream, Vanilla still fought like any parent would for the safety of their child.  She paid the price with her life (also not permanent for sure), allowing Cream to make it to safety on the escape vessel.  Although not blinded like Team Chaotix in their final moments, Tangle and Vanilla still came to realize at the end that heroism is not for everyone.

  The best example by far though isn't a sacrificial move or emotionally driven mistakes, but rather the internal conflicts of a hero just trying to stay alive in this crisis; Sonic the Hedgehog himself.  In multiple instances, Sonic tried to save infected members of his friends, unable to do anything but watch them fall to the virus.  He was unable to save Charmy during the evacuation, could only watch Cheese and Chocula slowly become zombots (seriously, not permanently) after trying to defend their caretakers, could not convince Shadow to run off his own infection, and could do nothing to save Tangle from her fate.  The mounting losses took a heavy toll on the normally positive hero, trapping him in a cycle of guilt.  Despite this though, Sonic still stands and fights, knowing that the right thing to do is not the easy thing to do.  Sonic's example especially highlights the challenges heroes face when trying to do the right thing, with the options presented in front of you not being that easy.  Add in the fact that Sonic is trying to hold off his own inevitable infection, and his actions become more impressive.

  In this crisis, many characters have highlighted the moral that heroism isn't easy.  Being emotionally motivated can cloud your judgement, resulting in disaster.  Sometimes, the right move is the one that saves one party, but not the other.  Guilt can blind your judgement, and lead to feelings of responsibility for the evil being presented in front of you.  To become a hero is not as easy as it seems in the movies, and there are going to be times where sacrifices are going to have to be made, or your own feelings threaten to cloud your judgement.  However, the end result of these actions, changing a pure tragedy into something more positive, is worth all of the trials presented in front of you.  Overcoming these barriers to make a change is a rewarding experience, even if the recipient is not you, or the effects do not hit right away.  Doing something selfless is much better than just watching evil take place in front of you, and can make a change needed for society.  You just have to weigh the risks before doing something reckless and preforming the situational right move.