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Back Issues [Sonic Month]: Doomsday / The Final Victory

Dr. KLeave a comment

Sonic the Hedgehog was first introduced to gamers worldwide on June 23 1991 and, since then, has become not only SEGA’s most enduring and popular character but also a beloved videogame icon. Thus, in keeping with tradition, I’m dedicating some time to celebrate SEGA’s supersonic mascot.

Story Title: “Doomsday” (Part 1 to 3)
Published: 5 February 1997 (cover dated: 18 February 1997) to 5 March 1997 (18 March 1997)
Writer: Nigel Kitching
Artist: Richard Elson

Story Title: “The Final Victory” (Part 1 to 4)
Published: 18 March 1997 (cover-dated: 1 April 1997)
Writers: Nigel Kitching and Lew Stringer,
Artists: Richard Elson, Nigel Dobbyn, Roberto Corona, and Nigel Kitching

Quick Facts:
Thanks to an aggressive marketing campaign, Sonic briefly usurped Super Mario and his mainstream popularity saw him expand into comics. Sonic the Comic (StC) was published fortnightly in the United Kingdom, based its lore from the now defunct Mobius storyline, and boldly portrayed Sonic as an egotistical narcissist. Though eventually cancelled and survived by an online continuation, these four issues spelled the end of both an ongoing story arc and Doctor Ivo Robotnik’s dictatorship over planet Mobius.

The Review:
“Doomsday” and “The Final Victory” marked not just the historic 100th issue of StC, but also the culmination of a months-long story arc that saw pig-headed freedom fighter Sonic the Hedgehog trapped in the Special Zone. This happened after he went on a rampage as Super Sonic, his demonic, Chaos-powered alter ego. Using a Star Post, Sonic’s allies – namely Miles “Tails” Prower and Amy Rose – separated Sonic and Super Sonic into separate beings. Sonic then ventured into the Special Zone (a chaotic alternate dimension guarded by the Chaotix Crew) to keep his destructive alter ego from hurting anyone, eventually being stranded when Super Sonic was time locked within the Omni-Viewer, a benevolent, sentient television screen that was Sonic’s only way home. This meant Tails, Amy, and the other Freedom Fighters faced an uphill battle against Doctor Ivo Robotnik, who had conquered Mobius some years prior, without their point man and Sonic embarked on many strange adventures in the Special Zone trying to find a way home. This brought him into conflict with devious crime boss Lord Sidewinder and his gang, who seek to harness Super Sonic’s power for their own nefarious ends in part one of “Doomsday”. This story also sees Sonic and the Chaotix Crew (fresh off being framed as criminals) stopping Doctor Plague from unleashing a deadly virus upon New Tek City. Even when Dr. Plague launches a bunch of vials into the air, Sonic quickly retrieves them with a flourish. His gloating is interrupted by a desperate call from Porker Lewis, his neurotic childhood friend, and the sudden appearance of two suns in the sky. Super strong Mighty the Armadillo states such an occurrence is said to herald the end of the world, an event more likely than ever as the damaged and panicked Omni-Viewer soon appears.

Sonic is torn between battling his demonic double in the Special Zone or helping his friends on Mobius.

The Omni-Viewer reveals that he was unable to trap Super Sonic within his interdimensional vortex since the demon was far too powerful. Instead, he slowed time to a crawl, meaning it should’ve taken years for Super Sonic to escape. Instead, he somehow retained his consciousness and slowly built his power, turning the Black Asteroid he was imprisoned in into an electron bomb, hence the “second sun”. Although Sonic demands that the Omni-Viewer transport him back to Mobius to help Porker, team leader Vector the Crocodile begs him to stay to combat Super Sonic. It’s all moot anyway, though, as the Omni-Viewer is too weak to help and Lord Sidewinder’s mage, Lightmare, suddenly appears. Naturally, Sonic and the Chaotix Crew attack Lightmare before she can explain, forcing her to trap them in living nightmares using her Pandora’s box. After being surprised by Espio the Chameleon’s invisibility, Lightmare reveals she’s Lord Sidewinder’s daughter and begs them to stop to her father’s plot before it kills him and their gang. While Sonic and the others go to stop Lord Sidewinder, who loads himself and his gang into a rocket to head to the Black Asteroid, Vector stays behind to help the Omni-Viewer think up a plan to deal with Super Sonic. Vector restores the Omni-Viewer at the Equinox laboratory, where a scientist also reveals that an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) will be generated when the Black Asteroid explodes, causing chaos as every computerised system will immediately fail. Apparently driven mad by his ambition, Lord Sidewinder scoffs at any danger posed by the Black Asteroid, causing the oafish Bio-Hazard and Mister Fry to question his sanity and logic. This, as much as the pressing threat, allows Sonic and Mighty to easily rough up Lord Sidewinder’s goons, though Sonic remains conflicted between his duty to protect Mobius and the imminent destruction of the Black Asteroid.

An EMP knocks out Dr. Robotnik’s machines, finally ending his rule over Mobius.

However, upon learning of the EMP, Sonic has a genius brainwave and demands that the Omni-Viewer transport the Black Asteroid into the skies above Mobius, where it promptly explodes. As Dr. Robotnik’s entire army and operation consists of or is run by machines, this effectively disables all his Badniks and systems, releasing all the woodland critters from their mechanical prisons, shutting down the biological computer Dr. Robontik hooked the Emerald Hill residents up to on the Floating Island, and disabling Vermin the Cybernik, thus saving Sonic’s allies and allowing Knuckles the Echidna to rescue the Emerald Hill folk. Naturally, the demonic Super Sonic immediately goes on a warpath, desperate to destroy Metropolis City and attacking Sonic right as he reunites with Tails, Amy, and Johnny Lightfoot. Initially toying with his prey, Super Sonic unleashes a barrage of energy beams, cackling maniacally and overwhelming his more benevolent doppelgänger. However, right as Super Sonic is poised to deliver the killing blow, his energy suddenly drains and he’s forced to flee, with the Omni-Viewer revealing that the explosion somehow changed Super Sonic’s biology. With no time to ponder this or celebrate, Sonic has the Omni-Viewer transport him to the Floating Island, where a confused and troubled Dr. Robotnik orders his ally, turncoat, semi-cybernetic echidna Doctor Zachary, to destroy Knuckles. Although Dr. Zachary can’t use the ancient Guardian robots due to the EMP, he’s somehow still able to use his cybernetic weapons, though he’s quickly blasted by Sonic right as Knuckles was playing possum and summarily trapped in a gorge courtesy of the super strong echidna. Despite the two realising they’ve been so distracted with their rivalry and battling Dr. Zachary that they’ve forgotten about Dr. Robotnik, they’re amazed to find Porker has apprehended the tyrant.

Sonic stops Dr. Robotnik’s attempts to get back online and finally liberates the planet from his rule.

While a confused, powerless, and amnesiac Super Sonic wanders Metropolis City and is taken in by a kindly resident, Sonic wastes no time in parading the fallen despot through the city, gleefully proclaiming the end of his rule to the cheering masses and delivering him to the city courthouse so he can be locked up and eventually tried for his crimes. Though humiliated, Dr. Robotnik remains defiant, even more so when his long-abused assistant, Grimer, suddenly shows up riding an antique, steam-powered robot and promptly rescues his master. Although Sonic easily smashes the machine, the confusion allows Grimer to get Dr. Robotnik to safety. As they know every inch of the city, the two promptly vanish, frustrating Sonic so much that he chastises Tails for distracting himself with Vermin. Prompted by Johnny, Sonic realises that Dr. Robotnik and Grimer must’ve fled back to their ominous citadel using the city’s sewer system and promptly gives chase, crashing in right as Dr. Robotnik is ordering Grimer to start up the clunky emergency generator. Desperate to keep Dr. Robotnik from getting his machines back online, Sonic knocks Grimer aside and speeds around the generator, which overloads the power core and causes the ostentatious citadel to dramatically explode. With the immediate threat ended and the symbol of Dr. Robotnik’s rule in flames, Sonic finally celebrates their victory alongside his friends and the liberated inhabitants of Metropolis City. However, Dr. Robotnik and Grimer escaped the explosion using the sewers and retreat to the outskirts of the city. Although Grimer wallows in despair, Dr. Robotnik is practically frothing at the mouth at the indignity and vows to take a terrible revenge upon his enemies for ousting him from power.

Final Thoughts: 
As an avid collector of Sonic the Comic back in the day, I was beyond hyped for these four issues and StC’s big 100th issue release. The months leading up to “Doomsday” had seen all the Sonic-related back-up stories deal with his exile to the Special Zone and Dr. Robotnik’s plot to use the Emerald Hill folk to power his giant supercomputer, meaning “The Final Victory” was the culmination of not just years of the dictator’s stranglehold over Mobius but months of semi-connected storytelling. It’s therefore fitting that “The Final Victory” takes up the entirety of issue 100 and showcases many of StC’s artists, though Richard Elson remains the gold standard and I do wish he’d illustrated the entire story as it’s very jarring to go from his beautiful, epic artwork to the comparatively basic and cartoonish illustrations of Nigel Kitching. Although you could argue that using an EMP was a contrived and convenient way to defeat Dr. Robotnik in one fell swoop, it was also the best and most efficient way. For years, Sonic and his friends settled for scoring minor victories, liberating the odd Zone or taking out garrisons, battleships, or Dr. Robotnik’s commanders, but were unable to strike a decisive blow against the tyrant. As Dr. Robotnik is all about machines and robots, an EMP is the perfect way to knock out his army and end his rule, ushering in a new age of StC as Sonic struggles to define his role in a world without war and conflict and Dr. Robotnik schemes to return to power. This story also saw the Emerald Hill folk return home after being given sanctuary on the Floating Island, Super Sonic have a few side adventures as a distinct character, and marked the beginning of Amy’s journey into an independent character.

A cathartic end and start of a new era that would’ve been made even better by Richard Elson.

The timeline of events are a bit strange, however. Super Sonic apparently frees himself, or the Omni-Viewer decides to abandon him to get help for the impending explosion, and is seemingly unable or unwilling to stop charging his power for his dramatic escape. Given how powerful Super Sonic is, it’s strange that he wouldn’t just burst free of the Black Asteroid as soon as possible. This threat is also subdued very quickly, which is a shame as it might’ve been fun to somehow involve him in Dr. Robotnik’s scheme to restart his systems (perhaps he could’ve taken Super Sonic’s unconscious body and used it as a battery?) Knuckles also gets a bit side-lined, though it’s clear his focus is on helping the Emerald Hill folk since Dr. Zachary’s been taken care of and Dr. Robotnik’s in custody. I liked that Sonic never broke character here: he still gives Tails shit, mocks Knuckles, and acts like a jackass even though he’s won the day. I also liked how conflicted he was between helping the Special Zone and getting back to Mobius. StC-Sonic might be an insufferable prick most of the time, but he’s dedication to defeating Dr. Robotnik and saving lives is never in question, even if he does alienate those closest to him. I also enjoyed seeing Dr. Robotnik humiliated and aggravated by Sonic’s taunting and the cheers of the Mobians, and that he still had a few tricks up his sleeve despite his machines being knocked out. I’m not sure why Dr. Zachary’s weapons were unaffected by the EMP, but the steam powered robot was a nice touch, so much so that I kind of wish Dr. Robotnik had hopped in a steam-powered mech for one more brutal fight with Sonic. Still, this as a satisfying conclusion to years and months of storylines. It was great to finally have Sonic back home and to see Dr. Robotnik so utterly defeated so quickly, and to finally give the good guys a decisive victory after years of simply chipping away at Dr. Robotnik’s rule.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Were you impressed by Sonic’s final victory over Dr. Robotnik? Were you a little confused about how Super Sonic escaped from the Omni-Viewer? Would you have liked to see Super Sonic play a greater role as a villain in the end? Do you agree that Richard Elson should’ve illustrated the entire final story? What are some of your favourite StC stories and how are you celebrating Sonic the Hedgehog this year? Whatever your thoughts on Sonic the Comic, or Sonic in general, drop a comment below and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest other Sonic comic stories for me to review.

Back Issues [Sonic Month]: Sonic the Hedgehog: Genesis

Dr. KLeave a comment

Sonic the Hedgehog was first introduced to gamers worldwide on June 23 1991 and, since then, has become not only SEGA’s most enduring and popular character but also a beloved videogame icon. Thus, in keeping with tradition, I’m dedicating some time to celebrate SEGA’s supersonic mascot.

Writer: Ian Flynn – Artists: Patrick “Spaz” Spaziante and Tracy Yardley

Story Title: “Part One: In the Beginning…”
Published: 29 June 2011 (cover-dated: August 2011)

Story Title: “Part Two: Fate and Friends”
Published: 3 August 2011 (cover-dated: September 2011)

Story Title: “Part Three: Divide and Conquer”
Published: 31 August 2011 (cover-dated: October 2011)

Story Title: “Part Four: Reset”
Published: 5 October 2011 (cover-dated: November 2011)

Quick Facts:
SEGA quickly capitalised on Sonic’s mainstream popularity by commissioning two concurrent cartoons for their famous mascot. Sonic the Hedgehog (1993 to 1994), or “SatAM”, was the clear favourite compared to ita slapstick counterpart, though Archie Comics awkwardly mashed both together for a four-part miniseries. Unfortunately, the longest-running videogame comic book hit a road block when a former writer filed a ridiculous lawsuit that eventually saw the license acquired by IDW. Before then, Archie Comics scrambled to retool their continuity to bring it closer to the source material for Sonic’s 20th anniversary.

The Review:
This back-to-basics celebration of Sonic’s history arguably echoes the videogames closer than Archie’s previous efforts, which were always an odd amalgamation of the cartoons, videogames, and convoluted original lore. Accordingly, the event is kick-started by the startling revelation that Doctor Ivo Robotnik (initially a semi-cybernetic dictator but now a flesh-and-blood “Overlander” referred to as and physically resembling Doctor Eggman) has rebuilt his horrifying space station, the Death Egg. This leads to a temporary truce between the Knothole Freedom Fighters and bizarre mage Ixis Naugus and a desperate assault against the heavily fortified space station, which saw Sonic and fearless leader Princess Sally infiltrate the Death Egg. Unfortunately, Sonic gets distracted fighting a bigger, fiercer version of Silver Sonic and is both unable to save Sally from being gunned down or stop Dr. Eggman activating the “Genesis Wave”, a Chaos Emerald-powered, reality altering shockwave that creates a new timeline. Thus, Sonic finds himself racing through Green Hill Zone with no memory of his friends or previous complicated dramas and simply investigating recent disappearances. Accordingly, Sonic is surprised to find Green Hill Zone populated by Motobugs, bug-themed Badniks powered by the missing woodland critters. Sonic commandeers a nearby Newtron and orders it to take him to its leader, meeting not Dr. Eggman but his nephew, Snively, who’s fiercely loyal to his uncle’s dream of conquering the planet with machinery and technology. Snively attacks in the Egg Wrecker, succeeding only in damaging the natural environment with his giant wrecking ball as Sonic is too fast to hit. A couple of hits to Snively’s craft sends the little weasel packing and Sonic rescues a bunch of animals from the capsule Snively was defending, three of whom are well known to Archie’s readers but are just meeting Sonic for the first time.

Though Dr. Eggman resets reality, Sonic’s fated to fall in with his old friends and oppose his schemes.

Sally Acorn, Boomer Walrus, and Antoine Depardieu reveal they’ve been actively investigating both the mysterious earthquakes ravaging the land and Dr. Eggman, and have even pinpointed a direct route to his stronghold, convincing Sonic to join their efforts. Their first stop is the ruins of the Marble Zone, where Sonic is surprised when the name “Caterkiller” mysteriously comes to mind upon seeing the Badnik. Although Boomer trashes it, Antoine is so terrified that he disturbs a flock of Batbrains, leading Sonic to scoff when Sally praises Antoine for alerting them to an ambush. Boomer reprograms a smashed Buzz Bomber and Sally convinces a passing Flicky to power it, giving them some additional firepower as they traverse the hazardous ruins, which are wracked by an earthquake. Thanks to Sonic’s speed and the friendly Buzz Bomber, the group avoids falling into boiling hot magma, only to be confronted by Dr. Eggman (in his classic attire, no less). Eager to test his speed against this new foe, Sonic races off, deftly dodging fireballs from the Egg Scorcher and giving Sally the strangest sense of déjà vu. Distracted by breaking his turncoat Badnik, Dr. Eggman gets wrecked by Sonic and flees to prepare his master plan, though even he is unsure of what that is due to memory lapses. Victorious, Sonic leads the group into the flooded, cavernous Labyrinth Zone, where Sonic’s concerns about Sally’s relationship with Antoine are quickly superseded by his fear of water. Encouraged by Sally, Sonic dives in and even blasts them clear of an Orbinaut swarm, though an earthquake seemingly spells doom for Antoine. As they emerge in the Starlight Zone, Sonic’s amazed at how nonplussed his new friends are about Antoine’s death but agrees that something’s definitely not right as they keep sharing the same thoughts and feeling the same things. Determined to avenge Antoine, they quickly push past the Zone’s Badniks and hazards to reach the Scrap Brain Zone, though Sonic thinks “Robotropolis” sounds far better.

Although they all suffer from amnesia, the characters are naturally drawn into conflict with each other.

Zapped by electricity, Sonic is almost too slow to save Boomer from also plummeting to his death and the three stumble into another confrontation with Dr. Eggman, who states his hatred of that nickname and traps Sonic in a forcefield. Dr. Eggman then tries to fry and crush Sonic with the piston-like Egg Crusher, only to be surprised when Antoine comes flushing down his pipe and frantically swats Dr. Eggman, giving Sonic the opening to trash his machine. Sonic then busts Dr. Eggman’s craft and sends him packing, sure to return. Sonic then introduces his new friends to his little buddy, Miles “Tails” Prower, who immediately hits it off with the equally scientific and mechanically minded Boomer. Although Sally’s sceptical about Tails due to his age, Sonic vouches for him and the three set off to tackle Dr. Eggman’s Westside Island facilities, unaware that Dr. Eggman has already launched his Death Egg. Although neither Dr. Eggman or Snively remember firing the Genesis Wave, they console themselves with the knowledge that the seven Chaos Emeralds will soon recharge the Death Egg to robotize Mobius in one shot. While Snively thinks his uncle should focus more on the interdimensional disturbances ravaging Mobius, Dr. Eggman is obsessed with destroying his newfound foe, whose unpredictability represents a significant risk. Disgusted by the pollution pumped out by the maze-like Chemical Plant Zone, Sonic and Tails still find time to have fun racing around and through the pipes, though the threat of drowning in toxic mega muck sees them air lift their friends to safety. After flirting with Sally, Sonic’s hit by a distorted memory of her death while debating their next move and opts to split from the group with Tails to tackle the source of the problem while they shut down the facility.

Super Sonic’s climatic showdown with Dr. Eggman sees him resetting reality…for better or worse.

Sonic and Tails take the Tornado biplane to Metropolis Zone, where Sonic immediately regrets his decision when he sees how heavily guarded the mechanical hellhole is. Sally expresses similar regrets over not trying harder to convince Sonic to stick around as they’re attacked in the hazardous Oil Ocean Zone, where a near-death experience suddenly triggers brief memories of the old world, where her and Sonic were an item, before the trio successfully shut down the facility. After besting Dr. Eggman’s traps, Sonic faces the rotund madman in his Egg Bouncer craft. Sonic also experiences déjà vu when Dr. Eggman calls him “rodent”, though he easily bounces past the villain and hitches a ride on the Tornado, bypassing the Wing Fortress Zone to leap to Dr. Eggman’s shuttle and reach the Death Egg. There, Sonic sees the devastating extent of the earthquakes and learns they’re caused by reality trying to force itself back together. When Dr. Eggman boasts that his roboticizer will cement the dimensional shift and ensure his victory, Sonic’s again bombarded by vague memories of their past conflicts and rushes to stop him, only to be attacked by the gigantic Death Egg Robot. As Sonic desperately dodges the mech’s detachable, spiked arms and stomps, Dr. Eggman reveals that he’s remembered enough to know that he reshaped reality to try and keep Sonic from interfering with his plans and lets slip that the Chaos Emeralds power the battle station. This allows Sonic to power-up into Super Sonic, much to Dr. Eggman’s disbelief, and he easily overpowers the mech. After overhearing from Snively that their battle is making the situation worse for Mobius, Sonic desperately initiates Chaos Control, another reality-altering shockwave that restores the world and everyone’s memories. However, while this allows Sonic to rescue Sally and bring down the Death Egg, it does result in Sally being roboticized.

Final Thoughts: 
Despite part three this arc featuring a beautiful recreation of the North American box art of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (SEGA, 1994), no elements from this videogame or its add-on are featured here and Knuckles the Echidna is entirely absent. Instead, “Genesis” is more of a homage to and recreation of the first two games and does what I’ve longed hoped for from Archie Comics, which is to stick closer to the action-packed adventure of the source material rather than short-changing recognisable locations and elements. “Genesis” also impresses by featuring gorgeous artwork from Spaz and Tracy Yardley, Archie’s best artists by a country mile, whose work shines in this much more focused, back-to-basics story. While I admit sticking closely to the plot of the videogames isn’t sustainable for hundreds of issues, there’s something to be said about the simplicity of avoiding all the interpersonal drama, slapstick, and dark and gritty atmosphere for a fun, action-packed story. “Genesis” still includes humorous moments, mainly involving Antoine or Sonic and Tails having fun, and has reasonably high stakes as Dr. Eggman is polluting the world, enslaving its inhabitants, and threatens to cement his rule once more with the Death Egg. There’s also the greater concern of the earthquakes rocking Mobius, which split apart the Marble Zone and almost kill Antoine. These are the direct result of Dr. Eggman’s Genesis Wave, which alters reality to create an all-new world much closer to the videogames but one that’s unstable and desperately trying to return to normal. This also alters everyone’s memories and even returns Rotor to his original name, causing even Dr. Eggman to have no idea what he did to the world, just that he must fire the Death Egg again to be victorious.

The soft reboot gives us a chance to refamiliarise ourselves with these characters and their relationships.

I really enjoyed seeing Sonic bashing Badniks, rescuing critters, and racing through recognisable Zones from the first two games. In many ways, “Genesis” reminds me of the Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic (Unknown, 1991) in how it quickly blasts through the hazards, Badniks, and bosses of the first game, uniquely replacing Dr. Eggman with Snively for the Egg Wrecker encounter and having Sally and the others accompany Sonic to Marble Zone and Labyrinth Zone, where various pitfalls await. Boomer’s side plot where he reprograms a Buzz Bomber was a fun way to show his mechanical prowess, though it didn’t really lead to much beyond this and showing that Sally can speak “Flicky”. Antoine doesn’t get much to do either and is reduced back to being a snivelling little coward and French stereotype, but I did like him having a much closer relationship with Sally, to the point where Sonic’s jealous of their connection and she must clarify that they’re just “close friends”. More of a nuisance than anything, Antoine is the butt of Sonic’s pranks and ridicule but his apparent death hits Sonic so hard that he’s baffled that his newfound friends aren’t more upset. This was an odd moment. I think the implication was supposed to be that Sally and Boomer sensed the death wasn’t real or permanent, implying that Antoine would come back if the world returned to normal, or perhaps it was a metacommentary on how characters never (or rarely) die. Either way, it was a strange moment rendered completely moot as Antoine shows up alive anyway. It was fun seeing the characters be confused by their déjà vu and remembering events from past issues, though it might’ve been nice to see these solidified across the story to more explicitly change their interactions. Sure, Boomer and Tails immediately click and Sonic and Sally naturally flirt and Dr. Eggman is immediately incensed by Sonic, but they’re all largely acting on blind instinct rather than piecing their true personalities together across the four issues.

The back-to-basics approach does wonders for the action and is a fitting homage to the videogames.

Still, the artwork is impeccable here and it was fun seeing this alternative first meeting between Sonic and the Freedom Fighters. I liked that Sonic just goes where he pleases and rescues the critters because it’s the right thing to do, but was convinced to team with Sally and the others since they’ve already made headway in tracking Dr. Eggman and because he feels he knows them. The relationship between Sonic and Tails was also super adorable, with Tails being closer to how he appears in the videogames while still being a capable pilot and avid mechanic. I loved seeing Dr. Eggman in his classic outfit and the classic Egg-O-Matics being put to use, and watching Sonic and the others deal with familiar hazards like spikes, pits, and crumbling platforms in locations lifted directly from the games to fit this world rather than being magically created, temporary Zones that make little narrative sense. I really enjoyed seeing how the Zones fitted together in a coherent way and that they group split up to tackle Oil Ocean Zone and Metropolis Zone separately, with each lamenting the decision since it feels right for them to be together. It’s a shame that Wing Fortress Zone got shafted but it was a neat touch bookending the arc with battles against Silver Sonic and finally seeing Sonic battle the Death Egg Robot (which I don’t think had appeared in Archie’s comics). I also liked the twist that the battle between Super Sonic and the Death Egg Robot was exacerbating the threat to Mobius and that Sonic took a gamble on Chaos Control to set things right, though it might’ve been nice to spread this arc out over a few more issues just to help usher in the new era. Overall, though, “Genesis” was a perfect soft reset to attract new readers and a fun way to reset Archie’s convoluted lore into a narrative that is closer to the videogames, recontextualising characters and elements to make them accessible while also being a fitting homage to the Blue Blur’s storied career.

My Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Great Stuff

Did you enjoy the “Genesis” arc? Were you happy to see a more back-to-basics approach for a change or did you enjoy all the drama of Archie’s comics? Do you think Archie should’ve gone all-in and just rebooted the comics here? Which of Archie’s original characters was your favourite and what did you think to their award-winning run? How are you celebrating Sonic the Hedgehog this year? Share your memories of Archie’s Sonic comics below and donate to my Ko-Fi and suggest more Archie Sonic stories for me to review.

Back Issues & Knuckles: Super Sonic vs. Hyper Knuckles

Dr. KLeave a comment

When Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (SEGA Technical Institute, 1994) released on this day in 1994, gamers were introduced to Knuckles the Echidna. Takashi Yuda’s mischievous, dreadlocked antagonist is my favourite of Sonic’s supporting cast so excuse me while I celebrate his debut throughout February.

Published: 8 February 1996

Story Title: “Crash of the Titans” (Part I to IV)
Writer: Mike Gallagher
Artist: Art Mawhinney

Story Title: “Fathers and Sons”
Writers: Mike Kanterovich and Ken Penders
Artist: Ken Penders

Quick Facts:
Following an initial four-part miniseries, Archie Comics’ Sonic comic books became the longest-running videogame comic book in history. As proven by cartoons like Sonic the Hedgehog/SatAM (1993 to 1994), Sonic was extremely popular at the time, so Archie branched out with a Knuckles the Echidna companion series that eventually became bogged down by convoluted lore. Before a bitter lawsuit forever changed Sonic’s comic books, Knuckles famously matched his rival in every way, including getting his own impressive “Super” form.

The Review:
“Crash of the Titans” sees stubborn loner Knuckles the Echidna make an unexpected appearance in the Great Forest just outside of Knothole Village, the home of the Freedom Fighters. When intrepid leader Princess Sally Acorn and enthusiastic sidekick Miles “Tails” Prower spot Knuckles stomping around, they call in Sonic the Hedgehog. Despite always parting on friendly terms with Knuckles in the past, Sonic and the others are suspicious of their visitor, especially as he never leaves the Floating Island he’s duty-bound to protect. Sonic’s suspicions become full-blown paranoia when Knuckles heads towards Robotropolis, the mechanical, polluted capital of Mobius’s semi-cybernetic dictator, Doctor Ivo Robotnik. Assuming Knuckles is out to cut a deal with Dr. Robotnik, Sonic races off, barely acknowledging Sally’s order that he simply talk to the echidna. When the story shifts to Knuckles, we learn that he’s disgusted by the environmentally destructive ways of “landlubbers” and why he’s come to the surface. After witnessing a Chaos Emerald be split in two in the Triple Trouble special (Gallagher, et al, 1995), Knuckles became concerned about his floating home, which was once held aloft by a dozen Chaos Emeralds and now relies on only one. Determined to keep the island from falling, Knuckles consults the legendary Book of Myths and discovers a link between the Chaos Emeralds and the Magic Rings found within “Zones” (in Archie’s comics, Zones are temporary, semi-magic dimensions that spawn from Chaos energy). Knuckles also learns that Magic Rings sporadically appear at the fabled “Lake of Rings”. However, Knuckles assumes that the Lake of Rings must be in Robotropolis due to the high radiation generated by the mechanical hellscape and left the island under the care of his super strong ally, Mighty the Armadillo, to investigate. Instead of a mystical lake, Knuckles finds a polluted, desolate grotto on the city outskirts, one that was apparently once closely monitored, and is suddenly blindsided by the hot-headed Sonic.

Sonic’s reckless desire to fight Knuckles sees the two transform into their Super forms!

After landing the first hit, Sonic speed reads Sally’s declaration for a parlay but, naturally, Knuckles isn’t interested and the two go at it. Sonic smacks Knuckles with his signature Figure Eight but finds himself running right into a tree when Knuckles yanks on a nearby root. Though temporarily stuck, Sonic uproots the tree and collapses it onto Knuckles, forcing Princess Sally to intervene to keep the landscape from being damaged. While her presence quells the fighting, Sonic and Knuckles continue to bicker, but Sally ignores them as her portable computer companion, Nicole, detects vast radiation coming from where the tree was standing, discovering the entrance to an unknown, hazardous Zone swimming with Magic Rings and Chaos Emeralds! Eager to get what he came for, Knuckles dives in, prompting Sally to offhandedly comment that Knuckles “hasn’t changed since [they spent] summers together”. Stunned by the revelation that Sally has known Knuckles all this time, Sonic pauses his pursuit to question the princess, only to be dismissed and sent after the echidna, the matter shelved in favour of some dubious flirting. Sonic enters the chaotic, hazardous Zone (a mishmash of Badniks, spikes, and other vaguely recognisable videogame elements) to find Knuckles snagging the Magic Rings and making a run for a Chaos Emerald. Thanks to his superior speed, Sonic easily snags fifty Magic Rings and seven Chaos Emeralds, transforming into Super Sonic, a golden, super-powered form that makes him functionally invincible. While Super Sonic is busy bragging, Knuckles quickly collects enough Magic Rings to trigger his own transformation, a burning pink form he dubs “Hyper Knuckles”.

The fierce, super-powered battle destroys a temporary Zone and earns Knuckles a backup Emerald.

Angered by the gimmick infringement, Super Sonic quickly learns that Hyper Knuckles’ strength has been increased “a thousandfold” when he takes an uppercut. However, Super Sonic immediately answers back by demonstrating that he’s now “a thousand times faster than before” with some rapid punches to Hyper Knuckles’ snout. Hyper Knuckles retaliates by smashing a chunk off the Zone and bashing Super Sonic over the head, amazed at how fast Super Sonic recovers but refusing to back down. The two super-powered rivals fly at each other, brutally grappling in an impressive two-page spread before Hyper Knuckles easily deflects Super Sonic’s Super Spin Dash (which is oddly drawn to be the Figure Eight) and snatches his golden-hued rival out of mid-air with his superior strength. However, Super Sonic pivots, using the “backward momentum” to propel himself at Hyper Knuckles with a Super Figure Eight, only for Hyper Knuckles to immediately recover, spin his spiked fists like wheels, and launch a flying kick to Super Sonic’s nose! With both combatants enraged, the two clash with such incredible force that they literally bend time and space and disrupt the integrity of the Zone. The unstable energies are so powerful they cause the Zone to explode, triggering an earthquake so massive that Dr. Robotnik picks it up on his sensors. The explosion obliterates the Zone, drains Sonic and Knuckles of their Super forms, and returns the exhausted, disorientated Sonic to the Lake of Rings. Princess Sally confirms that the Zone and all its Magic Rings and Chaos Emeralds were destroyed, revealing that she saw everything using the seemingly inoperable camera setup nearby. She then gives Sonic a lift back to Knothole but refuses to elaborate on her past with Knuckles. As for Rad Red, he returns to the Floating Island with a brand-new Chaos Emerald in hand, his epic fight with Super Sonic apparently having made waves amongst its residents.

Recalling his father’s teachings gives Knuckles the motivation to find his missing friends.

Of course, it wouldn’t be an Archie Sonic special without a backup story. Super Sonic vs. Hyper Knuckles opts not to feature an additional story focusing on the two Super-powered forms and instead continues Ken Penders’ convoluted backstory for Knuckles with a flashback to his youth. “Fathers and Sons” shows that young Knuckles grew up alongside his father, Locke, who taught him his duties as a future guardian of the Floating Island. Locke reveals that this responsibility is passed down through the generations and takes Knuckles to the Chaos Chamber for the first time, revealing that the island is held aloft by a Chaos Emerald and emphasising Knuckles’ duty to protect it. This flashback is revealed to be the ruminations of the troubled Knuckles in the present day as he ponders the puzzle of the mysterious “Archimedes”, a disembodied voice who’s been testing him over the last few months and recently kidnapped his allies, the Chaotix. After dismissing the idea that Archimedes is his father testing his mettle, Knuckles recalls his father’s teachings, which stressed analysing a situation before deciding the best course of action and understanding an enemy before attacking. Knuckles also remembered how his father disappeared into the “Forbidden Zone”, passing his duties as guardian to his son, and his run-ins with Sonic, Dr. Robotnik, and the Chaotix. Realising that he’s let his pride get in the way and that he still needs to grow up to be the guardian his father always wanted, Knuckles vows to track down Archimedes, get the answers he’s seeking, and rescue his friends to make his father proud.

Final Thoughts: 
Super Sonic vs. Hyper Knuckles is a lot better than some of the other 48-page Archie Comics specials I’ve read, but not by much. The main story is showcased far better than some of Archie’s other videogame adaptations, taking up most of the pages and thankfully limiting the backup stories to one ugly, but ultimately forgettable footnote in Penders’ weird Knuckles canon. “Crash of the Titans” retains the distinctly “SatAM” style rendering of its characters but still laces that more serious tone with puns and daft moments, like Tails and Dr. Robotnik breaking the fourth wall, the Book of Myths being hidden in a tree trunk, and Princess Sally’s letter. The story is another example of Archie’s writers awkwardly trying to mash videogame elements with their largely disconnected canon, placing videogame mechanics like traps, spikes, Magical Rings, and Chaos Emeralds in unstable, interdimensional Zones that randomly appear throughout Mobius. I’ve never been a big fan of this and much prefer it when the comics simply adapt the game Zones into locations within the comic’s world, which seems like a far easier solution. They could still have had Rings and Chaos Emeralds in Special Stages/Zones to include fantastical elements, which is something the Fleetway comics did to really well. As presented here, the Zone is kind of baffling. I don’t get why it’s populated by Dr. Robotnik’s Badniks and traps or why Archie’s Sonic comics had so many damn Chaos Emeralds floating around. I guess they figured the many Chaos Emeralds included in Sonic’s games were all different sets, but that doesn’t explain why they’re all green. Archie also deviates from SatAM by changing the nature of the Magic Rings. In SatAM, the Power Rings were invented by Sonic’s Uncle Chuck, spawning from a machine installed at the Lake of Rings every twenty-four hours, temporarily boosted Sonic’s speed and power, and could also be used as a power source. Here, they’re much closer to their videogame counterparts and simply facilitate a Super transformation.

The colourful, heated brawl between Super Sonic and Hyper Knuckles certainly delivers.

Technically, “Crash of the Titans” is a very barebones story. It’s simply another chapter in the rivalry between Sonic and Knuckles, one given extra spice by the revelation that Sally and Knuckles grew up together and Sonic’s many dubious run-ins with the hot-headed echidna. Accordingly, Sonic doesn’t hesitate to attack, suspicious as he is of his untrustworthy rival, and the two finally have a more physical fight that’s given time to breathe with the additional pages and panels. “Crash of the Titans” emphasises that Sonic and Knuckles are as bad as each other and evenly matched: both are stubborn, prideful, and occasionally reckless, letting their emotions get the better of them, and Sonic’s pure speed is perfectly matched by Knuckles’ brawn. Even Sonic’s hitherto-unique ability to turn Super is matched by Knuckles, who debuts his Hyper Knuckles form and proves every bit Super Sonic’s equal. The battle between Super Sonic and Hyper Knuckles was really well executed, being a colourful, engaging brawl that saw the two bust out some unique moves, such as Knuckles spinning his fists for added momentum and Super Sonic super-charging his Figure Eight. As they’re both functionally invulnerable, the stakes are minimal during this fight and there could never have been a clear winner, hence the destruction of the Zone, which only further reinforced how evenly matched the two were. Still, I think it might’ve helped differentiate the two if Sonic had been reckless and irresponsible and Knuckles had been trying to avoid a confrontation and talk sense into his rival, only to be pushed to the edge and fight back, if only to show that Knuckles is the more mature of the two. The backup story is barely worth mentioning but, again, I would’ve preferred to see this ditched to perhaps see Super Sonic and Hyper Knuckles set aside their differences to battle Dr. Robotnik (or one of his creations). Still, Super Sonic vs. Hyper Knuckles was an enjoyable, if mindless special that delivered exactly what it promised and upped the ante for future conflicts between the two rivals.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Did you enjoy the clash between Super Sonic and Hyper Knuckles? What did you think to Hyper Knuckles’ first appearance in Archie’s Sonic comics? Did you enjoy his Archie Comics changed the lore of the Chaos Emeralds, Rings, and Zones? Would you have liked to se the two team up against a common enemy? Which of Archie’s Knuckles stories and/or characters was your favourite and how are you celebrating Knuckles’ debut? Use the comments below to share your thoughts and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest more Knuckles content for the site.

Back Issues & Knuckles: Knuckles’ Chaotix

Dr. K1 Comment

When Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (SEGA Technical Institute, 1994) released on this day in 1994, gamers were introduced to Knuckles the Echidna. Takashi Yuda’s mischievous, dreadlocked antagonist is my favourite of Sonic’s supporting cast so excuse me while I celebrate his debut throughout February.

Published: 9 November 1995 (cover-dated: January 1996)

Story Title: “The Chaos Effect” (Part 1 to 3)
Writers: Mike Kanterovich and Ken Penders
Artist: Art Mawhinney

Story Title: “Tag! You’re It!”
Writer: Ken Penders
Artist: Harvey Mercadoocasio

Story Title: “The Hunt is On!”
Writer: Ken Penders
Artist: Ken Penders

Quick Facts:
After publishing a four-part miniseries, Archie Comics spearheaded the longest-running videogame comic book and expanded their reach with a popular Knuckles the Echidna companion series. Prior to that first three-issue series, Archie detailed how Knuckles met his Chaotix running buddies in this loose adaptation of the rare and obscure Knuckles’ Chaotix (SEGA, 1995) and they were by his side even when overly complicated lore and a lawsuit changed Archie’s Sonic comic books forever.

The Review:
“The Chaos Effect” sees the Knothole Freedom Fighters (reckless point man hog Sonic the Hedgehog and his enthusiastic, two-tailed buddy Miles “Tails” Prower, fearless leader Princess Sally Acorn, tech guru Rotor the Walrus, the partially roboticized Bunny Rabbot, and officious Antoine D’Coolette) invited to what was then known as the Floating Island, a near-mythical hovering peninsula held aloft by a Chaos Emerald and known to dislike intruders. When Sonic and his friends arrive, they find a fully decked out carnival theme park populated by their fellow Freedom Fighters (including Sonic’s number one fan, Amy Rose, and his rival, Geoffrey St. John). Surprised that the island’s guardian, super strong loner Knuckles, would invite them much less host such an extravagant attraction, Sonic and the others are introduced to the brains behind the carnival: Renfield T. Rodent, who invites them to try out the Hall of Mirrors. Inside, while the others are startled (or amazed) by their warped reflections, Sonic’s suspicions about the whole thing immediately turn out to be true when the Freedom Fighters are trapped within the mirrors! Knuckles’ shock is doubled when Doctor Ivo Robotnik, the cruel-hearted despot who has conquered and polluted most of Mobius, reveals the entire thing was an elaborate trap to dispose of his hated enemies. When Knuckles attacks, he finds the light has stripped him of his natural abilities and that Dr. Robotnik spared him so Knuckles could witness the madman’s ultimate victory.

When Dr. Robotnik captures Sonic and co, Knuckles reluctantly teams with some new allies to rescue them.

With his dreadlocks pruned and his fists lacking spikes, the handicapped Knuckles ponders how he’s going to save his allies, only for a hyperactive little honeybee, Charmy Bee, to suddenly fly by and offer some advice. Both are startled when Espio the Chameleon reveals he’s been hanging out, while invisible, in the forest and all three ready themselves for a fight when a ruckus storms their way. When this turns out to be music loving, wannabe rap star Vector the Crocodile, Espio relieves him of his headphones before being knocked on his ass, along with the others, when powerhouse Mighty the Armadillo bursts through the mountainside. Although Knuckles is suspicious to see that Mighty is accompanied by two robots, Heavy and Bomb (strangely sporting very different appearances to their videogame counterparts), the duo explain that the “power gems” installed into them by Dr. Robotnik allowed them to develop sentience and a conscience. When they learned of Dr. Robotnik’s carnival-themed plot, they came to help, bringing a cache of power gems and experimental weapons to disrupt Dr. Robotnik’s mad scheme. Encouraged, Knuckles sets to work rescuing the Freedom Fighters and Dr. Robotnik is alarmed when his theme park attractions and rides suddenly activate. As they’re all powered by separated control mechanisms, the semi-cybernetic tyrant correctly surmises that Knuckles must’ve had help to bring them all online. However, Dr. Robotnik quickly adapts and uses his “material transport system” (because “teleporter” would be too simple, I guess) to bring in some reinforcements.

Despite its immense size, Mecha Sonic is reduced to scrap metal by an enlarged Knuckles.

This comes in the form of Metal Mecha Sonic, Sonic’s deadly, robotic doppelgänger. Greatly enhanced since its last deployment, the ever-loyal Mecha Sonic is sent after Knuckles and his new allies and immediately locates them in the heart of the carnival. Immediately taking charge, Knuckles commands they attack preemptively, which sees Charmy Bee fly around Mecha Sonic to little effect and Espio turning invisible to lure the super-fast robot into crashing into a building. Utilising a ring-like tether wielded by Vector, Knuckles dives at his foe, only for Mecha Sonic to switch to infra-red (seems tactically dangerous in the daytime, but whatever…) and snag the energy beam connecting the two rings. However, Vector apparently uses the mysterious rings to teleport or switch places with Knuckles (the art isn’t very clear…) and toss Mecha Sonic towards Mighty, who sends it crashing through a few buildings. While still recovering, Mecha Sonic is surprised when Bomb explodes next to him, only to shrug it off and grow to immense size thanks to a power gem. To face this Kaiju-sized, red tinted goliath, Knuckles utilises one of Heavy’s power gem’s to also become a giant, battling Mecha Sonic Kai on equal ground. Dr. Robotnik’s fears about the volatile nature of the power gems comes to fruition when Knuckles smacks Mecha Sonic Kai into the Hall of Mirrors, freeing the Freedom Fighters and restoring Knuckles. Rather than ponder why he didn’t smash the mirrors when he was in there (could’ve just tossed a rock or something…), Knuckles smashes Mecha Sonic Kai to pieces with his renewed strength. However, Dr. Robotnik makes a hasty exit on a rocket-powered rollercoaster, leaving Renfield to take the fall. Although Sonic encourages Knuckles and his “chaotic” new friends to form a super-team, they all comically disagree and refuse to entertain such an idea.

Once again, Archie wastes time on pointless backup stories that are largely disconnected from the game.

This not-team then appear in the special’s two back-up stories. The first sees Charmy Bee kick off a game of “tag” between the group. While Mighty’s initially reluctant, he quickly participates by shoving Vector into a pool since he doesn’t have anything better to do. Vector’s frustration doubles when Charmy Bee deftly avoids him and Mighty knocks over a tree to fend him off. While hopping aside, Vector trips over the sleeping, invisible Espio, who he quickly tags before racing off. Annoyed, Espio tries to pounce upon Vector, only to crash and burn and briefly meet a mysterious fire ant who quickly disappears in a puff of smoke. When Charmy Bee flutters by to check on Espio, he unwittingly leaves himself open for a tag and the story ends with the game said to continue. “The Hunt is On!” continues Knuckles’ issues with the elusive and mysterious Archimedes, a hitherto-disembodied voice who’s been testing the guardian’s abilities (and patience) over the past few months. The story begins with Knuckles frantically running from an explosive barrage and stumbling upon Charmy Bee, Mighty, and Vector, who are confused by the attack. While gathering his wits, Vector stumbles down a hole and, when the others try to get him out, they’re suddenly attacked by more explosive orbs, which put Charmy Bee down for the count. Knuckles and Mighty are joined by Espio, who’s amazed that Knuckles spotted him during all the commotion. While Knuckles discusses Archimedes with a confused Espio, Mighty is suddenly attacked by a strange robot on treadmills. Relishing a “challenge worthy of [his] matchless strength”, Mighty battles his mechanical attacker, with the two beating each other into submission. Knuckles urges Espio to find the puppet master behind these events, only for a shadowy figure to quietly abduct Espio (since he’s not a ninja yet). When Knuckles notices his friend is gone, Archimedes challenges him to decide whether his friends are more important to him than safeguarding the Floating Island. This ends the story on a cliffhanger that would finally be resolved in Knuckles’ first miniseries the following year.

Final Thoughts: 
Archie Comics strikes again with another meandering, borderline insulting 48-page special that has little to do with the source material and wastes its pages on forgettable backup stories and the asinine Archimedes sub-plot Ken Penders was pushing. As ever, the art in the main story is passable and mirrors the popular cartoon on which the comics were partially based, though things appear much more rushed than usual here, with many characters being bloated and off-model. Things are far worse in the backup stories, with Knuckles appearing like liquid at many points and Charmy Bee seemingly growing and shrinking between panels. “The Chaos Factor” is further hampered by Knuckles magically being physically altered by Dr. Robotnik’s technology (removing his dreads, spikes, and super strength) and the introduction of colourful new characters. It’s bizarre to me that Heavy and Bomb look so widely different; I wonder if Archie had seen any screenshots or artwork of the two when writing this special? Regardless, Art Mawhinney seems to be struggling with the Chaotix, which I kind of understand as they’re more complicated designs than Sonic’s regular crew. Vector and Espio, especially, appear warped throughout and the group’s characterisation is painfully one-dimension. Charmy Bee is playful, Espio turns invisible, Mighty is super strong, and Vector likes music. That’s about all we get here, apart from the random inclusion of the tether rings (which appear without explanation and are only used once, just like in Fleetway’s Knuckles’ Chaotix adaptation). On the plus side, the story seems to insinuate that the Chaotix live on the Floating Island (Espio and Charmy Bee seem to know each other) and the group expands Knuckles’ character, taking him from a loner who protects his residents as part of his duties to a team leader rallying his troops.

The main story pays partial lip service to the videogame but is a poor representation of the source material.

That’s about where the praise for Knuckles’ Chaotix ends, though. Like many of Archie’s videogame adaptations, the story is a disservice to the source material, taking place entirely in and around the amusement part that acts as the hub world in the game. This barely resembles Newtrogic High Zone, however, and is much closer to Carnival Night Zone or a standard amusement park. Rather than capturing Espio, Dr. Robotnik captures (presumably all) the Freedom Fighters with bizarre mirror technology that’s easily undone by breaking the mirrors (though Knuckles is apparently powerless to do this at first). The story does include Mecha Sonic, which is cool, and I quite liked its fight with Knuckles and the Chaotix as it was a good way to show their powers and test their mettle. Sadly, the group don’t overcome Mecha Sonic Kai with the “real superpower of teamwork”. Instead, Knuckles just grows to gargantuan size and fights Mecha Sonic Kai, somehow toppling the monstrous machine despite him lacking his super strength. None of the stories feature the Zones (or “Attractions”) from the videogame which is, again, a massive disappointment. Why not spend the entire 48-pages following Knuckles as he fights through a few locations (like Botanic Base and Speed Slider) slowly learning to co-operate and accept the Chaotix before reaching Dr. Robotnik’s secret base in Techno Tower? Or, at the very least, produce two, far better backup stories set in locations like Marina Madness or Amazing Arena, perhaps including some of the Badniks and bosses from the game. Instead, once again, it seems Archie Comics only had access to a few screenshots and the basic details of the game, meaning the cover art is the best thing about this let-down of a special that’s only notably for half-assing the introduction of the Chaotix.

My Rating:

Rating: 1 out of 5.

Terrible

Did you enjoy the Chaotix’s debut Archie’s Sonic comics? Were you also disappointed by how badly represented Knuckles’ Chaotix was? Did you enjoy the fight between the enlarged Knuckles and Mecha Sonic Kai or would you have preferred to see the team tackle the titanic terror? Whare some of your favourite Chaotix adventures and moments from the Archie comics? How are you celebrating Knuckles this month? Whatever you think about Archie’s Sonic comics, and especially Knuckles and the Chaotix, comment below, support me on Ko-Fi, and check out my other Knuckles content!

Back Issues & Knuckles: Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble

Dr. K2 Comments

When Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (SEGA Technical Institute, 1994) released on this day in 1994, gamers were introduced to Knuckles the Echidna. Takashi Yuda’s mischievous, dreadlocked antagonist is my favourite of Sonic’s supporting cast so excuse me while I celebrate his debut throughout February.

Published: 3 August 1995 (cover-dated: October 1995)

Story Title: “Tttriple Tttrouble!!!” (includes “Part II: Zone Sweet Zone!”, “Part III: Echidnapped!”, and “Part IV: Blue Blur vs. Rough and Red!”)
Writer: Mike Gallagher
Artist: Dave Manak

Story Title: “Submersible Rehearsal”
Writer: Mike Gallagher
Artist: Art Mawhinney

Story Title: “First Contact”
Writers: Ken Penders
Artist: Jon D’Agostino

Quick Facts:
Following their initial four-part miniseries, Archie Comics began the longest-running videogame comic book and capitalised on Sonic’s popularity with a popular Knuckles the Echidna companion series. Before that convoluted lore and a bitter lawsuit forever changed Sonic’s comic books, Knuckles featured in this loose adaptation of the largely under-rated Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble (Aspect, 1994).

The Review:
Not unlike its videogame source material, “Tttriple Tttrouble!!!” sees ruthless cybernetic dictator Doctor Ivo Robotnik in possession of a Chaos Emerald. Rather than having one of five after his experiments scatter the others across the planet, Dr. Robotnik has one of many Chaos Emeralds, though this is sufficient to power his “mega-engine” and pollute the entire planet Mobius. However, this plan gets dashed due to an oversight by his robotic assistant, Crabmeat, who miscalibrated the machine. The imbalance causes an explosion that breaks the Chaos Emerald in two and rockets each part into orbit, prompting Dr. Robotnik to call “Bounty Hunters ‘Я’ Us” to hire a bounty hunter to retrieve the gems (again, not a million miles away from the videogame). While making a messy chili dog snack (or four…), Sonic is brought to the Freedom Fighters’ control room, where their resident mechanic and scientist, Rotor the Walrus, has detected the erratic energy signature of a Chaos Emerald. The three then watch as the Chaos Emerald shard crashes into the Great Forest, its unstable “magic” creating a “new Zone” (apparently, this is how the game’s environments are integrated into Archie lore). Excited to explore a new area, Sonic speeds off, refusing to wait for Rotor’s analysis and unaware that he’s being stalked by a mysterious, wolf-like figure. Meanwhile, Knuckles finds a rare moment of relaxation under the sun interrupted by the other Chaos Emerald shard, which streaks overhead and crashes into Mount Osohai, the Floating Island’s unconquerable mountain range. Undeterred, Knuckles glides over and is stunned to see the shard burrowing into the mountain, then ends up unconscious and plummeting to certain doom after being struck by a piece of rock.

While recovering a Chaos Emerald shard, Sonic is blindsided by Nack the Weasel.

When Sonic arrives at the crash site in the Great Forest, he’s greeted by a bizarre, fairground like portal leading to “Triple Trouble”. Naturally, he enters without a thought, completely oblivious to his mysterious stalker, whom Dr. Robotnik orders (via “2-way, 3-D holo-wrist radio”) to follow. Exasperated by the rotund dictator’s blustering, the mercenary mutes his employer and heads into the Zone in his sky-cycle, which has been programmed to mimic Sonic’s moves! In a change of pace for most Archie adaptations, we get to see Sonic racing through Triple Trouble’s Zones, but this is reduced to a simple montage of panels that literally just show him bouncing, running, snowboarding, or adventuring across the game’s locations before bopping Dr. Robotnik on the head and reaching the exit. There are no battles against Dr. Robotnik’s enlarged Badniks, none of the game’s power-ups (except the snowboard), and the comic just blasts through them all rather than taking place in one or two of the game’s locations. The snowboard panel is essentially a rip-off of the game’s artwork, there’s no explanation as to how or why Dr. Robotnik or his Badniks are there, and the Chaos Emerald shard is bizarrely housed within a futuristic chamber, which Sonic races into to deactivate before the Zone presumably closes behind him. However, as soon as Sonic retrieves the shard, he’s blasted by his stalker, the infamous bounty hunter Fang the Sniper Jet the Jerboa Nack the Weasel! With Sonic successfully captured, Nack demands Dr. Robotnik pay him double the price to retrieve the other half of the Chaos Emerald and the tyrant, eager to mount Sonic’s head on his wall, begrudgingly agrees.

Despite a disagreement between Sonic and Knuckles, the Floating Island is saved.

Oblivious to Nack’s impending arrival, Knuckles wakes in a hidden cave and is cared for by the Ancient Walkers, mute, masked, enigmatic figures from echidna lore. Astonished, Knuckles interprets their cave drawings as a warning that the Emerald shard will cause Floating Island to explode if it reaches the island’s Chaos Emerald power source. Returned to the surface, Knuckles spots and summarily knocks out the passing Nack, unaware that he’s just knocked Sonic into a lake. This wakes Sonic and, pissed at being blindsided, he bursts from the water looking for payback and immediately assumes that Knuckles attacked him. Attacking without thinking, Sonic is easily overpowered by his super strong rival, who’s driven into a fury after Sonic kicks him in the nose. Going “Hyper-Knuckles” (which sees Knuckles turning his fists into buzzsaws rather than adopting a Super form), Knuckles sends Sonic flying with a haymaker, leading to them flying at each other in a rage. Their scuffle ends, however, when they recognise Dr. Robotnik’s voice coming from Nack’s communicator (…despite him muting it earlier…) This clears up the misunderstanding and sees Sonic direct Knuckles to puppet Nack’s unconscious, battered body to deceive Dr. Robotnik. Retrieving Nack’s Emerald shard, Sonic joins Knuckles in intercepting the other half in the island’s crystalline Chaos Chamber, where they just barely reunite the two in time to save the island. The two frenemies almost come to blows again when the restored Chaos Emerald mysteriously vanishes but part on mostly friendly terms, unaware that the Chaos Emerald teleported into the possession of the mysterious Ancient Walkers.

Tails and Knuckles embark on separate adventures largely disconnected from the source material.

While I’m here, I may as well go over the other  stories also included in this 48-page special. The first is a solo adventure for Sonic’s two-tailed buddy, Miles “Tails” Prower, which features his Sea Fox submarine from Triple Trouble and laid the groundwork for Archie’s Tails-centric miniseries. Unfortunately, “Submersible Rehearsal” takes place in the waters near Knothole Village rather than, say, Tidal Plant Zone and sees Tails confront an enlarged Octobot rather than one of Triple Trouble’s bosses. Though amazed by the Sea Fox built for him by Rotor, Tails is outraged to learn that Princess Sally Acorn has forbidden him from taking it out to sea because of concerns about his age. However, Tails improvises when an injured sea gull washes up warning that Dr. Robotnik is rebuilding his “submerged, waterproof robot maker”, draining the oil from the bird into his tank and setting off to help. When Tails finds the underwater facility guarded by Octobot, he doesn’t hesitate to ram to mechanic cephalopod, rescuing the marine life it held captive before destroying the roboticizer with the Sea Fox’s missiles, making an enemy of the besmirched Octobot in the process. The second story sees Knuckles once again tested by the mysterious Archimedes on the Floating Island, making this story even less connected to Triple Trouble. In fact, “First Contact” has more in common with Sonic & Knuckles (SEGA, 1994) as Archimedes sends one of Dr. Robotnik’s Fire Breath units after him and then makes him battle a Hey-Ho. At first, these robots see Knuckles believe “Archimedes” is Dr. Robotnik pulling another trick, but a plunge into the Chaos Chamber sees Archimedes dispel these accusations and aggravate Knuckles with cryptic taunts about his hot-headed nature. Challenged to solve Archimedes’ puzzle, Knuckles later contemplates the lesson with his friend, rocker Vector the Crocodile, and the mystery of who or what Archimedes is and what he wants.

Final Thoughts: 
As always, Archie’s adaptation of a videogame leaves a lot to be desired and takes the barebones, basic suggestion of the source material and reconfigures it into one-and-a-half semi-original stories set within their convoluted canon. I tried really hard to cut this 48-page special some slack, especially the main story, as it almost mirrored the videogame in a dysfunctional way but then it completely dropped the ball. Although I’ve read all the Archie Sonic comics, I don’t recall it being established that the game’s Zones spring out of thin air (or “magic”), though even if that was established it’s a pretty stupid idea. Mobius is a planet, for God’s sake! You just have the Zones be places in the world, which is what Archie usually does, so this weird-ass funfair-like portal…thing…was ridiculous. It also appears to be temporary, as Sonic must race to the Chaos Emerald Chamber and “shut [it] down” with a lever. How that lever, the chamber, and the technology surrounding it appeared is anyone’s guess (more “magic”, I suppose) but it’s nowhere near as ludicrous as Triple Trouble’s Zones conveniently having Badniks, traps, and even Dr. Robotnik in them. Normally, I complain that these adaptations are limited to a single, barely recognisable location from the videogames but this time, I’m complaining because Triple Trouble’s Zones are reduced to a montage. Sure, it emulates the 2D action of the videogame but it’s very lazy. Why not have Dr. Robotnik’s “secret lab” be in Robotnik Winter Zone or Atomic Destroyer Zone, the Emerald shard land in Great Turquoise Zone or Meta Jungura Zone, “Submersible Rehearsal” set in Tidal Plant Zone and “First Contact” be reconfigured into having Knuckles be tested in Sunset Park Zone? There’s really no excuse for these stories not to be set in the game’s locations and it’s kind of insulting that they’re limited to Knothole and the Floating Island.

Sadly, though it comes close, the comic is a poor representation of the videogame.

As ever, the art is passable, resembling the main Sonic comics and the cartoons that inspired them, except for “First Contact”, which sees Knuckles rendered painfully off-model and Hey-Ho looking like its melting! I can’t say I was massively blown away by the Ancient Walkers, who didn’t seem necessary to the story, but I did like the introduction of Nack the Weasel. It took a little too long for him to be revealed and it’s a shame to reduce him to Dr. Robotnik’s lackey, but it’s a role that suits him and he’s always been a visually interesting character. Although we never get to see what his sky-cycle is capable of, it’s not insignificant that he got the drop on Sonic and was well on his way to succeeding when Knuckles clobbered him. I quite enjoyed the fight between Sonic and Knuckles, which is thematically similar to the videogame and sees them go at it with a bit more gusto than in previous encounters. I do think this special issue suffers from not devoting its entire length to the source material to depict a literal three-way chase for the Chaos Emerald (or its shards, or whatever!) between Sonic, the opportunistic Nack, Knuckles, and Dr. Robotnik. Had Archie done this, we could’ve seen at least three or four locations from the game in more detail, seen Sonic battle Dr. Robotnik’s giant Badniks, and had a more action-packed adventure rather than a middling story that essentially acts as a shameless advertisement for the game. Ultimately, this was a very frustrating issue to read as it came so close to being at least tolerable and was very promising but, once again, the covert is the best thing about this special (aside from Nack) and the backup stories aren’t really worth your time unless you’re really invested in Ken Penders’ awful plans for Knuckles and getting a prelude to Tails’ later solo adventure.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

Did you enjoy Nack’s debut in Archie’s Sonic comics? Were you also disappointed by how poorly this adaptation represented Triple Trouble? Did you enjoy the fight between Sonic and Knuckles? How interested were you in the riddle of Archimedes? Did you enjoy Archie’s Knuckles lore or did you find it to be overly complicated? How are you celebrating Knuckles this month? Let me know your thoughts on Archie’s Triple Trouble adaptation in the comments and donate to my Ko-Fi if you want to see more of Knuckles’ Archie adventures on the site.

Back Issues & Knuckles: Sonic & Knuckles

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When Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (SEGA Technical Institute, 1994) released on this day in 1994, gamers were introduced to Knuckles the Echidna. Takashi Yuda’s mischievous, dreadlocked antagonist is my favourite of Sonic’s supporting cast so excuse me while I celebrate his debut throughout February.

Published: 11 May 1995 (cover-dated: August 1995)

Story Title: “Panic in the Sky” (Part 1 and 2)
Writers: Mike Kanterovich and Ken Penders
Artists: Art Mawhinney and Dave Manak

Story Title: “Fire Drill”
Writers: Ken Penders
Artist: Jon D’Agostino

Story Title: “Lord of the Floating Island”
Writers: Ken Penders
Artist: Harvey Mercadoocasio

Quick Facts:
Following an initial four-part miniseries, Archie Comics started the longest-running videogame comic book and capitalised on Sonic’s popularity with a popular Knuckles the Echidna companion series that eventually became tarnished by convoluted lore and a bitter lawsuit that forever changed Sonic’s comic books.

The Review:
The two-part story “Panic in the Sky”, which acts as the centrepiece to this 48-page special, sees the legendary Floating Island (as it was then known) sending the locals in a panic when it descends below the clouds and passes over the Western Coast of Mobius (as Sonic’s world was once called). Naturally, the Knothole Freedom Fighters (engineer Rotor the Walrus, semi-Roboticized Bunny Rabbot, cowardly Antoine D’Coolette, and fearless leader Princess Sally Acorn) are bemused and alarmed by the floating continent, which is heading straight for Knothole Village. When Sally wonders how the island floats (odd, considering a later retcon reveals she knew Knuckles as a child), Sonic and his enthusiastic two-tailed fox pal, Miles “Tails” Prower, fill the gang in on their earlier adventure to the Floating Island and their encounter with Knuckles. Although Sonic left on friendly terms with the echidna, he and Sally ponder Knuckles’ true allegiance and she orders Antoine to investigate any potential threat posed by the island. Sonic’s alarmed when their “turbo-prop” biplane is suddenly attacked by heavy artillery now installed around the island and orders Antoine to fly to safety while he and Tails parachute down to see what’s going on. After being knocked loopy by a pendulum in a vague allusion to the Mushroom Hill Zone, Sonic’s attacked by the axe-wielding Hey-Ho, though a single hit is enough to destroy what’s presented as a mini boss in the videogame. Sonic then runs right into a trap and finds himself hanging on for dear life. He’s therefore glad when Knuckles shows up, only to find the echidna is unimpressed with “trespassers [turning his] home into a war zone” and ready to send Sonic plummeting to his doom.

The hot-headed Knuckles makes a desperate gamble to safeguard his island.

Luckily, Tails is on hand to help but, in his haste, his rock misses its target and both Sonic and Knuckles fell into an underground cavern, eventually ending up on a slab of rock floating in a lava stream (like in Lava Reef Zone). Before the two can come to blows or be boiled alive, Tails swoops in for the save and Sonic makes Knuckles realise that the Floating Island has been hijacked. Angered and concerned, Knuckles leads Sonic and Tails (via “zoot chute”) to the Chaos Chamber, a crystalline cavern that houses the Chaos Emerald that keeps the island aloft. When Knuckles investigates a strange device siphoning power from the gem, he gets a nasty shock that doubles when Mobius’s devious, semi-cybernetic dictator, Doctor Ivo Robotnik, appears (via hologram projection) to spill his latest plot. After discovering the Floating Island, Dr. Robotnik began surreptitiously turning it into his personal battleship, installing engines, a command centre, and weaponry, all powered by the Chaos Emerald and with the purpose of annihilating Knothole Village. Distraught that he was easily duped into fighting Sonic and Tails rather than spotting the takeover, Knuckles smashes the Chaos Emerald, causing the Floating Island to drop from the sky! Panicked, Dr. Robotnik quickly ejects, though his hopes of seeing Knothole decimated by the falling island are dashed when Knuckles busts out a spare Emerald to keep his home aloft (only to later reveal he smashed the spare and replaced it with the original in a double bluff). Though he vows to use better judgement next time, Knuckles refuses Sonic’s offer to join the Freedom Fighters, with Sonic musing that Knuckles is apparently destined to be a loner.

Ever wondered what Knuckles does in his day-to-day? Yeah, me neither…

Accordingly, the rest of the special is taken up with two solo stories for Knuckles. The first, “Fire Drill”, sees Knuckles investigating an explosion at the beach (which borders Sandopolis Zone), finding only a crater and footprints in the sand leading to a nearby bush. Leaping into action, Knuckles is left angered and humiliated when whoever it is disappears and, eager to get his mitts on whoever’s messing with him, Knuckles glides over to the only place they could’ve gone: the ruins of the Sandopolis Zone. Assuming only Sonic could evade him so fast, Knuckles braves his fear of the dark to enter the temple ruins and is further enraged when he’s buried beneath falling debris. Blundering into the maze-like temple, Knuckles barely avoids being skewered by an axe and finds a room full of strange hieroglyphics that momentarily puzzles him before sand pours in. Knuckles easily leaps to safety and smashes his way out of the temple, following “Sonic’s” footprints to the island’s edge and, bizarrely, assuming the hedgehog ran to his death, completely oblivious to the shadowy figure (later revealed to be the fire ant Archimedes putting the young guardian through his paces). “Lord of the Floating Island” closes the special and sees Knuckles rescuing Benjy the Kangaroo during a particularly wild storm as part of his duty to safeguard the island’s other inhabitants. Though grateful, the youngster asks his protector to “bring back the sky”, learning about eclipses from Knuckles before being air-lifted out of the path of a pack of dingoes rattled by the chaotic weather. Although Benjy’s scared by the harsh winds, the weather calms as the eclipse passes and Knuckles returns the youngster to his mother, happy to “protect and serve” his floating home and all its inhabitants.

Final Thoughts: 
Considering how rushed and short Knuckles’ introduction into Archie’s Sonic the Hedgehog comics was, Sonic & Knuckles was ideally placed to deliver a more comprehensive adaptation of Sonic 3 or the titular videogame (SEGA, 1994), perhaps something again to the French adaptation published in the year prior to this special. Instead, as Archie (and Fleetway, to be fair) often did, the publisher spread elements of Sonic 3 & Knuckles across multiple stories and specials, meaning the best thing about this one-off comic is the cover, which promises a far more enjoyable story than anything contained in its pages. Like Knuckles’ debut story, “Panic in the Sky” takes place almost entirely in one location, which can only be generously described as the Mushroom Hill Zone. Sure, Sonic hops to some giant mushrooms, flies through the sky using a pendulum, and fights Hey-Ho, but there’s basically no substance to any of this and comic does an awful job of bringing this colourful location to life. I again have to assume that Archie’s writers and artists only had access to very limited materials when producing these stories as everything’s presented out of context or radically altered, such as the lava flow and the “Emerald Chamber”, neither of which evoke the same feeling of grandeur as Lava Reef Zone of the Hidden Palace Zone. Dr. Robotnik’s plot to weaponise the Floating Island is an interesting one but it’s ridiculous that Knuckles prioritises attacking Sonic and Tails over wondering why the stars have changed position and his island is so wildly off course! Rather than Sonic and Tails enduring a hazardous trek across Sonic & Knuckles’ recognisable locations, struggling to talk sense into Knuckles and racing to prevent the launch of the Death Egg, we get a nothing burger of a rematch between Sonic and Knuckles and a lame-ass, childishly simple solution to Dr. Robotnik’s plot.

Sadly, the special fails to deliver an enjoyable or visually appealing adaptation of the videogame.

Incredibly, rather than devote all 48 pages to adapting Sonic & Knuckles, Archie’s one-off special wastes the rest of its pages on meaningless solo stories for Knuckles. On the one hand, I don’t mind this as Knuckles was still new to readers (and gamers) at the time and “Fire Drill” does at least take place in Sandopolis Zone. On the other hand, he’s not fighting any of the Badniks or mini bosses from the videogame or exploring its locations in interesting ways. The Sandopolis Zone temple is a far cry from the haunted pyramid of the videogame, which would’ve made for an awesome setting for a story, and “Fire Drill” seems more concerned with introducing some mystery around Knuckles and his shadowy stalker. “Lord of the Floating Island” is, in a word, ridiculous. All this story tells us is that Knuckles is committed to safeguarding the island, which we already knew, and that Archie Comics decided that the Floating Island should have a bunch of other anthropomorphic inhabitants on it rather than Knuckles literally living in isolation. This would be fine if he were doing something interesting, but all he does is save Benjy, recap Dr. Robotnik’s threat, and teach him/us about eclipses. While the art in “Panic in the Sky” is in-line with Archie’s Sonic publication and mirrors the 1993/1994 Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon on which it’s partially based, the other two stories are awful. Knuckles, especially, looks disgustingly off model and his gliding is constantly depicted as flying, which was a common mistake. I appreciated seeing his climbing and super strength on show, but none of the stories are particularly impressive showcases for Knuckles and the entire special feels like a waste of time as the main story is essentially a repeat of Knuckles’ debut story and the other two are a waste of time.

My Rating:

Rating: 1 out of 5.

Terrible

Were you also disappointed by Sonic & Knuckles, its atrocious art, its pointless stories, and its less than half-assed attempts to adapt the videogame? Perhaps you enjoyed this era in the Archie comics and would like tot ell me why when everything is so cheaply done? Which of Archie’s Knuckles stories and/or characters was your favourite and why? Are you celebrating Knuckles’ debut this month? Comment below with your thoughts and support me on Ko-Fi for more Knuckles content!

Mini Game Corner [Sci-Fanuary]: Strider (Mega Drive)

Dr. K1 Comment

January celebrates two notable dates in science-fiction history: “National Science Fiction Day” on January 2 to coincide with the birth of world renowned sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov, and 12 January being when Arthur C. Clarke’s HAL 9000 was created. Accordingly, I dedicate January to celebrating sci-fi in all its forms.

Released: 29 September 1990
Developer: Capcom
MobyGames Score: 7.6

Also Available For: Arcade, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Master System, MS-DOS, Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Wii (Virtual Console), PC, PC Engine.TurboGrafx-16, PlayStation, SEGA Mega Drive Mini, ZX Spectrum

Quick Facts:
Back when arcade machines were at their peak, Capcom were one of the premier names thanks, in no small part, to Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (1991). With Capcom’s popular and varied efforts cementing their legacy, they teamed with manga studio Moto Kikaku on the arcade Strider, its solid (if forgotten) NES port, and a manga adaptation. Director Kouichi “Isuke” Yotsui capitalised on the ninja fad of the era with Strider Hiryu, best known for his acrobatics and climbing abilities. This Mega Drive port was praised for sticking closely to its arcade roots, though Strider was largely relegated to cameo appearances even after a warmly received 2014 reboot.

The Review:
Essentially a remake and reimagining of the original arcade game, its ports, and its sequels, Strider is a 2D arcade-style hack-and-slash title. Players guide top assassin Strider Hiryu through five stages (set in the far-flung future of 2048) to assassinate Grandmaster Meio, who has established a dictatorial rule with his robots and cyborgs. Though he lacks any idle poses or victory animations, Strider is a visually impressive character, sporting a purple/blue/silver attire, a shock of red hair, and somersaulting about with his floaty jumps. Gameplay options are a simple as you could want, with Strider performing his aforementioned jump with either A or C and slashing enemies with his sword with B. You can crouch and attack, attack in mid-air, and press A and C or C and B together to performing a leaping attack. Strider clings to walls and ceilings with a pair of hooks to clamber up surfaces and shimmy over enemies. Pressing down and either A or C sees Strider slide under hazards, projectiles, and some enemies (though I always took damage if I hit an enemy) and you can extend the reach and power of your sword attacks with certain pick-ups. Others grant you an extra life or make you temporarily invincible (both of which you’ll desperately need!), restore some or all of your health or extend your health bar, or award points. You earn extra lives with a high score and you’ll get some temporary help from robot allies if you’re lucky. The Dipodal Saucer may weaken your energy bar, but it attacks with electrical blasts when you slash your sword to attack other enemies, the Terapodal Robo-panther fights alongside you on the ground, and the Hawk Robot circles above striking nearby enemies. You often grab these items by destroying robot drones and they nearly always land in precarious positions, meaning you’re likely to injure yourself grabbing them!

Run, jump, slash, and climb through and past enemies and obstacles alike.

Strider offers three difficulty settings and allows players to set the number of lives they start with. Each stage contains a few different areas to battle through, with the game being surprisingly generous with its checkpoints, and betrays its arcade roots by pitting you against a timer. This refills when you defeat mini bosses, but it can be quite tight to reach each checkpoint with the many hazards and projectiles in each screen. Strider may be nimble but he’s a very big, often slow target and it’s extremely easy to be hit in mid-jump or when sliding under projectiles. It doesn’t help that the enemies flood the screen, constantly respawning and swarming you, or that this slows the action with sprite flickering, screen tearing, and stuttering as the game loads each area. While fun to control on the ground and often tasked with outrunning explosions and other hazards, leaping across chasms or hopping to moving platforms, Strider is very finnicky when affixed to walls and ceilings. His controls go a bit wonky, he hangs there as an obvious target, and it’s very easy to simply slip or be knocked down one of the game’s many bottomless pits. Some stages feature a gravity gimmick, forcing you to battle on the ceiling and turning the sky into a hazard. Others have you hopping to flying platforms and hanging beneath them to avoid bombs dropped by the Ballrog battleship. Drill-like spikes, piranha-infested waters, unreliable springy platforms, explosive munitions, spiked walls, and hidden boosters that send you flying into the abyss are commonplace, so you must constantly be vigilant. While each stage is quite large and varied, they’re also paradoxically short and there are no bonus games to mix up the action, such as a sidescrolling shooter where you get to control Strider’s awesome, high-tech glider. Instead, you must settle for some bonus points at the end of the stage.

If there’s one thing Strider has going for it, it’s some bizarre and challenging bosses.

Although Strider often struggles with all the action and many enemies sport basic attack animations, the game throws loads of enemies in your path and they’re all annoying! From swarms of seemingly never-ending drones to cybernetic soldiers carrying pulse rifles, to spider-like robots and chicken-like mech walkers, the game’s enemies are relentless, constantly respawning and filling the screen with projectiles. You’ll also encounter many mini bosses and peculiar large mechanical guardians, with many littering the screen with flames or projectiles upon defeat. Stage 1 pits you against a theatrical wrestler who blocks your sword and judo tosses you overhead, a security robot traps you in an enclosed space and fires lasers that ricochet off every surface. A gaggle of onlookers turns out to be a large, sickle-wielding robot centipede whose back you must jump and cling to to pummel its head! Stage 2 has you battle a giant (but limited) mechanical ape (who bursts into hazardous flames upon defeat), desperately landing hits as he fires homing missiles, darts offscreen, and take out three kung-fu ladies to gain control of the Ballrog. While on the battleship, you’re sent flying around an antigravity chamber attacking the floating central control sphere, which is protected by smaller spheres and often sees you take damage without even realising it. A titanic mechanical dinosaur awaits in the jungle, which taxes the Mega Drive hardware and sees you using the high ground to attack its head and avoid its spiral flame shot and extendable claws. Most bosses return for a gauntlet in the final stage, with you battle the floating sphere, security robot, the mechanical ape (alongside constantly respawning but largely harmless Tyrannosaurs rexes), and the robot dinosaur (this time forced to time your jumps since there’s no platform). After besting the flying gunner again and being carried across a void by the robot centipede (and then destroying it again), you finally confront the grandmaster. This cloaked nuisance floats around an antenna, with a bottomless pit below and various projectiles to dodge. Luckily, you can grab some health here and there’s a chance you can stun-lock the grandmaster to make short work of him, but it’s pretty challenging since Strider’s such a huge target.

While visually impressive, Strider is handicapped by staying too close to its arcade origins.

While Strider initially impresses, with Strider slicing apart the title screen background, there is no pre-game story cutscene or context to be found. Interludes pop up between stages, featuring the bad guys mocking you and praising Grandmaster Meio, but the game’s surprisingly light on story considering how rich its visuals are. Indeed, while the music didn’t exactly wow me and many backgrounds were disappointingly sparse, resembling the plain voids often seen in Master System titles, there’s a fair bit happening in every stage. You start off in the vaguely-Russian city of Kazufa, battling past the twinkling city lights, searchlights, and towering, Byzantine-esque buildings which hide futuristic weapons factories. There are always platforms to hop to, cling to, or pull yourself up m, with many being slanted and sporting hordes of mechanical enemies. Turrets line the walls and ceilings, drones hover from above, and giant gears turn platforms as you progress. Stage 2 places you in the frigid Siberian mountains, where wolves and an avalanche force you into a robot factory, where large dynamos flash intermittently to turn everything black and fill the screen with lightning bolts. Upon scaling the mountain, Strider finds himself on the heavily armed, steampunk-esque Ballrog battleship, whose outer hull is defending but turrets and a massive, tank-like cannon that sends you flying it you don’t quickly destroy it. Strider must smash his way inside, running and then frantically wall jumping to avoid being crushed, before making his way to the control cockpit. Stage 4 takes a bizarre detour into the Amazon jungle, where Tarzan-like natives toss boomerang-like projectiles, swarm from bendy branches, and friggin’ dinosaurs stomp past! You can hop on the backs of Brachiosaurus to fend off flocks of Pterodactyls and avoid being torn apart in the dangerous waters below. As if that fever dream wasn’t surreal enough, the game ends with you storming the grandmaster’s main base on “The Third Moon”, a space station teeming with deadly hazards, defences, and sending you reeling with its gravity gimmick. You’ll hop to giant satellite dishes, desperately cling to slanted platforms, be jostled about in another antigravity chamber, and end up clambering up an antenna to face the big bad himself. The game’s ending is barely worth it, with Strider looking upon the destruction he’s caused and flying off victorious past an enemy roll call as the credits play, with the game offering no high score table for your efforts.

Final Thoughts:
I was really excited to get my hands on Strider, a very affordable and often visually impressive early title for the Mega Drive, primarily because of how cool the title character looks somersaulting about and slashing foes with his giant sword. Unfortunately, the game sticks a little too close to its arcade roots, throwing a timer, hordes of nigh-endless enemies, and a slew of unfair pitfalls and hazards at you. With limited lives and no continues, you’re probably better off taking advantage of some of the push button codes or even modern ports of the game, which include rewinds and save states. Still, I was impressed by Strider in a lot of ways. Strider looks great, the foregrounds, especially, are incredibly detailed and varied, and I enjoyed the cyberpunk aesthetic that permeates every area (except for that random jaunt into a prehistoric jungle…I don’t know what that was about!) Unfortunately, the game might be a little too ambitious as the Mega Drive struggles to render everything at an acceptable speed and consistency, slowing the action and assaulting you with flickering and stuttering. I loved the giant and creative mini bosses, but they were painfully limited and artificially made more challenging by restricting you to tight corridors where Strider’s hit box works against him. power-ups were few and far between and it’s way too easy to take damage when slicing through enemies, severely limiting the action. This means you can neither blast through the game at high speed or afford to take your time, as the clock and the enemies are always against you. I enjoyed the stage variety, though, and gimmicks like the exploding floors and walls, but many of the backgrounds were far too basic for a 16-bit behemoth like the Mega Drive. Honestly, you’re probably better off emulating the arcade version as at least then I assume you can keep pumping in coins to push through tougher sections, but this home console port is a little too unforgiving to be as enjoyable as it could be.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Did you ever play the Mega Drive version of Strider? Were you impressed by how close it was to the arcade version? What did you think to Strider’s appearance and sword attack? Which of the game’s bosses did you find the most ludicrous? Did you manage to clear the game legitimately? What are some of your favourite sci-fi-orientated videogames? Whatever your experiences with Strider, feel free to share them below, check out my other sci-fi and retrogaming content, and donate to my Ko-Fi to suggest other games for me to review.

Game Corner [Sci-Fanuary]: Ristar (Nintendo Switch)

Dr. K1 Comment

January celebrates two notable dates in science-fiction history: “National Science Fiction Day” on January 2 to coincide with the birth of world renowned sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov, and 12 January being when Arthur C. Clarke’s HAL 9000 was created. Accordingly, I dedicate January to celebrating sci-fi in all its forms.

Released: 26 October 2021
Originally Released: January 1995
Developer: SEGA
MobyGames Score: 8.2

Also Available For: GameCube, Game Gear, Mega Drive, Mobile, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Wii, PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PlayStation Portable (PSP), SEGA Mega Drive Mini 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X

Quick Facts:
Back in the 16-bit era, mascot platformers were king thanks, largely, to the phenomenal success of Sonic the Hedgehog (Sonic Team, 1991). During Sonic’s long and complicated development, a character who could grab objects was pitched but discarded for being too complex. Years later, SEGA revisited the concept, producing a prototype titled Feel, which went through many redesigns and focused more on platforming than Sonic’s fast-paced action. Though the upcoming SEGA Saturn hurt Ristar’s sales, it was praised for its colourful visuals and unique gameplay mechanics and criticised for its lack of innovation and unfair comparisons to Sonic. Despite plans for a sequel and being included in multiple SEGA collections, Ristar has been all-but forgotten, though he did get an unofficial comic strip in Sonic the Comic Online and there have been calls for a revival over the years.

Gameplay and Power-Ups:
Rister is a surreal and vibrant 2D, sidescrolling platformer that, despite some visual similarities to Sonic, emphasises slow, deliberate platforming. Players control the titular Ristar, a cock-sure shooting star who travels across six worlds (called “Rounds”) to rescue his father from evil space pirate Kaiser Greedy. Each Round has three levels (two platforming challenges and a boss battle) and hidden Bonus Rounds. There’s no timer, no high score table (despite players earning points for defeating enemies and collecting gems), and players can only skip to later Rounds with special trophies that reveal passwords. There are two control schemes available so I mapped jump to the A and Y buttons and grab to the B button. Unlike some mascot platformers, Rister doesn’t defeat enemies by jumping on them or using weapons. Instead, he grabs them with his stretchy arms (extending his reach further the longer you hold the button) and rams into them with a headbutt. While this is effective, it can be quite slow and clunky. Players can grab in different directions, and even diagonally, but you may find you miss your target and take a hit. Ristar’s health is measured, fittingly enough, by stars. You can partially replenish it by smashing treasure chests and collecting either a gold or a blue star, which also gift 1-ups. Other treasure chests contain gems for points and Ristar occasionally grabs items, such as a miniature statue of himself or a gemstone, to bypass traps or activate teleporters. Sadly, the combat isn’t very deep; you just grab and smash everything. Sure, you can cling onto enemies to avoid being sucked into a black hole or to resist the flow of water, but you can slam or throw enemies, which severely hampers Ristar’s abilities. He can also swim and, though he’s a bit slippery underwater, he’ll never have to worry about drowning, so that’s a tick in the plus column.

Use Ristar’s awkward grab to bash enemies, explore environments, and tackle troublesome challenges.

Ristar’s grab can also snag ladders, poles, overhead rails, and various other handholds to allow you to climb, clamber across gaps, and even wall climb…to a degree. This mechanic is very finicky and seems contrary to what the game wants you to do, so it’s good that it isn’t mandatory until Round 6. This Round also sees Ristar use anti-gravity sneakers to clunkily swim/fly about, though this is so limited that it’s more of a handicap. Round 5 sees him slide and ski down a snowy mountain, though this is a glorified cutscene, and ends with him tossing snowballs he builds with his idle pose at the boss, while Round 3 sees him pulling levers to activate or turn off furnaces. Each Round features a special Star Handle that spins Ristar around at high speeds. This ricochets him about to bounce up even spike shafts and clear vast distances, though you must angle him just right to get a “height bonus” and clear the level. Other Star Handles transport you to Bonus Rounds, where you have a strict time limit to navigate a brutal obstacle course and retrieve special treasure. You won’t lose health or lives in these stages, but it can be difficult finding and clearing them. Ristar can also smash certain walls or objects to either break them or topple them, create new paths and bridges, and must bash heavy moving platforms in Round 6 that’ll crush him with their massive hit boxes if he’s not careful. This Round also features multiple teleporters that transport Ristar to hazardous corridors where he either battles a mini boss, tosses missiles at cannons, or rips open the background to uncover gems. Very rarely, players red star power-ups make you temporarily invincible. Ristar also smashes enemy-spawning targets in Round 2, which largely takes place underwater and sees players grabbing bubbles to get higher, dealing with rising and falling tides, and fighting to avoid being blasted into a spike wall by the water current. Sadly, there are no autoscrolling sections where Ristar blasts through space to take out enemies like in its visual counterpart, Rocket Knight Adventures (Konami, 1993) and, while you get score bonuses and congratulatory text after each Round, you don’t appear to earn extra lives or continues and, with no high score table, the points are essentially meaningless.

Sadly, Ristar‘s few unique mechanics and vast potential go underutilised.

Ristar is a very slow game. Ristar plods about very lazily and only gets his ass moving when flying at enemies or bouncing around off a Star Handle. The bulk of the game involves jumping across gaps, spike pits, lava, or other hazards, hopping to platforms and using Ristar’s grab to scramble about. Some jumps can be very tricky since Ristar’s reach will just miss, forcing you to take longer or more dangerous paths or to struggle with his wall climb. In Round 1, you grab floating fluff or passing birds to get higher, reach into tree holes for goodies, and smash trees to light up the woods, though spores stick to you and, like the starfish in Round 2, slow you and then explode if you don’t shake them off. Round 3 sees you tossing Ristar statues into glowing spots to avoid being hurt and trapped by cages, and outrunning rising flames to test your platforming and grabbing skills, and you’ll also hold B to raise a pulley and reach higher ground in the factory section. Round 4 has an odd carry mechanic where you grab metronomes and deliver them to singing birds to open new paths, utilising fans and pincers and conveyer belts and defeating enemies before the can steal your item. This Round features a musical theme, with you being bounced about by drums and timing your grabs just right to navigate narrow spiked chasms, as well as flying along on zip wires and hopping past dancing guitars. Round 5 introduces a slipping gimmick where you must time your jumps off icy platforms to keep from looping around, destroy rocks in the underwater cavern, and again deal with Round 2’s rushing water gimmick. Round 6 is, fittingly, the most dangerous, featuring spiked mincers, the slipping gimmick, poles and handholds that switch positions every time you grab them, and an overhead ray that zaps you to the background and forces you to defeat enemies and grab handholds while obscured. Things get quite challenging quite quickly; Ristar has a big hit box and spikes and other hazards are everywhere, meaning things can get frustrating in later Rounds.

Presentation:
Visually, Ristar is one of the most impressive Mega Drive games. The colourful graphics, deep and detailed backgrounds, and vibrant presentation remind me of Knuckles’ Chaotix (SEGA, 1995), as do the wacky Round intro cards, story text, and sprites. Though one of gaming’s oddest characters, Ristar is full of life, sporting a determined frown, gleefully smashing enemies, yelping when hit, and blasting about when launched. Ristar sports a few idle poses that change in Round 4 and Round 5 to show him bopping along to the beat and struggling with the heat, respectively. The game’s story is very simple (and changes depending on your region) but is beautifully brought to life by both text and large, partially animated sprite art. Despite the title screen drawing immediate comparisons to Sonic the Hedgehog, Ristar is like a mish-mash of Sonic, Rocket Knight, Gunstar Heroes (Treasure, 1993), and Disney’s various 16-bit titles with both its gameplay and visuals, though oddly promoting precision platforming rather than fast-paced combat, perhaps to better showcase the stunning, cartoonish visuals and bizarre environments. While there’s no ending cutscene, stills showcase the ending and key moments during the credits and Ristar busts out a fitting victory pose upon defeating each boss and clearing the game. It’s a shame that his enemies aren’t as interesting, with players mostly smashing boring coloured Orblets, Unfortunately, Ristar can’t duck or look up, has no other combat options, forms, or power-ups, and his hit box is quite large. This is compounded by the odd decision the delay between grabbing health-restoring stars and Ristar’s health being restored, meaning you can grab a star and die before it’s added to your tally! As visually impressive as the game is, though, I was disappointed by the less than memorable soundtrack that cheaply recycles sound effects from Sonic 3 & Knuckles (SEGA Technical Institute, 1993/1994) during the final boss battle.

Ristar excels in its colourful, cartoonish visuals, though not in its gameplay.

Though Ristar plays things safe regarding its level themes, each Round is a kaleidoscope of colours and visuals and often depicted as obstacle courses that test your jumping and grabbing, so combat is often secondary. Planet Flora is your typical, grass-themed intro stage, featuring a sprawling valley in the background, bushes you can pass through (and which enemies pop out of), vine-themed handholds, birds flocking by, and Venus fly trap platforms that snap your heels! You venture into the roots of the forest and through a dark wood, with some impressive lighting effects in the boss arena, before heading to the decidedly Atlantis-themed Planet Undertow. You explore (and destroy) ancient ruins and swim through a coral cave (with no fear of falling debris), trashing machines to stop the current. Planet Scorch features a flashing hexagonal floor, an active volcano in the background that rains explosives, and furnaces that you (and enemies) can toggle on. After bypassing the rising flames and outrunning the screen-filling fire wall, you venture into the sweltering furnace and hop across lava pits formed when Orblets activate special bombs. Planet Sonata starts with a fantastic retro sci-fi aesthetic, with Jetsons (1962 to 1963;1985 to 1987)-style futuristic buildings and flying cars, before transforming into a musical-themed stage, featuring flutes, drums, musical sheets, and even a theatre stage for the boss battle. Planet Freon opts for a snow theme, sporting a glowing aurora borealis in the background, sliding Ristar about, and dropping you into a crystal cavern full of waterfalls and frozen frog statues, Planet Automaton is a hazardous robot factory full of spikes, grinders, and teleporters, with robotic nasties being built or guarding each corridor. Finally, Castle Greedy is a surreal alien landscape full of bonkers alien tech where a little spy camera follows you about at the start and you confront the suitable theatrical Kaiser Greedy in his fantastical throne room. There’s a lot to look at in Ristar’s worlds and the colours certainly pop, but I felt a strange absence of gimmicks for each area as the developers relied more on traditional platforming rather than innovative mechanics, best seen when Ristar’s skiing section is relegated to a cutscene rather than being playable.

Enemies and Bosses:
There are a handful of oddball enemies to smash your starry head against in Ristar, with the most common being the various coloured Orblets. While many of these are harmless unless you bump into them, floating about and generally acting as a nuisance or a handhold, others hang from branches in cocoons, endlessly spawn from metallic pots, briefly electrify themselves, or are surrounded by spikes or flames. Each Round also features unique enemies; though most simply hop or jump about, like Planet Flora’s weird rabbits and lizards, the chunky birds swoop at you and perform a torpedo attack. Planet Undertow is patrolled by fish, frogs, electric eels, and seahorse that’ll endlessly attack until you destroy the spawn point. Large, squid-like crustaceans also appear, taking a few hits to put down, and the first projectile-firing enemies appear in the form of that large enemy and the aggressive lobsters that pop up. Planet Scorch features a nasty vulture who grabs you and a slug-like enemy that emits flame bursts, while Planet Sonata is populated by robotic enemies themed around birds and musical instruments. There are purple pipes that must be destroyed to stop them spitting projectiles, dancing robot birds that toss minions, and large robotic woodpeckers that peck you with their beaks. Planet Freon sees spiked fish in the waters, strange, bulbous aliens floating about in water rings, and mechanical baddies that drop icicles. Planet Automaton sees these weird, Slinky-like robots on the walls that spit projectiles and duplicate when hit, UFO-like robots that float by and fire a laser spread, and weird robot poles with two large, spiked fists, alongside missile-firing cannons and the biggest assortment of coloured Orblets yet! Sometimes, you’ll battle a mini boss or a wave of enemies to finish the first level of a Round, such as Planet Flora’s giant snake that popes from holes in the background and the literal waves of Orblets that rain down in Round 2. Planet Sonata sees you battling three robot woodpeckers controlled by a bird maestro, Planet Freon pits you in a snowball fight against a strange, rotund little alien, and Planet Automaton forces you to run a gauntlet of robotic bosses, smashing a bouncy trashcan-like mech and forcing a large battle robot back against the wall with precision hits.

Though innovative and challenging, the bosses aren’t enough to salvage the game.

Naturally, each Round ends in a boss battle, with bosses changing colour as you deal damage and often spawning Orblets as projectiles or distractions. The mischievous imp Rhio possesses Planet Flora’s elder and compels him to float around conjuring snowflake-like projectiles. You must dodge these and smack him to knock Rhio loose and attack, watching for the miniature tornados he conjures. The aggressive hammerhead shark Ohsat darts in from either side of the screen in Round 2, causing rocks to fall and eventually left floundering when each hit you land drains the arena’s water. The mole-like Adahan attacks in Planet Scorch’s volcanic depths, popping from the ground claws first and kicking up dirt. After a few hits, the fight switches to a freefall section where you must hit him as he bounces off the walls, which can be tricky due to Ristar’s janky grab mechanics. Awaueck rains musical notes that are hard to dodge and is only vulnerable when you knock him from his perch. The strange ice monster Itamor tosses bouncing balls and emits a freezing breath, but the mini boss appears to help you by providing hot soup to toss into Itamor’s maw and melt him from the inside out. The battle robot Uranim tosses junk from offscreen before battling you in an enclosed arena. You must smack him a few times to knock him over and then lure the pincer-like tentacle to hit him to cause damage, watching for his jump and ricocheting projectiles. Kaiser Greedy’s right-hand, Ionis, pilots Eyebar -555, a mechanical snake in Round 6 that boasts a boomerang projectile, machine gun and blaster arm, and ricochet bolts. Dodge all this and hit his shield a few times to dislodge Ionis and deal some real damage. Kaiser Greedy then trumps this by floating and teleporting around his throne room, tossing Orblets, firing a lightning bolt, and conjuring an insta-kill black hole! You must anticipate where he’ll be to grab and attack in a very small window, and hold onto any Orblets to avoid a sudden end, in this ridiculously tough finale.

Additional Features:
Ristar offers two difficulty settings, “Normal” and “Hard”, with “Hard” mode reducing your total health to just two stars and “Normal” gifting you four. Beyond that, there isn’t much else on offer here unless you’re playing the Japanese version, which features a different story and some passwords that enable a stage select, time attack, invincibility, and other effects. If you play the Game Gear version, you’ll have a slightly different experience, both graphically and in terms of the bosses and mechanics, while this version allows you to rewind the action and create save states. If you’re playing the version included in the SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection (Backbone Entertainment, 2009), you’ll get an Achievement if you collect five yellow stars, though there are oddly no Achievement specific to Ristar in the SEGA Mega Drive Classics (SEGA/D3T, 2018) collection.

Final Thoughts:
I’ve been enamoured by Ristar for years. As a kid, I was always intrigued by screenshots in gaming magazines and I always wanted to own it based on my love of 2D mascot platformers but never saw a copy in the wild and a decent copy can be quite pricey. Thanks to modern re-releases, Ristar is more accessible than ever…but, sadly, that doesn’t mean it’s really worth your time. The game looks absolutely gorgeous and goes a long way to show what the Mega Drive was capable of with cartoonish, vibrant 2D sprites. Ristar looks fantastic and his worlds are unique and colourful, though sadly lacks memorable gimmicks as the developers prioritised platforming and Ristar’s unique grab mechanic. This is an interesting gimmick, but one that doesn’t live up to its potential. I just wanted Ristar to do more, perhaps throw or slam enemies or something a bit more dynamic than just grabbing handholds and bashing enemies. The gimmick is sadly underutilised and Ristar lacks the speed and action to complete with, much less usurp, Sonic, with Ristar being slow, far too big a target, and far more limited compared to his peers. Ristar is also incredibly challenging, with numerous spikes and hazards sapping your health and continues and so much trial and error that I’ve no idea how people beat it without rewinds and save states. It’s only a short game, but later Rounds are almost unforgiving with their obstacles and tough mini bosses, and it’s not like the ending is worth your time. The bosses were a highlight, for sure, being big and well animated and making you use Ristar’s grab in different ways. It’s just a shame this innovation didn’t translate to the core gameplay to let Ristar chain together grabs, swings, and attacks, which we’d see SEGA arguably do better in Sonic Unleashed (Sonic Team, 2008). In the end, while Ristar impresses with its visuals and beautiful stages, there’s just not enough meat on the bones for it to stand alongside other mascot platformers. I’m glad I finally saw it through, but I’d much rather playthrough Rocket Knight Adventures or Sonic 3 & Knuckles than this one, which is a shame as it had so much potential.

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

Do you think I’m being too hard on Ristar? How do you think it compares to other action platformers? What did you think to the grab mechanic and Ristar’s visuals? Did you also struggle with the late game difficulty curve? Which of the bosses was your favourite and would you like to see Ristar make a comeback? What are some of your favourite sci-fi-orientated videogames? Feel free to share any memories you have of Ristar in the comments, support me on Ko-Fi, and then check out my other sci-fi content.

Back Issues [Sonic2sDay]: Sonic the Hedgehog’s Buddy: Tails

Dr. K1 Comment

In anticipation of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SEGA Technical Institute, 1992), SEGA dubbed November 24, 1992 “Sonic 2sday”. Accordingly, this is a great excuse to celebrate Sonic’s faithful sidekick, Miles “Tails” Prower, who debuted in that title.

Writer: Michael Gallagher – Artists: Mike Gallagher and Dave Manak

Story Title: “Southern Crossover” (Part One to Three)
Published: October 1995 (cover-dated: December 1995) to December 1995 (cover-dated: February 1996)

The Background:
Thanks to an aggressive marketing campaign and being bundled with the all-powerful 16-bit Mega Drive, Sonic the Hedgehog was the blockbuster success SEGA needed to usurp Nintendo from the top of the videogame industry. Despite a tumultuous development, Sonic 2 surpassed this success, selling 400,000 copies in its first week, 6 million units during the Mega Drive’s lifespan, and increasing SEGA’s slice of the home console market by 40%. Widely praised and highly regarded, Sonic 2 also debuted Tails, Sonic’s kid sidekick, who was created by Yasushi Yamaguchi. Resembling the mythical kitsune and devoted to his super-fast hero, Tails became a well regarded staple of the Sonic franchise, becoming one of the few of Sonic’s supporting cast to get his own divisive solo outings. He was also the second to receive a solo mini series published by Archie Comics, who produced the popular Sonic the Hedgehog comics in the United States, which were heavily based upon Sonic’s cartoon adventures. Though spinning off from Archie’s loose adaptation of Sonic the Hedgehog: Triple Trouble (Aspect, 1994), Tails’ three-issue miniseries set the groundwork for his greater role in Archie’s comics, which reimagined him as a character of great destiny.

The Review:
Tails’s one and only Archie-published miniseries begins with the young, two-tailed fox drawing by the docks. It seems Tails likes to write and draw his own comic books that paint him as a mild-mannered (and “handsome”) youngster who secretly operates as “Captain Super Fox-Man”, a superpowered “Avenger of Evil” who’s just as capable (if not more so) as his older Freedom Fighter cohorts. While filing his art, Tails thumbs past a list of supplies he acquired during a previous battle against the tyrannical Doctor Ivo Robotnik and his agent, Fiona, a “false fox” who betrayed him. His’ paperwork proves that Dr. Robotnik is building a satellite operation somewhere on Mobius and the fox cub is determined to find it by himself and prove how capable he is. Thus, Tails quickly hides the document from Princess Sally Acorn, leader of the Freedom Fighters and essentially his substitute mother. The two admire the Sea Fox, a nifty little one-man submarine built for Tails by Rotor the Walrus after Archie’s Triple Trouble adaptation. Although Sally forbids Tails from piloting the Sea Fox, he’s seemingly happy tinkering with it and playing make-believe but secretly fumes at being treated like an infant. Consequently, when Sally leaves for an important meeting, Tails takes the Sea Fox out to sea, having secretly filled the tank and embarked on solo ventures before, adamant to show that he’s not a helpless child. Elsewhere, the maniacal Dr. Robotnik oversees the final preparations on his gigantic blimp, trashing one of his SWATbots with his bare hands when the machine asks to check the ship’s inventory against the supply list stolen by Tails. Dr. Robotnik plans to fly supplies to his regional robo-underboss in the Southern Hemisphere (specifically, the nation of Downunda), as part of his grand plan for global domination, cloaking the dirigible to make it undetectable unless one is directly beneath it.

Determined to prove himself as a hero, Tails is overwhelmed  by the vengeful Octobot while at sea.

This odd flaw means Tails easily spots the blimp while searching the high seas for signs of the rotund dictator. While investigating a dark patch on the water’s surface, Tails is stunned to find his quarry is in the sky and flies up to investigate. After glimpsing the blimp’s destination, Tails is attacked by SWATbots, just barely recovering in time to trap them in a water vortex with his propeller-like twin tails. However, when Tails returns to the Sea Fox, he’s ambushed by Octobot, a mechanical octopus in charge of Dr. Robotnik’s underwater robotization factory and out for revenge after Tails humiliated him in the Triple Trouble special. After scuttling the Sea Fox, Octobot drags Tails into the dark depths, causing Tails to black out. Outraged that his blimp was so easily spotted, Dr. Robotnik chastises his forces and calls his robo-underboss, a mechanical crocodile named Crocbot, for an update. Thrilled that he’ll soon receive enough supplies to pollute the landscape, Crocbot orders his robotic winged dingoes to patrol in anticipation of the blimp, then loudly boasts of his plans to reprogram Dr. Robotnik’s SWATbots to aid him in overthrowing his master and conquering the world for himself! Luckily for Tails, he wakes up on the back of a massive blue whale named Fluke. His confusion is short-lived as a friendly manta ray named…well, Ray…fills him in on what happened. As Tails was being dragged underwater and nearly drowned, Octobot was suddenly attacked by the “Forty Fathoms Freedom Fighters” (Ray, P.B. the Jellyfish, Bottlenose the Dolphin, and Bivalve Clam). Despite Octobot fighting back by spraying ink, he was shocked by P.B., tackled by Bottlenose, and ultimately flattened by Fluke (though the Sea Fox was totalled). Grateful, Tails immediately enlists the Forty Fathoms Freedom Fighters in expediting his trip to Downunda, with Fluke and Ray only too happy to help and allow Tails to embellish the details in his comic books.

Rescued in Downunda, the injured Tails learns he’s been chosen for a higher, as-yet-unknown purpose.

Upon arriving, Tails is immediately detected by Crocbot’s security systems, who dispatches his robotic Wing Dingoes to intercept him. Although Tails puts up a good fight and even takes a few of the robots out, he takes a bite to a tail and crashes to the ground, too injured to fly and barely staying conscious. Tails is thus rescued again, this time by the Downunda Freedom Fighters led by Walt Wallabee and Barby Koala, Wombat Stu, the peace-loving hippy Guru Emu, and Duck “Bill” Platypus. While they’re busy tending to the unconscious Tails, the group is ambushed by the Alpha Wing Dingo, who swoops in and kidnaps Wombat Stu! Walt quickly orders the others to pursue their teammate while he hops away with Tails in his pouch to get the young fox help. After halting communications with Dr. Robotnik to keep his master from seeing the state of his damaged Wing Dingoes, Crocbot initially lashes out in frustration and then gleefully clamps Wombat Stu to a torture rack. Crocbot then assures Dr. Robotnik that all is ready and ends the call, watching with relish as Wombat Stu’s allies approach his base (amusingly modelled after the Sydney Opera House) just as the blimp arrives. Walt rejoins his teammates and gives an update from Tails that catches them up with the plot and they race towards Crocbot’s base to keep him from being bolstered by Dr. Robotnik’s weapons. Tails wakes up at the Downunda Freedom Fighters’ base at the bottom of a giant crater, his tail bandaged and his arm in a sling, and discovers statues of the Ancient Walkers, mystical beings from Mobius’s past who Tails learned of in the Triple Trouble special. He’s then approached by Athair, the wizened and cantankerous great-grandfather of Knuckles the Echidna, who gives the injured fox cub a lecture on ancient history.

Tails and his new friends successfully thwart Crocbot’s ambitions and vow to defy Dr. Robotnik.

Generations ago, Athair’s echidna ancestors were so busy building elaborate, highly advanced cities across Mobius that they failed to spot a comet heading for their capital city, Echidnapolis, until it was too late. Though the echidnas levitated Echidnapolis and a chunk of their land to safety, creating what was then known as the Floating Island, the comet devastated Mobius. Though Tails tries to leave, frustrated with Athair’s riddles and eager to help his newfound friends, the Ancient Walkers come to life and insist he learn more. Thus, Tails learns of how life evolved on Mobius, how dinosaurs once ruled, and how the planet was struck by the Chaos Emeralds in prehistoric times. Many worshipped or tried to harness their powers over the millennia, often being corrupted by their desires. However, it’s said that a “Chosen One” would one day unite the many Chaos Emeralds to bring about the “great harmony”, a destiny Athair believes the Ancient Walkers have bestowed upon Tails! After coming out of a trance to find his wounds healed, Athair gone, and Barby crashing in after Crocbot’s gigantic C.D. Rom Ram attacks the Downunda Freedom Fighters, Tails reluctantly shrugs off his strange experience and goes to help. Although the massive robotic ram beats on the Downunda Freedom Fighters, it’s easily destroyed by one of Walt’s “bomberangs”, frustrating Crocbot and distracting him from helping the blimp to dock. When Tails and Barby attack him, Crocbot mangles the controls and the blimp dramatically goes down in flames along with his plans to usurp Dr. Robotnik. With Barby distracted rescuing Wombat Stu, Crocbot hits Tails with his mechanical tail and leaps into his “nuclear powered Mega-Techa Tank” to escape. Determined to end Crocbot’s threat, the normally pacifistic Guru Emu borrows a bomberang and, assisted by Tails, sends Crocbot careening down a canyon to an explosive end. After tearfully turning down an offer to join the Downunda Freedom Fighters, Tails is overjoyed when the Forty Fathoms Freedom Fighters return with his repaired Sea Fox. Though he’s sad to say goodbye to his new friends, Tails heads home emboldened by the knowledge that Freedom Fighters exist all over Mobius.

The Summary:
I’ve read every single Sonic and Sonic-adjacent comic published by Archie Comics and I’m starting to think that Michael Gallagher may be my least favourite artist, especially from these early days. His work, while capturing the same cartoonish vibe as the cartoons that influenced these comics, can’t compare to the likes of Patrick “Spaz” Spaziante, who had a hand in the miniseries’ covers, which promise a tale of excitement and adventure that sadly isn’t reflected in the pages. We’re still in that weird time when Archie’s comics were more slapstick and cartoonish, meaning we get painful puns, borderline plagiarism presented as homage (particularly in Tails’ comic book fantasises), and childish villains who spend more time shouting than being a threat. It’s a gripe of mine that Archie’s Sonic comics took so long to establish their identity and move away from simplistic stuff, like the Ancient Walkers being cartoonish statues in a bland cave, and nonsense original characters who, while visually interesting, can’t compete with SEGA’s iconic creations. Indeed, the two sets of Freedom Fighters Tails encounters in Downunda leave a lot to be desired and don’t live up to their potential. I feel the writers should’ve focused on the Downunda Freedom Fighters and fleshed them out more if they were going to have such a large role. Perhaps they could’ve been forced from Downunda by Crocbot and operated out of a seaside cave, biding their time to counterattack when they spotted Tails in danger and rescued him alongside Fluke. Then we could’ve seen these new guys in action sooner and learned more about them, something greatly needed since they totally steal Tails’ spotlight!

Sadly, Tails’ solo venture is usurped by forgettable (if visually interesting) original characters.

Not yet the young genius and tech-savvy inventor we know today, Tails is frustrated at being thought of as a helpless kid and regularly defies Princess Sally by taking the Sea Fox out on adventures. Sadly, we don’t get to see the Sea Fox in action as it’s scuttled by Octobot and Tails’ hopes of downing Dr. Robotnik’s blimp solo are quickly dashed when he’s constantly overwhelmed and is either close to drowning or unable to fly because he’s outnumbered, outpowered, and outmatched. Therefore, Tails must be rescued by two sets of largely forgettable Freedom Fighters, I like the visual variety of both groups and it’s always fun when the comics anthropomorphise unique creatures like jellyfish or wallabies, but I don’t know who any of these guys are. What’s their backstory? How did they get into the Freedom Fighter game? What are their personalities beyond wanting to protect the world and hating the dictator and his robotic minions? Honestly, this would’ve been a great opportunity to team Tails up with Ray the Flying Squirrel and even Mighty the Armadillo but, as I mentioned, the story would’ve greatly benefitted from trimming down these original characters. I would’ve had Walt, Barby, Stu, and Fluke, with Atahir as their wise mentor. Make Walt the pacifist who’s forced into violence, Barby the tactician, Stu the hot-head, and Fluke the laidback muscle who carries them across the ocean. Then, use these extra panels to contrast them with the Knothole Freedom Fighters, showing how they accept Tails and don’t mollycoddle him. Indeed, perhaps they’d be compelled to help Tails based on Athair’s foreknowledge of his apparent destiny as the “Chosen One”, perhaps even leading them to revere him as a messiah figure, thus making his decision to return home more of a struggle since Tails would’ve found acceptance and the chance at a greater destiny amongst them.

Strangely, the story’s more concerned with toppling Crocbot than exploring Tails’ destiny…

Instead, Tails is hurt, the Downunda Freedom Fighters take over, and we’re left with a dull history less about things that barely seem connected to Tails. Rather than waste time recapping the echidna downfall, why not focus on the Chaos Emeralds, their influence on others, and the “Chosen One” prophecy? Tails barely seems interested in Athair’s story and doesn’t dwell upon the Ancient Walkers’ words after leaving with Barby, making me question what the point of dedicating all that time to it was beyond sowing the seeds for future plot threads. I quite liked Crocbot, however; he’s got a fun, unique design and I liked how he spoke with an Australian accent and sought to usurp Dr. Robotnik. However, he barely does anything and leaves all the heavy lifting to his Wing Dingoes and flees at the first sign of trouble. Crocbot later returned to plague our heroes again, but he doesn’t get a good showing here as he wastes time monologuing to Wombat Stu rather than torturing him and breaks down in tears when he accidentally destroys Dr. Robotnik’s blimp, making for a particularly weak villain. Honestly, I think Sonic the Hedgehog’s Buddy: Tails missed a trick by not turning to his Game Gear games for inspiration. Tails Adventure (Aspect, 1995) released around the same time this miniseries so it might’ve been unrealistic to expect an adaptation, and Tails’ Skypatrol (Japan System House/SIMS, 1995) may have released earlier in 1995 but it was exclusive to Japan at the time. Still, Archie could’ve gotten design documents and some information on both from SEGA, certainly enough to cobble together an adventure that pitted Tails against Witchcart and/or the Battle Kukku Empire to at least use more game-accurate villains in his solo adventure. Still, this was decent enough and showed that Tails was definitely ambitious for his age, but I think it says a lot that young Miles never got another solo series from Archie Comics…

My Rating:

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Pretty Good

What did you think of Tails’s first and only solo miniseries from Archie Comics? Were you disappointed that so much of the story was dominated by original characters? Which of the two sets of new Freedom Fighters was your favourite? Would you have liked to see elements from Tails’s Game Gear titles incorporated instead? What did you think of Crocbot and the idea of Tails having a greater destiny? What are some of your favourite Tails moments from the Archie Comics? How are you celebrating Tails and “Sonic 2sday” this year? Whatever your opinion on Tails, or Sonic 2 in general, drop a comment below and go check out my other Sonic content.

Back Issues [Sonic CDay]: The Brotherhood of Metallix

Dr. K3 Comments

Developed alongside the blockbuster Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (SEGA Technical Institute, 1992), Sonic the Hedgehog CD (Sonic Team, 1993) released on this day back in 1993. Expanding upon the Blue Blur’s debut title, Sonic CD introduced Metal Sonic (one of Sonic’s most popular and enduring rivals) and Amy Rose, and is considered by many to be one of the best of the classic Sonic titles.

Story Title: “The Brotherhood of Metallix (Part 1 to 4)”
Published: 1 September 1995 to 13 October 1995
Writer: Nigel Kitching
Artist: Richard Elson

The Background:
After Sonic the Hedgehog became a mainstream success and SEGA usurped Nintendo’s position at the top of the videogame industry, SEGA quickly capitalised on Sonic’s popularity not just with videogames but a slew of ancillary merchandise, including cartoons and comic books. About six months after Archie Comics started publishing a weird amalgamation of the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog (1993 to 1996) and Sonic the Hedgehog/SatAM (1993 to 1994) cartoons, United Kingdom publisher Fleetway Editions Limited started “Britain’s Official SEGA Comic”, Sonic the Comic (StC), a fortnightly publication that was a favourite of mine until its unfortunate end. Though StC pulled much of its lore from the now defunct Mobius and Doctor Ovi Kintobor storyline that was prevalent outside of Japan, StC quickly veered from the source material, portraying Sonic the a mean-spirited leader of a gang of Freedom Fighters comprised of videogame characters and anthropomorphic original characters. Like Archie’s comics, StC included some very loose adaptations of the videogames that truncated or adapted the source material to fit with its noticeably different lore. When StC adapted Sonic CD, they reimagined Metal Sonic as “Metallix” and told a self-contained time travel story. However, some years later, a second Metallix appeared and teased a “brotherhood” of Badniks, which was paid off in these issues and solidified Sonic’s robotic doppelgänger as one StC’s more dangerous and persistent secondary antagonists.

The Review:
“The Brotherhood of Metallix” takes place in the middle of Doctor Ivo Robotnik’s merciless rule over the planet Mobius. Having conquered the entire world thanks to a time dilation, Dr. Robotnik has become all powerful save for the efforts of Sonic and his friends, who’ve been driven from their homes and roam the Zones disguised as Bob Beaky’s Travelling Circus. The story begins with Porker Lewis, the technical support of the team, activating a security field around their caravan while the Freedom Fighters investigate reports of a new Badnik in Metropolis City, which is essentially Dr. Robotnik’s headquarters. Expecting some all-powerful death machine, the cocksure Sonic is incredulous by the clown-like Mister Blobnik (a thinly veiled parody of British television icon Mister Blobby). A ludicrous Badnik who staggers about blowing bubbles and fumbling with its weaponry, Mr. Blobnik nevertheless proves more durable than regular Badniks and Troopers, withstanding a Sonic Spin Attack and trapping Sonic in a an inescapable bubble upon defeat. Having successfully fooled the Freedom Fighters with a variation of the “Drunken Fist” technique, Mr. Blobnik’s head detaches from its remains and carries Sonic to Citadel Robotnik. However, rather than being tortured, transformed into a Badnik, or executed, Sonic is stunned when a panicked Dr. Robotnik reveals he needs to join forces with Sonic to oppose the “Brotherhood of Metallix”. While Sonic battled Mr. Blobnik, Dr. Robotnik was shocked when a Metallix teleported into his citadel via a corrupt version of the Omni-Viewer (a sentient television screen that resides in the Special Zone) and kidnapped his long-suffering assistant, Grimer. After learning that the Metallix, who were set to automatically replicate and improve themselves in Dr. Robotnik’s abandoned Egg Fortress base in the Special Zone, have gained sentience and are now ruled over by a gigantic Emperor, Grimer’s forced to aid their scheme for true autonomy.

When the Metallix mysteriously return, Sonic’s forced to join forces with Dr. Robotnik to investigate.

Although Sonic’s sceptical of Dr. Robotnik’s claims, he remembers his last encounter with an upgraded Metallix mentioned a “brotherhood” and reluctantly agrees to use his super speed to enter the Special Zone via a Star Post and investigate. Sonic arrives to find the Egg Fortress heavily damaged and seemingly abandoned, until he explores further and witnesses Grimer handing the Emperor Metallix a mechanical staff, the “Alpha Device”. With this in hand, the Emperor Metallix and its troops prepare to teleport to the Miracle Planet via their Omni-Viewer, only for Sonic to attack, reasoning that the Badniks are obviously up to no good. The Emperor Metallix silently commands two minions to attack. While they land a few good blows on the Blue Blur, Sonic dispatches them far easier than their predecessors by tricking one into blowing its fellow up with its chest cannon and simply smashing the other into junk with a swing of the Alpha Device. Sonic’s victory is short-lived, however, when the Emperor Metallix takes Grimer hostage and threatens to crush the life out of him unless Sonic hands over the Alpha Device. With no choice but to acquiesce as he can’t allow even his enemy to be killed, Sonic can only watch as the Emperor Metallix departs. Luckily, since the Miracle Planet has arrived in orbit once again, Sonic and his friends follow the Brotherhood of Metallix using the massive magic chain that binds the planetoid to Mobius. Despite their temporary truce, Sonic refuses to allow Grimer or Dr. Robotnik’s forces or weaponry to go with the Freedom Fighters, meaning we’re denied a true team up between the long-term allies. Instead, the Freedom Fighters witness the Emperor Metallix preparing to usher in a “new age” for its brotherhood via the Alpha Device, which has been created to reshape the mysterious Miracle Planet into Metallix’s form and provide them with the near-limitless power to conquer the world.

Thanks to Porker’s bravery and ingenuity, the Metallix are seemingly foiled on the Miracle Planet.

Detected by the Metallix, Sonic leads his friends into an immense network of caves (where, it’s revealed, he hid from Amy Rose for two days when they were trapped there some years ago). A Metallix stalks them through the tunnels and easily shrugs off Johnny Lightfoot’s attack. A Super Sonic Spin stuns the robot, however, allowing Amy Rose to take it out with a well-aimed crossbow to its neck (its one weak spot, as identified by Dr. Robotnik). The distraction is enough for the Emperor Metallix to enact its plan, however, and the Alpha Device begins transforming the Miracle Planet into a world of metal. The Emperor Metallix gloats when one of its troops arrives with Sonic, Johnny, and Amy, but is too late to notice that the unit has been tampered with by Porker Lewis. Porker presses a button on his remote and causes the Metallix to self-destruct, taking out all the emperor’s troops and severely damaging the big red overlord. For his efforts, Porker receives a kiss on the cheek from Amy Rose and even kudos from Sonic, traditionally a more hard-assed character in StC. Unfortunately, the Alpha Device is still functioning and rigged to explode if it’s tampered with. Thus, Porker steps up again, navigating the booby traps to shut down the Alpha Device and undo the damage being done to the Miracle Planet. With Mobius fading, Sonic ushers his friends down the magical chain, only for the Emperor Metallix to lurch to life and reactivate the Alpha Device before collapsing. With no other choice, Porker bravely returns to the Miracle Planet to shut the Alpha Device down once more, trapping himself on the magical world for a month and leaving Sonic with no choice but to wait and see if his friend was successful.

The Summary:
“The Brotherhood of Metallix” has one very obvious positive going for it right off the bat: it’s illustrated by Richard Elson, easily the best artist in Sonic the Comic’s all-too-short history. He brings Sonic and StC’s original characters to life with such a peerless flair and stories always felt more important when his name was attached to them. Unfortunately, it appears Elson was rushed during this particular story as I saw a lot of repetition in “The Brotherhood of Metallix”. Some panels during Sonic’s battles with the Metallix, for example, are directly lifted from Elson’s work in “The Sonic Terminator” (Kitching, et al, 1994) and many of Sonic’s poses looked familiar, too. It’s a minor thing and it’s not like every panel is like that, but it was noticeable and a little odd considering the detail seen in Mr. Blobnik and the Emperor Metallix. The story also suffers from promising a team up between Dr. Robotnik and Sonic and failing to deliver on almost every level. They don’t join forces or oppose the Metallix as a team; instead, Dr. Robotnik simply warns Sonic of the threat, tells him of the Metallix’s weak spot, and that’s it. It’s pretty disappointing as this could’ve been a longer, multi-part story where Sonic shuns his usual allies to team up with Dr. Robotnik instead, making his friends question his decision and having the mad dictator betray him to seize the Miracle Planet for himself. The cliff-hanger of Porker Lewis being left behind was resolved in a later story and expanded into a full-on nervous breakdown for the character, but it could’ve easily been Dr. Robotnik who rigged that Metallix to blow and was left trapped on the Miracle Planet. Consequently, as amusing as the Mr. Blobnik stuff was, I feel these panels were wasted and could’ve been better served showing a proper, awkward team up between Sonic and Dr. Robotnik where they battle at least one Metallix together.

As great as the art is, Metallix is strangely inconsistent and the story squanders its potential.

Speaking of which, the Metallix are a bit hit and miss here. In his first encounter with his robotic double, Sonic struggled to compensate for Metallix’s super speed, power, and armaments. This was taken one step further in Sonic’s second encounter with the robot, which was so powerful that it made mincemeat of Knuckles the Echidna and Sonic was forced to transform into his demonic, unstoppable alter ego, Super Sonic, to destroy it. Metallix has always shrugged off Sonic’s best shots and has always been depicted as being, as the kids say, “built different” from Dr. Robotnik’s other creations. While that’s somewhat true here, it’s pretty inconsistent: sometimes they shrug off the Super Sonic Spin Attack, sometimes it stuns them, sometimes they barely flinch when struck and sometimes Sonic shatters them with a glorified pole! To make matters worse, Porker Lewis easily blows a bunch of them up with a single explosion, severely diminishing their threat despite one or two of them being framed as formidable and menacing robots when they’re pursuing the Freedom Fighters. I did enjoy seeing Metal Sonic Kai from Knuckles’ Chaotix (SEGA, 1995) reimagined as the brotherhood’s emperor. It’s a fantastic design and almost resembles Davros at times, with the gigantic emperor floating about in its throne and spearheading the creation of a Metallix army to take over the world. The Emperor Metallix’s plot is somewhat vague and generic – it wants to transform the Miracle Planet and use its mysterious energies to produce more troops – but it’s at least framed as a threat in its large and menacing stature…until it’s easily disabled by Porker’s explosion! In the end, this was a decent enough follow-up to “The Sonic Terminator” but didn’t live up to its full potential, in my opinion. We didn’t get to see anything new from the Miracle Planet, we lost out on a proper Sonic/Dr. Robotnik team up, and the whole story seems to be more set up for future stories rather than properly standing on its own two feet.

My Rating:

Rating: 2 out of 5.

Could Be Better

Have you ever read “The Brotherhood of Metallix”, or any issues of Sonic the Comic? If so, what did you think of the story and the return of this version of Metal Sonic? Were you also disappointed that we didn’t get a true team up between Sonic and Dr. Robotnik? What did you think to the Emperor Metallix and the depiction of the Metallix in this story? How are you celebrating Sonic CD’s anniversary this year? Whatever your thoughts on Sonic CD, or Sonic in general, feel free to leave a comment below, support me on Ko-Fi, and check out my other Sonic content.