#nala reads archie sonic preboot

[mobius-prime]

294. Sonic Universe #16

Journey to the East (Part 4 of 4): A World Under Constant Vigil

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Tracy Yardley Colors: Jason Jensen

So good ol' Espio's back from being a bad guy! Everyone's certainly surprised to see him, but Khan seems a little more than just surprised.

He's got a very fair point. I mean, let's be real, just how many friends would Sonic have left if he rejected everyone he's ever gotten into a physical fight with? Like two? Despite Sonic's words, Sally is suspicious of Espio as well, and when he informs her that he's only with the Iron Dominion because of his affiliation with the Shinobi Clan, she still insists that because of his previous actions she can't trust his word alone. So, he decides on a new tactic to gain their trust - by revealing all the dirt he has on each of them.

Oh, my god. I… honestly can't even imagine where that royal birthmark might be that's so embarrassing, first of all, given that she wears next to nothing all the time anyway. I suppose it'd have to be a place you really have to shift the fur around awkwardly to see. And second of all, look at Khan's freaking face! His reaction! This whole thing is just amazing. Khan still doesn't know what Espio is getting at, and no one really understands how this is supposed to make them trust him more, but Espio explains that his clan's entire philosophy is based on the collection of information, and by divulging it all, he's just lost any advantage over them he would have had, if he desired such a thing. That… doesn't necessarily make much sense and really just sounds like an excuse to have that page above of him hilariously spilling some secrets about the four heroes, but I digress! Espio blindfolds everyone and leads them to a secret cave, where they stand above a dark abyss, and he informs them that they must make it to the other side to meet with the bride of his clan before disappearing. Tails decides to try flying over, but Khan pulls him back before using his lightning powers to reveal a plethora of deadly traps hidden in the stalactites on the cave's roof.

Ah! Not quite the Indiana Jones leap of faith trick, but then again, this isn't a matte painting. Sonic, against Sally's wishes to take things slow, grabs a huge armful of dirt and races on ahead, bridging each break in the twisting path ahead through sheer speed like Mario over a one-tile gap and spreading the dirt everywhere so the path is plainly visible. They cross, expecting more tests, but to their surprise they end up immediately in the Bride of Constant Vigil's main chambers.

Shh! Khan, don't ruin the easiest set of negotiations you've had thus far! At first it really does seem like he's just mad they put so much effort into all this for the last clan to be so easy to win over, but when Sally makes him take a deep breath he reveals that the real reason he's angry is because he thinks the Shinobi Clan should have done more to stand up to the Iron Dominion and help the free people of the Dragon Kingdom. She calmly tells him that once upon a time the clan did just that, tried to act as the "police" of sorts to the Dragon Kingdom, and when they were nearly wiped out as a result they adopted their sneaky ways to survive. Definitely a reasonable position - but she then goes on to say that Espio has demonstrated to her with his actions that sometimes, those rules must be broken for the greater good. Espio, with his bride's permission, explains to everyone that he was never a native to Angel Island as everyone thought, but is rather a Shinobi spy sent to monitor the Brotherhood. W-wait, the Brotherhood? The ones who spied on everyone else across the entire globe for centuries?!

Right here, right now, the Shinobi Clan has earned my everlasting respect. They figured out early on exactly what I've been saying this whole time - that the Brotherhood is (or was, considering all but one member is dead now) shady as hell, and operating with extensive superpowers and no oversight essentially ensured that they became way too self-assured of their "right" to spy on, and potentially take over, the entire freaking world. I'm not even exaggerating here - remember their really creepy conversation in KtE#16 where they were talking about forcibly leading the planet into a new "golden age" under echidna guidance? The Shinobi are the smartest people on the goddamn planet for not only noticing what the hell was going on over there, but taking action to make sure it never went too far. It also adds a hilarious note of irony to the Brotherhood's ever-so-secretive nature - all this time they thought they were the ultimate spies, watching over all of Mobius to look after "echidna interests," with one of them even stationed directly in the Dragon Kingdom, and yet they never suspected for a moment that someone else was watching them.

Anyway, Espio goes on to recount from here how Valdez was his predecessor, keeping tabs on Locke, and when Espio was chosen as his successor he helped him settle into the Rainbow Valley on Angel Island, pretending to be just another local. Espio watched Knuckles for basically the entire time he was alone on the island after Locke disappeared, and the only reason he was permitted to reveal himself at all was due to an emergency, when the Freedom Fighters were captured and Knuckles was stripped of his powers in the Knuckles Chaotix special. His feelings eventually got the better of him, and he became close to Knuckles and the others despite being under orders to remain secretive.

Oh, boy. Even when your mom's the leader of a ninja clan, it's still hard not to be excited when she lets you do something fun, huh Espio? Espio is overjoyed to be free of his former duties, but Constant Vigil remains serious, reminding Khan that he has his work cut out for him in the future. In response, he takes the plain power ring band from his head and, uh… makes a fist around part of it, and after a flash of light there's some kind of little sigil on it. I can only assume this is meant to signify he's accepted his role as King of the Free People, but I have no idea how he just randomly decorated his bit of jewelry with no real effort. Constant Vigil offers to have her clan ensure the heroes' safe journey back to their own kingdom, and when Sonic points out that they don't seem like they can spare the muscle due to the lack of guards, several dozen chameleons melt out of the shadows, revealing they've been watching the conversation all along. Man, I really like these guys. The next day, the heroes thank Li Yuen for hosting them before flying back out, ready to retake their city and break the grip of the Iron Dominion for good.

#nala reads archie sonic preboot #archie sonic #archie sonic preboot #sonic the hedgehog #su 16 #writer: ian flynn #pencils: tracy yardley #colors: jason jensen

[mobius-prime]

299. Sonic the Hedgehog #213

Reigning Cats and Dogs (Part One)

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Steven Butler Colors: Matt Herms

We begin this era by going back to characters - and places - we haven't seen in a long time, some as far back as the Sonic Adventure adaption. Things start out tense enough, as Sonic and Big the Cat find themselves surrounded by angry Felidae warriors with spears. Remember, the Felidae are cat warriors who are A. led by a short-tempered queen named Hathor, B. live in the Mysterious Cat Country, also known as the Pais Misterioso, and C. were once very much oppressed by the ancient echidnas during the time of Chaos. Weirdly enough, though I suppose it should have been obvious, Big the Cat is part of this clan, though he lives on the outskirts and is shunned by the others for willingly conversing with "outsiders." Hathor is already unhappy about Sonic's arriving in her territory, and becomes even more so when Big lets slip that they're here to retrieve the "Ancient Onyx." Sonic tries to smooth things over, but Hathor refuses to listen to him, and calls for a much more interesting method of learning the truth.

This was something that was mentioned in her previous appearance, but never really delved into - which makes me glad that we're going into it now, as it's a pretty interesting aspect of the Felidae's culture. Sonic plays into this by claiming his gloves are interpreter's gloves, giving him an in to explain everything that's led up to this very confusing moment. Earlier that day, he and Sally flew down to the area to visit the Wolf Pack in the area, as they were to be made honorary members in light of everything they've done. They were surprised to learn when they arrived that Lobo, Lupe's husband, was the chief now, skeptical that Lupe would ever step down from a leadership position - of course, their instincts are right, and Lupe steps out to reveal her snazzy new getup and role.

Man, Lupe is just the best, y'all. She told Sonic and Sally that she'd managed to unite every scattered wolf pack into a grand nation recently, though she still considers raising her children to be a bigger challenge - not a surprise really, as she not only has her two biological teenage children, but also Aerial and Athena, the two Overlander girls she adopted. Glad to see those two are still with the Wolf Pack! Lupe informed Sonic and Sally that the ceremony would unfortunately be informal as they couldn't currently find their sacred relic, the Ancient Onyx, which Lobo was certain the Felidae stole. Lupe barely got through explaining the Felidae to Sonic and Sally, including mentioning that there's been no contact between the two clans in generations, when the alarm was sounded of a Felidae warrior entering their city. A huge, powerful, mighty warrior who could certainly take on all of the Wolf Pack's warriors by himse-

Really, it is nice to see Big again. He's obviously not the most popular character in the franchise - I mean, he's more of a meme than anything with most of the fanbase - but in the right hands, he's, if not quite compelling, then intensely likeable. And Ian certainly counts as the right hands. I find that, more than any other writer who's ever gotten their hands on Big period, he's able to strike the perfect balance between making Big the simpleminded comic relief without getting into actually offensive territory. Big isn't funny because he's stupid, he's funny because he's so used to a non-complicated, simple life that politics, wars, and other things just fly right over his head. But he's sweet, and helpful, and kind, and that's what makes him so great.

Sonic immediately rushed out to vouch for Big, explaining their history together during the Chaos incident in Station Square, only for Big to end up threatened by the Wolf Pack's warriors anyway when he says he's here to retrieve, surprise surprise, the Ancient Onyx for the Felidae. Man, why does everyone want this thing, anyway?

Good thing Lupe's actually level-headed. Sonic and Big went back to the Felidae to discuss matters, while Sally decided to check something else out nearby, intending to come back with more information later. Now in the present, as Sonic and Big try to talk things out with Queen Hathor, Sally slinks through the ruins of the ancient echidna city in the area, the very same one with that awful statue of a conquering echidna stepping on a cat's body. She figures that it's too suspicious that such an important artifact to two different, opposing tribes would go missing like this, leaving the two strongest powers in the region on the brink of war, and figures that this would be the perfect hiding place for whoever stole the gem. Sure enough, she discovers a chapter of the Dark Egg Legion has set up camp in the ruins, and is just about to go back to report this information when none other than Drago Wolf, having joined back up with the Eggman Empire after ditching the Destructix, catches her snooping around. He and what appears to be a Felidae defector chase her around, showing off their terrifying new cybernetic limbs complete with deadly claws while Sally begins to wish she'd brought Sonic along. Unfortunately, she's just not really suited to a stand-up fight alone, and quickly becomes cornered.

…okay, is it just me, or is Sally getting captured a lot lately? Like, every few issues or so now? Normally she's not the damsel in distress type, either, especially with Ian writing her, so I don't know where this sudden rash of hostage situations has come from. Sonic, unaware of Sally's plight, arranges an agreement with Queen Hathor to help them find the Ancient Onyx first, so that they might negotiate which clan takes ownership of it afterwards, and Hathor agrees, though she wants Big out of her territory in exchange.

Honestly, this is just so sweet and kind. Again, Big often gets kind of swept aside and dismissed as some idiot just obsessed with a frog, but I'm really happy that Sonic is shown genuinely caring about his wellbeing here, going as far as to make sure that he'll have a new home that's to his liking once this is all over. Sonic is just about to get started on their new plans when the alarm is raised that the Wolf Pack are marching on the Felidae city, led by Lupe, armed and angry…

#nala reads archie sonic preboot #archie sonic #archie sonic preboot #sonic the hedgehog #sth 213 #writer: ian flynn #pencils: steven butler #colors: matt herms

[mobius-prime]

248. Sonic the Hedgehog #179

House of Cards (Part Two: Royal Flush)

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Tracy Yardley! Colors: Jason Jensen

Sonic and Tails are still embroiled in their fight from last issue, with Sonic trying to convince Tails to stand down so he can rush off to stop Rosemary and Amadeus from doing anything stupid. Tails, of course, refuses, hitting him again, and Sonic angrily tells him that while he understands sticking up for his parents, he's not cool with this whole "punching your best friend" business, to which Tails simply yells that Sonic's had this coming for a long time.

Oof, this is even worse than we previously thought. Rosemary and Amadeus approach the castle's side entrance, and Amadeus is suspicious when the codes he enters on the keypad let him in without a problem, realizing that since they haven't been changed since his arrest this must mean Elias is inviting him in. Indeed, inside the castle we see Elias urging his wife Megan along with their baby daughter Alexis to take shelter inside the nursery while he deals with the revolutionaries breaking in. He quickly orders Nicole, standing nearby, not to wake up his father under any circumstances, just as Amadeus and Rosemary enter the room.

I mean, while you have a point, Elias, the city is hardly going to fall to anarchy the moment it stops being ruled by a monarch. Keeping the peace is kind of the entire point of a democracy. Rosemary calls him out, insisting he should listen to his people who were just calling for a reformation earlier that same day, but Elias insists he won't step down, so Amadeus draws his sword. Elias reveals two honestly pretty cool-looking short double-ended blades beneath his royal cloak, and thus, the two parties clash swords…

And speaking of a clash, Sonic has finally gotten tired of fighting Tails inside the jail, heckled as they are by all the onlookers. Sonic rushes outside, and Tails follows him angrily, and what follows is possibly the most bizarre and scattered string of accusations he could possibly make. He calls Sonic out for, in order: leaving him behind on a lot of missions when he was younger, teasing him when he talked about his own adventures (to which Sonic objects that he teases everyone), and finally not immediately breaking his father out of prison when he got arrested. Sonic is truly baffled by the last one, considering Amadeus wasn't even in jail for a full twelve hours, and then Tails finally screams out the real reason he's so angry - Fiona. Yep, that's right, he's still hung up on Fiona - or should I say, Ian is still hung up on using her as a weird plot point in Tails' character arc.

Okay. You guys already know how I feel about the whole "Tails loving Fiona" thing. It's weird and unnecessary and just doesn't seem to fit literally anything else about Tails' character. But let's assume for a second that it is a valid thing to be upset about and that the whole plot point isn't weird as hell. A ton of things have just fallen into place with his little speech here. Tails has indeed been acting weird ever since Sonic returned from space, and he and Sonic haven't had a single good, honest heart-to-heart about it in all that time. Things have been strained between them for a while, and honestly, I'd say this is even less about Fiona than it is about Sonic being careless and forgetting to show Tails that he actually respects him. He's gotten so used to taking Tails' devotion for granted that once things started getting tense, he didn't know how to handle it, and ended up settling on the less-than-healthy option of  ignoring the problem and hoping it would go away. I've seen plenty of people point to this issue as a bad case of these two being totally out of character, but the problem that people cite always seems to be that Sonic and Tails are fighting at all, rather than what they're fighting about. And frankly, while Tails' initial stated reason for fighting Sonic - to help his parents overthrow the government - didn't make a ton of sense, anyone who knows anything about psychology knows that when one person is mad at another but isn't able to properly express why, those bottled up feelings can come bursting out in all sorts of bizarre ways, including many that don't seem to make any outward sense. And, of course, this can include blaming the other person for things that seem totally out of the blue - because that's not actually what they're angry about at all.

My takeaway from all this is that, again, Tails is not angry about the Fiona thing so much as that the Fiona thing represents a lot of what he has actually been upset about, and he's been carrying around these feelings of resentment that have been slowly building up for years. It's a very believable and reasonable reason for these two to end up butting heads, especially considering Sonic can be quite arrogant and self-centered at times, even without meaning to. In essence, what Tails is ultimately expressing in this whole outburst is that he's no longer content to simply be the forgotten sidekick who always has to take a backseat to Sonic's glory. And if you're wondering why Tails in the comics needs this character arc but not Tails in the games, that very premise is mistaken from the get-go - because he did get this moment of character growth in the games, just under totally different circumstances. Remember how the comics' Sonic Adventure arc never included Tails battling the Egg Walker or saving Station Square from the missile Eggman fired? In the games, that was a very important part of Tails' growth as a character - learning that he could be independent from Sonic and didn’t always have to rely on him or trail behind him, that he could be a hero in his own right. But that entire sequence was cut from the version of the story we got in the comics, and thus, Tails was still left as the sidekick, the little kid, the dependent younger brother without a family of his own. I would imagine that he had to teach himself a lot of that lost independence in the year that Sonic was missing - and it had to be jarring once he got over his initial joy at having Sonic back in his life, the realization that to Sonic, he was still the little dependent sidekick when he'd grown so much since those days. And since his life situation has so drastically changed even in just the last few weeks, all of these feelings have finally come bursting out of him in the form of siding with his biological parents over Sonic. With his above comments about Fiona and about taking away everything he cares about, the entire situation has just become crystal clear to Sonic, and now he wants to make amends, finally knowing exactly what has been bothering Tails this whole time.

But ANYWAY! While all that is going on above, Elias and Amadeus continue to battle it out, only to be shocked by the sudden appearance of a solid wall of nanites in between them. Nicole cheerfully announces from the doorway that while Elias told her not to wake up his father, he said absolutely nothing about waking up Sally, and that's exactly what she's done, with Sally glaring at the two combatants in stark disapproval.

See, this is why Sally should have been involved in the proceedings from the beginning. Outside, Tails has halted his attack after Sonic's words, uncertain about what Sonic is getting at, so Sonic explains himself.

There you go, Sonic. That was what he needed all along - a genuine apology and understanding of his feelings. Tails calms down once Sonic reassures him he's being sincere, and Sonic lightens the mood by joking that Tails has gotten too good at kicking butt for Sonic to want to continue being beaten on by him. Tails says he still wants to talk a few things out, but for now, they agree to team up, rushing to the castle to try to prevent Tails' parents from doing anything they'll regret. They're quite taken aback when they burst through the doors only to find Amadeus and Elias sitting down to a peaceful talk over tea, having agreed on a compromise. The government will be reformed into a combination of a democracy and a monarchy, with a council of six elected citizens being presided over by the king as a seventh member. This way, the people have a government that actually represents them, while they don't lose their monarchical heritage! That's actually probably the best solution that could have possibly been reached, and I applaud these two for having agreed on such an elegant solution.

Oh, Maximillian, so stuck in your old ways. Honestly, though, all things considered, I actually do not think he's a bad person. He's stuck in rigid tradition, but it was something he was indoctrinated into his whole life, and it's not surprising he'd be so resistant to change, especially after everything he's been through in his life. Remember, this guy can't be older than his mid-forties - it's not like he's some old and wizened ruler who has had time to process his life's experiences, he's barely halfway through an ordinary person's life span! That's a lot to deal with in a short amount of time. Outside, Sonic, Tails, and Sally watch the election take place, and Sonic asks Sally why she didn't run for a spot on the council, to which she slyly replies that it's likely for the same reason that Sonic didn't. I presume that means that she wants to have free time to herself to help lead the Freedom Fighters and not continue to be stuck at home, but we don't get a lot of time to think about that, because out of goddamn nowhere, Dimitri shows up in his little head-bubble and scares the living hell out of all three of the heroes, asking after Knuckles and warning them that Enerjak has returned…

#nala reads archie sonic preboot #archie sonic #archie sonic preboot #sonic the hedgehog #sth 179 #writer: ian flynn #pencils: tracy yardley #colors: jason jensen

[mobius-prime]

297. Free Comic Book Day Special - 2010

Hide and Seek and Destroy

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: James Fry Colors: Matt Herms

Unlike the last Free Comic Book Day special, which was mostly just a fun tie-in to the current plot of the comics, this one appears to be a "hook" of sorts. It spends an inordinate amount of time explaining to the reader not only what has just happened with the Iron Dominion, but basically everything that's happened since the first Robotnik died. It definitely has the vibe of like, hoping curious comic-book-shop-goers will pick it up and leaf through it and ultimately decide that this is a series they want to get into.

Ever since the Iron Dominion was defeated, Sonic has been taking a trip to the Eggdome every day, certain that this is where Eggman must have escaped to and wanting to find out what he might be up to. Eggman, for his part, has decided that for now it's best to lie low and pretend like he's not home, though he of course watches Sonic traverse his seemingly-empty base over a series of hidden cameras. He takes great pleasure in watching Sonic and cackling evilly to himself about how he'll never find where Eggman is hiding, and soon enough he'll strike back at the Freedom Fighters and Republic of Acorn.

That's a genuine goddamn "I didn't see you playing with your dolls again" moment and I am here for it. As Sonic slips inside the Eggdome and begins wandering its empty halls, a strange, plantlike being watches him from the shadows and… slobbers horrifically, talking to itself about how it can't believe Sonic is here after all this time. Eugh. Sure enough, right in the middle of his very detailed and specific thoughts about the finer points of the recent Iron Dominion invasion, Sonic finds his path blocked by the disgusting plant creature, which introduces itself as the Krudzu Hybrid Hydra. No, seriously, I mean it introduces itself.

So, show of hands. Who here remembers the Krudzu? This guy first appeared allllll the way back in the very first issue of this entire comic! Mind you, it wasn't the first first issue, given that the Sonic Miniseries came out before StH#1, but still, we're going back quite a ways for this one. Also, it turns out that Eggman isn't behind this one, as he's well and truly freaked out by the appearance of this thing. Snively explains to him that his predecessor created it from the seeds of the original Krudzu and designed it to combine itself with any robots it could find to strengthen itself, but he'd thought it dead when the bombs hit Robotropolis some time back. Eggman, at this, becomes very enthusiastic, certain that this thing is the key to his victory, and gets even more pumped when the Krudzu Hybrid Hydra explains to Sonic how it survived the explosions by burrowing a single tiny root into the ground, growing for some time, and then using any broken badniks it could find after the fact to make itself stronger. It thinks that Sonic should be utterly terrified by this news, but much to its chagrin, Sonic is actually pleased, thinking that Eggman's most recent forces have been boring and "not his style" and he appreciates the retro vibe of the old badniks.

And to think that Ian called the Classic Sonic purist ideology before it was cool. Sonic quickly rips the Krudzu Hybrid Hydra to pieces and walks away satisfied, but a moment later it rearranges itself and begins to beat Sonic in earnest, claiming that since it was hardy enough to survive a barrage of literal nukes there's no way Sonic's attacks could beat it. By this point, Snively has gotten in on the fun and is cheering the monster on, only to be surprised when Eggman walks away without a word.

…you know, as much as I've criticized various villains for doing exactly this many times before, in a way, I can almost empathize with Eggman here. Recently I've been stuck in a loop of starting new save files in No Man's Sky over and over because my second ship wasn't big enough, or my first base kind of sucked, or I didn't like the appearance of the overseer I ended up with. I straight up beat the game and then went "nah, I don't like this save file anymore" and started another new one. The point of bringing up my inability to actually stick with any project in particular is, feeling that to do something you're so passionate about, you have to do it right and have it go perfectly so you can savor it forevermore, is actually painfully relatable, I know not just for me, but for a lot of people out there. It's kind of played for laughs here, with Snively actually going to the back of the room to bang his head against the wall in frustration, but even here, even now, after having his revelation about the sheer unpredictability of Sonic, Eggman is still eager to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory just to ensure that everything goes exactly his way in the super duper final actual finale, sanity be damned. And that's exactly what happens - right as the Krudzu Hybrid Hydra is about to kill Sonic, the tiny golden bird that Eggman constructed flies down and gently taps it on the head.

The *light tap* *humongous mega-explosion* trope will never not be funny to me, honestly. Sonic is incredibly suspicious given that there's no way its sudden, unexplained self-destruct could be a coincidence, so as he leaves to rest and recuperate, he calls out to Eggman wherever he might be hiding and watching that he's going to keep coming back to find out where he is and what he's planning. Eggman merely cackles as Sonic legs it back home, ready for their next face to face encounter.

#nala reads archie sonic preboot #archie sonic #archie sonic preboot #sonic the hedgehog #free comic book day special 2010 #writer: ian flynn #pencils: james fry #colors: matt herms

[mobius-prime]

300. Sonic the Hedgehog #214

Reigning Cats and Dogs (Part Two)

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Steven Butler Colors: Matt Herms

A flustered Sonic finds himself in the middle of two very angry opposing clans, trying to figure out how to keep the peace without Sally here to help him. Lupe states that she brought her people along to find Sonic because she'd figured that he may have been hurt or captured by the Felidae, though it really does seem like just somewhat of an excuse to confront the queen face to face.

The two sides start accusing each other of stealing the Ancient Onyx, while Sonic wonders worriedly where Sally has gotten to. In the intervening time, Drago's had her tied to a pedestal holding, but of course, the Ancient Onyx. Turns out, it's the very same black emerald that Eggman cracked to release Chaos way back in the Sonic Adventure arc! Remember, the Master Emerald had barely come into existence by that point, so they needed a different "container" for Chaos to come out of initially. Drago gloats about capturing Sally while Sally is mostly unamused by his cheesy villainous dialogue, and she begins to taunt him only to stop herself when she sees an opportunity. Instead, she acts like she's given up hope because Drago is such a brilliant tactician, pretending to be dumb in order to goad him into monologuing about his plans.

He explains that he went back to the Eggman Empire because he was tired of running with the Destructix, while Razorklaw here was - oh, hey, that's a familiar name! Yep, this is the same Razorklaw whom Locke bested in combat, again, back during the Sonic Adventure adaption. After he lost the fight, he was disgraced and exiled by the queen, and in looking for a new crew to join ended up with the Dark Egg Legion. Sally drops the pretense once he's finished, pointing out he's just another lackey and hasn't moved up at all, so Drago gloats that he's the one who came up with the idea for this operation, stealing the emerald to pit the Wolf Pack and Felidae against each other. And now with Sally in his custody, he has to decide if he wants to set her up as the one behind it all to turn her into the scapegoat, or kill her to bring in New Mobotropolis for a "nice three-way war." Meanwhile, Sonic paces, trying to figure out what Sally was up to, while Big stands in between the irate Lupe and Hathor, who are screaming accusations at each other. Sonic suddenly hits upon an epiphany, and gets everyone to quiet down for a moment so he can share it.

Eyy, look who's learning to use his smarts! As he convinces Hathor to agree to his plan, Drago plays at being indecisive about his choice over what to do with Sally, stopping Razorklaw when he tries to just kill her outright and scolding him for being "terrible at this villain thing." At least he's self-aware, man. A loud chorus of howls interrupts them, and Drago and Razorklaw are horrified to see both the Wolf Pack and the Felidae charging their hideout. Sonic shows both leaders that members of their own clans have betrayed them to join the Legion, and they're infuriated that any of their own would think to join such an evil organization.

Big, I love you so much. Sonic and Big untie Sally, and she congratulates him on figuring everything out without her there to help him, as well as bringing both warring nations together for the first time. Drago, Razorklaw, and the Legionnaires who haven't been captured all make a run for it, and Lupe orders her people to stand down instead of giving chase. With their shared enemy gone, the Wolf Pack and Felidae look like they might start going for each other's throats again, but Sally holds up the Ancient Onyx, and gives a nice speech about how they've argued over it for too long and how their enemy has used it against them, and yet they came together as allies today of their own volition.

Good enough, man! That night, Lupe inducts Sonic and Sally as well as Big into the Wolf Pack Nation, and while the festivities commence Sally asks Sonic if he thinks the Ancient Onyx has anything to do with the Chaos Emeralds. Sonic replies that he can't sense any Chaos energy coming from it, so while he doesn't know what it might be, it's definitely not related. This is a strange thing to claim, because, again, this is the artifact that literally held Chaos in it for millennia, but eh, that plot point was never really properly explained to begin with anyway. The story appears to be over, but an issue is never complete without a hook for the next plot arc…

We haven't heard anything from either the Arctic Freedom Fighters or Rotor's herd in a very long time! I guess it's finally time to see what they're all up to…

#nala reads archie sonic preboot #archie sonic #archie sonic preboot #sonic the hedgehog #sth 214 #writer: ian flynn #pencils: steven butler #colors: matt herms

[mobius-prime]

273. Sonic the Hedgehog #200

Turn About is Fair Play

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Tracy Yardley! Colors: Matt Herms

Welcome to the two-hundredth issue of the Archie Sonic preboot! It's another big milestone issue, but unfortunately, compared to some of the others it's a little… light on content, if you will. Most of it consists of pages and pages of fighting, some of it with very little dialogue other than "Ugh!" and "Oof!" and "Argh!" It honestly reminds me in a way of those old, early-era issues that were mostly just Sonic and Knuckles beating the crap out of each other in various locales with a few pages before and after to explain why they'd decided to get into a tussle this time - only now, the big fight is between Sonic and, of course, Eggman.

Right off the bat, Eggman makes kind of a weird comment, claiming that Sonic has been a thorn in his side for "fifteen years and more." I say it's weird because no matter how you look at the timeline, it doesn’t really seem to match up. It can't be referring to Sonic's age, because Sonic is seventeen here, and he certainly didn't start fighting Eggman when he was two - the coup hadn't even happened at that point. And it can't be referring to how long the war has been going on for similar reasons. Sonic's been actively carrying on the fight against Eggman and his predecessor for about a decade now, assuming that he and the others formed the core Freedom Fighter group when he was around seven, but that still leaves several years unaccounted for. The only thing I can think of to make this comment make sense is that Eggman is specifically thinking about his previous war with the Sonic of his home zone. We know that his history was virtually identical to Sonic Prime's up until the events of Endgame, during which he roboticized himself to avoid losing outright. We can assume the fight went on a couple more years from there, and after his long stint in space as a computer program (anyone ever think about how weird Archie Sonic lore is) Eggman has been waging war anew against the Prime Zone's Freedom Fighters, and we can assume this has gone on for nearly two years at this point as well considering Sonic's year in space. I suppose, considering all that, that it could technically add up to fifteen years, but it's still a weird comment to make. Then again, we know that Eggman has been kind of losing it lately, and Sonic's careless and mocking attitude certainly doesn't help.

As their battle begins, Sonic smugly begins checking off the list of every way Eggman has failed to keep his empire in order - how "a group of kids with no real training" have continuously thwarted him in every way, how his failures always translate directly into wins for the heroes, and how even in the times he has won, such as at Knothole, it's been temporary at best, with the heroes coming out even stronger on the other side. Eggman sputters in a fury as Sonic continues to list off his failures, how he doesn't even control nearly as much of the world as he claims and that even in the places he does control the people hate him and want him gone, and how in the end, Sonic is confident he can beat him again just like always. What follows is what I mentioned before, just pages and pages of fighting as Sonic continues to trash the Egg Spider and Eggman grows more and more apoplectic and incoherent until he's reduced to screaming about how much he hates Sonic. After a good bit of bashing and spindashing, the Egg Spider is finally reduced to scrap, and Sonic, feeling quite pleased with the way their final battle has gone, strikes a nice victory pose.

And then… this happens.

Yikes. We knew that Eggman was slowly losing his grip on reality, but this is just downright disturbing. Sally tries to report to Sonic on the team's success and the Legion's retreat, but finds herself distracted by Eggman's gibbering tantrum, asking Sonic what the hell he did to him. Sonic is equally at a loss to explain what's going on, but Snively's voice interrupts the both of them, grimly informing them that this final defeat has completely broken his uncle's mind in half.

I'll admit, the first time I read this I did not see this coming despite the lead-up - it almost seemed like too much, like something of this caliber wouldn't make it into a comic for kids (well, more like teens at this point - I feel like the storylines have long since gone beyond being for young children). And yet in the end, I feel like that's exactly why Ian is so beloved as the head writer - he was willing to take things seriously, include real stakes for the characters and write in plot developments like this that would completely change the status quo. Eggman has been consistently losing his way through every Sonic game, comic, anime, and every other piece of media for decades now, and at some point, in some canon, it was liable to break him entirely. Just, no one ever expected it to be this dramatic.

Everyone else bursts into the room, and they begin to celebrate wildly as they realize the war is over, though Sonic stands amid the chaos with a look of blank disappointment on his face. Sally recovers fairly quickly and begins crying from happiness, using Nicole's handheld to broadcast the message of their victory to the entirety of New Mobotropolis, where the citizens are celebrating wildly in the streets. As they make their way back out of the Eggdome, Tails and Amy excitedly get Sonic to recount the battle to them, but he's less than enthusiastic, missing his usual dramatic flair. When questioned on his attitude, or lack thereof, he frowns and claims that he's merely tired after the fight, which they accept without question.

I'm not surprised Sonic doesn't feel right about all this. I'm sure he thought the finale to the big showdown was going to be, well, epic, with Eggman angrily sputtering about how he'll get him next time only to have his ego taken down a notch by Sally's end-of-the-war speech. It can't feel at all good to beat your enemy so hard that he literally goes insane, even if he is a genocidal maniac. After all, Sonic isn't cruel - he doesn't fight for the express purpose of torturing Eggman, he fights to protect the people and the world he loves. Causing such extreme mental anguish just isn't something he's interested in, and yet his actions have led to it anyway, causing some serious emotional conflict for him. But hey, he's Sonic, and in the end he's able to pick up and carry on, satisfied that in the long run he's done the right thing. And hey, it is the end of the war! Time to enjoy, for the second time, a new era of peace and prosperity with no more dire threats to the world and his family and friends' safety! Right? R…right?

Of course not! Where would we be if there was no more conflict in this comic?! I mean, granted, there was an entire era in the past dealing with precisely that - how child soldiers deal with trying to live an ordinary life after fighting an adults' war - but it'd be kinda weird to try to just rehash all that a second time over. Plus, Sonic has grown up since then - I feel like if the story truly did end here and there were no more villains to face, Sonic would ultimately be able to adjust and live a happy and fulfilling life without all the constant hero work to keep him busy. But as it is, there is another situation brewing - don't tell me you forgot about Snively's little online romance! After securing Eggman in a straightjacket and padded cell within the Eggdome, Snively makes his way to the landing pad on top of the Eggdome, ordering all the Legion's members to meet him up there. He's ready to introduce them all to their new leader, who will be taking over the running of the Eggman Empire now that its namesake is, ahem, indisposed. And this new ruler just so happens to be…

T-the Iron Queen? You mean that one-off character from waaayyy back in StH#60? Yeah, see, I did hint at this back in my review of that issue. I think I've mentioned it before, but Ian is very fond of bringing back old, forgotten characters and concepts from the earliest days of the comic and breathing new life into them, finding ways to weave them back into the story to become much more interesting than they had been before. The Iron Queen, here, is a technomancer, and quite power-hungry (and apparently has a thing for tiny gremlin men, despite being married to a gigantic Mobian bull). I will admit that she's not my favorite villain of the series, but she's not a bad one at all, and indeed it's her arrival that catapults us out of the sixth era and into the seventh, as we get ready to face down the menace of her Iron Dominion! Man, so much for peace. Sonic never does get a break, does he?

#nala reads archie sonic preboot #archie sonic #archie sonic preboot #sonic the hedgehog #sth 200 #writer: ian flynn #pencils: tracy yardley #colors: matt herms

[mobius-prime]

292. Sonic Universe #14

Journey to the East (Part 2 of 4): High Price for Rich Nights

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Tracy Yardley! Colors: Jason Jensen

Their second day in the Dragon Kingdom, the heroes set out to meet with the Yagyu Clan only to walk right into an ambush from… the Yagyu Clan. They're certain it was all a set-up and the Yagyu don't want to talk, but luckily the ninjas they sent are all terrible, weak fighters, and the heroes take them down easily, Khan grabbing the last one to demand they be taken to the Yagyu's leader anyway.

They're already seeming like a bit of a disorganized mess, aren't they? The ninja brings the group to the Yagyu's hideout, where despite being the highest authority the clan has besides the Iron Queen herself, the local leader doesn't even get the privilege of being assigned a name.

What a peen. Khan is outraged and almost flies into a fury, but Sally silently calms him with a hand on his shoulder, and he swallows his anger long enough to announce why they've come. The Yagyu lord interrupts him to rudely announce that while he'll allow Sally and Khan to make their case to him due to their status, he doesn't want someone as famously brash as Sonic in his hideout, nor will he consent to discuss matters with a "mere child" such as Tails. Sonic doesn't particularly care whether he has to stick around or not, but Tails is deeply offended and has to be ushered out by Sonic. With the two offending parties gone, the boss has free reign to explain to Sally and Khan how he sees the current matter.

…he's not very bright, is he? Somehow he doesn't seem to realize that "wanting the freedom to do whatever he wants" and "serving a wannabe global dictator" aren't really compatible stances. Outside, Tails is ranting and raving about not being taken seriously, and Sonic is mildly confused as to why he would even care what someone as jerkish as the Yagyu lord thinks of him.

Oh, well hello, Fiona! Fancy seeing you here of all places! No, seriously though, where the hell has she been all this time? Remember, the last we saw of her was when Scourge was defeated, and she seemed to have a bit more of an emotional investment in her relationship with him than she was willing to admit. She promises to tell Sonic and Tails why she's here if they can catch her, and so they take off chasing her through the bamboo forest. They immediately regret it, as it's so thick they can't properly build up speed or fly, and with Fiona's acrobatic skills she slides through the stalks with ease, getting ahead of them quickly. Tails gets smacked in the face by a rogue bit of bamboo, and Sonic emerges on the other side of the thicket only to get his face smashed into the ground by a surprise Sgt. Simian. Both heroes are quickly grabbed and tossed around by the rest of the Destructix, noticeably sans Lightning Lynx, but quite apart from wanting to rough them up a little bit, Fiona and the Destructix actually seem to want to talk about something. Meanwhile, back in the Yagyu hideout, Sally tries to talk their way out of being attacked by pointing out all the reasons it would be beneficial for the clan to renounce the Iron Dominion, but the Yagyu lord thinks that the Iron Queen is the only thing giving them an edge over the other clans and isn't willing to give up his newfound power. Then, unexpectedly, Khan speaks up.

Hey-hey-hey! Well done, Khan! Finally using your words instead of your lightning powers. He and Sally walk out in good spirits, and when Sally asks if he's worried about them stirring up trouble in the future, he explains that he's pretty sure the members of the clan are so divided on what they actually want that they won't be more than a nuisance from now on. Sally's impressed, but Khan insists he was only able to think of such a deal because of her influence.

Okay, you gotta admit, Ian's Monkey Khan is smooth. Sally, though pleased by this display of affection, reminds him they still have two more clans to tackle and a city to save, so they start looking around for Sonic and Tails. Sure enough, just past the bamboo forest they find them, the Destructix standing over them getting ready to make their own terms known…

#nala reads archie sonic preboot #archie sonic #archie sonic preboot #sonic the hedgehog #su 14 #writer: ian flynn #pencils: tracy yardley #colors: jason jensen

[mobius-prime]

271. Sonic Universe #4

The Shadow Saga (Part 4 of 4): The Ultimate Lifeform

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Tracy Yardley! Colors: Jason Jensen

Before we get started, it's important to note that this issue likely takes place a short time after the upcoming two issues, but for the sake of continuity as well as plot pacing, I've decided to cover this one first, especially since it doesn't overlap with the events of the next two issues at all. Shadow and Rouge are suited up and ready to go into the Special Zone in search of another Chaos Emerald, and Shadow is unconcerned, as he thinks the mission should be fairly routine. They're teleported into the zone by Hope's device, and sure enough, the giant freaky panda god Feist is there, ready to test some mortals for funsies in return for a Chaos Emerald.

Feist cackles and says that since he creates the rules of this zone, Shadow's own powers won't work, as even if he's the "ultimate lifeform" Feist is a god and therefore holds power over him. Shadow and Rouge quickly start trying to navigate Feist's little maze, using their respective strengths to dodge obstacles, but Feist has deliberately set them up for failure, and laughs at them as they run out of time just a moment before Rouge can grab the green Chaos Emer- wait, what? The green emerald? That one was already retrieved from the Sol Dimension! For whatever reason, Jason apparently completely forgot that not all the emeralds are green anymore, and miscolored this one, which was intended to be the red one. Ian handwaved it away later by saying Feist made it look that way to confuse them or whatever, but the color was also quietly corrected to red in future reprints, so it clearly wasn't intended. Anyway, Shadow and Rouge are booted out of the zone without their prize, much to Hope and Commander Tower's shock.

Okay, first of all, Tower, there's literally no need to be an asshole about this. There were already problems just getting into the Special Zone in the first place, it's downright idiotic to think it would just be a total piece of cake to retrieve one of the emeralds within after all that. And second of all, for goodness' sake, Shadow, stop blaming yourself for goddamn everything! Oh no, you didn't immediately succeed at everything you've tried! Ultimate lifeform or not, you're still an ordinary sentient being with ordinary sentient thought processes. Shadow, moping and upset, heads to the facility's gym and begins beating the crap out of Omega, who is surprised and makes a weird comment about how it's he who "usually" comes to Shadow for sparring practice. I'm… a little baffled at this comment, honestly, because it makes it sound like Omega's been around for a while now and he and Shadow regularly beat each other up, even though the very last issue implied that this issue's story is taking place like, the day after recruiting him. But anyway, Shadow dodges all of Omega's questions and attacks, while Omega rather tactlessly points out that now that he's received his clearance for duty, he can come with them on their next mission and blast Feist for them. This pisses Shadow off, and he stalks away to find a quiet spot near the top of the base.

Oh, speaking of which, has anyone been wondering where GUN is actually based? We know they're part of Station Square's security force, but multiple past issues have made vague allusions to the United Federation having more than one territory around the world, and generally being a lot bigger than it was previously portrayed as being (remember when the Mobians and entire outside world didn't even know Station Square existed? Ah, the weird old days). Well, here we get a clue as to where this GUN base is located. Shadow is moping at the top of the mountain that houses the base, and Hope appears there too, surprised to see Shadow as she'd thought this was her own personal hidden thinking spot. She tries to make conversation, enthusing about the view and how "On a clear day, you can see all the way to Soleanna!" I've already noted that Sonic '06 technically took place, if you can call it that, in the comics universe, so obviously Soleanna would have to exist as well. My point here is more about the location of Soleanna. The aesthetic of the kingdom's capital city is vaguely Venetian, indicating it's probably located somewhere analogous to modern-day Italy, so for it to be visible from the top of this mountain, this GUN base would have to be somewhere in Europe. Because I'm extra, I took a look at the position of these two relative to the sun in the background, and if we assume this scene takes place in the afternoon, then the base would be somewhere north of Soleanna - so if Soleanna is indeed located on the coast where Italy currently, then that all checks out nicely. Just a fun fact for y'all!

Anyway, I'm getting way too into the small details here. Hope, noticing that Shadow refuses to make conversation despite her efforts, tries to comfort him, but Shadow just insists that since he's the ultimate lifeform he's not supposed to fail. This is, of course, ridiculous, and Hope points this out, adding that in her opinion he hasn't failed as badly as she has. She tells him the story of how Snively encouraged her to leave Knothole and how she feels too guilty to go back after its destruction, which rouses Shadow somewhat, becoming concerned when she starts to cry. He tells her that leaving was hardly a failure, that she had no way of knowing what would happen and that it wasn't a bad thing to want to push her own boundaries by exploring her role in the world. She smiles and fires back that he can't blame himself for his own failures then, and points out that in the end his "failed" mission was actually excellent reconnaissance and that now that he understands better what he'll be facing, he's just set himself up for future success. This makes Shadow pause, as he's obviously not thought of it like this before.

Now that is how you write a Shadow. It's weird when people try to characterize him as this edgy, brooding, angry violent character who would never allow himself to be soft or emotional. Sure, he has an ego that he has to protect, and he likes to show off how tough he is on occasion, but Hope's analysis here is accurate - he's literally an eternal teenager who's just trying to figure out where he belongs in the grand scheme of things. Furthermore, Shadow the Hedgehog is great with children and no one will ever ever change my mind on this. So there.

Soon after their talk, Shadow, Rouge, and Omega have gathered at the teleporter for their next foray into the Special Zone. They've christened themselves "Team Dark," something which Rouge and Hope both seem a bit baffled at but which Tower seems to think is apt. They make it back into the Special Zone, and when Feist gloats at them for coming back for another round, both Omega and Shadow become riled, wanting to go on the offensive, though Rouge holds them back. Feist conjures up another challenge for them, this time in the form of a weird 3D-cube-maze-thing, and mocks them as they do their best to find the center. They eventually end up in a chamber with spikes at the bottom and the Chaos Emerald at the center, but Feist covers the emerald with a bunch of multicolored, useless gems, giving Omega the chance to use his beloved guns to blast a hole in them, giving Shadow an opening.

Feist, you're a real asshole, you know that? He brings them back to his sphere… platform… thing to mock them some more, and Omega begins begging for the chance to pursue "Plan B" like an excited child on Christmas. He's delighted when Rouge gives her permission, and immediately launches half his weight in ammunition into Feist's face, having to be literally dragged away from the screaming panda by Rouge to prevent him from standing there and firing at him for the rest of the day.

Woo! Go Team Dark! Hope hugs Shadow and congratulates him, and Tower is similarly pleased, accepting the emerald from his agents and eager to make GUN a "force to be reckoned with" with the power of their two emeralds. Normally, that statement might set off a few red flags, especially concerning these guys' history of, y'know, murdering innocent terminally ill children who get in the way of their bullets, but luckily fifty years has been enough for them to change for the better (I sincerely doubt Shadow would ever agree to work for them otherwise). This issue ends with a single page teasing the next arc of SU, featuring an adult Knuckles and Julie-Su getting ready to leave on some kind of trip and trusting their daughter Lara-Su to take over things while… they're… oh for the love of Chaos, this again?! We're really going back to the future? Only this time, it's thirty years into the future instead of twenty-five. Ugh, I wanted to be done with this AU, but I guess we're careening right back into it… But first, of course, the two-part finale to the sixth era of the preboot, the shortest era so far!

#nala reads archie sonic preboot #archie sonic #archie sonic preboot #sonic the hedgehog #su 4 #writer: ian flynn #pencils: tracy yardley #colors: jason jensen

[mobius-prime]

303. Sonic Universe #19

The Tails Adventure (Part 3 of 4): Trouble in Paradise (Part 3)

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Tracy Yardley! Colors: Jason Jensen

Weirdly enough, despite both issues before this one having some kind of subtitle, this one is just called "Part 3." Normally Ian is pretty good at keeping titles of running arcs consistent, but this arc is kind of all over the place on that front. Anyway, where were we? Uh - oh, right! Antoine has thrown himself out of the island fortress in a totally real expression of grief at his wife's apparent betrayal! A distraught Bunnie stares out after him towards the water, but seems to become briefly relieved by something she sees. A second later, the mask is back on and she slams the door behind her, yelling at everyone present for causing Antoine's death.

Well, seems you have everyone convinced except for one green nuisance, Bunnie. What exactly happened to Antoine, though? Well, turns out he noticed Tails waiting in the Sea Fox on the surface of the water, correctly deduced that Bunnie was pretending to be a double agent, and to avoid blowing her cover, merely pretended to throw himself to his death while in actuality landing in the Sea Fox to reconnect with Tails. He never doubted Bunnie for a second, of course! He's incredibly pleased with himself for coming up with such a cunning plan so quickly, and after a quick introduction to T-Pup, he and Tails make for Cocoa Island once more to infiltrate the base via the network of caves that connect the two. As they search for an entrance, Antoine finds himself reminiscing on the past, specifically on how once upon a time, Tails was young and wholly reliant on others to make the plans for him, unlike now.

Now's a good time to shut it, 'Twan… While an annoyed Tails leads them into the underground tunnels, Speedy visits one Dr. Fukurokov, who is like many of the characters of this arc based on an equivalent character from the Tails Adventure game. Despite the slight Russian flavor of his name, it's actually based on the Japanese word for owl, "fukurou," and apparently a lot of early English-speaking fans of the Sonic games had quite a bit of trouble pronouncing it. Thus, a running joke in this issue and the next is that absolutely no one knows how to pronounce poor Fukurokov's name, causing him to become increasingly annoyed that no one ever addresses him as anything other than "Doctor."

Speedy's purpose in visiting Fukurokov's lab is to use his computer to look up some important information - namely, all the data that's available on one Bunnie D'Coolette. Sure enough, he finds out that she was one of the earliest members of the Freedom Fighters, and her bionic limbs were a result of partial roboticization and not legionization. For whatever reason, he doesn't contact the Battle Lord right away, instead getting Fukurokov to agree to fix up a little "toy" he's got lying around in the lab. Meanwhile in the tunnels, Tails and Antoine encounter a squad of Battle Bird troops blasting a path through the rock, and use this to their advantage, taking out the soldiers and using their explosives to blast their own path through to a different tunnel which will take them straight to the base. Inside, they find more troops which they begin fighting against, and the alarm is sounded within the base. The Battle Lord informs Speedy over the intercom that he's sent the "D.E.L. liaison" to deal with the matter, and once again, Speedy elects to not tell his father her true identity, instead urging Fukurokov to continue his work on his mysterious machine. Come on, Speedy, I may be biased in wanting the heroes to win, but purely from a logical standpoint, you're mishandling this situation spectacularly. Since Bunnie is, of course, a hero and not a traitor, when she shows up at the location of Antoine and Tails' fight she helps rescue them from the soldiers that have begun to overwhelm them.

Antoine is overjoyed to see her alive and well, even more so when she hands over her borrowed sword for him to use, and apologizes for frightening her with his act. Bunnie enthusiastically thanks Tails for helping save her husband before revealing she has a gift for him too - the schematics for the entire base. After downloading them into T-Pup and analyzing the hologram, Tails figures out the best place for them to attack to weaken the base's infrastructure to force the Armada to stop operations, and they fight their way back in, only to find themselves confronted by Fukurokov in a storage bay. Their stumbling over his name infuriates him even further, and he sends in his newly-fixed-up giant robot to attack them.

Spoiler alert: it's the robot. Bunnie is knocked senseless, and Antoine and Tails are forced to run for their lives from the "Mole Mech" as Fukurokov sets it to attack them relentlessly…

#nala reads archie sonic preboot #archie sonic #archie sonic preboot #sonic the hedgehog #su 19 #writer: ian flynn #pencils: tracy yardley #colors: jason jensen

[mobius-prime]

281. Sonic the Hedgehog #204

Heavy is the Head (Part Two): Iron Khan

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Steven Butler Colors: Matt Herms

Things have gone from bad to worse with Khan now under the Iron Queen's control. The Freedom Fighters are forced to scatter as he calls down a magical storm on them, and Sonic barely returns from taking Bunnie to safety in time to save even more helpless would-be victims.

Sally quickly explains what happened while he was gone, and Sonic eagerly races forward to fight Khan, despite Sally calling after him not to hurt him. Sonic tries to at first talk Khan out of it, telling him to fight back, but the Iron Queen gleefully reminds him of how extensive his cybernetics are, giving her total control. Snively, still holding onto Khan's power ring crown, snaps it in half while revealing that this was the only thing protecting him before… and then the Iron Queen drops the bomb that she'd in fact controlled Khan more recently than previously known, and used him to wipe out the Dragon Kingdom Freedom Fighters. That's right! Khan had his body seized by a tyrant and was forced to literally murder the local Freedom Fighter chapter, which is why they're no longer around to help. Considering everything else that's happened to him in his life, if that doesn't spell serious trauma, I don't know what does. However, all this does give Sonic an idea, and he asks everyone to stall Khan while he makes a quick stop at the Lake of Rings, which Antoine takes to with gusto.

I mean, as much as you do have a point, 'Twan, again, we're talking about a severely traumatized unwilling pawn here. Sally, Vector, and Mighty jump in to try to help, but Sally is easily swept aside as the two Chaotix grab hold of Khan. Sonic, meanwhile, paces impatiently next to the lake, while Nicole explains that the rings here are created artificially with the energy runoff from the radioactive ruins of Robotropolis, and thus she can only make them so fast. However, when they spot Vector and Mighty flying across the sky like two distant, lightning-fried meteorites, she changes her tune and diverts some more power to production, just as Khan makes a beeline for Sonic.

Man, good thing rings don't need to be forged into shape, huh? Just jam one onto your skull and it'll fit perfectly! Really, it's a wonder power ring circlets aren't in fashion across all of Mobius. Fortunately, Sonic's plan works and Khan comes back to his senses, drenched and depressed. To Snively's surprise, the Iron Queen happily sounds the retreat, content to have humiliated and demoralized Khan for now before her next planned assault. Sonic realizes that this is why Khan had his outburst of anger last issue, and Khan confirms it, blaming himself for everything that's happened here today. Antoine gets in his face and angrily agrees, clearly still worked up about Bunnie, but an unexpected trio interrupts him - Rory, Sasha, and Snaggle, now coming to Khan's defense.

Sally hugs him, Khan and Antoine apologize to one another, and it's really just a bunch of warm fuzzies all around. Seriously, though, something like this was much needed for Khan. In every prior appearance, he's been pretty two-dimensional, being mostly just an egotistical and slightly crazy magic monkey with no real personality. I mean, he originally spoke in third person, for crying out loud. Ian's done what he does best, and breathed some new life into an old, stale, and nearly forgotten character, making him into someone we can actually give a Renfield T. Rodent's ass about.

Back in the Eggdome, Snively pays a quick visit to his uncle, still wrapped up in a straightjacket and locked in his padded cell, to gloat about how well things are going without him, before becoming annoyed that gloating just isn't as fun when the person you're talking to is stuck in their own head. Eggman babbles on throughout the entire thing, but though his words may appear to be gibberish at first glance, nearly every single phrase has some kind of significance. He repeats "hate that hedgehog" several times for obvious reasons, and other phrases that seem nonsensical are actually very clever references to much, much older issues. Several more phrases seem to be made up of technobabble to some degree, suggesting he's not totally lost in there, but perhaps the most significant phrase, I find, is "They always loved Colin more." Colin, if you'll recall, is Robotnik's brother, whom Eggman killed just before Robotropolis went boom. This one little line immediately gives a lot more insight into just how Eggman - and the original Robotnik - came to be who they are today. It seems to suggest that, ultimately, a lot of his awful personality stems from jealousy of the attention his parents gave to his brother instead of him. We know precisely jack-all about Eggman and Colin's parents, mind you, and as far as I remember this isn't a plot point or anything, but it does get the imagination going, doesn't it? It's easy to imagine Colin as the golden child, the grand military general leading the Overlander race to glory, while poor, ugly, non-charismatic Julian gets neglected, fueling his feelings of resentment until he uses his natural talents as an inventor to get revenge and force the world to acknowledge his genius. I'm not trying to say that Robotnik is a sympathetic figure by any means, but many cruel, manipulative, domineering people do unfortunately get their start after facing rejection from authorities in their life.

Anyway, this is all just speculation - this little line never gets brought up again or expanded upon, so it's all left up to our imaginations. After Snively walks away, Eggman continues his ramblings, but there's one more significant phrase hidden in there…

Wh- I'm sorry, but what kind of a locking system is that?! Y'all are currently living in a base designed by a mega-genius who's life's work is in tech, and the best you can shell out for to keep him locked up is a simple slide lock like you'd find in a bathroom stall? Man, you guys are terrible at security. You basically deserve to have him escape at this point.

Friend in Deed (Part Two)

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Jamal Peppers Colors: Matt Herms

Oh, right, back to the whole situation with Espio dangling Knuckles over the edge of a cliff and whatnot. Knuckles asks in disbelief if Espio has really turned traitor and is actually willing to steal the emerald and hand it over to the Iron Queen, to which Espio hesitates and then asks to confirm if he would indeed need to kill Knuckles to take the emerald. Knuckles affirms this without hesitation, and then Espio pulls him back onto solid ground, saying that he then has conflicting orders. Knuckles is obviously confused and wants an explanation, so Espio says that the only way he can help him is if he breaks the Bride of Four Houses' hold over the clans.

Man, I take it back. Ian, you're allowed to be proud of your intricate worldbuilding, but this is like the fourth time you've explained to us how it works through the characters. Trust your audience, man! Espio cuts himself off in the middle of his explanation, claiming he's said too much, and runs away while turning invisible despite Knuckles calling for him to stay. Knuckles merely quietly wishes him luck under his breath, knowing now that Espio isn't doing this because he truly wants to.

#nala reads archie sonic preboot #archie sonic #archie sonic preboot #sonic the hedgehog #sth 204 #writer: ian flynn #pencils: steven butler #pencils: jamal peppers #colors: matt herms

[mobius-prime]

286. Sonic the Hedgehog #205

Oh, team-up my ass. First of all, it's not like such a thing would be unprecedented. It's a very common fictional trope for the heroes to have to team up with the villain for an episode or so just to shake up the dynamic, and what's more, it's happened before more than once in this very comic. But second of all, as we'll see, no such team-up even takes place at all in this issue! I don't know what the cover designer was smoking, but that's one hell of a misrepresentation of today's story.

On the Run (Part One): All the Eggs in One Basket

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Steven Butler Colors: Matt Herms

So we took a bit of a break to follow Knuckles' situation in SU, but this issue actually begins exactly where StH#204 left off, with Eggman unlocking his cell door in the middle of his insane ramblings. Snively hears the lock click, and not realizing what it is, is unprepared for what awaits him when he heads back to check.

Ah, excellent! Snively races down the hallway in a panic calling for backup only to run straight into Jun Kun, who initially thinks Snively has decided to betray them all by letting his uncle loose until he sees just how freaked out Snively is by the whole situation. Eggman, within the span of the few seconds this conversation takes place, somehow gets his hands on a giant robotic tortoise and takes it for a spin in the ruins of New Megaopolis while the troops run for cover, screaming about how his word is law and he's about to destroy Sonic for good, clearly still entirely out of his mind. Meanwhile, the object of his ire is currently in the hospital in New Mobotropolis visiting Bunnie, blissfully unaware of the chaos that's unfolding some distance away.

Man, Khan has really become quite the gentleman since his early days of kidnapping chicks straight out of lockdown, hasn't he? Dr. Quack is annoyed that everyone isn't really taking his concerns seriously, but Bunnie and Antoine are both grateful for the visit and reassure Khan that they forgive him for not warning them of the danger beforehand. Nicole interrupts the conversation to warn everyone that there's something large headed in the direction of the city, so Sonic takes off to have a look, with Khan begrudgingly being forced to stay behind and rest by Dr. Quack. Sonic initially thinks it must be the Iron Dominion back again for another round, but is caught off guard when he sees Eggman bearing down on him. He has to take a moment to figure out if he's actually back back, or if he's on an insane rampage still not in his right mind.

Poor Eggman. The Iron Queen begins directing her troops to mobilize to deal with this new problem, but is distracted when Conquering Storm enters the throne room to inform her about Espio's failed mission to retrieve the Master Emerald. The Iron Queen, annoyed at the interruption, tells Conquering Storm to head back to the Dragon Kingdom to keep the other clans in line, and Conquering Storm seems all too willing to do so. Hmm, seems suspicious…

Oof. Snively, somehow I'm getting the sense that the Iron Queen might end up being too much for you to handle. She orders Dimitri to command the Dark Egg Legion while she's gone, and Dimitri, having better things to do, passes the job off to Lien-Da while he heads to his private lab. Lien-Da, in turn, is entirely offended at being ordered to play babysitter, and opts to retire to her bunk instead. Meanwhile outside New Mobotropolis, Tails finds Sonic running circles around Eggman, reluctant to actually attack him in his current state of mind. Tails helps him disable the machine he's in cleanly to prevent him from hurting anyone, but is baffled about why Sonic wouldn't give him everything he's got.

I mean, yeah, it would be pretty damn horrible to bring down the same kind of hammer on a mentally impaired person's head as one would someone who's fully in control of their mental faculties, especially when one is the cause of that person's insanity, even unintentionally. It almost seems like Sonic is the only one who really understands that as of now, perhaps because he's the one who witnessed the full breakdown firsthand. The two decide to take Eggman back to the city to keep him in protective custody there, figuring it's better they have him than the Iron Dominion, and Sonic leaps up to kindly offer him a truce and to take him back "home" only to be socked in the face by a triumphant Eggman, who promptly passes out from his giggling. Just as Sonic and Tails begin trying to carry him back who shows up but… the Iron Dominion, of course! Meaning the Iron King and Queen, Snively, and the Yagyu ninjas, all looking to take Eggman back with them. Why they so desperately want him in their base when he's effectively useless and frankly a liability at this point is a bit of a mystery, but Sonic tells Tails to take Eggman back on his own while he faces down the horde single-handedly. Good luck there, Sonic!

Birthright (Part One)

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Jamal Peppers Colors: Matt Herms

So despite the fairly short length of this story, I actually find it incredibly significant, because it gives some actual depth to Lien-Da's character and backstory than even Kenders didn't think to give her. Lien-Da is relaxing in her bunk, still angry over how she's been treated lately, and her thoughts drift again to how she believes she's overdue to attain the title of Grandmaster. We then get to see a memory of her past, back when the Dark Legion were all still stuck in the Twilight Zone. She and her brother Kragok (eyy, remember him?) had been scheming for years to take the title for themselves, intending to become joint Grandmasters of the Legion. From here we actually get into some backstory that was only ever covered once, way back in SSS#11, concerning their and Julie-Su's biological father Luger. If you'll recall, they never forgave him for remarrying and having a daughter with his new wife, and ended up secretly killing their stepmother - Julie-Su's biological mother - as revenge. It was vaguely hinted that they then found a way to make Luger "disappear," but never confirmed until now. Neither of them considered Luger as much of a father to them, instead viewing their grandfather Moritori Rex as their actual father figure. Lien-Da was happy to go along with Kragok's plan to off Luger, but didn't anticipate he may have larger ambitions than he'd revealed to her.

I mean, on the one hand, it seems a little silly to feel bad for someone whose plan to kill their own father backfired on them, but on the other hand, damn, what a scummy thing for Kragok to do. He visited her later in the hospital where she was severely injured and recovering while wrapped in bandages, and patronizingly informed her that while she was unconscious he managed to smooth the incident over as a fatal accident, and has stepped up as sole Grandmaster in Luger's absence, though he insists she remain Kommissar at his side. She felt horrified and betrayed, but could do nothing about it without revealing the extent of their plan. In the present, Lien-Da is shaken from her reverie by Dimitri calling for her to come to his lab, and gets out of bed with a new feeling of purpose, determined to finally take the title of Grandmaster that she feels she so deserves.

#nala reads archie sonic preboot #archie sonic #archie sonic preboot #sonic the hedgehog #sth 205 #writer: ian flynn #pencils: steven butler #colors: matt herms

[mobius-prime]

296. Sonic the Hedgehog #211

Home Invasion (Part Two): Security Measures

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Steven Butler Colors: Matt Herms

After a brief recap of prior events, we launch right into the action as Sonic, Sally, Tails, and Khan burst back into New Mobotropolis to save the day. The Iron Queen is unconcerned when Geoffrey taunts her about her defeat being imminent, certain that with Iron Nicole under her control, she'll have no problem winning anyway.

You know, you'd think she'd have seen this coming, considering that right after Sally cut Nicole off from the Iron Queen's control for like five whole minutes, her plans started being thwarted left and right. The Iron Queen is furious and begins to use the nanites to fight Nicole, and Nicole likewise fights back with her own set of nanites, each conjuring up machines, shields, walls, and so on to battle it out. Sonic heads straight for Amy and the Iron King to help out, while Snively crawls around in a panic seeing everything he's worked so hard for fall apart around him in an instant.

You know, as much as I realize Snively is a self-serving traitor and thus obviously doesn't want to be captured by the very people he's screwed over so many times, what is he really so terrified of? Sure, Sally's angry with him, but A. she has every right to be and B. this is Sally we're talking about. It's not like she's about to sentence him to be publicly burnt at the stake or something. Even the worst of the worst get fair treatment in New Mobotropolis' prison system - three square meals a day, humane living conditions, and so on. At worst, Snively would spend a very boring few years in prison until he found a way to break out or otherwise reformed his behavior or something. Snively tries to remain confident in the face of Sally's accusations, reminding her that they still have three other clans to call on in the Dragon Kingdom, but, well, clearly he hasn't read the latest arc of SU. Khan descends on his cloud from above and calls out to the Yagyu that on his word of honor they’re free of the Iron Dominion, and to Lien-Da's shock and anger, the Yagyu on the field immediately pack up and leave, uncaring what happens to the Legion without them. However, Lien-Da suddenly realizes this could be a blessing in disguise for her, as with the Iron King and Queen tied up in their own fights and the Iron Dominion's support base crumbling, this is her chance to seize power of the Eggman Empire for herself. The Iron Queen overhears her announcement of the change in management to her troops, and tries to take control of the Legion's cybernetics to force them to continue fighting for her, but Lien-Da's already got that one covered.

…okay, yikes, definitely didn't see that one coming. The legionnaires panic upon seeing their Grandmaster basically explode in front of them, and look to Snively for guidance, but at this point Snively completely breaks and goes running off screaming, leaving the legionnaires to gather up Lien-Da's limp form and retreat to the Eggdome, leaving the Iron King and Queen to fend for themselves. The Iron King is doing a good job of holding his own on account of his invulnerability, but luckily, the heroes have access to just the macguffin they need!

It's actually never clearly stated, but the implication here is supposed to be that when the Iron King stole the fan, he hid it in the Iron Fortress, and when the Raiju occupied said fortress, Espio was able to go there and retrieve the fan with their blessing. Khan blows the Iron King straight out of the comic with the encouragement of Sonic's trash talk by his side (I mean it, too - this is the last time we ever see the Iron King), leaving the Iron Queen to fight alone. Snively sees the Iron King fly straight through the metal dome over the city and panics to the point of incoherence, heading straight for the prison and shakily typing in the code to open Eggman's cell.

Hey, look, it's exactly what I was talking about last issue. Snively, given the choice between surrendering peacefully to Sally and receiving fair treatment in prison, or going back to his abusive, controlling uncle, chooses the latter, simply because it's all he knows anymore. And even worse, Eggman totally called it. He knows just how much influence he has over Snively, and relishes it, using it to his fullest advantage to make sure he always has a loyal lackey in the end. The heroes back in the coliseum offer the Iron Queen a fair chance to surrender, but unwilling to give up, she uses the nanites to encase herself in a giant mechanical Chinese dragon in one last-ditch effort to win. Tails fires on the dragon from the Tornado, while Khan and Amy chime in with lightning powers and heavy hammering respectively, and the Iron Queen makes a break for the hole in the city's dome, trying to escape so she can come back and win another day. However, Sonic simply isn't having it, and runs all the way up the length of the dragon to ensure she can't get away.

Nice job using a catchphrase that isn't even yours, Regina. Antoine handcuffs the defeated queen while the rest of the heroes celebrate winning the day, none of them yet realizing the renewed storm brewing on the horizon now that Eggman has escaped and is sane once more. Snively tentatively suggests doubling back to rescue Regina, but Eggman refuses, saying that he's already got new plans and now that he's had time to "rest and recharge," he's more ready than ever to complete his world conquest…

#nala reads archie sonic preboot #archie sonic #archie sonic preboot #sonic the hedgehog #sth 211 #writer: ian flynn #pencils: steven butler #colors: matt herms

[mobius-prime]

276. Sonic Universe #7

Mobius: 30 Years Later (Part 3 of 4): What's Old is New Again

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Tracy Yardley! Colors: Jason Jensen

Sally is currently in the middle of dealing with two tired, confused children and an unconscious Silver, leading them through the lower levels of the castle to the panic room. The kids, of course, have no idea what's going on, and aren't taking things seriously, making her job somewhat more difficult. Meanwhile, Sonic, Lara-Su, Melody, and Skye show up at Argyle's door (whose name is misspelled "Argyll" throughout the issue, for some reason) looking for help. He and Lara-Su are pretty clearly in a relationship given how they act towards each other, but there's no time for lovey-dovey nonsense today. Unfortunately, most of the old Freedom Fighters and Chaotix are scattered all over the world and nowhere nearby, but at the very least, Argyle did have some foresight once he got the call from Lara-Su.

Well, who might that be? Meanwhile, Lien-Da and her Dark Presence guards are in the catacombs under the castle, with the just-freed Shadow. He's infuriated when she informs him of how much time has passed and how the people have wholeheartedly accepted Sonic as their king, and strides with purpose through the catacombs, bringing Lien-Da and a few guards along. Weirdly enough, he's able to unlock a secure door with the override phrase "Maria's Wish," which I suppose ties into a comment made last issue about how Sonic didn't let Knuckles completely overhaul the castle's security system after they took the castle from Shadow's regime. You left a lot of backdoors open for your enemies, Sonic! Shadow seems pleased at whatever it is that lies behind the door, while Lien-Da is abruptly terrified.

Back in Argyle's house, it turns out that the two people he called for help are Jacques and Belle D'Coolette, who are, of course, Bunnie and Antoine's kids! Interestingly, they both have one robotic arm and leg each, and this is never explained - of course there's no way Bunnie would have passed on being half-roboticized to her kids, and anyway, though she's never actually seen in this particular AU, the proto-Light Mobius shown in the Sonic In Your Face! special way back in the very first era of the comics depicted her as having been fully deroboticized at some point. That would have had to have happened as well in this timeline, I'd imagine, since otherwise there's really no way for her to have had children. Jacques and Belle also use a mixture of French and Southern slang, which is really endearing, honestly. But anyway, with Jacques and Belle on the scene, the group's numbers are up to seven, counting Sonic, Skye, Melody, Lara-Su, and Argyle, the last of whom plans to stay behind and feed them info.

Down in the catacombs, Shadow approaches a large spherical glass container, which is full of greenish goo that forms itself into the shape of Tikal. This being, whom he calls "Tikhaos," looks awful, murmuring about how horribly lonely and hungry she's been. As Shadow reassures her and promises to let her out and "feed" her, Lien-Da begs him to reconsider, obviously terrified of Tikhaos.

*sigh* I know, I know I've already gone over a million times why I hate King Shadow and I think his characterization here is an insult to the entire character of Shadow the Hedgehog, but this is just yet another example of why it's so bad. Lien-Da was loyal for five years without him, risked everything to bring him back, and all she wants in return is to be able to be with her son again, and Shadow outright kills her by erasing her from the timeline just because she dares to question one decision he makes. It's what you'd expect from someone like Eggman, not Shadow.

Ugh. Anyway, Sonic, Belle, and Jacques charge the front gate of the castle to create a distraction, while Lara-Su, Melody, and Skye go in a hidden back window unnoticed. Skye is still getting used to flying, resulting in him becoming pretty dizzy on the way up. However, this quickly proves itself to be a secret asset, as they approach the security room full of Dark Eyes and figure out how to take them out.

That… works, I suppose! Sonic's team is saved from having to break down the front door by Melody who lets them in, and Sonic questions Argyle about Sally, to which he replies that he can confirm she made it to the panic room with the others and is working on actually contacting her. He's then distracted by something else he's picking up from within the Dark Presence's communications, and tells them they should head down to the catacombs as something crazy seems to be going on down there. Sonic, still wanting to get to his family first, asks Lara-Su if she can see what's happening down there.

Like father, like daughter! Argyle finally manages to patch Sonic through to his wife, and Sally confirms that they're fine, that Silver is beginning to wake up, and that most importantly, they have a few monitors within the room that they've been able to watch the proceedings on. Their kids are excited at all the action, but Sonic is more concerned with asking Sally what exactly is being kept down in the catacombs that's so dangerous. She lists off a few noodle implements that suggest some truly crazy shenanigans from earlier in the timeline, but of course, we know what Shadow is actually after…

Shadow begins to blast Chaos energy into Tikhaos, who begins screaming that it's too much and she's losing control, and the Dark Presence guards panic and leave, yelling about how they "didn't sign up for this" and they have to evacuate the island. Sonic and his new band of Freedom Fighters get ready for a big fight as they make their way into the catacombs, but…

Anyone who's studied history knows that it likes to repeat itself, and so, as we've seen once before with Perfect Chaos itself, the castle begins to crumble under the stress of a massive rush of water that begins to flood the entire city of Portal. Sonic and his team escape the castle safely, and from the relative safety of a nearby bit of rubble, they watch as "Perfect Tikhaos," which really just looks exactly like Perfect Chaos except green and with echidna dreads (it looks cooler than it sounds, I promise), begins to tear the city apart…

#nala reads archie sonic preboot #archie sonic #archie sonic preboot #sonic the hedgehog #su 7 #writer: ian flynn #pencils: tracy yardley #colors: jason jensen

[mobius-prime]

304. Sonic Universe #20

The Tails Adventure (Part 4 of 4): The Finale of… Trouble in Paradise!

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Tracy Yardley! Colors: Jason Jensen

Faced with the tough Mole Mech robot that rivals even Bunnie's enhanced strength, the team gathers together to discuss a game plan after Bunnie disorients the 'bot with one of her laser blasts.

So, have you guys ever heard of the general trope in fiction where if a plan is said out loud where the audience can hear, it will definitely fail, and if it's wordlessly communicated or explained off screen it will succeed? That is one hundred percent not the case in this story! It's actually kind of jarring, given how near-universal this trope is, and unfortunately does take away from some of the suspense of the issue, but it's not a huge deal. Thus, the next few pages basically just show Bunnie and Antoine successfully sabotaging the base's wiring while T-Pup distracts the Mole Mech and Tails deftly dismantles its various joints. Of course, Dr. Fukurokov isn't happy about this at all, having believed his robot could handle anything.

The single "dink" of the wrench against the mech is enough to make the entire thing fall apart immediately, and Fukurokov begins muttering "inconceivable" over and over to give Tails a chance to make a timely Princess Bride reference back at him. Fukurokov runs for his life, and Tails begins to give chase only to hear a weak cry for help come from the mech. He's shocked, not having realized the mech had a pilot inside, and rushes to pull it apart and help as the base's alarms begin to wail dramatically.

Seems you've earned his respect, Tails! Unfortunately, Speedy still has too much pride to accept an offer of friendship, so he reverts back to calling Tails a freak, though he suggests he and his friends evacuate quickly before flying off. Tails, Bunnie, and Antoine reconvene to escape, passing a whole squad of terrified Armada troops running for the upper sections of the base, and while Antoine suggests they follow them to safety Tails insists on retreating back underground into the tunnels. Antoine is skeptical, thinking if the base is about to collapse this will only ensure they're crushed and/or drowned, and while Bunnie initially backs Tails' intuition up even she becomes nervous as the place shakes and begins to flood around them.

All at once, the entire base lifts off into the air, leaving them free to fly back onto Cocoa Island's shores and view from afar the flying fortress they had been inside the entire time. Bunnie is impressed Tails figured out what it was from studying the schematics she gave him, and her praise significantly boosts his confidence compared to Antoine's rambling from before. Really, in a way, this arc almost seems to act as a replacement for his missing character arc from all the way back in the Sonic Adventure adaption, helping him to grow more confident in himself and his own plans as opposed to relying on Sonic to help him with everything. As the base flies away, the furious Battle Lord shouts at Speedy for failing to inform him of Bunnie's true identity as well as scolding Fukurokov for not stopping the Freedom Fighters from causing so much damage to their base. He decides it's time to call the Babylon Rogues back to the flock, and apparently they're right nearby because they're basically immediately within visual range from on board their own flying fortress.

It's quite bizarre just how different the backstory of the Rogues is in the comics versus in the games. I mean, nearly every character has a fairly different backstory from their game counterparts, to be fair, but in the games the Rogues are essentially just a band of professional athletes who use their Extreme Gear racing money to fund their search for treasure and the truth about their ancestors, while in the comics they're defectors from a paramilitary organization that only use Extreme Gear as a basic method of transportation. They're also much more clearly meant to be villains in the comics, while in the games they may be rivals to the main group, but they're ultimately more jerks than actual bad guys, being perfectly willing to work together with Sonic and his pals towards a greater good when the need arises. But all that's a story for another time! For now, with the Battle Bird Armada kicked out of the area, Tails brews some mugs of hot chocolate back in his workshop and he and the two honeymooners - plus his new mechanical friend - kick back and enjoy being able to have a real vacation from now on.

#nala reads archie sonic preboot #archie sonic #archie sonic preboot #sonic the hedgehog #su 20 #writer: ian flynn #pencils: tracy yardley #colors: jason jensen

[mobius-prime]

272. Sonic the Hedgehog #199

Knocking on Eggman's Door

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Tracy Yardley! Colors: Matt Herms

Well, we're finally here! It's the morning of the final fight against Eggman, and the Freedom Fighters awaken to find that Rotor, unable to sleep, has set up a live feed back to their city. It seems that Sally has elected to stream the battle live back to the citizens of New Mobotropolis, which seems… excessively unwise, given that if something goes wrong you could easily be broadcasting your violent deaths to children and innocent civilians.

Eh, whatever, we all know how this is gonna go. After all, the heroes have this one in the bag! As they gear up and move out, Lien-Da instructs her troops to create a barricade to Eggman's specifications within the base, though she has little confidence in his plan.

See, this right here just sort of sets up why I think this final two-part finale to this era ends up feeling flat and devoid of any real excitement. Right off the bat, the heroes are being set up to win with little resistance. Eggman may think he has a chance against Sonic and his friends, but literally all of his subordinates are feeling disillusioned and traitorous, and actively plotting to make sure he fails. The result is that while we're curious about what exactly their plan is and who Snively is inviting over to hook up with, we already kind of know Eggman isn't gonna win this one. While we already tend to know that anyway given that an ending to a Sonic comic where Eggman wins and annihilates everyone would be horrifically opposed to everything we would expect from such a series, at least in cases like Endgame and the destruction of Knothole, there's some real tension where it really seems for a while like the heroes are screwed and Eggman is about to win everything. It makes the final payoff where the heroes overcome all obstacles and win the day that much more satisfying.

Anyway, Mighty and Bunnie use their combined super-strength to breach a hole in the front door, and the Freedom Fighters and Chaotix pour in, surprised when they find no immediate resistance waiting for them. The Freedom Fighters take one hallway while the Chaotix take another, clearing out all routes to the center of the Eggdome and planning to meet up further in. While the Freedom Fighters punch their way through the Legionnaires in their way, they cheerfully reminisce about the last time they had a big showdown with a Robotnik, bantering back and forth about their roles in Endgame.

Wow, I actually think that's the first time the comic has even acknowledged Sally's coma at all ever since it happened. Fun times, huh? On the Chaotix side of things, Vector and Julie-Su end up bickering a bit only to then save each other simultaneously from sneak attacks by a couple of Legionnaires, at which point they curtly agree to never speak of this again as they don't want anyone finding out they actually do like and respect each other. They get deeper into the base, and Julie-Su becomes briefly concerned about Knuckles' state of mind as she's worried he may be feeling that old guilt again about fighting members of his own species, but Knuckles reassures her that he's fine and that he feels they need to stop them from working with Eggman for their own good. However, they suddenly find their way blocked by Dimitri, who's using his tentacle-dreadlock-things to bar the door they need to get through. Further into the Eggdome, Lien-Da reports her troops "losing on schedule" and awaits further orders, but then nearly begins puking when she smells something awful, which turns out to be cologne that Snively has received from his new beau. He mocks her for not appreciating the scent before ordering her to move on to phase two, blaming her species for being the reason she doesn't like the smell. That would definitely seem to indicate, then, that his new girlfriend is human and not Mobian. The Freedom Fighters, who have ended up pinned down at the end of a hallway, are trying to come up with a plan to bust through the group of Legionnaires up ahead when out of nowhere they retreat, much to the heroes' surprise. At the same time, Knuckles, Julie-Su and Vector all confront Dimitri in their own hallway.

You know, at this point, it's definitely feeling like Dimitri is coming back around to not being such a bad guy after all. Ultimately, he cares more about protecting his people than anything else, and is looking for any way out of his current sticky situation with Eggman, which he believes allying with Snively will help him with. The two invading teams finally meet up at a central door, which has been thoroughly blockaded save for a small hole just big enough for a spindashing Sonic. Both sides discuss how the entire invasion feels too easy, and become very suspicious about the hole, reasoning that it's meant to simultaneously draw them into a bottleneck for easy pickings, as well as let Sonic through for a one-on-one showdown against Eggman. Sonic immediately announces he's taking the bait, and when the others ask him if he's crazy he points out that their only other option is to waste all their time and energy taking down the barrier, which would just give Eggman a chance to regroup or escape. They agree that he'll go on ahead and they'll provide backup as soon as they can break through the wall, and after a few tearful words of encouragement, including an emotional embrace from Sally, he zips through the hole and lands in the middle of a very strange scene on the other side.

Sonic, of course, has no idea what's actually going on, as Snively and Lien-Da watch through hidden cameras along his route. Snively orders Lien-Da to ensure her Legionnaires hold back Sonic's friends until he's sealed into the final arena with Eggman, before preparing for himself and Dimitri to head to the landing pad on the roof of the Eggdome to meet up with his mysterious new girlfriend. Sonic enters the chamber, the doors slam shut behind him, and he faces down Eggman inside a giant mechanical spider, ready for the final epic showdown.

#nala reads archie sonic preboot #archie sonic #archie sonic preboot #sonic the hedgehog #sth 199 #writer: ian flynn #pencils: tracy yardley #colors: matt herms

[mobius-prime]

302. Sonic Universe #18

The Tails Adventure (Part 2 of 4): Trouble in Paradise (Part Two): The Honeymoon's Over

Writer: Ian Flynn Pencils: Tracy Yardley! Colors: Jason Jensen

Well, that's quite a straightforward title, isn't it? No more honeymoon for you, Bunnie and Antoine! With the two lovebirds captured, Tails is left to face Speedy alone. It should be noted that Speedy, despite being a bird and even clearly mentioning wings as something necessary for flight, does not actually fly with his wings. He doesn't even appear to have wings, just ordinary arms, but he flies anyway, just sort of… Superman-ing his way through the air, I guess. Apparently, the Battle Bird Armada considers Cocoa Island to be their private training ground, having moved in sometime in between now and the last time Tails was here, and Speedy has a personal grudge against Tails for his "unnatural" flying, since only birds should fly.

Tails leads Speedy on a chase through a network of caves in the cliffside nearby, and Speedy is amazed at just how fast Tails is able to fly. He manages to catch up and smacks Tails downward, but when he turns around to finish the fight, Tails is mysteriously gone. Speedy then gets a message calling him back to the fleet, so he's forced to leave, while Tails, having concealed himself and T-Pup under an overhang, tries to catch his breath. Despite wanting to save his friends, he's exhausted, and admits he can't come up with a plan without sleeping first, so asks T-Pup to keep watch and wake him in the morning. Fast forward to… the next morning! Bunnie and Antoine have been placed in separate cells next to each other in the Battle Bird Armada's hideout inside the fake island, and apparently while they've been alone, they've come up with a plan, ready to execute it as soon as their captors enter the room.

So! You remember how the Eggman Empire has been expanding their recruits into the Dark Egg Legion lately? And how all those recruits are "legionized" by being outfitted with cybernetic limbs and such? Well, the current Battle Lord, Battlekukku XV (Speedy's father), has in fact mistaken Bunnie for a member of the Legion! She realizes pretty quickly what's going on as he sits her down for a friendly talk, and immediately falls into her new role, graciously "forgiving" the Battle Lord for not recognizing who she was and bragging about how she's a deep cover agent who married Antoine just to investigate the Freedom Fighters from within. She gets him to explain why his Battle Bird Armada is here, finding out that though they're not a part of the Eggman Empire they maintain friendly relations, and that their ultimate goal is to rule the skies and seek out their ancient homeland - though those annoying "rogues" have been hindering them lately. Hey, it's those "rogues" again!

Yeah, so the Babylon Rogues (and Bean the Dynamite) being defectors from the Armada has been hinted at here and there very subtly before now, but given that this is the first time we've actually heard of the Battle Bird Armada it just goes to show just how far into the future Ian plans his plotlines. Also, I know Bunnie is meant to be fibbing here about Tails' abilities, but like, she's not wrong about him being a child soldier. It's just that every other member of the Freedom Fighters is also a child soldier, or was once in the case of those who have aged into adults by now, so it's not even particularly noteworthy by this point. While Bunnie continues to get the Battle Lord talking about his Armada, Tails wakes up and makes his way back to the Sea Fox. It's under guard, but luckily he stopped by his workshop to grab some gas bombs, and thus the guards get to take a nice little nap of their own as Tails uses the Sea Fox to explore the edges of the artificial island from under the water. He can't find a way in, but he does find out that it's connected to Cocoa Island's extensive underground cave system, so he intends to continue his search there. Meanwhile, Antoine gets his cell guard talking in perhaps the greatest callback to the infamous "margarine torture" scene from SatAM to ever grace mine own eyeballs.

'Twan, you gotta be sneakier than that! Speedy calls the Battle Lord and raises the alarm, and Bunnie insists she be the one to pursue the escaped Antoine, as the situation needs her "personal touch." Under the water, Tails finds himself under attack from several of the Armada's troops in submarines of their own, and though he manages to defeat them he doesn't want to risk staying under there any longer, surfacing quickly. Antoine, racing through the base's corridors, happens upon a door and thinks he's found a way out only to be outraged that the door opens into nothingness, a long drop between him and the waves below. He briefly seems confused by something he sees in the water, but then Speedy, Bunnie, and several more Armada troops corner him, and Speedy and Bunnie get into an argument over who should take charge of the situation, during which Speedy clearly mentions her being a double-agent for the Dark Egg Legion. Antoine, hearing this, seems stunned, and Bunnie frantically tries to convince him to come with her so that she can explain things to him in a safe location.

Oh, no! I can't believe Antoine just totally committed suicide on panel in this comic for children! I'm sure this is completely real and not a ruse at all! What a cliffhanger!

#nala reads archie sonic preboot #archie sonic #archie sonic preboot #sonic the hedgehog #su 18 #writer: ian flynn #pencils: tracy yardley #colors: jason jensen