Sonic the Comic Issue 68


 * Editor: Deborah Tate
 * Assistant Editor: Audrey Wong
 * Designer: Gary Knight
 * Managing Editor: Richard Burton
 * Publisher: Rob McMenemy

Sonic the Hedgehog - "The Return of Chaotix, Part 2"

 * Script: Nigel Kitching
 * Art: Richard Elson
 * Lettering: Ellie de'Ville

Synopsis
The Miracle Planet has been transformed into a massive Metallix head! Sonic turns to his friend Porker Lewis, who was trapped on the Miracle Planet for a month (between its appearances in this direction), but Porker claims not to have known anything about this. In any case, it is clear that the Emperor Metallix was not destroyed, and he's had a whole month to build new Metallixes! Sonic jumps into action right away, charging up the chain to the Miracle Planet, with Porker and Chaotix not far behind.

Halfway along the chain, Sonic notices that Porker has a scratch... and underneath the skin he is all wires and metal! He's an imposter, a Porker Metallix! The single robot is more than a match for Sonic and the Chaotix crew combined, shrugging off their most powerful blows and sneaky maneuvres. However, just as it is powering its death ray to destroy them all, Sonic hits it with a Spin Attack, overloading the blaster. Moments before it is about to explode, Vector and Mighty use the power in their link-rings to knock it clear of the chain.

The planet itself is oddly quiet, but they soon find the real Porker Lewis tied up. Suddenly, Emperor Metallix and his brothers emerge through the Main Viewer. Sonic vows to defeat them, just like last time, but the Emperor scoffs at his bravado. The Brotherhood of Metallix has already one! They have travelled back in time using the Main Viewer (their pirated copy of the Omni-Viewer) and changed history. With a gesture, he points to the planet in the sky above them... which has been converted entirely to ghastly machines and pits of flame! The whole of Mobius belongs to the Brotherhood of Metallix!

Appearances

 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Porker Metallix
 * Chaotix:
 * Vector the Crocodile
 * Mighty the Armadillo
 * Espio the Chameleon
 * Charmy Bee
 * Omni-Viewer
 * Porker Lewis
 * Emperor Metallix
 * Metallix

Continuity

 * Mighty the Armadillo says they should have a plan before rushing to the Miracle Planet, but Sonic responds that "Plans are for wimps!" This is an interesting reversal of an exchange in Sonic the Comic #55, "Total Chaotix, Part 3", in which Knuckles tried to make Mighty wait to come up with a plan, and Mighty himself responded "Waiting's for wimps!"


 * The Porker Metallix scratched its arm in the previous issue, as Sonic destroyed a couple of Trooper badniks.
 * Espio mentions knowing Knuckles. Knuckles and Chaotix teamed up in "Total Chaotix", from Sonic the Comic #53 to #58.
 * Porker Lewis has been trapped on the Miracle Planet since Sonic the Comic #62, "The Brotherhood of Metallix, Part 4". It is this experience that will lead to his nervous breakdown and force him to quit the Freedom Fighters in Sonic the Comic #79, "The Big Decision".
 * The Brotherhood of Metallix's pirate copy of the Omni-Viewer was built in Sonic the Comic #58, "Total Chaotix, Part 6".
 * The Metallixes have travelled back in time and changed history, allowing them to conquer Mobius. Sonic and Chaotix fix their tampering in Sonic the Comic #71, "The Return of Chaotix, Part 5".

Trivia

 * The link-rings used in this issue are based on the items from the game Knuckles' Chaotix, which connected the player character, Knuckles, to a teammate. They function here in much the same way.

Decap Attack - "Monster of the Year, Part 3"
On stage for the judging of Monster of the Year ("Man-made" category), Chuck D Head gets into a fight with the two other contestants. Although they try to gang up on him, he manages to destroy both, winning the category by default. As he waits for the announcement of the winner of the actual Monster of the Year award, he gets into an argument with Head (the skull who sits on his shoulders) and says that perhaps they shouldn't be partners any more... then very quickly regrets his words as the winner is announced as Head!
 * Script: Nigel Kitching
 * Art: Nigel Kitching
 * Lettering: Tom Frame

Head becomes an instant celebrity, with fanmail and hit records and bodyguards. The Prof is overjoyed and becomes Head's manager. Chuck tries to get back into Head's good books, trying to remind him of the laughs they shared. Head says he only remembers the times when Chuck hurled him at enemies, and Chuck was the only one laughing, but soon it will be Head's turn to laugh. Chuck looks up at Head's bodyguard, looming over him. Funny thing is, he looks quite strong enough to throw Chuck around, if he wanted to...

The End.

Knuckles - "The Homecoming, Part 4"

 * Script: Nigel Kitching
 * Art: Nigel Dobbyn
 * Lettering: Elitta Fell

Synopsis
Doctor Zachary has revealed his evil nature and destroyed the Master Emerald, absorbing its power into his robot armour. However, the Floating Island is on a collision course with a mountain range, and without the Master Emerald there's no way of keeping the island in the air or avoiding them.

The Floating Island crashes into a mountaintop! Earthquakes wrack the island. In the Mushroom Hill Zone, the homes of the Emerald Hill Folk are toppled and destroyed. Fortunately, the Island is not immediately destroyed. It comes to a brief rest, balancing on top of the Island, until the power of the remaining Chaos Emeralds is exhausted, at which point it will fall. Zachary is furious that Knuckles has prevented him from flying away (destroying the wing of his robot armour), thus condemning him to death, and attacks the young echidna.

Knuckles takes a sharp stone and hurls it with great force, separating the robot's head (containing the cockpit and Zachary) from the body. Suddenly without his advantage, Zachary begs for mercy - he is an old echidna, he whines, and his heart couldn't take it if Knuckles hit him! However, before Knuckles can do anything, another shockwave hits them, and the floor under Zachary gives way! Zachary and the immobilised body of the robot fall off the edge of the Island, vanishing beneath the clouds.

Knuckles knows that he could escape the island, gliding away before it crashes, but it is his home. He refuses to leave, and instead decides to prepare for death. Just then, he notices the head of the Guardian robot, which still crackles with green Emerald Energy. Struck by inspiration, he drags the giant head back to the Emerald Chamber, and to his joy finds that it works just as well as the old Master Emerald did! Sure enough, the Floating Island once again rises off the mountain top, into the air.

Knuckles blames himself for what happened. He was so excited to meet one of his lost people that he did not consider that Zachary could be evil. When his people do return, he will still be waiting, but next time he plans on asking a few more questions!

Appearances

 * Knuckles the Echidna
 * Doctor Zachary
 * Guardian Robot
 * Emerald Hill Folk:
 * A beaver
 * A badger
 * A family of ducks
 * Rabbits
 * A ginger cat
 * More

Continuity

 * The Emerald Hill Folk have been living in the Mushroom Hill Zone on the Floating Island since Sonic the Comic #53, "Disaster! Part 3".
 * Doctor Zachary falls off the edge of the Floating Island in this issue, apparently to his death. In fact, he survived, but was heavily injured and required cybernetic enhancements in order to survive. He returns in Sonic the Comic #97, "Victims, Part 1". He explains how he managed to survive, using the body of the Guardian Robot that also falls off the island, in Sonic the Comic #98, "Victims, Part 2".
 * Knuckles uses the head of the Guardian Robot (which absorbed the power of the Master Emerald in Sonic the Comic #67, "The Homecoming, Part 3") as a replacement Master Emerald to keep the Floating Island in the sky. He will eventually replace it with a new Emerald in Sonic the Comic #73, "Master Emerald".

Amy in - "Snow Business"

 * Script: Lew Stringer
 * Art: Carl Flint
 * Colouring: Elitta Fell
 * Lettering: Tom Frame

Synopsis
It's New Year, and Knuckles has allowed Sonic, Amy and Johnny Lightfoot to spend a day in the Ice Cap Zone on the Floating Island, where they are currently having a snowball fight. Amy tries to catch Sonic with a kiss under a sprig of mistletoe, but he avoids her - Christmas is long over and she should just give up. Amy sits in the snow feeling grumpy while the others race to the end of the Zone.

Just then, Amy spots another sprig of mistletoe on a rock and reaches up to get it, only to accidentally hit a secret switch and reveal an old snow-covered badnik that calls itself Snownik. It's pretty slow and stupid, but Amy has to take it seriously when it starts firing ice blasts from its hands! It freezes her crossbow in a block of ice, forcing her to run for her life!

When Amy reaches a cliff, she taunts Snownik about its slowness. With its blasters it creates an ice-slide to catch up to her, but can't stop when it reaches the cliff and tumbles over, smashing on the ground below.

Sonic and the others rush back, having heard the explosion. Amy, hand to her forehead, wails that she needs Sonic's help... but when he gets close, confident that he can help, she pulls out her sprig of mistletoe and gives him a big kiss on the cheek! As it starts to snow, Sonic grumbles that it was a sneaky trick. If he thought that was sneaky, says Amy aside, just wait for next year!

Appearances

 * Amy Rose
 * Snownik
 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Johnny Lightfoot
 * Knuckles the Echidna

Continuity

 * This story does not include Porker Lewis along with the other Freedom Fighters, so presumably takes place while he was trapped on the Miracle Planet, between Sonic the Comic #62, "The Brotherhood of Metallix, Part 4", and Sonic the Comic #67, "The Return of Chaotix, Part 1".
 * Amy Rose mentions that Snownik was probably left behind when Robotnik was still on the island, between Sonic the Comic #33, "Enter Knuckles, Part 1", and Sonic the Comic #50, "Count Down to Disaster, Part 2".

Other features

 * Control Zone
 * Review Zone
 * STC Pin-Up! - Spiker Badniks!
 * Jobsworth Graphic Zone
 * Speedlines