Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 254

Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 254 is the two hundred and fifty-fourth issue in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series published by Archie Comics.

Official Solicitation

 * "Countdown to Chaos," Part 2. The long-awaited debut of the new Freedom Fighters continues! The mysteries deepen as Sonic and Tails find their long lost pal Antoine! But what is the state of our formerly fallen fellow freedom fighter? What has Uncle Chuck’s research uncovered about the nature of the dark power they’ve found seeping from the earth? And an unlikely return of a character you won’t expect alongside Uncle Chuck! Plus, Eggman versus G.U.N. and the prize is Eggman’s life!

Countdown to Chaos - Part Two: The Soldier
The comic starts with Eggman, along with Orbot and Cubot, in his EggMobile flying across the sky over Avalon. They are being pursued by G.U.N planes, who are attacking them and "putting holes in his plane". They finally crash-land and Eggman demands to see Lord Mordred Hood, who is visibly scared of Eggman's rage. He tries to explain what was happening, but Eggman waved it off and demanded an another aircraft. Hood explains that it would be nearly impossible to get away with all the G.U.N crafts patrolling the area, and Orbot states that the EggMobile wouldn't be much of a help either, considering it's broken state. Eggman uses the EggMobile anyway, stating that it "would be just enough".

Outside Knothole Village in the forest zone, Sonic and Tails are walking through the forest. They discuss the importance of finding the rest of the team to revive their memories, and NICOLE has a hard time talking through her constant glitching. Sonic spots Uncle Chuck, who is now de-roboticized and working on some sort of a contraption. Sonic rushes over, giving him a hug and tearing up at the sight of his uncle being in such a good condition. Chuck explains that there have been multiple tremors occurring in the area they are currently in, and he's been researching them to figure out what's causing them. Sonic asks to see Antoine, who walks up, now in perfect health and being followed by a newcomer. The random newcomer turns out to be Muttski, Sonic's dog, now mobianized. Sonic and Tails decide to leave Chuck to his own devices when it came to memory restoration for the purpose of making things simpler. They return Antoine's memory back to normal, and he goes through a shock after seeing the alternate reality that he had lived through.

Meanwhile, Eggman leaves his base in his EggMobile, now on legs. They rush through a patrol of G.U.N units to get to the DeathEgg as quick as possible. Orbot and Cubot take control of a G.U.N plane, and Eggman jumps out of his craft and hops onto the plane.

Back in the forest zone, NICOLE has an easier time processing information, but states that she can only restore the memory of two more people. Bunnie's position and status is unknown at the moment, which makes Antoine worry slightly. A tremor strikes, creating a large gap in the ground and the device Chuck was working on begins to fall to its doom, along with Chuck and Muttski. After saving Chuck and Muttski, Sonic goes back down to nab the device, but a falling stone hits the contraption, and a purple gas leaks out of it. He goes into a coughing fit on the way up, and seems to almost transform into the Werehog once he reaches solid ground, having an almost feral reaction. Chuck tells Sonic that he needs to see a doctor, to which he replies that he's fine. They take their leave, and Chuck once again tells Sonic to see a doctor as he and Muttski leave. Antoine tells Tails to make sure Sonic sees a doctor, and follows Chuck and Muttski. Before he does, he asks Sonic to tell Bunnie that he loves her dearly and he "won't be complete without her".

In Metropolis Zone, Bunnie sticks on her helmet, before saying "All hail the Eggman Empire and all that jazz".

Trivia

 * The cover of this issue marks the first time the redesign of Antoine D'Coolette appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog comics.
 * On the variant cover, Sonic is shown in Eggman's lab computer with the caption beneath him showing "Hedgehog: Priority One". This is a reference to the cover of Sonic Archives #20, which has the same message on Eggman's lab computer.