Sonic the Comic Issue 127


 * Editor: Deborah Tate
 * Designer: Gary Knight
 * Managing Editor: Steve MacManus
 * Production: Sarah Colley
 * Marketing Manager: Douglas Pocock
 * Advertising: Stephen Goldsmith

Sonic - "Robotnik Reigns Supreme, Part 1"

 * Script: Nigel Kitching
 * Art: Richard Elson
 * Lettering: Tom Frame

Synopsis
High above Planet Mobius, on the Floating Island, Sonic, Tails and Knuckles discuss what they should do with Doctor Robotnik, who was turned into a crystal statue during an attempt to absorb the energy from the Chaos Emeralds. Sonic says that, since the Chaos Emeralds belong to Knuckles, Robotnik is Knuckles' problem, but Knuckles says the statue gives him the creeps. Sonic and Knuckles walk off to think of a plan, leaving Tails looking anxiously at the statue. Tails calls for help but his cry is quickly stifled, and the heroes spin around to find that Tails is being held around the neck by the crystal Robotnik, who seems very much alive!

Knuckles charges at Robotnik, only to be rendered unconscious by a blast from Robotnik's eyes. Sonic tries a Spin Attack, only to ricochet harmlessly off Robotnik's belly when Robotnik grows into a giant. As Robotnik starts chasing Sonic around the Emerald Chamber with his eye beams, the doctor explains that he was never dead, his body just took some time to adjust to the Emerald power he'd absorbed. Sonic wishes he'd smashed the Robotnik statue while he had the chance but Robotnik laughs it off, finally hitting Sonic with an attack.

With the heroes scattered across the room, Robotnik declares that he doesn't need Grimer any more... he doesn't need badniks or Troopers or the Drakon Empire anymore - he is the force! Knuckles wakes up and reaches for a button on the Emerald Chamber console, but Robotnik spots him and with a wave of his finger sends Knuckles flying into the wall. Robotnik then turns his attention back to Sonic, telling the hedgehog "It's over, spikeball... Admit it, I've beaten you!" Sonic refuses to give him the satisfaction, telling Robotnik to get it over with since Sonic is sick of the sound of his voice.

Suddenly, Knuckles burrows out of a wall behind them, quickly telling Sonic to push the button on the panel next to him. Sonic doesn't know which button to push, so decides to push them all at high speeds. Fortunately, this seems to work, since the Master Emerald starts to glow and blasts Robotnik with a powerful beam, shattering his crystal body. Knuckles claims reveals that Robotnik had forgotten about the Chaos Emeralds, and that the button Sonic pushed allowed the Master Emerald to absorb Robotnik's power in a split-second - Robotnik's gone!

Before they can recover, they suddenly hear an evil booming laugh from outside the chamber. Robotnik isn't gone at all - he has shed his crystal form and become a colossal god, standing astride Mobius and holding the Floating Island in his hands!

Appearances

 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Knuckles the Echidna
 * Doctor Ivo Robotnik

Continuity

 * Robotnik absorbed the power of the Chaos Emeralds (and was turned into a crystal statue) in Sonic the Comic #125, "Order & Chaos, Part 3". He will be stripped of his godlike powers in Sonic the Comic #130, "Showdown".

Tails - "Fog Warning"

 * Script: Lew Stringer
 * Art: Nigel Dobbyn
 * Lettering: Elitta Fell

Synopsis
While fighting badniks, Tails encounters his old friend Johnny Lightfoot. Johnny helps Tails finish the badniks off with his trademark staff, and asks for Tails' help in the Sun Valley Zone. The Zone's usual sunny weather has been replaced by a permanent thick fog. When the two heroes fly to the Zone in the bi-plane, the fog prevents them from seeing the mountains and Tails accidentally clips the plane's wing. Tails makes Johnny bail out with a parachute while he makes an emergency landing.

On the ground, Tails calls out for Johnny, only to come face-to-face with Agent X, a cloaked figure who works for Doctor Robotnik. Agent X planned to ambush Tails in the fog, where he's at a disadvantage, so Tails decides he needs to clear away some of the fog, which he does by spinning his tails. Once it's clear, he finds that Windy Wallis, the weather genius, is manipulating the fog with her weather machine. She tries to blast him with lightning, but he dodges. Tails sees Johnny's staff weapon on the ground and uses it to smash the machine, lifting the fog.

Johnny Lightfoot reappears, congratulating Tails. The rabbit claims he landed half a mile away and got lost in the fog. As they are talking, a shuttle craft lifts off and flies away - Tails realises that Windy Wallis must be escaping. Johnny suggests that Agent X must be be with her, and wonders who Agent X really is beneath his hood. Tails hopes they soon find out.

Appearances

 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * "Johnny Lightfoot"
 * Agent X
 * Windy Wallis
 * Badniks

Continuity

 * Agent X previously appeared in "Root of All Evil" (Sonic the Comic #122 and #123) and "Taking the Plunge, Part 1" (Sonic the Comic #126).
 * Johnny Lightfoot appears in this story, as does Agent X, but they are never seen at the same time. This foreshadows the revelation in Sonic the Comic #131, "Shady Characters, Part 1", that Johnny and Agent X are one and the same. In fact, as revealed in Sonic the Comic #132, "Shady Characters, Part 2", this is not the real Johnny Lightfoot at all, who was captured and replaced by a duplicate between Sonic the Comic #115, "Earthbound, Part 2", and Sonic the Comic #122, "Root of All Evil, Part 1".
 * Windy Wallis last appeared in Sonic the Comic #115, "Weather Beaten".

"Amy's Secret Past"

 * Script: Lew Stringer
 * Art: Nigel Dobbyn
 * Lettering: Ellie de' Ville

Synopsis
An untold tale of Amy.

Years ago, when Doctor Robotnik was dictator of Mobius, he instructed his Chemical Plant Zone scientists to construct a machine that would duplicate the fluke that gave Sonic his blue, streamlined form and super speed.

In a nearby village, a brown-quilled Amy attempts to incite the villagers to rise up against Robotnik, but they are reluctant to do so. Robotnik hears about this, but decides not to intervene since Amy is beneath his notice.

That night, Amy decides to sabotage Robotnik's plans herself and sneaks into the Chemical Plant Zone. Before the machine can give Robotnik Sonic's abilities, Amy breaks in through a skylight and shoots the machine with her crossbow. With the machine's power core about to explode, Robotnik grabs Amy and flings her into it, believing that she will be destroyed along with the machine. However, once the machine is destroyed, Amy emerges relatively unscathed, but with her quills fused together and pink. As she takes out the Troopers with her crossbow, Robotnik believes the power she absorbed has improved her fighting abilities, but Amy states that she always had the ability, and the machine just changed her looks.

The next day, Amy is happy to learn that the villagers have come around to her way of thinking and will resist Robotnik's rule.

Appearances

 * Amy Rose
 * Doctor Ivo Robotnik
 * Chemical Plant Zone scientists:
 * Bald chimp
 * Bespectacled dog
 * Village residents:
 * Bears
 * Dogs
 * Lizard grandma
 * Pig

Continuity

 * This story claims to take place while Doctor Robotnik was dictator of Mobius, which was the case between Sonic the Comic #9, "Back to Reality", and Sonic the Comic #100, "The Final Victory".
 * This story contains numerous continuity issues, including:
 * The story tells how Amy changed from a brown spiky hedgehog to her familiar pink form, and thus takes place before Amy's first appearance in Sonic the Comic #21, "Girl Trouble, Part 1". However, the story also depicts Robotnik in his Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog-style appearance, which he did not assume until Sonic the Comic #22, "Girl Trouble, Part 2".
 * Furthermore, Amy's personality and manner of dress are very different to the way she was originally portrayed in the early issues (in her first appearance, she was arrested not for vigilante activities, but because she claimed to be Sonic's girlfriend). She did not become a solo action girl until Lew Stringer started writing her stories, beginning in Sonic the Comic #41, "In Good Hands", and she did not become a respected hero in her own right until some time later.
 * In this story, Amy successfully convinces the citizens to resist Robotnik, but the citizens didn't actually rise up against Robotnik until the last days of his rule, in Sonic the Comic #98, "Solidarity".
 * Scientists try to recreate the fluke that turned Sonic blue and streamlined. This accident was depicted (in flashback) in Sonic the Comic #8, "The Origin of Sonic".
 * Robotnik imagines himself with Sonic's speed powers and blue, streamlined form. He successfully (but temporarily) stole Sonic's powers and took this form in Sonic the Comic #39, "Sonic No More".

Trivia

 * Amy's first shirt in this strip resembles the uniform of the Fantastic Four.

Double Sonic - "Taking the Plunge, Part 2"

 * Script: Lew Stringer
 * Art: Mick McMahon
 * Lettering: Gordon Robson

Synopsis
Warrior citizens from Trituna have come to the surface to attack Sonic. Although Sonic has defeated most of them, he is now up against the undefeated (and gigantic) Jimmy Whale, who was heavyweight champion of Underwater Boxing for three years in a row. Sonic immediately turns and runs away, leaving the Trituna warriors jeering at him and applauding Jimmy Whale, but in fact Sonic is merely getting a run-up, launching a Spin Attack which knocks Jimmy Whale back into the sea. The rest of the sea creatures start to become dizzy and are forced to hurry back into the sea, realising that the formula they were given (allowing them to breathe on dry land) is beginning to wear off.

Back in Trituna, the mob reveal to their Zone Leader, Sharka Khan that Robotnik's serum wore off. Khan realises that Robotnik was just using them to get to Sonic. Khan vows to find another way to conquer the surface world, and even when Jaws Michael says that Sonic could cause trouble, Khan believes they are untouchable because Sonic can't swim. Just then, Sonic himself appears in a special diving suit designed by Tekno the Canary. Sonic reveals that he has taken swimming lessons and that, with Tekno's suit, he can use all of his special moves, even underwater. Sonic quickly defeats the warriors again and goes looking for Sharka Khan, who intends to leave Trituna and set up a new kingdom. As he attempts to pack, Sonic bursts in through the wall. He reveals to the others that Khan was about to leave and leave them to take the hassle. The warriors decide to depose Khan, since they never wanted to invade the surface world anyway (they'd get wet when it rains). With Khan gone, they decide to rule the Zone themselves, although Sonic isn't sure how successful they'll be.

Appearances

 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Sharka Khan
 * Eelton John
 * Stara
 * Jaws Michael
 * Crab Sea Nesbitt
 * Jimmy Whale

Continuity

 * This story follows on from Sonic the Comic #126, "Taking the Plunge, Part 1".

Other features

 * Control Zone
 * Pin-Up - Knuckles
 * Graphic Zone - Chocs Away