Sonic the Comic Issue 77


 * Editor: Deborah Tate
 * Assistant Editor: Audrey Wong
 * Designer: Gary Knight
 * Consultant: Richard Burton
 * Production: Sarah Colley
 * Marketing Manager: Gary Bell

Sonic the Hedgehog - "Voice of the People"

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

Synopsis
In Citadel Robotnik, Doctor Robotnik seethes with rage at Sonic's continued resistance to his rule. He receives a call on his private video-link number... it's from Sonic himself, taunting the dictator with his many failures and saying that his days are numbered!

Robotnik dismisses Sonic's words, but soon learns of a disturbance in Sector Alpha 34: a protest at the site of Robotnik's new statue! A huge crowd has gathered at the base of the statute, carrying placards bearing slogans like "Down with Robotnik!" or "Robotnik must go!", and some hurling bricks at the giant figure. One protestor, a dalmation, has even scaled the statute and is smearing Robotnik's bald head with white paint!

Suddenly, the protestors are attacked by Troopers from the Special Badnik Service (SBS). Before they can disperse the protest however, they are interrupted by the arrival of Sonic and Tails, who defeat them with little effort. A protestor detonates some explosives around the statue's feet, causing the entire edifice to topple over and smash on the groun. Sonic, hopeful that Robotnik is losing his hold over the people, tells the protestors to leave before another SBS squad arrives.

Back in Citadel Robotnik, Grimer happily tells Robotnik that the protest is over and that the statue will be replaced within the week, but Robotnik isn't comforted: he's furious! "The statue is irrelevant, Grimer! The point is, my subjects dated to attack it!" The people no longer fear him! But he plans to change that... soon, they will tremble at the very mention of the name Doctor Robotnik!

Appearances

 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Doctor Ivo Robotnik
 * Grimer
 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Protestors:
 * Dalmation defacing the statue
 * Rabbits
 * Bears
 * Walruses
 * Birds
 * Dogs
 * Many, many others
 * Special Badnik Service Troopers

Continuity

 * Robotnik mentions Sonic hiding the Emerald Hill Folk. They were moved to the Mushroom Hill Zone on the Floating Island in Sonic the Comic #53, "Disaster! Part 3".
 * Sonic mentions the destruction of the Death Egg (Sonic the Comic #51 to #53, "Disaster!") and the failure of the Metallix project (Sonic the Comic #59 to #62, "The Brotherhood of Metallix", and Sonic the Comic #67 to #72, "The Return of Chaotix").
 * Robotnik steps up his reign of terror in this issue. The effects are already being felt in the following issue (Sonic the Comic #78, "Plasma").

Knuckles - "The Ghost Ship, Part 4"

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

Synopsis
In Captain Plunder's shack in the pirate town of Scourge Bay, Knuckles is amazed to find that Plunder really does have chest full of ancient documents about the Floating Island. He hopes to find something about his missing people. Plunder prepares to use the Tantaragor Idol to teleport Knuckles back to the FLoating Island, their deal amicably concluded, but Knuckles wants to go back to the Ghost Ship of Tantaragor to rescue the slaves. Plunder is horrified - they barely managed to escape last time!

When Knuckles says that they will go back, even if he has to drag plunder kicking and screaming all the way, Plunder orders his pirates to attack! Knuckles defeats them all (with a little help from Simpson the Cat, who was upset when one of the pirates hit him). With all the others knocked out, Plunder attacks Knuckles himself, and they both smash out of the window... only to come face-to-face with Zorabel the Pirate Queen!

Zorabel is angry that Plunder stole the Tantaragor Idol, and orders him to leave her town before the Tantaror come looking for it. Just then, the Idol starts to glow (Plunder insists it's not him!) and then they all disappear - along with a sizable chunk of the surrounding cliff - and reappear in a bizarre dimension, where a gigantic, red, elephant-headed being looks down on them...

Appearances

 * Knuckles the Echidna
 * Captain Plunder
 * Filch
 * Simpson the Cat
 * Zorabel
 * Tom
 * Ekkletos
 * Pirates:
 * Rhino
 * Monkey
 * Dog
 * Cat

Trivia

 * In Captain Plunder's shack in Scourge Bay, a picture of Doctor Robotnik is used as a dartboard.

Shining Force - "The Curse of Zeon, Part 5"

 * Script: Nigel Kitching
 * Art: Martin Griffiths
 * Colouring: Gina Hart
 * Lettering: Tom Frame

On a mission to stop Baron Kadavaar from freeing the demon Zeon from the Abyss, Bowie was been struck down by an 'exploding wand'. Taya's healing magic is useless. Just then, an image of Max rises out of Bowie's sword. He says that the 'wand' is actually a pistol, and goes to examine Bowie himself. Glowing in bright light, Max casts a spell on Bowie, who takes the sword and stands, fully healed, holding his sword aloft for the first time.

Baron Kadavaar appears and attacks Bowie. As Bowie seems defeated, Kadavaar explains his plan to use an ancient magical power called "nuclear explosion", thus breaking the seal on Granseal Island that keeps Zeon trapped in the Abyss. Suddenly, Bowie reveals that he is not defeated after all - he merely wanted to know what Kadavaar was planning - and with a powerful strike he shatters Kadavaar's sword. But he won't kill Kadavaar: the Shining Force don't go in for that nonsense.

On Granseal Island, villagers find that the tower's doors have been forced open and jammed shut from inside - probably by followers of Zeon. At the top of the tower, a Zeonite presses the button to initiate the ancient ritual called 'count-down'! Soon they will witness the casting of the spell known as 'detonation'!

Sonic's World - "Hidden Danger, Part 1"

 * Script: Lew Stringer
 * Art: Nigel Kitching
 * Colouring: Steve White
 * Lettering: Elitta Fell

Synopsis
A peaceful scene in the Tropical Jungle Zone is disturbed by a powerful, unseen force that destroys the residents' homes. Watching on a monitor, Robotnik is pleased with Grimer's new invention - if Sonic intervenes, he won't know what hit him!

A few hours later, Sonic and Tails arrive and start investigating. Spotting one of Robotik's spy cameras, Sonic insults Robotnik over the video feed, angering the dictator. Robotnik pushes a button, and in the jungle something big crashes and smashes its way towards the heroes... they can hear it, but they can't see it!

Sonic immediately realises it must be cloaked robot, but when he tries to attack it he is knocked out, leaving Tails all alone!

Appearances

 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Doctor Ivo Robotnik
 * Grimer
 * Cloaked robot
 * Tropical Jungle Zone residents:
 * A chimpanzee
 * A warthog
 * A baboon
 * A lion
 * A wolf
 * Others

Continuity

 * Robotnik refers to his attack against the Underground Movement from Sonic the Comic #72, "Odour Zone". However, he incorrectly refers to them as "Underground Zone peasants" when in fact that story took place in the Odour Zone.

Trivia

 * Grimer's comment that "We have advanced so far since then", referring to the story "Odour Zone" from Sonic the Comic #72, could be a meta-reference to the writing staff. "Odour Zone" was written by Mark Millar, and like all of Millar's stories was written back in 1993, three years before the the issue's publication.
 * Sonic comments that Robotnik has previously used cloaking technology, although the effect was always temporary, and an editorial comment mentions the end of Sonic 3. However, the events of Sonic 3 are not canon to the Sonic the Comic continuity (the game was adapted between issues #33 and #53), and no cloaked robots appeared at the end of the game anyway. The Newtron badniks from Sonic the Hedgehog (1991), however, did have the ability to turn invisible.

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