Sonic the Comic Issue 137


 * Editor: Deborah Tate
 * Designer: Gary Knight
 * Managing Editor: Steve McManus
 * Production: Sarah Colley
 * Marketing Manager: Douglas Pocock
 * Managing Director: Julie Goldsmith

Sonic - "Roots, Part 3"

 * Script & colour: Nigel Kitching
 * B & W Art: Richard Elson
 * Lettering: Ellie de'Ville

Synopsis
Sonic and Chaotix have been captured by the mysterious swamp creature known as Root, who says that he will soon turn them into his willing slaves. They don't believe him until Mighty's father, Blockhead Bill, explains how he and Society Max were captured by Root in the Mandrake Swamp while looking for Mandrake Roots, and that Root now controls their minds.

Sonic is still sceptical, saying that Bill's mind was probably easy to control, but Root says that nobody can resist the power of the Mind Roots. He takes a jar of small, wriggling Mind Roots and affixes them to the necks of the heroes in turns, explaining as he does that the Mind Roots links into the nervopus system and takes away a person's free will. Root places Mind Roots on Vector, then Mighty, but as he places them on Espio and Charmy, Sonic manages to break free of his bonds, having been weakening them with super speed vibrations.

Sonic demands to know what Root's master plan is, and the villain happily explains since he believes it will make no difference. Root possesses a chemical that will alter Planet Meridian, starting with New Tek City. He wants the enslaved heroes to put vials of the chemical in New Tek City's sewer system, leading to the city becoming quickly overgrown and becoming part of the Mandrake Swamp, with Root as absolute ruler. Sonic realises that this was what Bill was trying to do, but he was so stupid he couldn't get it right. ("Hey," says Bill, "are you insulting me?" His partner, Max, responds "Of course he is, dear boy!")

Root orders Chaotix to restrain Sonic while Root attaches the last Mind Root. Sonic tries to encourage them to resist Root's control, but it's no good: they actually want to obey him, and don't care that it's wrong. Sonic punches Espio (regretfully), and swats Charmy (not so regretfully), dodges Vector and hits Mighty with a Spin Attack. But no matter how well the fight seems to be going, Chaotix aren't slowing down and Sonic realises he can't fight them like this: someone could get hurt, and it might be him! With a burst of super speed he dashes around all of them and out into the castle, promising to be back when they least expect it. Root orders Chaotix to chase him, leaving Blockhead Bill to comment that things aren't going too well. "They never do, Bill old boy," says Society Max, "they never do!"

Appearances

 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Chaotix:
 * Vector the Crocodile
 * Espio the Chameleon
 * Mighty the Armadillo
 * Charmy Bee
 * Blockhead Bill
 * Society Max
 * Root
 * Root's mud minions

Continuity

 * Root explains his aim to turn New Tek City into an extension of the Mandrake Swamp, and gives his new slaves orders to pour chemical vials into the city's sewer system. This is the same mission that he gave Blockhead Bill (as revealed in Sonic the Comic #136, "Roots, Part 2"), which was interrupted by Bill's fight with Sonic the Hedgehog (Sonic the Comic)|Sonic]] in Sonic the Comic #134, "Back in the Special Zone".

Trivia

 * As Root explains his master plan to turn New Tek City into an extension of the Mandrake Swamp, a panel is shown with an overgrown New Tek City, including Chaotix Tower from Sonic the Comic #135, "Roots, Part 1".

Knuckles - "The Take-Over, Part 3"

 * Script: Nigel Kitching
 * Art: Nigel Dobbyn
 * Lettering: Tom Frame

Synopsis
Deep within the Floating Island, Knuckles the Echidna climbs through the ancient tunnel system, grumbling about the four thieves that have come to the Island to steal the Chaos Emeralds.

Meanwhile, on the surface, those same thieves have been accosted by the Island's Guardian Robots. Mr Delta has a way of dealing with them, but needs more time so Mr Beta strides forward to fight them... only to be swatted aside with a single strike. As the four thieves make a run for it, Mr Delta tells them to switch their chameleon circuits to frequency 275, at which point the Guardian Robots stop being able to see or hear them and believe they have escaped. The thieves head on towards the pyramid for the tunnel they need for the next part of their plan.

Back in the Emerald Chamber, Porker Lewis watches them beat the robots through the viewing screen and panics. He can't defend the Chaos Emeralds alone, and wishes Knuckles was with him.

In the tunnel, Knuckles is making his way back to the Emerald Chamber when he hears a voice in an adjacent tunnel: the thieves! He crashes in on them. This time when Mr Beta tries to fight him, the echidna is ready; Knuckles catches his fist in mid-air and hits Beta with a mighty punch. However, before he can take down the others, Mr Gamma sneaks up behind him and affixes a metal collar around his neck. Ms Alpha pushes a button on a remote control, and Knuckles is zapped by a powerful electric current, making him collapse on the metal floor. The thieves intend to complete what they came to do, says Ms Alpha, and if Knuckles has any sense he'll keep out of their way!

Appearances

 * Knuckles the Echidna
 * Porker Lewis
 * Ms Alpha
 * Mr Beta
 * Mr Gamma
 * Mr Delta
 * Guardian Robots

Contiunity

 * Knuckles complain about the thieves wanting to steal the Chaos Emeralds. Although they arrived on the Floating Island in Sonic the Comic #135, "The Take-Over, Part 1", with D.R.A.T. members who did want to steal the Emeralds, it is revealed in Sonic the Comic #138, "The Take-Over, Part 4", that they are actually after the Floating Island's other treasures.

Amy - "Day of the Puppets"

 * Script: Lew Stringer
 * B & w art: Carl Flint
 * Colour: John M Burns
 * Lettering: Elitta Fell

Synopsis
On the spaceship prison, Astratraz, the criminal Puppets have broken out of their cell and are taking over the ship. Amy Rose and Tekno the Canary materialise in the middle of the breakout, and the Puppets immediately turn on them for not being puppets themselves. However, Amy and Tekno are soon overwhelmed and thrown into a brig with the ship's alien crew and robotic prison guards.

One of the crewmen explains that they had been transporting the criminal Puppets to a prison planet when they broke free. The Puppets have intelligence chips in their woodgrain, allowing them to think for themselves, but nobody expected them to turn bad. Now the Puppets want to find a whole new planet to invade, but since they threw the pilot overboard the whole ship is stranded in space.

After a moment examining a nearby planetary chart, Tekno goes to the Puppets offering to fly the ship to a planet they can invade. The aliens are horrified that Tekno will help the Puppets; Amy believes they can still trust her; and the Puppets assume that she's hoping to be spared for cooperating, but they plan to vapourise her after they land.

The ship lands and the Puppets march out, only to be instantly devoured by the planet's native giant termites. Tekno noticed Planet Terminus on the chart earlier and brought them here. The aliens can now radio base to be picked up, but Amy and Tekno vanish to their next destination.

Appearances

 * Amy Rose
 * Tekno the Canary
 * Puppets
 * Astratraz crew (aliens)
 * Astratraz robot prison guards

Continuity

 * Amy and Tekno started their inter-dimensional journey through the Ring of Eternity in Sonic the Comic #134, "Eternity Ring". They will return home in Sonic the Comic #156, "Full Circle".

Trivia

 * Most of the Puppets are marionettes, with visible strings (that go nowhere) attached to their back, head and arms. Their leader is a ventriloquist's dummy, and when he speaks he replaces all of his Ps and Bs with Gs (pronouncing "Puppets" as "Guggets").

Reprinted stories

 * Sonic the Hedgehog - "Girl Trouble, Part 2" from Sonic the Comic #22

Other features

 * Control Zone
 * Graphic Zone - Sega Power
 * Speedlines