Sonic the Comic Issue 101


 * Editor: Deborah Tate
 * Features Editor: Audrey Wong
 * Designer: Gary Knight
 * Production: Sarah Colley
 * Consultant: Richard Burton

Sonic the Hedgehog - "Vote for Me"

 * Script: Lew Stringer
 * Art: Roberto Corona
 * Colouring: John Burns
 * Lettering: Tom Frame

Synopsis
It is a day of great joy on Mobius as Doctor Robotnik has finally been defeated! Electrical power has ben restored to all Zones, and Tekno the Canary looks forward to living in Metropolis City in safety.

Sonic, however, prefers greener zones. Tails informs him of an upcoming election to decide on a new world leader to replace Robotnik. onic is not impressed by either of the candidates (Derek Wombat and Giles Baboon) and considers the whole affair a bore, but Tails, who is quite enthusiastic about it, persuades him to attend a discussion panel called It's Your Shout with the two candidates. At City Hall, Wombat and Baboon begin to compete with each other on offering evermore outlandish campaign promises ("reduce the number of buttons on shirts", "whiter snow at Christmas", "more boy bands", etc.), while evading any difficult, divisive matters (such as victimisation of ant colonies). Sonic's opinion of them is not improved.

A week later, as election season drags on, Amy comes to share Sonic's cynical view of the leadership battle. After an argument about homework for parents, Wombat and Baboo put on armoured battle suits and start fighting in the middle of the streets, mindlessly wrecking the city around them. Sonic realises that the candidates don't care about the people, and just want to abuse their power, so he intervenes by disabling both battlesuits and tying Wombat and Baboon up. If they want to free themselves, they'll have to work together to do so!

The next day is polling day. Wombat and Baboon turn up a little dishevelled, but they get their comeuppance when it is revealed that nobody voted for either of them! (Baboon demands a recount!) The public say the only leader good enough to rule Mobius in Sonic, but he turns the offer down - he's not cut out for a desk job! Instead, he suggests that no one should have the power to rule the whole planet, and that each Zone should have its own leader, a decision that is immediately popular. But when the people ask whether these leaders should be chosen with more elections, Sonic says "Maybe you'll have less hassle if you flip a coin instead!"

Appearances

 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Tekno the Canary
 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Amy Rose
 * Johnny Lightfoot
 * Derek Wombat
 * Giles Baboon
 * It's Your Shout presenter
 * MBN news broadcaster
 * MBN cameraman
 * Civilians

Continuity

 * Doctor Robotnik was defeated in Sonic the Comic #100, "The Final Victory".
 * Electrical power is restored to all Zones following the planet-wide blackout caused by the electromagnetic pulse in Sonic the Comic #100, "The Final Victory".

Trivia

 * Sonic mentions that the power blackout prevented anyone from cooking chilli dogs. In oher continuities, particularly Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog, chilli dogs are Sonic's favourite food.
 * During the debate, both Wombat and Baboon stand on actual soapboxes.

Knuckles - "Loose Ends"

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

Synopsis
On the Floating Island, even though the war with Doctor Robotnik is over, there are still some items of unfinished business. Knuckles, backed up by Porker Lewis and the Emerald Hill Folk, approaches the fissure into which Doctor Zachary previously fell into, all to find that Zachary has escaped by burrowing deeper into the island.

However, before Knuckles can go after him, the Emerald Hill Folk (led by a Mobian named Sidney) say that they want to go home to the Emerald Hill Zone. Knuckles agrees, but is interrupted by the rebooting of the Guardian Robots, who had previously captured the Emerald Hill Folk on Doctor Zachary's orders. The Emerald Hill Folk, determined not to be captured again, attack the Robots, who retaliate with their energy beams. Fortunately, Knuckles breaks up the fight before anyone is hurt - he explains that the Guardian Robots no longer work for Zachary because the software he used to control them was destroyed. When the Emerald Hill Folk attacked, they were merely defending themselves.

Knuckles says that he is willing to take the Emerald Hill Folk home, and that this will involve lowering the Floating Island out of the sky and down to the planet. He sends them off to Mushroom Hill Village to pack their belongings.

Knuckles and Porker Lewis head off to the Emerald Chamber, the nerve centre of the Floating Island, which is still is disarray. Knuckles points out a chest of plans and diagrams that will help them repair the Floating Island and return it to its former glory! "This is the dawning of a great new age," says Knuckles. "An age without Robotnik! I think I'm going to enjoy it!"

Appearances

 * Knuckles the Echidna
 * Porker Lewis
 * Emerald Hill Folk
 * Guardian Robots

Continuity

 * The war with Doctor Robotnik ended in Sonic the Comic #100, "The Final Victory". In that story (specifically Parts 1 and 2), the Guardian Robots were knocked offline and the software that Doctor Zachary used to control them was wiped out by the explosion of the Black Asteroid, the Emerald Hill Folk were saved from Robotnik's biological computer, Robotnik himself was captured on the Floating Island, and Doctor Zachary was knocked into a chasm by Knuckles.
 * The Emerald Hill Folk finally decide to return to the Emerald Hill Zone, having been hiding from Robotnik in the Mushroom Hill Zone on the Floating Island since Sonic the Comic #53, "Disaster! Part 3". They will arrive back home in Sonic the Comic #104, "Flickies' Island, Part 1".
 * Knuckles asks for Porker Lewis' help with the Floating Island's systems. Porker moved to the Floating Island after quitting the Freedom Fighters in Sonic the Comic #76, "The Big Decision". Porker will remain a resident of the Floating Island (the only permanent resident besides Knuckles) for the remainder of the comic's run.
 * Knuckles mentions that he has been away from the Floating Island. He left in Sonic the Comic #75, "The Ghost Ship, Part 2", and returned in Sonic the Comic #97, "Victims, Part 1".
 * Knuckles reveals to Porker the ancient chest of Floating Island documents that he received from Captain Plunder in Sonic the Comic #79, "The Ghost Ship, Part 6". He spent a considerable time dragging the chest back to the Floating Island, finally returning in Sonic the Comic #97, "Victims, Part 1", when he left it in the Emerald Chamber.
 * The Emerald Chamber's systems were damaged during Sonic the Comic #73, "New Master Emerald", but it was revealed in Sonic the Comic #74, "The Ghost Ship, Part 1", that neither Knuckles nor Porker had the experience to fix it. Now that they have the ancient documents, they can begin repairs to the systems. They are still seen repairing things in Sonic the Comic #121, "On the Run, Part 1", and finally manage to get every system working perfectly in Sonic the Comic #135, "The Take-Over, Part 1".

Decap Attack - "Walls"

 * Script: Nigel Kitching & Richard Rayner
 * Art: Mick McMahon
 * Lettering: Ellie de'Ville

In Castle Frank N Stein, Igor finally decides that he and Chuck have to rescue the Prof from the lovesick demon woman (the Thin Controller) in Hell, because the Prof pays Igor's wages. Suddenly, the Prof and the Thin Controller arrive back at the castle, and reveal that they plan to get married! They are followed by two other demons, including the Thin Controller's interior designer, Ricardo, who tells his associate to rip off the window shutters and knock down some walls.

While the demon is busy knocking down walls, the Thin Controller finds a portrait of an angelic blond-haired boy... but is horrified when Igor reveals that it is the Professor when he was in the Mid-Glamorgan Boys Choir. He dyed his hair green at about the same time he started putting on the phoney German accent. The Thin Controller immediately calls off the wedding and storms out. (She's a demon from Hell. What would her father say if she married an ex-choir boy?)

Chuck is glad that the demons have gone, although they've already managed to knock down all the walls on the ground floor, leaving the entire castle supported by a single pillar... which Chuck then leans on, causing the entire castle to collape on top of them.

Trivia

 * Chuck and Head are watching a TV series called The Chimpsons. In the original script, this was intended to be The Simpsons, but was changed by editor Deborah Tate.

Sonic's World - "Invasion of the Veg Heads, Part 1"

 * Script: Lew Stringer
 * Art: Andy Pritchett
 * Lettering: Ellie de'Ville

Synopsis
In the Plowright Zone, an agricultural Zone on Planet Mobius near the now-disused Chemical Plant Zone, Farmer Nige proudly inspects his vegetable crop. All of his vegetables have grown incredibly large, and he hopes to win a prize for them. That night in the nearby village, strage figures prowl the streets, terrifying two lambs named Wallace and Doris who see them from a doorway.

The following morning, Wallace and Doris' mother tries to tell the local farmers what she's seen, but they don't believe her. Before the argument becomes too heated, they are interrupted by Harry Mole, Special Agent for O.O.E.R. (Outer Ordinary Event Research), who has come to investigate. When he asks Farmer Nige about the incident, Nige reports that some of his giant vegetables have disappeared, and they soon find out why: the vegetables have somehow mutated and gained self-awareness, pulling themselves out of the ground! And now they're coming to get Nige and Harry!

Nige and Harry run, but aren't fast enough to get away. Fortunately, Sonic was in the area and saves them by knocking the vegetables down. Despite the bizarre mutant vegetables and Harry's pleas to help, Sonic intends to head off immediately... but he is prevented when green roots grow out of the ground and snare him, holding Sonic, Nige and Harry in place. They are greeted by a giant potato wearing a crown, who introduces himself as King Edward, Ruler of the Veg-Heads, and declares that Sonic, Nige and Harry are his prisoners!

Appearances

 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Farmer Nige
 * Harry Mole
 * Wallace and Doris
 * Wallace and Doris' mother
 * Plowright Zone farmers (badger, bloodhound with moustache, dog with sideburns)
 * Veg-Heads (including King Edward)

Continuity

 * The Chemical Plant Zone is revealed to have been shut down following the fall of Doctor Robotnik's dictatorship in Sonic the Comic #100, "The Final Victory". It is re-opened sometime before Sonic the Comic #114, "Crisis in the Chemical Planet Zone, Part 1".

Trivia

 * Harry Mole says "The truth is out there," a reference to the slogan of the TV series The X-Files.
 * King Edward is a reference to the King Edward potato.

Other features

 * Control Zone
 * STC Pin-Up! - Crawlton Badniks! Art by Ferran Rodriguez
 * Half-Baked Zone (Photography Zone)
 * Review Zone
 * Speedlines