Archie Sonic Boom Issue 7

Archie Sonic Boom Issue 7 is the seventh issue in the Sonic Boom comic series published by Archie Comics.

Official solicitation

 * A multi-part story? In MY Sonic Boom comic?? You got that right! It’s wacky-racin’ adventure in “Everybody’s Super Sonic Racing” Part Two: Dr. Eggman’s fun and “friendly” go-kart challenge has turned deadly! But, really, who didn’t see that “twist” coming? Can Sonic salvage the race and prove to the bad doctor he can win fair and square? More importantly—can Sonic survive long enough to return to the race course?! Discover the fate of life, limb and ego in this super-fast story with cover art from Sonic comic fav Jamal Peppers, and an all-new “insubordination” variant cover from painter Erik Ly! …And BOOM goes the dynamite!

Everybody's Super Sonic Racing Part 2

 * Writer: Ian Flynn
 * Pencils: Ryan Jampole, Jennifer Hernandez
 * Inks: Rick Bryant
 * Colors: Matt Herms
 * Letters: Jack Morelli
 * Assistant Editor: Vincent Lovallo
 * Editor/Executive Director of Editorial: Jonathan H. Gray
 * Editor-in-chief: Victor Gorelick
 * President: Mike Pellerito
 * Publisher: John Goldwater
 * Special thanks to: Tyler Ham, Anthony Gaccione, Stacy Arnold-Strider, Hiromi Iwasaki, Patrick Riley and to the character business and licensing department of Sefa corporation and the character business and licensing department of Sega.

Synopsis
Picking from the end of the last issue, Sonic is falling into a ravine in his go-kart after dropping through a bridge due to one of Dr. Eggman's trap. While plummeting, Sonic notices his introduction card nearby and tries to grab it to break his fall, but it slips out of his hands. Noting the futility of it, Sonic reflects on how slow he is falling when he is brought to a halt by Tails (making Sonic hit his head on his kart's steering wheel) who has arrived to grab his go-kart in midair, though it is extremely taxing for him. Down below, Amy and Knuckles have made a make-shift life net with their Enerbeams which they use to grab Sonic in his go-kart. Sonic thanks his friends for the rescue, but wonders how they go here so fast, to which Knuckles humorously responds that they had a whole month to get there. Sonic praises Knuckles' release schedule humor for their comic, but Amy exasperatingly tells them to stop breaking the fourth wall.

Getting his act together, Knuckles is ready to go pummel Eggman with Amy, but Sonic tells them to wait, much to their surprise. Since Eggman challenged them to a fair race, even though the doctor himself never planned to play nice (which Tails remarks they should have seen coming), Sonic can still compete honorably and asks his friends to let him beat Eggman fair and square to prove that point, though he promises Knuckles they can beat Eggman up after that, much to the echidna's glee. However, Tails asks how they are going to get Sonic's go-kart back on the road since it is too heavy for him to fly it up there. Knuckles provides an answer to that by picking up the go-kart with Sonic in it and throwing it up to the road while Sonic screams at him. Regardless, Knuckles' attempt succeeds and Sonic picks up the pace to catch up to Eggman. Further up ahead, Eggman is casually humming a victory song in his go-kart, but then hears the sound of a "vengeful go-kart" approaching and sees Sonic behind him. Though surprised at this turn of events, Eggman launches all his countermeasures on the racetrack. Continuing the race, Sonic barely dodges a sawblade disguised as a palm tree and overtakes Eggman, but has to stop to avoid a mechanical fist shooting out of the grond, allowing Eggman to take the lead. However, Eggman loses balance on a bridge and Sonic resumes the lead. Soon after, a giant bear trap encloses Sonic, but it is too big to catch him, much to Eggman's discouragement, though the doctor quickly overtakes Sonic again thanks to one of his retractable ramps on the road.

Eggman pushes his go-kart to its limit to keep his lead, but Sonic cheekily overtakes him, noting how Eggman is now out of traps, and heads for the finish line. Had enough, Eggman presses a button on his go-kart, transforming it into the tentacled Spiderkart and goes after Sonic. Meanwhile, back at the finish line, amidst the cheering crowd, Sticks is watching Sonic and Eggman through some binoculars. With a deadpan expression, she goes over her checklist for what she had expected earlier: she checks off that she was right about Eggman rigging the race and that the go-karts had bio-scanner trap-thingies, but was wrong about Eggman's kart turning into a mecha-dragon. Needless, Sticks is satisfied with having two out of three of her suspicions correct.

Back in the race, Sonic is attacked by the Spiderkart's tentacles, but dodges all of them while staying in his go-kart. However, just as Sonic is about to reach the finish line, where Sticks is coming to save him, Eggman keeps him from crossing it with his Spiderkart's tentacle. Sonic chides Eggman for unfair play, whom does not care about that, but then Tails, Knuckles and Amy come to Sonic's rescue in Tails' Plane. While the plane hits the Spiderkart and Amy and Knuckles take out the machine's tentacles, Sonic uses the opportunity to cross the finish line and receives the cheers of the crowd. Having won the race, Sonic points out to Eggman that he still won by playing by the rules, while Eggman broke his own rules and lost, but the doctor says it was his rules to break. As Sonic then promises to tear the Spiderkart apart, Eggman speaks against it, only to be assaulted by a feral Sticks who, unbeknownst to Eggman, had been crawling up the Spiderkart. Sonic attacks the Spiderkart, and as Eggman starts regretting what he said, Tails, Knuckles and Amy join the fray (after having spent some time finding a parking spot for the plane). Together, Team Sonic tear through the Spiderkart until it blows up, but as the team celebrate their victory, Amy wonders where Sticks has gone; it turned out that Sticks was caught by a flying tentacle from the Spiderkart's explosion and subsequently sent flying into the jungle where she hit a coconut tree.

To Team Sonic's surprise, Eggman emerges menacingly from the explosion, showing the doctor indigently riding on a single tentacle-wheel from the Spiderkart. Throwing a tantrum, Eggman promises he will be back and makes a clumsy retreat on his go-kart's remains. Tails then congratulates Sonic for winning the race on his own terms, but Sonic insists he cannot take all the credit. Facing his team with pride, he tells them that he only won because he had them to count on and though he won the competition and the fight, the real prize was having them as his friends. While Tails, Knuckles and Amy are moved by Sonic's speech, they hear someone say "how corny" and see it is the Fastidious Beaver. It turns out, however, that he was merely commenting on his own race-day snack which is corn.

Still confused, Amy asks where Sticks really went. Meanwhile, in the nearby jungle, Sticks comes to and converses with the scattered coconuts as she notices a strange floating portal next to her, from where a mysterious person emerges, much to her shock...

Characters

 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Knuckles the Echidna
 * Amy Rose
 * Sticks the Badger
 * Dr. Eggman
 * Fastidious Beaver

Continuity

 * Sonic is still racing against Dr. Eggman in the Go-kart Pan-island Grand Prix which Eggman challenged Team Sonic to in Sonic Boom #6, "Everybody's Super Sonic Racing Part One".
 * Sonic began his fall into the ravine due to one of Dr. Eggman's traps in Sonic Boom #6, "Everybody's Super Sonic Racing Part One".
 * Sticks predicted in Sonic Boom #6, "Everybody's Super Sonic Racing Part One" that Eggman's Go-kart Pan-island Grand Prix was a trap, that the go-karts would have Bio-scanning Who-za-ma-whats-its, and that Eggman's go-kart would turn into a "giant mecha-dragon-thingy."

Trivia

 * The name of this story is a nod to one of the lyrics in the song "Super Sonic Racing" from Sonic R.
 * The wrist communication Knuckles wears is the same on seen in the episode "Hedgehog Day" from the Sonic Boom television series.
 * The mechanical fist trap Dr. Eggman had set on the race course wears sports tape, which is a nod to how sports tape have become an associate attire for the Sonic Boom franchise in the fanbase.
 * The ramp Eggman uses on the race course has the same check-pattern as the ground in Green Hill Zone.
 * Eggman saying "Go-go, Spiderkart" is presumably a reference to the signature quote said by Inspector Gadget from the Inspector Gadget franchise.
 * The anthropomorphic animal sitting next to Sticks at the finish line bears a strong resemblance to Sonic, even wearing his signature neckerchief.
 * Eggman's quote just before he leaves on the remains of his go-kart is similar to the one he said at the end of the episode "The Sidekick" from the Sonic Boom television series.
 * The wrist device Amy wears later made its debut in the episode "Late Fees" in the Sonic Boom television series.

Off Panel

 * Script: Bill Freiberger
 * Pencils: Lamar Wells
 * Inks: Rick Bryant
 * Letters: Jack Morelli
 * Colors: Matt Herms

Synopsis
In a four-panel Off Panel strip, Sonic is bragging about how he is the fastest hedgehog on the planet, which he shows by outrunning Dr. Eggman in a go-kart, a train, and a rocket. Full of himself, Sonic proclaims nothing can stop him, but then the scene changes to him waiting in a long line on a fast-food restaurant, where Sonic corrects himself by saying that "almost nothing" can stop him.

Characters

 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Dr. Eggman
 * Dave the Intern

Trivia

 * One of the people waiting in the line at the restaurant strongly resembles Mickey Mouse.
 * One of the subtitle for this Off Panel, "Sillier than a Speeding Bullet!," is a reference to the quote "Faster than a speeding bullet" which is one of the traditional description for Superman.

Quotes

 * Sonic: Whew! Thanks, guys! But how did you get here so fast?
 * Knuckles: Are you kidding? We had a whole month to get here!
 * Sonic: Ahh! Release schedule humor.
 * Amy: Can we please stop breaking the fourth wall?


 * Sticks: Let's see... Eggman rigging the race? Check. The go-kart were really bio-scanner trap-thingies? Check. Eggman's go-kart turns into a giant mecha-dragon...? Eh... Two outta three ain't bad.


 * Sonic: Y'see that Eggface? I still managed to win your race on your rules! You broke your own rules and lost!
 * Eggman: They were my rules to break!


 * Tails: You did it, Sonic! You won the race on your own terms!
 * Sonic: Thanks, buddy, but I can't take all the credit. I only won because I knew I could count on you guys. Winning the race and winning the fight are great, but the real prize is having you guys as my friends!
 * Fastidious Beaver: How corny. Oh. My apologies. I was merely commenting on my race-day snack. It really is quite delicious.

Trivia

 * The quote "Urge to kill: rising" on the Insubordination Variant cover is taken from "The Shinning" segment in the episode "Treehouse of Horror V" from the The Simpsons television show.
 * Despite Orbot and Cubot being mentioned in this issue's introduction page, they do not appear in any of the stories.
 * One of the cars Sticks plays with on this issue's introduction page is the Speed Star from Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed.