Archie Sonic the Hedgehog In Your Face!


 * ''This issue takes place between Sonic the Hedgehog #18 — #19

Sonic In Your Face was the first one-off special issue in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series.

Story One - "The Quest"
This issue begins with Sonic and Sally practice-sparring against each other, but Sally is paying little attention. She explains to Sonic about the recent events, such as a falling orb from the sky, and the death of Julayla, her mentor. Rosie comes in and asks Sally to view Julayla's estate she gave to Sally, before her death.

Sally earns four items: Julayla's hope chest, a blue vest, a picture of her father, King Max and a map. Afterwards, Sally goes to sleep, but later that night, the same orb that fell out of the sky, glows and wakes Sally. Sally approaches the orb, and it turns out to be a special computer named NICOLE with a mind of her/its own. The Freedom Fighters awake and ask Sally if anything is wrong. She introduces NICOLE to them, and afterwards, she befriends the robotic computer.

The next day, Sally reads and follows the map she was given, along with NICOLE. Just as she leaves the door, the Freedom Fighters confront her, and talk their way into going with her. They are taken to Robotropolis, via Rotor's airplane. They parachute into the robotic arena, and search for the treasure, but are attacked by a group of SWATbots, along the way. However, the Freedom Fighters outsmart the robots, and enter the forbidden zone.

After they climb a huge wall, they are ambushed by a giant, robotic cyclops. Sonic tries to destroy it, but the goliath defends itself. NICOLE explains that the cyclops only responds to motion, so Sonic stands still for a period of time, and puts it in sleep mode. Then, they are attacked by a fire-breathing griffin, but Tails manages to defeat it, by pulling a sword from a rock (there is a sign on the rock that explains pulling the sword from it, magically stops the beast). Finally, they meet a two-headed dragon, guarding two different doors. NICOLE explains to Sally that the beast is known as the Polysaurus Rex, a monster that has a head that lies, and another head that does the opposite.

Sally asks the head on the left which door. The head on the right would say to take to lead to Julayla's treasure, and the head on the left tells her that the door on the left was the correct door. Sally decides to take the door on the right, saying that if the left head told the truth, he would have truthfully told the lie the right head would have told, while if the head on the left lies, then he would not have said which door the head on the right would recommend, which still would have been the door on the right. Sally and her friends choose the correct door, and find the treasure! However, it is nothing more than a scroll, which makes no sense to Sally.

Twenty-five years later, Sally understands the scroll, and is queen of Mobius, along with her king, Sonic. King Max has returned, and Sonic and Sally have two children, Sonia and Manik. Apparently, NICOLE was made by Rotor, twenty-five years ahead, and then sent twenty-five years back, to aid Sally and her friends on their quest to defeating Dr. Ivo Robotnik.

Story Two - "The Mirror Zone"
Sonic and Tails are chasing a SWATbot, that has a robotic message, from Robotnik. The SWATbot enters the Mirror Zone, but Sonic and Tails follow him. Everything is backwards in the Mirror Zone, but Sonic manages to defeat the SWATbot and retrieve the message. Once they leave the Mirror Zone, they notice that the message is in backwards, and must be scrambled by looking into a mirror.

(The message is: Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the most evil tyrant of them all? ...And who's the dumbest hedgehog of them all? Fast as fast can be, you'll never defeat me! Here's looking at you, Sonic! -Ivo Robotnik)

Story Three - "Tails' Tallest Tale"
Tails is on his way to a Sonic-Con convention, to do a speech. When he arrives, he finds the place packed, and meets a Sheldon, a turtle whom is the president of the convention, and Posey, a possum whom is the resident Sonic expert (and also a girl who Tails gets a crush on). When Tails goes off to do his speech, he forgets what to say, but covers it up with a fake story, on how he fought a robot named Toadzilla. Once he finishes it, all of the audience notice Robotnik, coming to wreck the con with a huge machine.

Tails tries to shoo Robotnik, but only gets slapped by a mechanical arm. Posey bravely demands Robotnik to leave, but he threatens to squash her with his robot's foot. Tails flies up and ambushes Robotnik, but throws him off base by spinning himself with his tails, to make the mad man dizzy. He succeeds, and scares Robotnik off. Due to his bravery, he earns a kiss from Posey, and happily returns to the con.

Key Events

 * NICOLE joins the Knothole Freedom Fighters.

Background Information

 * This was the first one-off special issue.
 * This issue featured the first alternate reality future of Mobius.
 * All three stories were reprinted in Sonic Select #1.
 * Julyla's words on the scroll, "to thine own self be true," is lifted from Hamlet.
 * This is the first issue in the series to have a story pencilled by Patrick "Spaz" Spaziante.