Sonic the Comic Issue 90


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

Sonic the Hedgehog - "The Tomb, Part 2"

 * Script: Nigel Kitching
 * Art: Richard Elson
 * Colouring: Steve White
 * Lettering: Tom Frame

Synopsis
Sonic and Chaotix are on a mission to seal Super Sonic in the centre of the Black Asteroid, but they have been ambushed by Nack the Weasel. Nack has used a shrinking device to reduce his enemies to mice size, and only Sonic was able to escape! Nack tries searching for the tiny hedgehog, but stops when he realises that, the way he is now, Sonic can't stop him.

Nack muses allowed about having been hired by Lord Sidewinder to steal Super Sonic. Sonic decides he has to act quickly, so he Spin Attacks Nack in the face! Twice! This knocks off Nack's cowboy hat, where he keeps his shrinking devices, and Sonic uses one of these to shrink Nack down to his size. However, Sonic accidentally exposes Nack to the shrinking ray for too long, and he vanishes away to nothing!

Fortunately, Vector knows how to operate Nack's capsules, and Sonic and Chaotix are soon restored to their full sizes. Their ships wasn't too badly damaged in the crash, so they proceed to the centre of the Black Asteroid, where they leave Super Sonic, who has been trapped inside the Omni-Viewer's energy field. It could take years for Super Sonic to get out, and they speculate that when he eventually does escape, Omni should be able to teleport away, leaving Super Sonic trapped forever inside the Black Asteroid. They fly away, using a Graviton Bomb to collapse the only entrance to the Ateroid, burying both Super Sonic and Omni under thousands of tons of rubble. They can only hope that it'll hold Super Sonic, because if it doesn't, he'll be madder than ever...

Appearances

 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Chaotix (Sonic the Comic):
 * Vector the Crocodile
 * Charmy Bee
 * Mighty the Armadillo
 * Espio the Chameleon
 * Nack the Weasel
 * Omni-Viewer
 * Super Sonic

Continuity

 * Super Sonic was trapped in the Omni-Viewer in Sonic the Comic #86, "Heroes & Villains, Part 3". Super Sonic will eventually escape from the Omni-Viewer in Sonic the Comic #97, "Doomsday, Part 1", allowing Omni to immediately teleport out of the Black Asteroid.
 * Super Sonic is trapped in the Black Asteroid in this issue. He will eventually escape in Sonic the Comic #100, "The Final Victory".
 * Nack appears to shrink to nothing in this issue, but he will eventually return in Sonic the Comic #148, "It's A Small World".

Knuckles - "The Good, the Bad and the Echidna, Part 4"

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

Synopsis
Nighttime. Rooster, the one-eyed Apterix rancher, makes camp with his herd in a valley on the way to Metropolis City. On the cliffs far above him, Boss Krouch and his men plan to kill Rooster, so that Krouch can once again control the Apterix meat market. Before they can go through with it, a rabbit-eared figure in a sombrero appears silhouetted between the rocks. His heavy accent identified him as Chito, one of Boss Krouch's men. He tells Krouch that Knuckles is onto Krouchm but Krouch doesn't want his help after he failed to kill Rooster before. "You mean it was you who asked me to kill Rooster?" asks the silhouette, which Krouch confirms.

Suddenly the figure takes off his sombrero - it's Knuckles the Echidna! He stuck two leaves on his hat for ears and imitated Chito's accent. The Sheriff is right behind him, and they plan to arrest Krouch and all of his men! Krouch runs off, and Knuckles follows (the Sheriff rounds up the others). Krouch reaches the edge of a cliff, and threatens to throw a vial of chemical into the herd far below - it's a compound that simulates the scent of an Apterix's most feared predator, but a hundred times more potent, and it will cause a stampede straight through Rooster's camp.

Before he can throw the vial, the rock under Krouch's foot gives way and he tumbles down the cliff. He lands in the midst of the Apterix herd and the vial smashes, causing a stampede in which Krouch is crushed to death. Fortunately, the stampede avoids Rooster's camp, and the rancher survives. It's time for Knuckles to continue on his journey, so Rooster returns his ancient chest. It looks very heavy (and it is), so Rooster gives Knuckles something to help him out: one of his green pterodactyls! Riding his new flying mount, Knuckles flies away, framed against the sunrise...

Appearances

 * Knuckles the Echidna
 * Boss Krouch
 * Rooster
 * Sheriff
 * Rooster's herders: two dogs and a bird
 * Krouch's men: a buzzard and a coyote

Continuity

 * The Boss Krouch confesses to ordering Chito to kill Rooster. The attempt failed in Sonic the Comic #87, "The Good, the Bad and the Echidna, Part 1", which readers found out in Sonic the Comic #88, "The Good, the Bad and the Echidna, Part 2".
 * Knuckles continues his journey back to the Floating Island with the great chest of documents that he received from Captain Plunder in Sonic the Comic #79, "The Ghost Ship, Part 6". Rooster gives him the green pterodactyl that will eventually carry him home in Sonic the Comic #97, "Victims, Part 1".

Trivia

 * "The Good, the Bad and the Echidna" is a homage to Western films. (The whole arc of stories in which Knuckles is returning to the Floating Island with the chest happened because artist Nigel Dobbyn mentioned he would like to do genre stories.) There are several specific references to specific Westerns, for example:
 * The title of the story is based on the film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, starring Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach in the title roles.
 * Rooster is modelled on and named after the character Rooster Cogburn from the films True Grit and Rooster Cogburn. In the films, Cogburn was played by John Wayne, who won his only Oscar for the portrayal.

Decap Attack - "Boris & the Book"

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

A mysterious figure climbs towards a bedroom window at Castle Frank N. Stein, and wakes up the room's occupant, Chuck D. Head. The figure is Boris, one of the Prof's other creations. Chuck is not particularly pleased to see him. Boris says he is now working in Hollywood, where he is known as "Boris Schwarzenblackenbluenberger". He has heard that the Prof is writing a book, and doesn't want the studios to know he was built out of dead bodies (they think he was brought up in Macclesfield by his Auntie Mimi). Chuck tells Boris to beat it, until Boris points out that he'll have to return to the Castle if the Prof ruins him, and suddenly Chuck is quite willing to help out his "old buddy"!

The three sneak through the corridors, and find the Prof mixing up a concoction - Chuck thinks he's getting a revolting slime creature to come to life. The manuscript is on the bench behind him, but the only way to get it without being seen is to lower Boris from the skylight. But the rope snaps, and Boris plummets into the Prof's mixing bowl, just as Prof gets out the Industrial Strength Liquidiser (patent pending). Once that's done, he heaves the bowl into the oven - maximum setting!

It turns out that the Prof has been cooking a cake for Chuck's birthday! If the cake is good, he may add the recipe to his cookery book, which is due at the printers today. Boris bursts out of the cake! "I went through all this for a flipping cookery book?" He thought the book was about the Prof's life as a monsterbuilding loony, and having found otherwise he storms off. But suddenly the Professor is inspired: My Life as a Monster Builder! Now there's an idea!

Sonic's World - "Secret Weapon, Part 1"

 * Script: Lew Stringer
 * Art: Roberto Corona
 * Colouring: Andy Pritchett
 * Lettering: Tom Frame

Synopsis
In the Metropolis Zone, Johnny Lightfoot meets with a rat informant who tells him that Robotnik has created a new secret weapon and that a platoon of Troopers will be escorting it through the Gum Tree Zone in two days' time. Once Johnny has left, the rat is joined by another figure - Doctor Robotnik himself! - who congratulates the rat and promises that his loyalty will be rewarded.

Two days later, the Freedom Fighters visit the Gum Tree Zone. They spot the platoon of Troopers and Shortfuse immediately charges into the attack, forcing the others to follow. They quickly defeat the Troopers, although Shortfuse suspects the Troopers might be letting them win. With the Troopers defeated, they approach the crate to find out what the new secret weapon is...

... only for it to explode outwards, revealing the secret weapon to be a powerful rat-shaped badnik named Vermin the Cybernik! Johnny instantly recognises his voice as the rat who sold him the information earlier. Shortfuse tries to convince Vermin that he can resist Robotnik's brainwashing, only to be hit with a powerful punch. Vermin wanted to be a Cybernik! He's stronger than Shortfuse, and that makes him unbeatable!

Appearances

 * Amy Rose
 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Johnny Lightfoot
 * Shortfuse the Cybernik
 * Doctor Ivo Robotnik
 * Vermin the Cybernik
 * Troopers

Continuity

 * Shortfuse is a member of the Freedom Fighters, having joined them in Sonic the Comic #89. His tendency to charge into battle without a plan appears for the first time here, foreshadowing his eventual falling out with and departure from the team in Sonic the Comic #97, "Boiling Point".
 * A rat resembling a pre-Cybernik Vermin appeared in Sonic the Comic #63, "Project Brutus, Part 1", also as an informant for Doctor Robotnik. It is unclear if they were intended to be the same character.

Trivia

 * This story was marked as a complete story on its front page, but is in fact the first part of a two part story, which concludes in Sonic the Comic #91.

Other features

 * Control Zone
 * Review Zone
 * NiGHTS Pin-Up!
 * Q Zone
 * Speedlines