Sonic the Comic Issue 113


 * Editor: Deborah Tate
 * Designer: Gary Knight
 * Production: Sarah Colley
 * Advertising: Stephen Goldsmith
 * Marketing manager: Douglas Pocock

Sonic the Hedgehog - "The Detour"

 * Script: Nigel Kitching
 * B & W art: Richard Elson
 * Colouring: Nigel Dobbyn
 * Lettering: Tom Frame

Synopsis
Sonic and Tails are on the bi-plane, flying somewhere over the skies of Mobius, when a sudden fog comes up out of nowhere. The fog is impenetrable and Tails can't land. Soon, Sonic spots and gap in the fog, and Tails corkscrews the plane in order to reach it and land. However, on the ground they find themselves in an odd landscape with a pale blue sky and geometrical shapes in the distance. Sonic gets the feeling that they're not on Mobius any more.

The fog is still thick, and soon Sonic and Tails are completely lost. Tails complains that this is "worse than being stuck in a maze", only for them to soon realise that they are actually stuck in a maze. This reminds Tails of the story of the Minotaur, when suddenly an actual Minotaur appears in front of them and attacks! Sonic distracts it with a Spin Attack (commenting that "creeps like this don't even slow me down") then leads Tails away as he hasn't got time to waste fighting.

Tails still can't believe that they saw a real Minotaur, just like in his book, but is glad it wasn't a Yeti, which were much scarier. Sonic and Tails suddenly emerge from the maze into a snow-capped mountain, with giant footprints in the snow in front of them. A suspicious Sonic asks where Yetis would be found, and just as soon as Tails confirms that they live in the mountains, an actual Yeti attacks them. Fortunately, Sonic is confident he can handle one Yeti. "You're right!" says Tails. "I'd hate to thick what would happen if he'd brought the rest of his tribe!" And sure enough, a moment later: "Sonic, it's the rest of his tribe!"

Sonic grabs Tails and runs for it, saying he needs some time to think. They run into a cave (too big for the Yetis to follow), and try to work out what's going on: Tails just happened to mention a maze, a Minotaur, a Yeti and a tribe when all of those things appeared, almost like somebody was listening to them... Finally Sonic figures it out. He runs outside into the middle of the Yeti and calls out: "Okay, you've had your fun but now the game's over! Come on, show yourself!" The Yeti vanish into thin air and a giant glowing golden anthropomorphic cat appears instead, identifying itself as a member of the Tantaror (a "superior being") and saying that Sonic must do as he wants. It is this Tantaror that has been creating all the monsters!

Sonic and Tails get ready to fight the "alien menace", only for an even larger Tantaror to appear, saying "He is not an alien menace, he is a very naughty boy!" Which completely astonishes Sonic. This new figure, it transpires, is the first Tantaror's father, who tells his son that he cannot have pets until he knows how to take care of them. Reluctantly, the "boy" sends Sonic and Tails back to Mobius. Sonic asks Tails to keep the adventure to himself, as it would be bad for his image if people found out some kid wanted to keep him as a pet!

Appearances

 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Minotaur
 * Yetis
 * Tantaror child and father

Continuity

 * The Tantaror previously appeared in "The Ghost Ship", published from Sonic the Comic #74 to #79.

Tails - "Fall of the Leaf, Part 1"

 * Script: Lew Stringer
 * Art: Nigel Dobbyn
 * Lettering: Elitta Fell

Synopsis
Tails is flying through the Eldorado Zone, where all the residents are wealthy because the Zone was built on the site of the Diamond Mine Zone. He decides to stop and see if he can get a veggie burger at a local chip shop, only to be rudely informed by one snobbish couple that there are no chip shops in the Eldorado Zone because the residents only eat at expensive restaurants... and that such places are far too classy for someone like Tails!

Irritated by the stuck-up attitude, Tails considers just going home, but before he leaves, he hears a cry for help from one of the expensive restaurants (Chez Pierre) and rushes to the rescue. A Drill-bot from the underground diamond mine has burst up through the floor, having been attracted by the jewellery of the diners. Tails flies around the spinning drill and hits the off switch, disabling the machine safely. One antelope woman tries to give him a diamond necklace as a thank you, but he turns it down, only to be scorned by the snobbish residents for not appreciating "class "A" diamonds".

Once again, Tails decides to leave and go back to the Emerald Hill Zone, but before he can go he hears yet another cry for help: a diamond tiara had been stolen from the apartment of Mrs. Curly-Smythe. A crocodile police officer says a security camera caught a shot of the burglar entering the thirteenth floor from the outside... but he didn't climb, he flew! And what's more, the shot looks a lot like Tails! With the residents all screaming that he's a thief, Tails flies off, determined to clear his name.

Meanwhile, a shadowy figure is overjoyed, because now he can continue his crime spree and Tails will get the blame!

Appearances

 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * The Leaf
 * Drill-bot driver
 * Eldorado Zone residents:
 * Crow with a quiff and dollar-sign medallion
 * Dog with a green dress
 * Penguin maître d'
 * Frog waiter
 * Canary diner in red bowtie
 * Antelope woman
 * Pig with white hair
 * White bird with glasses
 * Mrs. Curly-Smythe, a poodle
 * Dog golfer
 * Female rhino
 * Frog neighbour
 * Crocodile police officer
 * Several others

Trivia

 * The Eldorado Zone is named after El Dorado, a legendary city of gold in South America.

Decap Attack - "The Fearless Monster Hunters"

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

Colonel Boldwig-Smythe, fearless monster hunter and part time firsh smuggler, arrives in Transylvania with his son Giles in search of a two-headed monster. Unable to locate Castle Frank N Stein (despite Giles pointing out the signs to the Castle all over the place), the Colonel decides to ask for directions in the Castle View Tea Shop. But the patrons are horrified that he wants to go there... because on this night Professor Frank N Stein practises his yodelling!

However, Igor (sitting in the corner with a disguised Chuck and Head) offers to tell the Colonel about the castle and invites him over for a cup of asparagu and broccoli tea. The Colonel reveals all the monsters he's caught, like the Abominable Snowman (which melted before they got it home) and the Flying Fiend of the Deep (which was actually just a man with a halibut on a piece of elastic). He shows them a picture of the two-headed monster he's now seeking (an artist's impression of Chuck and Head) and when the Colonel reveals he'd pay handsomely for information leading to its capture, Igor rips off Chuck's disguise and says he'd prefer cash.

However, the Colonel dismisses Chuck and Head as an obvious fake (despite Giles' concerns) and decides to leave. He's heard of a "three-hatted Essex vampire" who dresses in white and shouts "That was a googlie!", but Giles thinks that was an umpire. As the two leave, they hear a wail from the mountains and believe it is the "unmistakable" cry of the Mountain Banshee... but it's really the Professor's hideous yodelling.

Trivia

 * This story is presumably named after the film The Fearless Vampire Killers.

Sonic's World: Amy & Tekno - "Spaced Out, Part 3"

 * Script: Lew Stringer
 * B & W Art: Bob Corona
 * Colour: Nigel Dobbyn
 * Lettering: Tom Frame

Synopsis
Millions of light years away from Mobius, a starship of the Insectra Empire has crash-landed on a planet after being shot down by the Blurrgh. The occupants, including Amy Rose, Tekno the Canary and Shortfuse the Cybernik, are mostly unharmed, but the Insectra commander Dark Visor demands revenge on the Blurrgh. Sure enough, the Blurrgh themselves soon land and their leader, Jello Wobbla, says that he will take them all prisoners... only to change his mind a moment later when Dark Visor points out that they'll lose the perks of leaderships if hostilities come to an end. Instead, Wobbla and Dark Visor decide to continue their ten thousand year war on the planet's surface.

However, the native peoples, floating glowing creatures called the Kaamdaarn, don't like the idea. Their spritual leader, Mello, explains that their world is peaceful and wars are forbidden. Dark Visor and Jello Wobbla deduce that this means the Kaamdaarn have no weapons, and thus decide to team up to conquer them... only to learn that none of their high-tech weaponry will work on the planet. Mello explains that the Kaamdaarn culture combines science with natural laws, that they are one with their world and the planet's energy flow doesn't allow weapons to function. Amy, Tekno and Shortfuse use the opportunity to defeat the soldiers with unarmed combat (as both sides are useless in a fair fight).

Despite Dark Visor and Jello Wobbla's objections, both the Insectras and Blurrgh decide to end the war and live on the planet with the Kaamdaarn. The planet apparently has a calming effect on them. Shortfuse decides to stay as well, in the hopes that the Kaamdaarn may be able to use their positive energy to free him from his armour. Amy and Tekno start thinking about how they'll get back to Mobius.

Appearances

 * Amy Rose
 * Tekno the Canary
 * Shortfuse the Cybernik
 * Insectra Empire
 * Dark Visor
 * Soldiers
 * Blurrgh
 * Jello Wobbla
 * Soldiers
 * Kaamdaarn
 * Mello
 * Citizens

Continuity

 * Shortfuse mentions that he has been trapped in his armour for two years. He was first turned into a Cybernik by Robotnik in Sonic the Comic #45, "Enter the Cybernik, Part 1".
 * Shortfuse decides to stay with the Kaamdaarn in the hope that they will find some way to free him from his armour. He will return to Mobius in Sonic the Comic #119, "Peace of the Action", and the Kaamdaarn will successfully free him from the armour (albeit temporarily) in Sonic the Comic #120, "Breakout, Part 1".
 * Amy and Tekno discuss finding some way back to Mobius, and Amy wonders if anyone has a map of the universe. In fact, it is revealed in Sonic the Comic #114, "Earthbound, Part 1", that the Kaamdaarn do have a map, and Amy and Tekno get home in Sonic the Comic #115, "Earthbound, Part 2".

Trivia

 * Amy suggests that Dark Visor should "give peace a chance", a reference to the song of the same name by John Lennon.
 * On the last page, after ending the war, a Blurrgh and an Insectra are seen in sports clothes, apparently about to play golf.
 * Mello asks Shortfuse how he expels bodily waste if he is trapped in a suit or armour (although the actual question is cut off), and Shortfuse explains that there is a built-in filter system.

Other features

 * Control Zone
 * STC Pin-up! - Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Speedlines
 * Let's Dance Zone (Graphic Zone)