Sonic the Comic Issue 74


 * Editor: Deborah Tate
 * Assistant Editor: Audrey Wong
 * Designer: Gary Knight
 * Editorial Assistance: William Potter
 * Consultant: Richard Burton
 * Production: Sarah Colley
 * Marketing Manager: Gary Bell

Sonic the Hedgehog - "Mission to the Metropolis Zone"

 * Script: Lew Stringer
 * Art: Roberto Corona
 * Colouring: Steve White
 * Lettering: Steve Potter

Synopsis
Sonic, Amy and Johnny Lightfoot infiltrate the Metropolise Zone at midnight. It's a perfect time to engage in a little sabotage, since Commander Brutus has gone A.W.O.L. and Robotnik can't cope with the reduced manpower. Suddenly they are spotted by a badnik patrol. Sonic seems confident, until he is caught unexpectedly from behind by a Trooper and captured. Only Amy manages to escape.

Sonic and Johnny are brought to Citadel Robotnik, where Robotnik gloats about how easy it was to capture them. Of course, they point out that this was the plan all along, just as an alarm sounds in the Info Centre. They allowed themselves to get captured to create a diversion while Amy hacks into Robotnik's computers and wipes the valuable information from the mainframe.

However, just as Amy is about to press 'delete', she is apprehended by a Trooper. When this is reported to Robotnik's office, Sonic and Johnny make their escape into the ventilation system. Amy struggles against her captors, and finally reaches her crossbow. When she fires, the bolt completely misses the two Trooper guards... but it does hit the computer's 'delete' key! The computer explodes! With the mission complete, Sonic and Johnny emerge from the vents, destroying the Troopers.

As the Info Centre goes up in flames, the three heroes escape from the Citadel. The plan worked, and now Robotnik will be even more determined to destroy them. But at least they gave him one major headache!

Appearances

 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Amy Rose
 * Johnny Lightfoot
 * Doctor Ivo Robotnik
 * Grimer
 * Troopers
 * Whisps
 * Balkiries

Continuity

 * Commander Brutus has been missing (hidden in the Misery Zone) since Sonic the Comic #72, "Brute Force, Part 4".

Knuckles - "The Ghost Ship, Part 1"

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

Synopsis
Captain Plunder and his crew of Sky Pirates are struggling with a ferocious storm in the clouds high above Mobius! They are chasing the legendary Ghost Ship of Tantaragor, but no sooner have they set eyes on it than lightning strikes the mast and it falls overboard. They begin to sink. One crewman shouts "Land ho", and Plunder is amazed to find that they are falling straight towards the Floating Island!

On the surface of the Floating Island, heavy rain is falling on the Mushroom Hill Zone, the current dwelling place for the the Emerald Hill Folk of Mobius. In the house of Porker Lewis, Knuckles has come for help rebuilding the Emerald Chamber. To Knuckles' dismay, however, the ancient technology is beyond Porker's understanding, and he can't help. Knuckles is concerned that, unless he can fix the force field in particular, the Emerald Hill Folk might be in danger if Robotnik ever came looking for them (despite Porker's comment that Robotnik doesn't even know where they are).

As Knuckles and Porker walk outside (the rain is just dying down), a young bear runs up to tell them that a ship has landed on the island to the east of the village. Knuckles assumes it is Robotnik and runs to check it out (Porker stays behind). However, when Knuckles gets there, he finds Captain Plunder instead.

has acquired a new Emerald for the Emerald Chamber, after the destruction of the original Master Emerald. Since then, the Emerald's energy has been kept in the head of a robot. Now that Knuckles has finished carving the new raw emerald into shape, he can transfer the energy out of the robot and into the new Master Emerald.

As he begins the transfer, the robot suddenly wakes up! It fires a power beam at Knuckles, who is forced to take cover. It soon realises that the Chaos Emeralds are draining its power, and it begins to tilt towards them. Knuckles knows he cannot get across the Chamber without being fired on (he wishes Sonic was around to help), so instead he burrows through the walls of the Emerald Chamber and bursts out through the ceiling, landing on the robot head and knocking its power beam away from the Emeralds.

Unfortunately, he is knocked to the ground, with the robot's eye beam aimed straight at him. He fears the end, but is surprised when the robot speaks: its energy level is now 6%, too low to generate a power beam. Realising that the robot is a conscious being, and that it will soon terminate, Knuckles rips out the connections that are drawing its power into the new Master Emerald. The robot's energy levels stabilise.

Knuckles asks the robot how it came to work for the evil Doctor Zachary, despite having been built by the lost race of Echidnas. The robot explains that he was reprogrammed to serve Zachary, but that the energy drain has removed Zachary's interference. The robot is the closest Knuckles has ever come to finding out about his people, so he decides to use the equipment in the Emerald Chamber to examine its memory banks, hoping to find some clue to where his people are! Of course, first he'll need to repair the extensive damage to the Chamber... again...

Appearances

 * Knuckles the Echidna
 * Porker Lewis
 * Captain Plunder
 * Filch
 * Simpson the Cat
 * Sky Pirates:
 * A rat
 * A lizard
 * A dog
 * Several others
 * Emerald Hill Folk:
 * Young bear
 * Others

Continuity

 * The Emerald Hill Folk have been hiding in the Mushroom Hill Zone since Sonic the Comic #53, "Disaster! Part 3".
 * Porker is shown living among the Emerald Hill Folk. Therefore, this story takes place after Sonic the Comic #76, "The Big Decision", in which Porker quits the Freedom Fighters and moves to the Mushroom Hill Zone. Porker alludes to his resignation when he says that his "days as an adventurer are over".
 * Porker mentions his traumatic experiences with the Brotherhood of Metallix (which led to his resignation from the Freedom Fighters, mentioned above). He was kept prisoner by the Brotherhood on the Miracle Planet between Sonic the Comic #62, "The Brotherhood of Metallix, Part 4", and Sonic the Comic #68, "The Return of Chaotix, Part 2").


 * The Emerald Chamber's systems were damaged in Sonic the Comic #73, "New Master Emerald". This damage caused the force field around the island to fail (which is how Captain Plunder manages to land on the island in this issue). The force field has been operational since Sonic the Comic #53, "Disaster! Part 3".
 * Knuckles last met Captain Plunder in "Mystery of the Sandopolis Zone", in Sonic the Comic #47 and #48.
 * Knuckles mentions that he has no diagrams for the island's ancient technology. In Sonic the Comic #75, "The Ghost Ship, Part 2", Captain Plunder offers Knuckles plans of the Floating Island in exchange for Knuckles' help. Knuckles eventually gets hold of these plans in Sonic the Comic #79, "The Ghost Ship, Part 6".
 * In the final panel of this issue, Simpson the Cat is seen holding out his thumb (as if for perspective) and painting a picture on an easel. At the beginning of Sonic the Comic #75, "The Ghost Ship, Part 2", Simpson presents his painting to Filch (it is actually a picture of his thumb), and Filch promptly breaks it over Simpson's head.

Trivia

 * There is a small device resembling a Sega Mega Drive on Porker Lewis' desk. It is even printed with the Sega logo.
 * There is a picture of three pigs on the wall of Porker's house. This is presumably intended to be Porker's family, although the later revelation that Porker is originally from the Special Zone means that this is unlikely.
 * A sign on Porker's door says "Ham Sweet Ham", and his T-shirt has the word "Oink!" written across the chest.

Shining Force - "The Curse of Zeon, Part 2"

 * Script: Nigel Kitching
 * Art: Martin Griffiths
 * Colouring: Gina Hart
 * Lettering: Tom Frame

Synopsis
An armoured man with an arrow-skull brooch and a golem intimidate peasants on Granseal Island, searching for the robot known as Zynk, who recently arrived in a flying machine. Meanwhile, on the mainland beneath the town of Ribble, a soldier with a similar brooch delivers orders from the king to cease all work on the local archaeological dig. The dig's leader, Trevillion, recognises the brooch as the symbol of the demon Zeon, and realises the man must be a Zeonite.

Back on Granseal, Maximillian and Zynk present Maximillian's grandson Bowie with Max's old mithril sword, which he can barely lift. Many years ago, Max used the sword when he forced Zeon back through the portal and trapped him in the abyss. Max and Zynk were members of a group of heroes called the Shining Force - they are now the only ones left. With Zynk's news that the Zeonites are planning to bring Zeon back, the world needs a new Shining Force, and Max wants Bowie to be the leader. Bowie's friend Taya thinks this is a great idea, although Bowie isn't so keen.

Suddenly, the armoured man (now revealed as Baron Kadavaar) and the golem burst into the house and try to take Zynk. They quickly defeat Bowie and Taya. Then Kadavaar recognises Max as the one who trapped Zeon, and draws his sword to kill the old man.

Tails! - "Fox on the Run, Part 2"

 * Script: Lew Stringer
 * Art: Carl Flint
 * Colouring: Mike Hadley
 * Lettering: Steve Potter

Synopsis
Tails flies down a pit shaft after the young mouse Tantrum, whom he is trying to escort back to the Metropolis Zone. However, when he gets to the bottom, Tantrum screams at him for not looking after him properly, and his yelling is so loud that it causes a cave-in, blocking the exit. Tantrum accuses Tails of trapping them down there, but Tails just pulls him along to find another way out.

Above ground, Fleabyte the bounty hunter attempts to use a infra-red heat scanner to track Tails and Tantrum.

Underground, Tails and Tantrum walk over a bridge over a lake of lava and are attacked by a Caterkiller. Tantrum runs off, despite Tails' warnings, calling the fox "useless". Tails flies around the badnik, knocking it into the lava, and then goes to find Tantrum. Tantrum is hanging on for dear life after the bridge collapsed under him, screaming for Tails to help him. Tails tries to fly him to safety, but the mouse's constant struggles wear Tails out too quickly, and they start falling towards the lava!

Appearances

 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Tantrum
 * Fleabyte
 * Caterkiller

Other features

 * Control Zone
 * Graphic Zone
 * Pixel Zone
 * Q Zone
 * Speedlines