Sonic the Comic Issue 128


 * Editor: Deborah Tate
 * Designer: Gary Knight
 * Managing Editor: Steve MacManus
 * Production: Sarah Colley
 * Marketing Manager: Douglas Pocock
 * Managing Director: Julie Goldsmith
 * Advertising: Stephen Goldsmith

Sonic - "Robotnik Reigns Supreme, Part 2"

 * Script: Nigel Kitching
 * Art: Richard Elson
 * Lettering: Tom Frame

Synopsis
Doctor Robotnik has used the energy of the Chaos Emeralds to turn himself into the most powerful creature in the universe. Glowing with power, Robotnik is now a giant and clutches the Floating Island in his hands. Sonic defiantly insists that he'll find a way to beat Robotnik like always, but Robotnik says he now has abilities that Sonic couldn't even begin to understand. Robotnik hits Sonic with a green enegy blast frm his eye, and Sonic suddenly finds himself in a grimy, smoky industrial wasteland. He quickly reasons that Robotnik's beam must have knocked him out, and that Robotnik dumped Sonic in this strange place while the hedgehog was unconscious. Before Sonic can get his bearings, he sees two cloaked citizens being hassled by a Trooper patrol, soldier badniks that Sonic believed had all been destroyed. Sonic quickly destroys the Troopers (admitting that he kind of missed smashing them), and discovers that the two people being hassled were Amy Rose and Johnny Lightfoot!

Sonic asks them why they weren't able to handle a couple of Troopers without his help, but they are shocked that Sonic even knows their names. Johnny wonders if it's one of Robotnik's tricks, or if Sonic's just a nut, but Amy decides to play along. She reveals that the desolate Zone they are in is actually the Emerald Hill Zone. Sonic is aghast, saying the Zone should be full of "trees and flowers and stuff", but Amy says that since Robotnik came along it's been used to process radioactive waste for toxic chemical dumping. Sonic refuses to believe it. He says they beat Robotnik, that they were all Freedom Fighters, but Amy says that nobody has used the word 'freedom' in a long time.

Johnny tries to convince Amy to get off the streets, but before they get away they are spotted by Oscar the Pig (identical to Sonic's friend Porker Lewis but in a long black coat with a high collar) and his Death Squad. Sonic tries to reason with "Porker" while Amy and Johnny flee. Oscar the Pig finds no record of Sonic in the Citizen Database, saying it's like Sonic doesn't exist, so he orders his Death Squad badniks to take Sonic for interrogation. Sonic still doesn't know what's going on, but has no intention to being taken anywhere by a badnik, so he quickly destroys the entire Death Squad with his Spin Attack. Oscar cowers as Sonic approaches him - Sonic doesn't know what's going on but he intends to find out.

At this point, Robotnik reappears, floating in midair. He says that the pig really has no idea who Sonic is - nobody does, because Sonic never existed! Robotnik changed history, and this is what Mobius would have been like if there had never been a Sonic the Hedgehog. Without Sonic, Amy and Johnny never became Freedom Fighters. Porker never had a hero to look up to nd give him courage, so he is terrified of Robotnik and has become Robotnik's most devoted slave. Sonic asks what happened to Tails, and Robotnik reminds Sonic of how he met the young fox: pulling him out of a swamp in the Swampland Zone. Except that Sonic wasn't there to save Tails, because he never existed! Sonic is devastated as he realises the truth, and Robotnik cackles in triumph.

Appearances

 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Doctor Ivo Robotnik
 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Knuckles the Echidna
 * Amy Rose (Robotnik Reigns Supreme)
 * Johnny Lightfoot (Robotnik Reigns Supreme)
 * Oscar the Pig (Robotnik Reigns Supreme)
 * Troopers

Continuity

 * Robotnik absorbed the power of the Chaos Emeralds in Sonic the Comic #125, "Order & Chaos, Part 3", and became all-powerful in Sonic the Comic #127, "Robotnik Reigns Supreme, Part 1". He will be stripped of his godlike powers in Sonic the Comic #130, "Showdown".
 * Robotnik rewrites history so that Sonic never existed in this issue. Reality will be restored in Sonic the Comic #130, "Showdown".
 * Sonic mentions Robotnik's Troopers having been destroyed. They were wiped out in Sonic the Comic #100, "The Final Victory", by the planet-wide electromagnetic pulse.
 * Sonic mentions that he, Amy and Johnny were members of the Freedom Fighters, a group that operated while Robotnik was dictator of Mobius, between Sonic the Comic #9, "Back to Reality", and Sonic the Comic #100, "The Final Victory".
 * The version of Porker Lewis that exists in the altered history goes by the name "Oscar the Pig". Porker Lewis was originally known as Oscar the Pig, as revealed in "On the Run" from Sonic the Comic #121 to #124.
 * Robotnik and Sonic refer to Sonic's first meeting with Tails in the Swampland Zone. This was depicted in Sonic the Comic #27, "Part 2: A Tale of Tails".

Tails - "First Flight"

 * Script: Lew Stringer
 * B & w art: Bob Corona
 * Colour: Nigel Dobbyn
 * Lettering: Elitta Fell

Synopsis
An untold adventure of the early days of Tails.

Year ago, when Tails lived in the legendary region known as the Nameless Zone, Tails was bullied by a fox named Witless Chris and Witless's gormless sidekick, Scratchy. In particular, Witless Chris makes fun of Tails' second tail. When Tails claims that he was born that way, Witless says the extra tail is useless. A despondent Tails beats a hasty retreat, leading Witless to call him a coward as well. He goes on to brag to Scratchy about his bravery and strength, claiming to battle six bears each morning before breakfast. Two bat warriors from a rival group, Captain Tooth and Sergeant Claw, overhear Witless's comments and conclude that he is ideal to fight in their Arena of Doom. Claw reckons that Witless is exaggerating, but nevertheless thinks he'll still put on a good show.

The bats capture Witless and start to fly away. Scratchy encourages Witless to fight them, only for Witless to reveal that he made his stories up. Tails says they have to save Witless (since even a moron like him deserves some help), but unfortunately he doesn't watch where he's walking and falls off the edge of a cliff. As he plummets, his tails start whirling and for the first time he discovers his natural ability to fly. He flies after the bats, attacking them and freeing Witless, but he doesn't catch the bully in time to stop him falling into the mud. (Scratchy asks if Tails let him fall on purpose, but Tails says that Scratchy will never know for sure.)

Tails pulls the apologetic Witless out of the mud, and is set to start making his own stories from here on out.

Appearances

 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Witless Chris
 * Scratchy
 * Captain Tooth
 * Sergeant Claw

Continuity

 * This story takes place before Tails first travelled to Mobius and met Sonic, as shown in Sonic the Comic #27, "Part 2: A Tale of Tails".
 * Tails was originally revealed as being from the Nameless Zone in Sonic the Comic #16, "The Nameless Zone, Part 1", and has returned there several times since.
 * That Tails was bullied because of his second tail was only hinted at previously, when the villain Trogg called him a "twin-tailed freak" in Sonic the Comic #21, "The Land Beyond, Part 1".

Double Sonic - "Show of Strength"

 * Script: Lew Stringer
 * B & w art: Bob Corona
 * Colour: Nigel Dobbyn
 * Lettering: Tom Frame

Synopsis
On Planet Mobius, now under the complete domination of the all-powerful Doctor Robotnik, two citizens grumble about the futility of existence. The more cheerful citizen says that at least it's not raining, at which point the skies open and drench them: Robotnik hears everything.

Sonic the Hedgehog arrives, ready to help, but nobody recognises him since Robotnik reshaped reality. When he introduces himself, they seem unimpressed: "Hedgehogs aren't blue!" "They don't have eyes like saucers either!" Sonic starts to explain about the accident that turned him blue, before deciding he can't be bothered to explain. He says he's here to save the world, as he did before, but the citizens just laugh at him. Just then, a pair of Troopers accuse the citizens of talking in the streets, for which the penalty is extermination. Sonic smashes the Troopers with ease, giving the citizens hope that maybe they can defeat Robotnik... at which point a gargantuan image of Robotnik appears in the sky and causes the ground to split open: "NO ONE CAN BEAT ROBOTNIK NOW I HAVE SUPREME POWER!" Sonic just tuts and calls Sonic a show-off.

After pulling everyone out of danger, Sonic openly defies Robotnik, calling on him to do his worst. Robotnik warns that he could crush Mobius in the palm of his hand (and becomes large enough to do just that), but Sonic isn't put off. He scoffs that Robotnik has all the power of the universe and is still just a big bully. He knows that while Robotnik could destroy Mobius, if he did he'd have nothing to rule. Robotnik shrinks to his normal size and concedes that it would be like smashing his favourite toy. He vanishes into thin air, promising to spare Mobius, but only because he enjoys seeing the citizens live in misery. The terrified citizens wonder aloud how Robotnik can possibly be defeated, but Sonic remains calm and defiant: Robotnik has let them live, and that will be his first mistake!

Appearances

 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Doctor Ivo Robotnik
 * Troopers
 * Brown dog
 * Black bear
 * Chicken
 * Other citizens

Continuity

 * Robotnik reshaped reality, creating a timeline in which Sonic never existed, in the Sonic story this issue, "Robotnik Reigns Supreme, Part 2". Reality will be restored to normal and Robotnik stripped of his powers in Sonic the Comic #130, "Showdown".
 * Sonic begins to tell the story of the accident that turned him blue, which was depicted in Sonic the Comic #8, "The Origin of Sonic".

Amy - "Yesterday's Heroes"

 * Script: Lew Stringer
 * B & w art: Bob Corona
 * Colour: Nigel Dobbyn
 * Lettering: Ellie de' Ville

Synopsis
It's a typical day on Planet Mobius, and as usual badniks are invading. This time, they're attacking the Sunshine Valley Zone. Tekno the Canary receives the distress call in her workshop, and sends Amy Rose to help out; Shortfuse the Cybernik also receives the call and flies over himself. However, when Amy and Shortfuse arrive they find that they've been beaten to the punch by a new hero named Ultra-Duck, who has previously upstaged them both on several occasions. Ultra-Duck suggests that they retire in favour of faster heroes like him. The townspeople seem convinced, proclaiming the "Waddling Wonder" as their new hero.

Later, at Tekno's workshop, Amy and Shortfuse wonder how Ultra-Duck gets to the badniks before them if he doesn't know where they're going to attack: Tekno wonders if maybe he did know. Tekno reveals that she has examined the debris of the badniks that Ultra-Duck destroyed, and has discovered that they are old models that Robotnik stopped making years ago. More than that, they've been reprogrammed to lose! Before the heroes can act on this information, the badnik alarm sounds, and two real badniks arrive in the Emerald Hill Zone. This time, Ultra-Duck is running scared, pushing residents of the Zone out of the way. Amy and Shortfuse destroy the badniks and Tekno tackles Ultra-Duck. Tekno unmasks Ultra-Duck, discovering that he is really Big Bill Screwloose, a brilliant engineer who used to work for Robotnik. Screwloose explains that he rigged up the badniks himself so that he could always be first on the scene and thus make people lose faith in the real heroes, but he didn't count on real badniks turning up.

The next day, Screwloose is working as a street cleaner. A discarded copy of the Courier newspaper reports that Ultra-Duck has retired, and already people are saying he's yesterday's news.

Appearances

 * Amy Rose
 * Tekno the Canary
 * Shortfuse the Cybernik
 * Ultra-Duck
 * Buzzers
 * Caterkillers
 * Advanced badniks
 * Sunshine Valley Zone residents:
 * Beaver
 * Dogs
 * Cat
 * Emerald Hill Zone residents:
 * Goat
 * Badger
 * Bear
 * Dogs
 * Bird

Continuity

 * Tekno mentions that the old badnik models (Buzzers and Caterkillers) have not been built for years. Robotnik stopped making them following the planet-wide electromagnetic pulse that destroyed his empire in Sonic the Comic #100, "The Final Victory".

Other features

 * Control Zone
 * Speedlines
 * Pin-Up - Moped Power: Amy & Tekno. B & w art: Carl Flint. Colour: John M Burns. Presented with STC. (Artwork originally produced for Sonic the Comic #125, "Green Envy".)
 * Graphic Zone - Robotnik