Sonic the Comic Issue 104


 * Editor: Deborah Tate
 * Designer: Tim Read
 * Cover Designer: Steve Cook
 * Production: Sarah Colley
 * Advertising: Stephen Goldsmith
 * Features Editor: Audrey Wong
 * Consultant: Richard Burton

Sonic the Hedgehog - "Flickies' Island, Part 1"

 * Script: Nigel Kitching
 * B & W Art: Richard Elson
 * Lettering: Tom Frame

Synopsis
On a deserted beast on the east coast of the Emerald Hill Zone, Sonic, Tails, Amy and Johnny Lightfoot stand ready to welcome the Emerald Hill Folk back home from the Floating Island. Everyone is overjoyed to be ashore and back home now that Doctor Robotnik has been defeated. Once everyone is on dry land, the Floating Island rises back into the sky and Sonic gets a message on his computer system from Knuckles. Knuckles says it's a great day: Sonic gets to be the hero who defeated Robotnik, and Knuckles gets his Island back to himself. Porker Lewis also says that he intends to stay on the Floating Island to help Knuckles fix the ancient computer systems. Before signing off, Knuckles says that without Robotnik to fight, he guesses Sonic can now retire! This makes Sonic immediately irritable, because he knows the Echidna's right and he has no idea what to do with himself.

A couple of days later, Sonic finds himself incredibly bored when suddenly Tails shows up asking for his help. Tails shows Sonic to a small blue bird that he says is a Flicky. He says that there's danger, leading Sonic to sarcastically ask "So who said there's danger? Don't tell me, the bird told you, didn't he? Because you know who to speak "Tweet", don't you?" Sonic is taken completely by surprise when Tails admits that he does...

Elsewhere, Robotnik and Grimer perform some tests on a captive green Flicky, which indicate that the Flickies will make perfect organic batteries for Robotnik's new design of badnik! Robotnik intends to return to Mobius and take revenge on the people for deposing him! He asks for Grimer to bring the other Flicky that they captured, only to be told it has escaped - in a rage, he nearly throttles Grimer before deciding that one lone Flicky is no threat. Instead, he will introduce himself to the inhabitants of Flickies' Island as their new master!

Little does Robotnik know, however, that Sonic and Tails are already on their way in Tails' new bi-plane, following the Flicky. Sonic just doesn't want people to know that he went to Flickies' Island because of something Tails was told by a little bird...

Appearances

 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Amy Rose
 * Johnny Lightfoot
 * Knuckles the Echidna
 * Porker Lewis
 * Doctor Ivo Robotnik
 * Grimer
 * The Emerald Hill Folk
 * Flickies (blue and green)

Continuity

 * Robotnik was deposed in Sonic the Comic #100, "The Final Victory", and has not been seen since.
 * The Emerald Hill Folk finally return home to the Emerald Hill Zone. They were evacuated in Sonic the Comic #53, "Disaster! Part 3", to protect them from Robotnik, since which time they have been living in the Mushroom Hill Zone on the Floating Island. Following Robotnik's defeat, they asked Knuckles to be returned home in Sonic the Comic #101, "Loose Ends".
 * The ancient Floating Island systems were damaged in Sonic the Comic #73, "New Master Emerald", and Knuckles sought Porker Lewis' help to fix them in Sonic the Comic #74, "The Ghost Ship, Part 1". In Sonic the Comic #79, "The Ghost Ship, Part 6", he obtained a chest of ancient documents to help him fix it, which he managed to return to the Floating Island in Sonic the Comic #97, "Victims, Part 1". He showed this chest to Porker in Sonic the Comic #101, "Loose Ends". The repairs are still ongoing in Sonic the Comic #121, "On the Run, Part 1", and they finally get every system working perfectly in Sonic the Comic #135, "The Take-Over, Part 1".

Trivia

 * Sonic alludes to the phrase "A little bird told me", meaning something has been learned from a private or secret source.
 * "Flickies' Island" is Sonic the Comic ' s adaptation of Sonic 3D.

Captain Plunder- "Captain Plunder and the Spice Maidens, Part 2"

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

Synopsis
Captain Plunder and Filch call at the mansion of Zorabel, high on a hill overlooking Pirate Town. The door is answered by the lugubrious manservant, Tom, and they are quickly introduced to Zorabel and her five daughters, the Spice Maidens: Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Coriander, Pepper and Tarragon. Zorabel shows Plunder a map, and insists that her daughters will join his crew so they can go hunting for treasure. Plunder immediately protests, saying that women on board a ship leads to bad luck, before he is swiftly floored by Pepper. Zorabel says that Plunder has caused so much trouble in the past that it's lucky she hasn't already kicked him out of Scourge Bay, so he has no choice. Nevertheless, Plunder continues to argue, saying that having Zorabel's "sweet young daughts on a ship full of cut-throat pirates" wouldn't be right. Zorabel is forced to agree, and Plunder and Filch make a quick exit.

That night, Plunder and Filch return to their ship and prepare to cast off, only to find that the Spice Maidens are waiting for them. And worse still, Zorabel herself has decided to come along, realising that she couldn't leave her girls alone with a slob like him! She's looking forward to the adventure, having not been on a ship in years. She's certain that the treasure is as good as theirs as the ship lifts into the sky!

Appearances

 * Captain Plunder
 * Filch
 * Queen Zorabel
 * Tom
 * Spice Maidens (Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Coriander, Pepper and Tarragon)
 * Pig crewman

Continuity

 * Plunder complains that women on board a ship is bad luck. This turns out to be rather prophetic, as the presence of Zorabel and the Spice Maidens results in him being cursed with bad luck in Sonic the Comic #107, "Captain Plunder and the Spice Maidens, Part 5".

Decap Attack - "Funny Old Game"

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

There's five minutes left to go in the football Slurp-A-Cheese Cup Final between Transylvania United (the Garlics) and the Black Forest Gateaux, and the score is 2 all. Head is excited, but Igor points out that the Gateaux win every year because they are sponsored by Slurp-A-Cheese and the boss of Slurp-A-Cheese is the referee. Just then, some nearby Gateaux fans order some Slurp-A-Cheese from a vendor - one orders Chocolate and another orders Strawberry Milkshake, despite that fact that Slurp-A-Cheese always tastes the same anyway (disgusting, according to Chuck).

With one minute left, the ball flies into the crowd and Head tells Chuck to grab it - he has an idea! When Chuck has the ball, Head himself rolls onto the pitch, just as the referee calls a penalty (for "pulling a rude face inside the area"). He places Head on the penalty spot, but when the Gateaux kicker takes his shot, Head bites his foot and tells him to hop to the other end of the pitch if he ever wants the foot back. Head flies into the Gateaux goal, scoring for the Garlics, who win the game! The Decap crew and the Garlics celebrate their victory, while the Sluro-A-Cheese boss storms off, vowing never to sponsor a football match again!

Trivia

 * The Black Forest Gateaux team is a reference to the Black Forest region in Germany and the Black Forest gateau|, a famous desert from the region.
 * As Head heads towards the Gateaux's goal, the Prof says "I thought it vos all over?" and Chuck says "It is now!" when the goal is scored. This is a reference to the famous quotation, "They think it's all over", spoken by Kenneth Wolstenholme at the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final.

Tails - "Flip Side, Part 2"

 * Script: Lew Stringer
 * B & W Art: Carl Flint
 * Colour: John Burns
 * Lettering: Ellie de'Ville

Synopsis
Tails has undergone hypno-therapy to become more confident, but he now thinks he's too cool to help save people. To make Tails save Alf Bandstand and his co-pilot from crashing in their hot air balloon, Sonic uses reverse psychology, suggesting that Tails cannot save them (or is afraid to do so). Taking Sonic up on his "challenge", Tails saves Bandstand, while Sonic uses his super-speed to create an updraft to slow the descent of the balloon so he can save the co-pilot. Tails drops Bandstand heavily on the grass, then flies off.

Later, Doctor Sorders arrives and explains that she hypnotised Tails to give him more confidence. Just then, Amy arrives and asks why Tails is heading to the Tough Tea Club in the Gravel Pit Zone, a notoriously rough neighbourhood.

At the Tough Tea Club, Tails attempts to pick a fight with the patrons. Just before the fight breaks out, Sonic and Doctor Sorders arrive and snap Tails back to normal. Unfortunately, the patrons are no longer willing to let them walk away now that Tails has goaded them into fightng, and they attack. The day is saved when Doctor Sorders hypnotises the patrons into becoming peace-loving hippies, while Tails comes to realise he's good enough as he is!

Appearances

 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Amy Rose
 * Doctor Sorders
 * Alf Bandstand
 * Woodpecker co-pilot
 * Tails' groupies
 * Greenfield Zone citizens
 * Tough Tea Club patrons:
 * Biker
 * Construction worker
 * Sailor
 * Cowboy
 * Native American

Trivia

 * Amy's T-shirt has the female gender symbol (♀, also known as the astronomical symbol of Venus) on it.
 * The doormat at the Tough Tea Club says "Unwelcome".
 * The dog patrons at the Tough Tea Club are seen dressed as a biker, a construction worker, a sailor, a cowboy and (in the background) a Native American. This is a reference to the band the Village People, whose members dressed in the same costumes (as well as a GI and a police officer).
 * The biker patron of the Tough Tea Club says "Oi! Hedgehog! No!", followed by a list of Sonic's traits that he respects and an assertion that he and Tails cannot just walk off after goading the patrons into a fight. This is a reference to the catchphrase and gimmick of the characters Frank and George Doberman in Harry Enfield's Television Programme. Note that Robotnik had previously said "Oi! Hedgehog! No!" in Sonic the Comic #100, "The Final Victory, Part 4".
 * The "Next Issue" caption says that Shortfuse is back next issue. However, Shortfuse will next appear in Sonic the Comic #106, "Out of Work Hero".

Other features

 * Control Zone
 * STC Pin-Up! - Barrobot [sic] badniks! Art by Ferran Rodriguez
 * Noise Zone (Graphic Zone)
 * Review Zone
 * Speedlines