Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 227

Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 227 is the two hundred and twenty-seventh issue of the main Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series published by Archie Comics.

Official Solicitation
'Genesis' Part Two: Sonic's 20th Anniversary Celebration kicks into high gear as the most talked about Sonic story EVER continues! Sonic joins his new friends Sally, Boomer and Antoine as they brave the treacherous Labyrinth Zone! What perils await them in these dark waters? Even if they do track down this 'Dr. Robotnik,' are they up to the challenge of defeating him?!

Genesis - Part Two: Fate and Friends
Sonic is leading the Freedom Fighters into the Labyrinth Zone after Dr. Eggman. As they go along, bits of their former memories begin to show, such as the Freedom Fighters finding the limestone cave "cozy", Rotor having robotic skills (STH: 226), and Sonic getting angry when Sally and Antoine talk cute to each other without knowing why.

Sonic panics as they come to water, due to the fact he can't swim, but Rotor assures him that there are pockets of air and Sally promises to stay with him. As they are in the water, Antoine is attacked by a small horde of Orbinauts. As Sonic tries to save him, he struggles due to the water restricting his movement, so he spin dashes through a wall. This sends them all hurtling through the hole and down a water path. Before the path ends, Sonic, Sally, and Rotor jump onto a ledge, but an sudden earthquake causes Antoine to fall into the deep pit below. Although they feel bad about the loss of their friend, they continue deeper into the Labyrinth Zone.

After going through a passage, the three appear in the Star Light Zone. Sonic apologizes for not being able to save Antoine. Sally says that it's not his fault and Rotor believes everything will be alright. Sonic is shocked that Sally is so calm about her boyfriend falling to his doom, but Sally corrects him by saying that Antoine was just a close friend and that she doesn't think he's gone because it doesn't feel right. Rotor says that he feel the same way due to the fact that the Badniks feel so familiar and that they keep sharing the same thoughts and believes everything will be okay even if it's just denial and Sonic agrees with him.

After going a bit further, they reach the Scrap Brain Zone. Sonic is cynical about this zone and believes it should have a name like "Robotropolis" and Rotor thinks it should be called "New Megaopolis". Just as Sally remarks that it is too quiet, weapons and traps start going off. Sonic is hit by a laser and Rotor almost falls into a pit. As they go deeper into the zone they encounter more traps with no sense of where they're going, when suddenly they arrive at the Final Zone and Sonic is trapped in a force field by Dr. Eggman, who appears in a pipe elevator. Just as Eggman tries and make his escape, a hydraulic pipe breaks and Antoine falls into Eggman's arms. Sonic is happy Antoine is okay; just as Antoine begins to whine about in the pipe, he realizes just where he is and who's holding him and panics. Sonic is able work with the force field and smash the pipe elevator, while Rotor is able to turn off the force field. They look down at a sealed hole they think Eggman went down when in fact he was hiding in another pipe elevator and tries to sneak away, but is seen by Sonic. He jumps in his Egg Mobile and tries to get away, but is hit by Sonic and falls down a pit. The Freedom Fighters believe that Eggman has been defeated, but Sonic has a feeling that this isn't over...

Trivia

 * The cover of this issue is a spoof of the Sonic the Hedgehog 2 video game box art.
 * Despite being on the cover, Tails does not appear in the issue. The story is also based on the first game despite the issue's spoof cover being based on the game's sequel.
 * When Dr. Eggman attempts to run away, Sonic states that while chasing him, he is "fast for a fat man". This is a reference to how Dr. Eggman outruns Sonic in the Mega Drive/Genesis games and Sonic 4, usually during the final boss.
 * The Off-Panel is a reference to the final boss of Sonic 1 when you chase Dr. Eggman and hit him one last time. The ending of this issue's story also has the same concept, however, in both cases, Dr. Eggman survives.
 * Sonic's fear of water is shown and states he can't swim. This a direct reference to Sonic's infamous inability to swim.
 * The Orbinauts appear to have mouths, which weren't present in past issues they appear.