Sonic the Comic Issue 64


 * Editor: Deborah Tate
 * Assistant Editor: Audrey Wong
 * Designer: Gary Knight
 * Managing Editor: Richard Burton
 * Publisher: Rob McMenemy

Sonic the Hedgehog - "Project Brutus, Part 2"

 * Script: Lew Stringer
 * Art: Richard Elson
 * Lettering: Ellie de'Ville

Synopsis
Robotnik has programmed a Trooper named Commander Brutus with a copy of his brain patterns. But unknown to Robotnik, Brutus has led a platoon of Troopers to the Pleasant Zone to destroy Sonic. He orders his Troopers to fire on the "outlaws" (Sonic, Amy Rose, and Johnny Lightfoot), and only Sonic's super speed gets them out of the firing line in time! The three quickly hide behind a thatched cottage to plan their next move. Realising that Brutus acts and sounds just like Robotnik, Sonic deduces that he must be programmed to think like Robotnik, making him very dangerous!

The Trooper patrol cannot follow Sonic's trail, but Brutus himself is no mere Trooper. Activating an infra-red scan, he picks up Sonic's heat trail and tells the Troopers to follow him!

In Citadel Robotnik, Metropolis Zone City, Robotnik decides he has a mission for Brutus to perform. When Receptionik reveals that Brutus has already gone to the Pleasant Zone to face Sonic, Robotnik is furious: he should be the first to know when Sonic is spotted!

The Freedom Fighters face off against Brutus' Troopers again. Sonic avoids attacking Brutus directly after their last encounter, instead running around Brutus at super speed and grabbing his cloak, sending him spinning into a building, which crashes on top of him. Still, Brutus appears completely unharmed! Suddenly, Brutus receives a transmission from Robotnik demanding a report, but Brutus refuses to respond. A Trooper captures Amy, holding her hostage, and forcing Sonic to surrender. Brutus is about to kill Sonic, until he receives a second transmission from Robotnik, this time at such a high frequency that it shakes his circuits. Now forced to respond, he informs the Doctor that he has captured Sonic and the outlaws, and that he is about to execute them. Robotnik, however, wants them alive! They are led away in chains. Brutus has done what Robotnik never could: defeated Sonic the Hedgehog!

Appearances

 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Amy Rose
 * Johnny Lightfoot
 * Commander Brutus
 * Doctor Ivo Robotnik
 * Receptionik
 * Troopers

Ecco the Dolphin - "Return of Ecco the Dolphin, Part 5"
With all the Earth sea creatures gathered together on the Vortex homeworld, Ecco and the Asterite initiate their plan to bring them all back home. Ecco swims to the water's surface, informing the alien Vortex gate (in the Vortex language) that a deadly enemy has entered the Vortex and is reducing Earth's food stocks. As the gate searches for such an enemy, Ecco uses his super-powered sonar to overload the Vortex's sensors.
 * Script: Alan McKenzie
 * Art: Steve White
 * Lettering: Tom Frame

The Asterite sends a tractor beam through the gateway, into which all the sea creatures swim. When everyone else is through, Ecco launches himself upwards, intending to destroy the gate with his sonar as he passes through... unfortunately, the Vortex fades away too soon, and he is trapped on the Vortex planet!

Knuckles and Tails - "The Revenge of Trogg, Part 6"

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

Synopsis
Knuckles, Tails, Morain Blackthorn and the two rescued Enchanter Kings attempt to escape across the Dimensional Bridge, back to the Nameless Zone, but the deranged Trogg has no intention of letting them go! Knuckles battles Trogg, ducking under the monster's blows, and with two punches knocks Trogg back against the bridge ropes... which give way, plunging Trogg into the non-existent space below! Knuckles didn't mean to kill him, but at least Trogg is now defeated. (During the battle, Tails accidentally lets slip that the echidna's name is Knuckles, confusing Morain, who believe he was Tails' assistant, "Sonic".)

The group return to the Nameless Zone, where they are congratulated by Shaman Warpull and a restored Errol Blackthorn, Morain's brother who was previously turned into a monster. Shaman Warpull praises Tails, as well as his assistant Sonic. (Morain wants why Tails called him "Knuckles" earlier.)

Suddenly, Trogg reappears! He just managed to grab the snapped bridge rope, and climb back up. Now he wants revenge on Tails! However, before he can exact it, he suddenly doubles over in pain - something strange is happening! When he rises again, he has changed back to the third Enchanter King, Shirob! The destruction of the Dark One restored Shirob to normal too, but it just took longer for the enchantment to wear off!

With the three Enchanter Kings finally restored, Knuckles and Tails return to their own world. Shirob himself bids farewell to the heroes, "Miles Prower and faithful assistant, Sonic!" (As they depart, Morain is still none the wiser about this "Knuckles" thing...)

Appearances

 * Knuckles the Echidna
 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Morain Blackthorn
 * Trogg
 * Enchanter Kings
 * Shaman Warpull
 * Errol Blackthorn
 * Shirob

Continuity

 * It was established in the previous issue that anything falling over the Dimension Bridge simply ceases to exist.
 * Errol mentions waking up in the stocks in the village square, where he had been imprisoned while transformed into a monster. This occurred in Sonic the Comic #60, "The Revenge of Trogg, Part 2".
 * The spell turning Errol into a monster wore off when they destroyed the Dark One, in the previous issue.
 * Trogg wants revenge on Trails for "past humiliations", in particular his defeat in Sonic the Comic #17, "The Nameless Zone, Part 2". (An editorial comment refers to all of Trogg's previous appearances, in STC #16-21.)
 * Trogg finally reverts back to Shirob, the third Enchanter King. It was revealed that Trogg had once been Shirob in Sonic the Comic #21, "The Land Beyond, Part 4".

Sonic's World - "Cybernik Strikes Back, Part 1"

 * Script: Lew Stringer
 * Art: Carl Flint & John Burns
 * Lettering: Steve Potter

Synopsis
Tekno the Canary leads Shortfuse the Cybernik to her secret underground workshop. She explains that she was once one of Robotnik's top engineers until he found out she was stealing materials for her own purposes. She agrees to build a bomb for Shortfuse, and at the same time says she'll make some improvements to his armour. After all, the special metal its made of is Megatal, which she helped create.

Three days later, Shortfuse (in shiny armour with new gloves, boots and shoulder pads) and Tekno enter the Chemical Plant Zone. Shortfuse destroys the defending Balkiry badniks while Tekno sets the bomb and timer. However, before they can escape, they are attacked by Metamorphia in the form of a great armoured warrior. Tekno says to settle the fight quickly, because in just over 4 minutes the entire plant is going to explode!

Appearances

 * Shortfuse the Cybernik
 * Tekno the Canary
 * Metamorphia
 * Doctor Ivo Robotnik
 * Troopers
 * Balkiry badniks

Continuity

 * Shortfuse's armour is redesigned in this issue.
 * Shortfuse mentions that he met Sonic, which happened back in Sonic the Comic #47, "Enter the Cybernik, Part 3". (Shortfuse also met Sonic in "The Rampage of Mekanik" from Sonic the Comic #57 and #58, but this is not mentioned.)

Other features

 * Control Zone
 * Halloween Graphic Zone
 * STC Pin-Up! - Batbrain Badnik!
 * Q Zone
 * Speedlines