Sonic the Comic Issue 36


 * Managing Editor: Richard Burton
 * Co-Editor: Deborah Tate
 * Designer: Gary Knight
 * Special Thanks to: Audrey Wong
 * Publisher: Rob McMenemy

Sonic the Hedgehog - "Power of the Chaos Emeralds, Part 2"

 * Script: Nigel Kitching
 * Art: Richard Elson
 * Lettering: Ellie de'Ville

Synopsis
Doctor Robotnik and Knuckles the Echidna crash-land back on the Floating Island, having stolen Sonic's Chaos Emeralds, with Sonic and Tails in hot pursuit. Sonic and Knuckles start to fight.

Sonic has a natural edge, with his speed and his ability to generate forcefields, but Knuckles doesn't want to fight: he only wants to restore the Chaos Emeralds to their proper resting place. And since he has lived alone on the Floating Island all his life, he knows all its secrets. With the push of a button, he causes giant stone hands to rise out of the ground and grab Sonic, crushing him in their grip. Knuckles and Robotnik escape through a Zone Tube, while Tails tries desperately to free his friend... except that Sonic doesn't need saving at all. It was all a trck, so that he could follow Robotnik and find out what the doctor's up to. He frees himself easily, and the two set off in pursuit.

Meanwhile, Knuckles and Robotnik have arrived at the Temple of Chaos, where the six Floating Island Chaos Emeralds float in a beam of light over the altar. Knuckles relates a legend that, long ago, the six Chaos Emeralds were split into twelve and separated. He laments the loss of the Grey Emerald that, unsplit, has the power to control the others. Robotnik tells him not to worry, as he has a device that will let him control the Emeralds without the Grey Emerald. He reunites Sonic's Chaos Emeralds with those already in the Temple, merging twelve into six once again, then double-crosses Knuckles and attempts to absorb all the Emerald Energy into himself. Sonic and Tails arrive, only for Sonic to realise that his plan has gone wrong. With a gesture, Robotnik turns Tails into a glass statue, which Sonic catches out of mid-air, and Sonic daren't move for risk of shattering him.

However, before Robotnik can revel in his new power, Knuckles reveals that he had been keeping his own secrets too. The Grey Emerald was not lost: Knuckles had it all along! He uses the Grey Emerald to siphon Robotnik's powers away and return him to Mobius, restoring Tails to normal at the same time. He didn't particularly suspect Robotnik of lying, but knew that the truth would come out if Robotnik believed he had the Emeralds' power.

Sonic asks Knuckles to join the Freedom Fighters, but he refuses. Sonic's war against Robotnik is not his concern. Instead he will wait, alone, on the Floating Island, for his people to return from the stars.

As Sonic and Tails leave, Tails says he is sorry that Knuckles has had such a sad and lonely life. Sonic agrees, but says he is sure they will meet the echidna again soon.

Appearances

 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Knuckles the Echidna
 * Doctor Ivo Robotnik
 * Miles "Tails" Prower

Continuity

 * Sonic uses his forcefield, explaining that it works when he vibrates the air molecules in front of him at sonic speeds. He first used the forcefield in Sonic the Comic #33, "Enter Knuckles, Part 1".
 * Sonic pretends to be dying in the grip of the stone hands, leading Tails to comment "Porker Lewis was right, you do have a weird sense of humour." Sonic pulled a similar prank on Porker in Sonic the Comic #19, "Casino Night, Part 2", leading Porker to make the comment.
 * The twelve Chaos Emeralds and recombined into six in this issue. They will remain combined, and under Knuckles' protection on the Floating Island, until the end of the series.
 * Robotnik attempts to absorb the power of the Chaos Emeralds for the first time. Much later, he will successfully manage to do so, becoming as powerful as a god.

Trivia

 * Although the backstory of two sets of Chaos Emeralds, separated in the distant past and reunited in the present, could explain the existence of the Super Emeralds, this issue was produced before the release of Sonic & Knuckles.

Mutant League - "Bring Me The Head of Coach Brikka, Part 6"
The Midway Monsters face the Slaycity Slayers in a game of mutant football, playing for the championship MFL cup, the head of Coach Brikka and Brenda Brikka's hand in marriage. The Slaycity Slayers attempt to cheat, with captain K.T. arriving in an enormous transforming robot. Razor Kid manages to plug the exhaust pipe with the football, and Bones Jackson punches out K.T.'s teeth. The Midway Monsters win! They reunite Coach Brikka with his head, and everything seems to be great... until Bones realises he now has to marry Brenda too. The horror...
 * Script: Steve White / Brian Williamson
 * Art: Anthony Williams / Brian Williamson
 * Lettering: Tom Frame

Tails - "Zonerunner & The Flock, Part 2"

 * Script: Mark Eyles
 * Art: Roberto Corona
 * Lettering: Elitta Fell

Synopsis
Tails is about to be killed by the crazy robot Nutzan Bolt, when he is pulled to safety by a female sheep known as Sab. Sab refers to Tails as a Zonerunner, meaning a person that travels the Zones of Mobius fighting Robotnik and his badniks. Sab is the leader of the Flock, a resistance group of sheep that lived in the Chemical Plant Zone before the Chemical Plant had ever been built. Now they live underground, fighting Robotnik.

Believing that Tails has lost his equipment, Sab gives him an over-sized longcoat (just like she wears) and a microcomputer from a secret stash. Then she leads him down to the Runs, the Flock's headquarters. She introduces him to the other members of the team, and says that he discovered Nutzan Bolt's plan to flood the surrounding zones with the toxic Mega Mack. Secruity cameras have detected robots dismantling the flood barriers. The Flock moves out to stop the plan and, despite his objections that Sonic is the real hero, Tails finds himself pulled along as well...

Appearances

 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Sab
 * The Flock
 * Nutzan Bolt
 * Doctor Ivo Robotnik
 * Tess Tube

Continuity

 * Sab refers to Tails as "Zonerunner" for the first time. She will consistently refer to him by this name in all their subsequent meetings.

Decap Attack - "Who Killed Chuck! Part 3"
Chuck wants to kill Igor for killing him. Igor protests that the Professor did bring Chuck back to life, and that being a monster is a step up from being a double glazing salesman. Detective Case enters, demanding to know why he's been kept waiting. The Professor says they are sure that they never saw the double glazing salesman, but then Detective Case reveals that he found a leaflet in the hallway!
 * Script: Nigel Kitching
 * Art: Nigel Kitching
 * Lettering: Steve Potter

Igor suddenly accuses Chuck of being the murderer. Chuck asserts his innocence, and explains that he was the double glazing salesman, and was killed by Igor, but he's alive because the Professor brought him back. Head calmly says that the detective is not going to believe the story. Sure enough, the Detective is now convinced that Chuck is the killer, and furthermore that he is about to run away. The Detective therefore pulls out a gun and starts firing... and Chuck runs away, as expected. Case gives chase, dragging Igor along to help navigate the castle.

Other features

 * Control Zone
 * Review Zone
 * News Zone
 * Q Zone
 * Speedlines