Sonic the Comic Issue 66


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

Sonic the Hedgehog - "Project Brutus, Part 4"

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

Synopsis
Commander Brutus has pushed Sonic too far, and the heroic hedgehog has transformed into the berserk Super Sonic! Johnny Lightfoot doesn't think Brutus stands a chance now, but Amy is worried that Super Sonic's mindless rage will cost him. Brutus himself is confident that he can still win... that is until Super Sonic crashes into him with colossal force, damaging Brutus' "indestructible" armour!

In an attempt to make Super Sonic back off, Brutus takes Amy hostage. But in his super form, Sonic can be a danger to friends and foes alike: he has no intention of stopping his charge! At the last moment, Brutus realises his mistake, and tries to defend himself, dropping Amy - Super Sonic rips off his right arm to the elbow!

Brutus flees, flying back across the gorge where his Troopers are waiting, and orders them to fire. Even that does no good. Super Sonic is too fast, and smashes through the Troopers with ease, continuing to chase Brutus back to his Troop ship. Even the ship's Doom-Foam cannon, which thickens in seconds around Super's body and becomes as hard as rock, cannot contain the yellow demon. With the last of his Troopers destroyed, Brutus flies the Troop ship back to the Metropolis Zone to plan a new strategy to defeat Sonic.

Meanwhile, Super Sonic has exhausted his energy, and reverted back to his more familiar blue form. As always, he cannot remember anything that has happened while he was Super, but it's clear he took care of quite a few Troopers. He meets up again with Johnny and Amy, who are glad Brutus is gone. Sonic suspects he'll be back.

Hours later in Citadel Robotnik, Brutus arrives (late) to Robotnik's office, after having his arm replaced. Robotnik berates him for disobeying orders and for failing his first mission. Brutus points out that, since he is programmed with Robotnik's own brain patterns, Robotnik would have acted exactly the same way in the circumstances. Robotnik angrily reminds Brutus that he is just a robot, and orders him to work on a new plan of attack. Brutus leaves, but secretly he continues to scheme. He has been programmed with both Robotnik's personality and his ambition. One day, he plans to take control and rule planet Mobius himself!

Appearances

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

Decap Attack - "Monster of the Year, Part 1"
Frank N Stein, Chuck D Head, Igor and Head are waiting at the train station. Chuck has reached the finals of 'Monster of the Year', despite Igor's insistence that he doesn't have a chance of winning. In order to hide Chuck's freakishness, they hide him in a blue coat, with Head sitting on his shoulders, pretending to be his actual head. It doesn't really work, because even passing schoolkids know "potty Professor Frank N Stein and his bonkers monster".
 * Script: Nigel Kitching
 * Art: Nigel Kitching
 * Lettering: Tom Frame

Inside, they find three ruffians have occupied their booked compartments. Chuck, still hidden in the coat, insults one of them (named "Keiff") until the man punches Head off Chuck's shoulders. Fearing that Keiff has killed someone, the three ruffians run off. Head isn't very happy about being used (or being punched), but at least they got the compartment back.

When the ticket inspector arrives, he insists that the Prof's tickets aren't valid (since Friday is a blue day, and they aren't valid on blue days if the journey goes into a pink zone) much to the Professor's annoyance. The four of them are thrown off the train. Igor says it would have been nicer if they'd stopped the train first...

Knuckles - "The Homecoming, Part 2"

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

Synopsis
Long ago, the inhabitants of the Floating Island disappeared. Nobody knows why they left or where they went, but now, at long last, one of them has returned. His name is Doctor Zachary, and Knuckles takes him on a tour of the Island, including the Emerald Chamber where the Chaos Emeralds are kept which keep the Floating Island in the sky. Without them, the whole island will crash down onto the surface of Mobius.

Knuckles is burning with questions for Zachary to answer. When do the other echidnas plan to return? Why was Knuckles left to guard the Floating Island? Zachary promises to answer them all, but first he is weary and needs to rest. He says he has been hiding from the robot for many days, and even though Knuckles defeated it, it is virtually indestructible. It seems to have a way of tracking Zachary down and it will never rest until it has him! At that very moment, the robot climbs out of the chasm Knuckles earlier trapped it in...

That night, Knuckles has trouble sleeping. He is sure that he recognised the design of the robot he had defeated earlier in the day. He checks through the island's ancient scrolls, and finds that the robot was indeed one of the Guardian robots built by the people of the Floating Island! Just as he rushes to tell Doctor Zachary what he found, the robot itself smashes through the wall and attacks him! Knuckles tells Doctor Zachary to run, but the old echidna seems frozen in fear! With a powerful blow, the robot strikes Knuckles, knocking him out for several moments.

When he comes to, Zachary helps him to his feet. He says that the robot turned away at the last minute, heading for the Emerald Chamber! They get there just in time to see the robot pull the Master Emerald from its position... then shatter it to pieces!

Appearances

 * Knuckles the Echidna
 * Doctor Zachary
 * Guardian Robot

Continuity

 * The Master Emerald is destroyed in this issue. Knuckles will eventually replace it with a new Emerald in Sonic the Comic #73, "Master Emerald".

Sonic's World - "Cybernik Strikes Back, Part 4"

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

Synopsis
Metamorphia has captured Tekno the Canary, Robotnik's former engineer turned traitor, and brought her before Robotnik himself in his Citadel. She tells of how she captured Tekno and how Shortfuse the Cybernik was destroyed with his own bomb! When Robotnik demands to know what bomb, Metamorphia is forced to admit that the bomb destroyed Robotnik's factory in the Chemical Plant Zone. Robotnik is furious!

Meanwhile, in the Chemical Plant Zone, trapped under twisted debris at the bottom of the sea, Shortfuse is still alive, but his oxygen supply is running out. He manages to get free by using his jet boots, then heads to Citadel Robotnik.

In Grimer's lab in the Citadel, Robotnik withdraws Metamorphia's shape-shifting ability and then sends her away to be processed into a badnik. Just then, a Trooper arrives to say that Citadel Robotnik is under attack. Shortfuse has arrived for a showdown!

Appearances

 * Shortfuse the Cybernik
 * Tekno the Canary
 * Doctor Ivo Robotnik
 * Metamorphia
 * Grimer
 * Trooper
 * Receptionik (voice only)
 * Badniks:
 * Buzzers
 * Balkirys

Other features

 * Control Zone
 * Review Zone
 * STC Pin-Up! - Jaws Badnik! - Art by Ferran Rodriguez
 * Q Zone
 * Speedlines