Sonic the Comic Issue 112


 * Editor: Deborah Tate
 * Designer: Gary Knight
 * Production: Sarah Colley
 * Advertising: Stephen Goldsmith
 * Marketing manager: Douglas Pocock

Sonic the Hedgehog - "No Future"

 * Script: Lew Stringer
 * Art: Mick McMahon
 * Lettering: Tom Frame

Synopsis
After saving a village by defeating two badniks in two seconds, Sonic is attacked by a brand new badnik with prehensile arms. Before Sonic can destroy it too, the badnik fires a yellow beam that strikes Sonic.

Sonic finds himself in a bleak grey city populated by purple animals in drab clothes. He introduces himself, only to find that he has been transported a thousand years into the future, and he is long dead. A group of badniks appears to bully the citizens, who all seem to enjoy being beaten. The citizens consider it a great honour to be bullied. Sonic nevertheless decides to intervene, destroying the badniks, only to have the irate citizens berate him and throw things at him. They say that, even though the great Doctor Robotnik is long gone, his vision remains that it is natural to be a slave. They tell Sonic just to give up, because Robotnik wins anyway, and Sonic admits that this is a scary future... but he doesn't believe a word of it!

Sonic grabs hold of something invisible on either side of his head and yanks... revealing that he is still in the present and he is holding onto the new badnik's prehensile arms. The badnik had planted false images of a hopeless future into Sonic's head to discourage him from fighting Robotnik, but Sonic realised the truth. He destroys the badnik.

When asked how he knew it was an illusion, Sonic says the real people of Mobius would never give in like that. Furthermore, he is now more determined than ever that Robotnik will never win!

Appearances

 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Citizens:
 * Rabbit
 * Cat
 * Dog
 * Strange badnik
 * Illusory Mobians:
 * Purple dogs
 * Purple goat
 * Purple rabbits
 * Purple cats
 * Purple rhino
 * Purple frog
 * Purple mouse
 * Blue badniks
 * Doctor Ivo Robotnik

Tails - "Channel Hoppers"

 * Script: Lew Stringer
 * B & W art: Carl Flint
 * Colour: John M Burns
 * Lettering: Tom Frame

Synopsis
Tails is knocked down by a screaming group of children rushing home to see their new favourite TV show, the Channel Hoppers (starring three excessively cute characters called Wiggly, Jiggly and Floppy). Tails can't understand why the kids like the show, since he finds it nauseating - and, as he finds out, so do the childrens' parents and anyone else with an IQ greater than a three year old's.

Soon, the children emerge from the TV room and want to play Badniks versus Sonic. Tails thinks they'll all want to be Sonic, only to learn to his shock that they all want to play badniks. Indeed, one young girl says that Doctor Robotnik has some great ideas. Their father tries to excuse it as a phase, but Tails isn't so sure and decides to investigate the Channel Hoppers.

His suspicions are confirmed at the TV studio when he finds that the Channel Hoppers are in fact supporters of Doctor Robotnik (and their real named are Brother Barry, Brother Percy and one unnamed other), and they have been broadcasting subliminal messages through their show that only young minds can pick up, making them think that Robotnik is wonderful. Tails jumps in, but is unable to stop them as the cameras are about to go live and it would seem as though he was merely picking on the "innocent" Channel Hoppers because he was jealous of their success. Tails flies away, determined to beat them at their own game.

When the show is over, the Channel Hoppers emerge to greet their adoring (brainwashed) fans, only to find that all the children are now wise to their scheme. The Channel Hoppers start fighting amongst themselves, revealing that they are really members of D.R.A.T.. Tails reveals that he had Tim Tuna the TV retuner jam the villains' signal and replace it with his own, explaining what the Channel Hoppers were really up to. And now that everybody knows who they are, Tails has no problem with taking them down with a flying punch! Beaten, the Channel Hoppers slink away, with the crowd's jeering in their ears.

Appearances

 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Channel Hoppers (Wiggly, Jiggly and Floppy)
 * Tim Tuna
 * Big cat family (father, mother and four children)
 * Blackbird in a yellow coat
 * Camel in orange T-shirt
 * Mouse
 * Deer

Continuity

 * D.R.A.T. previously appeared in Sonic the Comic #103, "Crawling from the Wreckage".

Trivia

 * The Channel Hoppers are a parody of the Teletubbies.

Double Sonic - "It's Raining Bananas"

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

Synopsis
One day, in the Emerald Hill Zone, it starts to rain bananas. It starts as a shower but becomes heavier until the entire Zone is thick with bananas. Sonic correctly surmises that the torrent is caused by Grimer on Flickies' Island. Grimer had created a machine for the purpose of making missiles, but a faulty connecton made it create bananas instead.

Sonic runs around the pile of bananas at super speed, whipping them up into a twister that heads back to Flickies' Island. Meanwhile, Grimer cannot fix his machine and so destroys it with a sledgehammer. Just as Grimer thinks the issue is over, he is suddenly inundated with bananas from the sky.

Back in the Emerald Hill Zone, things are back to normal. The residents want to give Sonic a treat for saving them... but after today Sonic can't face a banana split!

Appearances

 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Grimer
 * Emerald Hill Folk:
 * Grey cat
 * Dog fisherman
 * Ginger cat
 * Badger with newspaper
 * Dog sweeper and his wife
 * White duck
 * Elephant
 * Happy monkey
 * Pig in red shirt
 * Curly-haired dog
 * Rabbit
 * Brown cat
 * Pig in green shirt
 * Green duck waiter
 * Father and son dogs

Trivia

 * This story is told in rhyme, with a rhyme scheme and metre resembling that of The Night Before Christmas.

Sonic's World: Amy & Tekno - "Spaced Out, Part 2"

 * Script: Lew Stringer
 * B & W Art: Rob Corona
 * Colour: Nigel Dobbyn
 * Lettering: Tom Frame

Synopsis
Amy and Tekno have been transported to a spaceship lightyears away from Mobius, where they have found their old friend Shortfuse the Cybernik. However, Shortfuse seems to have gone evil, and Amy realises it is because of a strange green thing on his chest. Amy tries to shoot it off, only for Shortfuse to destroy her crossbow with his wrist blaster.

Shortfuse takes both girls prisoner and brings them to the Grand Emperor Dark Visor of the Insectra Empire. Amy distracts Visor while Tekno tries to get the alien creature off Shortfuse's chest. Dark Visor spots her, however, and orders his soldiers to protect Shortfuse. They try to do this by shooting Tekno, who leaps out of the way, so that their blasts hit the Controla-Crawly instead, releasing Shortfuse from its control.

Shortfuse joins up with Amy and Tekno to finish things, but suddenly the starship is attacked by the Insectra Empire's enemies, the Blurrgh!

Appearances

 * Amy Rose
 * Tekno the Canary
 * Shortfuse the Cybernik
 * Dark Visor
 * Insectra Empire soldiers

Continuity

 * Amy's crossbow is destroyed in this story. She is unable to use it until she returns to Mobius in Sonic the Comic #115, "Earthbound, Part 2".

Other features

 * Control Zone
 * STC Pin-up! - Decap Attack. Art by Mick McMahon
 * Speedlines
 * Fast Food Zone (Graphic Zone)