Sonic the Comic Issue 82


 * Editor: Deborah Tate
 * Assistant Editor: Audrey Wong
 * Designer: Gary Knight
 * Consultant: Richard Burton
 * Production: Sarah Colley

Sonic the Hedgehog - "Running Wild, Part 3"

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

Synopsis
In one of the most notorious bars in the Metropolis Zone, a group of lowlifes laugh at how Sonic the Hedgehog apparently killed his own gang while he was Super. A cloaked figure, drinking a Cola at the end of the bar, suggests that the idea isn't very funny. One rat angrily pulls off the cloak... revealing that the figure is Sonic! Sonic quickly insists he doesn't want trouble, but Robotnik still has a reward out on Sonic and the thugs at the bar intend to collect! Sonic backs away, saying he can't get upset... but it's too late! His fur turns to gold, his spines become twisted and ugly - he's become Super Sonic again! With contemptuous ease he destroys the bar, causing all of the customers to forget about the reward and flee!

Meanwhile, nearby, the Freedom Fighters (not dead after all and dragging something large under a tarpaulin) have used the Kintobor Compter to track Sonic down by following the trail of Emerald Power he's absorbed. They see Super Sonic burst out of the roof of the bar... and he sees them. He's really interested to know how they escaped the destruction of the plane, and (while Tails and Johnny struggle to take the tarp off the object they're carrying) Amy Rose explains that they'd used the Kintobor Computer to fly the plane by remote control - they were never actually on board. She tries to convince Sonic that they want to help him get back to normal, but Super Sonic no longer wants to go back to normal. He is now the most powerful being on Mobius, and doesn't want to go back to being that blue weakling! h Super Sonic divebombs at Amy, who jumps out of the way just in time, just as Tails pulls off the tarpaulin, revealing the gang's Star Post! Tails acts as a distraction while Amy hooks the Kintobor Computer to the Star Post...

Suddenly, an energy beam shoots out of the Star Post towards Super Sonic, dragging him back towards the post! He zooms around, trying to break free, but the Kintobor Computer increases the power and Super Sonic is sucked straight into the Star Post! Moments later, Sonic - now his original blue, and slightly smoking - drops onto the ground. Kintobor was able to use the Star Post's energy to remove all the Emerald Radiation from Sonic... However, Kintobor detects "wacky" readings from the Star Post that suggests they may have sent the Emerald Power into the Special Zone, and that Super Sonic may still be alive in there!

But they can't worry about that now. As a crowd gathers, the Freedom Fighters make a quiet exit. For Sonic it has been a total nightmare. His friends risked their lives to help him. "Thanks guys... I, er, owe you one!"

Appearances

 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Super Sonic
 * Amy Rose
 * Johnny Lightfoot
 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Bulldog barman of Spike's Place
 * Customers at Spike's Place:
 * Scarred rat
 * Thick-necked hog
 * Wolf
 * Dogs
 * Birds
 * Hares
 * Others
 * Metropolis Zone residents:
 * Walrus
 * Duck
 * Canary
 * Others

Continuity

 * Super Sonic is separated from Sonic in this issue. They will remain separated until the final issues of the comic.
 * Super Sonic is trapped in the Special Zone. Sonic will travel to the Special Zone to track him down in Sonic the Comic #84, "Heroes & Villains, Part 1", and they will meet each other face-to-face for the first time in Sonic the Comic #85, "Heroes & Villains, Part 2".
 * The Freedom Fighters have owned their own Star Post since they were formed (as seen in Sonic the Comic #21, "Girl Power, Part 1". It last appeared in the Sonic Holiday Special 1996, "Break Out!".

Knuckles - "Troubled Waters, Part 1"

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

Synopsis
Knuckles the Echidna is rowing across the Mobian Channel, attempting to return to the Floating Island with the chest full of ancient documents he obtained from Captain Plunder. Suddenly, he is attacked by eight sea snake-badniks, resembling segmented worms, that smash his boat and pull it under. He swims to safety with his chest, which he leaves on a small rocky outcropping while he climbs out of the badniks' reach... only for them to destroy the stone structure he climbed, sending him plunging into the water again! They attack him again, trying to drag him down, but he forces his way to the surface for a lungful of air.

On the surface, an unusual sea craft approaches, piloted by a crab who introduces himself as Captain Claw! He says that none may cross the Mobian Channel without answering to him, and then says that he intends to collect the reward that Doctor Robotnik has offered for Knuckles' capture. (It's not as much as the figure offered for Sonic, but Claw is willing to take it.)

The sea snake badniks attach themselves to Claw's craft, which rises out of the water as an eight-limbed floating war machine! "Surrender to me, Knuckles the Echidna, surrender while you are still able!"

Appearances

 * Knuckles the Echidna
 * Captain Claw

Continuity

 * Knuckles is still travelling back to the Floating Island with the great chest of documents that he received from Captain Plunder in Sonic the Comic #79, "The Ghost Ship, Part 6". He will eventually reach home again in Sonic the Comic #97, "Victims, Part 1".
 * Knuckles catches himself talking to the chest, and mentions that he has been spending too much time on his own. He has clearly become used to company since Robotnik discovered the Floating Island in Sonic the Summer Special (1994), since before then he lived his whole life alone.

Tails - "Changing Times"

 * Script: Lew Stringer
 * Art: Carl Flint
 * Colouring: Steve White
 * Lettering: Elitta Fell

Synopsis
As Tails flies into the Echo City Zone, he finds that the whole city has been destroyed. As he wishes for a way to put this right, he is nearly struck by lightning and crash-lands on the ground. When he gets up, he sees a chimp lying on the ground, still alive, and he runs to help. However, it seems as though the chimp is speaking a strange language that Tails doesn't understand. Then he sees a wall lift itself off the ground and fall back into its original place, and a bull running backwards screaming (again in the unintelligible language)! Everyone is doing and saying things in reverse. Finally he realises what must be happening: he's travelling backwards through time!

Just then he sees the cause of the destruction, a massive tank piloted by Troopers! It is also travelling backwards, and as it passes everything seems to get repaired. Tails realises this is his chance to change history, but he has to wait until before the tank attacked the town. He waits, watching the backwards destruction.

Once time has reversed to a point before the attack (when the city was still undamaged), he swoops at the tank. He's not sure what impact he can make, but when he touches the tank it explodes! That must be what happens when an objet travelling backwards in time touches something travelling forwards, he realises.

More than that, the explosion seems to have fixed things, so that he is now travelling forwards in time again. The residents of the Echo City Zone thank him for appearing out of nowhere to help them. "That's the trouble with changing history," he thinks as he flies away, "no one knows you've done it!"

Appearances

 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Troopers
 * Echo City Zone residents:
 * Chimp
 * Bull
 * Fish (with fish bowl helmet)
 * Giraffe
 * Parrot
 * Others

Sonic's World - "Revolution, Part 4"

 * Script: Lew Stringer
 * Art: Nigel Kitching
 * Colouring: John M. Burns
 * Lettering: Tom Frame

Synopsis
Amy has been turned into a badnik, and she's not taking prisoners! She fires a barrage of crossbow bolts from her wrist-mounted launchers straight at Sonic. Sonic dashes out of the way at super-speed, sucking the crossbow bolts into his slipstream and sending them straight back at Amy. They destroy the badnik armour, freeing Amy, who thanks Sonic with a big kiss. Sonic thinks he might have prefered her as a mad murderer.

The Freedom Fighters descend to street level, just in time to see Commander Brutus and Doctor Robotnik (wearing a suit of War-Armour) burst out of the ground! They're about to have a showdown! Sonic and the gang hang back, hoping that they'll wipe each other out.

Robotnik and Brutus exchange powerful blows. In his War-Armour, Robotnik is just as powerful as his treacherous Trooper. Brutus hits him with his arm blaster, knocking Robotnik down and cracking Robotnik's armour. Brutus crows that he has a copy of Robotnik's mind, and he is Robotnik's equal, but Robotnik scoffs at the notion. That may have been true when he was programmed, but since then Robotnik has learned some new tricks, and he douses Brutus head-to-toe with liquid nitrogen, freezing him solid. It is a pity that Brutus inherited Robotnik's ambition considering how much they could have accomplished together, says Robotnik, "but at the end of the day, all robots that fail me deserve to be scrapped!" And with a massive punch he shatters Brutus' frozen body! Holding Brutus' head, he muses about how fragile metal becomes at low temperatures. The revolution is over.

A few days later, Robotnik sends a worldwide broadcast across planet Mobius. He informs his citizens that the revolution is over, and he is still in charge. More than that, he has taken control of Brutus' badniks, and will punish any outlaws that dare oppose him! He cites the battle as a learning experience: the people have learned to fear him even more, for they now know he is invincible! "Mobius is mine... forever!"

Sonic, watching on a monitor, is not impressed. "Never say forever, bone-dome!"

Appearances

 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Doctor Ivo Robotnik
 * Commander Brutus
 * Badnik Amy
 * Johnny Lightfoot
 * Shortfuse the Cybernik
 * Amy Rose
 * Grimer
 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Badniks
 * Troopers
 * Scared citizens

Continuity

 * Among the Zones to which Robotnik broadcast his signal was the Stone Tower Zone (which previously appeared in "The Rampage of Mekanik" from Sonic the Comic #57 and #58).
 * When Robotnik sends out his signal, Tails can be seen in the Casino Night Zone. Tails took the job of defending the Casino Night Zone between Sonic the Comic #80, "Fleabyte Returns", and Sonic the Comic #81, "Shock Tactics!".

Other features

 * Control Zone
 * Review Zone
 * Hot Zone (Graphic Zone)
 * Q Zone
 * Speedlines