Archie Tails Issue 1

Tails #1 is the first issue of the Tails miniseries published by Archie Comics. It was released at the same time as Sonic the Hedgehog #29, to follow on from Tails' story in that issue.

Synopsis
Sitting on Knothole's dock, Tails finishes the work on his comic, Tails to Astonish, which features himself as the superheroic Captain Super Fox-Man the Mutant Cyborg Clone. After finishing the first page, Tails hides it away in an envelope so that the others would not see it. While taking out the papers from the envelope, he notices the paper with a list of supplies Robotnik had that he found after his battle with him and Auto-Fiona. With the list, Tails has proof that Robotnik is setting up a satellite operation on the other side of Mobius. Not wanting to lose responsibility, he decides to keep it secret from the others. Suddenly, Sally arrives on the dock, waving at Tails, so he quickly hides the list of supplies so she cannot see them. She walks over to the Sea Fox, having never seen it before and checks it out. While telling her about its history, he quickly hides the list in the sub's trunk. She then hopes that he is not mad because she ordered that no oil be put in it. Tails, lying, denies any anger for being treated like a child, especially since Sally argues that it was done because the Freedom Fighters are looking out for the younger generation. She then leaves the dock, needing to attend a meeting with Sonic, and tells Tails to return home before dark. Behind her back, Tails grunts with anger at being treated like a kid. Once she's gone, Tails pops open the sub's cockpit window and boards it. Having put oil in it some time back, he starts the machine up and begins his third adventure. He says a symbolic goodbye to Sally, Sonic and Rotor for being good friends, but he now believes he has fully grown up and does not need their help anymore.

Elsewhere, Robotnik and his SWATbots have prepared a large supply blimp for their next operation. One of the working SWATbots presents a cargo list for him to compare to his own. Realizing he's lost his list, he tells the bot that the list is fine. The bot, however, is insistent on his programming, and reminds Robotnik of his orders to ask him for the list. Robotnik, not pleased with the SWATbot's faith, grabs his neck and crumples him into a small cube, kicking him away. He asks if any of the other SWATbots have any other issues, which they do not. With that said and done, he orders the SWATbots to board the blimp to prepare for take-off. Taking out a can of 10-W-40 oil, he christens the blimp. He then activates the blimp's invisibility hardware to prevent it being caught on its journey to the southern hemisphere by the Freedom Fighters, Downunda. After that, he leaves to return to his lair, hoping nobody found the list he lost.

In the middle of the ocean, on the Sea Fox, Tails looks at the list, having found the sea lane that Robotnik will use for his scheme. He notices a large shadow in the middle of the sea and flies over it to investigate. Facing upward, he notices that large blimp flying over him high in the sky, wearing an invisibility cloak that only makes it visible by looking straight up at it. He flies up slowly to see who is piloting the blimp. Approaching the cockpit window stealthily, he notices SWATbots at the helm and a navigation computer showing where they have to go. Right when he realizes where they are going, an flying SWATbot shoots Tails with a laser gun from behind, sending him falling for the ocean. In a woozy state, Tails tries to wake himself up, and does just before he hits the water, recovering his fall with his tails. He looks back to see two flying SWATbots approaching him, guns in hand and targeting him. Using his tails, Tails performs a new attack: a water spout attack. He spins his tails into the water and sends out a huge water spout that disorients the SWATbots, sending them into a whirlpool into the ocean. To catch up with the blimp, Tails returns to the Sea Fox, which now has an odd eight-pronged entry hatch. As he approaches it, the metallic prongs pop up and grab Tails. The 'prongs' are actually the metallic tentacles of the Octobot, which has returned again to take its revenge on Tails after being defeated in their last encounter. The Octobot chokes Tails as it reminds him of the loss he endured while trying to protect Robotnik's facility. To return the favor, the Octobot pokes holes in the Sea Fox, sinking it. The bot then pulls Tails down into the sea, in an attempt to drown him. Tails and the Sea Fox both start to drop into the ocean, entering a great darkness while trying to gasp for air. Elsewhere, Robotnik receives a report of the sinking of the Sea Fox and Tails' drowning at the hands of the Octobot. Putting his finger on an ejection seat button, he tells the SWATbot that the Octobot will be taking over his place, as, under the SWATbot's guidance, the blimp was found by Tails. The SWATbot pleads with Robotnik, which works, as he gives it a reprieve, removing his hand from the ejection button. Nonetheless, he orders the bot to continue with the mission. To send an update, Robotnik, successfully contacts his new underboss, Crocbot, the one who Robotnik is sending his supplies to. Robotnik tells the robot-crocodile that his supplies are on the way and that Crocbot will be able to turn Downunda to a wasteland. To ensure successful delivery, his orders his Wing Dingoes, to find the blimp and to ensure its safe arrival. Unknown to Robotnik, Crocbot has his own plans: to convert Robotnik's SWATbots into his own slaves to not only take over Downunda, but to double-cross Robotnik and take over all of Mobius. At that same moment, Tails wakes up from the darkness to find himself with a bad headache, sitting on the edge of a small island. He looks into the water in shock as a manta ray floats near him, introducing himself as Ray the Manta. Tails fully comes to, wondering what has happened, as he only remembers being pulled into the water and the Sea Fox being scuttled. Ray helps Tails understand the situation, telling him that Octobot had almost drowned him. Just then, however, Ray and a band of Freedom Fighters defending the seas from Robotnik, called the Forty Fathom Freedom Fighters, consisting of Ray and many other non-roboticized water creatures, attacked Octobot. P.B. Jellyfish shocks Octobot, releasing Tails, whom is caught by Ray. Ray heads for the surface with Tails, but Octobot has come to and chases after them, only to get head-butted by Bottlenose. Octobot, using its tentacles, spins madly to get the Freedom Fighters away and prepares to escape, only to be met by the 'big guy' of the group, knocked out cold. Ray then mentions that, while Tails was recovering, the other water Freedom Fighters found his scuttled Sea Fox at the bottom of the ocean floor, unsalvagable. Tails thinks he's stuck on the island for sure, but when Ray moves aside a bit, the island starts to rumble. Tails watches as the small island he's on rises up from the sea, revealing a large blue whale by the name of Fluke the Blue Whale, the aforementioned 'big guy' who trashed Octobot. Fluke offers to take Tails to Downunda, which is on his annual migration route. With a new means of transportation, Tails gets even more confidence in his ability to show the other Freedom Fighters that he can do work on his own.

Key Events

 * Tails sneaks away in his Sea Fox to embark on a third adventure.
 * Dr. Ivo Robotnik dispatches a blimp full of weapons and supplies to his sub-boss Crocbot in Downunda.
 * Tails discovers the blimp but is attacked and nearly drowned by Octobot, with the Sea Fox badly damaged.
 * The Forty Fathom Freedom Fighters rescue Tails and defeat Octobot.

Appearances

 * Miles "Tails" Prower
 * Captain Super Fox-Man
 * Sally Acorn
 * Sonic the Hedgehog
 * Rotor Walrus
 * Robotnik
 * Fiona the False Fox
 * SWATbots
 * Octobot
 * Crocbot
 * Wing Dingoes
 * Forty Fathom Freedom Fighters:
 * Ray
 * Bottlenose
 * P.B.
 * Bivalve
 * Fluke the Blue Whale

Continuity

 * Tails remembers fighting Robotnik and Fiona the False Fox and finding Robotnik's supplies list, which both happened in Sonic the Hedgehog #29, "Growing Pains! Part 2 of 2".
 * Rotor gave Tails the Sea Fox in Sonic Triple Trouble, "Submersible Rehearsal". Although Sally ordered Rotor not to put any oil in it, Tails acquired some in that story too. In this issue, Tails also alludes to the broken Chaos Emerald episode, which occurred earlier in the Sonic Triple Trouble special, in the story "Tttriple Tttrouble".
 * Tails previously fought Octobot in Sonic Triple Trouble, "Submersible Rehearsal".

Sonic Checklist
A comic subscription page for subscribing to:
 * 6 to 12 future issue of the main Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series.
 * All three issues of the Princess Sally miniseries.
 * All four issues of the Sonic the Hedgehog miniseries.
 * Archie Sonic & Knuckles.
 * Archie Sonic Triple Trouble.
 * Archie Knuckles' Chaotix.
 * Archie Sonic the Hedgehog In Your Face!
 * Issue 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14 and 15 of the main Sonic the Hedgehog comic book series.

De-Tails
A "Tails-version" of Sonic-Grams that includes:
 * Three fan-letters
 * A preview of the covers for Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 29, Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 30, Archie Tails Issue 2 and Archie Knuckles' Chaotix.

Trivia

 * When a SWATbot defies Doctor Robotnik's orders, Robotnik quotes "[his] friend Darth", saying "I find your lack of faith disturbing" while throttling the SWATbot. This is a reference to Star Wars, when Darth Vader says the line while Force choking an insubordinate officer.
 * After Octobot is crushed by Fluke, he sings the chorus of the song "Daisy Bell". This is the same song that HAL 9000 sings in 2001: A Space Odyssey while being deactivated.
 * The De-Tails section of the comic mistakenly refers to Crocbot as 'Crockbot'.