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The Arctic Freedom Fighters is a group that appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics. They were previously resided in Mobius' North Pole and were opposed to the tyranny of Dr. Ivo Robotnik. They are also one of the many factions of the Freedom Fighters located throughout Mobius as well.
History[]
Forced to Flee[]
The group that would become the Arctic Freedom Fighters started out as a group of activists who were trying to bring some stability to the Northern Tundra. Shortly before Robotnik's Takeover, the group had traveled south in order to visit friends and family; however, once Robotnik's tyranny had begun, they found themselves unable to return home and so took to hiding within a cave system. Using technology stolen from Robotnik, they were able to adjust the climate within the caves, making it a suitable home. (StH: #26, #215, CSE)
Cooperation with Knothole Freedom Fighters[]
When Robotnik created his Weather Annihilator and caused the climate to change, the Knothole Freedom Fighters were unable to locate Knothole and return home. Seeking shelter in a cave, Sonic the Hedgehog and his friends were nearly captured by SWATbots; however, a penguin named Flip found them first and led them deeper into the caves. Hidden within the cavern system, the Freedom Fighters were introduced to Flip's friends Guntiver, Erma, Sealia and Augustus. Guntiver explained that they'd been living in hiding and had used stolen technology to recreate some of their preferred climate within the caves; he assumed that the Knothole group would join them in hiding from Robotnik, but they insisted on fighting back. While not fighters themselves, Guntiver's group offered to help the Freedom Fighters train and adjust to the new weather conditions beforehand. A week later, the Freedom Fighters launched their attack on Robotnik; however, they were soon captured by Snively. (StH: #26)
Sometime later, two of the Arctic Freedom Fighters, Sealia and Augustus (the rest of the team were unavailable as they were resettling elsewhere in the region), tried to help Rotor save his family from Robotnik's mind control. The three managed to sneak into the Walrus' main location, hiding in a trojan horse. When they emerged, the three began attacking the Icebots (models similar to SWATbots). However, before Sealia could rewire Robotnik's base to explode, the mind-controlled Walrus horde closed in on them. Outnumbered and not wishing to hurt Rotor's family, Augustus broke the ice between Rotor and the other Walruses, preventing them from getting to the Freedom Fighter and preventing them from carrying out Robotnik's orders. Rotor realized he would have to return another time to break Robotnik's hold over them, and departed. Sealia and Augustus promised to contact him should they have any news about the herd. (StH: #32)
For a time, the group disbanded due to a conflict of approaches-while Guntiver, who had brought the group together, and Sealia wished to retain their peaceful efforts, Erma wished for the group to take a more aggressive approach. Weeks after Robotnik's death, though, they informed Rotor that the hypnosis appeared to have worn off. Rotor had to see for himself, and was at peace with his family and the Herd until the hypnosis mysteriously started up again. The Arctic Freedom Fighters saved Rotor from his totaled submarine, as well as broke the bad news that Rotor had already figured out; Robotnik had returned, this time in the form of his alternate universe counterpart Robo Robotnik. As a result of this development, the group decided to reunite as a band of Freedom Fighters. They later participated in the battle against the Xorda, along with virtually every other Freedom Fighter group on Mobius. (StH: #85, #125)
Combating the Dark Egg Legion[]
In 3237 the Arctic Freedom Fighters sent an urgent message to New Mobotropolis to inform them that the chapter of the Dark Egg Legion had captured the Walrus Herd, and that they were apparently building an immense fueling station called the Totem Base. Sonic soon arrived in response, ready to assist the team in any way that he could. During this time, he learned that the group had originally been geared toward activism, and that it was only later that they truly became Freedom Fighters. The Arctic Freedom Fighters had also garnered intelligence on the Legion that indicated that they were controlling the Herd using a Psionic Emitter and their own enhanced sonar abilities. With Sonic completing the team, the group set out on a two-pronged mission to attack the underwater Legionnaires and liberate the Walruses on the surface. Thanks to some unexpected assistance from Rotor and Silver the Hedgehog, the AFF succeeded in their mission; the base was destroyed, the Legion chased off and the Walrus Herd permanently freed. It would later be revealed that the destroyed base had been intended as a means of powering Eggman's latest flying fortress, the Death Egg Mark 2.
The team crossed swords with the Legion again when the Death Egg arrived in the tundra and stopped at a Legion installation for repairs and supplies. Joined by the arriving Team Fighters, they set out to invade the installation and rescue Mecha Sally, the Robian version of Sally Acorn. Upon entering the Egg Bunker, their old ally Silver also made an appearance, eager to help them in their mission. Together, the larger team entered an underwater tunnel and engaged both the Legion and Eggman's Egg Swats before being enveloped in the second Genesis Wave.
Trivia[]
- The Arctic Freedom Fighters consist of typical arctic animals, with the exception of Flip as real-life penguins actually reside in the south pole.
- Unlike with most other Freedom Fighter groups (aside from the Knothole Freedom Fighters), none of the Arctic Freedom Fighters seem to have been created by former writer Ken Penders; the issue they debuted in was written by Angelo DeCesare.
- The Arctic Freedom Fighters are the last pre-Super Genesis Wave-exclusive characters to appear in the Sonic-related Archie Comics prior to its reboot.
External links[]
- Arctic Freedom Fighters at Mobius Encyclopaedia, the Archie Sonic wiki.