Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 252 is the two hundred fifty-second issue in the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series published by Archie Comics. It is the first issue to be set in the Post-Super Genesis Wave timeline, in the aftermath of the Sonic & Mega Man: Worlds Collide arc that resulted in the Super Genesis Wave and rewriting of the multiverse.
Official solicitation[]
- SONIC IS BACK and facing the HUGE consequences of the mega-hit Sonic/Mega Man crossover story arc in "At All Costs" Part Two! As the crossover crashed to a close, Sonic and Tails have returned to a world which is reeling from the cataclysmic effects of the Eggman/Wily genesis wave! The damage was severe, the threats have changed, and the mysteries are piling up! What has happened to Naugus in this new landscape? What is the final fate of Sally Acorn? Sonic and Tails are ready to tackle all the drama ahead of them—but first they must survive the wrath of the terrifying Tails Doll! Featuring new cover art from Sonic artist superstar Ben Bates and a special "SEGA" Variant!
Featured stories[]
At All Costs Part Two: A New Lease on Life[]
- Writer: Ian Flynn
- Pencils: Evan Stanley
- Inks: Terry Austin
- Letters: Jack Morelli
- Colors: Matt Herms
- Assistant Editor: Vincent Lovallo
- Editor/Executive Director of Editorial: Paul Kaminski
- Editor-in-chief: Victor Gorelick
- President: Mike Pellerito
- Special Thanks to: Anthony Gaccione and Cindy Chau and to the Character Business and Licensing Department of SEGA Corporation
Synopsis[]
Sonic, who experiences a barrage of memories—such as the time he was beaten by Eggman during the destruction of Knothole, the time he was on the Death Egg as Super Sonic during Operation: Clean Sweep, and his battle with Shadow on the Space Colony ARK—return, as well as a memory of when he met the Wisps, an alien race, awakens in Mobotropolis, which is now located on Westside Island. Getting to his feet, he notices civilians running in panic and quickly spots the reason: the mutated Tails Doll, which is being engaged by the real Tails. Seeing Sonic up, Tails asks if he's all right, and is concerned when Sonic begins questioning how he got where he is. Asserting that he's fine, the Hedgehog asks his friend what has become of Amy and Silver, and how they got to their current location given their former status on the Death Egg Mark 2 in their efforts to rescue Mecha Sally. Tails, completely confused, "reminds" Sonic that they returned to Mobotropolis to contact Nicole and rescue King Acorn, and found the Tails Doll attacking the city. He then informs Sonic that Amy has disappeared and that the last time they saw Silver was when they saved the Wisps. Sonic, confused, manages to formulate a question as to whether or not Naugus is involved in the king's current predicament.
From inside the castle, the villainous wizard is cursing the presence of both Tails Doll and the heroes, only for a smug Nicole, who is projecting from her restored computer body and sporting a wardrobe different from before, to claim that he deserves his fate. Irritated, Naugus demands that Nicole honor a previous agreement, which involves her creating a Super Ring so that he can regain his lost powers. Nicole reminds him that she has previously voiced doubts about her ability to craft one, and her defiance prompts him to grab her computer form. Unexpectedly, the act triggers a reaction that awakens Naugus' memories of the unaltered reality, and in horror, he throws Nicole through the nearby window. Horrified by the visions he has witnessed, Naugus crashes through the same window, fleeing the city right past a startled Sonic and Tails, being shaken enough to even verbally admit defeat to them as he ran. Sonic quickly decides to deal with Tails Doll rather than try to follow him, but quickly discovers that the monster's armor is too strong for his Spin-Dash to penetrate. He and Tails form a joint Spin-Dash and cause some damage, only for Tails Doll to begin repairing itself by absorbing a nearby bridge.
Realizing that the city is no longer composed of Nanites, which leaves Tails even more confused, Sonic deduces that merely damaging Tails Doll's outer form isn't enough. Tails then suggests that they locate it's Control Gem, which is what allows it to restore itself, which in this altered reality has occurred more than once. Spotting it, the pair prepare to attack, only to be thrown by Tails Doll's next attack, which lands Tails near the discarded Nicole. Nicole attempts to speak with Tails but has been damaged by her treatment at Naugus' hands. Tails reaches to pick her up, despite her apparent attempts to warn him away. He then has an experience similar to Naugus' and Sonic's, leaving him horrified. After remembering other adventures with Sonic, their brief confrontation, and his battles with Speedy and Mecha Sally, Tails recognizes his conflicting memories and is nearly crushed by Tails Doll in his distraction. Sonic saves him and helps him overcome his shock before suggesting that they finish Tails Doll first and then worry about the damage to reality. Sonic then mentions sending a message to Dr. Eggman regarding his creations.
Elsewhere, in the Efrika Plains, Eggman himself emerges from the battered remnants of the Egg-Wily Machine X, cursing Sonic before calling out for Orbot and Cubot. Extricating his Egg Mobile from the ruined robot, he announces his intentions to return to the Death Egg, only to find that his transport is incapable of flight. Cursing his former partner Dr. Wily, Eggman begins rolling his damaged craft away from the crash site, hoping to find help nearby and set things right for himself before going back to making Sonic miserable.
Back in Mobotropolis, Sonic distracts Tails Doll while Tails reluctantly plugs Nicole into the mechanical monster at her insistence. Her efforts allow Sonic to land the final blow, ripping Tails Doll's original plush form from its giant shell. After determining Nicole's well-being, the heroes separate Tails Doll from his Control Gem and then kick him football style into the distance. Crushing the gem, Sonic then leads the way into Castle Acorn, with Tails commenting again on the strange collision of memories from the two different realities. Sonic also comments that his own "memories" of the altered world are popping up, including two different versions of the initial meeting between Dr. Robotnik and King Acorn. Turning to Nicole for answers, the pair receive a surprise suggestion: to locate the missing Freedom Fighters.
Tails, connecting Nicole's part in restoring his original memories and Sonic's retention of his own, suggests that locating the others might help their current dilemma. He also correctly guesses that Naugus may have been similarly affected by Nicole, but Sonic then suggests that they save the king so that they can proceed to locate the other Freedom Fighters. They find the king's cell secured by high-tech security, which Nicole reveals was stolen from Dr. Eggman in this reality after Naugus lost his powers to the first Genesis Wave, leading the doctor to send Tails Doll to attack. Getting it open, the trio is greeted by an overjoyed, healthy, and altered King Acorn, who asks about Naugus and is informed of his departure. He then surprises both heroes further by treating them quite warmly and apologizes to Nicole for any role he may have played in her capture. Sonic contemplates the strangeness of the situation and wonders whether or not the altered reality may have its positives.
King Acorn asks if he can assist them in any way, and is asked for help in locating the missing Freedom Fighters. While he doesn't know exactly where they all are, he offers to give them a clue. Entering the royal study, he reveals that the Freedom Fighters were all working on a secretive project and that Rotor was the only one to have any sort of contact with him. Recognizing the Walrus' message as a set of coordinates, Sonic and Tails set out to find their missing teammates. King Acorn then requests that they inform him immediately once they are able to find his missing daughter. Meanwhile, in the Arctic, aboard the Death Egg, a pair of Egg Swats close in on a silhouetted figure. The imperiled Mobian, sporting a new appearance of her own, is none other than a fully organic Sally Acorn.
Appearances[]
Characters:
- Badnik Horde (first appearance)
- Egg SWAT (multiple) (first appearance)
- Cubot (first appearance)
- Dr. Albert W. Wily (mentioned)
- Dr. Eggman (first appearance)
- Dr. Ivo Robotnik (Pre-Super Genesis Wave) (flashback)
- Freedom Fighters (first appearance)
- Amy Rose (first appearance) (hologram)
- Antoine D'Coolette (first appearance) (hologram)
- Bunnie D'Coolette (first appearance) (hologram)
- Miles "Tails" Prower (first appearance)
- Nicole the Holo-Lynx (first appearance)
- Rotor the Walrus (first appearance) (hologram)
- Sally Acorn (first appearance)
- Sonic the Hedgehog (first appearance)
- Ixis Naugus (flashback)
- Maximillian Acorn (flashback)
- Mecha Sally (flashback)
- Mega Man (mentioned)
- Miles "Tails" Prower (Pre-Super Genesis Wave) (flashback)
- Nigel Acorn (first appearance)
- Orbot (first appearance)
- Shadow the Hedgehog (first appearance) (flashback)
- Silver the Hedgehog (mentioned)
- Sonic the Hedgehog (Pre-Super Genesis Wave) (flashback)
- Super Sonic (Pre-Super Genesis Wave) (flashback)
- Speedy (Pre-Super Genesis Wave) (flashback)
- Tails Doll (first appearance)
- Walter Naugus (first appearance)
- Yacker (only appearance) (flashback)
Races and species:
- Human (first appearance)
- Mobian
- Overlander (flashback)
- Robian (Pre-Super Genesis Wave) (flashback)
- Troll (first appearance)
- Wisp (first appearance) (flashback)
Locations:
- Prime Zone (first appearance)
- Sonic's World (first appearance)
- Artika (first appearance)
- Acorn Archipelago (first appearance)
- Westside Island (first appearance)
- Royal Hills Zone (first appearance)
- Mobotropolis (first appearance)
- Castle Acorn (first appearance)'
- Mobotropolis (first appearance)
- Royal Hills Zone (first appearance)
- Westside Island (first appearance)
- Efrika (first appearance)
- Efrika Plains (first appearance)
- Sonic's World (first appearance)
Items:
- Chaos Emeralds (Pre-Super Genesis Wave) (flashback)
- Death Egg (first appearance)
- Inhibitor Rings (first appearance)
- Miles Electric (first appearance) (flashback)
- Nanite (mentioned)
- Super Ring (mentioned)
- Sword of Light (flashback)
Vehicles:
- Egg Beater (flashback)
- Egg Mobile (first appearance)
- Egg-Wily Machine X
- Tornado (flashback)
Misc.:
- Figure-Eight Peel-Out (first appearance)
- Genesis Wave (mentioned)
- Grinding (first appearance)
- Rolling Combo (first appearance)
- Spin Attack (first appearance)
- Spin Dash (first appearance)
Trivia[]
- In Sonic's vision shows him: Egg Beater leaves Sonic in Archie Sonic the Hedgehog #175, Super Sonic restored the world in Archie Sonic the Hedgehog #229, Sonic battles with Shadow in Final Rush in Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic and Tails meets Yacker in Sonic Colors.
- The beginning of Mega Man #28 is similar to the beginning of this story, with Mega Man having a barrage of memories while his world is restored. In contrast with Sonic, however, neither he nor anyone in his world remembers Sonic & Mega Man: Worlds Collide. To further contrast with Sonic the Hedgehog #252, Mega Man's world is restored completely to its original state aside from damage caused by Break Man being undone.
- Sonic returning from Worlds Collide to find the Tails Doll attacking Mobotropolis is in reference to how Sonic the Hedgehog #247 (and by extension, the comics' original continuity) ended, in which the Tails Doll was last seen transforming into this monstrous form in New Mobotropolis to take on Team Freedom. In a sense, this was done as a way to bridge the two realities.
- This story marks the first major reappearance of Sally Acorn outside of Robian form since Sonic the Hedgehog #230.
- This story marks the debut issue of Sally's last redesign first teased at New York Comic Con 2012.
Off Panel[]
- Script: Ian Flynn
- Pencils: Vincent Lovallo
- Inks: Kent Archer
- Colors: James Kaminski
Synopsis[]
Off Panel
Sonic is ready to get back to the adventures of his own book after the crossover, but after seeing what may lay in wait for him, he quickly decides to move in with Mega Man.
Appearances[]
Characters:
- Antoine D'Coolette (Pre-Super Genesis Wave)
- Bunnie D'Coolette (Pre-Super Genesis Wave)
- Mecha Sally
- Mega Man (mentioned)
- Ixis Naugus
- Sonic the Hedgehog
Races and species:
Trivia[]
- It should be noted that this issue marks the "reboot" of the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs, as many characters (mostly made by Ken Penders) were removed completely and many plot-points were either brought to an abrupt end or solved somewhat in later issues.
Gallery[]
Cover artwork[]
| Gallery |
|---|
 Concept artwork for the main cover, by Ben Bates.  Another piece of concept artwork by Ben Bates. Sonic's right foot is now on the ground.  Cover thumbnail by Ben Bates.  The cover thumbnail by Ben Bates with editing comments by Paul Kaminski, this issue's editor.  Main cover, raw.  Variant cover, raw. |
Preview pages[]
| Gallery |
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 Page one  Page two  Page three  Page four  Page five |
External links[]
- Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 252 at Mobius Encyclopaedia, the Archie Sonic wiki.
- Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 252 at Sonic Retro
