INFO BURST

Format: Comic strip
Initial Release Date: 10/7/93
Feature character: Sonic the Hedgehog
Villain: Doctor Ivo Robotnik
Other Characters: Stripes, Miles “Tails” Prower, Badniks (Sonic Badnik, unnamed Cerberus Badnik, unnamed badger Badnik, Spikes, Batbrain, Newtron, Splats, Tails Badnik), Flicky the Bluebird, Johnny Lightfoot
Locations: Mobius, West Side Island, Emerald Hill Zone
Items: Star Post
Continuity: Sonic the Comic
Synopsis: Stripes the Badger and Ruff the Terrier find Sonic ripping a Star Post out of the ground. The friends flee for their lives, not realising the witnessed not Sonic but a robot duplicate. Before long, the two are captured by Badniks and converted into their captive power source. Sonic and Tails investigate the site of the missing Star Post, only to be attacked by the Badnik version of Sonic. Ignoring Sonic’s advice to stay out of the way, Tails tries to assist in the fight, only managing to collide with Sonic in a heap. The Sonic Badnik captures the real Sonic and imprisons him as its organic battery. Tails decides he has to rescue Sonic, but finds himself surrounded by Badniks as Doctor Robotnik, wearing a metallic suit of armour, makes his presence known, showing off a Tails Badnik he intends to capture the real Tails inside. Tails manages to get Robotnik to explain his plan – he intends to use the Sonic Badnik to collect and destroy the Star Posts as he’s using the Special Zone as his new base of operations. On learning of the plan, Sonic – still encased in the Badnik but very much not under the control of the machine – grabs tight hold of Robotnik’s moustache and threatens to perform a supersonic spin unless the villain releases everyone, Sonic included. Robotnik retreats using jet boots hidden in the bottom of his armour and warns Sonic of his plans. As some of his friends retrieve the Star Post Robotnik took, Sonic swears he’ll be ready for Robotnik.
Notes: The first instance of the phrase “organic battery,” used in this continuity to refer to a captive prisoner inside a Badnik. It’s also the first time Sonic’s classic insult of “pixel brain” is used.

CREDITS

Writer: Nigel Kitching
Artist: Ed Hillyer
Letterer: Elitta Fell

Review

Though he had no way of knowing it back in 1993, this script by Nigel Kitching would be the first step to his immortalisation as one of the greatest creatives to ever work on the Sonic the Hedgehog series. There’s no sense in overblowing it, of course, this script is far from Kitching’s greatest work for the comic. It’s not even his best work in the first ten issues! But everything he does right here is exactly what the comic needed to help it find its identity and prove there was something to this continuity beyond a simple licensed tie-in comic.

The idea of a robotic Sonic is not an original one, of course, as there had been two robotic counterparts to the heroic hedgehog in the video games already by this point, and that’s before the most famous one even debuted. But, let’s be honest: it’s a brilliant, perfect idea for a villain in this series and that’s why it keeps working. Sonic’s enemy turns animals into robots, so what’s the ultimate robotic threat he could design? A robot Sonic, of course! This strip’s Sonic Badnik design isn’t exactly the coolest among its peers but it serves its purpose well. It’s a shame it makes so many goofy expressions as its perfectly intimidating in plenty of panels – the first full view of it as it lets out a maniacal laugh is fantastic stuff!

It’s definitely a nice change, four issues in, that Sonic doesn’t waste page space running. In fact, Kitching is much more clever than that as he uses a page of Sonic running at full speed to highlight the differences between Sonic and Tails – Sonic is effortlessly fast and cool-headed, Tails struggles to keep up but still gives it his all. Kitching also makes sure to have the page serve a purpose in furthering the story as he has the two characters interact and converse while Sonic’s speedy display is a backdrop. The dialogue between Sonic and Tails is an instant highlight as well, with both of them showing tons of the personality they’d soon become known for in this continuity: Sonic is brash and outwardly dismissive of the danger and Tails is almost nervous in his explanation of what’s going on as he tries to protest he knows Sonic’s innocent. Every character in the story’s dialogue feels natural and not stilted or forced – and, as a bonus, this is the first Sonic strip in STC which has jokes and quips that are actually funny!

There’s also a little subtle storytelling as in the clash between the two Sonics, Sonic isn’t exactly brimming with confidence when he thinks he doesn’t have an audience, and telling Tails to stay out of the fight, getting annoyed when he doesn’t listen – an early indicator of this continuity’s Sonic putting up a front to cover his anxieties and, it can easily be inferred, his unwillingness to risk other people if he thinks he can take down a threat himself.

The ending is perhaps a little too neat, which is partly down to it being played for laughs, but the ending of this adventure isn’t really the point – what matters is the legwork Kitching has done to set up Robotnik’s base of operations in the Special Zone, opening up more storytelling opportunities for future issues. This is unquestionably the first STC Sonic story which maximises its page space and it’s a strong indicator that Kitching will be the writer to watch going forward. STC’s take on Sonic hasn’t quite arrived yet, but it’s much closer now than it was before.