INFO BURST
Format: Comic strip
Initial Release Date: 5/3/94
Feature character: Sonic the Hedgehog
Villain: Doctor Ivo Robotnik
Other Characters: Badniks (Troopers, Receptionik, Amy Super Badnik), Johnny Lightfoot, Amy Rose, Emerald Hill Folk, Grimer, Miles “Tails” Prower, Porker Lewis, Kintobor Computer, Metallix (seen in silhouette)
Locations: Mobius, West Side Island, Emerald Hill Zone, Emerald Hill Village, Special Zone, Robotnik’s Fortress, Sonic’s Secret Underground Base
Continuity: Sonic the Comic
Synopsis: In the Emerald Hill Zone, Amy Rose is arrested by Trooper Badniks for the crime of associating with Sonic the Hedgehog – as she’s been telling everyone she’s Sonic’s girlfriend. Sonic and Johnny Lightfoot are on the scene and attempt a rescue, but the Troopers fire a weapon towards the assorted Emerald Hill Folk watching things unfold. Sonic is able to prevent anyone from being hurt, but the distraction allows the Troopers to warp out to the Special Zone, with Amy as their prisoner. Meanwhile, Robotnik is visited by a pair of image consultants, who want to convince him to change his look to make people like him more. Robotnik furiously throws them out but decides they were right in a way and that his body has served its purpose, deciding it’s time for a change. An egg-shell forms around Robotnik’s body, much to the confusion of his chief scientist, Grimer. Sonic and Johnny make their way to the Special Zone using the Star Post hidden at the Freedom Fighters’ base (previously retrieved in Attack of the Badniks). The two make it to Robotnik’s Fortress and Sonic breaks in, only for them both to be caught by the Fortress’ defence system and encased in a pink sphere. Grimer and a pair of Troopers gloat and tells the heroes that Robotnik can’t greet them right now as he’s “changing into something more comfortable” as the egg shell begins to crack…
Robotnik bursts free from the egg, regenerated into a new body and claiming he feels more powerful, more deadly and more rotten then ever. Grimer holds Sonic, Johnny and Amy prisoner in his lab as Robotnik bursts in, flanked by Troopers. He tells Sonic his plan to convert him, Johnny and Amy in new Super Badniks – and once the process is complete, they can never be changed back. Sonic has Johnny help him roll the sphere free from the pedestal it has been placed atop and, running inside it, smashes into three of the Troopers. Robotnik orders someone to stop the two and the last Trooper responds, against Grimer’s protestations, by firing on the sphere, which shatters it and frees Sonic and Johnny. Amy, meanwhile, has been placed in her Super Badnik shell and feels the program begin to take control of her mind. Sonic smashes the Badnik and frees Amy before the process can be completed (after first teasingly suggesting to Johnny they pretend they hadn’t seen her). Sonic rushes Amy and Johnny to freedom as Robotnik bellows for someone to stop them – only to eye Grimer smashing the trigger-happy Trooper from before. Incandescent at Grimer stopping destroying the last Badnik that could have caught Sonic, Robotnik takes his anger out on the scientist. Back at the Freedom Fighters’ base, Johnny tells Sonic Amy will have to join the group because now Robotnik thinks she’s Sonic’s girlfriend, she won’t be safe in Emerald Hill Village. Sonic accepts this, but tells Amy she isn’t his girlfriend. She agrees, but adds “Not yet, anyway,” rankling the blue hedgehog. Back at Robotnik’s Fortress, a bandaged Grimer tells Robotnik that the tests he’s ran are all positive and Robotnik is jubilant, certain that not even Sonic will be a match for Operation Metallix…
Notes: The first appearance in this continuity of Doctor Robotnik’s redesign, changing him from how he appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog video games to how he appears in Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.
CREDITS
Writer: Nigel Kitching
Artist: Richard Elson
Letterer: Ellie de Ville
Review
In 1993, the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise received something of a shake-up as the Sonic video games saw the arrival of their first female character! Though it would be a while before she became part of the main cast, Amy was quickly added to the line-up of characters seen regularly in tie-in media. Sonic the Comic was, before 1999’s Sonic Adventure, almost inarguably her greatest starring role as prior to that time the Archie Comics continuity mainly used Sally for Amy’s role. Of course, back in 1993, it was slim pickings for characterisation when it came to the pink hedgehog. Most official documentation had her as a Sonic-obsessed girl who would chase him to the ends of the world, even if he wasn’t particularly keen on romance. Recent years have seen Amy fleshed out much more strongly than this, but Sonic the Comic writer Nigel Kitching had his own spin to put on Amy.
Immediately, we’re introduced to her as a character who has been going around telling everyone she’s Sonic’s girlfriend, which we learn right away irritates Sonic as, aside from anything else, it isn’t true. The beauty of Amy’s character in these early issues is you’re never quite sure if she’s joking. Later stories would have Amy be a bit more of an action-girl but here her greatest skill seems to be an almost preternatural skill for winding Sonic up. There’s nothing outright stated in the text but Amy doesn’t exactly seem put out at having to leave the village to live with the Freedom Fighters – it’s almost as if she planned it by pretending to by a bit of a nutter and putting a target on her back. Her final cheeky aside with a wicked smile seemingly aimed at the reader as Sonic flinches makes very clear Amy isn’t the foolish girl she’s been pretending to be; this is a character who knows exactly what she wants and how to get it.
In addition to Johnny getting his redesign in the form of a red leather jacket (to match Porker’s black one), we also get a few new faces in this story, firstly in the form of minor character Receptionik who’ll continue to be a presence through the Mobius R.B.R. era and, more importantly than that, Grimer, Robotnik’s chief scientist. In Grimer, Kitching gives Robotnik a sounding board to bounce dialogue off so he isn’t just soliloquising or talking to his Badniks. Grimer fills a similar role to Snively from the Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon and the Archie Comics continuity inasmuch as he’s a long-suffering, sometimes physically mistreated, but ultimately loyal second to Robotnik, but Grimer filling the chief scientist role gives him enough to be clearly distinct (the utterly distinct design notwithstanding!).
Robotnik, too, has a new face, redesigned to appear as he does in Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. However, whereas in that series the design is used to heighten comedy, here Richard Elson leans into the grotesquery of the character, turning a comedic design into one genuinely quite intimidating, befitting the seriousness of Robotnik’s characterisation in STC.
On top of all this and more art from Richard Elson which fits incredible levels of detail and personality into every scene, the story is packed from beginning to end with dialogue which manages to be funny and also showcase great character moments, including another example of Sonic’s weird sense of humour. The only downside is Tails and Porker appear in both parts of the story and have no dialogue, making them oddly silent as an adventure unfolds around them!
With Amy added to the line-up, Kitching had basically solidified the core Freedom Fighter line-up and the next few years of storytelling with the characters would revolve around this group, with Robotnik and Grimer leading the villain side – and it’s all neatly set up in this superb story.
 RAVES |  GRAVES |
| A script full of great gags and strong character interactions. | Tails and Porker are entirely superfluous to the story! |
| THE VERDICT | RANK |
| A story that’s spinning so many plates and managing to keep them all in the air, complete with awesome, action-packed artwork. |  |
The Kintobor Computer 