INFO BURST
Format: Comic strip
Initial Release Date: 22/1/94
Feature character: Miles “Tails” Prower
Villain: Trogg
Other Characters: Grey Enchanter King, Red Enchanter King, Errol Blackthorn, Shirob, The Dark One (here called The Evil One)
Locations: Mobius, Nameless Zone, The Enchanter Kings’ Inner Sanctum, Dimension Bridge, The Land Beyond, Trogg’s Labyrinth
Items: Tails’ Battle Armour
Continuity: Sonic the Comic
Synopsis: Tails is summoned to the Nameless Zone by the Enchanter Kings, who have a mission for him. The Enchanter Kings want Tails to rescue Shirob, the third Enchanter King who has been missing for many years, since before Tails left his home Zone. The Enchanter Kings tell Tails that Shirob, who they previously believed to have been killed by Trogg, has contacted them and is Trogg’s prisoner in the Land Beyond. Tails is given an ally on his quest, Errol Blackthorn. Errol and Tails cross the Dimension Bridge and enter the Land Beyond, where they are immediately surrounded by a number of gruesome members of Trogg’s army.
Errol manages to fight off the attackers with his sword as Tails contributes nothing to the scuffle. Tails comes clean to Errol that he is no great hero and exaggerated the truth in his letters home to his family. Errol tells Tails he must tell the Enchanter Kings of Tails’ deception as a matter of duty, but for the moment turns to the task at hand as the two enter Trogg’s Labyrinth. Errol tells Tails he’s studied maps of the labyrinth, but soon finds out his information doesn’t hold up as he and Tails end up being chased by a monster down a pit. Using his flying skills, Tails catches Errol as the two fall and saves him from being killed by the fall. Errol is grateful and admits he doesn’t want to inform the Enchanter Kings the truth about Tails, but tells him that he has to out of duty. The two find the skeletal remains of some unfortunates who found themselves in the it pit at some point in the past and hear an angry growl. Before they can flee, Errol and Tails find a prisoner chained up – Shirob. Errol gets to work breaking Shirob’s chains as the pit beast approaches from the shadows.
As the pit beast approaches, Errol smashes Shirob’s chains with a rock and the three foxes flee. The dim-witted pit beast eventually realises this makes him mad and gives chase. As the monstrous creature bears down on the three foxes, Tails realises it’s obvious they can’t escape in time and stands his ground to fight the beast as Errol and Shirob run for it. The pit beast lunges at Tails – and hits its head on a low-hanging rock. As the beast begins to cry in pain, Tails makes his exit. Tails rejoins Errol and Shirob, the latter of whom leads the walk through the labyrinth, claiming he knows the way to the surface. However, Errol is sure Shirob is actually leading the group deeper underground. Errol’s fears prove to be well-founded as Shirob leads them into the clutches of Trogg’s men… and then magically transmogrifies to reveal he is Trogg!
Trogg explains that as Shirob he was the oldest and most powerful of the Enchanter Kings. One night, he accidentally contacted The Dark One and was driven mad by the experience, before he was transformed into the hideous berserker. Trogg, humiliated by his loss to Tails on the Dimension Bridge, sent the message to the Enchanter Kings as Shirob, knowing they would send Tails to rescue their missing fellow. Tails tries to fight Trogg but is easily overpowered. As Trogg draws his sword, a green portal appears. Tails and Errol leap through it to safety and Trogg blindly hurls his sword after them, luckily for the heroes missing them. Tails and Errol find themselves back in the Inner Sanctum of the Enchanter Kings. It transpires that because of the incantation used, Tails can only remain in the Nameless Zone for a limited time and he must leave. Before Tails goes, Errol addresses the Enchanter Kings and tells them that without Tails’ help, he would have never survived the Land Beyond and that Tails is a truly worthy champion – and that they don’t want Shirob back. Tails tanks Errol and tells him he owes him one, before returning to the Emerald Hill Zone.
CREDITS
Writer: Nigel Kitching
Artists: Dave Windett (black and white) & John M Burns (colours)
Letterers: Elitta Fell (part 1), Steve Potter (parts 2-4)
Review
Not to be outdone by Sonic enjoying a multi-part adventure in the lead strip, Tails goes two better in this four-part adventure penned by Nigel Kitching who, by the time, was clearly the writer to watch when it came to the world of Mobius in Sonic the Comic’s pages. Kitching returns Tails to his home Zone of the Nameless Zone where another adventure of high-fantasy and intrigue plays out with the dastardly Trogg once again the source of Tails’ terrors.
As with the previous story, Tails is very much the reluctant hero in this one, though this time it directly impacts on the way the story unfolds. Obviously a lie as big as the one Tails has been building cannot sustain itself forever and, sure enough, he’s soon rumbled by Errol Blackthorn, his companion in this story. As things play out, it’s really Errol leading the adventure and Tails soon relegates himself to sidekick, as in his adventures with Sonic. However, the dynamic between Errol and Tails differs from that of Sonic and Tails. Sonic tends to give Tails a bit of a hard time but clearly holds a lot of affection and respect for him. Errol, on the other hand, has no real connection to Tails and so his duty to tell the truth about Tails’ untruths takes precedent. Straight-as-an-arrow Errol won’t even budge from this when Tails saves his life as coming clean is the right thing to do, even when it’s difficult or when you don’t want to. One might say this is undermined somewhat by Errol conveniently not telling the Enchanter Kings of Tails’ lie when he speaks to them later, but he never outright lies, only talking of their adventure. Errol maintains his integrity and honour and repays Tails for saving him. All the same, the reader finds themselves largely agreeing with Errol for the largest part of the story – Tails did lie, after all, and it’s only right he face the consequences of those lies.
Kitching has Tails run a gamut of emotions here, initially reluctant and nervous, then remorseful as he comes clean, then – amusingly – a bit sarcastic when Errol finds he’s not quite the expert he believed himself to be but, ultimately, it’s clear he and Errol find themselves coming to an understanding and, after Tails saves Errol’s life, the two operate as friends for most of the story as Tails grudgingly accepts he deserves to be punished for lying.
The revelation that Shirob is actually Trogg is a wonderful surprise and the subsequent backstory given explaining how Trogg came to be is an interesting look into a character who seemed to be little more than a brutish berserker in his initial appearance. One has to feel a little sympathy for Shirob’s plight, even if Trogg thinks his current form is an improvement.
If there’s one thing to be faulted about the story it’s that the page space really hampers it. Later Sonic the Comic back-up stories would be five pages long per part, but this one was only four pages long per part. Since each part has to set up and/or resolve a cliffhanger (with the opening and closing parts instead having to devote page space to introductory exposition and a wrap-up), what this means is the story ends up being quite stop-start, with elements being hurried through. The most noticeable victim of this is the final part, where Trogg and Tails don’t quite get the epic showdown the reader might expect as Tails and Errol retreat and then Tails leaves to go home. Another page would have done wonders to improve the action.
Dave Windett’s art is, once again, lovely, with John M Burns providing some sometimes atmospheric colours and adding little bits of flair or spark to realise bring the Land Beyond to unpleasant life. Windett supplies some freaky monsters to really show how Trogg’s domain is a whole world apart from Tails’ usual hangouts!
It’s a real shame this one isn’t quite able to breathe in the way it should. Had it enjoyed the benefit of the larger page space later Sonic-related back-up stories would enjoy, it would no doubt be stronger for it. As it is, this is still a solid story well worth a look.
 RAVES |  GRAVES |
| The interactions between Tails and Errol do lots to characterise them. | Limited page count means the story has to move at break-neck speed. |
| THE VERDICT | RANK |
| Despite a strong premise and a brilliant twist, The Land Beyond suffers from the short page count per part. |  |
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