Introduction:
The Sonic community is one of the most diverse video game communities in existence. This is because Sonic has taken many forms and introduced many types of fans. Some were introduced thanks to the Genesis games, some because of Shadow the Hedgehog, and some even by more infamous games like Sonic ‘06. But video games aren’t the only form of media that brought many people to enjoy the blue blur like the TV shows for example. But there’s one specific form of media that even got a place in the Guinness World Records of 2008 and that is comics. Sonic has had a few different types of comics like the UK Fleetway comics and the recent IDW comics. But in this retrospective series, I’m going to be focusing on the longest-running comic series based on a video game that just so happens to be the Archie Comics. Join me as we talk about the first issue of this long comic series which was published in July 1993. This issue was written by Michael Gallagher.
Meet Me at the Corner of Hedgehog & Vine:
Our story begins with the evil Dr. Robotnik choking/destroying a Sonic pinata (what a lovely way to start a comic series). As he is loathing against Sonic, Swat-bot #693-47892 appears with a plant to show the doctor. This infuriates him as it is against one of his many rules (these include, but not limited to, no laughing, reading, cute animals, dancing, etc.). The robot then shows him that this isn’t any ordinary plant as it is actually a machine disguised as one and is growing rapidly. This makes the doctor curious and asks what he intends to do with it. The swatbot proposes seeding the forest using a burrobot where Sonic and the Freedom Fighters live with these plants. Robotnik is pleased with this idea and disposes of the swat-bot and claims the idea as his own (thus concluding the epic tale of Swat-bot #693-47892. I’ll see you all next week).
Meanwhile, in the Knothole Village, the Sonic and Princess Sally Acorn are talking about….war strategies (and totally not what kind of picture frame they want to put on their map of Mobius). As Sonic and Sally talk, Antoine D’Coolette starts to get jealous and leaves the hidden base of Knothole to find flowers to get Sally’s attention.
As you can see, the Archie comics are heavily based on the popular SatAM cartoon. Some mistake it to be the other way around but that’s not true. Archie worked off of early production materials of SatAM that DiC and Sega gave them. This is why Sally had to go through different color styles and Rotor was named Boomer.
Where was I again? …Ah! There we are.
So, as Antoine searches for flowers, he stumbles upon the robotic plants that the burrobot planted and gets trapped. When he screams for help, Sonic and Sally immediately see Antoine, and the hedgehog slices the plant with his spindash. They take Antoine, who is covered in vines, to Rotor Boomer. The walrus quickly takes the vines from Antoine and throws them in a flowerpot. But as the Freedom Fighters were about to call it a day, Tails finds the flowerpot and decides to water it. The gang starts panicking but, to their surprise, instead of growing, the robotic plants explode. This catches Sally’s attention because according to the weather report, there is a 95% chance of severe thunderstorms. As Robotnik watches his plants be destroyed by the rain, he disposes of the burrobot in anger.
You Bet My Life:
Robotnik is not giving up, far from it. He plans on making a grand speech in the Casino Night Zone. Once the Freedom Fighters tell Sonic, he dashes towards the zone and finds the Renobotnik, a casino owned by Dr. Robotnik. Sonic manages to find the room where Dr. Robotnik will be unveiling his latest invention. He manages to sneak a seat and sees the new robot: Orbinaut, a spherical robot that has 4 spike balls circling around it. The badnik shoots one of its spiky orbs at the hedgehog as a demonstration that knocks him out.
Once Sonic recovers, he notices he’s trapped in a glass ball and Robotnik uses him as a pinball in a giant pinball machine. As Robotnik was about to re-insert Sonic, he learns that someone won money in his casino (50 cents to be precise) so he leaves to…take care of the lucky winner. This gives Sonic enough time to cut the glass so when Robotnik hits the glass ball in the pinball machine, which he does, he will break free. Once he’s free, he destroys the pinball machine he is in. As the orbinaut attacks, Sonic deflects the spiky balls and hits Robotnik. Once he leaves the casino, he watches it explode sending the doctor flying. This concludes Issue #1 of the Sonic Archie Comics.
At a Glance: Archie Sonic Comics: Issue 1
Summary: Robotnik has covered the Knothole base with robotic vines! Will the Freedom Fighters have a way to destroy them? Or will they be chocked before they get the chance?
Publish Date: July 1993