Uh...I sort of made a topic about this at 9:29, one minute before your's.

So? We did our topics at the same time. If I had seen yours, I wouldn't have posted this one

This one now has more posts so lets stick with it =p.

#184 is one sexy cover. Definitely an improvement over last month.

I'm still not sure if this is confirmation one way or another that Knuckles is Enerjak. It's really starting to look like it, but I really don't want him to be

Also; Super Sonic twice in one month and in SX, hellz yeah. Totally calling some sort of Chaos beam from Enerjak or Master Emerald influence for the powerup, though. And I'm surprised that they're just randomly using Super in any old Sonic X issue instead of making a bit of a deal out of it.

I absolutely LOVE how Sonic X's cover looks like a monster movie poster. I'm also very glad that Super Sonic was'nt used for a milestone issue, it would have been too predictable.

I can honestly say, I hope to see more of Tracey's writing in the future.

Great, it looks like we get to talk about who is going to die, or should die, in this issue.

As incredible as 184 sounds, and as much as I want to get my hands on it, part of me really doesn't want to read this issue. I think that its because it sounds like after this issue, we'll never see Enerjak again, whereas one-trick ponies like Mogul are a dime a dozen.

I already made a reply over at the other topic.>.< When I saw the cover, I choked on my Fruit Loops.

EDIT: I think Locke is going to die or get ill

Okay so out goes Knux=Enerjak theory...

So is Knux some kind of conduit or something for Enerjak's power?

...What are you talking about? If anything, this furthers the Enerjak=Knuckles theory.

#184 - Now THAT'S A COVER!

The cover is okay, but it would be better if it was Turbo Tails instead of Super Sonic. Because I really think that these old ideas that Ian is brinning back into play like Sally's SATAM hair style and Sonic vs Knuckles are just too old and no good for the stuff that's going on right now in the STH comic book! I mean look at that outfit on Fiona Fox it makes her look like a real cheap rip-off, fox verson of Lien-Da. I just hope that Ian changes thing back to the way they were soon, like for one Sally's long hair style look?

i don't think this confirms the knux=enerjak theory just yet. obviously that's knux looking like he's in some sort of pain stuck on the master emerald. that could either mean he's trapped within his own powers driven mad by finitevus and becoming enerjak, or finitevus is using knux's connection to the master emeral to empower enerjak. i suppose knuckles being enerjak makes more sense, but the latter is still a possibility, and i'd still rather knux not be enerjak.

as for the ultimate sacrifice. i'm feeling locke. alot of potential for further storytelling there especially since he and knux have not been as close lately. whoever it is though, it's definitely someone in the knuckles world. that only makes more sense.

and i guess a super sonic appearance was in order for this storyline, although i like how, according to the preview, it seems even that isn't enough to stop enerjak, which i think stays true to enerjak's awesome power. Super Sonic is powerful, but i'm glad that it still isn't enough. this just isn't a battle i feel like watching sonic triumph in. he's just in over his head here, and i'm glad that the story isn't messing with that.

curious about Lien-Da's story as well. want to see how her tale plays out.

looks to be another good issue coming up. i don't know what i'm going to do with all these good sonic comics coming all in a row!

The idea of Locke dying is reminding me of the very touching "Father's Day" story that Ken Penders wrote.

Great covers!

Am I only one who got all-over tingly with excitement when I read this preview? And that cover! It's the best I've seen in ages, and definitely the first time I've ever (kind of) liked Locke's bushy eyebrows that came out of nowhere. (Though I still REALLY wish Ian and/or Tracy would get rid of them once and for all. Pretty please? They could always get burned off in a chaos-powered altercation or something ... or just disappear without comment. I'd pretend not to notice, anyway, and yet be eternally grateful.)

And yes, it's looking increasingly likely that Enerjak is Knuckles, but I still cling to the hope that he isn't: Not because I don't think Knuckles capable of "ravaging the world" or whatever (especially under the megalomania-inducing effects of excessive chaos energy), but mostly just because it would be so obvious, and I like to give Ian credit for more subtlety than that.

Even with all the speculation, I think the identity of the new Enerjak will still manage to take us all by surprise. I'd previously speculated that it was Remington, and am willing to admit that's looking increasingly unlikely after the revelation of #180's Kragok look-alike, but I'm not going to formulate a new theory. (You may now give thanks to the deity of your choice.) Though I'm certainly tempted:

a) a plethora of tests, programming projects, endless reams of homework, and four papers in the last two weeks have left me intellectually drained, and

b) I'd probably just be wrong anyway, so

c) I'm not going to bother.

Said theory would only have about a week to ferment and garner no replies anyway, so I think I'll just wait for #181 to come out. (Incidentally, how quickly do subscriptions kick in? I was thinking of taking one out so I could get #181 early, as compared to waiting for it to come out in stores, anyway.)

Although ... the preview cover does give me pause as concerns Locke. The split image of Finitevus and him seems to indicate (as mirror image motifs often do) that Locke and Finitevus are more alike than anyone, save possibly Ian, would like to admit. Alike in evil, perhaps (i.e. the "heel turn" that Ian has arguably laid the groundwork for since "Call of Duty's" infamous threat)?

Could they even be working together, contrary to popular belief? Even given that he's my favorite character, I wouldn't put it past Locke to exploit the circumstances to get what he so desperately wants: Knuckles fighting for the echidna cause again ... willingly or not.

For instance, a part of me has always suspected that he deliberately allowed himself to be captured by the dingos prior to RtAI in order to manipulate Knuckles into coming back to Angel Island and assisting him there. (Witness the fact that he and Archimedes had apparently discussed possibilities for re-igniting Knuckles' powers before he even arrived there, and Locke's reaction when he learned that all of this has been for naught, because Knuckles was leaving again anyway.)

And notice Locke's expression on the cover: Am I the only one who thinks it looks like he's smiling? Highly suspicious, methinks, seeing as (if I remember correctly) you can count on one hand (with no fingers) the number of times Locke has been shown smiling on any of the many covers he's appeared on. And smiling wickedly, no less.

This is what leads me to believe that if anyone's going to die (a la the "ultimate sacrifice" mentioned in the preview), it probably won't be Locke. What would be the point of effecting his heel turn (if that is Ian's intent) if Ian is just going to kill him off immediately afterward? Locke is arguably the most developed of the characters; I just don't see why Ian would waste that and squander Locke's vast potential by killing him off.

It could be some of the members of the Brotherhood. They're not really necessary anymore, and there's at least 3 of them that could be killed off without a fuss.

Hmm...I wonder what Lien-Da is going to do.

Anything, they said...maybe even...

Become Enerjak in place of whoever's Enerjak now? :O

Locke, you're looking rather sly as of late. o.o

*convinced Locke is Enerjak, and who better to power him than Knuckles?*

Why does everyone think that Knuckles being by the Master Emerald means that he's some sort of power source? If we're going by that angle, then I guess Dr. Finitevus and Locke merge together and become gigantic? Covers don't always tell what EXACTLY happens.

The world is not yet ready for the awesome that is "Titan Lockevus". Better save it for a milestone issue.

Well, I am definitely looking forward to this! The cover looks awesome, definitely better than the less than impressive #183 cover.

So, Super Sonic finally meets someone he can't beat, huh? About time! I always thought that Enerjak would be stronger than a level one Super form, and now it appears that we have proof. Finally, a Super showdown where the hero isn't going to overpower the villain!

Well, if you didn't belive that Knux was the new Enerjak, the cover does seem to indicate it. I don't care if he's shadowed, that Echidna is either Rad Red or someone who looks exactly like him. The only guys who come close are the Brotherhood, and so far we know that Locke isn't and we don't know what's happened to the rest of them. Still, I won't act like it's fact just yet; there's an old adage about when you assume, but I can't say it because I'm against swearing.

Lien-Da's situation sounds interesting, and I am curious as to what she could do at this point to regain her power. Taking Enerjak's place would be an interesting twist, but if she does I think it'll be a while before we see her again. With the exception of Mammoth Mogul's theft of the first Enerjak's powers, it usually takes a while for a villain who's stolen power from another villain or hero to resurface. I hope she doesn't become the new Enerjak, because that would just be cliche.

Locke's "smugness" may not indicate that he's evil-it could be that he thinks Enerjak is going down. Of course, Finitevus' evil grin sure looks a lot more confident-I do wonder what'll happen to him when the Enerjak arc ends. Speaking of which, I am quite pleased that the new Enerjak will last at least one issue more than the old one (2 if you count #180).

EDIT: I wonder what the ultimate sacrifice deal is all about. Does it have to do with Lien-Da's gamble to regain her powers, or could it be that one of our beloved heroes (or not so beloved *cough*Locke*cough*) is going to take a dive to save the day?

>> Knux is not Enerjak camp-still holding out And I think we're right...

I think one of the Brotherhood may have pushed the gauntlet, seriously. I really think Spectre may die to stop the madness >>

Oh, please don't let it be Spectre! If one of the Brotherhood has to die, let it be Sojourner or Thunderhawk-those guys don't contribute anything anyway!

I respect that you're staying true to your theory, Darkest Light. Who knows, maybe you'll be right.

Probably the most disappointing thing about the final battle with Enerjak is that Shadow doesn't look like he's going to be involved. I mean sure, I don't want a repeat of Super/Hyper/Turbo Team Sonic vs. Master Mogul, but I would like to see Shadow doing a little more than just jump in to help and then get smacked silly, which does appear to be what's going on.

I have a rather ominous theory as to who might make the sacrifice to save the day, which branches off of the theory that Knuckles is Enerjak: Julie-Su. She gets desperate to save him, and in the process does something extremely ill-advised. Still, no telling until the issue comes out.

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Why does everyone think that Knuckles being by the Master Emerald means that he's some sort of power source? If we're going by that angle, then I guess Dr. Finitevus and Locke merge together and become gigantic? Covers don't always tell what EXACTLY happens

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but they can still be symbolic. sure it can mean knux is enerjak, but it can also mean other things. covers also don't always depict just ONE scenario either. allow us our guesses until 181 tells us the answer

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Locke, you're looking rather sly as of late. o.o

*convinced Locke is Enerjak, and who better to power him than Knuckles?*

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You know, I would SO love that. As soon as we learned Finitevus most probably wouldn't be Enerjak himself, I started hoping to see Locke take on that role, if only because it would mean Ian was finally taking him seriously as a character.

Locke has been made to seem particularly ... ineffectual (and, I would argue, OOC) of late, with most of his appearances focusing on his obsession with finding the Brotherhood at the expense of the performance of his Guardian duties, his raging pointlessly at Knuckles for not coming back and supposedly making ridiculous threats, etc. This is not to mention the uncharacteristic gullibility that he's exhibited pretty consistently since the RtAI arc, as well.

What people tend to forget in all this is that Locke is smart, calculating, and a skillful manipulator, in addition to possessing considerable physical strength/chaos ability (both of which have also been sorely underrated lately, too). In short, he is perfectly capable of being a serious threat. Whether to the dingos/Eggman or our heroes remains to be seen, I suppose, depending on how the chips fall.

That said, I don't really see Locke as a contender for Enerjak as of the preview for #183, unless his quest to destroy Enerjak means that he's actually trying to enlist Sonic and Julie-Su's aid in ... de-Enerjakizing himself or something. Certainly, hope springs eternal, but I'm forced to admit it's looking like a longshot at this point.

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Locke's "smugness" may not indicate that he's evil-it could be that he thinks Enerjak is going down.

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You make a valid point, and one I hadn't considered. It's still mostly the fact that Locke is presented as a mirror image of Finitevus (or vice versa), rather than, say, independently of Finitevus, off in his own corner of the cover, that makes me wonder.

And while Bean the Dynamite also makes a valid point about not reading too much into the preview covers, advice I've given myself in the past, I tend to think the main danger of doing so lies in interpreting such covers too literally. A symbolic interpretation before the fact tends to yield more rewarding results, I think, though symbols themselves are arguably even more open to misinterpretation. So I'm willing to admit I could be completely off-base here, that's just what struck when I first saw this cover.

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The world is not yet ready for the awesome that is "Titan Lockevus". Better save it for a milestone issue.

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Titan Lockevus XD. That's rich. No, I just remembered what I was going to post before...and I was making sure aurelia didn't hit on it.

Yeah-covers are sometimes symbolic and sometimes not symbolic, but I think for this time, it is. I think that part of Fini's plan was to catch Knux, force his body into releasing that yummy Chaos Energy (how much you wanna bet that friggin' "the servers are the seven chaos" chant is gonna pop up again.)

and either

1) Sonic dives in the way, takes the blast and continued the fight only to get murdered as Enerjak takes another hit and beats Sonic silly or..

2) Enerjak wiipes Knux unconscious for the time being, and wields immense power. Super Sonic fights long enough for Julie-Su to try and stop Enerjak...

and we end up with a repeat of the whole first Knux Mini-Series-by trapping Enerjak with some ancient doohickey the Fire-ants had lying around, and Locke going *This is it!" and making it go boom, taking out the lone brotherhood member who was pushed to the edge.

o.O That or Enerjak is really Wynmacher and we were all fooled into thinking he was just some punk echidna quaterback :O.

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That or Enerjak is really Wynmacher and we were all fooled into thinking he was just some punk echidna quaterback :O.

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That'd be really anti-climatic.

You know, if Knuckles is the power source for the new Enerjak, that'll completely destroy the Enerjak origin back-up story in #181. It's supposed to be about who Enerjak is, not who's powering him up.

No it wouldn't. What if the person who's Enerjak dosen't have a limitless amount of Chaos energy in them? What, by some weird reasoning, they can't actually MAINTAIN that type of power in them-and so need refueling, in a sense? (oxymoronical, yues?)

I know that the topic of Enerjak's identity has had it's fair share of jokes, but I would like to make some reiterations as to my opinions. First off, Wynmacher isn't Enerjak; I don't dislike him or anything, but if Finitevus were to make anyone besides Knuckles Enerjak, it sure as heck wouldn't be the wimp who worships the ground Knux walks on since he came back from the dead.

Locke being Enerjak doesn't make sense to me for two reasons. First, I don't think even he's obsessed enough to take on the identity of his family's historical arch-nemesis. And second, Locke was off Angel Island when the new Enerjak was born-Finitevus sent him off with a Warp Ring. Why would Finitevus kicked him out if he was just going to bring him back anyway? True, maybe he just wanted Locke out of the way so he could do whatever he needed to prepare the ceremony that would bring Enerjak 2.0 to life, but I just don't see him doing that when he could have just had the Destructix-or himself-pound on Locke and hold him prisoner.

I agree that the #181 backup story seems to indicate that the big shocker is who the new Enerjak is, not how he got his powers. We know he's going to get them from the Master Emerald, and I don't see any reason why he would need to be recharged constnantly or need a conduit for it. Finitevus knows his stuff; I think he's managed to transfer energy from the Emerald to Enerjak, and he didn't need any fancy devices. Plus, he's smart enough to do it without leaving the Emerald totally empty, so it doesn't end up plummeting with Angel Island.

But..uhh who besides the triple threat, Mogul and Energak have been able to wield this force tho those gross quantities. :O.

No one. So if it is someone new, they may not be fully able to deal with it. :o. At all. They may need rest periods. They might burn out. Who knows. I'm just fighting for it not to be Knux >>

I feel like Little Mac in Super Punch out right now...

Oh, I don't know: the Ancient Walkers, Merlin Prower, Athair, Aurora, the Brotherhood...the list kind of goes on. Really, Finitevus being able to control massive quantities of Chaos energy wouldn't be so much an impossibility as a cliche-though as least he appears to manipulate it with a different form of power and not just Chaos itself.

AW-Dead
Merlin-not an Echidna
the Brotherhood-are our only speculative hosts.

Please do go on because when you think about it, we don't have that many options with that much power >>.

Fini does control some sort of Anti-Chaos (Calm xD) energy and somehow changes its forces a bit, but at the same time since he changes the force of the Chaos energy, it dosen't work the same, and he needs real pure energy to have Enerjak be reborn.

Hernce we need another Master Emerald....

O WAYT HAY! DA KNUX GAI CN GLOW LYK ONE! GET HEEM!

*throws an enerjak!candidate in there*

EDMUND.

C'mon guys, how cool would that be?
Dimitri has been Enerjak, and now Edmund can be too!
I know, I know, Edmunds long since dead, but think about it, when all the dead brotherhood members were there with Knuckles at his funeral during the 'afterlife' arc, WHERE WAS EDMUND, EH?
He's a guardian too! And if Edmund IS dead, when has that ever been an obstacle? Knuckles died, and came back to life! Why not Edmund? Edmund barely gets a mention, and yet Dimitri has been around for years! Edmund plzkthx!

K... this started out as a joke candidate, but now I'm kinda liking the idea... =3!

He didn't make a very good Guardian, though, so even with omnipotent power, he might not make a good Enerjak. Though it would be funny to have an Enerjak who assaults people with scrap wood.

Enernochhio?

.....

Wow, that was terrible even for me.

i guess you could sit and say that edmund could come back to life, but i think the comic made too good a point as to why he died in the first place. edmund died because he didn't fully understand the reasoning behind the island having a guardian. that's why steppenwolf had to be so thoroughly trained by christopholes so that he could be an adequate guardian. no, edmund is dead and long gone and it wouldn't make sense to bring him back. i'm seeing how it makes the most sense for knux to be enerjak. i just don't like it because i am personally still reeling from the chaos knuckles phase that happened after sonic 100. to me, it feels like the writers are beating a dead horse. we've already dealt with knux being posessed by awesome powers and not making the best judgments afterwards. even if this is a forced posession at the hands of finitevus, it still feels like a been there, done that plot with knux being enerjak. plus, i'm still stubbornly stuck on enerjak being a knuckles villain and not a sonic villain so the thought of knux being enerjak just ruins the whole concept for me.

but regardless, i can say that this looks to be a great story and i think i'll be satisfied no matter what the outcome. (when it all comes down to it, it's an echidna story, and those are the stories that get me the most, so i'm looking forward to it)

I hear your complaints, roach; nothing ticks me off more than the fact that Knuckles isn't going to be the guy taking on Enerjak in the final battle, but Sonic is. I know the argument: Sonic's the title character of the story-but Enerjak is KNUCKLES' arch-nemesis. If anyone should be beating Enerjak, it should be Knuckles! Still, I'm not complaining too much about him being Enerjak; I just wish that someone besides Mr. High and Mighty Hedgehog was playing last ditch hero. It's true that the idea of Knuckles losing his mind to Chaos power isn't exactly original, but at least they did something to bring Enerjak back.

Edmund hasn't shown up after dying because he never tapped into the Chaos Emerald's powers. He just died normal; the Guardians who came after him get to do the whole Chaos Ghost thing. I seriously doubt that Edmund is the new Enerjak; besides, that would be just plain sad. I'd prefer it if Aaron were to end up being it, but he got blown up with Menniker.

I am definitely looking forward to this story, and I only hope that Archie doesn't disappoint (for once!).

To be perfectly 100% honest I was kind of wondering if Scourge was going to turn out to be the new Enerjak. I know he had some interaction with the Master Emerald that helped his transformation into Scourge-Ness, and Dr. Finnetevus had been keeping him around...I was kind of expecting Dr. Fin to just throw him into a chamber one day, pull a switch, and transform him.

Because seriously, that would be a huge plotwist -- Enerjak not being reborn as an Echidna. But ah well. Probably for the better. Scourge's ego is big enough already.

Indeed; I myself wondered how Scourge could put up with someone stealing the power that he tried to take for himself, but I guess he got enough with the first dose and doesn't think he needs anymore. Personally, I'm glad Scourge didn't become the new Enerjak, because it sucks enough that Knuckles' arch-foe is going to be fought by Sonic; if they made one of Sonic's rivals into a reincarnation of Knux's arch-foe, they would have gone too far and taken too much from good ol' Rad Red; he's already playing second fiddle, and I'm getting tired of it.

It's Sonic's comic. Knuckles is playing second fiddle because he is a second fiddle character. Complaining about how much Sonic vs. Enerjak hurts your fanboy sensibilities isn't going to fix it. Why don't you just wait until the arc is over and then comment on it?

Excuse me if I think that a character created as an arch-enemy for one character shouldn't be fought by another character. Then again, it's hardly a surprise; Mammoth Mogul was supposed to be Tails' nemesis, but he's tangled with Knuckles, Sonic, and even Sally. I know that nothing I say will change the fact that Sonic's gonna fight Enerjak...but it doesn't mean I have to be happy about it.

i'm gonna keep to my opinions whenever i want, not just after an arc is over. most comics are named after a certain character, but the entire story doesn't have to cater to that main character. it's called depth, and it's a healthy aspect for a comic to have. they're the ones who wanted to incorporate knuckles into sonic, so let's see it

Okay, I haven't been keeping up with the previews, but if it IS Knuckles who is Enerjak, than it'd make perfect sense for having Sonic fight him, because Knuckles can't exactly fight himself

So, it's only fair that Sonic tries to help his friend, ain't it?

Knuckles had his time to shine during the Return to Angel Island. We don't want the book turning into a second Knuckles series, thus leaving it to be cancelled, do we? =p

That was a bit low, Toby, don't you think?

To put it logistically (at least as far as I'm concerned): more people're going to buy a comic named Sonic the Hedgehog because they expect to read about Sonic the Hedgehog than they are to read about Knuckles, Sally or whoever.

There'd probably be more readers lost through trying to turn the series into a second Knux comic or look for parity than there would be gained by pandering to the small but vocal group of Knuckles fans who can't or won't appreciate that.

If Sonic was going to get to do everything, they might as well never have bothered putting anyone but him and Dr. Robotnik/Eggman into the story in the first place. I mean, honestly; Archie comes up with all these characters, villains and heroes alike, but it's always Sonic and Dr. Eggman who get the props! I don't care if they were the originals, or if the series is named after Sonic; if that blue hog knew how much attention he gets in the comics, he'd have an even bigger ego than he does now.

Spoilers (Select To Read): Knuckles is the new Enerjak, but just because he can't fight himself doesn't mean that someone else can't. I want to see Shadow kicking someone's butt, man!

This is why, I'm really starting to dislike the Sonic the Hedgehog comic book, It's because of Ian's work on it. I mean Sonic didn't have this big ego trip until after Ken left and Ian started working on STH. So if anyone's to blame for all of this it would be Ian. Yeah at first I did like Ian's work but now I don't know what the heck he's trying to do, It's like he's going four ways at once on STH! In fact I really think Ian is killing off the STH comic book by giving it a real slow death.

1. The real verson of the 25 years later story, just from the looks of it.
2. The old SATAM Sonic.
3. Sonic X!
4. Other M!

Amen to that; Ian may have done quite a bit of good, but he screwed up Sonic and thus has screwed up the story. Not that Sonic didn't have an ego before, but it wasn't as pronounced. I just wish the story could be like it was pre-issue #125: no love triangles, no feuds between friends, just good old fashioned butt-kicking with a little romance thrown in and supervillains who haven't been diminished by a few years of issues!