Well...are we in for a surprise...
Anywho the first few pages are Mina and Ash getting caught up on some of the events...BUT first Mr. Emo apologizes to Sonic for the same thing Sonic has been for like...EVER. Of course he still has his snide remark and gets put down for it. Ash leaves STILL a bit emo while Sonic shows Mina around. Did I mention I'm happy Mina is back?
Anywho, he first gives her a tour of what remains of Knothole (Nothing whatsoever). Mina gets a little sad since she had wrote a ballad to rally the world against Eggman but that it seems kind of useless (I'm sue Eggman won't mind the song? Am I right?). Sonic tells her she can still sing for them and even says there's room for her and Ash at the FFHQ.
Mighty is hard at work at helping rebuild the place although when Mina asks about Knux, it gets about as quiet as a church during a sermon. They of course explain what happened and how redhead is still taking it hard (Who can blame him?). Tails drops from the sky to greet Mina and Sonic, while the former remarks with dripping irony that next thing she'll hear is that Sonic and Tails were fighting. Obviously they choose to ignore that little detail! Nicole interrupts the reunion by alerting Sonic that 'someone' wants to see him. Well I guess we all know who that is...
Mogul, of course! Sonic prays the guy has a sore throat but that would be too generous of Ian! Mogul basically dispenses with the pleasentries and asks to be let out, ASAP. Sonic points out that Mogul isn't in a position to argue but Mogul begs to differ by threatening to raise a new Fearsom Foursome to do his bidding. Sonic deduces, like the rest of us, that his new cronies are still locked up...and walks off, laughing. Mogul has a huge smile...which is never a good sign.
Later that night, Nack whines about how annoying Sonic is but Mogul basically ummm...monologues his plan. For the sake of those who don't want to whip out a dictionary, be basically says he's got telepathy and he knows how to use it, via people he's formed telepathic bonds with. Nack wonders if it might be with some foes and Mogul agrees. So who is part of this new foursome?
Mina?! Why yes, it seems that the true reason behind her increase in speed was from Mogul! (!!) He found her and enhanced her natural abilities (Speed). Of course she didn't use it to his desires but oh well. That's his first...
Second would be...Mighty? Why yes, seems people coming to Mogul for help was all the rage. What is interesting is that Mighty's parents were a bit into thievery and when they got jailed, Mighty came to Mogul for help, who blessed him with super strength. Of course this didn't allow Mighty to free his folks so he became a loner until he of course made it to the Floating Isle...
Third would be Tails (Not all that shocking) who was branded with the mark of Mogul's puppet while he was in Mogul's capture during that Green Knux incident...
Well that's three, but who's the fourth? Oh that's easy, except old True Blue isn't so easy to control. Sonic of course is sound asleep until he is rudely awaken and dragged outside where he is confronted by Mogul's little puppets...okay what?
Side story review coming later...
Okay side story...is very throwbackish and features everyone's favorite badniks...aka, all of them. This story is waaaaay too silly but anyways...Motobug returns to hear Crabmeat's tale. Basically after Sonic and Psuedo Sonic fought and the latter was messed up pretty bad (Sonic 170), they sunk the island in an attempt to repair him. Unaware to them, they found some device that caused him to grow to an enormous size, which they plan to use to conquer Mobius. Yeaaaaa...too bad they're interrupted by the Forty Fathom...Freedom Fighters. I felt retarded just saying that...
I won't spare you details but while the fishy friends and the badniks fight, Psuedo Sonic is revived and is back in business like King Kong...
Who is flattened in the next page by Fluke...and I meant it. After that threat is dealt with, they gather up the remaining badniks and crush them into a harmless metal cube...
We brought back those guys for this?
Are we going to use this, or the discussion thread I made?
And I got the comic, too today. Looks like an interesting story.
Have we ever had the review and the preview pages in the same thread?
Regardless, I'll consider posting the review in the preview page thread next time.
Too bad that mind control stories never seem to have lasting effects on a story universe as whole (there are exceptions, but not many), Cause otherwise, Sonic having to go up against his brainwashed buddies would make me even MORE giddy!!! And man did this issue make me giddy.
I got confused with the whole fearsome foursome deal. So now Mina, Mighty and Tails will be under Mogul's control? Followed by Sonic?
Seems interesting. I'll have to wait for another week to get this as I live in the middle of nowhere!
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Mogul basically ummm...monologues his plan.
more like Mogulogues, amirite?
Ah, this issue has my interest peaked.
Well, this certainly had some shocking revelations, and the idea of Sonic and his allies being brainwashed into becoming a new Fearsome Foursome is certainly surprising. I kind of like how Mighty and Mina's abilities came from Mogul, because it's so rare that a Sonic character's super powers are explained. I mean, we don't know why Sonic has his speed or why Tails can fly (really, anyway) but we know that Shadow's abilities were engineered into him and Knuckles got his because of his dad's genetic manipulation and exposure to Chaos Emerald energy. But what about everyone else? Anyway, I do agree that it's nice to hear a little more about Mighty. As for the Badniks...they were stupid the first time around, they're even dumber now.
Speaking of Knux, does anyone else wonder if he might get involved in this? Sure, he's only been gone for one issue, but if Mogul does manage to brainwash Sonic, who's going to save everybody else? Besides, it'd be nice to see him confront Mogul after how their last meeting turned out.
Given that the story ENDED right where the other three new baddies came to claim Sonic, I can imagine that someone is going to show up to save Sonic's hide, or Sonic is gonna be able to resist the same way he resisted Dr. Fin's hex on the Master Emerald. Which is kinda dissapointing.
I mean, it would have been COOL if the FF's had been forced to take on the Sonic and Tails pair, along with Mighty and Mina. (Both now free of their restraints of morals and code against killing. Mina wasn't an FF because she chickened out at an intense moment. However, MM has now removed that weakness.)
I know we've seen it before in the Free Sonic Issue and in Mecha Madness, but this time it's not just one hero who's brain has been rewrired, now it's four!
And personally, given how I've been told repeatedly how Mighty kicked Knuckles' butt in the Sonic The Comic series, it'll interesting to see how THIS version of Knux takes him.
Too bad we're likely gonna get stuck with Sonic and the others likely trying to contain the three while they work on their ex machina of breaking Mogul's brainwashing.
What's sad is how it's likely going to be solved with a simple push of the button by one of Rotor or Nicole's inventions (if Nicole just doesn't cut the problem off at it's source and lobotomizes Mogul).
I can understand that working for quick fix brainwashing. But this ISN'T quick fix brainwashing. These has been mental suggestions and conditioning that have been laying dorment and have been building for over a year at least (Mina), and an ENTIRE LIFETIME in Mighty's case. Realistically, that kind of brainwashing wouldn't be easy to fix.
As I said, I liked this story. It included Mina and Ash finally, and it had Matt Herms drawing for it, plus I thought the plot was interesting enough, although mind control is a it cliche. The general thought seems to be that Sonic will be mind-controlled, but I'm not so sure. He just got mind controlled in the free comic issues, and on a few other occasions. If he is mind controlled, I'd think that he would fight it off somehow. But then again, I can't be too sure.
Also, I like Ash's "huh?" expression when he comes into the doorway and sees Mina.
I don't get why Ash just stood there while Mina walked off with the weird look in her eyes.
And I find Mind Control to be a plot point in comics that NEVER gets old.
And finally, since the comic cut off just as Sonic WOULD, have been brainwashed, it's safe to assume he won't be (which I find a shame).
Just thought I'd toss this in, but in the free comic day issue, Sonic wasn't mind controlled, just body controlled. He even carried on a full conversation with Knuckles while his body was attacking him. Eggman was only controlling his body, not his mind.
Of course, even if Sonic and co. end up containing their brainwashed friends, future issue previews seem to indicate that Mogul's about to get some more help: namely, his old minions from the Destructix and the Badniks. Personally, I have no respect for those guys as villains, but I suppose they just have to throw a spoiler into the mix.
You are correct, let's review:
Sonic's been Robotocized (where it's been estabished that the majority of people are in their right state of mind, but their bodies are on auto-pilot).
He was body controlled, as said, and was able to tell his friends what was going on!
And finally, there was that time he lost his memory and was lied to.
None of these are in the same class of brainwashing that Mogul has just pulled.
Mina and Tails have had their suggestion building up for years, while for Mighty it's been building up for a life time.
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And personally, given how I've been told repeatedly how Mighty kicked Knuckles' butt in the Sonic The Comic series
He could but never actually did (Knuckles out-manouvered him the only time they fought).
That's what I get for taking the word of the world's second biggest Mighty fan at face value.
Is anyone else getting deja vu? In the next issue, somebody must sacrifice their own life to break Mogul's hexes!
I love how Ian manages to work so many little references and self-referential bits of humour into his stories, and this one was full of them. Sonic hoping that Mogul has a sore throat, Knuckles being offhandedly referred to as the "Ultimate Villain", even Sonic and Mighty joking around like old friends. It just makes the comic feel like Ian is in touch with the readers a lot more than Ken or Karl ever were.
