sounds like a good issue. i can't wait to read it.

I'm happy to hear that Sonic finally calls Fiona out on her betrayal.

I'll make a prediction...

Anyway, sounds awesome! Both stories sound great. Plus, Silver and Rob!

I can't wait to get this issue!

Never Lake!? Will the Little Planet be making an appearance?

I read somewhere else that the person Snively was talking to was called "RF" and they were contacting Snively from the Dragon Kingdom, the place where Monkey Khan lives.

The person he was speaking to was signed in as DKA: RF.

Oh, never mind then. ^_^;;

At this point it is purely a guess that DKA:RF is from the dragon kingdom. We don't really know that for sure, though I wouldn't be terribly surprised if he/she/it is. I'll re-post my opinions from bumbleking here:

Pretty good issue. I'd be lying if I said I was surprised that the Suppression Squad turned on the Freedom Fighters on their deal. I'm not shocked at all by their actions. Rosy was still kind of funny, I liked her picture introducing her on page one, it shows how crazy she is. Felt a little bad for Buns, this might lead to complications for her as the Omega suit is almost completely ruined. Honestly, I thought the SS and the Freedom Fighters could hold Scourge and Fiona off a little more capably than they actually did... I mean, I didn't think they could beat him, but I thought they could hold him off a little more successfully.

As for Snively's back-up, it was interesting. It raised a lot of questions, I'm curious to see who he was talking to and where the person is from. I'm sure this probably has something to do with #200 and the lead-up to it. It was interesting to see Eggman struggling and angry at his current condition. Last time we saw him, he seemed to be giddy at Metal Sonic and very distracted. That's not to say he was never worried, but it's interesting to see him trying to work and improve his current standings. It's also interesting to see that Snively really does have little or no say in the empire... I mean, I know he is above the DEL, but if Robotnik's not around, it's obvious they don't give a hoot about him. WB's art on this side story was pretty good over-all.

Hrm. Makes sense yet? Nope

Still dun explain Scourge going super. That's two issues away now...

I'm happy to hear that Sonic finally calls Fiona out on her betrayal.

I still have my own theory on that, and I'm starting to feel more and more with every issue as though I may have at least some of it right - but I can't go fully into it without breaking the relationship rule. What I'm about to say next is very much abridged and addressing the betrayal remark - any reference to the relationship angle is because Fiona as a character is tied in with both 'hogs and in reference to the storyline, rather than trying to start any kind of debate. I hope that people'll respect that.

Keeping it short, though, and without having read the dialogue in question: I can see where Fiona'd be coming from on the betrayal angle. Even in the issue where she finally split with Sonic, she was apparently willing to talk until he questioned her past, whereupon she got angry and acted as though he'd betrayed her all over again. He'd never done that before - he'd even cited his own past as a reason why not.

Up until then he'd been accepting her as she was - even defending her against Sally's mistrust (which is why her "I'm going after the lady in charge!" comment a couple of issues ago didn't surprise me and actually made perfect sense) - but the moment that he tried to question the idea of taking her at face value, she turned on him.

There's something which I noticed when re-reading through my issues just after 180 came out (don't laugh, but given all of the debate over the bow, I was re-reading through Fiona's appearances to see how many times it appeared and when it became standard costume) which is what got me onto this whole way of thinking (yes, I've been kicking this theory around for that long).

Look at Fiona's dialogue in issue 165, right before Sleuth shows up and blows the whistle on what she's been up to with Scourge - she's just about to 'fess up to Sonic all by herself, and all she wants is forgiveness.

It's right after that that she starts disappearing more and more. I wonder if she felt that that what Tails knew getting out'd be the final straw with Sally and the rest of the FFs' more judgemental faction and went with Scourge because she felt that he'd accepted her, past and all. That's all she's seemed to be looking for throughout this whole arc: acceptance rather than repeated abandonment, and she's willing to do whatever she needs to to fit into her environment and survive.

Choosing to keep disappearing meant that Sonic started distrusting her and it turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy, but some of the FFs just made it hard work for her to turn over a new leaf. In her position, I'd probably find loyalty either a double-edged sword, something that happened to other people or just plain overrated, too.

I can't help wondering if that point in 165 is going to get referenced at some point, because it seems like a very random thing to do otherwise, and it'd explain a lot.

Congrats, Sam. You pretty much nailed what I've been building towards since then.

Not to say Fi's issues are fully explored, finished, or even concrete at this stage, but you've put together the puzzle with the pieces I put out there.

Hmmm, that makes quite a good deal of sense, haha. The rest of the FF tend to be a bit more unforgiving than Sonic but remember who they have to deal with.

And on a separate note, I have to wonder if Scourge's little rampage would have ever happened if Sonic hadn't gotten him thinking back in 172. Would Scourge have became that focused otherwise?

Hmm, I never thought of it that way, Sam. You make a very good point.

Still, I think Fiona really needs to check her priorities as far as Scourge is concerned. He's already proven that he's more than willing to treat her like dirt.

And I hope I didn't just cross the relationship line.

Congrats, Sam. You pretty much nailed what I've been building towards since then.

Not to say Fi's issues are fully explored, finished, or even concrete at this stage, but you've put together the puzzle with the pieces I put out there.

*laughs* Thanks, Ian - now I definitely wish I hadn't kept quiet about it for over a year (getting more and more certain every month ) because I was worried about breaking the relationship rule, and'd actually gotten around to blogging it like I originally meant to!

Like I said a while back, when I said again that I couldn't talk about this stuff because the relationship angle was still more conjecture on my part than any evidence that'd been published yet and let me air it here: I get the feeling it's all about choices, and Fi made plenty of her own that led her to this stage with Sonic and the FFs. I really like that emotional complexity to her - but you've probably already figured that out.

Still, I think Fiona really needs to check her priorities as far as Scourge is concerned. He's already proven that he's more than willing to treat her like dirt.

But what seems to be more important to her is having someone there for her, no matter how badly she's being treated. In that respect, I'd have liked to see the Destructix come up against the Special Forces sometime whilst Scourge and Fiona were still with the team - I don't recall Hershey and Drago being in the same panel since issue 50, but it might've made an interesting contrast between Hershey and Fiona, since Hershey had that same low self esteem and got over it.

I don't think, deep down, that Fi likes being what she now is, or she wouldn't have gotten so defensive about her past in the first place before going back to it - even Scourge says that it's a choice rather than her nature and if she wanted to go back to being rogue, she could've gone with Bean and Bark when she got the chance.

But she's not being constantly accused of things there. Scourge - for all he's evil - just wants her, and that's what she wants.

Touche.

Sam, even without fully explaining your theory about Fiona, I think you have said enough for me to understand where you are getting at, and I believe I have been thinking along the same lines. It seems like Fiona came very close to fully explaining why she probably didn't have any trouble betraying Sonic.

Somebody contact the Forty Fathom Freedom Fighters; this story has officially jumped the shark.

I liked where Ian was taking the story in #193, but it looks like it's snapped back into mindless fighting mode with psycho Rosy, the return of Silver (and Shadow, if the S195 cover forecast is to be believed), and at least two more issues after that to allegedly tie it all together. Ian should have wrapped up the story and moved on by now, but it looks like that won't happen and the sprawling, brawling story line will slop over into the new year. I only hope that he won't drag this out just so that it climaxes with issue #200 -- I never did put much stock in numerology -- but I won't be surprised if that's exactly what happens.

would you prefer a huge build up to #200 or a slapped together two parter?

Let's have another Chaos Emeralds Are Forever, obviously. =D

This was a pretty good issiue, a good lead in to "Hedgehogs Havoc".

But it also was a good hint as to what's to come in #197, with that preview saying that Sally is being put in a hearing for possible treason.

And it gave us sort of hint into why Fiona is the way she is, for it's love she's fine with, but trust is something she doesn't do well with, seeing how it obvisiously started with her parents. But I thought love and trust go hand and hand, which tells me that whatever happen between her and her parents, messed her up in ways, that doesn't see the truth about Scourge. I have a feeling we will find out more about Fiona's past in the future.

Then again, maybe Scourge knew what he was doing when it came to the Supression Squard, because as we have seen, they are just as if not more devious as Scourge by having Miles dupe Sally and the Freedom Fighters into doing their dirty work, which also turned into a doublecross, so again maybe Scourge knew what he was doing by being the King of the Supression Squard., cause he kept them in line.

As far as Sliver goes, something tells me that he will play a huge part in the upcoming story, and if he encounters the squard next issiue, I can them not standing a chance.

Now as far as Rosey goes, well I don't think she will be around much longer after the next two issiues. As far she goes in this issiue, she so out there, she doesn't know global star posts from anything else, exepct she wants to destory it and everything else, now I know why Scourge fears her.

Overall, very good story. 8.5/10