FIRST!!

Since I normally buy and don't subscribe, this will probably be my only chance to do a STH comic review that isn't Sonic X.

STORY:
"Unburying The Hatchet"

Writing and art by the usual gang.

Eggman has finally captured Sonic thanks to Metal Sonic. But instead of killing him (which would be the most logical), he puts a transciever in his ear and controls his body.

As the the SatAm crew prepares to spring him out, Sonic arrives and begins to attack his friends. Although Eggman has control over his body Sonic can still talk. He apologizes for beating his friends up and warns them he's going after the king next. Sally uses Nicole to track down "The one guy who's been able to take him down".

The Chaotix arrive including Safron, and get the living stuffin' knocked out of them by Sonic. Finally that "one guy" arrives. It's Knuckles. "Who were you expecting? Shadow?" Sonic fights him, but tells him what's up. Knuckles tells him the best solution is to punch Sonic hard in the face in hopes to knock the circutry loose. Sonic really objects to this, but Knuckles doesn't care, and seems almost too happy to try.

Meanwhile Eggman is back at the base controlling Sonic with a game controller. "The controls are horrendous! I should've spent more time in development!" (Is this a tiny knock at Sega?) Snively has had enough of Eggman's silly plan and ACTUALLY CHEWS HIM OUT!! He tells him he should be cocentrating on the upcoming war instead of playing silly games. He storms off and talks to himself about how one day, his empire will be ripe for the picking. He then sees Metal Sonic standing in recharge mode and decides, "Why wait at all?". He pulls out a USB device to attach to the back of Metal Sonic's head. Metal Sonic stops him and grabs him by the throat. Eggman then informs Snivley that he knows he will be loyal from now on because he has put a self-defense program in all of his machines that will keep them from being sabotaged by the little weasel. Eggman puts Sonic on auto brawl and decides that he will have to finish this situation with Metal and himself personally.

Meanwhile Sonic and Knuckles bust through the wall of the palace still fighting. Knuckles tells Sonic to try his best to hold still so he can knock his block off. Sonic absolutely refuses. (In fact he's really acting like a sissy over Knuckles plan. I mean, I wouldn't want to get punched in the head either but if it kept me from hurting others, I'd do whatever I could to stop myself.) Sonic suggests some alternative plans, but before they can be discussed further, Tails comes in from behind and kicks Sonic in the back of the head. This dazes Sonic enough for Knuckles to finally land a good punch. Knux plan works. The circuitry comes out of Sonics ear and he's back to normal.

Just then Eggman and Metal Sonic come charging through the hole Knux left behind. He sicks Metal Sonic on them but Team Sonic makes short work of the devilish die-cast doppelganger. Eggman then notices that he's surrounded by all the freedom fighters and Chatoix and hightails it out of there.

Tails apologizes for kicking Sonic, but Sonic tells him it was the right thing to do and says that he's glad to have such friends that will still look out for him. But he did accuse Knuckles of enjoying it too much.

Back at Eggmans base he says that it's no more fun and games. It's time for him to settle the score and asks Snivley if the fleet is ready. He then opens a door to reveal a large robot under a cloak. "Here I come, Sonic."

REVIEW:

WOW! Quite an action packed issue with Sonic fighting everyone. Plus, I loved the scene where Snivley finally tells Eggman off. That took some grapefruits. The art is awesome as always. We also get to see almost all the regulars from the comic with the exception of Shadow and Rouge.

Some minor quibbles. Up until Snivley started to chew him out, Eggman was acting more like he does on Sonic X. He was more about having fun than getting revenge. It's pretty forgivable though, as he's acted like this in the regular book before.

Sonic on the other hand, was acting like a total sissy when it came to Knuckles trying to punch him in the face. I think it was done for comedy's sake, but it was slightly out of character.

Overall though a solid issue and a fun read. A newbie could jump in and read it without having to know all of the characters, and that's what a good FCBD comic is all about. Having a one-shot issue that helps to bring in new readers. I think this one works.

Overall 8.5/10

While you're out picking up the Sonic book, make sure to get the free Peanuts comic with 150 super-rare strips that were never re-printed before.