I’m not sure about you guys, but I am feeling in a Sonic mood lately. It has been a while since the last time we saw our Sega mascot hero. I mean, the last time we saw him he just got a pair of shoes. Ah, the epic drama of it all. Well this time let’s look at a story where Sonic was a bit more grown up. Let’s look at the special “Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble”
Now this comic is a 48 page special with 3 stories in it, much like last time when I looked at Sonic Kids. The first story alone is a full 24 pages, about the size of a normal comic. Well much like last time, I’ll be looking only at story one this week. Like always, let’s look at the cover first.
I like this cover. Sonic and Tails are front and center with Knuckles and Nack the Weasel looming over them menacingly. The background looks pretty good, keeping in mind that this comic came out in 1995. Plus the fact that Sonic and Tails are not just standing around, that they are reacting to the two villains behind them, makes for a good shot.
The comic begins with Dr. Ivo Robotnik gloating over how he has a chaos emerald. He places his emerald in a 3 pronged power inducer to power his most evil pollution machine. Yeah, back in the day, Robotnik was on par with a Captain Planet villain. But the Crabmeat robot that Robotnik had near him tells Robotnik that the machine was set to be used for a 6 pronged power inducer. This mistake causes a huge explosion!
Well, kinda. Over-looking the fact that he has to have a sign that says “Secret Lab”, the emerald splits into 2 parts and the parts fly off in different directions. Robotnik says that since the emerald is split, the power that it held was now in an unstable state. Thinking fast, Robotnik calls Bounty Hunters R Us, yes I am serious, and says to no-one that the emerald can not fall into the hands of Sonic.
Speaking of Sonic, we cut over to him eating lunch. Chili dogs of course. Tails walks in on him and tells Sonic that Rotor picked up something on his grid. The something that was picked up had power levels that were off the charts. Yeah, insert Over 9000 joke here. Sonic knows that the only thing that can make those readings is an emerald. The emerald crashes down and now the grid scanner is a security monitor? What? Anyway, the power of the half emerald was able to make this scene.
Wow. The universe and all of reality they know of is falling apart, and the just brush it off like it is nothing. Even the editors note says not to worry about this. The whole world is getting messed up and you are saying “eh, it’s fine”?! That can’t be fine in anyone’s book!
Anyway, Sonic in all his wisdom, decides to run headfirst into the end of the world, I mean the new zone. While behind him, a shadow who is all chocked up watches and makes his vow to follow Sonic no matter where he goes. RUN SONIC! It has to be 1995 Amy Rose!
Enough of Sonic, time for Knuckles. Knuckles, for those of you who do not know, was the sorta first anti-hero of the sonic universe. He’s mad, rash, and never talks things out. Well today is his day off it seems, since he is just soaking up the rays. Knuckles, dude, please tell me that is your real skin color and not just a nasty sunburn. The second emerald flies past the sun, turning the world green for a second. Alright, I can understand that. But Knuckles just reacts like so.
Alright Knuckles, let’s think about this for a second, ok? You want to protect your floating island. That’s cool and noble of you. But how would you defend yourself from green light? Heck, it looks like the green light won already. Moreover, how would you even fight it? It is clearly in the sky and you can’t fly on your own. I guess he just thought it was Hal Jordan coming to screw up another world. That would make Knuckle’s anger understandable.
So Knuckles can only fly because he is a hot head. You heard it here first everyone. If you have dreadlocks and have anger issues, you can fly. Knuckles gets to the emerald and quickly knows what it is. But since the energy is unstable, a rock slide happens and knocks out our red hero, making him fall to the spiked rocks below. Gee, I sure hope he is ok and stuff.
Now we are on part 2 of our story as we focus back on Sonic and what the heck? No really, what the heck? I know chaos is supposed to be totally random at all times, but a big mouse trap with a flashing siren on top? Really? And you mean to tell me all that world altering the emerald piece did is now inside this thing? Ugh. Fine, let’s roll with it. Oh and nice product placement there Scott.
Nack, our shadowy figure from before, tells Robotnik that Sonic has entered the zone. Robotnik says to go after Sonic and blah blah blah. Nack says that while he is in his sky cycle (landspeeder painted yellow) the computer will copy Sonic’s every move. I have no idea how that works.
The next page is, well, I’m going to call it a two page spread. It just shows the different worlds of the game with sonic reacting to them. Really, if you want to see this stuff, I would suggest looking up a youtube video on this game. The art here does an ok job of showing you the levels, but really, it is not the same. Anyway, Sonic gets to the end of the world and sees an extra room with a chaos emerald in it.
*Sigh*
Alright. Why? Why is there an off switch for the emerald? Why would total, unstable chaos make something like that? Why is the exit sign backwards while the Chaos Emerald Chamber sign forward? And why, the biggest why, is the half emerald on a 3 pronged power inducer and not one with 6 pronges?!
So Sonic turns off chaos and gets shot in the back by Nack. Nack says that emerald is now his. Why he does not kill Sonic right now is beyond me.
Now comes part 3. So Nack calls Robotnik and says that he has both Sonic alive and half of the emerald. Robotnik tells Nack to get the other half and Nack replies that it will cost Robotnik double. Wait, Robotnik only put out an ad for getting half an emerald? Funny part though, Robotnik just agrees to this. I like to think that Robotnik has a robotizer ready and waiting for Nack. Nack says that his computer located the second half on the floating island.
Enough of that, let’s cut right back to Knuckles. Oh look, he lived. I did not see that coming at all. Looks like Knuckles was saved by dinosaurs in tiki masks.
See? I am not joking. It looks like the walkers are about to kill knuckles (as a kid I never bought this. Why save him to kill him? Come on writers) they quickly show that that wooden stake is nothing more than a cave pencil. Using only pictures, they tell Knuckles that this half an emerald will be drawn to the master emerald since chaos looks for chaos. But if the two meet and fuse, it will blow up the island.
Knuckles asks to go back and the dino’s drug him. He wakes up on the surface and sees Nack coming from the distance. Knuckles jumps into a bush just to jump right back out 2 seconds later and punches Nack. Why he need to do this, I don’t know.
Knuckles knocks out Nack and the land speeder flies into the lake, with Sonic still in it! The cold water wakes up Sonic, making him do a spin dash to break his ropes. Just roll with it. Then Sonic does something so out of character. Sonic swims. Sonic can’t swim. That is a big part of his character. A weakness if you will. But with Sonic swimming, we end part 3.
So part 4 begins with Sonic jumping out of the water and seeing Knuckles. And what does Sonic do right away with no reason at all? Why he attacks Knuckles. Here is the whole 2 page fight.
See? There is no reason at all why they are fighting. They just are. Soon enough, Robotnik calls up Nack again. Sonic and Knuckles stop fighting and work Nack like a puppet, to try and get Robotnik to spill his plan. This would work if Robotnik had a grand plan, but this time, nope. Robotnik just wanted the emerald back. Sonic finds the half emerald in Nack’s backpack and Knuckles takes Sonic to where the other half is going. They get to the room where the other half is going and Sonic and Knuckles hold up their half, saying this.
Well if that was the case, why did it split in the first place? But whatever, the comic is about over. Oh, and I do have to point out that the Master Emerald is on a 3 pronged power inducer. Just saying. The emerald fuses back into one while giving off green fire. In a flash of light, Sonic and Knuckles are brought back to the surface, the emerald gone. Sonic says he has had enough and uses Nack’s Land speeder to leave the island.
But wait, there is an epilog. Turns out the Tiki Dino’s draw a circle in the sand and there falls the emerald. Yeah, no idea what that was about at all.
Wow, this comic. While it wasn’t all that bad, it sure felt long and drawn out. The art is fine for Archie Comics in the mid 90’s. Nack just seemed to be shoehorned in and really, the big action fight had no reason at all to be there from a story telling perspective. Sonic and Knuckles teaming up to fight Nack would have made for a much better fight.
Well, like the last time I did a Sonic comic, there are more stories in this book so next week, I’ll look at story 2, a Aquatic Tails Adventure.
All images (c) Archie Comics
All images (c) Archie Comics
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