Issue 144
Editor in Grief: Richard Goldwater; (Not Amused) Managing Editor: Victor Gorelick; (Kind of Amused) Editor: Mike "Grandpappy" Pellerito; special thanks to Robert Leffler & Dyna Lopez at SEGA Licensing. Additional jokes by Tito "The Prune" Pena.

Well, this issue we wrap up M25YL, the longest pointless story the series has seen, with a chapter even longer and more pointless than usual. We also get a story from Romy Chacon that's part really, really good, and part weird.

In other words, more of the same, only more-so...

Cover & Frontis:
Penciled by Steven "Get the" Butler, Inked by Ken "Codger" Penders, Colored by Jason "Geriatric" Jensen.

On the cover, future Sonic leaps through time at the reader, to a green Queen Sally's dismay. (She looks good in green, unlike Knuckles. She should keep the look. :)

In the Frontis, We see shattering glass with reflections of M25YL characters.

Eh, whatever.

Score: Cover-- 6/10; Frontis-- 7/10; over-all-- 6.5/10

M25YL: "The Die is Cast"
Written by Ken Penders, Penciled by Steven Butler, Inked by Jim Amash, lettered by John E. Workman, colored by Jason Jensen.

Summary: Knux tells Lara-Su she can be Guardian, and to keep an eye on things while he's gone. Instead, she stows away on the ship taking Rotor, Cobor, Sonic, & Knux to the Badlands, where Robotnik's time-device awaits. Sonic goes first, but something goes wrong, and the future ceases to exist. The End.

Art: Butler at his best; Jensen at his normal level of shininess...

Comments: There's a scene in Ghostbusters II where Ray says to the Ghostbusters' lawyer, Lewis Tully, "Thanks. That was short but... pointless." Well, this was long but pointless.

Score: story-- 6/10; art-- 7/10; overall-- 6.5/10

"Love and Loss"
Written by "the One and Only" Romy Chacon, penciled by "Getting the Lead Out" Jonathan Gray, inked by "Brushes with Destiny" Michael Higgins, colored by "Over the Rainbow" Josh Ray.

Summary: Various Knothole females write letters to an advice column in the "Knothole News", written by "Aly"-- who turns out to be Princess Sally. (I always suspected these advice columns were written by people who really aren't qualified to be answering the questions they're asked!)

Art: Dubs is back, and as good as ever! With solid character designs, plenty of Manga-esque expressions, and more in-jokes than you can shake a Power Ring at, this story is worth a look at for the art alone.

(The jokes, in or otherwise, include:
*A place for Sonic comics on the newsstand;
*On the cover of a news magazine-- "Larry Lynx: Bad Luck is Good For You" *On the cover of "The Knothole News"-- A mention of Monkey Khan and "Green Gibbon" (the latter the "name" of a real-life Sonic fan)
*A flyer for "Sonic Underground: Interdimensional Tour")

Only one prob with the art-- hey, Dubs, since when does Nicole have or need an antenna?!

Comments: I thought it was neat, and rather touching, until the twist at the end. I mean, how can Sally deal with other peoples love problems when she's so clueless regarding her own...? I know, it is possible; it just doesn't sound right...

Score: story-- 7.8/10; art-- 9/10; overall-- 8.4/10

"The Acorn Royal Family" Data-File
We avoid inaccuracies by sticking to generalities about what we've already seen.
Megan (Elias's wife) is given a cute new outfit; while Elias needs to "shave" (trim his facial hair to match his fur-length).

Score: 7/10

Sonic Fan-Art
Sonic at the pool by Scott Moore (not bad); Tails by Edward Richman (also not bad); Sonic & Shadow by Isabel Melendez; Sonic, Shadow, Super Sonic, and another Shadow, by Jack Chilcott; Sonic by Jenna de Vries; Sonic, Tails, Knux, and Amy in weird outfits, by Jessica Malanowski.

Letters
Newbies, Shameless Plugs, and "Find Your Name In Print" (oh, my!)

Sonic-Grams-- "Start"
New news regarding the Sonic X comic. Mike'll be editing it, and Spaz'll be doing the covers. (He has time for that?!)

Sonic-Grams-- "Off-Panel"
Written by Mike Gallagher, drawn by Dave Manak, colored by "Henri Ratisse".
Mike wiles away his time sticking sharp objects in the ceiling.

Final Thoughts:
Whatever.

Final Score: 7.1/10