Knuckles The Echidna #16 Review by WB
"Reunions"


Dare I even say that this book passed all my expectations!! After being spoonfed all these excellent 3 parters I thought a single issue story wouldnt hold its weight - Brother was I wrong. This isn't your "Who's The Villian This Issue Book" either....Knux is back and Mommy Lara Le has questions for her kiddo - Like how he got back f'rinstance? Not only that Wynmacher is in attendance as well - And they have a little surprise....Knux tells her and then has a few questions of his own as Lara Le tells Knux of his early childhood ( The Baby Knux picture has been added to the Comic Scans page BTW) We see Locke giving Lara his usual amount of horse pucky as Lara goes to Sabre's wife Jenna - Knux's immediate grandmother for advice on being married to a guardian. Jenna LOOKS happy - But if you look at her eyes they say something different. Something deeper - And now Lara knows that feeling...

But the meat of the book starts with the mystery of Haven - The Brotherhood has arrived!!! Seated at a table sits the 6 immediate members minus Hawking who is still in his coma ("Lost Paradise") leading off is Sabre - Knux's grandfather and Locke - Deadbeat Dad of The Decade . And thier first bit of business - Sonic The Hedgehog! We begin with the eldest one - Tobor - Watcher of "The Dragon Kingdom" ("Arsenal Of the Iron King" - Sonic #60).... I AM SO GLAD I READ KNUX 17 before I read this review because it helps something that bothered me in THIS plot to make sense. Call it intuition but I KNEW and now KNOW that Tobor is lying!!! His statement "All is peaceful in the Dragon Kingdom except for Sonic And Tails" is what tipped me off. How do you call two tyrants - The Iron King And The Iron Queen plus a complete burning inferno call Mt. Stormtop that never ends peaceful? For more on Tobor read my review on Knuckles 17....Next we come to Thunderhawk - the ugliest echhidna I have ever seen - I pray that those are not Galan's rendition of echidna "dookey braids" because it looks like he has scales or a nasty case of zits on them. His gripe: the huge mess that Sonic And Tails left in Downunda ("Outback Gut Check" - Sonic #61), next is Sojurner who I'm guessing watches Mercia ("Friendly Rougues And Foul Villians" - Sonic #58) but we never find out as Sabre cuts them off - Sonic isnt the real problem - the problem is that with Doc Robotnik dead and Enerjak reduced to a shriveled pile of old echidna meat, things have gotten crazy all over Mobius as the big villians - Ixis Naugus And The Dark Legion - and the small ones - Robotnik's subbosses are wreaking havoc everywhere. And it is here that the Ant Council - Archimedes, Deo Volente, and Archy's father Semper Fidelis are talking highly of the new "Golden Age"...

Surprise One: Cut back to Lara, Wyn and Knuckles. to make things short Lara and Wyn are getting married and wants Knux's blessing - needless to say rad red is not delighted and does something he normally doesnt do - run away...where he runs right past The Chaotix and Julie...

Surprise Two: The quiet guardian speaks - Spectre....The all black echidna with the fiery red eyes finally speaks when the topic shifts from Sonic to Knuckles - The guardians are tampering with something they have no business tampering with - Something's seriously up with Knuckles...DUH !!!!

Surprise Three: As the book ends Knuckles sits on the docks of a river as julie sits next to them. Its then that Julie and Knux get the first kiss shown above. needless to say Knux has had LITTLE interaction with girls and reacts with a "Why did you go and do that for? I'm not sure I even like you !" Smooth move love doctor... But all is well as we close the book with both wonddering if there really was more to that kiss as they sit beneath a full moon... Beautiful.

Rating: Rings

What CAN'T be said about this issue that HASN'T been said already. This book DESERVES all 5 rings and it isn't even the usual Knuckles 3 parter. Kudos To Ken for making me like a book I was thinking would be a dull fest...
  

Maric

Mara-Re

Jennifurry

Asudem