Sonic The Hedgehog #90 Review by Rolland Therrien
"Sword of Omens"
(Coming up next: Lawsuit from the makers of Thundecats!)
Written by Karl Brollers
First 1/2 Pencilled by Fry
Second 1/2 Pencilled by Ron Lim
First 1/2 Inked by Andrew Pepoy
Second 1/2 Inked by Jim Amash
Well, we continue this issue right where last Issue left off, with Sonic with the Sword of Acorns running in the woods around Knothole, where he finds out the mysterious figure following him last issue was none other then Mina! Seems she's intent on facing off Robotnik and asking the evil Doctor why he took away her family, and see what he says... (Personally, I'm disappointed Sonic didn't use a sarcastic line like "Gee... Why didn't I think of that tactic?") Before Sonic can respond (Indeed, she's not giving him a chance, soon noticing that Sonic's got the Sword of Acorns), a squad of Combots uncloak around our Hero and Mina and attack them.
Meanwhile, back in Robotropolis, Dr Robotnik is pleased to see his Com-Bots found the Sword of Acorns, and in the hands of Sonic, no less. Before we leave him, he muses about how the Sword of Acorns seems to be able to restore Robians to their free will. ...Like we all haven't figured that out two issues ago...
Meanwhile, back in Knothole, the Royal Family reunion goes well, until King Max notices, while trying to get up, that he can't feel his legs... More on this later.
We go back to Sonic, who's trying to protect Mina from the Combots, but seems to get the odds against him: As soon as his back is turned, a Combot uncloaks behind Mina and seizes her, then another Combot uses a magnetic tractor beam to grab the sword right out of Sonic's hands. After a second to ponder his options, he knows he needs the Sword of Acorn to rescue his Uncle Chuck and his dog Muttski, and that Mina is practically begging to get Roboticized. Nonetheless, he chooses to rescue her instead of grabbing the sword, but as soon as he lands on the ground with her after kicking apart the Combot, he gets conked from behind by a cloaked combot, leaving Mina to try and wake him up as the Combots uncloak to approach them. Mina picks up Sonic and tries to run away... and suddenly finds out she's running at Super-Speed!
Back in Knothole, Geoffery's been called to the King's bedside, just as Max tells Elias he's being appointed acting Head of State while the queen is adjusting and until he himself gets better. Sorry Elias, looks like you're saddled with the job of running the kingdom after all. But before the King can tell Geoffery anything, the Skunk tells everyone that the Sword of Acorn's been stolen. We just know he'll find a way to twist this so Sonic's actions look worst then they are, don't we folks?
Meanwhile, Dr R is partying about how he's gotten the Sword of Acorns, when suddenly his computer informs him about two unidentified flying objects hovering over Mobius, and aiming to fall on Robotropolis. Thinking they're Meteors, Robotnik immediatly recalls his Combots, leaving Mina to tell a recovering Sonic that the Sword is lost. Sonic doesn't take too kindly to defeat, and immediatly rushes to try and intercept the robots before they arrive at their base. He does manage to tackle the Combot carrying the sword before it enters Robotropolis, but not before a Force-Field comes down, cutting the robot in half, leaving Sonic on the outside and the Sword on the inside... And just as Sonic threatens the Dr, he seems the Meteors coming down overhead...
Rating:  Rings
Well, this was a good story, and I'm sure we're all aware that this means there's going to be some massive changes in store for our heroes. King Max is handicapped (Forgive me: Physically Challenged), Elias is the new acting King, Sonic will probably get another stain on his record for the Sword of Acorns thing, the "Meteors" which I'm sure devoted readers will remember may actually be the starships from before the Sonic Adventure adaptation, and the Sonic/Mina situation.
It's been noticed by many fans (like myself) that Archie comics may have been planning to hook Sonic up with someone else then Sally, most likely Mina. And admittingly, Mina now seems to have more in common with Sonic then Sally does... Lost familys, independent spirit, and now Super-Speed...gee, guys, why not make her a female Hedgehog, while we're at it? Nonetheless, I'll try not to condemn this budding friendship until we see Sally's reaction to it...
"Between
a Rock and a Hard Place"
Writen by Ken Penders
Pencilled by Steven Butler
Inked by Pam Eklund
We pick up where last issue's cliffhanger left off, with Gala-Na leading and emergency team into the blown-up Medical Labs, where they find an inert High Sherrif, a stunned Yanar, and... We'll find out about Knuckles later.
Meanwhile, Antoine, Bunnie, Amy Rose and Rob are trying to get to the Labs in a hurry. When the Lifts appear out of order, Rob makes them slide down a rope to the street, then suggests they dress up as Firemen to get into the building unnoticed. Once inside, they try to find out what happened to their friend (and Antoine, what happened to his father), and are all just as shocked as Gala-Na to find that Knuckles is glowing green... Chaos Emerald green. Just like Dimitri was after the Chaos Syphon, we learn thanks to Gala-Na's exposition.
As Knuckles argues against the implication that he might have something in common with Dimitri, the High Sherrif recovers and gets up. Antoine tries to reach out to his father, but gets slapped aside for his efforts. Knuckles, furious at this action, somehow traps the Sherrif inside an energy bubble. Gala-Na calls for Security forces, apparantly thinking about having the High Sherrif shot to pieces, dispite pleading from Bunnie and Antoine. Antoine tries to convince the Echidna leader that before reaching Mercia, they went to see Rotor in the Northern Tundra, who gave them an Electronic Neutraliser, which would place the High Sherrif in Stasis so he wouldn't harm anyone.
Unfortunately, this reasoning doesn't seem to sway Gala-Na, who apparantly doesn't trust the High Sheriff's fate to anyone else, and orders the freedom Fighters to step aside...
But before anyone can do anything else, Knuckles just yells out "NO!", and suddenly, everyone's in different places... Amy's with Rob in their forest, Antoine, Bunnie and the High Sherrif (now in Stasis) are in their plane, heading back to Knothole, and Gala-Na is left there, with her troops, to worry about Knuckles, who is now instinctivly tapping into Dimitri's power, and wonders what will come next...
Rating: Rings
Well, this was a disappointing ending to a promising storyline. The promised Antoine/High Sheriff confrontation was a pathetic one-panel rip-off, Knuckles' condition only confuses us further, and the "Deus Ex Machina" ending was too quick, resolving next to nothing. And don't get me started on Rotor's "return", which turned out to be a one-panel flashback... Let's hope things get better next month...
Overall
Rating: Rings |
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