“Does this get all the local channels?”
Sonic’s Friendly Nemesis Knuckles #1
Archie Comics Publications (July, 1996)
“Rites Of Passage!”
WRITERS: Ken Penders & Mike Kanterovich
PENCILER: Art Mawhinney
INKER: Harvo
COLORIST: Kyle Hunter
LETTERER: Mindy Eisman
EDITOR: Freddy Mendez-Gabrie
Knuckles breaks into the underground complex that houses the abandoned technology of his missing people. He finds the Chaotix well and well treated but as he tries to get answers from Archimedes, Knuckles’ ancestor Dimitri bursts from the rubble of the mountain and attacks our heroes. Now calling himself Enerjak, he captures the Chaotix for his new army and sends Knuckles and Archimedes to some desert.
What they got right: Knuckles shows some strategy by turning the various traps against each other, setting them off (relatively) safely rather than trying to avoid them…and they certainly went overkill on the traps for a group abandoning technology.
What they got wrong: That takes up about half the issue. Meanwhile apparently nobody noticed the HUGE EARTHQUAKE THAT RESULTED FROM THE MOUNTAIN ON TOP OF THEM EXPLODING! I’m also hoping the comic eventually gets to the part where they explain what Archimedes’ actual end goal was because even he was surprised Dimitri/Enerjak wasn’t dead.
What I think overall: A rather shaky start, which it technically isn’t since this is continuing from back-up stories in the Sonic The Hedgehog comic.
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