“Yesterday’s” Comic> Knuckles The Echidna #7

If they really have to do the “put the covers together to form a long picture” bit, at least it’s consecutive issues and not collecting all the variants of the same issue. I hate that.

Knuckles The Echidna #7

Archie Comic Publications (December, 1997)

“Dark Vengeance” part 1: “Deadly Homecoming”

WRITER: Ken Penders

PENCILER: Manny Galan

INKER: Andrew Pepoy

COLORIST: Barry Grossman

LETTERER: Vickie Williams

EDITOR: J. Freddy Gabrie

Someone in the shadows manages to call Enerjak from his satellite prison back to the Floating Island, surprising the Dark Legion. As they prepare their next move the Dingos try to work with the Echidnas, though it’s a question if General Striker is to be trusted. Knuckles’ mom decides it’s time to talk to her ex-husband, Knuckles’ father, about their son, while Locke is trying to keep Athair alive whether he wants to be or not. Knuckles and Julie-Su are finding each member of the Chaotix has gone missing but did Enerjak capture them the way he did Archimedes and Deo Valente or was the mysterious elephant in the shadows responsible? It is Enerjak who confronts Knuckles and Julie-Su.

What they got right: Credit where it’s due. There’s a lot of well-told lore building here, as we learn more about this version of the Floating Island and the mystery behind the mystery being manipulating events to whatever his end goal is. The threat is properly built-up as well as the continuing events surrounding the return of the echidnas and dingoes to the normal reality.

What they got wrong: It isn’t just that all of this gets lost with Penders taking his ball and going home (to a comic that didn’t do nearly as well) that’s been bugging me. None of this matches what Sega was trying to do, and thus this all feels like a bad adaptation as a result. Also, I was mysterious about the manipulator but if you’ve followed the comic you already know who he is. There’s only one character of that species, and it isn’t an elephant. For the sake of spoilers I’ll save the reveal for anyone who hadn’t read that story, but it’s pretty obvious who the fool is behind Enerjak’s return.

What I think overall: At the time it was a really good start to the story arc. In hindsight it’s not easy to read these stories again knowing that will be cut off and tossed out, plus that the source material had other ideas.