“Yesterday’s” Comic> Sonic The Hedgehog #65

First Nightwatcher, now Nate Morgan. Why do you keep asking ME who they are?

Sonic The Hedgehog #65

Archie Comics Publications (December, 1998)

COLORIST: Ken Penders

LETTERER: Jeff Powell

EDITOR: Justin Gabrie

“The Fellowship Of The Rings”

WRITER: Karl Bollers

PENCILER: Steven Butler

INKER: Pam Eklund

Amy Rose & Dulcy: “The Library”

WRITER/INKER: Ken Penders

PENCILER: Art Mawhinney

In the main story, Sonic and Tails get whipped by Ixis Naugus until the human (“overlander”) tricked him outside and back on the wrong side of the mystic wards keeping him out. The overlander is Nate Morgan, who was betrayed by pre-Robotnik with his own people and with his new home among the Mobians by Kodos and Naugus, the former hating all overlanders and the latter worried about science replacing magic. It was Nate who found the future home of Knothole Village, hid the ring projector in the water (intended as a power source along with a chaos emerald), and came to the Southern Tundra where he rescued the yeti Eddy and saved his life by making him a cyborg. He also has a huge supply of power rings, and Ixis wants it!

What they got right: Well, answers to a lot of the comic’s timeline history is revealed.

What they got wrong: But it’s all thanks to one man who did everything. Share the backstory with someone, Nate.

In the back-up story, Amy Rose (still depicted as a kid about Cream’s age today) and Dulcy the dragon decide it’s time to see if anything fun survived and track down an old Mobotropolis library. Specifically, she’s looking for a book by the legendary storyteller Kirby, making me think this is the supposed to be a tribute to Jack Kirby. They leave when they hear someone else in the library, who we see come out of a hidden bookcase door.

This is setting up a few back-up stories for later. I do like that young Amy thinks about the fun stuff while the adults are more interested in survival and recovery. The things that bring fun and joy may not seem like a priority when you’re trying to reclaim your whole civilization, but it’s not just fun with this library. It’s their culture, their history, and the things that make all the work worth it besides being alive another day, but it’s up to the kid to remember that.

What I think overall: This comic is more exposition than story, even in the back-up. I’m not sure solving all the mysteries that were left over from games and the SatAM cartoon with “it was all this guy” was the best idea, but it’s not necessarily a deal breaker. I do want to see more happen at the library. However, not really the issue to make your first.