“Yesterday’s” Comic> Knuckles The Echidna #19

I’d make a weatherman joke but this isn’t normal weather for them at this time.

Knuckles The Echidna #19

Archie Comic Publications (December, 1998)

“The Forbidden Zone” part 1″: “Whatever Happened To Queen Alicia?”

WRITER: Ken Penders

PENCILER: Manny Galan

INKER: Andrew Pepoy

COLORIST: Barry Grossman

LETTERER: Vickie Williams

EDITOR: Justin Gabrie

Following the events of the “On His Majesty’s Secret Service” arc from Sonic The Hedgehog, St. John and his team arrive at the Floating Island, but during a freak snowstorm. Parachuting from a plane piloted by Antoine, the team eventually finds the Acorn summer home still maintained by the Colonel and his wife…and someone who calls the Queen “mother”. In between that, Lara-Le also gets caught in the storm looking to have a talk with Locke. Locke rescues her but Knuckles and Julie-Su, after rescuing a woman from the snow and finding her baby at home, join Remington and Wyn in following her to the Forbidden Zone, and all of these guests are going to mess up Moritori Rex’s plans.

What they got right: Each of the stories progress okay.

What they got wrong: However, there are too many stories, one of which doesn’t seem connected to the others and the baby part that really doesn’t matter to any of the arcs, and one of which comes from another comic. Too many tales takes focus away from what should be the main story, and I don’t even know what that is.

What I think overall: If the Queen Alicia plot has nothing to do with the Knuckles and friends adventures it really doesn’t belong here, and Penders is continuing to create his lore rather than match the games, which did have some backstory. That plus the hindsight of knowing this causes issues later and all the stories fighting for space makes it hard for me to get invested in this story.