“Yesterday’s” Comic> Sonic The Hedgehog #85

There actually was a Sonic tournament fighting game.

Sonic The Hedgehog #85

Archie Comics Publications (August, 2000)

WRITER: Karl Bollers

EDITOR: J.F. Gabrie

“The Big Payback”

PENCILER: Ron Lim

INKER: Jim Amash

COLORIST: Frank Gagliardo

LETTERERS: Vickie Williams & Jeff Powell

Rotor The Walrus: “Home & Back”

ART/LETTERING: DiamondRose Studios

The Sonic Adventure adaptation may be over but there are some continuity loose ends. For example, what if Robotnik wants to return to the underground city and conquer it without the water monster? Luckily, the robotic alternate reality version of their old enemy still has revenge in his programming, and sends a rebuilt Silver Sonic to attack our heroes. When Tails gets hurt, Sonic gets mad and finishes the robot off, but Nate reprograms it into the city’s new protector.

What they got right: If the comic isn’t going to use the city anymore and return to its own DIC-inspired continuity (but keeping Amy Rose physically older), then this does answer the question of what to do about the city if Robotnik goes back.

What they got wrong: Maybe by necessity but that’s all it does. There’s also an instance where Sonic and Robotnik both quote Earth saying without understanding them. If you’re character shouldn’t know what an expression means, they shouldn’t be using it. It misses the point of using an expression.

The back-up story shows us Rotor’s family back under Robotnik’s control. I’m not up on Rotor’s lore in this continuity, but if that happened, why aren’t they robots? Or at least they aren’t drawn like robots. Rotor nearly drowns in his own submarine until he’s rescued by the Arctic Freedom Fighters. Is this a way to pull Rotor back to the team? Is there still going to be a narrative clash with Nate? I’m not sure what the point of this is outside of ruining Rotor’s happy ending.

What I think overall: This just feels like a filler comic that got turned into an epilogue. It’s not very exciting even if you have followed the previous storyline, but if you haven’t this isn’t going to be very interesting for you.