“Yesterday’s” Comic> Sonic The Hedgehog #106

No, this is not the Dirk The Daring team-up we actually do want. I think.

Sonic The Hedgehog #106

Archie Comic Publications (April, 2002)

EDITOR: J. Freddy Gabrie

“Crouching Hedgehog, Hidden Dragon” (guess what movie had recently hit US theaters)

WRITER: Karl Bollers

PENCILER: Ron Lim

INKERS: Pam Eklund & Andrew Pepoy

COLORISTS: Josh & Aimee

LETTERER: Jeff Powell with Juli Liu

Knuckles The Echidna: “Reunification” part 1

WRITER/LAYOUTS/INKS: Ken Penders

PENCILER: Dawn Best

COLORIST: Josh Ray

LETTERER: Vickie Williams

The Freedom Fighters return to Station Square in the hopes the refugee Overlanders can settle in a place closer to their culture and ways. They meet with the President this time, but they’re not sure about taking in seventy new families…not with a fire breathing dragon attacking the city. So the deal is struck: stop the dragon invasion in return for taking in the Overlanders.

What they got right: With a version of Station Square established in the Archie Sonicverse, this is the most logical place to bring them. Plus we’re about to see Sonic and company battle a Chinese style dragon.

What they got wrong: Why are there Chinese style dragons attacking the city? Yes, I know that might get answered. I’m asking why they exist when the only ones we’ve seen are the European style like Dulcy and her people. Also, why does one city have a mayor AND a president?

Back on the Floating Island, a mysterious Echidna woman appears in the empty city, but her arrival through a portal hasn’t gone undetected by Dimitri. As Knuckles attempts to undo the quantum beam that I guess is responsible for where everyone went, she finds herself in a full city and face to face with Constable Remington, which in her thoughts is the one who killed Knuckles!

In her time? In her world? Again, I know that’s the mystery of the story, but there’s so little time to devote to it when there’s already a storyline going on in this back-up of a comic story that couldn’t sustain it’s own separate comic. (And in hindsight we know will go away after Penders has his temper tantrum and takes his ball home with him.) That all makes it difficult for me to care about this mystery when there’s already an existing crisis to deal with.

What I think overall: The main story at least has potential to be interesting, while the back-up really doesn’t interest me.