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- This issue is followed by Archie Sonic & Knuckles
Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 25 is the twenty-fifth issue of the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series published by Archie Comics.
Official solicitation
Go Ahead, Mecha my Day
- In the adaption to Sonic CD for the Sega Mega-CD, the Freedom Fighters discover a zone portal to the Collision Chaos Zone! Robotnik tries to lure Sonic into the zone portal by kidnapping his #1 fan: Amy Rose. Tails investigates from the air and is captured as well! So to rescue both Amy and Tails, Sonic must race through the new zones and do battle with Dr. Robotnik's newest invention - The Metal Sonic!
Featured stories
Go Ahead... Mecha my Day!
- Writer: Mike Gallagher
- Pencils: Patrick Spaziante
- Inks: Harvey Mercadoocasio
- Letters: Mindy Eisman
- Colors: Barry Grossman
- Editor: Scott Fulop
- Managing editor: Victor Gorelick
- Editor-in-Chief: Richard Goldwater
Part One
The Knothole Freedom Fighters are all together in Rotor's lab. Sonic is standing on a podium while Rotor works on installing a gadget into one of his shoes, boring the hedgehog due to the long process. He finishes up his work as Sally, at a monitor display, calls out that a feed is coming in. As Rotor looks closely at the work he's done on Sonic's shoe, a large image of Rotor's eye appears on Sally's monitor. She tells him to back away so she can test it out. Rotor officially reveals to Sonic his Sonicam, a small camera attached to his shoe. He starts revving up to run, causing the screen to show a dizzying image (making Antoine feel ill when he looks at it). Rotor tells Sonic to hang on, as he activates a slow-motion compensator in the camera, allowing them to see through the camera without the dizzying image. Sonic, trying to figure out how to use the device properly, asks if the camera faces wherever his toe points. Rotor tells him he's right, but he still needs to watch where he's going... just as Sonic ends up running into a wall.
Sally thanks Rotor for a job well done, noting the camera will come in handy. A curious Tails asks Sally how it will come in handy, as she reveals that the Freedom Fighters and Knothole Village are in danger. She walks over to the monitor and activates it. She tells the Freedom Fighters that they've located a new zone on Mobius that could endanger everybody. The zone is called the Collision Chaos Zone.
Outside the newly constructed Collision Chaos Zone stands a giant metallic complex created by Dr. Robotnik. The evil tyrant introduces the area to the reader, addressing himself as the Great Rob-Oz-Nik. He is speaking from behind a curtain while it appears his voice is coming from a giant, flaming statue of himself. The Wizard of Oz impersonation is ruined by his pet Piranha-Bot, Jaws, who pulls the curtain he is hiding behind down, to which he replies for the reader to pay no attention to himself (Robotnik). Robotnik walks over to Jaws (who is in a fish bowl), revealing that he had opened up the zone for the Freedom Fighters to discover, to capture Sonic as he cannot resist a challenge. He feeds the bot some metallic junk. In case the aspect of a challenge is not good enough, Robotnik brings out a bag of Sonic Grams that he stole from the U.S. Postal Service. He takes out one letter and opens it, reading it to Jaws and showing an enclosed photo of one young fan: a girl hedgehog by the name of Amy Rose. He then walks over to a control panel and presses a button, opening a door nearby. An ominous robotic figure comes out. Robotnik gives it the picture of Amy, and orders it to kidnap her.
Later on, Robotnik makes a broadcast to the Freedom Fighters, appearing on the monitor in Rotor's lab. As Sonic never arrived at the Collision Chaos Zone, he calls him out as a chicken. Sonic takes the bait, but Sally attempts to dissuade him from running off into danger. Before he continues on, he jokingly states that he is received a bulletin. He brings out Amy Rose, revealing her as Sonic's biggest fan. She calls out to Sonic to help her, sending Sonic into a mad frenzy. He ends the transmission and ties Amy up with a rope, as a clone of Robotnik enters the room, stumbling around. The clone falls, revealing the clone to be Snively in disguise. Robotnik lifts him up in anger, telling him to fly behind Sonic in his Robo-Pod and burn the trail as Sonic proceeds through his zone. He puts Snively down as he gloats over his presumed victory, as his plan will lead Sonic to a second zone where he will face a much greater challenge.
Part Two
To determine their next course of action, the Freedom Fighters have a meeting in a makeshift governmental hall. Sonic, however, is well aware of Amy Rose and wishes to avoid the red tape to save her right away. Sally's main concern is that Sonic is entering a zone which he has no idea about. Sonic remarks that he is always into danger and he notes that he has Tails, who can scope the situation from the air. He jumps for joy as Sonic tells him to head on out and check out the new zone from the sky, despite opposition by Antoine to follow governmental procedures. He arrives over one of Robotnik's new factories, deciding the fly low to avoid detection. Unfortunately, his plan doesn't work, and he's easily caught by a detachment of SWATbots. Sonic waits a bit for Tails, but grows impatient. He grabs a map from Rotor and arrives at a portal to the Collision Chaos Zone. Before he can jump in, he's greeted by Robotnik on a monitor. He shows both Tails and Amy on the monitor to give Sonic even more incentive to enter the zone, which works. He enters a Spin Dash and jumps into the portal. Sonic starts going through the Collision Chaos Zone with no problem. Unknown to him, Snively is following behind in his Robotnik costume. Robotnik calls to Snively to begin "Operation: Burnt Bridges". Meanwhile, back at Knothole, Rotor and Sally watch Sonic's progress on the Sonicam. They notice a being following behind Sonic. They try to make the being out, but cannot, until they stand upside-down. Only then, do they realize that Snively is following Sonic and burning the path behind him. Eventually, Sonic reaches the end of the zone and finds another portal, and jumps in. Sonic finds himself entering the second zone, where he finds himself face-to-face with Amy Rose's mysterious captor...
Part Three
Amy's kidnapper is revealed to be none other than Sonic's newest robotic double, Metal Sonic. The robotic doppelgänger gloats at Sonic, telling Sonic that he stands no chance against him. Metal Sonic tells him that his friends are at the end of the Stardust Speedway Zone. Sonic thinks about doubling back, but notices that Snively has arrived to continue burning the path behind him. With no other option, Sonic jumps at Metal Sonic and engages him in combat. Robotnik laughs as he witnesses the two begin to fight, referring that Metal Sonic has "engaged" the hedgehog. Amy begins to cry loudly at the sound of this. Tails asks her what is wrong. Amy, still shedding tears, admits that she would love Sonic to get "engaged" to her.
Back in Knothole, the Freedom Fighters are no longer able to follow Sonic's confrontation due to the zone's energy field interfering with the Sonicam, and Sally decides to go with Rotor to track Sonic down. Meanwhile, Sonic and Metal Sonic start their race through Stardust Speedway. Although they are able to pass each other on numerous occasions on the windy road through a city, neither of them can make any great leads, keeping a stalemate as they go through. At the end of the line in Stardust Speedway, Robotnik and his most loyal Badnik, Crabmeat, stand at a makeshift finish line. Crabmeat goes to tell the plan, but Robotnik tells the robo-crab that he would rather do so, ordering the robot to check the lettering below the finish structure. It goes under the structure and checks the 'FINISH' writing on the floor. As Crabmeat confirms the correct spelling, Robotnik hit a trigger, sending a huge wall down and crushing the poor Badnik. Even if Sonic should somehow beat Metal Sonic, Robotnik's plans will ensure that Sonic loses in any case.
Part Four
The race has gone on for quite some time, but Sonic is ahead a bit. The two continue to exchange taunts. A speed bump pops up on the road, causing Sonic to trip and fall. He looks over to see Metal Sonic manning the bump controls, stating that he was racing a hologram for some time. Above the zone, Rotor and Sally arrive in a biplane. They fly over the finish area and easily notice Robotnik's figure. Sally puts on a parachute, telling Rotor to complete his mission, while she completes hers. She jumps out to confront Robotnik. Elsewhere in the zone, the race continues between Sonic and Metal Sonic, who are still at a stalemate. Sonic decides to use this time to show off his new move: the Figure-Eight Super Peel-Out. He charges up and launches ahead at an extreme amount of speed. Metal Sonic increases its output and tries to match the speed, but the speed requires him to exceed its maximum exertion levels. His legs start to melt due to the friction from the speed, causing him to malfunction, and ultimately, break up, as Sonic approaches the finish line. Right as he arrives at the finish line, Sally drops down and kicks Robotnik away from the barrier control, allowing Sonic to pass the line successfully. Amy and Tails celebrate with joy, while Metal Sonic skids to a halt near the finish line, broken in pieces. Rotor is also seen shooting down Snively in the background. Robotnik starts to have a tantrum, claiming that his plan was foolproof. However, Sonic claims he could see the finish line trap from a mile away. To make him happy, Sonic even volunteers to stand under the line arch, even telling Robotnik to activate it. He does so with pleasure, but Sonic is able to dash out of the way before the wall can hit him. Robotnik is confused at his failure, so he starts looking at the trap for any issues. While under the dropping wall, Sonic invites the reader to press the button, activating the trap and crushing Robotnik. Sonic and the others pose for the reader (Sonic makes his trademark pose, Sally stands smiling with her hand on her hip, Amy stands swooning over Sonic, and Tails looks over his back seeing where his back was poked by Amy's spines when him and Amy were tied up), while Rotor flies by with a banner celebrating their 25th issue. Robotnik, meanwhile, states his infamous "I hate that hedgehog" line, caught under his own trap.
The Adventures of Scott and Paul
- Art: Bill Golliher
Off Panel
Paul Castiglia celebrates the comic's 25th issue. Assistant Editor Freddy Mendez asks Scott Fulop who the weird guy in the office is. Scott then explains that you always need to be prepared for intruders and hits a button on his desk, sending Paul falling down a trap door.
Key Events
- First appearance of Metal Sonic and Amy.
- First battle between Metal Sonic and Sonic.
- First time Sonic uses his Figure Eight Move.
Trivia
- This is the series' first milestone issue and it featured a foil cover.
- This issue is a comic adaptation of Sonic the Hedgehog CD with the race between Sonic and Metal Sonic on Stardust Speedway Zone.
- This issue introduces the original Metal Sonic (mistakenly referred to as Mecha Sonic) and Amy Rose.
- A Sega Saturn logo and Virtua Fighter character can be seen while Sonic is racing Metal Sonic.
- In the background, brief cameos of Espio and Vector can be seen in the Stardust Speedway Zone. Also, on page 9, there is a poster of Knuckles' Chaotix before their first canonical appearance in the Knuckles' Chaotix Special.
- In the original print of this issue, Sally wonders if "Princess Di has days like this?", but in the Sonic Archives reprint, the line is changed to "Princess Leia."
- Aside from the last panel of the story, Part 3 and 4 of this issue was reprinted in Sonic Universe #50.
Gallery
Concept artwork
Preview pages
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External links
- Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 25 at Mobius Encyclopaedia, the Archie Sonic wiki.