Sonic & Knuckles is the second issue of the Sonic Specials comic series published by Archie Comics. It is a tie-in to the game Sonic & Knuckles.
Featured stories[]
- Note: This issue takes place between Sonic the Hedgehog #25 - #26
Panic in the Sky[]
- Writer: Mike Kanterovich and Ken Penders
- Pencils: Art Mawhinney (Part I), Dave Manak (Part II)
- Inks: Rich Koslowski
- Colors: Barry Grossman
- Letters: Mindy Eisman
- Editor: Scott Fulop
- Managing Editor: Victor Gorelick
- Editor-in-chief: Richard Goldwater
- Special thanks to: Jennifer Hunn at SEGA
Synopsis[]
Part I[]
The comic introduces the Floating Island as a paradise untouched by Dr. Robotnik. The island stays afloat thanks to its Chaos Emerald, which is protected by the guardian Knuckles the Echidna, the last of his kind. The island is safe from the wars below, but for how long?
The comic then shows the west coast of the Great Continent, a place untouched by war where the natives can live in peace. A shadow goes over a beach where some Mobians are playing. The Floating Island is then revealed, sending the village into a panic. At Freedom HQ in Knothole, the Knothole Freedom Fighters discuss the situation. Sally Acorn asks Rotor what keeps the island afloat. Rotor doesn't know what keeps it in the air, but does know the island is heading straight for Knothole. Sonic and Tails walk in and instantly recognize the floating island. Sonic explains to Sally he and Tails crash-landed on the island months ago, where they meet the guardian Knuckles. The two ended up as friends despite Knuckles' initial misunderstanding. He also tells them a Chaos Emerald keeps the island afloat. Sally asks Sonic if he knows whose side Knuckles is on, but the hedgehog is not exactly sure. Sally assumes the guardian is not on their side and tells Antoine to send Sonic and Tails to the island in the Turbo-Prop.
Sonic and Tails go through the Mushroom Forest.
Antoine is amazed by the island as they approach it, but Sonic calls it a bit ball of dirt and completely harmless. Just then, artillery cannons attached to the bottom of the island start firing at them. Sonic notes the weapons and engines attached to the island weren't there before. They fly to the topside of the island and Sonic parachutes with Tails to the island. Tails asks if Sonic needs a lift, but Sonic says "being piggy-backed is bad for my image!" As they start to look around, Knuckles watches them in the shadows. The duo walks into a mushroom forest full of Giant Mushrooms. After being knocked down by a Pendulum, Sonic uses it to get up and hop along the top of a forest. Sonic then nearly gets hit by an ax from a Hey Ho. Sonic easily defeats the robot and continues on. As they move along, Sonic falls into a fissure the suddenly opened up under him, grabbing on to a ledge before he hits the bottom. A mysterious figure looks over him as he struggles to pull himself up.
Part II[]
Sonic says hi to Knuckles and asks how he's been. Knuckles accuses him of turning the island into a war zone for the second time. He steps on Sonic's hand, trying to make him fall into the pit below. Tails gets Knuckles' attention and drops a rock on him. Knuckles barely dodges it, but falls into the pit with Sonic. The two tumble down into a cavern filled with lava and are about to duke it out when they realize the rock they landed on is about to sink. Tails swoops in and rescues them from the lava pit. Sonic apologies for his earlier comment. Knuckles also thanks Tails, but says he can fly and glide as well (he didn't have enough altitude to get out). He still thinks the duo is trespassing, but Sonic says they are not the enemy and points to the sky. Knuckles notices that the stars aren't where they usually are, and Sonic explains that the island has been hijacked, fitted with engines and guns, and moved over Knothole. Knuckles realizes he's been fooled again and brings Sonic and Tails down the Chaos Chamber.
Knuckles shows them the Emerald that powers the island and says they are the first "outlanders" to be in the chamber. Sonic replies they might not be, since the Chaos Emerald is being drained by energy siphons. Knuckles removes them and gets shocked. A hologram of Dr. Robotnik then appears, explaining his plan to the group: Operation Flying Destroyer. Seeing the island had strategic military potential, he attached a command base to the island's foundation. Next, he unleashed Paradroids to build his base. Using the energy from the Emerald to power the engines, he moved the island over to Knothole, where he plans to burn it down with shock-cannons. Robotnik thanks Knuckles for distracting Sonic and Tails while he prepared the weapons.
Wracked with guilt, Knuckles furiously grabs the emerald and breaks it; as a result, the Floating Island starts to fall towards Knothole. Robotnik flees, celebrating the fact that the landmass will crush Knothole underneath it. Assured that Robotnik is gone, Knuckles reveals another Chaos Emerald and puts in place, stopping the island's descent. After they leave the chamber, Knuckles reveals that he had actually destroyed a fake Chaos Emerald and simply placed the real one back in its place (no one else saw him make the switch). Sonic offers Knuckles a chance to join them, but he declines. The two leave the island with the guarding waving goodbye. The other freedom fighters reunite with Sonic and Tails, with Sonic saying the island is leaving and Knuckles is going to destroy Robotnik's project. Sally wonders if he will ever be a Freedom Fighters, but Sonic believes he will always be on his own.
Appearances[]
Characters:
- Arlo Armadillo
- Badnik Horde
- Dr. Ivo Robotnik
- Dylan Porcupine
- Hamlin Pig
- Knothole Freedom Fighters
- Knuckles the Echidna
- Penelope Platypus
Races and species:
Locations:
- Prime Zone
- Mobius
- Floating Island
- Mushroom Hills (first appearance)
- Chaos Chamber (first appearance)
- Great Continent
- Floating Island
- Mobius
Items:
- Chaos Emerald
- Paradroid (first appearance)
Vehicles:
- Turbo-Prop (first appearance)
Misc.
- Brobdingnagian Fungi (first appearance)
- Operation: Flying Destroyer (only appearance)
Continuity[]
- Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles recall the events of Sonic the Hedgehog #13, "This Island Hedgehog".
Trivia[]
- Robotnik seems to know the location of Knothole in this story, despite past stories stating he does not know.
- This story is loosely-based on the game Sonic & Knuckles. It includes Tails, but leaves out many of the other important characters from the game such as EggRobo and Mecha Sonic Mk. II, along with other elements such as the Death Egg.
- In Part I of this story, Sally's nose is miscolored gray.
- The final page of the story has many errors. In two panels, Sonic's arms are blue. In another panel, Sally's nose is gray, Rotor's muzzle is purple, and Antoine is wearing the wrong outfit.
Fire Drill[]
- Writer & Pencils: Ken Penders
- Inks: Jon D'Agostino
- Colors: Freddy Mendez
- Letters: Bill Yoshida
- Editor: Scott Fulop
- Managing Editor: Victor Gorelick
- Editor-in-chief: Richard Goldwater
- Special thanks to: Jennifer Hunn at SEGA
Synopsis[]
Knuckles hears an explosion behind him and goes investigate. He arrives at the Sandopolis Zone and finds nothing but a crater and a trail of footprints. The footprints lead Knuckles to a bush, but when he jumps into it, no one is there. Knuckles realizes that he is being toyed with and angrily goes over to the nearby ruins, certain that there's nowhere else the trespasser could have gone. He realizes that whoever is evading him must be incredibly fast and assumes it must have been Sonic. He jeers at him, but there's no answer. Knuckles goes into the ruined temple to confront him himself.
As Knuckles enters, someone springs a booby trap. A ton of boulders fall on top of Knuckles, who is now furious. As Knuckles continues through the ruins, he narrowly dodges a series of axes swinging from the walls. He finds a strange room full of ornate designs and realizes that, although he knows the island better than anyone else, there's still a lot he doesn't know. Knuckles wishes his father had told him more when he's suddenly overwhelmed by a massive sandfall. He bashes his way through a wall to get out of the ruins, only to find that the trespasser is still ahead of him; their footprints in the sand. He loses the trail at the edge of the island and vows to pay Sonic back for messing with him. In the shadows, a mysterious figure says this is only Knuckle's first lesson and he has a lot to learn
Appearances[]
Characters:
- Archimedes
- Knuckles the Echidna
- Sonic the Hedgehog (mentioned)
Races and species:
Locations:
- Prime Zone
- Mobius
- Floating Island
- Mushroom Hills
- Sandopolis Zone (first appearance)
- Floating Island
- Mobius
Misc.:
Lord of the Floating Island[]
- Writer: Ken Penders
- Pencils & Inks: Harvey Mercadoocasio
- Colors: Freddy Mendez
- Letters: Bill Yoshida
- Editor: Scott Fulop
- Managing Editor: Victor Gorelick
- Editor-in-chief: Richard Goldwater
- Special thanks to: Jennifer Hunn of SEGA
Synopsis[]
Knuckles is gliding over the floating island on a windy day when he notices a lost baby kangaroo. Knuckles rescues the joey, but has to land to keep them safe. He introduces himself and the joey says he knows who Knuckles is: he watches over the island. Knuckles replies that is a part of what he does, but he is cut off by the joey asking what happened to the sky. The sun is black and Knuckles explains a solar eclipse is happening. Just as he is done explaining, Knuckles picks up the joey and flies out of the way of a herd of Dingoes. Knuckles says the weather is upsetting them.
Knuckles gets out of the way of the Dingoes.
With the Dingoes gone, the two come back down and search for the mamma kangaroo. Knuckles assures the joey she is safe, as the Floating Island is paradise (though visitors keep arriving who want to change that). The joey grabs onto Knuckles as a big gust of wind blows, before the moon moves out of the way revealing the sun, making the wind calm again. With the wind gone, the mamma kangaroo jumps out and her son, Benjy, reunites with her. The mamma thanks Knuckles, who says he was just doing his job: protect and serve his island.
Appearances[]
Characters:
- Benjy (first appearance)
- Dr. Ivo Robotnik (flashback)
- Knuckles the Echidna
- Sonic the Hedgehog (flashback)
Races and species:
Locations:
Trivia[]
- In the story, Knuckles is seen flying around the island, despite the fact in previous games he was only able to glide for short periods of time by pulling winds underneath his locks.
Other features[]
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Quotes[]
- Knuckles: (to Sonic) This is your second offense! And...far as I'm concerned...you can take the fall!
- Tails: (from above) Hey moldilocks!
- Knuckles: Wha--?
- Tails: I got th' dropon ya!
- Knuckles: Uh-oh...
- Sonic: Say, why don't you park your island here and join us?
- Knuckles: No way! I've got my own problems and responsibilities!
- Sonic: Suit yourself...but don't be a stranger!
Trivia[]
- On the front cover, a Sega Saturn can be seen in the foreground.
- On the wall on said cover, graffiti can be seen that reads "Spinball" and "32X" which are references to the game Sonic Spinball and the system Sega 32X.
Gallery[]
Cover artwork[]
Interior artwork[]
Preview pages[]
| Gallery |
|---|
 Pages 5 and 6  Page 7  Page 8  Page 9 |
External links[]
- Sonic & Knuckles at Mobius Encyclopaedia, the Archie Sonic wiki.
