#pencils: nelson ortega

[shadowwingtronix]

"Yesterday's" Comic> Sonic The Hedgehog #54

BW's "Yesterday's" Comic> Sonic The Hedgehog #54

Nice poster. Where’s the comic cover? Sonic The Hedgehog #54 Archie Comics Publications (January, 1998) “Running To Stand Still” WRITER/COLORIST: Karl Bollers PENCILERS: Nelson Ortega & John Hebert INKER: Harvo LETTERERS: J. Powell & V. Williams EDITOR: J. Freddy Gabrie Continue reading Untitled

[mobius-prime]

78. Sonic the Hedgehog #50/Sonic Super Special #6 - Director’s Cut

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Endgame Part 4 of 4 (For Whom the Bell Tolls!)

Writers: Ken Penders, Michael Gallagher, Karl Bollers, and Kent Taylor Pencils: Patrick Spaziante, Manny Galan, Nelson Ortega, Sam Maxwell, Dave Manak, Ken Penders, and Art Mawhinney Colors: Karl Bollers

Oh, yeah! I told you this was a landmark issue! Not only was it the big 5-0, but this issue was in fact rewritten and touched up some time later by Penders himself, into a "Director's Cut" printed in one of the series' Super Special issues! Hence why two issues are listed in this slot, and two covers shown. They got absolutely everyone on board for this one, because remember, they were uncertain if this would be the comic's final issue, so makes sense to go out with a bang, right? I consider the revised version to be "true" canon, since it fixes some issues to align with later continuity as well as expanding on some things that were poorly explained in the original, but for the sake of the analysis I decided to read both side by side and comment on the differences. Some changes are simply minor dialogue alterations and recoloring of certain panels, while others are massive additions and rewrites of entire sections. Let's do it to it!

The original's intro page is once again a recap of previous events, while the Director's Cut contains an opening statement from Penders expressing his excitement to be able to go back and perfect the original story. Say what you will, but I agree, the revision is far better, and I have to give him credit and recognize that yeah, him getting to do something like this for one of his stories really is a treat, both for the writer and for any fans reading it.

We open with a flashback. Julian (referred to as "son of Ivo" in the original and "of the house of Ivo" in the Director's Cut) is running through a swampy landscape, attempting to escape his pursuers, an indistinct bunch of shadows firing lasers at him. He falls into water and passes out, with his pursuers losing track of him… and two spiny figures find him facedown in the mud.

That’s right, Sonic's uncle and father were the ones originally responsible for finding ol' Julian and bringing him back to the king. Jules' kind heart wins out over Charles' more suspicious tendencies, noting that "his kind" - Overlanders, as he calls them - have apparently done some pretty awful things in the past. Well this is all very interesting stuff, isn't it? After all, the comics never went into Robotnik and Snively's species before now. The entire planet has always been shown to be populated with anthropomorphic animals, and yet these two random humans stick out like a sore thumb. Guess we're finally getting some information on how exactly that came to be.

The king gives Julian shelter after Julian reveals how much he knows about his own people, and thus quickly finds himself appointed King Acorn's warlord, commanding his troops in a battle against the Overlanders. How fascinating! Apparently the kingdom, shortly before Julian's coup, was locked in a different war, the Great War (which I think has been mentioned once or twice before now but never elaborated on), which is how Julian rose to power so quickly.

Anyway, all of this turns out to be a dream that Robotnik is experiencing while he sleeps in some kind of weird upright pod. I guess he's just too crazy for normal beds. In the original, swatbots merely wake him up to go about his day, but the Director's Cut elaborates on what exactly his morning entails. Apparently, the swatbots have captured an Overlander for him, and the poor victim's awaiting some "tests."

So wherever these Overlanders are residing (considering we've only ever seen Mobians so far), they knew Julian, but believed him to be dead, and they're familiar with the terrifying figure of "Robotnik." Robotnik is merely mildly amused at the Overlander's confusion and terror, and tests some kind of beam on him, causing him to disintegrate and disappear… oh, boy.

Back on the Floating Island, things begin to break into a fight again, only for Dulcy to get fed up and break things up.

Oh, so now not only can dragons sense truth, but they can't even lie themselves? Again with the eleventh hour superpowers, Kenders! With Dulcy's testimony, Geoffrey is finally convinced of Sonic's innocence, having really no choice, and together they make haste back to Knothole, where the situation has gotten dire. Everyone has been rounded up by swatbots and are being shuffled along to be roboticized. Tails and Rotor make an attempt to sneak away, but no dice with Drago overseeing operations.

In the original, we get a quick cutaway for one page where Crocbot is called by Robotnik and reports that he's dealing with a sudden prison uprising, but the Director's Cut gives us a lot more detail. Somehow, Bunnie and Antoine have gotten free of their collars and detonated Antoine's from a safe distance, making their guard think they've all been obliterated. (How this all went down is actually explained in a future issue - none of these escape from Downunda sequences were included in the original, so a later issue actually went out of its way to explain the whole thing. As a result, even though some detail is revealed here in the Director's Cut about the escape, there are still some blanks waiting to be filled in further on.) The freed prisoners soon find the other three members of the Downunda Freedom Fighters, and they head to the loading docks where Crocbot is overseeing the transport of the ore to Robotropolis. The Downunda Freedom Fighters cause a distraction, ready to get some much-needed payback on Crocbot, while Bunnie and Antoine make their way onto one of the shipping airbuses headed back to their own continent.

Meanwhile, Sonic, Knuckles, and Geoffrey and all his troops have arrived at Knothole, and well, cheers love, the cavalry's here!

While Drago attempts to make his getaway, the Director's Cut cuts away for one page to show Bunnie and Antoine stumbling upon a very interesting video log on board their airbus, in which Robotnik happily rambles on about his new "Ultimate Annihilator, " with which he intends to erase Knothole from existence entirely, followed by conquering the rest of the world unopposed.

Sonic pursues Drago, and in the original, he's knocked out not very far from the commotion by a rock thrown by an angry Hershey. However, the Director's Cut goes a little further. She lures him in by flirting, telling him that "What girl wouldn't want a winner…"

She basically straight up attempts to murder his ass in a screaming rage, which honestly, I don't blame her for one bit. She does indeed end up knocking him out with the rock, at which point Sonic arrives to observe the scene. She sobs and reveals her part in Sally's supposed death, to which Sonic merely replies that she shouldn't blame herself, because "we were all duped." While by now Bunnie and Antoine have arrived on scene (and thus so has the ore Robotnik needs to complete his Ultimate Annihilator), Sonic races toward his final destination - Robotnik himself.

He barely even stops to kick Snively out of his way, with Snively apparently quite determined to stop him from reaching his destination. Hey, what's up Snively? Didn't you want your uncle's plans to fail?

From here, I'll basically just be using the Director's Cut, since the ending sequence was so drastically changed for the better that the original isn't even worth our time. Sonic runs into Antoine and Bunnie in the halls, where they inform him of their plan to attempt to detonate Robotnik's weapon before it can fire. Sonic races to buy them time, but as the pair reach the cannon…

There's still a chance! That was only the initial activation! Come on Sonic, you can get there in time! He races into Robotnik's room with seconds on the clock…

Unfortunately, sometimes, even Sonic's speed isn't enough.

I feel like if there was any moment that Sonic would have let out a precision F-bomb, it would be now. First this kid lost his girlfriend, then everyone he ever loved was wiped out in an instant. Damn, dude…

Things aren't over, though. Bunnie and Antoine plant their bomb anyway, and as Sonic races for Robotnik, an alert announces a catastrophic system crash, with the Annihilator set to explode and hit the war room directly - right where Sonic and Robotnik are standing. Both stand facing each other. Surprisingly, Robotnik isn't even angry. He merely states that he's gotten to see his plans finally come to fruition, and that the only thing he wants now before he dies is to finally kill his most hated nemesis.

And so, as the Annihilator fires, they fight - and the explosion hits them.

We get a full blank white page after this. Just empty nothingness.

Then, a hand shattering through. A torso. Somehow, incredibly, Sonic is alive, and has broken back through oblivion to collapse in the rubble of the war room. As he loses consciousness, voices call out, noticing him and racing to get him immediate medical attention.

He wakes up several hours later in bed, and to his shock, Dr. Quack is there - as well as Rotor. He's in Knothole. Knothole! The Ultimate Annihilator did indeed hit the village, but it didn't destroy it as monitors seemed to indicate - rather, strangely, it catapulted the place three hours into the future, in its own little pocket zone. New zones have begun to emerge all over Mobius as a result of the Annihilator's explosion, in fact. Dr. Quack explains how this happened - as it turns out, Snively was indeed plotting his treachery from the beginning of this adventure, and Robotnik was so caught up in his success that he had no idea. Dr. Quack had watched, as he looked after the crystallized king in captivity, as Snively had made his own little "adjustments" to the Annihilator - causing it to target only the organic matter of Robotnik himself, leaving the rest of the inhabitants of the world unharmed.

And, oh, right, almost forgot. Sally's alive.

Sonic races out of the medical ward to see her, finding her memorial "coffin" in a field, lying undisturbed. He opens it and kisses her cheek, quietly begging her to come back, admitting that he loves her. And her eyes open. The original merely moves on to the final page from here, but in the Director's Cut, we finally get what we shippers have been waiting for this whole time - the Big Damn Kiss.

*wipes tear from eye* And that's it! We've reached the end of Endgame, and thus the end of the comic! Well it's been a wild ride, everyone, but I guess we're - wait, what? There's more? 289 issues more, you say? Well, I guess it's a relief the comic didn’t end here after all! There're so many more loose ends to tie up and explore, new worlds to see… and a new era of the comic to enter!

Seriously though guys, let's hear it for this arc. I know some people who dislike it, but I honestly love it - I think it's one of the most epic, pulse-pounding, action-packed stories so far, and it's really the arc that finally took the comic from still hanging onto its goofy, episodic roots into something really special. Next issue, we enter the third era of the comics, where we get to see everyone explore a freed world, and an end to the war that's plagued them for eleven years. Our Brave New World awaits!

[marvelman901]

Night-Thrasher 13 (1994) . Lost in the Shadows part 1 . Written by Dan Slott Penciled by Nelson Ortega, Gordon Purcell and Guy Dorian Inked by Fred Fredericks, Sam DeLaRosa and Mike DeCarlo . Flashback to when Night-Thrasher first met Silhouette, and now he felt like he was losing her to his brother, Bandit... . #marvel #superhero #nightthrasher #90s #bandit #midnightsun #silhouette #newwarriors #comics #danslott #mikedecarlo #nelsonortega https://www.instagram.com/p/CQg09CJhAaJ/?utm_medium=tumblr

[digsyiscomics]

Silver Sable and the Wild Pack #12, May 1993, written by Gregory Wright, penciled by Tom Grindberg and Nelson Ortega

[robotnik-mun]

Robotnik Art Historia- Part Two: The Road to Endgame

Hello there, and welcome to the Robotnik Art Historia, where we journey through the various artistic interpretations of the dearly depraved doc over the course of Archie Sonic’s existence! 

In this installment, we observe some the later artists who contributed over the course of what was considered The Classic Era, leading up to issue 50. While many of the regular artists were firmly in place by this point (Manak, Spaziante and Mawhinney), there were still others who would step up from time to time. Many of these artists worked sporadically on the book during this time and after it, with one rather major exception- none the less, each one put a fairly unique stylistic spin on the doc, for better or worse. And that’s what this is all about. 

6. Brian Thomas 

Brian Thomas, prior to coming to Sonic, was an artist for Archie’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Adventures book, and also did work on the ‘Mighty Mutanimals’ spinoff. By this point the Archie TMNT comic had been cancelled for a while now, and it was likely he was bumped onto the TMNT book under the basis that his experience in drawing humanoid animals would be a boon. Jury’s out on that front, but he wasn’t a bad fit all the same. His Robotnik tended to be drawn with somewhat thin limbs, and he made Robotnik’s nose more bulbous...in that respect, his design was actually closer to that of the Sonic games than the SatAM show. 

7. Richard Koslowski 

Rich Koslowski was an inker who got to do pencils for a single story, issue 37′s “Bunnie’s Worst Nightmare”. There is not a lot to say about his take on Robotnik other than the fact that he seems to be a middle ground between Mawhinney’s and Thomas’, possessing the visible black pupils of the latter and the overgrown nose of the other. Uniquely though, his depiction of Robotnik would see to treat what is normally Robotnik’s iris as being his actual eye, with the black ‘sclera’ seemingly being the shadows around his eye, a creative conceit that was actually contemplated in SatAM’s concept art before moving on to the final design. An interesting coincidence, to be sure. 

8. Manny Galan

A fresh young face at Archie, Galan much like Spaz took some time to really get things down right, but to his credit Galan really managed to do Robotnik justice, drawing him as a massive, menacing sort that was all too appropriate for the character. Galan started out on the Sonic book proper, but his ‘big break’ came when he did the art on the Sonic Quest miniseries. Galan would then become particularly famous for being the main artist on the Knuckles the Echidna series. Over time his style would evolve to become more anime-esque, but whatever the particular period, he always drew the Big Round Guy Well. 

9. Kyle Hunter

Working primarily as a colorist, Kyle Hunter did pencils for exactly one issue of Sonic, so there’s not a lot to say really. His take on Robotnik is fairly standard, though weirdly enough he was depicted as ultra-detailed on the first page and then far toonier on the second. Why this is, I have no idea- but either way, his Robotnik was competently handled if not particular noteworthy, seeming to take cues from Spaz’s depiction. 

10. Nelson Ortega 

Nelson Ortega is a bit of an odd one. He did several issues for the book, and a lot of that artwork looks... kinda lousy, in all honesty. However, his one bit of Pro-Art, pictured on the left there, demonstrates that he is in fact a stellar artist. This leads me to believe that the lack of skill demonstrated in the book proper may fall on the inker... who, ironically enough, was the previously examined Brian Thomas. Anyway, despite the problems with the final art in the book, his depiction of Robotnik is pretty impressive all the same, ESPECIALLY in the pro-art piece. It’s just a shame would couldn’t have seen more like the latter rather than the former. 

11. Sam Maxwell 

One of the last additions to the ‘classical’ era of the book, Sam Maxwell’s style tended to throw a lot of people for a loop. VERY rubbery and cartoony, many have claimed that his characters look like they’re stuffed with balloons, and a lot of the times the proportions on his characters would shift from page to page or even panel to panel. How good or bad a fit he was depends on your personal tastes, and honestly I always kinda liked his style. His Robotnik was also pretty distinct looking, with a lot of emphasis placed on his teeth and the absolutely MASSIVE size of his ear implants. Maxwell would linger on a while after Endgame and even contribute a bit of pro-Art before disappearing into the ether. 

And with that, the second installment of the Robotnik Art Historia comes to a close! Sufficed to say, the art didn’t want for variety in these days, and that trend would continue in the time period we’ll be covering tomorrow- the Post Endgame Era! 

[shadowwingtronix]

"Yesterday's" Comic> Sonic The Hedgehog #50

BW's "Yesterday's" Comic> Sonic The Hedgehog #50

“My hand is killing me. Imagine what it will do to you!” Sonic The Hedgehog #50 Archie Comics Publications (September, 1997) “Endgame” part 4: “The Big Goodbye” PLOT: Ken Penders WRITERS: Ken Penders, Michael Gallagher, Karl Bollers, & Kent Taylor PENCILERS: Patrick Spaziante, Manny Galan, Nelson Ortega, Sam Maxwell, Dave Manak, Ken Penders, & Art Mawhinney INKERS: Andrew Pepoy, Brian Thomas, Pam…

[shadowwingtronix]

"Yesterday's" Comic> Sonic The Hedgehog #46

BW's "Yesterday's" Comic> Sonic The Hedgehog #46

Just another day on social media. Sonic The Hedgehog #46 Archie Comics Publications (May, 1997) WRITERS: Ken Penders & Kent Taylor INKER: Brian Thomas COLORIST: Barry Grossman EDITOR: J. Freddy Gabrie “Countdown To Armageddon” PENCILER: Nelson Ortega LETTERER: Vickie Williams Knuckles Quest part 4: “A Goat, A Raven, And A Swan Song!” PENCILER: Manny Galan LETTERER: M. Eisman Continue reading…

[mobius-prime]

86. Sonic the Hedgehog #54

Running to Stand Still

Writer/Colors: Karl Bollers Pencils: Nelson Ortega and John Herbert

So this issue marks the beginning of what I find to be one of the most interesting conflicts within the preboot's third era and beyond. Knothole is nearly empty, now that Mobotropolis is in the process of being restored, so most of the citizenry have moved away since Knothole exists in its own strange time zone and is hard to get in and out of. Sonic, Tails, and Uncle Chuck are the only people there currently, and the latter two are attempting to run tests to find out Sonic's true top speed, but Sonic is accelerating so fast in frustration that he's overloading their machinery.

It turns out Sonic came here with them to try to unwind from the situation back in the city. Sally has been making all sorts of political decisions and new announcements, including instating Sonic onto a new council which will help make decisions for the populace, something which Sonic cannot bring himself to feel excited about.

There are several flashes to the Devil's Gulag throughout the issue, showing at first Lt. Smiley of Geoffrey's Rebel Underground and his crew transporting the crystallized Kodos and Uma Arachnis to the island prison. But back in more civilized areas, Chuck and Tails put Sonic through another speed test, which allows Sonic's mind to wander back to the previous day, in which Chuck and Sally discussed their idea to put the roboticized Mobians up in the abandoned Knothole for the time being so they could have their wish of a separate colony while the flesh and blood citizens get used to their metal brethren. However, this doesn’t quite go as planned.

Again with these issues with the king's judgment! This solution is quite obviously best for everyone involved, and yet this sick and mentally traumatized guy in a hospital bed is able to veto whatever they throw at him just because he was born to the right people. I'm telling you man, there are better ways to handle this.

Back in the Devil's Gulag, the Rebel Underground members discuss the whole situation with Naugus amongst themselves, within earshot of someone who definitely does not need to be hearing such juicy gossip.

I don't like that smug smile, man…

Once again, Chuck and Tails conduct a speed test on Sonic, whose mind wanders this time to a few days ago, where Rotor confessed his worries about his missing family and his desire to head north and find them now that Robotnik was gone. Sonic heads into the medical wing to speak with Sally inside, only for her to veto his request this time instead, citing the need for Rotor's technological expertise here in Mobotropolis, which of course only frustrates Sonic further. Once again to the Devil's Gulag, and Snively, upon hearing more details of Naugus' escape from justice, activates some kind of device hidden under his thumbnail. How suspicious…

Chuck and Tails have one more test to conduct on Sonic's speed, this time constructing what looks like a giant hamster wheel for him to run within. Unfortunately, despite his talk with Tails a couple issues ago, it seems he's still not over his feelings of betrayal from Chuck hiding his parents' survival from him.

He doesn't give his uncle time to reply before starting the test and drifting off into his thoughts once again. Here, we finally get into the meat of all his problems, as Rosie approaches him with a group of children who run off playing.

Aaaaand there it is.

See, Sonic (and the other Freedom Fighters, but this is something that affects Sonic especially badly) has basically been a child soldier for almost his entire life. He was caught up in a worldwide war at age five, one which only got bigger and more dire the longer it went on, and he had to constantly fight for his life and the fate of the world, or else watch everything fall apart. Couple that with his boundless energy, and now that the world has less need for his battle skills and more need for politics, he's stuck feeling, as he puts it, "like my hands are tied while my shoelaces aren't." Because really, how does a teenager who's spent his entire childhood fighting for his life settle down into a world of peace?

Rosie comforts him by telling him "the only difference is the one you make," encouraging him to get out there and continue to make a difference in his own way, something which actually cheers him and gets him to run off to make that difference. We get a quick, ominous shot of the Eggbots that Snively commanded back in the Sonic Super Special #1 coming back to life, activated by Snively's thumbnail device, but quickly shift back to Sonic, who's met up with Uncle Chuck and Tails in a flowery field. As Tails busies himself chasing a dragonfly, Uncle Chuck attempts to apologize and explain himself once again…

…and this time, Sonic accepts his apology, hugging him and repeating Rosie's line about making a difference. Suddenly, they're interrupted by a strong breeze out of nowhere… and the Eggbots fly overhead, as Sally contacts Sonic and insists he come back as it's an emergency.

[mobius-prime]

92. Sonic Super Special #4 - Return of the King

The Return of the King

Writer/Colors: Karl Bollers Pencils: Sam Maxwell

It's time to finally see what will happen to the king once his daughter returns with the Sword of Acorns! The heroes make a triumphant return to Mobotropolis in their skyship, but upon arriving the king greets them and insists that he is no longer sick, citing the ridiculousness of his prior order to dismantle the Robians. Agreed, kingy ol' boy! Uh… agreed, right everyone?

G-guys, are you serious?! First of all, since when can Geoffrey ever find it in himself to agree with something that Sonic says? Second of all, you're really all arguing for the systematic murder of over four million sentient beings?! The king is flabbergasted, but everyone stands firm, Sonic even citing how his uncle lied to him about his parents, and he feels like he can't even trust his parents now, let alone his uncle. The king becomes more and more agitated, and suddenly shouts for them to be silent as the crystallization takes over the rest of his body.

Well, this looks bad.

We cut away to the skyship that we thought had just landed, with the Freedom Fighters on it. The ship is hit by a stray air missile, and they crash near a soldier, whom they frantically question about why they've returned from their mission to find their city a war zone.

Something definitely fishy is going on here. With more explosions hitting the streets around them, everyone is forced to flee into a nearby abandoned building, and who do they find there but Uncle Chuck and a handful of other Robians hiding from the fighting? Uncle Chuck is torn, but the other Robians are angry, only seeing the faces of those who apparently called for their dismantling. Sonic rushes around and confiscates their guns before they can fire off any shots, and then reasons with his uncle that he would never call for something so heinous, even citing the same incident with Uncle Chuck and his parents - only this time, noting that he refuses to lie to his uncle, as lies were what came between them before. Uncle Chuck believes him, and they go to shake on it…

Sonic rushes to his uncle's side, begging him to respond, but Uncle Chuck is unmoving and silent. Sonic, in a fury, turns to see that it was the same soldier who they met when they first landed who fired the shot, and furiously shoves him backward and pulls the Sword of Acorns on him. However, before he can do anything to hurt the soldier, his parents step forward from the darkness, pleading with him not to harm him, as then he'd be "no better than Robotnik." Sonic hesitates, then lowers the sword - which suddenly flashes with light. On the other side of the room, Uncle Chuck miraculously sits up as though he were never shot at all, and the soldier who shot him is holding his head, confused and claiming that the last thing he remembers was the Freedom Fighters returning from their mission and going to speak with the king. Sally notes that it seems like everyone is under some kind of spell or trance, and a lightbulb suddenly goes off for Sonic. A few minutes later, he's standing in the palace and shouting loudly for Ixis Naugus to come and face him, because really, who else did you think it was?

He tries to influence several more nearby soldiers to attack Sonic, but Sonic merely uses the sword's healing ability once again, which makes the soldiers drop their weapons and start questioning how they got here and why they're dressed for battle. Naugus angrily runs away as Sally and Geoffrey catch up to Sonic, and they all run together after the possessed king. To everyone's horror, Naugus has positioned the king on the edge of a balcony, claiming that if they come closer he'll jump, causing the king to fall to his death while he vacates the king's body so he'll be unharmed by the fall. Sonic tries to call his bluff by pointing out that the sword is making him weaker, and Naugus, infuriated, makes the jump anyway.

Sonic, without thinking, leaps after the king and grabs onto him before they both hit the ground in a blinding flash. Sonic finds himself waking up on his back on the ground, with everyone worriedly watching over him, and the king commends him for his bravery, noting that the sword's power kept them from dying from the fall and that Naugus has left his body, leaving him sane once more. He believes that he'll be crystallized permanently now, but then goes to grab the sword lying nearby, and the final miraculous transformation takes place.

Well, he's finally cured! I can't imagine we'll have any more troubles involving him from here on out, right? Right?

Down and Out in Downunda

Writer: Michael Gallagher Pencils: Nelson Ortega Colors: Karl Bollers

Oh hey look, it's Michael again! We haven't seen him since the big Endgame finale. As you might have noticed, he's not quite the big main series writer he once was, but we haven't seen the last of him yet. This is also the story I mentioned before in that finale, where it went into more detail about how Bunnie, Antoine, and the Downunda Freedom Fighters escaped their confinement in Crocbot's torture chambers, so some of the plot points may seem familiar. To that end, I'll only really cover the extra details here that Endgame didn’t.

The Freedom Fighters are hanging out and camping in the woods telling stories, and Sally requests that Bunnie and Antoine recount how exactly they escaped the prison camp in Downunda, so they commence the storytelling while they cuddle up to each other around the fire. Bunnie begins by mentioning Crocbot, whom she calls the "vilest creature since General Sherman," which is a reference to Union General William Sherman from the American Civil War. This is another one of those really, really weird instances where Michael apparently just can't help himself to make Bunnie out to be this like, weird Confederate supporter despite her, y'know, living in a world that has nothing to do with the American Civil War and also being kind of staunchly opposed to slavery and all. Like, apparently General Sherman really was kind of a dick in war, using scorched earth tactics to fight the Confederates, but there have been a lot of terrible war commanders throughout history, and if Michael wanted to make a silly reference to some real-world conflict, he could have picked literally anybody besides someone that, again, makes Bunnie out to be a Confederate supporter. I know he does it because she's southern and he's playing on southern stereotypes and all, but dammit man, if you were looking for southern stereotypes to give her you could have gone for harmless ones like cornbread, farms, and "oh bless your lil ol' heart" or something, not the ones that, I can't stress enough, make one of the main characters of the comic out to be someone who's affiliated with a regime that supported chattel slavery. It's honestly one of the main issues I have with Michael and how he writes this character, because I adore Bunnie and she simply does not deserve this slander.

Well, anyway, onto the actual story of her and Antoine's escape. When they were put into their cell, Walt started to become upset at the thought that his other three team members might be dead by now, and while Barby comforted him, Bunnie realized that their captors were so focused on restraining her bionic limbs that they forgot to make sure her flesh and blood arm was properly secured, allowing her to slip it free of the shackle on the wall.

So that's how they got out of the restraints without causing Antoine's collar to blow! Well, technically they did blow it anyway, but only to open the door and allow them to escape. The four allies ran to rescue the other three Downunda Freedom Fighters, and then Bunnie and Antoine got onto the airbus delivering Robotnik's ore for the Ultimate Annihilator while the DFF distracted Crocbot, making it sound like Bunnie and Antoine died to cover their escape.

Also, Endgame didn't go into how Bunnie and Antoine obtained the explosive that they were all set to plant on the Ultimate Annihilator. This story explains that one - Crocbot had aspirations to blow up Robotnik himself anyway by planting a bomb on one of the combots delivering the ore, and Bunnie and Antoine simply stole it while on board the airbus. They snuck out of the vehicle once it landed in Robotropolis, counting on it taking a while to unload the ore while they slipped away and carried out their plan, and the rest was history. Back in the present, Hershey arrives with a letter from the Downunda Freedom Fighters themselves, having arrived quicker than expected due to the weird properties of the flow of time in Knothole at the moment.

I like the little note from the editor asking if we want to see more of them. Of course I do, man! Unlike the Forty Fathoms Freedom Fighters, these guys and the Arctic Freedom Fighters are actually cool and likable. Remember, Bottlenose massacred like a hundred oysters not too long ago. At least these guys are blowing up actual villains rather than "hired mussel." (Still not over that pun.)

[mobius-prime]

73. Sonic the Hedgehog #46

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Countdown to Armageddon

Writer: Ken Penders and Kent Taylor Pencils: Nelson Ortega Colors: Barry Grossman

This is maybe one of the first issues without much substantial action. Instead, there's a lot of talking, but luckily, it's very interesting talking. For example, the very first page gives us some major backstory on the roboticizers that we didn't even realize we were lacking until now.

That's right - Uncle Chuck was the one who invented the roboticizers! They were originally meant to be used to save those gravely injured, but when Uncle Chuck tested it on his own brother - Sonic's father - it instead turned him into a mindless machine. It wasn't quite his fault, however - it turns out that Robotnik, back then Warlord Julian, had deliberately sabotaged his machine to have this effect, ensuring that Uncle Chuck would resign from his position as a scientific advisor in shame and that Julian could have the device all to himself for more nefarious purposes.

Uncle Chuck is reminiscing about all this to the Freedom Fighters after having received old security footage that showed these events taking place, and Sally, seeing his guilt and regret and deciding that he could use some cheering up, decides to take everyone out for a night camping in the trees. However, he only continues to doubt himself and his abilities as a spy, citing multiple Robotnik plots that almost worked because he didn't detect them in time. As the others try to reassure him that he's invaluable to their cause anyway, there's a rustling in the bushes… and some friends show up!

We have another Dulcy situation, guys! (Fitting that she's in this issue as well.) The Wolf Pack, and Lupe specifically, were characters that originally starred in the SatAM show, and have taken seventy-three whole issues to make their first appearance here. They all decide to join the Freedom Fighters around the campfire, but one of their members, Drago, begins to take an instant dislike to Uncle Chuck due to his robotic appearance.

Before anyone can really begin to argue in earnest, another player arrives on the scene - Geoffrey St. John, of course, here to make out with Sally for one panel before immediately insulting Sonic and also accusing Uncle Chuck of being a Robotnik spy! Geoffrey, bro, you really gotta work on your people skills…

Of course, Sonic doesn't take kindly to this at all, not in the least because he already hates Geoffrey's guts (and everyone else in the group aside from Sally is pretty hostile toward him as well, and can you blame them? He's acting like a total douche here), and they throw down for a second before Geoffrey releases some kind of wire from his wrist-mounted crossbow, pinning Sonic to a nearby tree, and then shoving a real crossbow bolt in his face while claiming he's about to teach him the "last lesson he'll ever learn."

JESUS CHRIST, GEOFFREY! Kenders, seriously, are you going out of your way to make Geoffrey seem like the most unlikable character in the comic?! Before he can execute his helpless comrade with a shot to the freaking head, Antoine of all people steps in and delivers one hell of a haymaker to Geoffrey's face, shocking just about everyone. Turns out Antoine has had a secret grudge against Geoffrey from the very beginning, and he's finally snapped. Antoine's father used to be the top general of the king's army, right around the same time that the Rebel Underground was being established, and when that general was one of the first casualties of the war against Robotnik, that was enough - along with Geoffrey's baseless accusations - to convince Antoine that Geoffrey is the traitor, not Uncle Chuck.

Hoo boy, this is getting heavy. At this point, we finally have our retcon to Antoine's age back in the very early issues of the comics, as in the wake of all the arguing and fighting, Tails expresses surprise that Antoine wasn't the general, but rather the son of the general, and the others explain to him that he was a child just like the rest of them. This is actually kind of an important point that I'll be bringing up later - that Tails was seemingly the only one mistaken about Antoine's age - so just remember it. Anyway, Bunnie goes on to explain how Antoine once saved her life before she ever became roboticized, how he wore his father's uniform in remembrance and trained so he could be as honorable as his father, but began to lose his way as he felt alone and unloved. Bunnie then heads off to the surrounding trees to find Antoine and reassure him.

Heeheeheeeeee, oh boy, this is a shipper's gold mine! Honestly, the beginning of their relationship is really very sweet, and out of the myriad of relationships that formed, broke up, and reformed over the course of the preboot, theirs is one of the longest-standing and most realistic, if you ask me. They're just… adorable, and complement each other so well.

Anyway, apparently in all the chaos Drago himself slipped away without telling anyone, and upon his return Lupe has become suspicious of him as well. Boy, no one trusts anyone tonight, do they? More arguing breaks out as Antoine and Bunnie return to the camp, and Sally ultimately shuts everyone up, yelling at them not to throw around accusations of treachery without any kind of evidence. She then sighs and talks more hopefully about Knuckles' quest to find her father's sword…

Knuckles Quest 4 (A Goat, a Raven and a Swan Song!)

Writers: Ken Penders and Kent Taylor Pencils: Manny Galan Colors: Barry Grossman

…which the issue immediately segues into! Knuckles has been exploring his island's catacombs, and happens upon a strange sanctum where a raven and donkey are performing some kind of ritual with a cauldron. Normal enough! Knuckles deduces that these must be the ones that Sir Connery warned him of, and promptly falls on his ass into the sanctum.

After his brilliant sneak attack, Knuckles is forced to fight against a mechanical golem. He's at first unable to make a dent in it, until Archimedes reveals that he's been chilling in Knuckles' backpack this whole time. Wait, this whole time? Does that include the week that Knuckles was the unwilling slave of a sorcerer and an enchantress? If so, what the hell, dude? You didn't think to step in sooner? I suppose that during the previous adventure Archimedes could have been off working with the Chaotix, or Knuckles' father, to survey the damage caused by the Dark Legion's recent invasion, but even in that case why did he just randomly wait until now to reveal himself to Knuckles? Aren't they friends?

Meh, whatever. With Archy's help Knuckles is able to destroy the golem, and after knocking out the evil raven guy, they turn their attention to the donkey only to realize that he's a fake, not a living being at all - and even more bizarre, some magical acid spilling on him melts his form, revealing the sword that Knuckles has been looking for all along! Great job on finding the sword and all, Knux, but uh… what?

I think my policy for reading Kenders material needs to be "don't think too hard about it" from now on. Whatever! Knuckles has the sword! Now that his quest is finally complete, it's time to see what he does with it!

[marvelman901]

The origin of the Cadre (Published in Web of Spider-Man Annual 9 1993) Written by Terry Kavanagh Penciled by Nelson Ortega Inked by Don Hudson #marvel #origin #cadre #spiderman #comics #supervillain #hellbent #annual #90s #nelsonortega #donhudson #vortex #monks #dementia #seth #shard #monastery https://www.instagram.com/p/B6kGU68h6Wc/?igshid=1szknsatyfxgg