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Archie Sonic Universe Issue 1 was the first ever issue of the spin-off Sonic Universe comic series.
Summary[]
Official Solicitation[]
This is the comic the fans have waited for - an ever-expanding, all-encompassing series revolving around Sonic's many friends and foes whose continuity aligns with the regular monthly Sonic comic. Along the way, we'll deliver some of the popular supporting cast from the many Sonic video games, including many who have never appeared in the comics before! The first issue of "Sonic Universe" debuts with a story that's out of this world - literally - as Shadow and Metal Sonic continue their series-spanning fight and wind up in a whole new dimension! And things are bound to heat up when Blaze the Cat and a Chaos Emerald enter the mix! Don't miss the explosive beginning of this universe-spanning series!
Story One[]
- "Living Weapons"
After Shadow the Hedgehog and Metal Sonic are transported by Chaos Control to another zone above the ocean, Shadow attempts to make Metal Sonic join sides with him but instead the robot kicks him into the water and expects him to drown, flying away. However, Shadow swims back up and is saved by Blaze the Cat and Marine the Raccoon on the Ocean Tornado. Shadow then explains to them that he has been fighting Metal Sonic through various zones because of its special engine and Shadow's Chaos Control abilities.
Blaze tells Shadow about how she knows Sonic the Hedgehog, her mission to recover the Sol Emeralds and how Marine met with Sonic and Tails and their battle with Captain Whiskers' crew, with Marine stretching the truth about how she had actually contributed to saving the day. They then pull into the nearest port to find Metal Sonic attacking the villagers, demanding they inform the robot where their zone's version of Dr. Eggman is.
Blaze attacks Metal Sonic, but he proves immune to her pyrokinesis and attacks her. Shadow then tries using Chaos Control again, but Metal resists him. Marine then tries to take down Metal Sonic by grabbing on to his head and punching it, making it all the more difficult for the others to land a hit on Metal with Marine in the way. After rotating its head multiple times in an attempt to throw her off, Metal throws Marine off himself into Blaze.
At this point, Shadow tries to convince Metal to rebel against Eggman and help save Mobius, but Metal says that Shadow's "function" is to protect Mobius while his function is to serve Dr. Robotnik. Metal attempts to convince Shadow that he, too, is a living weapon, but simply one with more than one function. Shadow then, regretfully, tells Blaze to distract him with her pyrokinesis so he can attack Metal. Sending the robot flying into the air damaged, Metal Sonic was destroyed by Marine using the cannons of the Ocean Tornado, destroying the engine along with it.
Shadow puts out a fire.
After putting out a fire, Shadow asks Marine to build him a boat like she did Sonic and Tails, but admits that Tails actually built it and she "oversaw development", bringing the normally stoic Shadow to the brink of losing his temper. She backs away from him nervously. Blaze then gives Shadow a Chaos Emerald so that he can return to Mobius Prime, as a gesture to repay the debt owed to Sonic for helping her.
Shadow then teleports back to G.U.N. HQ where Commander Tower and Hope Kintobor are waiting. The Commander admires Shadow for completing the mission to retrieve a Chaos Emerald and tells him to rest up for his next mission.
Off Panel[]
Off Panel: Knuckles discusses the new comic with Sonic, but finds out that Shadow and Rouge are first
The story opens with Sonic and Knuckles in what looks like Haven, saying how great it is to have a second book to stretch out in again. Knuckles says that he is excited to finally be getting back to his own adventures, but Sonic reveals that Shadow had dibs on the book just as he and Rouge walk in. Knuckles becomes enraged by this, saying that he had dibs nine years ago, and that while he could understand Rouge, that he was Sonic's "maybe evil rival first". Sonic then tells the readers to write in or e-mail them on their views about Sonic Universe before trying to cool off Knuckles.
Quotes[]
- Marine: (referring to Shadow) Crikey, he's a sinister lookin' one, ain't he, Blaze?
- Marine: Oy! You hear that?! "Shadow"! Bet you're full of mystery, and danger, eh?
- Blaze: Your "Metal Sonic?"
- Shadow: Yes. Hopefully I can reason with it and make it back down.
- Blaze: It is attacking my people. It doesn't get a chance to back down!
- Blaze: Nothing in this world is as fast or as powerful as I am!
- Metal Sonic: Was.
- Blaze: How--?! (gets knocked away)
- Marine: (as she is spun around by Metal Sonic) Wheeee! I mean--cut that out!
- Metal Sonic: Both living weapons. Both operating to achieve their function. You are not different. You simply have an opposing function. This unit must destroy you. You must destroy this unit.
Key Events[]
- Shadow meets Blaze and Marine.
- Metal Sonic attacks Blaze's kingdom
- The latest Metal Sonic is destroyed after a lengthy battle spanning three different zones.
- Shadow retrieves the green Chaos Emerald for G.U.N.
- Hope Kintobor is revealed to be alive and working for G.U.N..
Background Information[]
- This is the first issue where Dr. Nega is shown, though he is mostly blackened out.
- If you look closely at Dr. Nega's silhouette at the flasbacks, you'll notice that it looks like, if not is, the Jeweled Scepter from Sonic Rush Adventure.
- This issue officially marks the return of the "off-panel" strips to the Archie Sonic titles, this time taking a different approach to the old ones.
- On an earlier solicited version of the issues cover, Marine had a different face and Metal Sonic had a black hole in his right hand. The reason for these changes remains unknown. However, in the Sonic Universe Graphic Novel, the hole in Metal Sonic's hand reappears.
- The off-panel is first confirmation a Knuckles arc would be starting in issue 9.
- Shadow's left eye was originally going to twitch after Marine said "[she] oversaw development?" and leave, but the twitching part had been scraped off by writers due to the schedule of deadline.
- This would be the only issue to have a cover drawn by Patrick Spaziante until #25.
- The boat that Sonic and Tails used to travel back to their world was most likely the SS Tornado EX, a ship that Sonic and Tails uses at the end of Sonic Rush Adventure to teleport back home. However, because it was not speciffically named, it will be counted as tier 2 canon under the encyclopedia's canon policy.
- In the first panel of Marine's tall tale story, she is seen with a bright green ball of energy. This is alluding to the scene in Sonic Rush Adventure where Marine is shown to have some type of unknown power.
Errors[]
- When Marine the Raccoon jumps on Metal Sonic and when Blaze tries to attack it, Marine's ears are miscolored.
- When Marine is seen celebrating Metal Sonic's defeat, the background is coloured in over her pigtails.
- When Blaze first attacks Metal Sonic, the end of her tail is white. This also happens when she tells Marine to pull Shadow and them into port.
Reprint History[]
This issue has been reprinted in the following places:
- Sonic Universe Vol. 1: The Shadow Saga
- Sonic Super Special Magazine Issue 10
Continuity[]
"Living Weapons" picks up from where Shadow and Metal Sonic's battle left off in "The End" (SX#40) and takes place somewhere between "Hedgehog Havoc: Part 2" (StH#196) and the end of "Egg Phoenix Down" (StH#198).
External links[]
- Archie Sonic Universe Issue 1 at Sonic Wiki Zone, the Sonic wiki.