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- This issue takes place at roughly the same time as Sonic the Hedgehog #213 and Sonic the Hedgehog #214.
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Archie Sonic Universe Issue 18 is the eighteenth issue of the Sonic Universe spin-off series.
Summary[]
Official Solicitation[]
An island ablaze and a vacation turned disastrous - what's a two-tailed fox to do?! Tails must fight impossible odds and the vengeful Speedy to rescue his friends! Can he do so before Bunnie succumbs to the dark side... or before Antoine makes a fatal mistake? You can't afford to miss this thrilling installment!
Story One[]
- "Trouble in Paradise" - Part Two: "The Honeymoon's Over"
Speedy begins mocking Tails, who states that he had better not have hurt his friends. In reply, Speedy states that Tails' friends should have already been captured and that he is alone. Tails questions Speedy why he attacked him and states that "all we came here to do was relax!". Speedy states that he isn't stupid and that "you invaded our private training grounds, and your friends will tell us why." He then expresses his vehement distaste for Tails' unusual flying abilities, stating that the sky belongs to birds, and birds to the Battlebird Armada. Tails then inquires about Bees, Bats, and Flying Squirrels, to which Speedy retorts that at least they have something resembling wings. Tails then has T-Pup launch a sneak attack on Speedy, giving both of them a head start to escape. Speedy pursues, eager to punish the offense and demonstrating his power by smashing through rocks as Tails and T-Pup lead him into a cave in hopes of losing him. Despite this, Speedy finds himself barely able to keep up with Tails, particularly as they fly up through a chute with a powerful updraft.
Speedy then manages to pass Tails, striking him in the process, only to lose his adversary and then be ordered back to base by the Battle Lord. Tails, meanwhile, hides himself on a covered ledge in the chute, and imagines that Sonic would probably handle this situation quite easily. However, he realizes that he needs rest and time to think, and so goes to sleep while T-Pup stands guard. The next day, in the Battle Fortress, Bunnie is escorted from her cell, while Antoine struggles with a guard and is able to obtain the key to his cell. Bunnie is led to meet Battle Lord Battlekukku XV, who has mistaken her for a member of the Dark Egg Legion due to her cybernetics. Taking advantage of his mistake, Bunnie introduces herself as "Kommissar Bunnie D'Coolette, Deep Cover Agent," quickly coming up with the cover story of marrying Antoine and infiltrating the Freedom Fighters on Dr. Eggman's orders. The Battle Lord apologizes for the mistake, remarking that the Armada has ties with the Eggman Empire, but their status outside any Legion chapter leaves them behind on intelligence. Bunnie continues to play her part, fooling the Battle Lord into revealing more about the Armada. He describes his people as an "ancient order of avians aspiring to command the skies, find our fabled homeland, and unlock the mysteries of our forebears." He then blames their failure to this point on a group of renegades, and Bunnie realizes that he is referring to the Babylon Rogues. The Battle Lord's curiosity is aroused, and Bunnie mentions their encounter with Sonic.
The Battle Lord asks if the "rebel" she mentioned happens to be Tails, who he reports eluded his forces the previous night. Bunnie is relieved, though she quickly covers it by passing Tails off as a weapons expert. At the same time, Tails wakes up and starts working on a plan to rescue his friends, retrieving the Sea Fox by knocking out the guards with gas bombs from his workshop. He then heads for the third island he noticed the previous day, suspecting that it must be the Armada's headquarters. Unable to find any entrances, he discovers a subterranean passage leading between the base and Cocoa Island itself but is then attacked by a force of Battle Bird Armada submarines. Back at his cell, Antoine discusses cooking with his guard, who then leaves to find a friend of his who also enjoys cooking. Antoine then uses the key he stole earlier to escape his cell, only to run into Speedy, who sounds an alarm that interrupts Bunnie and the Battle Lord. Bunnie runs off to assist Speedy, staying in character as a Legionnaire.
Back in the ocean, Tails is engaged in an underwater battle with the submarines, and through radio compliments them on the technology used to sneak up on him. One soldier is flattered, remarking that "we've got this great inventor guy, Doctor Fu...Foo-Foo...er", before being told by one of his colleagues to focus on taking Tails out. However, the Sea Fox's weapons prove too much for the enemy submarines, though the sub takes damage and forces Tails to surface. Meanwhile, Antoine finds an escape hatch, only to discover that it is at the top of the artificial island with no apparent way down except jumping. Speedy and Bunnie then arrive to apprehend him, and while arguing Antoine learns of Bunnie's ruse, but comes to believe that it is the truth. Though Bunnie tries to convince him otherwise, but he refuses to believe her, citing Silver the Hedgehog's reports as a traitor and her suggesting the honeymoon in the first place. He then jumps out the hatch, leaving Bunnie to watch in horror as he plummets towards the water.
Off Panel[]
Tails and T-Pup are being interviewed, and when questioned Tails reveals that T-Pup stands for "Tails' Pup." He then remarks that he called it that because "Tails Pup" evokes the image of an infant two-tailed Fox, while the name "Mecha Tails" has already been used to refer to his Robian self.
Quotes[]
- Speedy: (to Tails) That's right freak, crawl. Crawl on the ground where you belong!
- Bunnie: (in thought, referring to the Battle Lord) They think that me havin' bionic limbs means I've been legionized; that I'm one of Dr. Robotnik's flunkies. I can use this!
- Battle Bird Minion: And then, I dunno, I guess I'd use a bit of margarine.
- Antoine: Ah, well, you see, zat is ze problem right there. Eet must be butter.
- Battle Bird Minion: Really? That makes a difference?
- Antoine: (when he opens a door and sees the cliff edge) WHO PUTS A DOOR LIKE ZAT IN A PLACE LIKE ZIS?!
- Bunnie: No! Antoine, Ah promise ah'll explain, just...
- Antoine: I do not want to hear eet! GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD! (jumps from the base hatch toward the ocean)
Key Events[]
- Tails manages to escape from Speedy after a lengthy chase.
- Antoine gets his hands on a key card, which he later uses to escape his cell.
- Bunnie is introduced to the Battle Lord, who reveals the Armada's ties to both the Eggman Empire and Babylon Rogues while under the impression that she is a Dark Egg Legion agent.
- Bunnie finds out the Babylon Rogues were a part of the Battle Bird Armada.
- Tails retrieves the Sea Fox and then engages in an underwater battle with Armada submarines, incurring damage that forces him to surface.
- Antoine escapes from his cell and runs into Speedy before finding an escape hatch, which he leaps out of to the ocean below.
Background Information[]
- This will be the 2nd continuation of the adaption of the classic Tails Adventure game.
- Antoine's cooking-based conversation with the Battle Bird guard watching him is reminiscent of a confrontation between him and Snively in the SatAM episode "Spyhog", in which Snively attempts to get Antoine to reveal information to him by improperly (at least in Antoine's opinion) preparing French cuisine.
- Speedy vaguely references the Wizard of Oz when he yells at Tails "You'll pay for that! You and your little dog-robot-thing too!".
- Dr. Fukurokov, a boss from Tails Adventure, is referenced first in this issue, though the Battle Bird soldier who does so is unable to pronounce his name. Fukurokov's name is later given in the next issue.
- Silver mentioning a traitor in the Freedom Fighters occurred in StH #195. Oddly, the person he was talking to was Rob O' the Hedge, and Antoine was not around when Silver said this, leaving one to question how Antoine knew this. Of course, he could have been told by Sonic at some point.
- Bivalve from the Forty Fathom Freedom Fighters and Kine the Fish from the Kirby series make cameo appearances in this issue. [1]
- The keycard Antoine swipes from his guard has the code "SU018", a reference to this issue's number.
External links[]
- Archie Sonic Universe Issue 18 at Sonic Wiki Zone, the Sonic wiki.