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Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 103 was the one hundred and third issue of the main Sonic the Hedgehog comic series.
Summary[]
Story One[]
- "Freedom Fighters of the Galaxy: Part One" - Chapter One
At an intersection in the Cosmic Interstate, Zonic the Zone Cop introduces himself and heads into a Zone 1000 years ahead of Sonic's time -- the year 4235, in an alternate future where Mobius has become nearly uninhabitable. A spaceship crash lands on the planet's surface and a shadowy figure watches it from afar. This zone's version of Sonic stumbles out of his ship, glad that his black suit guards him from the planet's toxic atmosphere, when he's suddenly attacked by a fox that resembles Tails. Sonic, using his suit's ability to convert his speed into psychokinetic energy, blasts his attacker and explains his situation. In the year 3235, Dr. Robotnik launched him into space. He was saved by a race of wandering beings known as the Pearlmen, who gave him his suit and sent him in stasis back into space.
The fox, having studied ancient history, explains that shortly after Sonic left the War of the World began and the planet was nearly destroyed in the process. Only a few lifeforms, such as his ancestors, survived and adapted to the dying planet. He then introduces himself as Tailon. Sonic begins to introduce himself when a gang of rampaging robots, the Brass Knuckles, attack. Sonic and Tailon easily take down the robot, but reinforcements flood into the streets. Suddenly, the Freedom Fighters of the Galaxy (Rotor-27, Saleta, Twan-Du, Bunni, and Hawkhawk) arrive to help Sonic and Tailon, easily defeating the robot horde.
- "Freedom Fighters of the Galaxy: Part One" - Chapter Two
With the battle over, the Freedom Fighters explain what really happened during the War of the World to Sonic and Tailon. Robotnik's roboticized world ended up imploding on itself, killing the doctor. With nearly the entire planet dead, the four surviving members of the Knothole Freedom Fighters; Sally, Rotor, Bunnie, and Antoine; headed to Robotropolis to find way off the planet. Each took a single-passenger rocket to a different planet, hoping to adapt to their new lives. Over time, evolution took hold, and each of the Freedom Fighters' descendents gained supernatural powers to adapt to their new environments. However, several generations later, an alien race known as the Shark attacked each planet, leaving only one survivor on each. Hawkhawk scouted each of them out and formed the Freedom Fighters of the Galaxy.
Rotor-27 asks Sonic and Tailon to join the Freedom Fighters, but Sonic is unsure. Hawkhawk demands they join in order to stop an imminent apocalypse. Sonic asks what he's talking about when the Silver Snively appears heralding the Robolactus, eater of worlds.
Story Two[]
- "Myth Taken Identity" - Part One
The Downunda Freedom Fighters are holding auditions to replace Wombat Stu. Every candidate that they come across ends up being pathetic or troublesome and the group begins to reminisce about when the team was first formed.
Walt Wallabee, Guru Emu, and Duck "Bill" Platypus all happened to run into each other in the Outback, and Bill had heard that illegal activities were being carried out nearby. The three of them stumbled upon a prison holding dozens of Mobians who were due to be experimented on. They freed the Mobians, wondering who could possibly have created the prison, when Wombat Stu appeared.
Stu told them about Crocbot and his schemes to create an evil empire in Downunda. The group went to Crocbot's headquarters when they bumped into a wandering mercenary, Barby Koala. Interested in taking down Crocbot as well, Barby asked if they could form a team. Calling themselves the Downunda Freedom Fighters, they battled against Crocbot and his minions.
In the present, the group wonders who's causing their problems now that Crocbot's gone when suddenly one of their failed applicants cries for help. The bird blames the Bunyip for his pain before passing out, and the Downunda Freedom Fighters decide to find and defeat the Bunyip.
Bonus Features[]
Activity Pages[]
- Fill-In-The-Blank Knuckles Family Tree
Two page spread of Knuckles' family tree without the names of his relatives. A word bank is given for readers to fill in the blanks in the tree. Written/Drawn by Ken Penders.
Quotes[]
- HawkHawk: "Within my beak dwells all information, that is why I am called 'The-One-Who's-Nose-Knows!'
- Kookaburra: "(Wheeze) ...M-me and the other applicants were o-on our way home...discussing forming The Legion of Substitute Downunda Freedom Fighters * ...(choke)...suddenly, the m-monster attacked!"
- Editor's Note: * Don't even go there! -- Overworked Editor.
Key Events[]
- The Downunda Freedom Fighters hold auditions to replace Wombat Stu after his defection to the Kingdom of Acorn's Secret Service.
- The origin of the Downunda Freedom Fighters is told.
Background Information[]
- A lengthy editor's note explains that The Shark were created when the Forty Fathom Freedom Fighters launched a spaceship full of hydrotechnology during the War of the World.
- Originally a story planned for a Sonic Super Special before the cancellation of that series, "Freedom Fighters of the Galaxy" was used as the main story for this issue and the next issue in order to cover a schedule slip caused by Ken Penders' poor health at the time.
- The Knuckles family tree featured in this issue is presented as a fill-in-the-blank activity. The "completed" family tree was featured in StH #109, omitting any character who had not appeared in the comics at that point. A fully-completed tree was printed in The Complete Sonic Comic Encyclopedia.
Cameos & References[]
- The Freedom Fighters of the Galaxy and their universe are a parody of the 1990's Guardians of the Galaxy series by Marvel Comics. Mike Gallagher and Jim Valentino wrote and penciled the first half of this series together.
- "Sonik" is based on Major Victory
- "Rotor-27" is based on Captain Charlie-27
- "Twan-Du" is based on Yondu
- "Bunni" is based on Nikki
- "Saleta" is based on Aleta
- "Tailon" is based on Talon
- "Hawkhawk" is a parody of both Starhawk from GotG and Jim Valentino's character, ShadowHawk.
- Silver Snively and Robolactus are based on the Silver Surfer and Galactus from Marvel's Fantastic Four comic book series.
- "Daredingo", one of the applicants to join the Downunda Freedom Fighters, is a reference to the Marvel Comics hero Daredevil, a blind lawyer with enhanced senses.
Errors[]
- The Knuckles family tree suggests there were two female guardians due to a printing error where Voni-Ca and Tobor's boxes were colored-coded incorrectly. This was corrected in the Sonic-Grams of StH #105.
External links[]
- Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 103 at Sonic Wiki Zone, the Sonic wiki.