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Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 37 was the thirty-seventh issue of the main Sonic the Hedgehog comic series.
Summary[]
Story One[]
- "The Day Robotropolis Fell"
Sonic and Sally are in Robotropolis to rendezvous with Uncle Chuck. Chuck doesn't seem to be around, but he flips open the secret door to his lair, sending Sonic flying. He invites the pair inside and shows them seismic readings, indicating that a massive earthquake will soon strike Robotropolis. Sonic is enthusiastic about the thought of Robotnik's operations being damaged, but Chuck informs him that Robotnik is aware of the quake as well and plans to avoid it by hovering above Robotropolis in a spacecraft. Sally wonders how they can take advantage of the situation. Chuck admits that the city will briefly be defenseless while Robotnik is gone.
Meanwhile, Robotnik finishes loading his SWATbots into his spacecraft, and reveals to Snively that he cares nothing for the other machines being left behind-including the Robians. Robotnik's ship takes off, and Chuck tells Sonic and Sally his plan to save the other Robians left behind by the unfeeling doctor. They decide to help Chuck out, but since Robotnik shut down all his equipment they can't get into the Roboticizer room. Suddenly, the earthquake begins.
- "The Day Robotropolis Fell" - Part Two
The tremors of the quake create a crevice large enough for the group to squeeze through, landing them in the Roboticizer room. Sally hears footsteps approaching, but Chuck tells her that he sent an intruder alarm to lure the Robians to their location. When Sally points out that they don't have time to De-Roboticize the Robians in normal fashion, Chuck reveals his plan to overload the machine so that it will explode and throw out a wave of energy. The Robians come rushing in, and Chuck has his young friends run for cover as he activates the machine. Smoke rises from the explosion, but Chuck emerges from it-still a Robian, as he feels that he's more valuable to the Freedom Fighters remaining a robot for the time being. However, his plan has worked, and all the other Robians who charged into the room have been restored to normal.
The trio lead their new friends out of Robotnik's base just as Rotor arrives in a plane to transport them to safety. Unfortunately, there's not enough room for everyone; Uncle Chuck volunteers to remain behind due to having a more durable robotic body, but Sally orders him to leave with the others. Sonic and Sally determine that they'll find a way out of Robotropolis together.
- "The Day Robotropolis Fell" - Part Three
As the plane takes off, the pair begin their escape attempt. Sally asks NICOLE to help them find a safe way out. While she's distracted, a giant bolder lands on top of her, knocking her unconscious. Sonic, horrified, digs her out, realizing that Sally won't survive unless they make it back to Knothole immediately. NICOLE shows Sonic the best route to take and wishing him luck as he takes off, carrying Sally in his arms. They near the outskirts, only to reach a lava-filled chasm. A large tower is about to fall in the chasm, and Sonic realizes that if he changes direction he won't make it back in time. Spotting a hole in the tower, Sonic leaps through as it crashes into the chasm below.
The next day, a bandaged but mobile Sally awards Sonic and Uncle Chuck with Mobius Golden Acorn medals for their bravery. Chuck is doubtful that Sally will be able to pin it on him, but is then informed that his is a magnet. Sonic, on the other hand, awards his medal to NICOLE for her part in helping him and Sally escape the city. As the citizens of Knothole celebrate, Uncle Chuck wonders about Robotnik, who returns to Robotropolis to find it in ruins. As he announces his intentions to rebuild, Snively wonders how they'll ward off the Freedom Fighters. Robotnik reveals that he has a satellite in place to project a force field around the city to protect it, and starts to order Snively to activate it. Snively does so, only for their craft to crash into it, Robotnik telling him that he was going to have him bring it up after they got inside its perimeter.
Story Two[]
- "Bunnie's Worst Nightmare"
Bunnie Rabbot gets up from her resting place at the foot of a tree, and calls upon her volleyball-playing teammates to return to Knothole. As they head for home, Bunnie feels a persistent itch at her left shoulder-the one connected to her robotic arm-and assumes that it's the result of poison ivy. That night, however, Bunnie comes running into Freedom HQ and reveals the truth: circuitry appears to be spreading from her arm into her organic torso. Rotor takes her to his lab for analysis, and discovers a fascinating-but horrifying-truth: her Roboticization appears to be spreading without outside influence. The effects have already converted Bunnie's torso and right arm, and is spreading to her head, and she fears that her worst nightmare-of being completely Roboticized-will soon become a reality. Unexpectedly, a device emerges from the palm of her left hand, and projects a holographic image of Robotnik. The doctor reveals that the cause of Bunnie's condition is a device that was implanted on her when she was in a Roboticizer as a precaution against her escape.
It is intended to complete the Roboticization process, and what's worse, it cannot be removed, reversed, or deactivated. Furthermore, even if the Freedom Fighters managed to restore Bunnie to a fully Mobian form, the device would Re-Roboticize her completely. As the transmission shuts down, Sonic and Sally try to comfort Bunnie, who is utterly hopeless as to her situation. She then grabs Antoine and Rotor, remarking that becoming a robot might be a good thing, but is then shocked to have heard herself say such a thing. Realizing that her robot side must be taking over, Rotor leads the others away to try and find a solution to the problem. Unable to risk harming her friends, however, Bunnie leaves them a note and runs away, determined to put as much distance between them and herself before she turns against them. Exhausted, she lays down to sleep at the foot of a tree, but wakes up to find that the sun has risen. As she's about ready to resume running, Sally appears, and Bunnie tries to warn her off-only to realize that only her left arm and legs are robotic. Realizing that she must have been having a nightmare, Sally leads her over to where the others are playing volleyball, while Bunnie hopes that the dream was merely a result of indigestion-and not a premonition.
Bonus Features[]
Gag Strips[]
Joe Pepitone is seen in a Dr. Robotnik costume, targeting the editor and planning to delete him. Art by Patrick Spaziante.
Quotes[]
- Rotor: "Fascinating! The circuitry and relays seem to be functioning as an automated self-replicating system!"
- Sonic: "Skip the pig-latin, big guy, and spill the beans! What does that mean?"
- Tails: "Ditto!"
- Rotor: "In other words, the roboticized parts of Bunnie seem to be growing on their own!"
Key Events[]
- Uncle Chuck's attempt to De-roboticize the Mobians under Robotnik's control succeeds.
- Robotropolis collapses because of a massive Earthquake.
- Sally gets severely injured after a large rock falls on her.
- Bunnie Rabbot has a nightmare in which she becomes a full robot.
Background Information[]
- Uncle Chuck's spy headquarters is based on his underground lair from both the Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic Underground animated series.
- Apparently the Robians deroboticized in this issue were either just a small portion of the population of Mobians captured and roboticized or Dr. Eggman recaptured most of them after coming to the Prime Zone after Robotnik's demise. Sonic's parents aren't seen, but were most likely taken underground with Uncle Chuck after he paid them a visit with a power ring restoring their free will around issue 30.
- This derobotization process is the first successful mass attempt made in restoring the Robians to Mobians. The second and final successful attempt would occur when Ceneca 9009 and the Bem deroboticized every Mobian except Jules and Bunnie.
- Bunnie's fear of eventually becoming a full Robian would never be realized. Instead, many years after this story was published, she instead developed a different condition related to her roboticized parts, with her body no longer able to discern wether it was fully organic or fully robotic. This would result in Bunnie replacing her roboticized limbs with full mechanical replacements, seemingly forever rendering her incapable of being fully organic again, until a byproduct of Wizard Ixis Naugus restored her to normal.
Cameos & References[]
- One of the De-Roboticized Robians is an obvious tribute to Mickey Mouse, resembling the Disney character but at the size of a real mouse.
Reprint History[]
This issue has been reprinted in the following places:
- Sonic Archives Vol. 10
- Sonic Legacy Book 3
- "The Day Robotropolis Fell" was reprinted in Sonic Super Digest #5
- "Bunnie's Worst Nightmare" was reprinted in Sonic: Bunny Blast
External links[]
- Archie Sonic the Hedgehog Issue 37 at Sonic Wiki Zone, the Sonic wiki.